From Two Founders to 2,000+ Employees: Trey Dawson and the Pape-Dawson Story | Ep. 10

From Two Founders to 2,000+ Employees: Trey Dawson and the Pape-Dawson Story | Ep. 10

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Trey Dawson, President of Pape-Dawson Engineers, one of San Antonio's most established and respected civil engineering firms. Trey is a third-generation leader of a company his grandfather co-founded in 1965 with $6,000, a six-month runway, and a Sunday school connection that barely kept the doors open. What started as a two-man land development firm has grown into a 2,000-person operation now active in 10 states, built on a simple mission: not to be the biggest, but to be the most respected. This is a conversation about family legacy, what it really takes to scale a company without losing its culture, and why San Antonio remains one of the best places in the country to build something. In this episode: * (01:53) How Pape-Dawson was founded in 1965 with $6,000, a six-month runway, and a Sunday school connection that saved the company * (08:26) Why staying in one market for 40 years was a risk and how diversification changed everything * (17:32) The math behind expanding beyond Texas and why the organic growth model breaks down at 1,000 employees * (18:56) How Pape Dawson protects its culture through M&A by partnering with firms that already share their values * (22:12) What Trey learned about leadership from his grandfather, father, and uncle and why being seen matters as much as doing good work * (23:21) His time chairing the Metro SA Chamber during COVID, including the gala he never got, and what leading RECSA taught him about himself * (29:48) Why San Antonio punches above its weight as a place to do business and what local agencies need to hear * (32:32) Rapid fire: steakhouse rankings with his kids, the Spurs playoff game he skipped for the lake, and why he'd be a real estate agent if engineering wasn't an option Links and Resources * Pape-Dawson Engineers: https://www.papedawson.comhttps://www.pape-dawson.com/ [https://www.pape-dawson.com/] * Real Estate Council of San Antonio: https://www.recsa.orghttps://www.recsa.org [https://www.recsa.org] * Greater SATX: https://www.greatersatx.comhttps://www.greatersatx.com [https://www.greatersatx.com] Sponsor Links: * IRC Capital Residential: https://www.investmentrealty.comhttps://www.investmentrealty.com [https://www.investmentrealty.com] Podcast Production Services by https://everyword.mediahttps://EveryWord.Media [https://everyword.media] #SanAntonio #BreakingGroundSA #RealEstate

Gordon Hartman: Building Morgan's Wonderland and a Legacy of Inclusion in San Antonio | Ep. 9

In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Gordon Hartman, San Antonio businessman, developer, and founder of the Morgan's Wonderland family of nonprofits. Gordon built a homebuilding empire from scratch at 19 with no college degree, sold it at 41, and redirected everything toward his daughter Morgan and the millions of individuals with special needs who lack access, opportunity, and inclusion. What started as a moment in a pool watching his daughter get left out has grown into a $200 million nonprofit ecosystem spanning a theme park, surgical center, salon, sports facilities, dental clinic, broadcast studio, and a first-of-its-kind fully inclusive hotel opening later this year. This is a conversation about purpose-driven development, what inclusion actually means, and how one builder decided that if it was easy, everybody would do it. Chapters * (00:53) Meet Gordon Hartman * (01:59) Young Gordon: Building His First Home at 19 * (07:44) Lessons From Home Building That Still Apply * (12:32) Who Is Morgan * (15:15) The Origin Story of Morgan's Wonderland * (21:54) What Success Really Means Now * (23:15) The Fully Inclusive Hotel * (30:58) Accessibility vs. Inclusion: The Difference That Matters * (40:51) Advice for Young Builders and Visionaries Links and Resources * Morgan's Wonderland: morganswonderland.com * Morgan's Inclusion Institute: https://morgansinclusioninstitute.org/ * Real Estate Council of San Antonio (RECSA): https://recsanantonio.com/ Sponsor Links: * IRC Capital Residential - https://www.investmentrealty.com/ Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media

Ed Cross on 40 Years of Deals, Downtown SA, and Tower Life | Ep. 8

Ed Cross has spent 40 years shaping San Antonio — and most of it quietly. A CPA turned real estate developer, he pioneered Edwards Aquifer water rights investment before most people knew there was a market, helped bring the Vista Ridge pipeline to life, and spent seven years making the same phone call every 90 days until someone finally said yes. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Ed Cross to trace his journey from Beaumont to Houston to San Antonio, and through four decades of deals, partnerships, and projects that have left a permanent mark on the city. They cover his unlikely path from accounting to development, the inside story of how Laguna Water pioneered a new asset class in Texas water rights, the Vista Ridge deal that secured San Antonio's water future, and the relentless pursuit that finally landed him the Tower Life Building — a 1929 skyscraper he is now converting into 244 apartments in the heart of downtown. Ed also shares his vision for what downtown San Antonio becomes next, and the two headwinds he believes the real estate community needs to take seriously. If you want to understand how San Antonio got here, who built it, and what one of its most respected developers believes comes next, this episode is for you. Chapters: * (01:22) Ed's Origin Story: From Beaumont to San Antonio * (05:49) Early Deals and Learning the Business * (07:46) Laguna Water and Pioneering Texas Water Rights * (15:12) The Vista Ridge Pipeline Deal * (21:05) Tower Life: Converting a 1929 Skyscraper into Apartments * (24:45) Seven Years of Phone Calls to Close the Deal * (31:13) Downtown SA's Next Chapter * (37:18) Headwinds, Rapid Fire, and Closing Thoughts Links and Resources: * RECSA - Real Estate Council of San Antonio https://recsanantonio.com/https://recsanantonio.com/ [https://recsanantonio.com/] * Tower Life Building - https://towerlifebuilding.com/https://towerlifebuilding.com/ [https://towerlifebuilding.com/] * Edwards Aquifer Authority - https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/ [https://www.edwardsaquifer.org/] * Cadillac Desert [https://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised/dp/0140178244/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31TJEIOPW98KG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZA1ozJ71Wc7A4wIuXpl_IoAVaflzH1uoTzhsXTIMQHzO23atRxl3wtfThPK6137t71s5-NVsZskxBW8syBGZHYvDhouAB5qv5BqUhhRtL8fLm0pQmLyyI65s61xL6JLjUrjsSAgspFfMbOePWqgg6FwNK8UYF0AdHKuo-MwpAkTMaevbVdrFNkM05oz-5PDGm8qqCEdiScgE_VecCKjfe7nFZwsfc8q_C3uwuik6UWg.q7aJLHjUMlqZCW-B-XJ0XQfL838TGGPDb6S6ooQJln0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Cadillac+Desert+by+Marc+Reisner&qid=1777929714&sprefix=cadillac+desert+by+marc+reisner%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-1] by Marc Reisner Sponsor Links: IRC Capital Residential [https://www.investmentrealty.com/] - https://www.investmentrealty.com/ Podcast Production Services by EveryWord Media [https://everyword.media]

Two Degrees of Separation: How Omar Gonzalez Found His Place in San Antonio's Story | Ep. 7

San Antonio is two degrees of separation. If you don't know someone, you know someone who does. And for Omar Gonzalez, that's exactly how he built a career at the center of the city's most transformative development. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Omar Gonzalez, Director of Development for Oxbow, to trace his unlikely path from the streets of West Philadelphia to the banks of the San Antonio River. From doing early economic analysis on the original Spurs arena decision, to spending a decade reshaping Hemisphere into Yanaguana Garden, to now leading some of the most ambitious mixed-use projects in the city's history, Omar brings a rare combination of sharp finance instincts, deep community roots, and genuine love for San Antonio. They cover the origin story behind Yanaguana Garden, the bet on parking that almost broke during COVID, the vision for Pearl's next chapter including Cooper's Row and the Isletta office project, and why Omar believes San Antonio is still on the cusp of its most exciting transformation yet. If you care about where San Antonio is headed, who is building it, and what it actually takes to bring a city to life, this episode is for you. Chapters: * (01:00) Omar's Roots: Growing Up in San Antonio * (04:30) Wharton, West Philly, and Coming Home * (08:45) The Original Spurs Arena Study * (11:00) Kelly Air Force Base and the Birth of Port SA * (16:00) From Consulting to Doing: The Career Pivot * (21:30) Mexico, the Financial Crisis, and Starting Over * (31:00) Connecting to Pearl and the San Antonio Way * (36:00) Building Hemisphere and the Story Behind Yanaguana Garden * (44:00) Parking Bets, COVID, and the Pearl Expansion * (52:00) The New Spurs Arena and What It Means for the City * (56:00) Cooper's Row, Perlin House, and What's Next at Pearl * (59:00) What San Antonio Does Better Than Any Other City * (01:02:00) The Honest Challenges: Education and Mass Transit * (01:06:00) Rapid Fire and What Omar Would Tell His Younger Self Links and Resources: * RECSA - Real Estate Council of San Antonio https://recsanantonio.com/https://recsanantonio.com/ [https://recsanantonio.com/] * Oxbow Development - https://oxbowdevelopment.com/ [https://oxbowdevelopment.com/] Sponsor Links: * Security Service Title Company https://www.ssfcu.org/home-loans/titlehttps://www.ssfcu.org/home-loans/title [https://www.ssfcu.org/home-loans/title] Breaking Ground SA is a podcast of the Real Estate Council of San Antonio, exploring the people, projects, and decisions shaping the future of our city. Subscribe for conversations with the leaders driving development, policy, and economic growth across San Antonio and Texas. Podcast Production Services by https://everyword.mediahttps://EveryWord.Media [https://everyword.media]

Why Growth Scares People and How Developers Build Trust | Thad Rutherford | Ep. 6

Growth is necessary for a city to thrive, but it often comes with resistance. In this episode of Breaking Ground SA, Stephanie Reyes and Rob Killen sit down with Thad Rutherford, President and CEO of Southstar, to explore the real challenges behind development, community trust, and long-term city building. With over two decades of experience and a portfolio spanning thousands of homes and major mixed-use projects across Texas, Thad shares what it actually takes to bring complex developments to life. From navigating community pushback to building relationships that last, this conversation dives into the human side of real estate development. They also discuss the evolution of San Antonio’s south side, the future of large-scale projects like Lone Star Brewery, and why engagement and trust are just as important as financial success. If you care about how cities grow, how deals get done, and what it takes to lead in today’s development landscape, this episode is for you. Chapters: * (01:00) - From Florida to Texas: Thad’s Path into Development * (07:30) - Why Developers Are Often Misunderstood * (10:00) - Navigating Community Pushback * (14:00) - Growth, Community, and Finding Balance * (16:00) - Building Trust Through Relationships * (18:00) - Why Getting Involved in Your City Matters * (26:00) - South Side Development and Economic Growth * (33:00) - The Vision for the Lone Star Project * (42:00) - Leadership, Legacy, and Advice for the Next Generation Links and Resources: RECSA – Real Estate Council of San Antonio https://recsanantonio.com/ [https://recsanantonio.com/] Southstar (Thad Rutherford) https://southstarcommunities.com/ Sponsor Links: Security Service Title Company https://www.ssfcu.org/home-loans/title [https://www.ssfcu.org/home-loans/title] Breaking Ground SA is a podcast of the Real Estate Council of San Antonio, exploring the people, projects, and decisions shaping the future of our city. Subscribe for conversations with the leaders driving development, policy, and economic growth across San Antonio and Texas. Podcast Production Services by https://EveryWord.Media