Being a member of RECA’s 2016 Leadership Development Council (LDC) class has far exceeded my expectations. It was a privilege to be selected for the 2016 class, and I recommend that all eligible RECA members consider applying. The deadline is Friday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m., so start polishing up that application and apply here now!

Just how tight is the construction labor market around Texas? Some contractors are posting guards at their job sites to make sure crews don’t get poached while on the job by someone willing to pay more. Finding the right crew and fully staffing projects has become a tooth-and-nail fight for contractors and developers all across the state.

Austin is the top city for entrepreneurs for the second year in a row, reflecting the strong tech culture in central Texas, reasonable costs and a statewide culture that’s friendly toward business. Texas, in fact, accounts for four of the top 15 cities, with the others being Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. The No. 2 city, Miami, benefits from a low-tax environment as well, along with a vibrant community of immigrants, especially from Latin America, who start businesses at higher rates than native-born Americans.

Between mid-2006 and mid-2007, borrowers took out hundreds of billions of dollars in CMBS loans. Back then, property prices were high and underwriting terms were accommodating. For years, experts worried that when these loans reached the end of their terms they would be impossible to refinance, and many borrowers would be forced to default.

The labor market has been tightening. Just last month, the country added 255,000 new jobs, following 287,000 created in June.Take a look at the 10 cities that had the highest percentage increase in jobs in the past four years, according to USA Today.

The opportunities for Texas businesses to make their mark are seemingly endless and potentially lucrative, in industries ranging from agriculture to aviation to energy to telecommunications. But that potential is tempered by the hard reality that just because Cuba is open for travel doesn't mean it's open for business.

Texas export volumes surpass other states by a substantial and growing margin, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro ranks second in the state behind Houston in merchandise exports, according to a report this week by The Perryman Group.

When it comes to building age, are the old guys getting overlooked? New research from CBRE shows office building vacancy in the Texas triangle (DFW, Houston and Austin/San Antonio) is down almost across the board since 2010. But properties built after 2006 have seen the most significant drop in vacancy.

Airbnb launched eight years ago and has grown rapidly over the past two years, earning a $25.5B valuation in December and reportedly doubling its 2014 booking total last year with about 8 million nights booked. Major hotel CEOs say the room-sharing company can co-exist with the hotel industry, but condemned those who abuse the service and avoid lodging regulations.

Using the Denver International Airport (DIA) as an example, Winkler reported that although plans to invest $2 billion in the facility received considerable local pushback around 30 years ago, the airport now provides a yearly economic benefit of $26 billion and has created in excess of 270,000 jobs.

New products will need to overcome problems of aesthetics and efficiency that have plagued past entrants into this field.

Date: 10/11/2016
Time: 11:15 am - 1:00 pm
JW Marriott
110 E 2nd Street

The November transportation bond... the MoPac Express Lanes... Mobility35... It's a lot of projects with a lot of names, but are all these initiatives really going to get Austin moving again? In this special Ideas Forum with our partner CTCAR, get the latest updates from local and regional transportation leaders and how they're coordinating to improve mobility in Central Texas. Do you have any questions you want the panelists to cover? Email ryan.poulos@reca.org.