austineconomy

ABJ Senior Staff Writer Justin Sayers joins Editor Colin Pope to debrief after an action-packed edition of the annual Williamson County Growth Summit. It's clear that the building boom in manufacturing facilities won't slow anytime soon. In fact, it may accelerate, and that could cause infrastructure issues. Case in point: Consumer packaged goods company Afia is currently still on a septic tank because sewage lines haven't been installed.

Rising rates, a housing crunch, and commercial real estate concerns have put the brakes on the exponential growth we've experienced over the past decade. Are we done, or is this just a pause prior to another era of expansion? To find out, ABJ Managing Editor Will Anderson calls on Ed Latson, CEO of the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, who will soon transition to the same leadership role with Opportunity Austin.

Austin's explosive growth over the past decade has put a serious strain on a limited transit system. Is a light rail system the answer, or a billion dollar boondoggle that nobody will ride? In this episode, ABJ Reporter Mike Christen invites Austin Transit Partnership Executive Director Greg Canally and EVP of Architecture & Urban Design Peter Mullan to discuss the merits and challenges of the ambitious and expensive project.

With tech layoffs sweeping the industry and investment bankers calling a crash for Austin's residential real estate market,  we turn to our panel of local economic experts for perspective. In this episode, ABJ Editor Colin Pope leads a candid discussion with a trio of experts who don't pull any punches when it comes to the year ahead, and beyond:

Moderator:
Colin Pope | Editor, Austin Business Journal

Panelists:
Angelos Angelou | Founder & CEO, Angelou Economics & International Accelerator
Jon Hockenyos | President & Economist, TXP Inc.
Lila Valencia | City Demographer, City of Austin

In a special edition of the podcast series, the Austin Business Journal editorial leaders convene, sharing their personal experience and perspective on Austin's exponential growth. Editor Colin Pope moved here as a kid in 1987, Managing Editor Will Anderson is now a native after 21 years here, and Assistant Managing Editor Paul Thompson is a relative newcomer, arriving in the past five years. Together, they share an in-depth conversation about the past, present and future of Austin.