When Brooks Air Force Base closed, the neighborhoods surrounding it carried a poverty rate above 20% and a cloud of uncertainty over what would come next. That was 2012. Leo Gomez and his team had other plans.

In this episode, Jeff Webster sits down with his 30-year friend and Brooks Development Authority leader Leo Gomez to talk about how a shuttered military base became one of the most compelling economic development stories in San Antonio history. From 22 new restaurants in two years to Best Buy locations leading the region in sales per square foot to six foreign direct investment companies on campus, Brooks has become the gateway to South Texas in every sense of the phrase.

They dig into the 10,000 residents coming to the Brooks campus in the next three years, the $1.5 billion in private sector development unlocked by $300 million in infrastructure investment, and why Leo believes southeast San Antonio will one day be San Antonio's answer to the Woodlands. They also get into what it would take to replicate the Brooks model on the east and west sides of town, and the straightforward call Leo makes to every business leader in the city: get involved, because a rising tide lifts all boats.

Chapters:

• (00:00) – Meet Leo Gomez: 40 Years of Building San Antonio
• (02:20) – From the Spurs to Toyota: Why Leo Always Bet on San Antonio
• (05:42) – The Brooks Story: From 20% Poverty to a Regional Economic Engine
• (07:31) – Retail Records, 22 New Restaurants, and Becoming the Gateway to South Texas
• (10:06) – 3,000 Residents Today, 10,000 on the Way
• (12:05) – Foreign Direct Investment: South Korea, France, Japan, Czech Republic and Vietnam
• (15:16) – Brooks 2.0: Land Banking Beyond the Base and What Comes Next
• (17:38) – $300 Million in Infrastructure, $1.5 Billion in Private Investment
• (18:18) – The Magic Wand Question: What Leo Would Do for the East and West Sides
• (22:08) – The Plea: Why Getting Involved Is Not Charity, It's Good Business

Links and Resources:

• Brooks Development Authority: https://www.brooksdevelop.com/
• Greater San Antonio Chamber: https://www.sachamber.org/

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