Welcome to HECHO! The show about what’s now and what’s next in the Coastal Bend! I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Lydia Garza.Did you know that Corpus Christi has a Film & Music Commission whose goal is to bring film production and more music to Corpus Christi and the CoastalBend? Visit Corpus Christi recently started the commission, and wisely hired Lydia to be its Commissioner. Lydia is an actress, agent, and casting director, with decades of experience in front of and around the camera, here in Texas and in California. After she decided to move home to Corpus from California, sheran her own casting company until the opportunity to lead the Commission presented itself. She has been sprinting a marathon ever since, including meetings with local film and music experts, helping to host local events, and traveling to South x Southwest in Austin to promote Corpus Christi and theCoastal Bend. The work Lydia is doing will help expand our local music scene and also create opportunities for local actors and actresses, producers, directors and others involved in, or aspiring to be involved in, the film industry to be able to grow and thrive here at home. Lydia’s energy is inspiring and her passion for building athriving film community here is contagious! Please follow the Film & Music Commission on Instagram @filmandmusiccorpuschristi and keep an eye out forlocal productions! If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in businessand entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to theHECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram. Thank you Lydia for coming on the show. Thank you to ourinfrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank youfor taking time to listen!…

Welcome to HECHO! The show about what’s now and what’s nextin the Coastal Bend! I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Dr. DhavalPatel. For this episode, we ventured to Beeville the homebase Uncommon Marketand its Uncommon Junior Chefs program. Uncommon Market grew out of Dr. Patel’spurchase of Coffee Barrel, a well-loved gathering hub for coffee lovers andepicureans who stopped by for camaraderie and locally-sourced gourmet food,some of which was grown at Coffee Barrel. Dr. Patel brought his background ininternational community building to the meals and gatherings at Coffee Barreland now into Uncommon Market and the Uncommon Junior Chefs program. Formultiple decades, Dr. Patel served all around the world in areas in desperateneed of basic resources, and his job was to coordinate international groupslike NGOs with local community members so that the locals could learn how tobuild or create the resources they needed. His passion for community buildingmanifested in Coffee Barrel after he and his family moved to the Beeville areaa handful of years ago. Sensing a need for students and families to have accessto higher quality food sources and preparation skills, he started a communitygarden and began hosting dinners at Coffee Barrel. Those events fueled hispassion to expand the program into schools and other communities which he doesthrough the Uncommon Junior Chefs program. He has lofty goals for the UncommonJunior Chefs and for Uncommon Market in general. Dhaval and the Uncommon Junior Chefs program have some veryexciting events coming up and some other news that is super secret right now.To stay up to date, to see if there’s a program near you, or to reach out tosponsor a program or to request one, following Uncommon Market on Instagram@uncommonmkt If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in businessand entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to theHECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram. Thank you Dhaval for coming on the show. Thank you to ourinfrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank youfor taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 27 of the HECHO Podcast, the podcast about what’s now, and what’s next in Corpus Christi and the Costal Bend. I’m your host Rob George, and our guest is Jeannette Del Angel, and if you ordered from Sucre during Covid (or since), or eaten at Central Kitchen, you’ve likely experienced her magic in the oven. Jeannette is a Corpus raised, Le Cordon Bleu trained, deeply experienced chef. Her primary expertise is pastry, and she created the menu for Central Kitchen. She is now starting her own adventure, Fika, an experience where one can relax with a pastry and espresso. “Fika” is a Swedish term that describes taking a break with friends, old and new. On this episode, we discuss Jeannette’s journey away from and back to Corpus Christi with anecdotes from impressive stops along the way. We learn about how she impressed her French professor at UT with macaroons crafted in her dorm’s basement kitchen, her delight in being called “chef” by her mentor at Southerleigh, and her passion for building a business around her family. Jeannette and Fika offer a unique vibe to the Coastal Bend—a Swedish twist on relaxing with friends. Please follow Fika on Instagram at @fika_microbakery and be sure to seize a moment for your own Fika at Jeannette’s bakery on Alameda between the Quad Fitness Studio and Lavender & Lee. If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in business and entertainment in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, subscribe to the HECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram. Thank you Jeannette for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. Thank you to Lucy George for her editing assistance. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 26 of the HECHO Podcast, the podcast featuring the Coastal Bend’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. The Coastal Bend has grown its share of very talented actors and actresses, including Eva Longoria, Farah Fawcett, Pepe Serna, Victoria Moroles, and Lou Diamond Phillips. In this episode, we get to hear from Nathan Ray Clark, another local actor finding success on the screen and stream. Nathan grew up in Portland where his acting bug was nurtured in the theater department at Gregory Portland High School. That experience eventually led him to Del Mar’s theatre and then to Los Angeles, where, among other accolades, he graduated from and ultimately travelled with, famed improv school Second City (which I inadvertently called “Second Story” in the podcast). As you’ll hear, improv is an important part of Nathan’s success, and he generously makes time to return to Corpus to work with Del Mar’s theater classes, particularly on improv acting. Nathan is a busy writer and actor, and he’s also produced, directed, and starred in a web series with his writing partner. Nathan joins a long line of successful actors and actresses who have roots in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend. Be sure to keep an eye out for him in NCIS and Rescue: HI Surf and Stan the Man Movie coming out in 2025. Please follow him @nathanrayclark on Instagram and watch out for him during the upcoming filming of Evil Inheritance here in Corpus! If you want more of what’s now, and what’s next, in business and entertainment in the Coastal Bend, subscribe to the HECHO newsletter at hecho.cc and follow us @hechocorpus on Instagram. Thank you Nathan for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 25 of the HECHO Podcast, the podcast featuring the Coastal Bend’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. If you’ve attended school in the Coastal Bend at any time over the past 40 years, it’s entirely possible that our guest on this episode, or his father, designed your school. On this episode, we visit with Nick Gignac from Gignac Architects in Downtown Corpus Christi. Nick is a second-generation architect, born and raised here in Corpus but with experience from around the state and the world. His dad Raymond, started the firm about 40 years ago, and after growing up in and around the office, Nick joined Raymond and the team of architects, designers, and other professionals and has been designing public and private buildings and homes around the Coastal Bend and across the state. Some of their notable projects here in South Texas include the American Bank Center, Veterans Memorial High School, Carroll High School, and the to-be-built convention center on South Padre Island, and some 600 other schools here and around the state. I always envy those who get to leave their stamp on a community for 50 years like Nick discussed. What an honor! If you’re curious about some of Gignac Architects’ current projects here in the Coastal Bend, you can check out the new Fire and EMS station in Port Aransas, currently being built with Victory Building Team, the Education Service Center in downtown, being built with South Texas Building Partners, and Hamlin Middle School on Staples with PBK and Fulton Construction. Thank you, Nick, for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 24 of the HECHO Podcast, the podcast featuring the Coastal Bend’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. On this episode, we visit with Martin Flores and Jefte Flores from Marty McPies in Downtown Corpus Christi. Martin began serving pizzas out of a food truck and built up such a following, including your host, that he decided it was time to move into a full restaurant space. This episode was recorded before Marty McPies officially opened, and since it opened the restaurant in the summer of 2024, Marty McPies has been serving incredible pizzas and other creative items in downtown Corpus Christi in the building with the giant scuba mural along Shoreline Drive. If you haven’t had the joy of a Marty McPies pizza, you owe it to yourself to get one! With all of its success, Marty McPies has had the opportunity to be featured in The Bend magazine a couple times since it opened the restaurant. Head over to thebendmag.com to check out those articles and to see Marty McPies pies on the front cover of the November 2024 issue. Also, be sure to check out Marty McPies on The Taco Chair on youtube hosted by Gerald Flores. Thank you, Martin and Jefte, for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 23 of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. On this episode, we visit with Robert Cooper, who recently returned from the Ukraine where he saw and recorded the Russian invasion up close and person with a group of freedom fighters. Robert is a Corpus guy, a member of the Cooper Outdoor family, responsible for many of our billboards and other signs in the area. I’ve debated whether call Robert a modern-day Hemingway, but I think the description is apt. When you visit with him, you get a sense of his wanderlust, but the most interesting part to me is his motivation for adventure. You’ll hear about that in this episode. He’s built houses here and businesses in Eastern Europe, played soccer for a semester at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, and created and sold the Gold Fish, where we recorded. You may recall an earlier episode, with Jessica Gignac, also recorded at the Gold Fish. She and Robert are life and business partners, and the parents of a young son. It’s hard to put yourself in the shoes of the frontline fighters in any war zone, but Robert has done that. You can find one of his and Will’s articles on the Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-russia-ukraine-battle-in-kherson-that-had-us-filming-our-dying-words?ref=author Robert has also started a fundraiser for the strike force he embedded with. Please donate, in the event you would like to help. https://www.spotfund.com/story/a8ad977c-5c53-4a54-837c-6b84e3be696e?SFID=L6H03b Thank you, Robert, for coming on the show. Thank you to the Gold Fish for hosting another episode of HECHO Corpus Christi. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes and Sawyer Audiology. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 22 of the Hecho Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi's creators, makers, doers, and builders. On this episode, we visit with Kimberly, Oscar, and Clint from Aadi Home Health & Hospice. Clint and I met a couple years ago at Brewster Street after church one Sunday. We met as parents of special needs kiddos are wont to do. The things that make us unique among the population at large, bring us together. Clint and his family moved down here after investing in Aadi, and have become part of the Aadi family, as evidenced by Kimberly's and Oscar's willingness to stay on under the new management to help Aadi grow into the future. As you'll hear in this episode, one of the special things Aadi was able to do during the lockdown and early stages of the pandemic was to help other agencies with supplies and other needs. Aadi's efforts are truly a reflection of the people who live here in Corpus and in the Coastal Bend. Aadi recently moved into a beautifully-restored office on Second Street on the edge of downtown behind First Methodist Church's community garden. You can find Aadi online at www.aadihomehalth.com, and should you or a loved one ever have a need, I'm sure that after this conversation, you'll call Aadi! Thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 20 of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. On this episode, we visit with Richard Lomax, the proprietor of the Water Street Market, which includes the Oyster Bar, the Executive Surf Club, the Sushi Room, the Texas Surf Museum, and now Elizabeth’s at the Art Museum. The Water Street Market is downtown’s gathering place, a city block of coffee shops (Lucy’s), casual food, sushi, oysters and fine seafood, and both The Bend magazine and Visit Corpus Christi. Richard and I were introduced by our mutual friend, Todd Hunter Jr. (thank you, Todd) and we sat down for a conversation before Elizabeth’s officially opened. Richard is the second generation of Lomaxes to run Water Street, and he walks us through his family’s Corpus story, including the growth of Water Street into the hub of downtown that it has become. Second generation family business dynamics can be really tricky, but from all appearances, the Lomaxes have it figured out. The second generation has taken up the mantle and even expanded the original business. In fact, Richard’s brother Ben and Ben’s wife Lesley are the duo behind BUS, the Bar Under the Sun, in the old bus station downtown. Successful downtowns almost always have multi-generational businesses, and it’s exciting to see one here in Corpus. You can follow the Water Street Market and its various business on Instagram @waterstreetmarketcc @waterstreetoysterbar @waterstreetsushiroom @executivesurfclub and @texassurfmuseum. You can find Elizabeth’s, which is now open for lunch in the Art Museum, @elizabeths_amst, and you can follow BUS @bus.corpuschristi. Thank you, Richard, for coming on the show, and Todd for the introduction. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes, Sawyer Audiology, and the Sound Guys. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 20 of the HECHO Corpus Christi Podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. On this episode, we visit with Johnny Philipelo, the President and CEO of Buc Days, the city-wide celebration that includes a rodeo, parades, a carnival, a debutante presentation, and other events. Johnny and I were introduced by a mutual friend, and we sat down for a conversation shortly after Buc Days made the exciting announcement that the Wings over South Texas airshow is now going to be a part of Buc Days! Johnny walks us through his Corpus story, including how he met his wife, Katia Uriarte, through Buc Days and mutton busting. Johnny also discusses the history and leadership of Buc Days and the tremendous effort it takes from hundreds of people to make it the super successful event that it is. We also learn what is at the heart of Buc Days – providing substantial scholarship and leadership opportunities for local students while giving Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend a celebration for the whole family. This year, Buc Days runs April 29 – May 9, 2021, with the Wings over South Texas show presented on May 1st and 2nd. I always enjoy getting the behind the scenes look at festivals and celebrations, especially those like Buc Days, and Fiesta in San Antonio, because the scale of what it takes to make these events successful is massive. Johnny ably coordinates the volunteers, staff, and leadership to year after year create a better and more exciting Buc Days celebration. You can follow Buc Days on Instagram @bucdays or check them out online at bucdays.com. This year’s celebration is April 29 – May 9. Thank you, Johnny, for coming on the show. Thank you to our infrastructure partners, Clint Tucker Homes, Sawyer Audiology, and the Sound Guys. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to episode 19 of the HECHO Corpus Christi podcast, the podcast featuring Corpus Christi’s creators, makers, doers, and builders. This episode is a first…it’s the first time I’ve interviewed multi people at the same time for an episode. We have the pleasure of hearing from Elena and Gerald Flores, a husband and wife duo whose ever-expanding side hustles celebrate their culture, and favorite food. Elena is the proprietress of Sew Bonita, where the self-taught seamstress designs and sews items that reflect her heritage and her desire to motivate passionate women to chase their dreams. Gerald is the creative behind Taco Gear, a leading brand celebrating all things tacos. They host the wonderfully entertaining and inspiring podcast Sew Taco, and Elena has pioneered the pop up market Loca for Local, which begins its spring virtual pop up online on March 3 with pickup on March 6th at House of Rock. Check it out at locaforlocal.com. Not to be outdone, Gerald created Taco Chair, a video series where he films persons of interest preparing and eating their favorite taco. Gerald and Elena’s exhortation to “just start” was my motivation to start this podcast a couple years ago, and it was a pleasure to finally get to sit down with them to hear their Corpus stories. A special thank you to Randi and Steven Carroll and Driftwood Coffee for letting us crash their store to record this episode. Gerald and Elena are always creating new products, and even new brands. Since we recorded this episode, Gerald officially branded his video production company as Tuxedo Goose Films. They are a must follow, but I’ll be frank, trying to keep up with them can be exhausting because they are constantly evolving their brands and helping others do the same. Follow them on Instagram at @sewtaco @sewbonita @tacogear On the web at locaforlocal.com and find the Taco Chair on youtube by searching The Taco Chair or Taco Gear. Thank you again to Driftwood Coffee for hosting us. Follow them @driftwoodcoffeeco and give episode 5 a listen to hear Driftwood’s story. Thank you Gerald and Elena for the great conversation! Thank you to our infrastructure partners SoundGuys, Sawyer Audiology, and Clint Tucker Homes. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Welcome to Episode 18 of the Hecho Corpus Christi Podcast! Blake Snodgrass is a local digital marketing whiz and coach. He mastered the agency side of the business, including creating and deploying a $1,000,000 ClickFunnels marketing funnel, and recently launched a coaching practice to coach those interested in starting their own digital marketing agencies. Blake walks us through his journey from graphics designer at his church to coaching more than 800 individuals in his Automatic Agency program. As he says about his business, he's the bill that pays the bills. Visit automatic-agency.com to learn more! Thank you to our infrastructure partners The Sound Guys, Sawyer Audiology, and Clint Tucker Homes. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

Colonel Mike Sanders may one day be as famous as the fried chicken Colonel Sanders. You will experience his and his team's work at Lone Star UAS at Texas A&M Corpus Christi when you receive your online orders via drone delivery. His team will be providing the data backbone, software, and potentially even hardware to all the companies that will deliver using drones. In this episode, we learn about Colonel Sanders' route to Corpus Christi and to leading the drone program. I love drones, and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do! Thank you to Colonel Sanders, to Chief Devisser and Russell Franques for the introduction, and to our infrastructure partners The Sound Guys, Sawyer Audiology, and Clint Tucker Homes. And thank you for taking time to listen!…

On this Coronasode, we visit with Alyssa Barrera Mason, the Executive Director of the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District. Alyssa shares the DMD's new Corona-driven initiative to safely support and sustain downtown restaurants as local businesses slowly return to regular service in downtown. Be sure to participate in the #CurbsideChampCC challenge by ordering curbside service from your go-to downtown restaurants and take this opportunity to discover some new favorites!…

On this Coronasode, Jeff Davidson, the President of Davidson Capital Management, discusses his investment strategy through the lens of the craziness we've seen in the markets as a result of COVID-19. Davidson Capital Management is a family-owned, fee-based, Registered Investment Advisor. Jeff and his brother Kyle host Money Wise every Saturday from 12:00pm to 2:00pm on 1360 KKTX in Corpus Christi (with the 12:00 to 1:00 hour also on 1200 WOAI in San Antonio). This Coronasode was inspired, in part, by the second hour of the April 25, 2020 Money Wise show, which can be found here: http://www.davidsoncap.com/category/podcast/. To learn more about Jeff and Davidson Capital Management, please visit www.davidsoncap.com or call Jeff at 800.275.2162 or 361.906.0070.…