Welcome to the Austin LGBT Chamber Podcast where we chat all things local and national business. Join Tina, Colton, and Amy every Friday.
TOPICS FOR TODAY INCLUDE:
- McDonalds supersizes inequality
- Texas no longer #1 for commercial site selectors, what happened?
- Austin Icon Waterloo Records - leaving their longtime location
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Be sure to check out past episodes: austinlgbtbiz.com/podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, and welcome to the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce podcast.
(00:08):
I'm Tina Kandler, your host and CEO of the Chamber.
On today's pod, we're going to talk local business news in the headlines this week.
McDonald's is supersizing inequality and Texas is no longer number one for commercial site
selectors.
What happened?
And then Austin icon Waterloo Records is leaving their longtime locations.
(00:29):
We'll be back.
Hello all.
Welcome back.
We have a mouse in the studio today that is jacking with my buttons.
But welcome, welcome Colton and Amy.
If there is a man here, I'm out.
(00:54):
Can you hear us testing?
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
Traders on peacock and they have a thing where they trap these guys in a house and they are
there's there's mice.
Oh God and bugs falling on them and maggots.
Okay, can we start over?
(01:16):
Not enough money.
It's a good show.
I'm in a bad headspace now.
Nikki laser had a lot to say about peacock, which was a good whole heck of a not a lot
because she was funny.
She was funny.
She's coming to Austin.
Funny, always funny.
Maybe we need to hit up our friends and terrifying like I will.
I'll gladly never reach celebrity status sit to avoid being roasted by.
(01:40):
She's good.
I think she's going to get called to to host that again.
She's kind of like the Ricky Gervais, right?
Ricky Gervais is like, I don't give a shit.
It's too bad.
She's going to make fun of everybody.
I girl dinner because that would have been fun.
Well, the course, the course, the correspondence that are sorry.
Yeah.
Michelle Wolf did it like, yeah, you should have done your research.
Let's see.
(02:00):
Yeah, I don't think they're going to continue this under the new president elect doesn't
show up their own dinner.
I mean, it's like, but yeah, lots of traditions are going to be lost.
Like, you know, democracy, freedom, all the things.
Oh, boy.
(02:21):
Well, here we are.
2025 is upon us.
We are one week in that all.
We've already been in Greenland.
I know Colton and I are trying to fast forward to 2020 Panama.
Change the Gulf of America.
We what?
He's not.
Yeah.
I mean, Trudeau, he made a big announcement.
Right.
Bad numbers.
(02:42):
I'm out.
Yeah, I'm out.
Not.
I mean, they better pull their socks up.
Canadian friends, if you can hear me now, please, please dig your heels in.
Yeah, I was reading something about you.
He's talking about making it the 51st state.
I laughed at that.
I ha ha reacted to all of that garbage.
(03:02):
Some demographer was like, well, let's look at the math.
It's actually going to be, you know, like 114 electoral votes that would all lean to
the left.
So yeah, let's go ahead and make it.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
Heck yeah.
Time to be alive.
I don't I don't know.
I think we've got about 150 years left on Earth.
So I, you know, I have to take that folded in half and then and then yeah, diagonal slice
(03:29):
it.
That's how we're trying to see like AI is frightening Facebook, of course, letting loose
of their monitoring.
Yeah.
What the hell is that about?
I love the memes about Zuckerberg dead at 39.
You know what?
Because he's pulled back all the fact checkers through meta.
Right.
And so people are putting all kinds of posts that he's died.
(03:50):
They died today.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, we were kind of tracking for this, weren't we?
It was already kind of a thing.
AI is frightening.
This this the the amount of time that people spend alone and attached to a digital device
that is now unbelievably smarter than the average person.
It's disgusting.
And can completely conform around one person and you could almost do like a twin study
(04:16):
where you take one twin and you have no social media and you have another twin and all they
have is social media.
And you say, I want to make the one that has social media walk around and think that chickens
run the government from a secret cabal on a farm somewhere in Lockhart.
No birds.
Birds have been canceled.
You could program enough AI into that social media to convince that one twin that a cabal
(04:41):
of chickens living in Lockhart are really running the guy.
Why Lockhart?
I don't know.
Because we are secretly running everything out in Lockhart.
But also, if this isn't already a thing, since Generation Alpha is upon us, do you think
they're going to have like a class study on how to be social?
(05:03):
Like a home economics on conversation, a home economics on like, I don't want to go as far
as like etiquette, but human relationships.
I've been long since saying that the most valuable trait that's going to be in the next
five years is a salesperson.
Probably the ability for human to human sales.
(05:26):
It makes people so dang uncomfortable, like for me to speak to somebody genzier, so to
speak, like you can tell they're fidgety.
They're fidgety.
They don't like to make phone calls.
They don't like to answer the phone.
If you call them, they're looking at you like you've got three heads.
There's no instant gratification unless you pick up the tab.
(05:47):
Pick up the tab.
Yeah.
Like if you pay for something and they're like, oh, that's what I get out of this.
Oh, I see.
The interpersonal skills, I think is going to be kind of a literally a degree option
in the future.
Everybody's getting canceled every day.
Like you can't, I just, it's a demise of relationships.
I think this is the devices in the social media.
(06:09):
It is.
And it has so many perks.
Like when it first was upon us.
I would imagine that like depression and loneliness are at an all time high coming out of the
COVID generation where the like those high school kind of kids in that age group, all
they had were their phones and their zooms.
Yeah.
Like it's the, it's definitely an epidemic of isolation.
(06:30):
Wow.
This is really kicking off on a positive note.
Y'all happy 2025.
It's therapy for everybody.
Us included.
We're all getting younger every day.
So continuing on the theme of negativity, McDonald's is supersizing inequality.
(06:53):
USA Today reports along with several news agencies that McDonald's is the latest major
company to flip its diversity, equity and inclusion policies amid growing beef between
those two, those who support the efforts and political conservatives alongside the incoming
administration.
So the citing the, citing the Supreme court's 2023 decision banning affirmative action and
(07:13):
college admissions as an evolving landscape around DEI according to the fast food giant,
it will no longer set goals to increase diversity in senior leadership.
Proponents of DEI are really critical in that this is not fair, right?
In the sense that like seven in 10 executive officers are white guys and one in seven of
(07:35):
those companies had executive teams made up of only white men.
You don't say.
Wow.
So the ones who were in charge of, of allowing everybody to come to the table are the ones
going, all right, that's enough of you.
I am so, I am so tired of us like fast forwarding and fast tracking through anything that's
(07:56):
good.
And, and what I mean by that is my dad graduate of big time colleges.
And when he was in college, which wasn't that long ago, like we're talking within the century,
right?
Only men could go to his school.
Yeah.
And we were like, we already dismantled DEI and B. Right.
We're like, now we're good.
Oh, women, sure.
(08:17):
They can be educated, I guess.
And we're already like, actually, we changed our mind.
You're too powerful.
Stupid.
Yeah.
I mean, in the seventies, women finally could get credit cards on our own.
Like what?
I, but we're good.
We're all equal now, apparently.
Oh, I can't wait to have all of my credit cards taken from me.
(08:37):
Take the debt.
Take the debt.
If you're not going to let me in the boardroom, you can have all my debt.
You can have my debt.
I, but with McDonald's, I'm really disappointed because they were always one of those fast
food chains is like, Hey, they've got scholarship opportunities.
They've got a fast track program for leadership where you could go into management and then
district management.
And like, I don't want to smell like a burger all day, but there was some, like very concrete
(09:05):
professionalism with McDonald's.
Well, and I think that they always got like a perfect score on the HRC index.
And I think they did again this year, which is crazy because this news just came out.
I hate this.
Well, and the other piece too is like, they're, they're not only, they doing it for internal,
but they're doing externally.
So they said they would also end a program that encouraged suppliers to increase diversity
(09:28):
in their ranks, rebranding its diversity team as a global inclusion.
Like they're even saying like, if you're going to work with us, we don't even care.
Like, you just don't care.
Just people just don't care.
Like what happened to conscious humanity?
I don't know.
I was talking to Chad this morning when I was getting coffee, Chad, our bus driver for
a small town, big pride.
(09:48):
And we were just kind of, you know, it's, it's funny when people don't think the way
that you think, which we can't expect them to, but and, and kind of like circling back
to Canada being like, Oh, I forgot the 50, 51st state.
So they kind of think more along the lines as we think in this room.
And it just seems normal and natural that everyone have, I don't know, equal opportunity.
(10:09):
Well, I just, I'm fascinated that it's just not anywhere near the top of the list because
every one of these companies, big corporate companies have like their mission statement
and it's probably painted on a wall somewhere by some muralists that they're going to tout
in their monthly newsletter that goes out to the staff that nobody reads TLDR.
And I've been there because I worked corporate America and, and the values and it's like,
(10:34):
you know, at my, at my last employer, it was like one, like one inter company name here.
And that was our, yeah, that is how we were supposed to live together as like this work
family, but it's bullshit.
Well, we've lost sight of like, of why we have DEI in the first place, right?
It was to level the playing field.
And then the idea was once the playing field was leveled, we don't need it anymore.
(10:57):
But here's a clue.
It's not, yeah, we're not, if you don't care who you're doing business with, I think it
would be hard for you to care about who's working for you also, right?
And vice versa.
I mean, not like I need another reason to give up McDonald's, but like, I mean, I've
been done mainly because they knocked the one down next to my house, but now I'm really
done.
Well, I'm real glad about my Wendy's french fries that I had last night.
(11:20):
So because there was an option.
I'm nearly went to McDonald's, P Terry's girl P Terry's all the way local.
So Texas slips from the number one in commercial site selectors.
According to our friends at the ABJ, Texas has boomed economically in recent years, but
(11:41):
the state's economic development leaders better not rest on their laurels.
That's the prevailing sentiment in the wake of an annual survey of dozens of site selectors
conducted by site selection magazine, which puts Texas in a tie for the fourth best business
climate in the U.S.
That is a slip from a year ago, ranking when Texas was at the very top spot.
So site selectors are, it's a, it's a cottage industry of folks who, if I'm Acme Brick and
(12:07):
I want to open a secondary location, I will typically, if I'm of a certain caliber of
business will contact site selector professional and then they will help me select a site.
And they do that based on a lot of parameters of whether that state's economy is great,
it matches what incentives are available all the way down to what's the electricity and
plumbing like in that very warehouse that I'm considering.
(12:30):
So it's, you know, it's a slip is not a good thing because those site selectors are basically
bringing jobs.
So site selectors were using everything from Dell Technologies when they looked at Austin
and Round Rock to the latest business that's been here through Samsung.
And that's the role that site selection plays in economic development.
So although we were still, you know, doing well as a city, the rankings are highly regarded
(12:57):
in the commercial real estate circles because these are the ones who are advising the CEOs
of where to go.
We got knocked off the top of the ranking by Georgia.
Georgia on my mind.
Well Atlanta is booming.
And their football team is better than Dallas Cowboys.
Everything is better than the Dallas Cowboys.
(13:19):
Every other sport is better than.
Actually Colton, I think you should try out for the Cowboys this year.
Yeah.
I think they could use you.
If they're looking for someone to sit on the bench.
I would love to see you running down the field with a football screaming.
I would probably just be sitting next to the cheerleaders.
I'll cheer on the cheerleaders.
(13:39):
Well, I mean, Austin, it says Austin and Dallas.
We're still, we're still in there kind of sorta, but that's really sad.
Yeah.
The big factors were around like tax policy, cost of living.
In general though, like you said, yeah, we're still good.
We're still ranked high and we're still a good draw for businesses to consider our area
(14:01):
because Texas does have a good business climate and Austin has an amazing talent pool.
Yeah.
And when we talk to prospective businesses that are looking in our area, typically the
one thing that kind of holds them back is our access to lack of transportation in order
to move people around.
But our affordability along like other major Metro hubs and other tech hubs is, we're still
affordable in that regard when you compare us to the other big tech hubs.
(14:25):
We're not as affordable as a Detroit obviously, but we're still an attractive city because
of our talent pool.
And the hope is that we can keep folks here.
We can continue to matriculate folks through school and through graduation with the skill
levels that we need to keep our workforce strong.
And we've talked many times on this podcast, even though it's always tech, tech, tech,
(14:47):
tech, tech, the big skill set coming up is the, are the trades.
Because we are embarking on billions of dollars of work in our region.
I mean, and we're making strides in public transportation, I think, at least here in
central Texas, as we've gotten some good news with Project Connect and like we do need to,
(15:09):
I mean, seriously, we need to be better with in that regard.
It'd be so nice to be, we would be as close to a car free as we could as a state, but
we got the curmudgeon's at every level.
Yes.
If I could get on a train and go to the airport, that'd be amazing.
I mean, it just seems so natural when we go everywhere else.
(15:30):
Yeah.
And get on the train.
We'll just go to a different part of town like New York.
I want to go to the Palm Springs, except for Palm Springs.
Every other airport shits on it from a great height.
Austin Icon Waterloo Records is leaving their longtime location, according to our friends
(15:51):
at the ABJ.
The record store has new ownership, an experienced duo in the music and record making field,
and they're moving to a larger location less than a mile from its longtime home over on
North Lamar, although I kind of consider that Central Lamar, not North.
The 40 year old Austin institution has helped varnish Austin's reputation as a live music
(16:11):
capital of the world.
It faced an issue as long as other local businesses, the rising cost of real estate.
So in 2019 Endeavor, one of the bigger real estate groups here in town, acquired their
current location that includes the Waterloo and the, what is it, the 24 diner, Amy's ice
cream and something else, everyone that knows location.
But John Cuntz, who's the owner since its founding said that he knew that there was,
(16:36):
they knew that it was coming, right?
They knew it was coming, but they, I'm curious to see what they're going to do with the new
space because it's very officey looking.
Yeah.
So I'm curious.
Like the rendering?
Yeah.
No, it's just an existing office building that's, it's been everything from like a weird furniture
store to like just office spaces.
Where Waterloo is?
No, the place they're going to move to.
Oh, gotcha.
(16:56):
Next to, so there's a tavern, the tavern parking lot, and then there's this kind of brick and
glass office building across from the new specs, which people should not go to specs.
They should go to Wiggies on Lamar, support local or twin lickers or twins.
The twins isn't right there since we love them.
(17:19):
Yeah.
I'm, I'm sad about the Waterloo situation because when you come up to that intersection,
it's always, it's just always look the way that it looks.
And yeah, the music industry is just changing.
Like when was the last time you bought a record?
Probably a couple of weeks ago.
Oh, well done.
You.
It's been a year.
Well, yes.
(17:39):
Cause the, the record store revenue in the United States has declined 9% over the last
couple of years.
But still over a billion dollars.
But when you say a billion dollars, like billions big, but it's not big as an industry.
Like the pet industry is like an $8 billion business.
So 1 billion.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I kind of like the record industry now because it's morphed into like a broader art where
(18:02):
you watch the guys like press these vinyl records now.
And like everyone is unique.
I do love those videos.
Yeah.
Like especially when they've got, when they add color and it's almost like a concert poster
where it's signed, where like the print fades.
Okay.
Uh, where it can be signed, you know, it's more of an experience of going in.
(18:23):
Definitely.
Whoopsie.
Whoopsie.
Well, just that big rat running around the studio.
That is disgusting.
I'm out.
Um, but.
Yeah.
It's hard with the way the record sales down 9% over five years, 6% over this last year.
You just got to wonder, is it just diminishing returns and is it good money after bad?
(18:43):
But I get it.
I do get it.
But I mean, it's so sad.
I don't know.
I think we would all rally if it was like, say like an empire record situation, like
save the record store.
I feel like it kind of is.
Yeah.
Do we need to put a band on the rooftop?
And invite Renee Zellweger to sing a little ditty.
(19:04):
Is this a reference to something I'm unaware of?
Oh my God.
It's gotta be a movie.
I haven't seen.
I'm sure.
It is in my top five.
Your top five is empire records.
It's in my top five as one of my favorite movies of all time.
Interesting.
Like stranded on an island, probably in my top three.
Wow.
(19:24):
I would watch it over and over and over.
This is a stacked cast.
Isn't it?
Wow.
It's not in my top five.
OK.
But you know, my top five wicked.
No, that is in there now.
Come on.
Coyote Ugly Spice World.
What?
This is fascinating.
I don't think we've ever discussed this before.
(19:46):
I mean, I do love these cult classics, but not in my top five.
Spice World is not my top.
I have seen that movie hundreds of times.
I have no doubt.
Wow.
There were times when I was a child that I would watch it like a dozen times in one day.
I just like I would rewind it and then start it again on VHS.
(20:09):
Yep.
What was your favorite movie as a kid, Tina?
As a kid?
I don't know, because we didn't have I don't know.
I probably seen Arthur a gazillion times when I was a kid.
That's a good one.
OK.
I think mine.
Mine is Lady Bugs.
Lady Bugs, which was a cheerleader movie.
OK.
I'm not aged well.
This is one of those movies like White Chicks where we love it, but you can't do it again.
(20:34):
Lady Bugs was about a girls soccer team and Rodney Danger.
I was going to say Rodney Danger.
Yeah.
Give me some respect.
He was a coach of this team and he put his stepson essentially in drag.
Oh, yeah, we can't do this.
Join this team so that they would win.
(20:54):
Terrible message.
Terrible.
Terrible.
But there was like a little teenage love story attached to it where like one of the girls
on the team and the son were like, you know, young love.
But I watched that on repeat, like 100% copied it from Blockbuster video.
I feel like I can just picture like what the album or what the Blockbuster cassette thing
(21:15):
look like.
I mean, it was Rodney Dangerfield's big butt up there.
Yeah, I can totally picture this.
It's like Porky's back in the day.
You guys are probably too young to remember Porky's.
100% not too young.
Thank you, though.
Thank you.
I'm a baby.
Yeah, no, I am turning big for here soon.
(21:37):
So we used to sneak that cassette.
Is that what they're called?
The VHS tape.
We used to sneak it into the house so that we could watch Porky's without our parents
knowing.
Hell, yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, that basic instinct.
Let's see.
Pause, replay, pause, replay, pause, replay.
Oh, dear God.
(21:59):
Trying to catch something on the screen there.
Colton, I'm jumping to you.
I'm jumping ahead.
What do you got for events?
We have an exciting monthly luncheon coming up on January 15th.
It is the first luncheon of the year.
(22:20):
So register now to secure your seat.
It's already over halfway full.
Yes, well over.
Yeah, well over.
Yes.
So hurry up.
Register.
We would love to see you there.
We will be at Gina's on Congress.
Right here downtown.
Such good food.
The menu is on the website.
I forgot what it is.
(22:41):
You can go to Austin.
I felt like I needed a nap after we ate there last time.
Me too.
Delish.
So good.
Isn't that bread?
That's what it was.
I love bread.
What was that like cheesy bread?
Grier.
No, that's I don't know.
Is it?
No, it's not Grier.
Is it Grier?
I don't know, but it was.
Sleepy.
Delicious.
(23:02):
Whatever it is, it's cheesy bread.
You're going to miss it if you don't come.
Yeah.
And I'll eat it all.
Yeah.
And I won't feel bad about it.
Well, 2025.
Hello.
But we will have a speaker from Austin Transit Partnership.
Yes.
Talking about Project Connect.
And there is, like I said earlier, lots of good news coming down the pipeline.
(23:25):
Yeah.
And they're going to fill us in on what it means for economy and the community and all
the things.
And hopefully we can continue to grow from here.
I love it.
We also have a health and wellness webinar on January 16th at noon.
The focus for this webinar will be mental health.
We will have Eva Greenwell from Ellie Mental Health giving us the mental health 101.
(23:50):
Maybe the cutest little logo.
I know.
I do.
And I love their how to not freak out.
Yeah.
Super cute.
Real cute.
Real small.
Pocket little pocketbook.
Then we have a ribbon cutting on Friday, January 17th at Voltex Physical Therapy.
(24:11):
It is also their grand opening.
They will be celebrating being open for one year, which is amazing.
They're going to have snacks, drinks, healthy snacks, I hope.
I hope not.
But the grand opening celebration will start at five and the ribbon cutting will be promptly
at six o'clock.
So we would love for you to come and join us.
(24:33):
There is an RSVP on the event page.
And then I was like, I had one more thing.
I had one more thing written down.
We will be at ACL Live's brand new PNC Hall on January 23rd for our monthly Chamber Happy
(24:53):
Hour.
Our friends at JustWorks and ACL Live are hosting us.
Brand new space.
I got a preview of the space last month.
Beautiful.
So nice that there's a space indoors now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I haven't seen it yet.
I'm excited to get.
They do some really cool things before shows.
(25:14):
You can pay for an upgraded experience with like an open bar in that area.
So lovely.
Pretty cool stuff.
Oh, I'm so excited.
And this is a slightly different happy hour in that there's going to be some extras for
the attendees.
So we're asking folks to RSVP.
Yeah.
So that we can get a decent head count to have things prepared.
Really kicking it off.
Space is limited.
There will be light bites.
(25:36):
And I think JustWorks will be paying for one cocktail for everyone.
I love that.
So much for dry January.
We love them.
We do love them.
I mean, we're doing the best that we can.
I take a little sabbatical every Friday and Saturday.
I feel like we're all going to have to like ease in because it's going to be a hell of
a next couple of years.
(25:57):
Well, I turned 40 this month.
There ain't no dry January happening for me.
So true.
Come on.
True.
A damp January.
I'm glad you just didn't say moist.
That's why the delay was so long.
I was trying to think of a different word.
(26:21):
I don't know what's going on.
Turn that off right now.
Welcome to the show, everybody.
I hate it.
Flying heck is going on.
I don't know what you're doing.
I think the rat's back.
It's only your voice.
Do you need to use my microphone?
I don't know what's happening.
Okay, good.
(26:41):
It's fixed.
Oh my god.
Memberships.
We have new members.
They're still coming in.
LT Commercial Group.
Welcome to the chamber.
They can help you with commercial real estate.
So all of you out there listening that need a new location, maybe Waterloo Records could
utilize LT Commercial Group.
But welcome to the chamber.
(27:02):
She's crushing it over there, Leslie, who is running that group.
I mean, absolutely crushing it.
If you've ever had a question about what it could mean to actually go into a commercial
space, she's a great resource as well.
She knows that space really well.
And I'm just so proud of the work that her company has been doing over the last couple
of years.
That's awesome.
And speaking to events, Small Town Big Pride.
(27:24):
On the horizon.
I'm afraid to touch a button.
So more more to come on that.
I'm not going to get into it right now.
But we do have two new Small Town Big Pride members.
Yay.
Welcome the case room case room little speakeasy bar love and Lockhart behind Fiddler's Green.
So the owners of Fiddler's Green string shop and Lockhart have taken their case room for
(27:47):
the instruments and fashioned it into a speakeasy.
It is sounds cool.
It's beautiful.
Can we go on your birthday?
It's on the invite.
You're all invited.
The world is invited to my 40th.
Please come.
So welcome to the chamber, the case room.
Also Lockhart bus.
(28:07):
Yay.
The art bus is a member Small Town Big Pride members.
So like I said, Small Town Big Pride on the horizon.
We're going to do a rinse repeat of Lockhart details to come.
Exciting, exciting and new.
Come aboard.
What show is that from?
We're expecting you.
(28:29):
Wow.
This is the first time.
Love boat.
Yes.
Tina has given us a musical number.
I think it's usually us.
Turn it off.
We usually listen to some like a light switch.
Go flick.
It's a nifty little Mormon trick.
(28:49):
All the good messaging is happening today.
And the chamber will be putting on their first musical.
I can't wait.
Tap number chamber.
The musical.
Oh my God.
Can you imagine?
No, we got to bring our real house.
Real chamber staff.
Oh, on that note, if you are wanting to become a member of the chamber, join us at Austin
(29:20):
LGBT chamber.com.
If you want to be a guest or a sponsor, shoot us over an email at info at awesome LGBT chamber.
Listen to our show every Friday, wherever you get your podcast.
We'll see you all next time.
We'll see you?
Hi, and welcome to the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce podcast.
(00:08):
I'm Tina Kandler, your host and CEO of the Chamber.
On today's pod, we're going to talk local business news in the headlines this week.
McDonald's is supersizing inequality and Texas is no longer number one for commercial site
selectors.
What happened?
And then Austin icon Waterloo Records is leaving their longtime locations.
(00:29):
We'll be back.
Hello all.
Welcome back.
We have a mouse in the studio today that is jacking with my buttons.
But welcome, welcome Colton and Amy.
If there is a man here, I'm out.
(00:54):
Can you hear us testing?
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
Traders on peacock and they have a thing where they trap these guys in a house and they are
there's there's mice.
Oh God and bugs falling on them and maggots.
Okay, can we start over?
(01:16):
Not enough money.
It's a good show.
I'm in a bad headspace now.
Nikki laser had a lot to say about peacock, which was a good whole heck of a not a lot
because she was funny.
She was funny.
She's coming to Austin.
Funny, always funny.
Maybe we need to hit up our friends and terrifying like I will.
I'll gladly never reach celebrity status sit to avoid being roasted by.
(01:40):
She's good.
I think she's going to get called to to host that again.
She's kind of like the Ricky Gervais, right?
Ricky Gervais is like, I don't give a shit.
It's too bad.
She's going to make fun of everybody.
I girl dinner because that would have been fun.
Well, the course, the course, the correspondence that are sorry.
Yeah.
Michelle Wolf did it like, yeah, you should have done your research.
Let's see.
(02:00):
Yeah, I don't think they're going to continue this under the new president elect doesn't
show up their own dinner.
I mean, it's like, but yeah, lots of traditions are going to be lost.
Like, you know, democracy, freedom, all the things.
Oh, boy.
(02:21):
Well, here we are.
2025 is upon us.
We are one week in that all.
We've already been in Greenland.
I know Colton and I are trying to fast forward to 2020 Panama.
Change the Gulf of America.
We what?
He's not.
Yeah.
I mean, Trudeau, he made a big announcement.
Right.
Bad numbers.
(02:42):
I'm out.
Yeah, I'm out.
Not.
I mean, they better pull their socks up.
Canadian friends, if you can hear me now, please, please dig your heels in.
Yeah, I was reading something about you.
He's talking about making it the 51st state.
I laughed at that.
I ha ha reacted to all of that garbage.
(03:02):
Some demographer was like, well, let's look at the math.
It's actually going to be, you know, like 114 electoral votes that would all lean to
the left.
So yeah, let's go ahead and make it.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
Heck yeah.
Time to be alive.
I don't I don't know.
I think we've got about 150 years left on Earth.
So I, you know, I have to take that folded in half and then and then yeah, diagonal slice
(03:29):
it.
That's how we're trying to see like AI is frightening Facebook, of course, letting loose
of their monitoring.
Yeah.
What the hell is that about?
I love the memes about Zuckerberg dead at 39.
You know what?
Because he's pulled back all the fact checkers through meta.
Right.
And so people are putting all kinds of posts that he's died.
(03:50):
They died today.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, we were kind of tracking for this, weren't we?
It was already kind of a thing.
AI is frightening.
This this the the amount of time that people spend alone and attached to a digital device
that is now unbelievably smarter than the average person.
It's disgusting.
And can completely conform around one person and you could almost do like a twin study
(04:16):
where you take one twin and you have no social media and you have another twin and all they
have is social media.
And you say, I want to make the one that has social media walk around and think that chickens
run the government from a secret cabal on a farm somewhere in Lockhart.
No birds.
Birds have been canceled.
You could program enough AI into that social media to convince that one twin that a cabal
(04:41):
of chickens living in Lockhart are really running the guy.
Why Lockhart?
I don't know.
Because we are secretly running everything out in Lockhart.
But also, if this isn't already a thing, since Generation Alpha is upon us, do you think
they're going to have like a class study on how to be social?
(05:03):
Like a home economics on conversation, a home economics on like, I don't want to go as far
as like etiquette, but human relationships.
I've been long since saying that the most valuable trait that's going to be in the next
five years is a salesperson.
Probably the ability for human to human sales.
(05:26):
It makes people so dang uncomfortable, like for me to speak to somebody genzier, so to
speak, like you can tell they're fidgety.
They're fidgety.
They don't like to make phone calls.
They don't like to answer the phone.
If you call them, they're looking at you like you've got three heads.
There's no instant gratification unless you pick up the tab.
(05:47):
Pick up the tab.
Yeah.
Like if you pay for something and they're like, oh, that's what I get out of this.
Oh, I see.
The interpersonal skills, I think is going to be kind of a literally a degree option
in the future.
Everybody's getting canceled every day.
Like you can't, I just, it's a demise of relationships.
I think this is the devices in the social media.
(06:09):
It is.
And it has so many perks.
Like when it first was upon us.
I would imagine that like depression and loneliness are at an all time high coming out of the
COVID generation where the like those high school kind of kids in that age group, all
they had were their phones and their zooms.
Yeah.
Like it's the, it's definitely an epidemic of isolation.
(06:30):
Wow.
This is really kicking off on a positive note.
Y'all happy 2025.
It's therapy for everybody.
Us included.
We're all getting younger every day.
So continuing on the theme of negativity, McDonald's is supersizing inequality.
(06:53):
USA Today reports along with several news agencies that McDonald's is the latest major
company to flip its diversity, equity and inclusion policies amid growing beef between
those two, those who support the efforts and political conservatives alongside the incoming
administration.
So the citing the, citing the Supreme court's 2023 decision banning affirmative action and
(07:13):
college admissions as an evolving landscape around DEI according to the fast food giant,
it will no longer set goals to increase diversity in senior leadership.
Proponents of DEI are really critical in that this is not fair, right?
In the sense that like seven in 10 executive officers are white guys and one in seven of
(07:35):
those companies had executive teams made up of only white men.
You don't say.
Wow.
So the ones who were in charge of, of allowing everybody to come to the table are the ones
going, all right, that's enough of you.
I am so, I am so tired of us like fast forwarding and fast tracking through anything that's
(07:56):
good.
And, and what I mean by that is my dad graduate of big time colleges.
And when he was in college, which wasn't that long ago, like we're talking within the century,
right?
Only men could go to his school.
Yeah.
And we were like, we already dismantled DEI and B. Right.
We're like, now we're good.
Oh, women, sure.
(08:17):
They can be educated, I guess.
And we're already like, actually, we changed our mind.
You're too powerful.
Stupid.
Yeah.
I mean, in the seventies, women finally could get credit cards on our own.
Like what?
I, but we're good.
We're all equal now, apparently.
Oh, I can't wait to have all of my credit cards taken from me.
(08:37):
Take the debt.
Take the debt.
If you're not going to let me in the boardroom, you can have all my debt.
You can have my debt.
I, but with McDonald's, I'm really disappointed because they were always one of those fast
food chains is like, Hey, they've got scholarship opportunities.
They've got a fast track program for leadership where you could go into management and then
district management.
And like, I don't want to smell like a burger all day, but there was some, like very concrete
(09:05):
professionalism with McDonald's.
Well, and I think that they always got like a perfect score on the HRC index.
And I think they did again this year, which is crazy because this news just came out.
I hate this.
Well, and the other piece too is like, they're, they're not only, they doing it for internal,
but they're doing externally.
So they said they would also end a program that encouraged suppliers to increase diversity
(09:28):
in their ranks, rebranding its diversity team as a global inclusion.
Like they're even saying like, if you're going to work with us, we don't even care.
Like, you just don't care.
Just people just don't care.
Like what happened to conscious humanity?
I don't know.
I was talking to Chad this morning when I was getting coffee, Chad, our bus driver for
a small town, big pride.
(09:48):
And we were just kind of, you know, it's, it's funny when people don't think the way
that you think, which we can't expect them to, but and, and kind of like circling back
to Canada being like, Oh, I forgot the 50, 51st state.
So they kind of think more along the lines as we think in this room.
And it just seems normal and natural that everyone have, I don't know, equal opportunity.
(10:09):
Well, I just, I'm fascinated that it's just not anywhere near the top of the list because
every one of these companies, big corporate companies have like their mission statement
and it's probably painted on a wall somewhere by some muralists that they're going to tout
in their monthly newsletter that goes out to the staff that nobody reads TLDR.
And I've been there because I worked corporate America and, and the values and it's like,
(10:34):
you know, at my, at my last employer, it was like one, like one inter company name here.
And that was our, yeah, that is how we were supposed to live together as like this work
family, but it's bullshit.
Well, we've lost sight of like, of why we have DEI in the first place, right?
It was to level the playing field.
And then the idea was once the playing field was leveled, we don't need it anymore.
(10:57):
But here's a clue.
It's not, yeah, we're not, if you don't care who you're doing business with, I think it
would be hard for you to care about who's working for you also, right?
And vice versa.
I mean, not like I need another reason to give up McDonald's, but like, I mean, I've
been done mainly because they knocked the one down next to my house, but now I'm really
done.
Well, I'm real glad about my Wendy's french fries that I had last night.
(11:20):
So because there was an option.
I'm nearly went to McDonald's, P Terry's girl P Terry's all the way local.
So Texas slips from the number one in commercial site selectors.
According to our friends at the ABJ, Texas has boomed economically in recent years, but
(11:41):
the state's economic development leaders better not rest on their laurels.
That's the prevailing sentiment in the wake of an annual survey of dozens of site selectors
conducted by site selection magazine, which puts Texas in a tie for the fourth best business
climate in the U.S.
That is a slip from a year ago, ranking when Texas was at the very top spot.
So site selectors are, it's a, it's a cottage industry of folks who, if I'm Acme Brick and
(12:07):
I want to open a secondary location, I will typically, if I'm of a certain caliber of
business will contact site selector professional and then they will help me select a site.
And they do that based on a lot of parameters of whether that state's economy is great,
it matches what incentives are available all the way down to what's the electricity and
plumbing like in that very warehouse that I'm considering.
(12:30):
So it's, you know, it's a slip is not a good thing because those site selectors are basically
bringing jobs.
So site selectors were using everything from Dell Technologies when they looked at Austin
and Round Rock to the latest business that's been here through Samsung.
And that's the role that site selection plays in economic development.
So although we were still, you know, doing well as a city, the rankings are highly regarded
(12:57):
in the commercial real estate circles because these are the ones who are advising the CEOs
of where to go.
We got knocked off the top of the ranking by Georgia.
Georgia on my mind.
Well Atlanta is booming.
And their football team is better than Dallas Cowboys.
Everything is better than the Dallas Cowboys.
(13:19):
Every other sport is better than.
Actually Colton, I think you should try out for the Cowboys this year.
Yeah.
I think they could use you.
If they're looking for someone to sit on the bench.
I would love to see you running down the field with a football screaming.
I would probably just be sitting next to the cheerleaders.
I'll cheer on the cheerleaders.
(13:39):
Well, I mean, Austin, it says Austin and Dallas.
We're still, we're still in there kind of sorta, but that's really sad.
Yeah.
The big factors were around like tax policy, cost of living.
In general though, like you said, yeah, we're still good.
We're still ranked high and we're still a good draw for businesses to consider our area
(14:01):
because Texas does have a good business climate and Austin has an amazing talent pool.
Yeah.
And when we talk to prospective businesses that are looking in our area, typically the
one thing that kind of holds them back is our access to lack of transportation in order
to move people around.
But our affordability along like other major Metro hubs and other tech hubs is, we're still
affordable in that regard when you compare us to the other big tech hubs.
(14:25):
We're not as affordable as a Detroit obviously, but we're still an attractive city because
of our talent pool.
And the hope is that we can keep folks here.
We can continue to matriculate folks through school and through graduation with the skill
levels that we need to keep our workforce strong.
And we've talked many times on this podcast, even though it's always tech, tech, tech,
(14:47):
tech, tech, the big skill set coming up is the, are the trades.
Because we are embarking on billions of dollars of work in our region.
I mean, and we're making strides in public transportation, I think, at least here in
central Texas, as we've gotten some good news with Project Connect and like we do need to,
(15:09):
I mean, seriously, we need to be better with in that regard.
It'd be so nice to be, we would be as close to a car free as we could as a state, but
we got the curmudgeon's at every level.
Yes.
If I could get on a train and go to the airport, that'd be amazing.
I mean, it just seems so natural when we go everywhere else.
(15:30):
Yeah.
And get on the train.
We'll just go to a different part of town like New York.
I want to go to the Palm Springs, except for Palm Springs.
Every other airport shits on it from a great height.
Austin Icon Waterloo Records is leaving their longtime location, according to our friends
(15:51):
at the ABJ.
The record store has new ownership, an experienced duo in the music and record making field,
and they're moving to a larger location less than a mile from its longtime home over on
North Lamar, although I kind of consider that Central Lamar, not North.
The 40 year old Austin institution has helped varnish Austin's reputation as a live music
(16:11):
capital of the world.
It faced an issue as long as other local businesses, the rising cost of real estate.
So in 2019 Endeavor, one of the bigger real estate groups here in town, acquired their
current location that includes the Waterloo and the, what is it, the 24 diner, Amy's ice
cream and something else, everyone that knows location.
But John Cuntz, who's the owner since its founding said that he knew that there was,
(16:36):
they knew that it was coming, right?
They knew it was coming, but they, I'm curious to see what they're going to do with the new
space because it's very officey looking.
Yeah.
So I'm curious.
Like the rendering?
Yeah.
No, it's just an existing office building that's, it's been everything from like a weird furniture
store to like just office spaces.
Where Waterloo is?
No, the place they're going to move to.
Oh, gotcha.
(16:56):
Next to, so there's a tavern, the tavern parking lot, and then there's this kind of brick and
glass office building across from the new specs, which people should not go to specs.
They should go to Wiggies on Lamar, support local or twin lickers or twins.
The twins isn't right there since we love them.
(17:19):
Yeah.
I'm, I'm sad about the Waterloo situation because when you come up to that intersection,
it's always, it's just always look the way that it looks.
And yeah, the music industry is just changing.
Like when was the last time you bought a record?
Probably a couple of weeks ago.
Oh, well done.
You.
It's been a year.
Well, yes.
(17:39):
Cause the, the record store revenue in the United States has declined 9% over the last
couple of years.
But still over a billion dollars.
But when you say a billion dollars, like billions big, but it's not big as an industry.
Like the pet industry is like an $8 billion business.
So 1 billion.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I kind of like the record industry now because it's morphed into like a broader art where
(18:02):
you watch the guys like press these vinyl records now.
And like everyone is unique.
I do love those videos.
Yeah.
Like especially when they've got, when they add color and it's almost like a concert poster
where it's signed, where like the print fades.
Okay.
Uh, where it can be signed, you know, it's more of an experience of going in.
(18:23):
Definitely.
Whoopsie.
Whoopsie.
Well, just that big rat running around the studio.
That is disgusting.
I'm out.
Um, but.
Yeah.
It's hard with the way the record sales down 9% over five years, 6% over this last year.
You just got to wonder, is it just diminishing returns and is it good money after bad?
(18:43):
But I get it.
I do get it.
But I mean, it's so sad.
I don't know.
I think we would all rally if it was like, say like an empire record situation, like
save the record store.
I feel like it kind of is.
Yeah.
Do we need to put a band on the rooftop?
And invite Renee Zellweger to sing a little ditty.
(19:04):
Is this a reference to something I'm unaware of?
Oh my God.
It's gotta be a movie.
I haven't seen.
I'm sure.
It is in my top five.
Your top five is empire records.
It's in my top five as one of my favorite movies of all time.
Interesting.
Like stranded on an island, probably in my top three.
Wow.
(19:24):
I would watch it over and over and over.
This is a stacked cast.
Isn't it?
Wow.
It's not in my top five.
OK.
But you know, my top five wicked.
No, that is in there now.
Come on.
Coyote Ugly Spice World.
What?
This is fascinating.
I don't think we've ever discussed this before.
(19:46):
I mean, I do love these cult classics, but not in my top five.
Spice World is not my top.
I have seen that movie hundreds of times.
I have no doubt.
Wow.
There were times when I was a child that I would watch it like a dozen times in one day.
I just like I would rewind it and then start it again on VHS.
(20:09):
Yep.
What was your favorite movie as a kid, Tina?
As a kid?
I don't know, because we didn't have I don't know.
I probably seen Arthur a gazillion times when I was a kid.
That's a good one.
OK.
I think mine.
Mine is Lady Bugs.
Lady Bugs, which was a cheerleader movie.
OK.
I'm not aged well.
This is one of those movies like White Chicks where we love it, but you can't do it again.
(20:34):
Lady Bugs was about a girls soccer team and Rodney Danger.
I was going to say Rodney Danger.
Yeah.
Give me some respect.
He was a coach of this team and he put his stepson essentially in drag.
Oh, yeah, we can't do this.
Join this team so that they would win.
(20:54):
Terrible message.
Terrible.
Terrible.
But there was like a little teenage love story attached to it where like one of the girls
on the team and the son were like, you know, young love.
But I watched that on repeat, like 100% copied it from Blockbuster video.
I feel like I can just picture like what the album or what the Blockbuster cassette thing
(21:15):
look like.
I mean, it was Rodney Dangerfield's big butt up there.
Yeah, I can totally picture this.
It's like Porky's back in the day.
You guys are probably too young to remember Porky's.
100% not too young.
Thank you, though.
Thank you.
I'm a baby.
Yeah, no, I am turning big for here soon.
(21:37):
So we used to sneak that cassette.
Is that what they're called?
The VHS tape.
We used to sneak it into the house so that we could watch Porky's without our parents
knowing.
Hell, yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, that basic instinct.
Let's see.
Pause, replay, pause, replay, pause, replay.
Oh, dear God.
(21:59):
Trying to catch something on the screen there.
Colton, I'm jumping to you.
I'm jumping ahead.
What do you got for events?
We have an exciting monthly luncheon coming up on January 15th.
It is the first luncheon of the year.
(22:20):
So register now to secure your seat.
It's already over halfway full.
Yes, well over.
Yeah, well over.
Yes.
So hurry up.
Register.
We would love to see you there.
We will be at Gina's on Congress.
Right here downtown.
Such good food.
The menu is on the website.
I forgot what it is.
(22:41):
You can go to Austin.
I felt like I needed a nap after we ate there last time.
Me too.
Delish.
So good.
Isn't that bread?
That's what it was.
I love bread.
What was that like cheesy bread?
Grier.
No, that's I don't know.
Is it?
No, it's not Grier.
Is it Grier?
I don't know, but it was.
Sleepy.
Delicious.
(23:02):
Whatever it is, it's cheesy bread.
You're going to miss it if you don't come.
Yeah.
And I'll eat it all.
Yeah.
And I won't feel bad about it.
Well, 2025.
Hello.
But we will have a speaker from Austin Transit Partnership.
Yes.
Talking about Project Connect.
And there is, like I said earlier, lots of good news coming down the pipeline.
(23:25):
Yeah.
And they're going to fill us in on what it means for economy and the community and all
the things.
And hopefully we can continue to grow from here.
I love it.
We also have a health and wellness webinar on January 16th at noon.
The focus for this webinar will be mental health.
We will have Eva Greenwell from Ellie Mental Health giving us the mental health 101.
(23:50):
Maybe the cutest little logo.
I know.
I do.
And I love their how to not freak out.
Yeah.
Super cute.
Real cute.
Real small.
Pocket little pocketbook.
Then we have a ribbon cutting on Friday, January 17th at Voltex Physical Therapy.
(24:11):
It is also their grand opening.
They will be celebrating being open for one year, which is amazing.
They're going to have snacks, drinks, healthy snacks, I hope.
I hope not.
But the grand opening celebration will start at five and the ribbon cutting will be promptly
at six o'clock.
So we would love for you to come and join us.
(24:33):
There is an RSVP on the event page.
And then I was like, I had one more thing.
I had one more thing written down.
We will be at ACL Live's brand new PNC Hall on January 23rd for our monthly Chamber Happy
(24:53):
Hour.
Our friends at JustWorks and ACL Live are hosting us.
Brand new space.
I got a preview of the space last month.
Beautiful.
So nice that there's a space indoors now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I haven't seen it yet.
I'm excited to get.
They do some really cool things before shows.
(25:14):
You can pay for an upgraded experience with like an open bar in that area.
So lovely.
Pretty cool stuff.
Oh, I'm so excited.
And this is a slightly different happy hour in that there's going to be some extras for
the attendees.
So we're asking folks to RSVP.
Yeah.
So that we can get a decent head count to have things prepared.
Really kicking it off.
Space is limited.
There will be light bites.
(25:36):
And I think JustWorks will be paying for one cocktail for everyone.
I love that.
So much for dry January.
We love them.
We do love them.
I mean, we're doing the best that we can.
I take a little sabbatical every Friday and Saturday.
I feel like we're all going to have to like ease in because it's going to be a hell of
a next couple of years.
(25:57):
Well, I turned 40 this month.
There ain't no dry January happening for me.
So true.
Come on.
True.
A damp January.
I'm glad you just didn't say moist.
That's why the delay was so long.
I was trying to think of a different word.
(26:21):
I don't know what's going on.
Turn that off right now.
Welcome to the show, everybody.
I hate it.
Flying heck is going on.
I don't know what you're doing.
I think the rat's back.
It's only your voice.
Do you need to use my microphone?
I don't know what's happening.
Okay, good.
(26:41):
It's fixed.
Oh my god.
Memberships.
We have new members.
They're still coming in.
LT Commercial Group.
Welcome to the chamber.
They can help you with commercial real estate.
So all of you out there listening that need a new location, maybe Waterloo Records could
utilize LT Commercial Group.
But welcome to the chamber.
(27:02):
She's crushing it over there, Leslie, who is running that group.
I mean, absolutely crushing it.
If you've ever had a question about what it could mean to actually go into a commercial
space, she's a great resource as well.
She knows that space really well.
And I'm just so proud of the work that her company has been doing over the last couple
of years.
That's awesome.
And speaking to events, Small Town Big Pride.
(27:24):
On the horizon.
I'm afraid to touch a button.
So more more to come on that.
I'm not going to get into it right now.
But we do have two new Small Town Big Pride members.
Yay.
Welcome the case room case room little speakeasy bar love and Lockhart behind Fiddler's Green.
So the owners of Fiddler's Green string shop and Lockhart have taken their case room for
(27:47):
the instruments and fashioned it into a speakeasy.
It is sounds cool.
It's beautiful.
Can we go on your birthday?
It's on the invite.
You're all invited.
The world is invited to my 40th.
Please come.
So welcome to the chamber, the case room.
Also Lockhart bus.
(28:07):
Yay.
The art bus is a member Small Town Big Pride members.
So like I said, Small Town Big Pride on the horizon.
We're going to do a rinse repeat of Lockhart details to come.
Exciting, exciting and new.
Come aboard.
What show is that from?
We're expecting you.
(28:29):
Wow.
This is the first time.
Love boat.
Yes.
Tina has given us a musical number.
I think it's usually us.
Turn it off.
We usually listen to some like a light switch.
Go flick.
It's a nifty little Mormon trick.
(28:49):
All the good messaging is happening today.
And the chamber will be putting on their first musical.
I can't wait.
Tap number chamber.
The musical.
Oh my God.
Can you imagine?
No, we got to bring our real house.
Real chamber staff.
Oh, on that note, if you are wanting to become a member of the chamber, join us at Austin
(29:20):
LGBT chamber.com.
If you want to be a guest or a sponsor, shoot us over an email at info at awesome LGBT chamber.
Listen to our show every Friday, wherever you get your podcast.
We'll see you all next time.
We'll see you?
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