Buda, Texas, a small city south of Austin, is emerging as a magnet for aerospace and defense companies, according to the latest episode of The Building Texas Show. Published July 13, 2026, the episode features host Justin McKenzie in conversation with Jennifer Storm, CEO of the Buda Economic Development Corporation, and Monica Davidson, CEO of the Greater Buda Chamber of Commerce and a Buda City Council member. The discussion challenges the prevailing narrative that Central Texas aerospace and defense growth is an Austin story, arguing instead that the real footprint is landing in smaller I-35 corridor cities like Buda, which offer right-sized space, workforce access, and lower rent.
Storm noted that companies often seek 10,000 to 20,000 square foot spaces rather than greenfield sites, making Buda an attractive alternative to larger cities like Austin, Round Rock, and Pflugerville. She recounted a recent caller who told her, "People are saying aerospace and defense is coming to Austin, but that's not true. It's coming to Buda and Bastrop and Lockhart and Kyle and San Marcos." The Buda EDC uses rebates rather than abatements, paying incentives only after jobs are delivered, which Storm frames as a low-risk taxpayer investment tied to a single mandate: economic prosperity.
The episode also highlights The Hive, an incubator that moved 60 entrepreneurs through four cohorts in its first year, spanning industries from salons to AI apps to drones. Additionally, a new retail incubator is opening in Buda's restored 1884 train depot on Main Street. Davidson, who has doubled Chamber membership in two years, described her role bluntly: "I want to be where business begins in Buda." She detailed how the Greater Buda Chamber rebrand widened its tent to include South Austin, Mustang Ridge, Luling, and Lockhart businesses, while partnering with anchors like US Foods, Texas Lehigh, and Jardine's.
The episode also discusses the Hays CISD teacher externship program, which placed 17 educators inside local businesses this summer. Storm was candid about her recent recognition from the International Economic Development Council, accepted at the Library of Congress. The pair also unpacked the origin of Buda's trademarked title as the Wiener Dog Capital of Texas, a Lions Club idea from the 1980s that is now the city's largest annual event.
