Featured Show · San Antonio Podcasting
Host Eddie Aldrete sits down with the builders, organizers and decision-makers shaping San Antonio and Central Texas — going past the headlines and into the infrastructure, capital and politics behind the region's growth.
Latest Episode
New Episode
Janet Holliday, founder of The CE Group, and Lori Houston, the former San Antonio Assistant City Manager who bought the 36-year-old agency, walk Eddie through a succession without a playbook — how Janet institutionalized the firm beyond her own name, how Lori spent two years planning her exit from City Hall, and how a friendship became an acquisition. The conversation widens into Project Marvel, the convention center, the Museum Reach and Lori's work heading the Greater Chamber's homeless task force.
Watch the episodeRecent Episodes
Catch the most-recent episodes on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your favorite San Antonio podcasts.
50:52
Janet Holliday, founder of The CE Group, and Lori Houston, the former San Antonio Assistant City Manager who bought the 36-year-old agency, walk Eddie through a succession without a playbook — how Janet institutionalized the firm beyond her own name, how Lori spent two years planning her exit from City Hall, and how a friendship became an acquisition. The conversation widens into Project Marvel, the convention center, the Museum Reach and Lori's work heading the Greater Chamber's homeless task force.
Watch episode →
51:16
greaterSATX CEO Sarah Carabias Rush maps the economic landscape of the San Antonio–Austin mega-region: 18,000–20,000 people commuting down from Austin every day and another 50,000 up from South Texas, a $13 billion pipeline of 57 active corporate prospects representing 29,000 potential jobs, and a rise from 20th to 2nd in the nation for advanced-manufacturing job creation. Also covered: the airport expansion, Vista Ridge water security, and CPS Energy's 5-gigawatt buildout.
Watch episode →
39:46
A practical look at why San Antonio water bills are climbing and what's actually driving the increases — from system-wide infrastructure investment to the household leaks that quietly run up four-figure bills. Eddie digs into what SAWS ratepayers should understand before the next statement lands, and how water security decisions made today set the region's cost structure for decades.
Watch episode →
49:09
The city faces a $130 million budget gap and, for the first time in 33 years, a serious conversation about the property tax rate. This episode breaks down how the shortfall was built, which services sit in the crosshairs, and what a rate change would actually mean for homeowners and businesses across Bexar County.
Watch episode →
49:40
Transit rarely makes headlines until something breaks — but San Antonio just cleared a milestone few people saw coming. Eddie unpacks what the milestone is, what it took to get there, and how mobility investment ties directly into the region's ability to compete for jobs, housing and downtown density.
Watch episode →
45:58
Military City USA isn't a slogan — it's an economic base worth billions. This conversation covers how San Antonio is working to insulate its installations, defense-health institutions and cybersecurity ecosystem from shifting political winds in Washington, and why the region's advocacy strategy has to run years ahead of any single administration.
Watch episode →
37:07
A quieter episode, and one leaders rarely have publicly. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller talks with Eddie about tragedy, generational grief, and what it asks of the people expected to hold a community together afterward — the part of leadership that doesn't fit on an agenda.
Watch episode →
40:35
Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller joins Eddie for a candid conversation about whether Catholics have been left politically homeless — and what faith, freedom and moral leadership look like when neither party fully reflects the teaching. A frank discussion of conscience, immigration and civic responsibility in Texas.
Watch episode →
46:39
Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran explains her vote to censure Mayor Jones, and what the episode revealed about how San Antonio's City Hall actually functions under pressure. Eddie presses on process, accountability, and whether a divided council can still deliver on the city's biggest capital decisions.
Watch episode →
39:54
TxDOT's capital plan is one of the largest infrastructure programs in the country, and it quietly decides where growth lands. This episode follows the money through the Texas Triangle — how corridor decisions shape site selection, freight, housing and the I-35 economy connecting San Antonio to Austin, Dallas and Houston.
Watch episode →
40:24
A single House district, outsized consequences. Eddie breaks down why HD-121 became a proxy fight over the direction of Texas business policy — taxes, regulation, workforce and the balance between the state's growth agenda and local control.
Watch episode →
42:10
Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones details how the state's largest county closed a $250 million deficit without a tax increase — the trade-offs, the service decisions, and what San Antonio and Bexar County can borrow from the playbook as their own budget pressure builds.
Watch episode →
35:48
Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock joins Eddie to explain what local debt actually costs communities, where the real risk sits, and how cities and counties can grow without mortgaging the next generation's budget. A clear-eyed look at the state's fiscal position from the person holding the ledger.
Watch episode →
40:54
CPS Energy President and CEO Rudy Garza returns to walk through the utility's move from the near-term Vision 2027 roadmap to a long-range Horizon 2050 strategy — prioritizing reliability, affordability and cleaner energy for a fast-growing city. He explains why acquiring existing gas plants beat new construction on both speed and cost, what transmission upgrades mean for the regional grid, the challenge of large-load customers like data centers, and the case for a rate increase to keep San Antonio competitive.
Watch episode →
44:24
Two San Antonio entrepreneurs on building influence the slow way — through service, reputation and showing up long before there was anything to gain. A conversation about how civic capital compounds, and why it still beats a marketing budget in a city this size.
Watch episode →
1:01:55
San Antonio's poverty statistics get quoted constantly; the mechanisms underneath them rarely do. This longer-format episode goes after the structural issues behind the numbers — segregation of opportunity, education pipelines, and the systems that keep generational mobility stalled even as the regional economy booms.
Watch episode →
38:22
Amegy Bank Central Texas CEO David McGee explains why the bank moved into the urban core, what that signals to other institutions weighing a downtown commitment, and how water security and infrastructure investment underpin every growth conversation he has with clients.
Watch episode →
47:21
Project Vida is a transformative south-side ecosystem blending housing, healthcare and education through partnerships with SouthStar and Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Eddie and his guests get into the financing, the land, and whether a master-planned community can genuinely lift the neighborhoods around it.
Watch episode →Meet the Host
Eddie Aldrete
Eddie Aldrete is the founder and CEO of Aldrete Strategic Partners, a San Antonio–based public affairs and communications firm. With more than four decades of experience in strategic communications, media relations, and government affairs, Eddie previously served as Senior Vice President at IBC Bank, overseeing public, legislative, and regulatory initiatives across Texas and beyond.
Starting his career in journalism, Eddie developed a deep understanding of how stories shape influence — skills he's carried through roles in advocacy, corporate leadership, and regional strategy. From trade and economic development to infrastructure and policy, he's helped guide conversations that drive growth across San Antonio and Central Texas.
On Beyond the Bite, Eddie draws on his extensive media and corporate background to connect leaders in business, government, and community — exploring the ideas and decisions shaping the region's future. His voice bridges perspectives and industries, grounded in the belief that meaningful progress begins with open, informed dialogue.
Catch the latest episodesRecent Guests
Recent episodes feature conversations with local leaders, professionals, and community builders who are actively shaping San Antonio and Central Texas. These guests bring firsthand insight into regional growth, innovation, and the collaborations driving real impact across business, culture, and civic life.
A front-row seat to the political and legislative shifts defining San Antonio and Bexar County — from Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai on Propositions A and B and East Side revitalization, to veteran journalist Steve Spriester and public affairs expert Demonte Alexander on mayoral forums, state mandates and local governance.
The visionaries steering downtown's resurgence: Kairoi Residential CEO Mike Lynd on Project MARVEL and the proposed Spurs arena, Amegy Bank CEO David McGee on relocating to the urban core, and Pete Cortez on the public-private partnerships reviving the historic Alameda Theatre.
Beyond the city center — Project Vida's south-side ecosystem of housing, healthcare and education with SouthStar and Texas A&M University-San Antonio, plus energy-sector conversations from Project YaREN to Voices for Coastal Bend Energy on the industrial projects driving South Texas forward.
The builders of San Antonio's business culture: Melissa Mastrodomenico and Aquila Mendez Valdez on NAWBO San Antonio's rise as a national powerhouse for women-owned businesses, and April Ancira of Ancira Automotive Group on balancing professional success with civic philanthropy.
Want to be on a podcast?
Beyond the Bite is a San Antonio–based podcast featuring leaders shaping Central Texas. If you're a business owner, policymaker, or community leader, share your idea and help move the conversation beyond the headlines.
Become a guestBe a sponsor
Sponsoring Beyond the Bite puts your brand in front of an engaged audience across San Antonio and Central Texas, including business leaders and civic influencers.
Explore sponsorshipsInterested in Beyond the Bite?
New episodes land on YouTube and wherever you listen to your favorite San Antonio podcasts.