Tag: business pork

“It’s For The Business Park”

That headline is starting to remind me of the teachers union and politicians favorite line: “It’s for the children”. It’s the bullshit they fall back on to waste mountains of money and if you ask any questions about the details, you are an asshole who hates children.

Well, I don’t hate children but I DO hate the Business Pork. So I will continue to point out uncomfortable truths about that disaster of a project.

One City council member actually pushed back a little on the LEDC’s request for tens of thousands more dollars to waste next year. Zac Morris actually asked our Economic “Director” about one of her line items [go to 1:28:00 mark]:

Zac: “With the travel and training, I see that that goes up, what, $4,000 this year in the request?”

[Note: last year it was $6,000 and they now want $10,000 – a 66% increase]

Mandy Walsh: “Correct. Yes…we increased it to $10,000…I’m assuming we’ll probably do more travel [unintelligible] to make sure with the Business Park and meeting people face to face as part of recruitment efforts.”

[Recruitment efforts??? I thought you already had all those many, many (about four) prospects ready to move in – at least that’s what you told us when you were begging for money back in February]

Randy “Speedbump” Clark: “Are you still getting calls?” [about possible tenants who want to move into the Business Pork]

Mandy: “I am…especially now that there’s movement out there” – Mandy then proceeds to list zero businesses she has “gotten calls” from about moving into the Business Pork. Mandy is well trained in The Lie That Keeps on Giving and she uses it once again here with Randy.

So, to summarize the current state of the LEDC budget and Business Pork Project:

(1) They want $5,000 more for advertising the Business Pork Project, even though they have spent close to $50,000 over the last 10 years doing that very thing with zero results.

(2) They ALSO want $4,000 more for “Travel and Training” so they can go out and “meet people face to face as part of recruitment efforts” for the Business Pork. This is despite the fact that the LEDC and Mandy have told us many, many, many times that they have “serious prospects” already. Clearly they don’t.

(3) The LEDC has not even been able to fill their tiny 5.6-acre “Industrial Park” and has been strung along for almost a year on that, but they STILL sling shit about filling their 155-acre Business Pork. Yes, that is as preposterous as it sounds.

Bottom line: these people STILL have no idea what they are doing but are willing to waste millions more thrashing around like a blind squirrel hoping to find a nut.

Here is a list of just a FEW of the failed promises we’ve heard in the last 18 years from the LEDC about ‘prospects’:

A $20 million medical center (2004)

A “second tier supplier to the new Toyota plant in San Antonio” (2004)

LAMCO (2017)

AWI (2017)

The development of the Santa Fe Depot property – where the guy strung Mandy and the LEDC along for most of 2019. LOL.

A “recreational insurance and lending company out of Austin that would EACH bring 15-25 high-wage positions to Lampasas” (2018)

Craft brewing company (2018 and many other times)

“A prospect from Bastrop” (2018)

Mike Irvin’s 5,000 sq ft Steel Fabrication Shop in the “Business Park” (2018)

A “prospect out of Abilene” interested in relocating their business to Lampasas but they “can’t give out details yet” (2018).

Business Pork Project – REAL Phase I Was in 2003

One of the biggest lies the LEDC keeps repeating is that the Business Pork Project is currently in Phase I (the $2.75 million boondoggle recently approved).

I have refuted this repeatedly by pointing out that when the LEDC and City council decided to waste over $1 million in 2014 to “bring utilities to the business park” and “make it shovel ready”, that THAT was Phase I. It actually goes back even further than that, according to the old LEDC minutes.

By calling this “Phase I”, Misti Talbert and the LEDC project the false impression that they are just getting started on this Business Pork debacle. It allows them to ignore 19 years of failure and “wipe the slate clean” as it were.

They even splattered the lie all over the Dispatch today!

Unfortunately for them, there are minutes dating back to 2000 that refute all of their lies. Turns out, this latest money grab makes it like Phase IV or Phase V.

Let’s look at some tidbits from 2003:

12/15/03: Executive Director Talbot stated that he recommends that the Board only approve the work associated with Phase I of the proposal. The Board could then decide whether to proceed with Phase II.

President [Paul] Wilborn asked if the price was reasonable.

Talbot stated the price is slightly high because of the time frame.

[Shocker – even back then, they were constantly overpaying for things and in a rush to get something done, even though they had no idea where they were going. This is seen REPEATEDLY throughout the minutes between 2000 and 2004.]

Talbot stated that Phase I was just gathering information and he would like the Board to authorize any testing that might come up.

Talbot stated that his recommendation is that the Board gives their approval for him to engage Turner Collie & Braden Inc only for Phase I in the amount not to exceed $26,830.00, unless additional testing is required associated with the garbage pit designated on the property.

[I guess Pope Eckermann hadn’t sniffed out this money trough just yet, way back then! Also remember, these were 2003 dollars – which is the equivalent of about $55,000 today]

Board member Hetherly moved to recommend Talbot to agree to the proposal. Hudson seconded the motion and the motion passed.

12/23/03 minutes: Talbot wants to enter into an agreement with SWCA Environmental Consultants for professional services associated with the property the LEDC currently has under contract. Hudson moves to authorize and Hetherly seconds. Passes unanimously. [cost is not discussed here – unknown]

Talbot states the following items have been done:

Surveying work has been completed.

Wow. Surveying work was completed in 2003? That is weird, because Pope Eckermann himself surveyed the SHIT out of that SAME PIECE OF LAND in 2014, 2015 and 2016! As I pointed out back in January of 2020:

Between 2/21/14 and 6/15/16 Pope Eckermann took a $168,740 bite out the taxpayer’s ass. Or about $6,000 per month. To do what? Great question. Here is a sample of just a few entries – it’s seriously almost on a monthly basis! They almost LITERALLY tithe Pope Eckermann on a schedule, it seems. Monthly rent to sprinkle holy water on the sacred site:

You’d think that for $168,740 worth of “serveying” [sic] over two years, they’d learn how to spell “surveying”.

It’s almost like I totally called this back in 2020!

‘Business Park’ Is Huge Piece of Pork. Pope Eckermann and Others Feasting On Taxpayer Ass

1/19/2004 minutes: The Board has 150 acres under contract. The survey has been completed. All of Phase I field work has been done.

THEN on April 5, 2004 (minutes): “Board member Benton made a motion to authorize Talbot to sign an agreement with Turner Collie & Braden to proceed with Phase II work for the 150-acre Business Complex…Hetherly seconded motion. Passed unanimously.

So THERE is your Phase I (and Phase II) back in 2003 and 2004.

Stay tuned – more to come.

Business Pork Prospects: Dwindling By The Day…

And then there were three (maybe)….

We went from “about four” Business Pork prospects…then to the five supposed prospects the City finally sent me…and now it looks like there are only three left. We know for a fact that Eco-Strong is a complete sham and a joke. It now appears that PhoLicious is now just doing what small business owners do: solving the problem themselves.

You’ll recall that only a few weeks ago, I suggested that PhoLicious only needed some warehouse space – and not a $7 million Business Pork that is still over a year away from ‘completion’. I suggested three different empty buildings around town, but apparently the owner is looking at a better solution.

Good man, Mr. Trousdale!

Ya’ll be sure to get your Pho tomorrow and help out this new local business.

Business Pork Prospects – Part III (PhoLicious)

We covered Nextlink in the last segment. It’s time to look at PhoLicious.

PHOLICIOUS: You gotta love the owners. They came out of nowhere and have a kick-ass little spot across from Hoffpauir Feed Store, they’re on Amazon, they have a slick website, they both seem SUPER nice. They quit their old jobs (thanks Covid!) and took the plunge. I have zero doubt they put in 16 hour days and kill themselves to make it work. They are the quintessential small business owner taking risk and working hard to build something of value.

In other words, the exact OPPOSITE of Julie Landrum at Wool & Vine.

I hope they are a raging success and make a million bucks.

BUT – does that make them a realistic candidate as a viable tenant for the $7.1 million dollar Business Pork and all the infrastructure it entails?

Sadly, no. For several reasons:

#1 Their HUGE pressing need is just plain old space. Just a big, empty warehouse. I’m guessing that a MASSIVE percentage of their business is actually the Amazon side of things. I’ve seen their Facebook videos of piles and piles of boxes (filled with the kits) and there’s just no way they are selling all that in town here. The owner also admitted to me during a chat that they REALLY need warehouse space.

She also lamented the ridiculous cost of land around town. I agreed. There are a hell of a lot of property owners who are deluded about what their building is worth – which is why we have MANY empty building sitting around town.

Here is a thought: call up the owner of one of these empty buildings that is sitting there earning $0 in rent and offer to use it as a warehouse. I can think of a few immediately:

Rutlands. This was supposed to be turned into lofts, according to an article from THREE YEARS ago. It sits there – big and empty and waiting to hold Pho boxes.

“Millican’s Dry Goods” eyesore that sits on the square right next to Windsor Foods and the county offices. I’ve been inside that spot. It is massive. I believe the owners live in Kempner or Cove. Make them an offer.

The old AmVets building. Pretty sure it’s empty ever since Twisted Oak went under. That’s also a huge spot.

#2 They are in a cut-throat business and have only been around a short while. There is no guarantee they will be around in two years (it will be at LEAST another 18 months before the Business Pork is ‘shovel ready’ for the second time).

On Amazon, they are competing with the likes of “Phonomenal” and about a dozen other Pho makers. PhoLicious needs to get their price down about 20% if they hope to compete long term. I know this because my best friend is former VP of global operations for Golden State Foods and he knows the business.

[In fact, if PhoLicious happens to read this and wants to pick his brain, contact me at lampasshole@protonmail.com]

#3 They don’t really employ anyone right now. I think it’s just the two of them doing everything themselves. Maybe have another body or two at $15/hr to put the kits together, but we are not talking a huge amount of jobs here. Certainly not enough to justify $7.1 million dollars in land, roads, electricity, water, etc that the Business Pork has committed to.

In conclusion: while I certainly hope they hit it big, there is a lot of uncertainty here and not really the potential for massive jobs (like, say, Ajinomoto Windsor type jobs). If their financials are solid and prospects good, they should be able to EASILY get a bank loan (if needed) and secure some warehouse rental space that is badly needed to reach the next level.

Damn, all this talk about pho is making me hungry. I think I’ll head up to Pholicious and grab a beef pho kit!

P.S. – it’s funny to me that LEDC is bending over backwards for a tiny, brand-new, yet-to-be-proven little “food production” operation when they told Anijimoto Foods to go fuck themselves in 2016 when Ajinomoto offered to bring TWO HUNDRED MORE JOBS to Lampasas. Classic LEDC stupidity. Ironically, Talbert, Monroe and Williamson were all on city council at that time too.