Austin Business Journal articles from September 2001

Austin Business Journal archives from September 2001

Motorola: $3 billion force.(Motorola Inc.'s Semiconductor Products Sector economic influence in Austin, TX)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... If Central Texas were to lose semiconducor unit, more than 26,000 jobs would be affected If Motorola Inc.'s Semiconductor Products Sector were to abandon Austin, the area economy stands to lose as much as $3 billion, according to a local...

Future for Motorola fabs unclear.(semiconductor products sector to close)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... As company mulls fate of unit, it is decommissioning two plants Two of Motorola Inc.'s Austin chip fabrication plants are closing regardless of whether the company's Semiconductor Products Sector is sold. But what those buildings will...

Gaming firm keeps growing.(Origin Systems Inc. to hire 150 employees)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Origin Systems plans to add 150 employees to support new games Austin's growing importance in the online gaming industry is being indicated by a local leader's plans to expand by 150 employees to support three new games. Austin's...

The case of the shrinking event.(Red Herring magazine cancels symposium, throw cocktail party)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Once-gaudy technology events are taking a step back these days. It started out as an all-day symposium 1in Austin, hosted by Red Herring magazine of San Francisco. Suddenly, without warning, it turned into a cocktail reception, same time,...

Cool city, hot job.(Austin, Texas and Whole Foods Market Inc., rate high on survey list)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... If you're an Austin "GenXer" -- ages 20 to 40 -- searching for the intangible "cool factor," you're already in the place considered the eighth coolest city to live and work. There's more -- of all the places to toil in the Texas capital,...

Artistic touches.(art galleries to open in Westlake Hills, Texas)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin's own Clarksville Pottery and Galleries plans to open a third location next month in Westlake Hills. The 25-year-old purveyor of pottery, art and other hand-crafted objects already connects starving artists with hungry buyers through...

Green gathering.(environmental television show)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... A number of high-profile Austinites are joining forces to help film star Shelley Duvall kick off her new television series, "shelley duvall's greenliving," and her new Web site. The evening also will be filled with discussions of the area's...

Move over, eBay.(auction company, DoveBid Inc., to host industrial auction in Texas)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... DoveBid Inc. takes flight from California to Texas soon, landing in Austin to host an industrial auction called the Dot-Com Exchange. The Foster City, Calif.-based auction company will sell the assets of ci2i, HAL Computer Co., Service...

Aspire to Esquire.(men's clothing store, Capra and Cavelli named in Esquire's list of top 100 retail stores)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin's upscale men's clothing store Capra & Cavelli has made one of Esquire magazine's notable lists for the second time. Capra & Cavelli made Esquire's semiannual "Retail 100" list, which appears in Esquire's September edition. Esquire...

"Fore" the kids.(Golfer Tom Kite raise money for Children's Hospital of Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Golf pro Tom Kite is taking a swing at helping to raise money for The Children's Hospital of Austin. His team will include business-people from around the Austin area. Kite and his wife, Christy, will make a foursome with the Austin...

CORRECTION.(Correction Notice)
September 7, 2001... A story in the Aug. 31-Sept. 6 issue of the Austin Business Journal, "Ground broken for hotel on former Stratus land," incorrectly stated which party a broker represented. Steve Hall, owner of Steve Hall Commercial Real Estate in Austin,...

Cuban bets on new wave of television.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is teaming with a Denver company to create one of the first TV networks broadcasting entirely in a high-definition format. The new network, called HDNet, already has participated in the...

Mooney Aircraft seeks buyer for the company.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... SAN ANTONIO -- Mooney Aircraft Corp., the financially beleaguered Kerrville-based aircraft manufacturer, has been given some breathing room by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The court has ruled Mooney's senior secured lender can provide the...

Firm takes biotech to market.(Emergent Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... An Austin-based firm that helps finance and commercialize biotechnical research is coming home with its next venture. After finding success tapping researchers and labs at the University of Oklahoma, Emergent Technologies Inc. hopes to make...

Grand lady's new face.(Yarings department store)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Historic downtown retail site transforming into new use A historic downtown retail site on Congress Avenue will get a $4 million renovation later this month to make it viable as office, residential and restaurant space. The former...

Pope returns to ABJ staff.(Colin Pope; Austin Business Journal)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Colin Pope has rejoined the Austin Business Journal as its reporter covering health care, biotechnology and law. Most recently, Pope was director of corporate communications for Austin-based NetSpend Corp. NetSpend provides a means for...

Lawsuit claims slander.(Austin Semiconductor)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Former Austin Semiconductor employee says firing was unfair A former employee has sued Austin Semiconductor Inc. and its president for defamation and slander. A suit filed Aug. 6 in Travis County District Court claims Paul Hilfer, an...

Sanchez's VC firm fuels growth at S.A. startup.(Sanchez Capital Partners to provide leadership to startup, LARES Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin-based Sanchez Capital Partners -- founded by a Texas gubernatorial candidate -- will provide new leadership for a San Antonio technology startup. But it will be all in the family. The venture firm will provide a father-son team of...

EpicEdge stock resumes trading on AMEX.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... Trading of stock in Austin's EpicEdge Inc. [AMEX: EDG], an Internet consulting company, has resumed. Trading had been halted since April 12 by the American Stock Exchange because of a delay in filing the company's annual report. The delay...

BroadJump adds Charter Communications.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Charter Communications Inc. [Nasdaq: CHTR] will be using two software products from Austin-based BroadJump Inc. Financial details weren't disclosed. Charter Communications customers will use BroadJump's software to self-install...

Motorola: Brain drain isn't causing headache.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... The loss of three top executives at Motorola Inc.'s Semiconductor Products Sector in the past few months won't rock the business, company executives and analysts say. After threats by executives at Motorola headquarters in Schaumburg,...

Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems.(employee recruitment)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... * Philadelphia Most technology companies planning to hire more than 1,000 people this year would be trumpeting that fact. For Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems, it's no big deal. For one, the unit of Bethesda, Md.-based...

Gigascale Silicon Research Center.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... * Oakland, Calif. Semiconductor manufacturers today face a problem that on its face sounds like a bad riddle -- they have the ability to build chips they can't design. Among industry insiders, this is known as the "productivity gap."...

Vanderbilt University.(patents)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... * Nashville Vanderbilt University's Office of Technology Transfer currently averages around $1.5 million per year in royalty and licensing fees. Its director thinks it can do much better. "We expect a dramatic upswing," says Chris...

Dartfish.(technology startup)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... * Atlanta A Swiss-backed technology startup with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta has created a sports video software program that might make today's split-screen replay technology a thing of the past. Patent-pending software created by...

Susman Tisdale devotes group to public sector.(Susman Tisdale Gayle architectural firm, Austin, TX)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... A leading Austin architecture firm is adapting to the slowed economy by reconfiguring its business. Susman Tisdale Gayle is bolstering its interior design group and dedicating one of its five Austin employee groups to public sector work....

San Marcos buys acreage for easier access to I-35.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... The City of San Marcos has 325 acres under contract that will give local residents easier access to I-35 and preserve environmentally sensitive land the city already is protecting. The city put the land under contract in late August and is...

Kinetic Concepts seeks buyer for KCI Tower, complex.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... SAN ANTONIO -- Kinetic Concepts Inc. has put one of its crown jewels on the market, the 165,000-square-foot KCI Tower. Ed Cross, principal with local real estate firm Cross & Co., says KCI has a contract with his firm to put the Northwest...

Fort Worth firm plans low-cost housing in Philippines.(Wulf International Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... FORT WORTH -- Dallas oilman George Wulf has embarked on a "humanitarian" effort to build 1 million low-cost homes in the Philippines -- an effort he says could bring his company more than $350 million. Wulf is chairman and the largest...

Old plant becomes tax windfall for Garland.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... DALLAS -- With raw land for large, industrial projects at a minimum in builtout Garland, a Houston-area developer is tearing down an old manufacturing plant and plans to build a larger facility in its place. Thrilled with the prospect of...

Farb developments all in the family.(real estate developer Jonathan Farb)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... HOUSTON -- If building is in the blood, Jonathan Farb appears to have all the makings of a promising real estate developer. The 28-year-old grandson of Harold Farb has completed one residential project, has another under construction, and a...

New bills shake up city business practices.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... HOUSTON -- Legislation passed by the state is about to dramatically change how the City of Houston does business. Four bills enacted by the 77th Texas Legislature are set to take effect Sept 1. The legislation will broaden the scope and...

Construction contracts dip in July in Austin area.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... Contracts for construction were down 5 percent in July in the Austin metropolitan area. The McGraw-Hill Cos. reports through its F.W. Dodge division that contracts for construction in July totaled $218.5 million, compared with $229.7...

Economist: Austin has edge over Silicon Valley.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin has an economic edge over Silicon Valley because of its labor pool and lower real estate prices, according to an economist at Texas A&M University. Mark Dotzour, chief economist for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University,...

How to calm workers' fears.(tips on motivating employees during economic slowdowns)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... These tips from Robert Half International Inc. can be used as a guide for motivating your staff during a downturn: * Calm irrational fears. Some people become upset at the very mention of layoffs, even if they're occurring in an unrelated...

Managing to make money.(nonprofit organizations)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Led by husband-wife team, Association and Society Management runs the show for 17 no groups Don McCullough walks through the offices of his Austin company, Association and Society Management Inc., with the pride of a man who has spent his...

ASK THE EXPERTS.(article explores what loan companies look for when considering business financing)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... What should a small business do to prepare for obtain Bankers routinely measure the "health" of a company as a guide for reviewing loan requests by using the "Three C's" -- character, capacity and collateral. These also can guide you in...

New fiscal year opens floodgates for state funds.(Texas state government receives funding for government contracts)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... State government moved into a new fiscal year Sept 1, and agencies now are able to access funds that recently were approved by the Texas Legislature. The amount available to be spent with private sector contractors over the next 24 months...

San Antonio council picks Austin company.(Zephyr Environmental Corp. to review groundwater pollution at Kelly Air Force Base)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... The San Antonio City Council has chosen Austin-based Zephyr Environmental Corp. to review groundwater pollution at and around the former Kelly Air Force Base. The company also will recommend cleanup strategies. Zephyr received...

Customers command varying levels of service.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... In today's economic climate of cutbacks and downsizing, customer loyalty might become more difficult than ever to maintain. In addition, many sales professionals are feeling the effects of a heavier workload following cutbacks in their own...

Consultants, others turn around faltering firms.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Turnaround consultants have a tough time getting their clients to talk about them. When they're attempting to save a troubled business, the owner usually is too upset to discuss the efforts. After the crisis, when the business is back on...

Surveys: Unhappiness growing in workforce.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... The economic downturn has taken its toll on workers' attitudes toward their employers, according to two recent surveys. A national survey of 1,792 adults conducted by Peter D. Hart Research found 63 percent trust employers "just some" or...

Less than half of employees satisfied with health plans.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Only 43 percent of workers are satisfied with their health plans, according to a recent Watson Wyatt survey of 10,000 employees at 18 companies. The survey also found only 48 percent trust their employers to design a health plan that meets...

Chamber: Minimum wage hike bad move during downturn.(opinion of Chamber of Commerce of the United States)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... No time is a good time to raise the minimum wage, business lobbyists argue, but now is a particularly bad time for an $1.50an-hour increase, they say. The last time the minimum wage was increased, in 1997, the unemployment rate for...

Study quantifies cost of workplace regulations.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Workplace regulations cost $91 billion a year, according to a new study by Joseph Johnson, a research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center in Arlington, Va. Johnson's estimate was based on 25 major statutes and executive...

OSHA hopes to double voluntary safety program.(United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration hopes to double the number of small businesses that participate in its Voluntary Protection Program over the next three years. Businesses in the program work with OSHA to establish...

Printing firm moving to Bergstrom center.(Communication Specialists Inc. moving to Bergstrom Technology Center in Southeast Austin)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Printing company Communication Specialists Inc. is moving its headquarters from downtown Austin to Bergstrom Technology Center in Southeast Austin. CSI executives signed a lease Aug. 23 for 80,000 square feet in Bergstrom Technology...

Talk to the tenants.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Communication can be the key to keeping rents paid instead of losing them to bankruptcy The decline of Internet companies and other high tech businesses in Austin hit the real estate industry hard. For tenants with the wherewithal to...

Broker travels high road to success.(Diana Holford, principal with commercial real estate Staubach Co.)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Diana Holford, a principal with the Staubach Co. in Austin, has built her powerhouse career in commercial real estate by adhering to a simple set of client-focused rules. "I treat others as I want to be treated. I take the high road, and...

Tenant assets seldom help when default looms.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... While still a far cry from the "bust" days of the 1980s, landlords now look for ways to keep their buildings filled and profitable. When it comes to tenants' assets when lease defaults loom, landlords may not see a lot to keep the bottom line...

Austin sits at nation's top again.(Austin, TX metropolitan area chosen top local economy in United States)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... For the third consecutive year, the Austin metropolitan area has been ranked the strongest local economy in the nation. A study of 18 economic factors by Jupiter, Fla.-based Policom Corp. put Austin No. 1 in the nation. The independent...

Plenty of 'room at the inn' expected by 2004.(hotel and motel construction and expansion forecast for Austin, TX)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Hotel expansion continues in Austin, despite leaner times. And that poses a possible conundrum. Austin is faced with age-old question of which comes first -- the chicken or the egg -- the hotel rooms or the travelers who use the hotel...

Contractors face economic 'swoon' with optimism.(Austin, Texas contractors)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... Local commercial construction companies found they are far from immune to the recent swoon in the Austin business environment. In many cases, they are more worried about the coming storm than the current situation. Many local companies...

Money launderers look to real estate.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Criminals often filter wealth gained from drug trafficking or other illegal activities through various financial transactions in an attempt to make it difficult to trace. It's called money laundering. In doing so, they can work with business...

San Francisco lands biotech headquarters.(Signature Bioscience plans move from Hayward, CA to San Francisco in 2001)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Signature Bioscience plans to move its headquarters from Hayward, Calif. to San Francisco this year, the company's CEO says. The move would be a major boost to the city's goal of attracting biotech -- one of the few sectors booming in the...

Suburban Lodges opens Austin 'interior corridor' hotel.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Atlanta-based Suburban Lodges of America Inc. [Nasdaq: SLAM] has opened a Suburban Lodge franchise hotel at 2501 S. I-35. SLD Properties opened the 137-room, interior corridor property three miles from Sixth Street and five miles from the...

NetSolve expands to three new locations.(company plans offices in Chicago, Irvine, CA and Shelton, Conn)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin-based NetSolve Inc. [Nasdaq: NTSL] has opened three new sales offices that will give it coast to coast coverage of the United States. The new offices are in Chicago; Irvine, Calif.; and Shelton, Conn. The offices will be responsible...

Boston area brokers see lease space piling up.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... All the, arrows point the wrong way. Vacancy rates are rising while new construction, net absorption and rents continue to slide. In Boston, the strongest of the Massachusetts area real estate markets, the overall vacancy rate has hit 10...

ABIA adds transportation center, parking spaces.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has opened a 24-hour transportation center and added 589 more parking spaces to its long-term lots. In addition to monitoring availability of parking spaces, taxi cabs and other services, the center...

Grandson follows family development footsteps.(28-year old real estate developer Jonathan Farb of Texas)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... If building is in the blood, Jonathan Farb appears to have all the makings of a promising real estate developer. The 28-year-old grandson of Harold Farb has completed one residential project in Houston, has another under construction, and a...

Trammell Crow develops first project in Memphis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... After several years of leasing other companies' big box industrial product in Memphis, Trammell Crow Co. has begun work on its first industrial development in the Bluff City. The Dallas-based commercial real estate services company last...

TOP 25 COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES.(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... TOP 25 COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES Ranked by 2000 local billings Billings for the Austin ...

LARGEST COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT FIRMS.(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... LARGEST COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT FIRMS Ranked by square feet development and permitted in 2000 Name 2000 Address Rank rank Phone/Fax 1. 1. Transwestern Commercial Services Inc. 901 S....

Report indicates rise in workers' comp cost.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 7, 2001... Compensation benefit costs increased significantly in Texas during recent years, according to a new study by Cambridge, Mass.-based. Workers Compensation Research Institute. In a study of eight states that comprise 40 percent of workers...

PEOPLE.
September 7, 2001... JEFF BURRUS was promoted to account vice president at UBS PaineWebber Inc. He has been with the company for more than two years and is responsible for retirement plans for companies and individuals. RUSSELL COWMAN was promoted to account...

Two decisions give preview.(AMD, Motorola)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... AMD, Motorola serve as economic weather vane for route technology will take Central Texas Same song, second verse, just at a faster speed: Austin worked long and hard to become a technology center. Its success in that endeavor could...

A question on interviews.(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Interviewing is the bedrock of journalism. It is how the information you get from this newspaper is gleaned. It's also important to the business people who are the focus of those interviews. What they ought to know is, it's not the...

Lynxs seeks to expand into Europe. Mexico.(Lynxs Group)(Brief Article)
September 7, 2001... Austin-based Lynxs Group has retained CE Richard Ellis Inc. to explore raising capital to expand its on-airport real estate development program into Europe and Mexico. Lynxs Group, owned by Lynxs Holdings LLC, named Mike Caprile, senior...

Austin reacts to terror.
September 14, 2001... Central Texas businesses apply their 'corporate cultures' and pitch in to help in national crisis Even in times of crisis, it's the little things that matter. Krispy Kreme doughnuts might not seem like much in the wake of the Sept. 11...

Tenant on tap for Cousins site.(Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC rents new offices)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... Winstead Sechrest & Minick expected to lease 40,000 s.f. in building at Fourth and Congress Work could begin by the end of this year on a new Congress Avenue office tower, thanks to a lease in the works with an Austin law office. Real...

Renaissance is reborn.(Renaissance Women's Group Physician Association )(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... For the past seven months, Dr. Linda Litzinger and the nine other doctors who make up the Renaissance Women's Group Physician Association have greeted patients in cramped portable buildings behind the North Austin Medical Center. Marked...

Central Texas Commercial Brokers.(City of Round Rock's Joe Vining presentation)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... It wasn't just strong coffee that kept representatives from the cities of Round Rock, San Marcos, Bastrop and Cedar Park awake at the Sept. 6 Central Texas Commercial Brokers breakfast in Austin. It was the presentation by City of Round...

Is there a doctor in the house? Maybe an accountant? The Austin Advertising Federation.(2001-02 Calendar of Events)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... ... Is there a doctor in the house? Maybe an accountant? The Austin Advertising Federation's 2001-02 Calendar of Events is trying to serve as CPR for a down economy. It is dominated by a photo from Dennis Fagan Studios showing two...

An X-factor.(launch of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... ... An X-factor. On Nov. 1, Windows XP, the new Microsoft operating system, will arrive at the Austin Convention Center. The launch party will be hosted by Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. Austin's Dell Computer Corp. might co-sponsor...

Cheers.(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... ... Cheers. The transformation of a restaurant from one food format to another means low prices on some high-end alcohol and furniture. With the opening of the new Alligator Grill on RM 2222 and Capital of Texas Highway, the last vestiges...

Weaving a fine Web.(Civic Resources Group recommends Austin city web site)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... ... Weaving a fine Web. The City of Austin Web site has been selected as one of the best city sites in the United States by a California consulting and Web development firm. Civic Resources Group, based in Santa Monica, Calif., chose Austin...

Still thirtysomething.(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... ... Still thirtysomething. Four Austin attorneys have been recognized by their peers as being among the 40 best Texas lawyers under the age of 40. Texas Lawyer magazine released its "40 under 40" list Sept. 10. Among the best and brightest...

CORRECTION.(Correction Notice)
September 14, 2001... An article in the Aug. 31 - Sept. 6 issue of the Austin Business Journal, "Austin tries to seize more investments from abroad," incorrectly identified Stephen Maysonave, a principal at Maysonave & Associates.

Alliance in running for Siemens plant.(Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. considers Alliance industrial park)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... FORT WORTH -- The 9,600-acre Alliance industrial park, developed by Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood venture, is one of three sites being considered for a $125 million manufacturing plant for Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. The company is...

Compaq deal likely to hurt real estate.(Compaq Computer Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... HOUSTON -- As the once-largest employer in Harris County, Compaq Computer Corp. played a significant role in fueling years of conspicuous real estate growth just northwest of Houston. But now that the influential computer maker is being...

$60M in housing projects set.(Southwest Texas State University)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... Two companies to build private residences for students at SWT Recent land transactions will propel nearly $60 million in new housing for students at booming Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. Two private housing developers...

Chase deal for Sixth space dies.(leasing space in the CarrAmerica tower)(Brief Article)
September 14, 2001... Bank had been negotiating for lease at CarrAmerica tower J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s efforts to move its Central Austin banking operations into the city's newest downtown office tower have ended after more than six months of negotiations. ...

Firm sets up bigger fab.
September 14, 2001... Extreme Devices relocates from small space downtown to 43,000 s.f. in SE Austin Austin's Extreme Devices Inc. is taking it to another extreme: It has opened a bigger chip fabrication plant and moved into offices in Southeast Austin. ...

Seeds planted for site.(San Marcos plans botanical gardens)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 14, 2001... San Marcos mayor looks into idea of botanical gardens as way to attract more tourists In an effort to drive tourism and other forms of economic development, the City of San Marcos is laying the groundwork for botanical gardens. San...