In Texas, if you are searching for news stories and opinion pieces on business, public policy and politics, you need not look far as they are a dime a dozen. However, if you are seeking news and information on the impact of public policy and politics ON business, the dearth of information is amazing.
The lack of information is especially prominent on a local and regional level.
I may live in San Antonio, but for decades have worked all over South Texas. From local city council ordinances to bills being considered in the Texas Legislature, the impact on business can often be felt far and wide. It’s important for business, civic and elected leaders to hear about the impact these policy issues have on the job creators and paycheck providers that drive the economies of San Antonio and South Texas.
That’s why on April 20th, I launched my new podcast, “Beyond the Bite,” – to get beyond the soundbites and headlines to get to the heart of a story. My goal has been to interview entrepreneurs, business owners and business leaders, and let them tell stories of the intersection of business, public policy and politics. From time to time, I will feature some elected leaders to hear about their vision and policy focus.
Business was greatly impacted during the pandemic because governmental entities were shutting businesses down and opening them back up again. Considering that power, it made me look at other examples of when government can get in the way and can crush a business, or when they can limit regulation to allow small businesses to grow.
My most recent episode features a conversation with National Immigration Forum CEO Jennie Murray on how the Forum is leading the way on that conversation. I also touch on the work of Catholic Charities of the RGV and Sister Norma Pimentel. During my tenure as the chairman of the board of the National Immigration Forum, I had the pleasure of nominating Sister Norma for the Forum’s “Keepers of the American Dream” award which we presented to her in 2019.
I am not the first person to head down this path. Twenty-five years ago when I was public affairs and communications consultant in Austin, I met Steve Taylor when he was the Austin bureau chief for the Valley Freedom Newspapers. He made state legislators more aware of the impact of their actions when he created Border Buzz at the Austin-based Quorum Report. Eventually, he returned to McAllen and launched Rio Grande Guardian, which, to this day, remains a great source of information and news about policy matters that impact the border and the Rio Grande Valley. So, I tip my hat to Steve for blazing this trail many years ago.
As more Texans get their news and information from podcasts, I thought it would be a great tool to use to share stories from the intersection of business, public policy and politics and I hope you will tune in and subscribe. As an audio format, many tune in during their daily commutes, while they are doing chores, or while exercising. No matter when or how you listen, podcasts are great because you can listen at your leisure.
Episodes will appear every two weeks on a Tuesday morning. Most of them run between 30 to 40 minutes in length and they are available on all the major podcasting platforms including Apple, Google, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher and more.
So, I invite you to download and subscribe to “Beyond the Bite,” and if you do, I welcome your thoughts, feedback and comments. If you have a story idea, please share that as well. For podcast related matters, send your thoughts and ideas to BeyondTheBiteEA@gmail.com and thank you for listening.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Eddie Aldrete, CEO of Aldrete Strategic Partners, LLC, a public affairs and communications consulting firm. The column appears in The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service with the permission of the author. Aldrete can be reached by email via: Eddie@AldreteSP.com.
Editor’s Note: Listeners can hear Eddie Aldrete’s podcasts on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Amazon. Click here to choose which platform to listen to the series on.
Editor’s Note: Here is Eddie Aldrete’s latest podcast in his series Beyond the Bite. It features an interview with National Immigration Forum CEO Jennie Murray:
AUDIO
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