There are a lot of things to love about Lubbock, Texas — those born and raised here will tell you exactly that. But the secret’s out as non-natives have discovered the “Hub City.”
Six entrepreneurs talk about why they love living, working and doing business in Lubbock.
Ross and Jacob Hamil grew up visiting their grandparents in Lubbock, moved here for college and never left. The duo owns Hamil Bros. Studios, a video production company that makes commercials and promotional content for companies all over the country. To them, there’s no better place to live and work than Lubbock.
“We get asked a lot, ‘why don’t you go to Dallas? Why don’t you go to New Orleans or Atlanta or LA or any of those big film places,’” Jacob said. “Even Albuquerque.”
But the advantages to living and working in Lubbock have kept the brothers in their home state and contributed to their success. Lubbock’s open and friendly atmosphere and affordable cost of living help keep the cost of doing business down and opportunities up.
“For me, Lubbock is a very low-risk environment,” said Ross. “Lubbock is a great place to fail. We learn quickly what doesn’t work and how to do things in a more efficient way.”
And in a tight-knit community like Lubbock, networking is a breeze.
“Lubbock is such a cool place, because if you know one person, you know everybody, because they know somebody who knows somebody, ” explained Jacob. “And everyone here is willing to jump in. People here genuinely want to see others succeed.”
There is no shortage of young talent in the community, either, with several universities to choose from for student internships.
“We have a lot of eager minds,” said Ross. “There are so many people who want to learn and cultivate their skills, we get to pick from the cream of the crop.”
David Miller, the CEO of Pavetex, can give you a whole slew of reasons why the engineering firm chose to remain in his hometown of Lubbock.
“We have had offers on the West Coast and East Coast,” Miller said.
He cited Lubbock’s resilient and diverse economy, the quality of the employee pool, the collaborative spirit and the beauty of the area.
“I always interview for grit,” he said. “We’ve grown our Dallas and Houston offices and a few of our other offices with employees from Lubbock. That has a lot to do with their work ethic, their integrity and their relationship abilities. Even the way we orient our house has a lot to do with Lubbock,” he said. “Our house always faces east or west, because we are always focused on seeing the sunrise and sunset. I believe they are the most beautiful in the United States. People undervalue that, and when they see it, they are awestruck with the beauty in West Texas.”
Melinda Pharies and her husband Chet are Lubbock natives who have grown a company from one employee and a truck, to 150 employees with up to 15 trucks a day out on the road in two states—Texas and New Mexico.
Melinda credits the company’s growth and success to the community’s loyalty and support.
“We have some amazing people,” she said. “Whenever I think about Lubbock, that’s the first thing I always think about —the people, the community, the camaraderie. The best thing for us was being in business in Lubbock, because there’s not a committee or a board or a group or organization that you can’t find here. That’s been instrumental in what we have accomplished because we had those resources right here in Lubbock. We wouldn’t be where we are today if not for all the amazing people that surrounded us,” she said. “I know where my roots are and they’re in Lubbock, Texas. I don’t really see myself leaving.”
Rob Fauver, Chief Strategy Officer with Hoverstate, said Lubbock’s low cost of doing business has helped it remain competitive in the IT and software design field.
“We pass those cost savings on to our clients,” he said.
Lubbock’s quality of life has also helped the company keep good employees and grow the local office.
“It’s great to be able to tap into those people who have roots here. They love it here and don’t want to be shipped off to Houston or Dallas or San Francisco.”
He said there is also a certain awareness of Lubbock among their clients, even internationally.
“People have heard of Lubbock, but don’t really know too much about Lubbock,” he said.
That gives him and others with Hoverstate the chance to share the Lubbock love.
Jean Evans isn’t from Lubbock, however, as the saying goes, she got here as fast as she could. The Florida native and former Massachusetts resident is the founder of Evans and Associates, a consulting company that works with CEOs and business owners to streamline their operations and help them grow. She helped a friend move to Lubbock, came for a visit and on the tenth day, put an offer on a house.
“I’ve never regretted it,” she said. “It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever lived. The people here are so welcoming and caring.”
But it wasn’t just the warmth and friendliness that impressed her. Lubbock has a well-established and growing business community full of talented, hardworking people, and a Texas-sized spirit of collaboration.
“The business support that I have seen is just phenomenal,” she said. “I talked to a lot of people and everybody wanted to help me. Everybody said they were just so happy I’m here. You don’t get that in other places of the country. I’ve worked with businesses all up and down the East Coast and gone through the ups and downs of the economy in both areas, and this is amazing. I’m really amazed at how everybody pulls together and supports each other here.”