Leprino Foods<\/a>, the largest producer of mozzarella cheese in the United States. The company invested nearly $1 billion in its Lubbock facility and is expected to employ around 1,000 people when fully built out.<\/p>\nWhy Lubbock?<\/p>\n
The answer is simple\u2014and powerful: alignment.<\/p>\n
Leprino needed proximity to dairy farms, a reliable workforce, affordable land, and a city that understood infrastructure, utilities, and long-term planning. Lubbock delivered on all fronts. Even more impressive, the facility plays a role in the city\u2019s water strategy by treating and returning water back to the municipal system\u2014turning industrial scale into civic partnership.<\/p>\n
Water, Infrastructure, and Thinking 100 Years Ahead<\/p>\n
Water isn\u2019t a future problem in West Texas\u2014it\u2019s a present responsibility. Lubbock has been planning for it longer than most cities in America.<\/p>\n
Mayor McBrayer outlines the city\u2019s **100-year water plan**, which includes multiple surface water sources, regional partnerships like the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, and a transformative new lake project inside city limits that will ultimately supply up to **one-third of Lubbock\u2019s water needs**.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t reactionary planning. It\u2019s deliberate, disciplined, and designed to support growth without sacrificing sustainability\u2014an approach that sets Lubbock apart as Texas continues to expand westward.<\/p>\n
Downtown, Culture, and the Next Chapter of Lubbock<\/p>\n
Growth without identity is hollow\u2014and Lubbock knows it.<\/p>\n
Mayor McBrayer speaks candidly about revitalizing downtown, protecting the city\u2019s core, and investing in cultural infrastructure like the Buddy Holly Hall, a 2,200-seat world-class performance venue that touring productions have called one of the finest in the country.<\/p>\n
With new statutory authority to reinvest hotel occupancy tax dollars locally, Lubbock is moving forward with long-planned civic center expansions designed to attract conventions, trade shows, and new economic activity downtown\u2014finally shifting from \u201cplanning\u201d to \u201cbuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Entrepreneurs, Builders, and Families Are Looking West<\/p>\n
Throughout the conversation, a consistent theme emerges: Quality of Life.<\/p>\n
Low cost of living. Short commutes. Stable governance. Available land. A collaborative political culture. And a city staff that sees itself as a service organization\u2014not a bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
For entrepreneurs, site selectors, and growing companies, Mayor McBrayer points listeners toward the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Texas Tech\u2019s Innovation Hub, and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce as starting points for exploration.<\/p>\n
For families and young professionals, the message is clear: Lubbock is no longer a stepping-stone city. It\u2019s a destination.<\/p>\n
Watch the Full Episode on YouTube<\/p>\n
This episode of The Building Texas Show is a must-watch for anyone interested in:<\/p>\n
* Texas economic development<\/p>\n
* Mid-sized city growth strategies<\/p>\n
* Water and infrastructure planning<\/p>\n
* Rural-urban collaboration<\/p>\n
* The future of West Texas<\/p>\n
Watch the full conversation with Mayor Mark McBrayer now on YouTubeSubscribe to The Building Texas Show for more long-form conversations shaping the future of TexasJoin the discussion in the comments\u2014where do you see the next wave of Texas growth happening?<\/p>\n
At The Building Texas Show, we don\u2019t just talk about Texas as it was\u2014we explore Texas as it\u2019s being built.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lubbock, Texas (Newsworthy.ai) Monday Jan 26, 2026 @ 6:43 AM US\/Central \u2014 The latest episode of The Building…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-139206","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lubbock","8":"tag-lubbock","9":"tag-lubbock-headlines","10":"tag-lubbock-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}