As a leader in economic development for Bexar County, David Marquez’s appreciation for San Antonio has served him well.
“I love my city very, very much,” Marquez shares on episode 85 of the bigcitysmalltown podcast. “I think I’m probably … familiar with just about every part of town that hasn’t been built in the last 10 years.”
Marquez joined podcast host Robert Rivard to discuss his role as executive director of Economic and Community Development for Bexar County, a position he has held for the last 27 years.
Marquez is a true San Antonio native. He playfully tells Rivard that he was born, raised, lives and works within blocks of the downtown area. He says, “I tell people, I’m gonna probably have to be buried downtown because everything about me is downtown.”
A graduate of East Central High School, he followed in his brother and parents’ footsteps and began working at Kelly Air Force Base. Employment at Kelly allowed Marquez’s family a chance at being middle class, and also instilled a blue-collar perspective that has helped him over the years, he explained.
Fifteen years after graduating high school, Marquez received his bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University through an education program at Kelly. He went on to complete a master’s program in urban administration at Trinity University.
From there, he found his way to working for Bexar County. In the early 2000s, Marquez was the project manager overseeing the building and funding of the AT&T Arena — now renamed the Frost Bank Center, home to the San Antonio Spurs.
Bexar County initially struck a deal with the basketball team with the “idea that the Spurs could be successful in this smaller … media market. That meant giving them an amazing financial deal, which we did. And you could argue that’s 25 years-plus of success. That’s a pretty good record.”
“[And] four other championships,” Rivard added.
While recent talks about the construction of a downtown sports arena — called “Project Marvel” — have thrown into question the future of the Frost Bank Center and the county’s relationship with the Spurs, Marquez pointed out that along with the Freeman Coliseum, the Frost Bank Center provides valuable space for community events like graduations and trade shows.
While he sees the merit of a downtown entertainment district, Marquez, who said he has no involvement with “Project Marvel,” said he struggles “with the push to make it happen” and finds it hard to understand “how they could craft a better deal than we gave” to the NBA team.
Throughout the conversation, Marquez and Rivard also discussed the connection between San Antonio’s economy and Mexico’s. “I would encourage anyone who wants to understand San Antonio’s interdependence — and the U.S.’s interdependence — with Mexico to go down to Laredo” to view how trade is positively affecting the city, Marquez said.
With many things on the horizon, Marquez said he’s ending the year looking toward a hopeful future for Bexar County.
Listen to episode 85 of the bigcitysmalltown podcast below.