Pat Austin and his staff in front of his company’s reclaimed building

Even though Pat Austin obtained an accounting degree after serving in the United States Navy, he wanted to work with his hands and became an electrician. After moving from Louisiana to Houston, Mr. Austin eventually settled in the Acres Home area and began to dream of owning his own business. Three years later, he and his wife opened Austex Electric Company with two employees. He remembers, "When I first started my own business in ’93, I was hesitant about a lot of things. One of my neighbors told me I needed to go to the Acres Home Center for Business and Economic Development. Ever since that first visit, my business took off."

The Acres Home Center offered guidance, workshops and informative guest speakers. Austin recalls, "There were people from the IRS, city council, Metro, the fire department. They brought in anybody who could tell us how to work with their organizations. After one of those meetings, I applied for a loan from the Houston Small Business Development Corporation. Acres Home helped me get the papers together. That’s how I got this building."

The building had been an abandoned eyesore for more than ten years. "It was all run down," Mr. Austin recalls. "We brought it back to life and get compliments on it all the time."

Mr. Austin’s business renewed the community in a number of ways. In addition to hiring local residents and rehabilitating vacant buildings, he also spread business around the neighborhood. "Networking is probably the number-one thing Acres Home Center provides for its members," Mr. Austin explains. "Because of the referrals, we give business to other local companies. For instance, we now have ten vehicles. We send them all to the local mechanic, and he sends his work to me. It’s like a chain reaction."

Mr. Austin also helps people learn the trade. "Since I’ve become a part of this community, we’ve started our own apprentice program that’s certified with the U.S. Department of Labor. We’re doing it out-of-pocket. We don’t charge even though a lot of companies do. But these guys we train from the local neighborhood probably wouldn’t be able to attend if they had to pay.

"Acres Home helped me get this program going. But I’m not done yet. I feel like there’s more we can do. I hope this business will outlive me and continue to grow. We’re putting the blessings we’ve been given back into the community."

Back to index