Central Texas Electric Cooperative is using student entrepreneurship as a tool for rural economic retention, a strategy that could reshape how Hill Country communities keep their best and brightest. In a recent episode of The Building Texas Show, Inside VentureFest: How CTEC Powers Hill Country Student Pitches, host Justin McKenzie spoke with CTEC CEO Tachi Hinojosa about why an electric cooperative serving 11 counties invests in high school pitch competitions.
The implications extend beyond a single event. Hill Country Venture Fest and the Incubator EDU program in Fredericksburg require students to build real businesses and pitch them to community members, sometimes securing significant capital. Hinojosa noted that the first-place team in Fredericksburg last year won $12,000, and another team raised over $100,000 at a Chamber of Commerce banquet. That kind of early success can anchor young entrepreneurs to their hometowns, countering the trend of graduates leaving for college or careers and rarely returning.
CTEC's involvement also creates direct workforce pipelines. The co-op expanded its summer internship program from one student to six, and invites high schools to tour its facilities to see careers beyond line crews—in member services, engineering, human resources, accounting, and IT. Hinojosa highlighted Brodie Smith, who toured CTEC at 16, shadowed operations, interned, and was hired full time as a groundman; at about 19, he is now an Apprentice Lineman I. Smith's path illustrates that not every career requires a college degree, a critical message for rural students.
For Central Texas Electric Cooperative, the focus on youth aligns with the cooperative principle of concern for community. Employees volunteer with fire departments and coach youth sports, logging 1,000 volunteer hours last year after a staff challenge. Line crews also help nonprofits set up and tear down for fundraisers. This community embeddedness is a competitive advantage, Hinojosa said: "When you call Central Texas Electric Co-op, you're calling the Hill Country."
The broader implication is that rural communities may find solutions to talent retention not in distant recruitment campaigns but in local institutions that invest early. By giving students the tools to build businesses where they live, CTEC is testing whether entrepreneurship education can slow outmigration and diversify local economies. The full conversation is available on The Building Texas Show, which publishes weekly episodes on YouTube and major podcast platforms.
