Larry Ruggiano, Cedar Park’s new assistant director of economic development, hails from Miami, but he has been a resident of the Austin metropolitan area for more than 30 years. He started his career in economic development after a decade in the commercial real estate industry, and he is still a licensed Texas real estate broker.

Ruggiano is a former president of the Temple Economic Development Corp. and former senior economic development specialist/supervisor for the Lower Colorado River Authority.

From 2009 until May 2016, he worked in the governor’s office as a program manager and small-business specialist in the office of economic development and tourism. In the governor’s office, Ruggiano coordinated with the Texas Workforce Commission, chambers of commerce, small-business development centers and other state agencies.

Ruggiano, who moved from Northwest Austin to Georgetown in June, replaced Larry Holt, Cedar Park’s former assistant director of economic development, in May. According to the city, Holt left Cedar Park in February to become Greater Portland Inc.’s vice president of business development in Portland, Oregon.

How did you come to work in the governor’s office?
I was heading up the [Temple] Economic Development Corp. I left there, came back home to Austin, and I wanted to get back into real estate. A year or so later, just by coincidence, I ran into [former] Gov. [Rick] Perry, who I knew, around 2008. We were at the ballgame at the time watching my son play—he was at [Texas] A&M. And we were talking, and he was asking me what I was doing, and I told him, and he said, ‘Well, maybe there’s something at our office. I’d maybe like you to help us out.’ And so a few months later I get a call from their office to go interview for the position and to work for the governor’s office in the small business division.

What type of work did you do for the governor?
I worked with companies that were needing assistance to get started … a lot of entrepreneurs. I also was responsible to hold these small-
business forums around the state … where we worked with chamber and economic-development organizations around the state.

Why did you leave the governor’s office for Cedar Park?
As we decided to move north and get out of Austin, my wife and I, we started thinking about, ‘Well, what am I going to do? Do I get back into real estate?’ Then there were a lot of these positions starting to pop up.

Larry Holt, my predecessor, and I were friendly, and we were talking about a small-business forum.

And then he informed me a week or so after that, that he’s leaving. And I’ve known [Cedar Park Economic Development Director] Phil [Brewer] for 25 years and respect Phil, and [I] feel like he’s one of the best ... as far as I’m concerned. And I’ve been doing this now for about 25 years. I started with LCRA in economic development.

When did you start with the city of Cedar Park?
May 9. I’ve been here a little over [three] months.

What do you think of it so far?
I love it. I love the business-friendly attitude that the city has—everyone from Phil to the city manager. Everyone here is so pro-business and supportive of growing the city in the right way—that’s the other thing. You could bring in lots of different jobs, but if it doesn’t blend well with the character of the city, it’s not really that beneficial. That’s what I think Cedar Park has done and is continuing to do, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work in that type of environment.

How would you describe the character of the city when compared to LCRA or the state? How is it unique?
Every city has their own unique traits that they can go after. Here, they were definitely looking to grow good, quality-paying jobs for the citizens but have a blend of both—you want to have some [jobs] for everybody because everybody has different
abilities. … Some cities just take anything they can get. [In Cedar Park] anyone that calls, we’ll try to work with them. ... How much we contribute to their project is dependent on the type of jobs there are and the type of business it is.

What industries is Cedar Park trying to grow?
Aerospace, advanced manufacturing, software development, life sciences … we really have an opportunity right now for our current industries to grow in that field.

What are some of your top goals for this position?
There’re several things: No. 1 is obviously continue to grow the businesses [and] bring jobs to the city. ... We’re working hard with trying to get a full-service hotel/convention-type of center where they can do it all right there. … We want to make sure also we bring in good family entertainment and bring in things for everybody to do here in Cedar Park. ... Those are our goals. We have to be patient with them.

Do you have any examples of family entertainment businesses that you are looking to recruit?
Obviously we’ve had recently the big water park announcement in Round Rock. … Our citizens can travel over there. But we’ll still work for other types of things. It could be theaters of some sort [or] fun and games for kids—places like EVO [Entertainment Group] and those types of family gatherings, where kids can go at all ages.

What are you and the city doing to attract these types of businesses?
First of all, we’re partnered with the city of Austin, [through] Opportunity Austin, so we participate in various trade shows or marketing trips with them along with our regional partnership with Williamson County. ... Phil and I both know a lot of the real estate brokers in the Central Texas area. … It’s a tough thing because everybody, all cities around the country, feel they’re the greatest. It’s just natural. They have the greatest schools, they have the greatest jobs. … It’s all the same in a way. You have to really distinguish yourself from that.

How does Cedar Park distinguish itself when all cities claim to be the best?
Economic development is all about relationships … and building good relationships with people. Fortunately, I’ve been able to have good relationships over my career here in Austin through my various networks, and of course Phil does, too. ... And then you show them the quality of life [here]. ... We have several deals working right now that could be nice-paying jobs if they land here.