By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Long-time Steiner Ranch resident Chase Philip Randazzo started the area’s first company offering hands-on boat driving and water sport instruction.

“I’ve always enjoyed skiing over my lifetime and wanted to do something closer to the lake and closer to my home office,” said Randazzo, who has lived in Steiner for nearly two decades. “It’s been one of my passions for a long time.”

Water Ski Lake Austin offers a variety of instructional classes including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Boat Safety Course, hands-on private boat driving instruction and waterski and wakeboarding instruction. Randazzo has 45 years of driving and competitive skiing experience.

Randazzo said water ski instruction has come a long way since the days when a new skier had to be repeatedly pulled behind a boat before he or she was able to ski. Water Ski Lake Austin uses the latest technology, including an aluminum boom that extends from the side of the boat and allows the new skier to hold on and learn how to get out of the water easier.

“It’s much easier, safer and more efficient,” he said. “Everybody learns the first day.”

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By CASSIE MCKEE, FOUR POINTS NEWS

The Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources Department hosted a public meeting at Vandegrift High School recently to update the Four Points community on the county’s draft Land Water Transportation Plan (LWTP).

The LWTP is a set of long-term goals and policies that will provide a framework for how the county protects its land and water resources and builds transportation and park systems to meet rapid population growth. The Travis County Commissioners Court will use the LWTP to guide development and conservation of resources within Travis County.

Source: Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources

A dozen people attended the meeting at VHS on September 24. A 30-minute Q&A session was also held to discuss issues specific to the Four Points community.

“We had a great discussion with the residents that made it to the Vandegrift public meeting,” said Steve Manilla, executive director of Transportation and Natural Resources. “It was an engaging dialogue, with discussions on bicycle facilities, development and regulations, and transportation needs in the area.”

Brian Thompto, president of the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association, attended the meeting and said much of the conversation centered on transportation needs in Four Points. He said he was very happy to see RM 620 listed as a major focal point for the county.

“It was very encouraging to see the need to develop the 620 corridor,” Thompto said. “The next step is to treat it as a priority with regards to funding in the coming years.”

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By GISELLE SUAZO ARRIAGA, Four Points News

When asked how he described his partnership with Oasis Texas Brewing Co. and his third Noble Sandwich Co. location in Four Points, owner Johnny Bates, described it as, “A dream partnership; a marriage made in heaven.”

“The reason we chose this location was because we wanted to experience a new audience and expand into other areas outside of 620 and Burnet Rd,” Bates said.

Johnny Bates, owner of Noble Sandwich Co., has teamed with Oasis Texas Brewing Co. to offer gourmet sandwiches at the new micro brewery located in Four Points.

He and his team opened Noble Sandwich’s newest location on Labor Day weekend on the third floor of the Oasis complex.

Bates describes the Noble Sandwich as an “all scratch restaurant” that “makes everything at home and is dedicated to scratch cooking,” Continue reading →

By CASSIE MCKEE, Four Points News

Four Points-based Bigcommerce, an e-commerce platform company with nearly 200 employees, has one primary goal – to help small businesses succeed and, as its tagline says, to “sell more.”

Small business owners wanting to create their own online store once had few options and it was very expensive, said Cheri Winterberg, Bigcommerce vice president of communications. The company now has approximately 50,000 clients in more than 100 countries using its e-commerce platform.

“We get you up and running very quickly at a low price point,” Winterberg said. “In 30 minutes, by entering little information, you can start to form a store and get it up and running.”

Their small business clients range from automotive to health and beauty to bridal. Winterberg said there are some very unique stores, such as a man whose business is to sell protein bars made out of crickets and another woman who creates and sells designer dog poop bags.

“We have some crazy stuff people are selling,” she said.

Bigcommerce offers three different pricing plans for every size of business. She said one of their Austin-based clients and an example of a local success story is Tiny Pies, a locally-owned homemade pie shop, which started online and recently opened its own storefront on Burnet Road in Central Austin.

While there are competing e-commerce sites such as Amazon Marketplace that offer platforms at the low end and high end, Winterberg said Bigcommerce is unique in its ability to support both small and larger businesses.

“I feel like we’re at the sweet spot in the middle,” she said. “There’s no one that offers exactly what we offer.”

Bigcommerce was founded in Australia in 2009 by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper, who are still based in the company’s Sydney office. The pair opened a second office in Austin that same year. Cheri Winterberg, vice president of communications for Bigcommerce, said the company chose Four Points because of its proximity to high tech talent in north Austin.

“It’s a great area to find the type of talent they are looking for as the business grows,” Winterberg said.

The company has over 33,000 square-feet of space in Four Points.

A Bigcommerce staff meeting at their Four Points’ offices.

Bigcommerce has a third office in San Francisco, but the Austin office is the largest of the three, employing about 200 of the company’s 300 workers in positions ranging from sales, marketing and engineering. The Austin office is managed by Steve Power, who resides jointly in Austin and Dallas. The company plans to hire an additional 100 workers in Austin over the next few months.

Bigcommerce has been aggressively recruiting new employees in recent months, even handing out donuts outside some local high tech companies in downtown Austin. While she wouldn’t say there’s a shortage of high tech talent in Austin, Winterberg said it’s very competitive.

“There’s so many great companies and so many companies moving to Austin,” she said.

Winterberg said the company is actively recruiting talented workers in all positions. She said they offer a fun corporate culture, which includes free lunch on Tuesdays and happy hours on Fridays.

“For me, the opportunity to work on something that I feel passionate about and to feel like we’re helping small businesses to get online and thrive is really exciting,” she said.

For more information and to see available positions, visitwww.bigcommerce.com.