By Edmond Ortiz
The latest major San Antonio-area business moves include announced plans to turn the La Villita Assembly Hall into a food hall, the appointment of new leaders of a technology group and a grocery chain, and the revealing of details behind the conversion of an iconic downtown office building.
H-E-B names new president
H-E-B’s current chief operating officer will become the locally based grocer’s first woman president beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
H-E-B officials announced on Sept. 30 that Roxanne Orsak will be promoted to the top job, where she will succeed the retailer’s current president, Craig Boyan, who has led the company since 2010.
According to a press release, Orsak started her career with H-E-B in 1988 as a store management trainee, and rose through the ranks in areas such as store operations, procurement and merchandising. Appointed chief executive officer in 2022, Orsak will be the 120-year-old company’s first woman president.
In her new role, Orsak will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Howard Butt III. Orsak graduated with honors from Texas A&M University in agricultural economics. She also attended Harvard Business School’s advanced management program, and the University of Southern California’s food industry management program.
“(Orsak) is the natural choice to serve as H-E-B’s next president. She has a deep understanding of our business, which she honed from a broad range of leadership roles at H-E-B during her 37-year tenure,” Butt said in a statement. “(Orsak) leads by example, embodies our culture, and recognizes the unique contributions of each partner.”
Boyan will stay on H-E-B’s board of directors and transition to a senior advisor role before retiring at the end of 2026. He joined H-E-B in 2005 as chief strategic officer after serving as an advisor to the company for two years.
According to the release, Boyan was appointed H-E-B’s president in 2010. During his stint with the grocer, H-E-B saw its annual sales grow from $10 billion to $50 billion.
“We are grateful for (Boyan’s) consequential leadership that leaves a lasting impact on our company and culture,” Butt said in a statement. “(Boyan) has guided significant and continuous company growth while strengthening the people-based values that are so important to H-E-B.”
H-E-B Chief Operating Officer Roxanne Orsak is being promoted to company president effective Jan. 1, 2026. The 37-year H-E-B veteran will succeed current President Craig Boyan (pictured), who will retire at the end of 2026, but stay on as a senior advisor to help Orsak in the transition. (Courtesy H-E-B)
La Villita Food Hall plan emerges
A local investment firm is working with a Virginia-based food and beverage consultant to turn the La Villita Assembly Hall into a new downtown culinary destination.
Representatives from the investment company Escalera Capital said they are working with consultants from Onset Hospitality to overhaul the 67-year-old circular structure into the La Villita Assembly Hall.
According to a Sept. 24 press release, representatives from the two partner companies said the assembly hall, situated along the River Walk, has served as a key gathering place for civic activities for decades.
Now, with the recent upgrades to La Villita, ongoing public and private development around downtown, and the potential for more significant growth such as Project Marvel, officials from Escalera and Onset said there is a prime opportunity for a reimagined assembly hall to take advantage of that growth.
According to the release, the La Villita Food Hall will have street-level and River Walk-level vendors, and feature an array of “chef-driven vendors, multiple bars, and a robust lineup of cultural programming, all reflecting the authentic, diverse, and dynamic spirit of San Antonio.”
The food hall will be operated by Onset Hospitality, which is led by industry veteran Jay Coldren, former CEO of Time Out Market, which representatives call a cultural and culinary hub with multiple food and beverage options under one roof. The newest Time Out Market opened Sept. 26 in New York City’s Union Square.
“We see La Villita Food Hall as more than a place to eat—it’s a gathering space that celebrates San Antonio’s identity and creates memorable experiences for locals and visitors alike,” Cauldron said in a statement. “This partnership with Escalera Capital allows us to honor the history of La Villita while embracing the momentum of the city’s growth and future.”
Tech Bloc appoints a new CEO
A local entrepreneur who unsuccessfully mounted a mayoral bid earlier this year was recently appointed CEO of a nonprofit that advocates for San Antonio’s technology ecosystem.
Beto Altamirano is taking up the reins of leadership at Tech Bloc, replacing Ileana Gonzalez, who departed the trade group a few months ago following a year-and-a-half directing Tech Bloc.
The move took place a few weeks after a notable San Antonio-based tech company, Rackspace Technology, hired a new CEO.
Gonzalez, now an executive at H-E-B, took to her LinkedIn profile on Sept. 23 to confirm the appointment of Altamirano, CEO and co-founder of Irys Technologies, a local cybersecurity technology that originated as a startup in 2017 at Geekdom.
“There is no one better to lead and grow on what we have built over the last 10 years,” Gonzalez, a Tech Bloc board member, said in her LinkedIn post.
Earlier this year, Altamirano was one of more than 20 people to run for San Antonio mayor in his first campaign for public office. The businessman and former board vice chair at Port San Antonio ultimately finished third, capping a campaign that focused on the local economy, workforce development and job creation.
Shortly after the mayoral election, Altamirano launched the Plan210 Political Action Committee, which he said will promote issues such as public safety, housing, transportation and workforce development as priorities.
Altamirano’s appointment with Tech Bloc follows the hiring of a top executive at Rackspace, one of San Antonio’s renowned high-tech firms.
The company, which relocated its headquarters from Windcrest to north central San Antonio in 2023, announced on Sept. 3 the appointment of Gajen Kandiah as its new CEO.
Having spent several years as an executive with different Hitachi businesses, replaced Amar Maletira, who ended a four-year stint as the organization’s CEO to become vice chair of Rackspace’s board of directors.
Kandiah’s arrival at Rackspace was announced after company officials revealed that the firm tallied drops in quarterly year-over-year revenue.
A preview of Tower Life Residences offered
A local investment company leading a revival of a downtown office skyscraper as a residential building recently provided details behind the project.
McCombs Enterprises is directing the effort to turn the iconic Tower Life building into Tower Life Residences.
Construction of Tower Life was finished in 1929; the 31-story structure is San Antonio’s fourth-tallest building, and is the nation’s tallest eight-sided building.
Tower Life had primarily been a commercial building, a host to a number of businesses and companies, over the decades. It is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Redevelopment of Tower Life as a residential skyscraper began a few months ago. According to a Sept. 25 press release, Tower Life Residences will contain 242 apartments, with three penthouses featuring wrap-around terraces, double-height living rooms and mezzanines, custom millwork kitchens, spa-level bathrooms, and smart home technology.
Scheduled to open in fall 2026, Tower Life Residences will also have river-level retail space.
McCombs Enterprises acquired Tower Life three years ago. Responding to community concerns about the redevelopment, company representatives have promised to preserve the building’s exterior and first-floor lobby via adaptive reuse, and focus extensive renovations on parts of the complex that had been occupied by office space.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to preserve something that has been an integral part of downtown San Antonio for nearly a century,” Joseph Shields, McCombs Enterprises Executive Vice President, said in the release.
“With this project, we are not just rehabilitating a historic San Antonio gem — our aim is to bring neighborhood vibrancy to the cultural heart of our city.”
Additionally, future tenants at Tower Life Residences will have access to a shared amenity area on the seventh floor; there, amenities will include a library, bar spaces, work spaces, lounges, a fitness facility, private event rooms, a yoga/meditation studio, and 5,000 square feet of rooftop gardens with a dog run.
A look at the type of kitchen featured in the 242 apartments that are resulting from the redevelopment of the Tower Life office building into the Tower Life Residences in downtown San Antonio. (Courtesy Tower Life Residences)
