In a revealing episode of The Building Texas Show, published May 27, 2026, Waco Surf co-owners David Taylor and Luke Schock detailed the remarkable turnaround of their Central Texas wave pool and unveiled plans for Desperado, a 400-acre surf-anchored ranch community. The conversation highlighted how the business has shifted from catering to professional surfers to serving Texas families, with 99% of current visitors having never ridden an ocean wave.
The episode traces the full arc of the business, from a 2018 pilot of American Wave Machines technology at the original Barefoot Ski Ranch under Stuart Parsons, to Taylor and Schock's 2021 acquisition, to today's expansion plans. The co-owners explained how the customer base flipped from 99% professionals to 99% Texas families, making the park a year-round sold-out attraction.
Desperado, the next phase of development, will include a second surf pool, a 13-hole golf course, a hot springs resort, pickleball courts, and dirt-only roads. Taylor and Schock emphasized that they refused to copy the private, gated model used by other surf communities worldwide. As Schock put it on the episode: "It's a community for people that want high access but not high walls. That's because we believe that the magic happens when you're sitting on the beach talking to the guy that, you know, it's his bucket list to come there."
The co-owners also discussed how Waco's resurgence has been fueled by the Magnolia-driven Chip and Joanna Gaines effect, Baylor graduates staying to open restaurants and buy real estate, and the city's central location between Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Taylor recounted how Tony Hawk quietly shows up at the local skate park at 7 a.m., films himself, and draws 200 people within fifteen minutes, illustrating the city's growing cultural cachet.
The pair dug into Waco history, including the 1952 tornado that derailed the city's run at becoming the financial hub of Texas and pushed that growth toward Fort Worth. They cited the Hippodrome on Austin Avenue, where Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin once performed, as evidence of the city's pre-tornado vibrancy. Deposits on Desperado homes, Taylor noted, are overwhelmingly from Texas-based families, with one exception: a Hawaii native whose family lives in New York and wants a centrally located meeting place.
The episode, available now wherever podcasts are heard, offers a candid look at the strategy, capital, and culture behind one of Texas's most surprising tourism and real estate stories.
