Michelle Ly: Leading Round Rock’s Business & Civic Growth

Episode 76 of Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, titled “Michelle Ly: Balancing City Council, Business Ownership & Motherhood in Round Rock,” hosted by Bryan Eisenberg, brings listeners inside the relentless schedule of one of Round Rock’s most visible civic leaders. Published June 2, 2026, the conversation lands as Ly enters her third term on City Council and continues to expand a portfolio that spans roofing, hospitality, nonprofit boards, and motherhood. It is a candid look at servant leadership in a Texas city the mayor recently described as able to be “picky” about new arrivals.

Eisenberg walks Ly through a portfolio that would exhaust most operators. Topics include:

• Growing Hall Roofing & Construction, opened in 2012, with her husband Eric
• Operating The Rock Sports Bar, The Flats, and Alcove Cantina in downtown Round Rock
• Board service with the Round Rock Chamber, Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center, and Rotary
• Stepping off the YMCA board after two three-year terms when she felt less effective
• Her journey as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who moved to Round Rock for the semiconductor industry

Ly is direct about the cost of doing it all, and about why she keeps showing up. Asked how she manages, she tells Eisenberg she runs on roughly three to four hours of sleep most nights and time-blocks the slivers between meetings for payroll, phone calls, and roof inspections. On the decision to rebuild The Rock Sports Bar in a new commercial kitchen building rather than close after losing the original lease, she recalls:

The episode explores Round Rock’s transformation since Ly’s graduation, highlighting fellow alumni entrepreneurs like Brooks Bennett and Salicia Sanchez Adame. She recalls a downtown that was once “a ghost town” anchored by a funeral home and Round Rock Donuts, and credits Mayor Pro Tem Kristen Stevens and colleagues for cautiously reshaping zoning. Ly also discusses donating a roof after hearing nonprofit leader Philip Golden speak, leading by example on trash duty at her bars, and her hope to one day take her daughter Reagan back to Vietnam to immerse her in the family’s culture.

About Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast

Produced at Round Rock Studio and hosted by bestselling author and keynote speaker Bryan Eisenberg, Rock Solid profiles the entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and civic leaders shaping Round Rock, Texas. The show is built on neighborly conversations rather than politics, spotlighting the people behind the businesses listeners pass every day. Episode 76 with Michelle Ly is available now wherever podcasts are heard.

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