With two days to go in Texas, a few chords from the state seat of Austin.

Business first: Austin is home to Whole Foods and some 1,000 tech enterprises, including Samsung’s only manufacturing plant outside of Korea, and computer giant Dell Inc.

Based in nearby Round Rock, Dell announced yesterday the appointment of former GE exec Brian Gladden as CFO, another in a series of transitions designed to rejuvenate revenue and profit growth. This as Dell plans global workforce reductions that have already shuttered its desktop PC factory in North Austin.

On the positive side, Dell’s innovative deal with advertising giant WPP Group to create a Dell-only agency code-named the DaVinci Group is expected to create over 200 jobs in an Austin office.

Now the pleasure: How can you lose with a mayor named Will Wynn and live music played at every City Council meeting? Says local musician Landon Thompson, “the music seems to put people in a better frame of mind.”

Former Dell finance executive Clint Campbell knows all about relaxing. His kingly membership-based El Rey Men’s Spa--with day packages for traveling execs—comes complete with private treatment rooms and a clubby lounge.

Long renowned as a music mecca (Dell’s chief blogger Lionel Menchaca was hugged to death at last year’s South by Southwest Festival), Austin is asserting itself as a major meetings destination.

With the 800-room Hilton Austin across the street, the hi-tech, spacious Austin Convention Center is winning deserved market share, and deal makers have three stellar destinations to open negotiations or commit the ink—the bar at the legendary Driskill Hotel, chef Kevin Williamson’s exquisite Ranch 616, and in Austin’s rolling Hill Country, Jeff Blank’s top-rated Hudson’s on the Bend.

Final leg and Texas round-up from San Antonio.

Jeff Heilman

5/21/08