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We are proud to sponsor Fort Worth Inc.’s 40 Under 40 to honor individuals who drive and inspire our great city.

Contents/40 Under 40

Features

39Forty Under

40: These young guys and gals aren't only the future of the city’s innovation, advancement, and success. Truth is, they’ve been moving and shaking things up in Fort Worth for years.

62 Turning Degrees Into Directions: There’s no such thing as too much education, and these five master’s-degree-wielding success stories prove the power of grad school.

70 Graduate Programs: A guide to Texas universities that offer postgraduate degrees

4 Publisher’s Note

Bizz Buzz

8 Spice of the Party: Walter Kinzie, an event company owner who once threw inaugural events for President Donald Trump, found a new avenue to spread joy: barbecue sauce.

16 EO Spotlight: Mark Smith built his first HarleyDavidson at 19 and owns two Harley dealerships, but that didn’t stop him from buying the dealership of a rival motorcycle company.

Inside the C-Suite

22 Financial Services: A modern-day renaissance man, James Hill’s impressive sphere of influence spans real estate, local water, and the not-so-local Federal Reserve.

28 Health & Fitness: Audit partner and prolific marathoner, Liz Ming, is on a mission to complete every major marathon in the world, and she’s down to her final two.

34 Tech: From New Orleans to Fort Worth to national TV, the industrious founder of a local EV charging company is clearly moving in the right direction, sans fossil fuels.

Bizz Wrap-Up

74 Analyze This/ Wealth Management: Understanding and managing the effects of financial infidelity — having a secretly overspending spouse.

76 Analyze This/ Banking: With the election in the rearview and the potential of lower interest rates, businesses are ready for growth in 2025. And here’s how to do it.

78 Analyze This/Law: Uncle Sam has the memory of an elephant, and he’s very much recalling all those PPP loans from a few years ago.

80 1 in 400: If you think of personal injury lawyers as ambulance chasers who exploit customers, attorney Steven Laird wants you to think again.

Ty Stimpson knows true leaders inspire others to rise. He surrounds himself with them daily — at the law firm where he works and in the community that he serves. The influence of other visionaries and their collective wisdom have been a guiding force in his life, driving his own dedication to making a meaningful difference. His commitment is evident in both his professional and personal life.

PARTNER TY STIMPSON AWARDED 40 UNDER 40

As a partner at Varghese Summersett, Ty leads his Personal Injury Team with passion and purpose, helping victims who have suffered catastrophic injuries or lost loved ones due to negligence. Outside the courtroom, Ty is deeply devoted to public service, volunteering on more than a dozen boards — his commitment to his clients and community is worth celebrating.

Honoring the Next Generation of Leaders

OWNER/PUBLISHER HAL A. BROWN

In Fort Worth, leadership isn’t just about your job title — it’s about impact. It’s about vision, resilience, and an unshakable commitment to our community. That’s why last year, when I had the opportunity to acquire the 40 Under 40 awards — one of our city’s most enduring and valued business award programs — I knew it was more than just an investment.

It was a chance to celebrate the future and carry on a tradition.

For 38 years, this program has recognized the rising stars who are shaping Fort Worth’s business, cultural, and philanthropic landscape. This year, as we continue that tradition under the Fort Worth Inc. banner, we do so with an even greater sense of pride.

Our 2025 honorees represent industries as diverse as our city itself — entrepreneurs, executives, educators, innovators, and change-makers — all under 40 and already making their mark.

To determine this year’s winners, our editorial team dedicated countless hours reviewing 431 nominations. The selection process was both rigorous and inspiring, as we pored over the achievements, leadership, and impact of young professionals shaping Fort Worth’s future.

Every nomination told a compelling story of ambition and success, making the decision-making process incredibly challenging. After extensive deliberation, we proudly selected the outstanding individuals who truly embody excellence in their industries and communities. Their achievements are impressive, but their potential is even more inspiring. As you read their stories in this issue, you’ll

see not just success, but perseverance. Not just ambition, but purpose. These honorees remind us that leadership isn’t about age — it’s about action.

On Feb. 13, we gathered at River Ranch in the Stockyards to celebrate these exceptional individuals on a night worthy of their accomplishments. If the past 38 years of 40 Under 40 honorees have taught us anything, it’s that this recognition is often just the beginning. The names you see here today will be the ones shaping Fort Worth for decades to come.

To the 40 Under 40 we are honoring, congratulations — you are the future of Fort Worth! Keep pushing the envelope. Keep driving! And remember, when much is given (that is, the gifts and talents you all possess), much is expected. We all have a responsibility to use our resources and opportunities to help others. Carry on the tradition.

And to our readers, thank you for continuing to support the visionaries who make our city great.

Worth Inc.

by

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Bizz Buzz

Teton Ridge CEO Deirdre Lester has a reputation for striking gold in the sports media space. Is Teton Ridge's recent acquisition of The Cowboy Channel her latest precious find?

Spice of the Party

Walter Kinzie is now crafting bold barbecue flavors.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

From his base of operations in Fort Worth, Walter Kinzie and his event company Encore Live threw parties across the globe, most notably, perhaps, inaugural events for President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.

“When it was all said and done, we ended up working on nine of the 11 official events, including the organization and execution of the swearing-in ceremony,” Kinzie says. “It was just a really fascinating experience.”

“In 2012, I told the company, before we're done, we will work on a presidential

inauguration. I didn't know that it would be the very next one. It did not matter to me who the candidate was. There had been 58 of these things, and I was producing one of them. It was a major honor to serve the country and to be standing at the edge of history.”

He innovated during the COVID shutdowns, launching the Encore Drive-In Nights Series. Concerts by Garth Brooks, Metallica, and more entertained hundreds of thousands of fans at outdoor theaters across North America.

Kinzie is pioneering again — actually, he’s

formulating.

Kinzie Foods sells barbecue sauces, six in all, including a Kinzie Reaper Spiced BBQ that will undoubtedly put a kick in the brisket.

Kinzie began the business from his new permanent home in South Dakota, though he’s in Fort Worth “on a near weekly basis,” he says. One reason to come back is because Corey Jones is here. Jones is the designer of all the graphics, from the bottles to the website, plus photography. So, too, is Erica Batterman, a food blogger Kinzie works with.

Kinzie likes to say this venture was just a big accident.

An aunt made the original recipe years ago. Kinzie started making it to give to clients as a unique gift.

“It was maybe 2022,” Kinzie says. “I got a phone call from someone who said, ‘Hey, where can I buy this stuff in Nashville?’ I’m, like, ‘You can’t. I just make this in my kitchen, but I’ll send you some.’”

Not long after, someone in Houston called with the same question. A restaurant began putting it on tables.

“I didn't even have logos or labels on them. This was not a business. This was me just being flattered that people liked something I made, so I just did it in kind. It kind of just got nuts.

“It got to the point where I went from making one batch a year that would produce 80 little Mason jars to making it every week. And this one particular day, it was early June, I think I had 200 jars that I had to make.”

Where there is a market, there is a business. And today Kinzie Foods is a business selling directly to the consumer online (kinziefoods.com). Kinzie contracts with a co-packer in Denver that makes the products. Distribution happens in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Kinzie, meanwhile, is going across the country introducing the sauces to new consumers at home and garden shows, gift shows, and the like.

“I went to a food and wine festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado,” he says. “It crushed. It was insane.”

Walter Kinzie at the Tacoma Food Festival

Blazing Trails on the Western Sports Frontier

With the acquisition of The Cowboy Channel, Deirdre Lester has Teton Ridge poised to dominate Western sports and entertainment.

WORDS BY BRIAN KENDALL

At one point during my conversation with Deirdre Lester, I suggest, very seriously, that she might share certain prophetic qualities with Nostradamus, the famous French seer who made more than a few accurate predictions.

You see, Lester’s made a habit of getting in on the ground floor of sports media innovations. Whether it was the emergence of video highlights when she worked at ESPN, the live streaming of professional baseball games when she worked at MLB Advanced Media, or sports podcasting when she was the chief revenue officer at Barstool Sports, she routinely wagers on cutting-edge trends that become mainstays of sports media.

That said, in a sign of humility, Lester doesn’t see her capabilities as oracle-like but, rather, the result of a simple equation. As she puts it, when a media company is seeing success in a particular space, “we recognize the growth trajectory, and we just pour gasoline on that fire.” And pouring gasoline on the fire is precisely what Lester is doing in the realm of Western sports and lifestyle.

In late 2023, Lester became the CEO of Teton Ridge, a Western sports and entertainment company. It was an opportunity she described as very intriguing.

“I looked at the Western space and saw it as the last frontier of sports in terms of being innovated around,” Lester says. “Western is always going to be about history, culture, and heritage. But, in the media space, you need to innovate to reach that next generation of fans while capturing the whole lifestyle around Western sports.”

Clad in cowboy boots and denim, you’d be shocked to learn that Lester was born, raised, and continues to live in the concrete jungle of the New York tri-state area — though she frequently offices out of The Cowboy Channel’s mission-like headquarters off E. Exchange Avenue, which has become the de facto home of Teton Ridge after their recent acquisition of the TV network.

But Lester isn’t someone who merely

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jumped on the “Yellowstone” bandwagon and started sporting pearl snaps after watching Beth Dutton in Season 5. She isn’t leaning into a fad.

“I love it,” Lester says of the Western lifestyle. “I do think I fit in, and that's not to toot my own horn, but I've truly embraced the Western lifestyle. I don't own or ride a horse, yet, but I see and really respect and appreciate the lifestyle that this is.

“You go to a rodeo, you have grandparents, parents, high school kids, multigenerational families, and you get more entrenched. There's this lifelong love for this sport and this lifestyle, and when you see all these people who are drawn to it, it's very compelling.”

A few months after Lester took the reins, Teton Ridge announced the expansion of television programming of The American Rodeo Championship, which the company purchased in 2021. This March, the FOX Sports family of networks will broadcast the two-day Arlington event, with the final round airing live on

FOX. Yes, rodeo on network TV.

“People think of [rodeo] as a niche sport, and then you get behind the numbers and you realize it's not a niche sport,” Lester says. “If it is, it's a very large niche, and it's actually all very popular. So, we're looking to elevate everything we do and take it to that next level.”

Expanding the company’s portfolio, Lester then led Teton Ridge’s acquisition of The Cowboy Channel, which includes The Cowgirl Channel and The Cowboy Channel+, a streaming and on-demand service. With the purchase, Teton Ridge also secured The Cowboy Channel’s exclusive licensing agreement with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and its more than 600 sanctioned rodeos, which includes the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. In the world of Western sports, The Cowboy Channel is akin to ESPN, no broadcaster has more clout and capital.

To Lester, the opportunities The Cowboy Channel provides are nearly infinite. With new and improved programming, the potential to introduce live stats and gambling, and the channel’s expansion to more streaming services, the world of rodeo is poised to hit the mainstream. And combining this acquisition with Teton Ridge’s other properties — Cowboys & Indians magazine, Pro Fantasy Rodeo, film and TV production company Teton Ridge Entertainment, just to name a few — it’s clear Lester has the company on a trajectory to dominate the Western content space.

And where better to dominate such a space than where the West begins?

“You can expect Teton Ridge and The Cowboy Channel to be mainstays in the Fort Worth area,” Lester says, silencing any notion the company might find a new HQ. “In particular, we think in the Stockyards since this is sort of the home of all things Western. It's a very on-brand place for us.”

Office Memos

Colt Rides Into Town: The former UT football legend and his family have put down roots in Fort Worth after a nomadic career in the NFL. McCoy has been tapped to launch the new office of HPI, the full-service real estate firm with roots in Austin and Dallas.

Energy Independence: MP Materials marks a significant step in restoring a domestic supply chain for critical components used in electric vehicles and other technologies with the start of commercial production of rare earth metals and automotive-grade magnets at its Independence facility in Fort Worth.

Energy Insights: Fort Worth-based Energy Domain launches its second online platform: Energy Domain Data, a user-friendly, cost-effective tool offering stakeholders across the exploration and production sector comprehensive oil and gas data for investment and operational decision-making.

Timely Recognition: Fort Worth-based TimelyCare, a virtual health and well-being provider for higher education, finds a place on The Princeton Review's prestigious list of the "Five Need-to-Know National Organizations for Mental Health Awareness." In fact, the company is the only direct mental health provider on the list.

Hey, Cowboy: Jay Chapa takes the reins of Fort Worth’s City Manager’s Office. He’ll need to hire a new police chief, a task we’re guessing he puts off until after May’s elections.

Chamber Leadership: The Fort Worth Chamber elects a new executive board, with Cantey Hanger Managing Partner Brian Newby tapped as chairman.

Howdy, Padnahs: Mesch, PLLC, the Fort Worth accounting firm, says Tax Manager Cyrus Wagner III and Audit Manager David Molenda have been promoted to name partners.

That’s Pretty Cool: Hear, hear, Tarrant County College. SkillCat, a top application for trade certifications, recently ranked Tarrant County College’s HVAC program as No. 13 among the Top 20 programs in Texas.

Here We Go, Arlington: The United Football League is making Arlington its corporate home after league officials consummate the largest office deal in Tarrant County in the past two years.

Art, Meet Action

M2G Ventures raises record $590,000 for mental health research at annual gala.

M2G Ventures, the Fort Worth-based real estate investment and development firm, raised $590,000 for UT Southwestern’s Center for Depression Research & Clinical Care (CDRC) in Tarrant County during its fifth annual Art of Mind gala at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall in the Stockyards in December.

The number represents a new record for M2G’s Mental Health Initiative, according to the firm.

“Changing the way we treat mental illness is a lifelong commitment for us,”

said Jessica Miller Essl, co-founder of M2G Ventures who with her sister Susan Miller were awarded Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence recognition in November.

“We didn’t know originally how M2G’s MHI

would take shape, but we knew we had to take action. Our grief fueled our work, and now our passion to help others continues to move the initiative forward.”

Essl and Miller launched the M2G Mental Health Initiative (MHI) in 2019 after the loss of a loved one to bipolar disorder.

MHI earned 501(c)(3) status in 2022 with the purpose of changing the way the world diagnoses and treats mental illness. Essl and Miller chose to partner with the UT Southwestern CDRC to bring its services, studies, and resources to children and young adults in Tarrant County and across North Texas.

The CDRC at UT Southwestern is nationally renowned for cuttingedge research in unipolar and bipolar depression, among other advances.

In 2023, M2G Ventures announced that it reached a $1 million fundraising milestone for the CDRC, helping to create an operational presence in Fort Worth that reaches residents of Tarrant County with access to novel treatments and research, as well as allows the CDRC to study a broader range of participants in DFW.

M2G, known for integrating immersive art into its development projects, partnered with local, regional, and national artists to commission fine art that was auctioned off during Art of the Mind’s live auction. Included in the auction lineup were works by well-known artists Katie Murray, Knox Kronenberg, Daniel Blagg, Nancy Lamb, and Whitney Avra.

Entertainment was provided by live artist Chris Coleman, with music stylings by Fort Worth native Angel White. A private concert by Grammy Awardwinning singer Lee Ann Womack closed the evening.

“Art of the Mind was created from an idea that ties together our love of art and our passion to change outcomes for those living with mental illness,” said Katie Wharry, M2G’s director of social impact.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

Recognizing the remarkable.

Congratulations to Senior Manager Christy Bessert and all the 40 Under 40 honorees!

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Assurance | Tax | Consulting

The attorneys at Winstead congratulate all the “40 Under 40” honorees. We are especially proud to recognize our Shareholder, Jarrett Watkins, who is among the honorees and a true champion of Fort Worth.

This recognition highlights our attorneys’ dedication and impact in Fort Worth and beyond. The city of Fort Worth is not just our place of business; it is our home. Our attorneys actively contribute to the community’s growth and success through their leadership and volunteer service.

Anything rich with history and heritage immediately captures my interest.

The iconic Harley-Davidson brand certainly fits. And Mark Smith, owner of Fort Worth Harley-Davidson on the West Loop leans into it.

“I do believe strongly in maintaining the heritage of something,” he says. Our first stop on a tour he is leading is the middle of the showroom. In a glass case is an original 1915 Harley model that he acquired as part of the storied brand’s 100th birthday in Fort Worth 10 years ago.

“It required just a little bit of restoration,” says Smith, 47. “We unveiled it [that day], and then I rode it from the dealership here to downtown to the original site. We had the Fort Worth PD doing a parade-style escort. Our Hog Chapter, which is our riding club, followed me over there. It was a real special day celebrating.”

Smith, who has a bachelor’s and MBA from Dallas Baptist, became the dealership’s 10th owner when he acquired it in 2006. He considers himself a steward of the dealership and its history. He oversaw a dramatic renovation of the building. Smith today owns three other dealerships — a Harley-Davidson store in Burleson and an Indian Motorcycle next door to Fort Worth Harley-Davidson and another in Dallas.

Heritage on Two Wheels

Mark Smith grows Harley-Davidson present and future by leaning into the past.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGES BY RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

The corporate entity that oversees all four is Ride Free Power Sports headquartered at the location on the West Loop, his biggest store that employs 45.

Fort Worth Harley-Davidson has twice won Harley’s Platinum Circle of Excellence Award.

Are you a gear head? “I guess so. I built my first Harley, a ’92 Sportster at 19. I was working at Texas Harley.”

You obviously have leaned into the history. “We have the coolest customers in this business. A customer, 14 or 15 years ago — not long after I bought the store — researched the history of this dealership … all of its locations, all of its owners, and gave it to me as a gift. It’s pretty cool.”

You mentioned that people thought you were “crazy” for buying an Indian dealership. Why? “Indian is a legendary brand started in 1901. It emerged as Harley-Davidson's biggest rival through the ’50s. World War II was its downfall. The Indians weren't reliable. The Harleys were. When the soldiers got back from the war, they wanted to stay with Harley. So, Indian went bankrupt. The brand has tried revivals, but the biggest revival was when Polaris Industries bought the brand. Polaris is actually a bigger company than Harley-Davidson. When I saw that they were buying the brand, I thought this was a good opportunity to take a look at it. People thought I was crazy. I think that's just part of being an entrepreneur.”

“People thought I was crazy. I think that's just part of being an entrepreneur.”

Congratulations to Priya Acharya and all other Fort Worth Inc. 40 under 40 honorees

Serving Clients, Employees & Community Since 1978

Inside the C-Suite

The Talented Mr. Hill

From shaping real estate leaders at TCU to steering water policy and serving at the Federal Reserve, James Hill is busy.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY PHOTOS BY RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

Surely, James Hill could go on one of those who’s-got-talent TV shows and demonstrate his aptitude for juggling, say, bowling balls.

He’s got a lot of 16-pounders in the air.

“We always thought the worst job in the world would be to do the same, you know,

putting rivets into the side of a machine” hour after hour, day after day, Hill says. “I like the idea of being dynamic and being able to handle lots of different things, I enjoy that. I like variety in my day.”

He has assuredly pulled that off. He’s as busy as a hamster on a wheel.

Consider, in no particular order, what he has going on:

For starters, Hill is the director of the Center for Real Estate at TCU’s Neeley School of Business. In the role, he cultivates partnerships between the university and the real estate industry. He has taught off and on in the Neeley School since 2008. This semester, the course is real estate finance and investments.

“I love teaching,” he says.

Another hat is that of principal of James Hill Consulting. In this role, Hill, a licensed real estate broker in Texas and CCIM designee, offers real estate and corporate finance advice, along with strategic planning for businesses, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals.

Next up: James Hill, elected official.

Hill is a member of the Tarrant Regional Water District Board, one of Texas’ largest water suppliers and a critical flood control partner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It’s a pivotal juncture for the policymakers of the TRWD. The water district currently provides water to more than 2 million people across its 11-county jurisdiction, a number projected to grow to nearly 6 million by 2050, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Delivering water to meet this growing demand requires extensive infrastructure, strategic planning, and innovative solutions. The wet stuff doesn’t simply appear and flow effortlessly through pipes.

Betsy Price, then mayor of Fort Worth, encouraged him to run. He was finishing up a long stint on the city’s Zone Board of Adjustment.

“It was important that we had somebody that had financial acumen on a board that handles almost a billion dollars’ worth of bonds,” Hill says.

And, lastly, Hill is a member of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of

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Dallas, elected by member banks to offer insight into regional and national economic conditions.

“I like what I'm doing now because it's, I go from water district to personal business to private investments to family office to TCU,” Hill says. “I kind of get to do a lot of different things a day. It's harder to manage my calendar, but I enjoy it.”

Hill is in the midst of his second term on the Fed board. Each of the 12 Fed districts are made up of nine-member boards. Three are appointed by the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. Three are elected by the banks to serve the banks, and Hill is among the three elected by the banks to serve the public.

The districts are named for the city in which they’re headquartered. The Dallas district is made up of eastern New Mexico and northern Louisiana, in addition to Texas.

His responsibilities there include contributing to the monetary policy discussions of the Federal Open Market Committee, while also playing an oversight role in the Reserve Bank’s

operations, including corporate governance and internal auditing. He also reports on the temperature of economic conditions in the region and nationally.

Eight times a year each district produces a “Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District,” known informally as the “Beige Book” — the cover is beige colored. Each report is an anecdotal summary of economic conditions across the 12 Federal Reserve Districts, offering insights into factors like employment, inflation, consumer spending, and manufacturing, based on reports from business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources.

They are important because what's happening in the Dallas district is not necessarily what's happening in Cincinnati or San Francisco.

“Different parts of the economy in different parts of the country are always ebbing and flowing at different times,” Hill says. “We provide our input that gets assimilated into the ‘Beige Book.’ One of my jobs as a board member is to talk to businesses out in the community and

say, ‘Hey, what are you seeing? Are you hiring?’ The Fed does a lot of this work on its own, but a lot of it's me being out as a representative of the Reserve Bank.”

His most recent report, he said, would be heavy on the film industry, which now includes 16 production houses in North Texas, and the impact, if any or if known, the devastating fires in California might have on the industry.

“Does that translate to more of those folks moving to Austin or Dallas or Fort Worth,” he wonders. “I don't know the answer to that, but I thought it would be a fun report for me to do to kind of talk about something that's directly affecting Tarrant County.”

Hill, a Fort Worth native who was schooled at Country Day, graduated with a BBA in finance from the University of Texas right after Sept. 11 before coming home to earn an MBA from TCU. His wife, Macy, is a Fort Worth City Council member. They met on a blind date at Margie’s, the acclaimed Fort Worth Italian hole-in-the-wall. They have two sons.

His first job after graduate school was with a debt fund in Dallas, which bought debt with the intent of owning the underlying asset. It had an initial $100 million capital raise that “we levered up to $350 million-ish.”

At Texas Capital, where he worked for 10 years, he ran, at intervals, the real estate group, the private bank, and then government affairs for the holding company.

All told, his experience in banking spans close to 20 years, ending with a board position for a small bank, a position he had to relinquish in order to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve Dallas.

What’s next — a public or private venture — he says he doesn’t know, but there will be something.

That’s just the way he rolls.

“I like being involved,” he says. “Part of it is I like to meet people. That's just my personality.”

Cook C hi

MAKING AN IMPACT.

Congratulations, Jake Baine, for being a 40 Under 40 honoree! The milestones you have reached and the impact you are making in the community is extraordinary. Whitley Penn is proud of your endless dedication and we look forward to celebrating your future achievements.

Jake Baine

Data Products & Strategy Senior Manager

Every Step She Takes

Liz Ming is an audit partner by day and a marathoner by morning and well beyond.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGE BY RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

It’s 6:45 on a brisk, 32-degree Thursday morning in January — in Texas we call that a miserable cold snap. The sun, having hit snooze one final time, is considering a peek above the horizon.

Liz Ming is finishing up an 11-mile run. Just another start to the day before the

39-year-old heads to the office. Ming is an audit partner, specifically in private equity, for the accounting firm KPMG in Fort Worth.

“I would say we're together five mornings a week,” Ming says of her running group led by running coach Jerry Johnson, who runs Jerry’s Running Club. “It's great. Never a dull

moment. Interesting conversations.”

It’s a great little mix of people. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and City Council member Macy Hill are among the members.

“We're all kind of always training for a different race, and so, maybe I'm not training [for a race] but a friend is, and she needs a buddy to support her on her training program.”

On this morning, she says, Johnson had them do an hour of hill repeats — that is, a running workout that involves sprinting up a hill and then jogging or walking back down. It’s relevant for what they’re all preparing for right now: the Cowtown Marathon, the annual race and fitness festival on Feb. 22-23 centered at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. The race is noted — more like notorious — for its hilly course, including a brutal stretch up the Paddock Viaduct on the North Side heading south toward the Tarrant County Courthouse.

Ming and her husband, Bryan Woei Ming, are running the Cowtown Challenge. Ming is doing the 10K with oldest daughter Molly, 12, on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. Bryan Ming is doing the 5K with daughter M.E., 10, and the full marathon on Sunday. (The Mings’ youngest son, George, 8, can’t run with a broken ankle.)

At the marathon, Ming will be trying to best a personal record of 3 hours, 28 minutes.

The Cowtown will be Ming’s 10th marathon, which includes the 2022 Boston Marathon. In addition to the Cowtown and the holy grail in Beantown, Ming’s other runs of 26.2 miles were in Houston, New York, Sun Valley (Idaho), Chicago, London, Mount Lemmon (Arizona), and Dallas.

Ming has also completed the Cowtown 50K Ultra and the Ironman Chattanooga. An Ironman is a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a marathon. A total distance of 140.6 miles.

That’s commitment.

“I’m trying to run all the majors,” Ming says of the marathons. “I have two left — Berlin and Tokyo.”

One can either qualify for those as an elite runner or be picked through a lottery. “It’s very hard to get in,” she says. “So, I'm just going to keep trying.”

Running the iconic race in Boston was “truly one of the coolest experiences.”

She and her running partner, Meredith Garcia, a teacher at Paschal High School, set out to qualify together. The two have been running together for 10 years.

“That was kind of always the goal,” Ming says. “It would be so fun to train and qualify together, but it's really hard for two people to have a great race on the same day.”

It was Garcia who had the good day that day. She qualified, while Ming suffered a torn tendon in an ankle. Ming had to find another race, in Sun Valley, to qualify, which she did despite having to run by herself.

“Not a fun thing to do,” she says, “but we made it and got to run Boston together.”

As part of her training for the Cowtown, or any other long race, Ming will work up to three, 3-hour runs.

Ming, who was raised in Dallas, didn’t run until her freshman year at Texas A&M. Ming has bachelor’s and master’s from there in accounting. But Ming had no real running experience — no high school cross country, nothing. She says she dabbled in the summer between high school and college for fitness.

At A&M, one of her new sorority sisters, a former high school cross country runner, invited her to run with a group one morning.

“And I'm, like, ‘Oh, that's what you do for fun? I guess,’” Ming jokes. “If that's what I have to do to meet friends around here.”

They had begun running regularly when the same friend suggested they do the Houston half marathon. “I guess. Sure,” Ming recalls saying.

“So, we started training, and she was like, ‘Hey, I actually really think we could just do the full.’”

By January, having just begun running that August of her freshman year, Ming had completed her first marathon.

Like the most addictive substance, you don’t just do that stuff — running a marathon — once. Like Forrest Gump, you just keep going.

Next thing you know, you’re 39, you’ve run 10 marathons, no telling how many halfs, you’re switching out shoes every six weeks, and running at absurdly early hours of the morning.

And loving every minute of it.

TOUR THE 2025 DREAM HOME

The Napa Valley-inspired Dream Home will take place in Fort Worth’s prestigious Montrachet development.

MAY 3 - 25, 2025

THURSDAY - SUNDAY | 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.

Tickets: $20 | Includes a 1-year subscription to FortWorthMagazine

CONGRATULATIONS, 40 Under 40 Honoree Brenda Patton

As Director of Policy under Texas Health Community Hope, a collection of Texas Health programs and services that help lead to measurable, sustainable community improvements, Brenda Patton has sought innovative ways to make fresh produce and healthy food more accessible and affordable for all residents. Thanks to her food policy efforts and advocacy, coupled with initiatives like Good For You Healthy Hubs, Double Up Food Bucks, and Growing Good Food Grants, we’re making a tangible impact on improving nutrition security and community health.

Brenda’s dedication to a healthier North Texas is exemplified in her personal support and roles within Southside Community Garden, Tarrant County Food Policy Council, and Grow Southeast. We are proud of Brenda for being named to Fort Worth Inc’s 40 Under 40 list.

TexasHealth.org/CommunityHope

Supercharged for Growth

Business is booming for EV charging company Revitalize, which is running out of

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

Edward Morgan and this magazine are well-acquainted. We met him several years ago as he was building a business that manufactured electric vehicle chargers. He is still building them. In fact, he’s building so many that he’s bursting at the seams at TechFW’s base of operations in the old gymnasium of the historic James E. Guinn School on the South Freeway.

Morgan’s company, Revitalize, which builds electric vehicle charging equipment — commercial and residential chargers, accessories, and components — has an office upstairs that looks like something out of Victor Frankenstein’s home office. Components, parts, screws, boards, and all sorts of other things that are a total mystery to a tech layman like me.

One office downstairs serves as an assembly plant — another as a storage room.

Morgan, 54, knows that it’s time to leave the nest.

The timetable remains uncertain, but Revitalize plans to construct a 30,000-square-foot facility in Arlington. Morgan is collaborating with the Arlington Economic Development Corporation to identify a site and developer.

Revitalize is currently building, moving, and storing chargers in something like 1,500 to 1,800 square feet, Morgan estimates.

“Believe it or not, we do a lot of volume out of these spaces,” Morgan says.

Morgan, a New Orleans native who relocated after Hurricane Katrina, started Revitalize in 2013, well in front of the curve on electric vehicles.

“This is when people were saying, ‘What is an EV?’” he says.

He started the company part time, remaining at his job at AT&T. When he left there to take on Revitalize full time in 2015, he had 18 years at the company.

He’s designed every component of his chargers, commercial and residential. The business he bootstrapped for about five years grew very quickly. He got involved with TechFW, the business incubator, starting in a very small office. The business continued to need more space.

His clients have included the

city of Arlington, Oncor, Hillwood, Cook Children’s Medical Center, and apartments in a number of states. His residential products, which he sells direct-to-consumer, are in every state.

It’s the kind of story industrious storytellers on TV wanted to tell. And they have. Morgan and Revitalize, which employs five but with plans to ramp up to 60 once the new facility in Arlington is built and the business scales, were featured this season on PBS’s “START UP,” a national television series that tells the stories of American smallbusiness owners. Emmy nominated host and writer Gary Bredow travels across America interviewing a wide range of diverse small-business owners to hear their personal stories and find out what it really takes to start a successful business from the ground up.

Morgan qualifies.

He left New Orleans after high school

for Prairie View A&M in Prairie View, Texas. He planned to study biology on a pre-med course. It didn’t work out.

“I was partying like a rock star,” he says with a smile and a laugh.

So, it was back home to New Orleans and the harsh lessons of the reality check of forced retreat, the disappointment of not meeting expectations, and, gasp, a job.

“I didn’t want a job,” he says laughing.

So, in New Orleans, he went back to school and got a job, a full-time job.

Morgan’s new route was ITT Technical Institute. Electrical engineering was the new pursuit. He finished in three years — working during the day and going to school at night.

That’ll put a crimp in one’s beer consumption.

“That's where I kind of got my love for electronics,” Morgan says. “I had already been doing computers for a long time,

but electronics kind of lived differently. I got to be able to sort things and really understand circuitry, how it works, how those things come together.”

After school, he began progressing and climbing the ranks of Bell South, having moved into upper management by the time AT&T acquired the company.

His original concept for the electric car charger — “The Beast,” as he calls it — still has a home in his TechFW “warehouse.”

“I'll never forget this,” Morgan says. “So, we're working on a design … we have this great design on what it's going to look like. We still had challenges on how to put it together, because this was new to me. The concept of electric was no big deal. It was more of understanding the protocols and those kinds of things. So, we're sitting there, and I'm creating in my mind this super complex piece of equipment.

“[An associate] goes, ‘Dude, you can make that right now. Just go and buy something off the shelf and put all of this together.’ And sure enough, we come up with this thing.”

Mechanical engineers at the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at UT Arlington, which has a partnership with TechFW, helped them put it together.

The initial idea, Morgan says, was to build a charger with a big screen and sell advertising and “make all this money.”

“Until we actually did it,” he says. “We realized nobody wanted to buy advertising. We realized we weren’t advertisers. And then we realized it was super expensive to do it. We abandoned that very quickly.”

Back into retreat, he decided to focus on what he was — an engineer.

“Here's who we are, right? We're engineers. We build things. We're coders, developers, and we understand it. So, let's do what we do best,” Morgan says. That's kind of where we are. And we can create a product. We can come up with an idea now and have that product in full-scale prototype in like two weeks. That's how fast we can move.”

$15 CHILD ADMISSION (AGES 6-13)

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Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, 3 tasting tickets, 1 fan favorite ticket, endless tots, whiskey tasting (21+ up), and all other vendors.

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and Fabulous 40

FortWorthInc.’sinaugural 40 Under 40 class is here.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

IMAGES BY RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

FortWorthInc.is delighted to unveil its inaugural 40 Under 40 class, celebrating the dynamic young leaders shaping the future of our community. These innovators, entrepreneurs, and change-makers represent the best and brightest across industries.

The prestigious list features trailblazing entrepreneurs and visionary medical professionals to rising stars in development, nonprofits, engineering, oil and gas, and corporate leadership.

This next generation of leaders are redefining achievement for young professionals in Fort Worth. They are also leaning into the community as givers, making a meaningful impact on the city they call home.

These are the ones to watch and the ones to know.

Without further ado, Fort Worth Inc.’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2025.

Priya Acharya, 39

Senior Associate

Wier & Associates

Priya Acharya’s interest in STEM growing up was more a calling, leading her to pursuing a degree in civil engineering at UT Arlington.

Mentorship, she says, during an internship in land development sent her on her way to a flourishing career at Wier & Associates. She began there as an intern and was hired on as a graduate engineer in 2007. Today, she is a senior associate of the firm, elected to that position in 2020.

In 2021, she became a stockholder of the firm, “further establishing herself as an instrumental part of the vision of Wier & Associates' future,” says Carlo Silvestri, president of the firm.

Wier & Associates, founded in 1978, provides civil engineering, land surveying, and land planning related services.

She points to her parents as her most vital mentors.

“Their unwavering commitment to service, integrity, and constant self-improvement has been a guiding light in my life,” she says.

Success, she says, “is not just about achieving personal goals, but also about making a meaningful impact on those around us.”

Guilty pleasure TV show or movie: “Veep.”

Jake Baine, 32

Whitley Penn

Data Products & Strategy Senior Manager

When Jake Baine left Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s in management information systems and a master’s in data science, he set out to, to use a sports metaphor, play a tough schedule. Those things make teams and players better.

Baine says he has always possessed a “natural interest” in technology and statistics. Beginning his career at KMPG, he quickly realized that solving clients' business problems with technology was more than an avocation — it was a passion.

He credits his parents, Steve and Kristi Baine, for instilling in him the confidence to “be fearless in my chosen path.”

“So, I pursued a career in consulting right out of college, constantly seeking the next challenge,” Baine says. “I was always the one to volunteer for the most complex and daunting projects, knowing that these experiences would provide the greatest opportunities for growth.”

Favorite quote: "Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people or find a different room."

William Adams, 37

Adams Mortgage Group

William Adams entered the mortgage industry in 2016 with a knack for finance and an entrepreneurial streak, believing he could help others achieve the American dream of home ownership.

“It’s incredibly meaningful work that I am blessed to do,”

Adams grew up in Tyler and went to the southeast to earn a degree in banking and finance at University of Georgia. He’s a proud Bulldog.

In 2024, he formed Adams Mortgage Group, powered by Guild Mortgage. He has become a top 1% producer in the country. Adams volunteers with many local organizations such as the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, Cook Children’s Health Foundation, The Warm Place, University Little League, and Christ Chapel Bible Church.

Favorite quote: “When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had — Jacob Riis

Shane Benner, 39

First Vice President

Bradford Commercial Real Estate

Shane Benner is the longest-tenured broker at Bradford’s Fort Worth office, a growing mid-size commercial real estate brokerage. He is credited with growing the firm’s presence in Fort Worth, closing more than $100 million in transactions in his career.

Benner has a bachelor’s degree from TCU and an MBA from Univesity of Texas. Moreover, the Fort Worth native is an adjunct professor in the Finance Department of the TCU Neeley School of Business. He is also a real estate mentor at TCU.

Benner also serves as a group leader in Christ Chapel Bible Church’s student ministry. He also served on the host committee of the Texas Rangers’ bicentennial celebration.

“I enjoy applying curiosity and being a prob lem-solver,” he says. “After beginning to teach at the collegiate level a few years ago, sitting at the intersection of professional practice and academia has been rewarding.”

Favorite quote: “I don’t want to commit my life to some thing I can do on my own.” — his pastor.

Translation: Dream big and surround yourself with people who are on the same track.

Ryan Barrera, 39 Chief Advancement Officer

Camp Fire First Texas

Ryan Barrera, a North Texas alum, is a big booster of Mean Green athletics. How big? He brought Scrappy, the school mascot, along for this photo shoot. That’s serious fandom right there.

However, it was at UNT that Barrera found his purpose in life.

“I was struggling to identify a concentration while pursuing a bachelor's degree, and while taking an elective course with Courtney Molchan Banatoski, it lit a spark in me where I felt led to exploring work in the nonprofit sector,” Barrera says.

that they recognized someone eager to learn, demonstrated the aptitude to do the job well, and, most importantly, showed a heart to serve others.

“I thank Susan [Branch] for believing in me and providing opportunities that opened me to the career I have enjoyed — one of her ‘good little eggs!’"

Who would play you in a movie?

“I've been told I bear a resemblance to Henry Golding, so I'll go with him.”

Christy Bessert, 31

Senior Tax Manager

Forvis Mazars

Christy Bessert’s fast-rising career status as a leader in her firm began with registering for an accounting class as a sophomore in high school. The material, she says, “seemed to click.”

“Before long I was tutoring the seniors,” she says.

Bessert has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public accounting from University of Wyoming.

Bessert, with extensive experience in oil and gas tax-

ation, is today a firmwide resource to assist others with complex tax matters related to energy and natural resources, says Rob Optiz, managing partner of the firm, who added that Bessert also represents and promotes the firm at national conferences.

As a member of the board of directors of the TXCPA Fort Worth Chapter, Bessert successfully lobbied Texas Legislators to reduce the number of hours required to sit for the CPA exam, allowing students to start sitting for their license up to a year earlier.

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Taylor Brown, 38 Manager Commercial Portfolio Managers

Simmons Bank

On a lazy day, don’t be surprised if Taylor Brown is binging “Back to the Future.”

Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. Brown, who has a bachelor’s in economics from UT Arlington, was drawn to commercial lending through his interest in how different people make money.

“Over time, I developed a passion for assembling key elements of commercial credit requests to ensure banks can make informed decisions that best aid their clients and prospects,” he says.

His career began under the “guidance of exceptional leaders.” At OmniAmerican Bank — now Southside Bank — he notes being immersed in a range of banking discussions and being challenged from day one.

“At Texas Capital Bank, I was constantly pushed to deepen my understanding of deals, encouraging more insightful and creative discussions, even when I knew I was the least knowledgeable person in the room.”

Favorite quote: Being gentlemanly and kind is "always trying to make sure people around you are as comfortable as possible."— Adam Weber, “Blast From the Past,” 1999. What’s a podcast you recommend? Stephen Dubner’s “Freakonomics Radio.”

Tyler Brabec, 32

Founder Brabec Custom Homes

Tyler Brabec, with a civil engineering degree from University of Texas on the wall, started his homebuilding business at age 25. Today, Brabec Custom Homes, with a small but mighty team, is a premier boutique custom homebuilder.

Brabec is a former structural engineer who transitioned into construction project management. The company’s portfolio includes more than $250 million worth of exquisite homes, apartments, and commercial properties across Fort Worth and Dallas.

Branson Blackburn, 37 President & Managing Partner

Trinity REIS

Branson Blackburn’s entrepreneurial journey began in high school, selling discounted snacks from his locker and cruising around town on a moped peddling Cutco knives. Fast-forward 20 years: Blackburn is the founder of Trinity REIS. Under his leadership, the firm has expanded to 40 employees, opened an office in Austin, and closed more than $2.7 billion in transactions.

“I am most compelled by working in a space where there is no ceiling on my potential to grow and earn,” Blackburn says. “My parents are incredibly hard workers and began building their own real estate portfolio while I was in college. Having the opportunity to source and negotiate deals with them and witness their constant search for new opportunities started a fire in me.”

Blackburn is a Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Award winner.

Best advice received: “My dad taught me never to wait to be told what to do and to always be prepared for the next step. My mom showed me never to procrastinate, because immediate action compounds quickly. Those lessons never stopped paying off.”

Brett Berry, 35 Owner/Operator

Warren’s Backyard

The best education Brett Berry got at Texas State University in San Marcos was in a different, but well-known, lab: a bar.

He has transformed his expertise in the craft of mixology and the bar and service industry into a thriving entrepreneurial career as an owner and proprietor. Over the years, he has worked in every role within the industry, including door staff, bar back, bartender, assistant manager, and manager.

Today, with two partners, he owns four bars in Austin and Granbury, including Warren’s Backyard in Hood County.

“I love what I do, so, it rarely feels like work,” says Berry. “Creating something special with our staff and being able to show off our beautiful venue means so much to our team. To share a little bit of our Texan culture with people in music, chuckwagon cook-offs, and charity events that bring out the whole town … we are very lucky to be a small part in all of it.”

Most important mentors along the way: “My parents, Steve and Joni Berry. They raised me to work hard, treat people right, and be responsible for your actions.”

Dr. Mark Cunningham Jr., 39

UNT Health Science Center

Assistant Professor

Dr. Mark W. Cunningham Jr., a native of Atlanta, is one of those who absolutely believes faith and science mix well together.

Cunningham credits his pastor-father Mark Cunningham, as well as Alvin Ford, in Florida, and Fort Worth’s Kyev Tatum as indispensable mentors.

“Both of the pastors have given me the space and opportunity to explore my talents and God’s purposes that God has for me, with helping people in a holistic way, mind, body, and soul.”

Cunningham earned his doctorate from University of

Florida College of Medicine in 2014 through the department of Physiology and Functional Genomics. In 2017, he became an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

He also has an MBA from Millsaps College.

His research interest is in how blood flow problems in the brain, heart disease, and high blood pressure affect women during and after pregnancy, as well as their children. He has written over 45 scientific articles and regularly speaks at scientific conferences.

Joshua Friend, 36 Director of Regional Development for Fort Worth UT Arlington

A pivotal moment in the life of Joshua Friend occurred while the opera singer was hitting tenor notes with power and precision during a tour of Europe.

His phone rang.

“I got the unexpected opportunity to move to Fort Worth to pursue graduate studies on full scholarship,” Friend says. “That jump into the blue set me on the path I am on today.”

In becoming a proud Horned Frog, the Brit earned a bachelor’s and master’s in 2018 and 2020 at TCU. He was awarded the school’s inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, and in 2023 Friend became a U.S. citizen. Friend is still belting out golden tones, but he also found a fulfilling day job as a development professional, raising both funds and nonprofit profiles, including a prolific tenure at the Perot Museum.

Today, he is the regional director of development for UT Arlington’s capital campaign to build the new UTA West Campus in Fort Worth.

What he might be doing in his spare time: Finding a home for a stray cat.

Dr. Sameer H. Halani, 37

Accent On You Cosmetic Surgery Center

Surgeon

This artist and painter, the son of Indian immigrants, was born and raised in Metuchen, New Jersey. While interning at Seattle’s busiest hospital, he discovered another art form — plastic surgery.

“While there, a patient was flown in from Alaska after she fell from a tree and suffered a skull fracture,” says Halani, who studied medicine at Emory University. “The plastic surgeon on the case — who turned out to be the one who wrote the book on managing skull and facial fractures — masterfully and artfully approached the problem like a puzzle, with immense attention to detail apparent in every step.

“It quickly became clear that plastic surgery was the right fit for me. The field allows me to apply the skills I have learned as a drawer and a painter toward a different form of art — one that helps patients regain their sense of self in a tangible, longitudinal way.”

Halani also has a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Tufts University.

What’s the one podcast you recommend: “Wine for Normal People is a must for anyone interested in learning more about wine.”

Mark Jones Jr., 32 CFO

Goosehead Insurance

Mark Jones Jr., an Aggie with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from A&M, is the CFO of the $3 billion publicly traded Goosehead Insurance, the company founded by his parents, Mark and Robyn Jones. Under Jones Jr.’s financial stewardship, Goosehead has seen significant revenue growth and improved operational efficiency, according to the company’s CEO, Mark Miller.

“He views hard work as a privilege and has skillfully balanced the legacy of his parents, while carving out his own unique path and voice,” Miller says.

Miller goes on to call him a critical thinker who demon strates exceptional problem-solving skills, a “calm adaptability” to challenges, and is a thoughtful communicator. Jones, one of six siblings, had planned to forge a unique path apart from the family business.

“With time, I started recognizing the significant influence my parents had on the lives of many families,” Jones says. “They took risks, offered opportunities to people for estab lishing franchises, and witnessed their success stories. I knew I needed to be part of that.”

Who would play you in a movie? “Prince Harry.”

Halley Hamer, 39

Owner & Principal Artist House of Tesla

Halley Hamer’s House of Tesla is a cosmetics business specializing in professional makeup and empowering women through beauty.

“My passion lies in helping women feel more confident in their own skin, and I truly believe that confidence is the most powerful form of beauty,” Hamer says. “True beauty comes from embracing your individual features and using them to express who you are, inside and out. When a woman learns to appreciate and accentuate her own attributes, that’s when she truly starts radiating her own inner power.”

This all started in childhood. Hamer became her sister’s unofficial personal makeup artist. Those formative years helped her find her “true calling.”

For 20 years, Hamer juggled a full-time career in banking and wealth management and weekends spent freelancing as a makeup artist.

She has now transitioned fully into her own beauty and lifestyle brand.

Where are you “playing” in Fort Worth? My husband and I enjoy listening to live music and dancing the night away in the Stockyards or downtown.

Camille Kelly Garcia, 26 Director of Programming & Fundraising

The Big Good

Considering she is a huge fan of Leon Bridges and Gary Patterson, getting an opportunity to work for The Big Good was indeed a stroke of good fortune for Camille Kelly Garcia.

That and the opportunity to do something good in her hometown “pretty much sealed the deal that I was going to fully jump in and embrace my role in the nonprofit world.”

Kelly Garcia graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in public relations in 2020, jumping, of course, right into the quicksand of the pandemic shutdowns. Not exactly an ideal time to begin life in the real world.

She was put in touch with an agency in Austin that specializes in nonprofit fundraising, communications, and events. They needed to quickly move all of their large-scale, in-person fundraisers to digital platforms.

That was her introduction to nonprofits.

“The impact of our work inspired me to get deeper involved in the nonprofit world,” says Kelly Garcia, who eventually joined the organization.

Podcast recommendation: “Crime Junkie.” “I love true crime.”

Brayden Hudson, 35 Co-Founder/VP/CFO

Trellis Energy Partners

It was a woman’s intuition that steered Brayden Hudson’s career to accounting.

“My wife, as a woman’s intuition goes, recognized what I couldn’t in what I would be skilled and passionate about,” says Hudson. “She encouraged me to pursue accounting and finance a little into my career and was patient and supportive while I slogged through four more years of school and a CPA exam.”

He had initially scored a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Ball State. He returned to school at UTA to earn master’s degrees in business and accounting.

With that and a CPA in hand, Hudson took flight in oil and gas.

He joined the team at Split Rock Resources in 2021 and was instrumental in securing financing and closing a $100 million deal in his first 60 days, resulting in huge payouts for all of the investors and employees when the company eventually sold.

Now, he has started again as CFO of Trellis Energy Partners.

Who would play you in a movie? Pass. “I don’t need the spotlight.”

Alexandra Light, 32

Principal/Choreographer

Texas Ballet Theater

Alexandra Light’s ballet career began at the tender age of 3, a fact that made her path “very intuitive.”

On stage, a ballerina embodies elegance and precision in her gliding, leaping, and pirouetting with flawless poise. Offstage, however, the contrast can be striking. The same feet that danced en pointe are wrapped in bandages, marked by blisters and calluses.

It’s a tough busine=ss, ballet.

“I have certainly faced many challenges along the way, as both dancer and choreographer. Staying true to myself has really led me through my career as principal dancer and into my role as choreographer. There were

moments I felt lost, but following my heart has always brought me back to the right path.”

Light joined TBT in 2012. She quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the company’s most esteemed principal dancers.

Light will step away as the principal dancer of the Texas Ballet Theater this spring at the conclusion of her 13th season. She will devote her time to choreography.

Favorite quote: “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Robby Lebus, 33

Real Estate Agent

Compass Real Estate: The John Zimmerman Group

Robby Lebus, once upon a time a member of the Westside Lions Little League World Series team, is driven by four things: relationships with clients, entrepreneurship, his family, and Fort Worth.

“I love this town so much,” says the Texas Tech University graduate. “Getting to see this city grow and help my clients find their next home has been so rewarding.”

After graduating college, he went to work with a development company, learning the “ins and outs” of the financial end of the business.

“I knew with my experience and love for people, selling houses and the real estate world was the path forward for me.” Not surprisingly, baseball in his youth was the source of lifelong lessons. His father, George, one of his coaches in those days, “has always been my greatest mentor in life and business.”

Who would portray you in a movie: “I’m going to go with Josh Reich, only because he just played 11-year-old me in “You Gotta Believe.”

Dillon Maroney, 37 Executive Administrator

Tarrant County

William Knight, 39 State District Judge Tarrant County

William Knight was elected judge of Criminal District Court No. 2 in November, jumping from the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office to the bench. He was sworn in on New Year’s Day.

Knight, board certified in criminal law, had served in the DA’s Intimate Partner Violence Unit and Special Victims Unit. He previously worked as a staff attorney at the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Knight is homegrown, a graduate of All Saints’ before going SMU and later St. Mary’s School of Law. He also earned an MBA at St. Mary’s.

In a courtroom years before, a man issued a threat against a lawyer's family, an incident that left a profound and lasting impression on the lawyer's young son — William Knight — shaping the path he would follow.

“I asked my dad what happened with the situation, and he explained it by saying, ‘The judge kept us safe,’” Knight says. “Ever since then I have wanted to be a judge to help keep people safe.”

Dillon Maroney’s drive to serve has defined his career. For 12 years, he served as a Fort Worth Police officer, which he calls “an honor,” and now he is an executive administrator in Tarrant County’s Precinct 4.

Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez says he can quantify Maroney’s efforts, which have led to more than $500 million in strategic investments in roadways all across North Texas.

“Dillon Maroney has revolutionized the mobility planning and regional collaboration for Tarrant County,” Ramirez says.

Maroney has a bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan and a Master of Public Administration from UT Arlington. Work on the board of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association and the challenge of solving a $1.6 billion pension shortfall inspired him to seek an MPA.

“I discovered how fulfilling it could be to tackle complex issues that impact an entire community.”

Favorite quote: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” — Teddy Roosevelt

Matthew McDonald, 36

VP of Preconstruction Muckleroy & Falls

Matthew McDonald notes the experience of a college co-op with a national general contractor as an outstanding platform for an enriching career in construction.

“I’m not sure if it was my ambition or some sort of luck, but early on, I had the opportunity to manage a sizeable, high-end project from multiple angles,” McDonald says. “I was responsible for budgeting and then managing the project to completion in the field. The experience profoundly shaped my perspective and abilities.”

McDonald is a member of the strategic planning team and an “integral part” of major milestone project wins for the company, including LV, Depot on Main, and East Centre Park.

“He is all about limiting waste and being as resourceful and efficient as possible,” says company president Taylor Hale, adding, “He has been instrumental in our ability to scale and grow.”

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways

Chelsea McGraw, 31 Owner Fount House

Chelsea McGraw’s decision to take a leap into entrepreneurship was a necessi ty-is-the-mother-of-invention type deal.

She got fired.

“Is that not the most cliché thing? I always knew I would end up working for myself, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon,” she says.

“At the time, there weren’t many full-time interior design jobs available in Fort Worth.”

So, out on her own was less compulsion than imperative.

McGraw, who earned a bachelor’s in inte rior design from TCU in 2015, is the creative behind Fount House, a boutique interior design firm in Fort Worth.

She opened Chelsea Morgan Designs in 2018 at age 25. Four years later, she opened Fount House Interior Showroom. Last year, she merged them into one entity — Fount House.

Fount House offers several levels of design services and welcomes designers and the public. It also features McGraw’s own line of custom furniture.

Favorite quote: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Viviana Mendez, 28

Director of Corporate Operations

Tarrant Area Food Bank

While in school at the University of North Texas, Viviana Mendez took a part-time job at Tarrant Area Food Bank just “to fill my additional time.”

“Little did I know that job would turn into a lot more than just ‘filling my time,’” she says.

Chris Mellina, 32 Director

of Corporate Operations

Avocet Ventures

Chris Mellina, his colleagues say, plays a pivotal role at Avocet Ventures in translating the founders’ vision into actionable strategies across various business units.

His operational expertise, they continue, has brought a more tactical execution plan, emphasizing efficiency and effective capacity management.

Mellina has a BBA in logistics, materials, and supply chain management from Texas A&M.

Beyond his professional contributions, Mellina serves as chairman of the board for The Net, a Fort Worth-based anti-sex trafficking organization. In his 3½ years on the board, Mellina has guided the organization through hiring initiatives to support a growing number of survivors, reinforcing “the belief that everyone deserves a chance to rebuild their lives.”

Favorite quote: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” — Calvin Coolidge

Under Mendez’s leadership, the nonprofit’s Ready to Learn initiative, which she developed and manages, has grown by more than 500% across TAFB’s 13-county network. Ready to Learn is a childhood hunger solution that provides families and students with access to healthy, kid-friendly groceries at school.

Mendez is also leading efforts to establish the Ready to Learn Resource Center, a community hub for low-income families to access a market, child care, education classes, and assistance with state benefit applications.

Most important role model: “My mom has been the strongest influence … from instilling compassion and the importance of public service in me at an early age. My entire life I have had this incredible role model that demonstrated what it looked like to be a strong leader, present mom, and kind human being.”

Jasmine

Mendoza,

Chief Marketing Officer ALG Holdings

Cami Miller, 37 VP of Stakeholder Experience

Satori Capital

Cami Miller came to two roads diverging in a wood. She chose the path she believed would restore her spirit and health — and that has made all the difference.

Miller left her job of 12 years at a major accounting firm, driven out by a bad case of burnout “resulting from a lack of fulfillment in multiple areas of life.”

She ended up in a hospital. She got back on her feet by taking a job with lululemon athletica, reenergizing her passion for wellness.

“My career journey from audit to athletic apparel to a culture-centric investment firm represents the road many of us take to discover work that brings us joy – work that aligns both our strengths and interests,” she says. “My journey is a testament to the fact that our work, wealth, and wellness are closely related.”

A TCU graduate, Miller teaches Optimal Performance Training — “to share the tools I’ve discovered that I wish I had for myself.”

Favorite quote: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

26

Jasmine Mendoza, who joined ALG Holdings in May, oversees all marketing efforts, develops and executes comprehensive marketing strategies, and manages agencies and marketing tasks.

ALG, based in Fort Worth, is made up of companies in several industries, including commercial and residential real estate, oil and gas, as well as food and beverage, and entertainment.

Mendoza ensures consistent brand messaging across all marketing channels for Perrotti's Pizza, Perk Coffee Shop, Hyenas Comedy Club, and oil companies. In doing so, she monitors and analyzes digital metrics to boost engagement and conversion rates, oversees vendor relationships, and evaluates the success of marketing campaigns.

“I started my career in finance. I quickly discovered that while I enjoyed the analytical side, I was drawn more to the creative and strategic aspects of business,” she says. “I realized that marketing was the perfect blend of strategy, creativity, and data-driven decision-making.”

What are you doing when at “play”? “You’ll often find me at Rev Fit. I also love practicing my pickleball skills at Courtside Kitchen or dining at Bricks and Horses.”

Andrea Palmer, 39 VP Legal and Compliance

TTI Inc.

Graham Norris, 36 Principal & Founder

Norris Legal Group

Defense counsel Graham Norris, born and raised in Fort Worth, went on to earn a law degree from Texas A&M in Fort Worth after undergraduate studies at Dallas Baptist.

He has been on both sides of the courtroom, initially serving as a prosecutor in the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.

Since moving into private practice, Norris has a reputation as a skilled trial attorney in helping ensure truth and justice prevail.

“There are a lot of moments that have filled me with gratitude for what I get to do,” Norris says. “Moments like … the exhila ration of hearing a jury read a favorable verdict after a hard-fought trial. These moments remind me that the work I'm doing has an impact on real people.”

Norris was appointed by Mayor Betsy Price to serve on the city’s Ethics Review Commission. He also sits on the board of directors for the nonprofit LVTRise.

Favorite quote: "Would I rather be feared or loved? Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." — Michael Scott

Andrea Palmer did have a leg up, but it wasn’t thanks to silver spoons, legacies, or name-dropping in interviews. No, Palmer’s advantage was her drive and what resided between her ears.

A first-generation college graduate, Palmer completed her undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin and sought “a challenging and rewarding professional career,” she says. Law was the natural choice, and Palmer would then attend Baylor Law on a full academic scholarship.

What followed was an impressive stint as a top lawyer at insurance brokerage group Higginbotham, where she helped launch an acquisition strategy that led to significant growth; Higginbotham is now the fastest-growing insurance brokerage group in Fort Worth. In early 2024, Palmer became the general counsel at TTI, Inc.

“[Palmer] is one of the most capable and respected young attorneys in town, who has real business experience from

leading growth and acquisition of businesses,” says Pierce Bush, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star.

In addition to her professional career, Palmer is also one of the youngest core volunteer com mittee chairmen for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and will head a rejuvenated PR Committee for the 2025 competition. She has also served as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star since 2019 and is now the youngest member of the executive board.

Guilty pleasure TV show or movie: Probably my favorite of all time is 1987’s ‘Hellraiser.’”

Carolyn Phillips, 37 VP of Operations

HF Custom Solutions

Growing up with both parents working for a company they had started, Carolyn Phillips says her entrepreneurial spirit runs in the family.

“I didn't realize then how much creative problem-solving and opportunity recognition were baked into my upbringing,” Phillips says. “But I recognize now that it's the air I've always breathed.”

In 2015, Phillips launched Alchemy Pops, a gourmet

frozen pop company, which she grew into a successful brick-and-mortar before COVID forced her business to close its doors in the summer of 2020.

As Phillips puts it, rather than throw a pity party, she and her husband recognized the experience as akin to earning an MBA. “Things can be hard and also be a jumping off point,” Phillips says, “but only if you have the strength to see it that way.”

The experience has no doubt come in handy as the operations manager for HF Custom Solutions, where she has created processes and procedures that have allowed the local advertising agency to greatly improve operating efficiency.

Carolyn has also been an executive board member for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth since 2021, where, according to Joe Brown of HF Custom Solutions, “her longstanding dedication and service have positively impacted the women in the program, our community, and our company.”

Podcast recommendation: The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Brenda Patton, 37 Program Director Texas Health

It was her grandmothers, Brenda Patton says, who nurtured her passion for caring for others and doing good for her neighbors.

“They were bold, persistent, and fearless women who built families with very little,” she says, adding that they also instilled in her the belief that “hard things are always possible.”

Like, for example, equitable food access.

Patton is the Program Director of Policy for Blue Zones Project Fort Worth, an initiative under the umbrella of North Texas Healthy Communities, a nonprofit outreach arm of Texas Health that facilitates community well-being improvement initiatives. She is charged with improving Fort Worth’s well-being by advancing policies that relate to healthy food access.

She calls time on the Nutrition Taskforce with SteerFW as pivotal to her drive. The objective was to improve school lunches for students.

“Discovering that some students lacked access to basic, healthy choices — and knowing that their nutrition was often dictated by the ZIP code they lived in — lit a fire in me. I knew I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. This experience solidified my commitment to creating lasting, equitable changes in food access.”

Favorite quote: "Be the change you want to see and take action.”

Miguel Ruiz,

31

Director of Marketing Strategy & Account Executive J.O. Agency

At J.O. Agency, Miguel Ruiz leads marketing strategy for clients and conducts business development for the agency, developing and nurturing relationships with businesses and organizations around North Texas.

“He has a no-fail attitude, a can-do spirit unlike anyone I've ever met,” says Jennifer Henderson, president and founder of the J.O. Agency.

Henderson adds that in the past year he's successfully led projects for, among others, Worthington Bank, Tarrant Area Food Bank, Shoot Smart, and Range Construction.

Ruiz is also currently working on registering a nonprofit organization that will benefit at-risk youth in Fort Worth by providing services that prepare GED recipients for entering the workplace.

Ruiz also was recently named one of 2024’s Hometown Heroes by the Camp Bowie District for his dedication and service to the country and Fort Worth.

For six years, Ruiz, a Fort Worth native who went to school at UT Arlington, was a member of the Texas Army National Guard. He worked in communications. His most impactful work might have been at the Texas-Mexico border.

“Chaos,” he says of the situation down there.

Joseph Romero, 32 Broker Associate

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s

Joseph Romero views each real estate transaction as a business partnership between agent and client. It is at that convergence that meaningful relationships and exceptional service in the real estate industry manifest.

“Every transaction should feel like a partnership, where my clients feel valued and heard at every step,” he says. “This commitment to exceptional client service has not only earned me a strong reputation in Fort Worth but has also led to cherished relationships, especially with first-time homebuyers navigating the competitive North Texas market.”

Competitive market indeed. Romero serves on the Fort Worth Pedestrian and Bicycle

Advisory Commission, acts as an ambassador for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, and donates time as a facilitator at The WARM Place. He also serves at One Safe Place.

“Fort Worth is a vibrant city,” Romero says. “With its diverse neighborhoods and numerous attractions, it truly excels as a place to live, work, and play.”

Guilty pleasure TV show or movie: “The Crown,” “The Diplomat,” “House of Cards,” “The Bear,” and “1917.”

Kolby Stewart, 34

Vice President Ashton Agency

Kolby Stewart came to Fort Worth by way of Colorado to ride horses as part of TCU’s equestrian program. She went on to finish her career there with distinction as an All-American in reining.

Horses are still a big part of her life, which she shares with husband Travis, a cutting horse trainer.

And they are also part of her real estate career. Sales have included complex transactions, including large acreage ranches with expanded horse facilities and recreational hunting ranches.

“Playtime for me is truly time spent with horses — they’ve been with me every step of the way,” says Stewart shown here with a Luis Ortega hackamore, a bridle without a bit. The horses are “where I feel most connected with myself.”

Favorite quote: “Whatever you choose, do it well — work hard, come prepared, and be present in the moment. Look at the big picture, stay true to your roots, and remember the joys of life. Begin each day with an open heart and clear mind. Respect your commitments, speak gently, and treat others with love.” — Dana Perino

Spencer Stilwell, 27

Assistant Vice President HUB International

Spencer Stilwell pursued a career in insurance and investments for the right reason: assisting families.

“On the surface, I get to assist families and their advisors with estate planning, wealth transfer, and business succession strategies,” Stilwell says. “But throughout that process, I get to hear stories of how families accumulated their wealth and how businesses were built. Each family has a unique story and journey – I’m fortunate to hear those stories, get to know these families, and become a trusted advisor on that journey.”

At 27, Stilwell has quickly moved up the ladder at HUB International Fort Worth. Starting as a financial services intern in 2019, Stilwell became the assistant vice president in July 2020 — a position he occupies to this day.

A TCU alum, Stilwell is an active member of the TCU Young Chancellor Advisory Board as well as the TCU Frog Club, which, according to its website, “strives to provide a world-class student-athlete experience through investments in scholarships, programs, resources, and facilities resulting in championship-level success.”

Key mentor of influence on your journey: “Gus Bates Sr. and Gus Bates Jr. gave me an opportunity right out of college. They showed me how to treat people and taught me how important a man’s word and reputation are.”

Bianka Soria-Olmos, 39

Pediatrician

Cook Children’s Medical Center

Ty Stimpson, 36 Partner Varghese Summersett

Ty Stimpson had an epiphany, of all things, through the New York Yankees. A football student-athlete at Baylor, he was in New York serving an internship with Liz Claiborne. An attorney there gave him some Yankees tickets.

“I learned that he had previously worked as an attorney for the Yankees organization,” Stimpson says. “Intrigued, I asked him what it took to become an attorney.”

He called his mother that very day and told her that he wanted to pursue the law. “She went straight to Barnes & Noble, bought LSAT prep books, and mailed them to me.”

Stimpson studied law at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He also has a Master of Law from St. John’s.

After stints in the prosecutor’s offices of Dallas and Tarrant counties, Stimpson today leads Varghese Summersett’s Injury Law division.

In 2023, he was the Fort Worth Chamber’s Young Professional of the Year. That same year, he was selected winner of the 2023 Dr. Marion Brooks “Legend in the Making” Award for Law.

Podcast recommendation: “Mine! ‘Take this Down with Ty Stimpson.’”

Despite being the first in her family to obtain a college education, Bianka Soria-Olmos didn’t rest on her laurels after receiving a bachelor’s degree at TCU. Instead, Soria-Olmos went on to receive her D.O. from the University of North Texas Health Science Center before completing her residency in pediatrics at the world-renowned Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, becoming her family’s first doctor, as well.

Having been a pediatrician with Cook Children’s Health Care System for the past decade, Soria-Olmos has become one of Fort Worth’s most influential voices in children’s health care. In 2020, she became a leading advocate in the battle against vaccine misinformation among Fort Worth’s Latino population, hosting live streams and Zoom calls set up through nonprofits. These efforts would become the subject of a Fort Worth Magazine cover story in April 2021.

Later that year, Soria-Olmos became a member of Cook Children’s board of directors and has remained one of the hospital’s ambassadors for diversity, equity, and inclusion since June 2022.

Favorite quote: "Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."

–

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Jody Walker, 38

Partner

Kelly Hart

Jody Walker’s wife jokes that in the springtime, he’s “just a part-time attorney and a full-time Little League coach.” And, yes, while he’s negotiated multimillion-dollar deals in Kelly Hart’s Real Estate division and met many tight deadlines in his career, “nothing quite compares to the pressure and stress of throwing strikes to your coach-pitch team,” he says.

And it’s true, he says, the law is only part of what defines him.

“First and foremost, I’m a husband and father of four, committed to leading and loving my family well,” Walker says. “Beyond that, I’m passionate about serving my community, whether through my local church — Watermark Fort Worth —coaching Little League, or working with nonprofits to help make Fort Worth a better place for everyone.”

The law itself is a platform to serve, he says, and “creating a meaningful impact in the lives of others.”

Favorite quote: "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." — Proverbs 27:17 and "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." — Psalm 90:12

Robert Thaxton, 32 VP of Oil and Gas Business Operations U.S. Energy Development Corporation

As the VP of oil and gas business operations at U.S. Energy Development Corporation, Robert Thaxton sees himself as an educator.

“I recognized early on that energy is not just a technical field; it's a cornerstone of modern society that affects everything from economic stability to environmental health,” Thaxton says. “However, there remains a significant gap in public understanding of how energy systems operate, the challenges involved, and the direct effects on our environment and communities.”

After beginning his career as an engineer, Thaxton shifted to a strategic, business-oriented position in 2020. This change ultimately led him to pursue a postgraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin’s working professional MBA program.

“Today, as VP of oil and gas business operations, I’m able to integrate my technical expertise with strategic business insights,” Thaxton says, “which has empowered me to drive operational efficiencies and enhance processes across our organization.”

Thaxton also volunteers at Mission Arlington and contributes to Tarrant County Safe Haven and Cook Children’s.

Person who would play you in a movie: Owen Wilson

Jordan Warnement, 34

Program Manager

Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth

Whether in business or in the pursuit of fascinating projects, Jordan Warnament likes to build.

In business, she has an entrepreneurial and communal spirit that led her to become the program manager at Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth, a business accelerator that helped entrepreneurs in the health care industry. Warnement created and executed a three-month program where entrepreneurs learned, grew, and were provided investor interactions to help companies reach new levels of opportunity. In this space, Warnement helped build companies.

When it comes to other projects that stoke her passion, Warnement builds, or renovates, we should say, literal houses. After purchasing a home in the Fairmount Historic District in 2017, Warnement completed a historically compliant renovation “down to the studs,” which is pictured right. The photo, she says, was taken by fellow Fort Worth entrepreneur Keith Hollins.

“Although home renovation is not a business of mine,” Warnement says, “it is definitely a passion of mine and a big part of my love for life in Fort Worth and living in the Historic Fairmount community. I think it highlights a big part of my entrepreneurial spirit and passion.”

Favorite quote: “But if you never try, you’ll never know just what you’re worth.” – from “Fix You” by Coldplay

Jarratt Watkins, 39

Shareholder Winstead PC

According to Jarratt Watkins, it was his future wife who assisted him in getting to the finish line while in law school. “She was in law school at the same time and forced me to adopt her good study habits,” Watkins says. “Also, as a Fort Worth native, she introduced me to my adopted hometown. I had not even visited Fort Worth before we met, and now I don’t think there is any better place to start a career or raise a family.”

His experience now includes working for two of the city’s most prestigious law firms. After graduating from SMU’s Dedman School of Law, Watkins became an attorney for

Kelly Hart & Hallman before moving to Winstead in October 2022.

“At both law firms that I have been a part of,” Watkins says, “great lawyers taught me the importance of always learning new things while regularly revisiting the things you have learned so that you are ready for the next problem.”

Favorite thing to do in Fort Worth: “I love finding and trying new restaurants in Fort Worth, and it has been great watching that part of our community grow and evolve.”

THE POWER OF POSSIBILITIES

EARN

YOUR

MBA AT A PACE THAT WORKS

The G. Brint Ryan College of Business offers degree options where you want, when you want. We call Denton home, but UNT offers you more choices in how and where you study. We offer campus locations across the North Texas region and a wide range of online options. You can take courses during the day, evening or 100 percent online — either full-time or part-time.

WHENEVER YOU WANT

We’re one of the largest (and top-ranked) providers of online courses among Texas public universities.

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS

• UNT flagship campus in Denton

• UNT at Frisco

As an MBA cohort graduate, I have been able to witness just how impactful this degree has been in my professional career... The skills and hands-on experience this program equipped me with have been invaluable and I would 100% go back and do it again to reap the benefits.

GRADUATE DEGREES TO HELP YOU SOAR HIGHER

M.B.A. PROGRAMS

• Business Analytics (STEM)

• Business Administration

• Business Studies

• Finance

• Health Services Management

• Information Technology

• Management (full-time cohort MBA)

• Marketing (100% online)

• Marketing Analytics (100% online)

• Music Business

• Organizational Behavior and Human

Resource Management (100% online)

• Sport Entertainment Management (fulltime cohort in Frisco or 100% online)

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M.S. PROGRAMS

• Accounting

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• Business Analytics (STEM)

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• Taxation

Marshall Newhouse

Turning Degrees Into Direction

From NFL fields to boardrooms, these professionals prove that graduate education can transform careers and open doors to new possibilities.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGES BY CRICHARD RODRIGUEZ

For some, career success follows a straight line. For others, it’s a winding road that leads back to the classroom. Across industries, professionals are stepping away from the workforce — if they need to — to sharpen their skills, expand their networks, and open new doors through graduate education. The motivations vary: career pivot or growth, eyeing a promotion, or a lifelong ambition to learn.

Whatever the reason, they all share the belief that learning doesn’t end with a diploma and that the right education can be a springboard to something greater.

These are their stories, and they didn’t have to look far. With options aplenty in Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas, and Denton, opportunities were well within reach.

From the Gridiron to TCU Business School

After a 10-year career in the National Football League helping offenses advance the football and score touchdowns, 6-foot-4, 330-pound Marshall Newhouse wanted firm footing in deciding what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

He had been involved in angel investing, including advising for Techstars Fort Worth, and venture capital funds. He was learning the business and networking.

“I had a mind to maybe transition that into a role [in finance],” he says from his home in Austin. “Business School has fostered some of that, but I think business school was, for me, to give myself the space to pivot and figure out what I really, really want to do.”

Newhouse, 35, will graduate in May from his alma mater’s Neeley School of Business with an Executive MBA, an 18-month program for professionals.

fit for him, even though he’s not in, say, a managerial position in corporate America.

“Was I in a managerial position in a corporate America? No, but I consider my NFL experience as work experience,” he says. “I've been on boards and invested, so I think it was a better fit. And then also, scheduling. It’s a full-time program, but we meet every other weekend. So, there are days in between that I can pursue opportunities. I think that was the biggest draw for me.”

Newhouse played at TCU from 2006-09. He graduated with a degree in advertising public relations — now called strategic communications — from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication.

promising for him. Newhouse has done onair analysis for both NFL and college games, including radio broadcasts of TCU football games. He has also done an NFL pregame show with Trey Wingo on DraftKings, as well as an NFL broadcasting bootcamp in Los Angeles.

He has the voice and personality.

“I think it's lent itself for my career, trying to communicate and be a, for lack of better terms, a personality and someone who brings value and a lot of enjoyment to the game of football.”

Gaining a Wealth of Knowledge at A&M

David Blaylock, 47, earned a degree in journalism from Texas A&M 25 years ago.

After graduation, he had eyes on a career with one of the biggest staples in Texas journalism, the Houston Chronicle. However, the wealth management firm he worked for while in college offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse.

He is going there on an NFL tuition reimbursement program designed to help players either finish their undergraduate degree or, for guys like Newhouse, in graduate school.

After doing some investigating and scouting a variety of schools, Newhouse believed the EMBA program was a better

The Lake Highlands native went on to a well-traveled, 10-year career in the NFL with Green Bay, Cincinnati, the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans.

He made it out intact.

“Relatively,” he says. “I made it out OK.” Broadcasting is an endeavor that looks

So, it was in financial planning and wealth management, with all its market trends, analysis, and portfolio performance, that his career bloomed.

“I fell in love with it,” Blaylock says of the wealth management industry. “And [his boss] really showed me the ropes. I stayed there three years in Bryan-College Station. And then moved to Fort Worth.”

In addition to all the certifications required to practice, Blaylock has worked to increase his knowledge base to better serve clients.

He holds a certificate in financial planning from SMU, and Blaylock is now in the midst of earning a Master of Legal Studies with a concentration in wealth management from Texas A&M-Fort Worth.

He can do it all remotely from his home in Austin through the online program.

“It was something I always talked to my clients about: Invest in yourself first. No matter what you do for a living, get

David Blaylock

more training. And, I thought, ‘Well, it’s probably time I did some of that.’ And it’s been very rewarding.”

A&M’s MLS program is booming. Law school Dean Bobby Ahdieh estimated that the school now has about three times more nonlawyers studying law than future lawyers.

What makes it particularly appealing, at least for Blaylock, is the different tracks available. In addition to wealth management, A&M offers tracks in general legal studies; business law and compliance; cybersecurity law; energy, oil, and gas law; environmental and energy law; health law, policy and management; human resources and employment law; international tax law; real estate and construction law; and risk management and compliance. Certificates are available in each of those, too. Each are two-year, nonthesis programs with flexible hours for working professionals.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Well, what are you going to do with an MLS? You're not a lawyer when you get done.’ Do you know how much of my day is spent in negotiation and contracting and everything that's prevalent in the wealth management industry, which is highly regulated? I need to have a base level understanding of what a contract is. Where do I need to go to find certain things for clients. It's just a very practical education.”

From the Shores of Haiti

To the Halls of UTA

Tim Eastep tried to enlist in the U.S. Marines at age 17. He needed his mother’s permission. She declined to give it. He didn’t need her blessing at age 18, so, from his home in Crandall, Texas, Eastep jumped into basic training. Oh, the places you’ll go as a U.S. Marine.

Among them were two tours in Afghanistan and a trip to provide humanitarian aid in Haiti.

Eastep left the military after four years of service. His next question: Now what? He began studying film, but he soon discovered a film degree did not translate into Hollywood. To get into Hollywood, one needs to be Clint Eastwood’s grandson or Ron Howard’s godson, or some such.

Tim Eastep

He took a hard left turn: a bachelor’s in bioengineering from UTA, followed by a master’s degree specializing in biomechanics. And now he’s working on a doctorate, hoping to help solve or remedy the joint issues suffered by veterans like him.

“The amount of equipment we carry on us and the missions we handle take a toll on your body,” said Eastep, 35. “In general, an infantry job will have someone carrying at least 40 pounds. That just destroys the joints. Humans naturally experience bone loss, so for us veterans, that is accelerated.”

His Ph.D. research involves orthopedics. He is studying methods of knee replacement, specifically as it relates to reattaching of the condyle end of the femur (that rounded knuckle over your knee).

His research could save patients and insurance companies thousands of dollars.

“To adhere it back, there's one of three methods that a surgeon uses, but there's no standard,” Eastep says. “And there's no data to determine which one's better in terms of efficiency, healing, speed of recovery, all that stuff. So, the study is based around determining what method is better in terms of all those things, but also the cost as well.”

He also has something else going. He founded T7 Biotech, a research and development company aimed at building devices to reduce the strain on service members’ bodies. He and a scientist/professor at the school are also researching the possibility of increasing bone density in humans to alleviate such stress and lessen the damage of the common IED.

The Army has expressed an interest in the research, which will require a government grant to start in earnest. He says he is also learning on the fly all about the politics of the business of bureaucracy and regulations.

“It’s in the very early stages,” he says.

FWPD Deputy Chief Moved Up With EMBA

Monica Martin, having moved up the ranks of the Fort Worth Police Department, realized that she needed advanced instruction on handling budgets and

Monica Martin

financial issues if she wanted to move into the department’s executive ranks.

“I knew there was gonna be a time of transitioning from a tactical to more of a business mindset,” says Martin, 44.

Martin is a 2023 graduate of TCU’s EMBA program. Mere weeks after finishing, she became the first African American woman promoted to deputy chief in the city of Fort Worth. She oversees South Patrol, which is East Division, South Division, and Central Downtown.

Martin knows East Division well, considering she is a graduate of Eastern Hills High School.

Martin raves about her cohort at TCU, which included NBC5 sports anchor Newy Scruggs.

“We walked in as strangers and left as family,” she says. “And I think that, out of all things, was the biggest bonus for me.”

When they all graduated, they celebrated with a trip to Cancun. A trip to Jamaica is planned for this year.

Martin, who has a bachelor’s in business management from Prairie View A&M, chose law enforcement as a profession after her stepfather, retired Fort Worth police lieutenant Glen Edney, encouraged her to do so.

Like any good police officer, she’s thinking ahead. If an opportunity comes in city management, she wants to be ready.

“I have been reaching out to some of our assistant city managers, and they have allowed me to come shadow them,” says Martin, who is eligible to retire from the department in five years. “So, I'm thinking about the end of this tenure and my next journey.”

project management certifications that I'm not as familiar with, but they had master’s in engineering.

“That's what I kept seeing a lot of, and so I was, like, ‘Well, OK, fine, I'll look into it. I guess a few months went by, and I saw a commercial for Texas Wesleyan. I said to myself, ‘Let’s try it.’ I was accepted and started in October of 2022. It was the best decision that I've made, by far.”

“He used to always talk to me when I was in college: ‘Hey, you might want to look into being a law enforcement officer.’ I was, like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’”

She changed her mind the night her mother and sister were robbed in the family’s driveway. “On top of looking at my stepfather and just how he loved what he was doing, I remember thinking if I had been there the night of the robbery, would I have known what to do.”

The assailant was 16 years old.

“I remember wondering what pathway he took that put him there. I really started to focus not just on change but progress. How can we create pathways to success for kids, especially in our underserved communities?”

Martin isn’t done with her graduate studies. She is pursuing a doctorate in business administration at Prairie View.

He Saw the Signs, Headed to Wesleyan

Hunter Wilson’s road to senior project manager at Con-Real, a construction company founded by Gerald Alley more than 40 years ago, took him through the smaller, smarter classrooms at Texas Wesleyan University. It was there that he earned an MBA. He had moved down here from Arkansas with his job in insurance sales and had moved into another job as a project manager for a telecom company that built towers in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

“I saw what was needed ahead of me, what my manager had, what my manager's manager had. Not a lot of MBAs, which I was actually shocked about, but I saw people with some certifications; there were a couple of PMPs [Project Management Professionals certification], a couple of other

Wilson, 29, and his team are tasked with the installment and maintenance of JP Morgan Chase signage in the West Region. It’s close to 1,800 branches, he says.

“Probably a little more than that,” he clarifies. “Every retail location in 11 states. Anything that goes wrong with their signage, which they do — wildfires, storms, mudslides, which are occurring now. People hitting a sign. People hit signs weekly. It's never a dull moment.”

Wilson is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. He went to the University of Arkansas for undergrad, earning a bachelor’s in finance.

“My biggest regret for undergrad was not studying supply logistics.”

He fixed that. Wilson earned his MBA, with a focus in supply chain logistics, in a year.

“It was intense,” he says, adding that he was spending as much as 50 hours a week studying or in class. He was able to handle that because the company he was working for went under.

In addition to supply chain management, Wesleyan’s MBA concentrations include data analytics, health care administration, and accounting.

Wilson says one critical aid in his earning an MBA was previous work experience. Graduate with a bachelor’s, go to work, go back to school, he says.

“I recommend probably three or four years of work experience minimum, and then pursue a masters of any sort, because, I mean, you don't know what you're doing, right?”

Right.

Hunter Wilson

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Management

Love & Marriage — & Money

WORDS BY JOHN LOYD

Whether in a traditional marital relationship or not, money can be a source of friction among partners.

I typically recommend clients review their credit report at least once a year. On one occasion, I was reviewing credit reports of a married couple in my office and surprisingly noticed two five-figure unpaid credit card balances on one of their reports. The person initially acted surprised and shocked, stating, “There must be a mistake.” After initially stating to her husband, she had “no idea” how or why those charges were on there, she ultimately came clean and admitted to the extravagant spending. The husband felt betrayed as his wife had not been candid or open with him.

While infidelity can wreck a relationship, so too can financial infidelity. Studies indicate that financial infidelity happens in over 40% of marriages. What is more significant, however, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education, in cases of financial deception, 85% indicate it impacted the relationship in a significant, negative manner. While divorce happens for a myriad of reasons, when one pulls back the curtain, money is often a source of friction and can contribute to the destruction of a relationship.

The issue: Couples rarely talk about money. Almost all relationship experts discuss how “communication” is important, yet we often fail to do it, especially when it comes to finances.

During initial visits, I often ask respective spouses, “What money lessons, good or bad, did you learn from your parents?” The answers are often revealing, and it quickly becomes obvious (in almost all cases) this has never been discussed in the relationship. If parents grew up poor,

sometimes that can create a spender, as growing up, they never had “nice things” and don’t want that to be them or their children. If parents were spenders, sometimes that person says, “I don’t want that to be me because ultimately my parents were living on the edge and fought about money all the time.”

On one occasion, a spouse relayed how her dad was a big-time saver and amassed a decent amount of wealth given his age. He passed away in his late 40s, and that experience shaped her money behavior (a spender), as she felt, “You can’t take it with you.”

Another client, given her parents didn’t have much money, recalled being nervous as a child asking her parents for “$5 to go on a school field trip.” She didn’t want that to be her and now is a bit extravagant on spending money on her kids. She never wants to tell them no.

What’s interesting in all these examples is that the other spouse most often had no idea the reason for the behavior.

The thing to realize is that every behavior has a rationale behind it. I have helped coach my daughter’s “rec” and club volleyball teams over the years, and one year had a particularly disruptive teenage player that I couldn’t seem to manage. I reached out to a respected school counselor for advice, and while part of me was wanting her advice to be “stay firm, take charge, and demand the player listen or else,” she mentioned that “behavior always serves a purpose.” She urged me to have an open mind, try and truly understand the purpose behind the behavior, and fill whatever that void is with a positive behavior.

In other words, if your spouse has a different money behavior than you, try and truly understand the “why” behind

what is driving that. Have an open mind, be nonjudgmental, and be curious instead of furious.

What if you and your partner just have very different philosophies of money? When meeting with potential clients for the first time, I can often tell early on who in the relationship is the saver and who is the spender. Sometimes this will come out during the visit, or I’ll even ask (often already knowing the answer), “So, who is the saver in the family?” This will often lead to finger pointing as the saver proudly tries to “scoreboard” and tells the spender, “You spend way too much money!”

Meanwhile, the spender points out to the saver, “On our recent vacation, you wouldn’t let me get a margarita at our hotel because it was ‘too expensive.’ We were on vacation!” The saver counters with, “The reason we can even go on a vacation is because of my frugality!”

I try and point out and sincerely make them aware that having both a saver and a spender in a relationship is actually a good thing. Two spenders, that’s a disaster from a financial perspective, as spending too much just isn’t sustainable over time. Two savers, well, your bank balances look awesome, but you drive a beater, wear clothes from a thrift shop, and always sit in the “cheap seats.”

Opposites attract, and again, that can be a beautiful thing.

Many problems in life often have easy solutions if we just choose to pursue them. How does one reduce the impact the chance that finances will become a source of strife in a relationship? Well, years ago, I had an assistant that was almost 40 years my senior. I had somewhat of an ethical dilemma and asked her, “Dorothy, what do you think?” I’ll never forget her response as she said, “John, honesty is always the best policy.”

My suggestion is for couples to on occasion go on a “money date.” Pick a time when both parties are relaxed and alert, as when emotions are high, learning and change is often very low. Carve out a Saturday morning and go for a walk and just talk — about money. No need to bust out the spreadsheets or statements, just talk. Consider what is important about money, money lessons learned growing up,

and if any full disclosures need to be made. Communicate and be candid. If this seems impossible, have a seasoned financial adviser facilitate the conversation. It could just save your relationship.

John Loyd, CFP®, MBA, EA is founder of The Wealth Planner™. For over two decades, he has been providing wealth management advice to small-business owners and high-income professionals. Contact him at john@thewealthplanner.com. Securities & Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC.

Top Ways To Grow Your Business in 2025

WORDS BY MICHAEL P. GRACE

Integral to long-term success, growth is a word that may come with mixed emotions for business owners over the past few years. Between inflation and higher interest rates to uncertainty around the 2024 election, many business owners have been focused on strategically managing their businesses and bottom lines, prioritizing management and cash flow over finding ways to grow. Now that we have entered a new year, with anticipated interest rate cuts on the horizon and a new administration coming into office, business owners may be feeling ready for growth in 2025.

Options for growth

When working with my business clients who are ready to grow, I often walk through three main paths to explore: organic growth, capital investments, or mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

1. Organic growth is exactly what it sounds like. This growth comes through a myriad of efforts to bolster your existing business — that is, increased sales efforts, new marketing campaign, or renewed focus on improving the customer experience.

2. Growth through investment is primarily when you make a capital investment in your operations, usually by purchasing new equipment, implementing an additional shift, or expanding plant or warehouse floor

space and capacity.

3. Finally, the last type of growth is merger and/or acquisition of another company (M&A). Management needs to evaluate whether an acquisition of a company with competing or complementary products or services makes sense, or if a company that is “upstream” or “downstream” of your existing product or service (i.e., vertical integration) is a good fit as well.

If your business is prioritizing growth this year, it may seem overwhelming when it comes to taking steps to begin — but the right banker can walk you through the entire process from start to finish. Your commercial lender, who should know your business inside and out, can offer advice to help structure a debt facility, along with treasury services, that best fit your needs.

Navigating mergers and acquisitions

If you are in a spot where buying another business would help gain the capacity to integrate either upstream or downstream in your supply chain, it’s probably time to weigh your next steps and considerations. Think about things outside of your own company, such as economic factors, timing and financial health — current and future — of the company you want to purchase. These could include:

• The macro economy. Inflation and interest rates impact M&A deals

as much as they do other business tactics. Watch for movement in 2025, as any change helps time a purchase when it would be the most advantageous to your business.

• The local economy and timing implications. According to The Texas Lawbook, a publication focusing on lawyers who represent businesses in litigation, transactional and regulatory matters in Texas, 135 Texas-related M&A deals reported in 2024 reached or broke the $1 billion mark. While a majority of deals are below the $1 billion mark, it speaks to the larger trend of increased interest and momentum for M&A as we begin 2025.

• Financial health of the target company. One of the most widely used measures of a company's success is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA. This is a true measure of the company’s operations before accounting adjustments. When EBITDA fluctuates, it is important to evaluate the drivers of that fluctuation carefully. Pointing to a consistent trend in EBITDA suggests sales and operational stability.

• Plans for improvement. Prior to settling on a purchase price, which is often based on a multiple of EBITDA, have a plan for how you will maintain performance for the period that you based the acquisition price on (i.e., 3x of EBITDA implies you have confidence in being able to at least perform at the same level for three years). It’s also important to map out how you will increase EBITDA so you are maintaining performance from when you purchased the business as well as growing it long term.

Once you walk through these considerations, you’ll have a better understanding of your tolerance and game plan for growth in 2025.

Michael P. Grace is senior vice president, commercial manager for UMB Bank Fort Worth. He is responsible for business development as well as managing new and existing client relationships, including project management, analyst, credit and client services activity

Think PPP Loans Are Forgiven? Think Again.

WORDS BY PRICHARD BEVIS

The news has highlighted the most egregious cases of fraud that were committed during the pandemic, in particular with regard to the Paycheck Protection Program — better known as PPP.

However, the federal government is not only aggressively investigating these extreme criminal cases but also focusing on many other pandemic-era loans, whether forgiven or not. Considering the government could potentially recover triple the amount of the loan, plus interest and penalties that alone may exceed the loan itself.

If you receive an investigation notice, you should contact legal counsel.

You will be notified of an investigation in writing — not via telephone, text, or email. Unscrupulous people utilized the pandemic to commit fraud, and they continue to do so with threats of arrest and prosecution for nonrepayment of pandemic era loans.

Your attorney will confirm whether the investigation is legitimate or not. Do not assume the “investigation is fraudulent,” even if a governmental email address or telephone number is incorrect.

Most investigative notices require a

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response within 20 days. As a result, once your attorney has confirmed the investigation notice is legitimate, an extension to respond should be requested, which is usually granted. Then make sure your leadership team and counsel are in lockstep. Your attorney should be familiar with the production of documents in federal investigations or federal courts, considering the likely voluminous nature of the documents that will need to be electronically searched and reviewed.

While your lender may tangentially be involved, your internal bookkeeper and your accountant will be crucial to proving financial responses to the government. For example, the initial PPP loan only required your business to have a legitimate concern due to economic uncertainty, but the second PPP loan required an actual financial loss. Additionally, your internal nonfinancial recordkeeping will be significant. You may be asked to produce internal texts, emails, and other contemporaneous documentation reflecting your business situation at the time of your loan application.

Once all of the potential responsive documents have been located, they should be uploaded to a searchable database so your attorney can determine which documents are responsive to which requests by searching key words. Once the responsive documents have been coded to each corresponding request, they can then be transferred to the government via a link database. The investigator may have additional unanswered questions, which you may or may not be able to answer or provide responsive documents. However, even if that is the case, if you have good recordkeeping policies and are diligent in your responses, the investigation should be resolved uneventfully.

While you are unlikely to ever receive formal notice that the investigation is closed or not being pursued further, in our experience these pre-investigation requests are not an after-the-fact clawback. Instead, they are legitimate investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to root out fraud.

Prichard Bevis represents businesses of all sizes and structures from the formation of business entities, operations, expansion, sale, and dissolution. He is a stockholder in the law firm of Decker Jones P.C., the second-oldest law firm in Fort Worth.

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Restoring Integrity

Lawyer Steven Laird stands firm on the principle of high ethical standards for personal

injury attorneys.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

IMAGE BY RICHARD RODRIGUEZ

Aguided tour of the former home of Fount Oxsheer — the forgotten cattle king — and his wife, Mary, led by current owner, attorney Steven Laird, is well worth a half hour on this day in the early part of 2025.

The Near Southside landmark today serves as the office of Laird and partner Seth McCloskey.

The home was built in 1916 and was refurbished by Laird, who bought it in 2017.

Laird, a member of Fort Worth Inc.'s The 400 — the most influential people in Fort Worth — would also like to see a scrubbing of certain practices and a renewal of the standard of ethics among personal injury attorneys, a field in which he has built his livelihood over the past 45 years.

Laird references Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977), a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld lawyers’ rights to advertise their services. Over time, this has led to the emergence of wacky, over-the-top TV commercials that exploit consumers. When I bring up those ads, Laird visibly winces.

Geofencing is another growing tactic in which attorneys are able to use locationbased technology to send a social media ad to a device when a smartphone enters a defined boundary, like, for example, within certain distance from a hospital emergency room.

Laird has a long-standing reputation for striving for the highest ethical principles, having been appointed to the Texas Supreme Court’s Professional Ethics Committee and its Task Force Committee on Advertising and Referral Fees in the past. In 2021, the Tarrant County Bar Association honored Laird with the prestigious Blackstone Award, presented to an attorney whose career embodies ethical ideals, courage, and service to the legal profession. Last year, Laird was awarded the Lola Wright Foundation Award, presented in recognition of outstanding public service in advancing and enhancing legal ethics in Texas.

Laird tells the story of being invited a

couple of years ago to give an induction speech to newly licensed lawyers.

“The topic was probably not what they expected — reputation,” Laird says.

“What I left them with was something that I strongly believe in: If you take care of your reputation, your reputation will take care of you.

“You can interpret that a number of different ways, but what I was hoping to convey is that reputation is something you can't buy. You’ve got to earn it, and it takes time to develop. Even so, it can be lost overnight.”

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