Fort Worth Inc. - Summer 2022

Determination Meets Innovation.

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Contents / The 400

Features

8 In Rare Air JSX is transforming air travel with a hop-on jet service that’s convenient and easy on the pocketbook.

14 Person of the Year

Her life’s work complete, with Juneteenth now the 11th federal holiday, Opal Lee at 95 is anything but done with dreams still to achieve.

21 The 400 From bigpocket businessmen to small-but-powerful entrepreneurs, here are the people playing a significant role in shaping Fort Worth and its future.

Departments

6 Publisher’s Note

150 The 400 didn’t just start at the top of their fields. All had first jobs. We find out what those were.

151 Many of The 400 were inspired by history. Who are their favorite historical personalities?

152 Index

The 400

21 Arts and Leisure Proponents of the city’s visual arts, music, and theater scenes.

29 Banking and Finance Investments, equity, and all things finance.

43 Economic Development Expanding the city’s reach in business and tourism.

51 Education Shaping the next generation of Fort Worthians.

57 Government Lawmakers and politicians in both the city and the state.

65 Health Care and Life Sciences Leaders in medicine and medical research.

73 Industry From food and beverage to oil and gas.

93 Nonprofits and Foundations Organization leaders making a difference.

101 Philanthropy The city’s biggest donors.

107 Professional Services Influencers in marketing, human resources, law, and other fields.

Real Estate Builders and flippers, buyers, and sellers.

A History Lesson

OWNER/PUBLISHER HAL A. BROWN

Anumber of years ago, I was sitting at my desk when our receptionist notified me that a lady was in the lobby without an appointment wanting to meet with me. I asked if she knew what the visitor wanted, and she said she did not but that the woman looked to be in her upper 80s. I normally don’t meet with people who don’t make appointments, but anyone over 80 years old that wants to meet gets a meeting.

I walked up to the front desk, and the elderly lady with warm brown eyes and a genuine, reassuring smile introduced herself as Opal Lee. In short order, she got down to business, saying she was here to talk to me about the upcoming Juneteenth celebration and that she wanted Fort Worth Magazine to support the event.

Perhaps seeing indecision in my eyes, the former Fort Worth teacher and future Nobel Peace Prize nominee gave me a history lesson. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted by President Lincoln in January 1863 and the Civil War “officially” ended in April of 1865, it was not until June 19, 1865, that enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed that the Civil War had ended and that they were free.

I remember learning about the Civil War in middle school, but I was unaware that Texas was the last state in which enslaved people officially gained their freedom on June 19, 1865. I also did not know that this was 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and 2 1/2 months after the Civil War was over.

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who was unaware of the significance of this historic date, which has become known as Juneteenth. In a Gallop Poll conducted just a year ago, more than 60% of Americans knew “nothing at all” or only “a little bit” about Juneteenth.

After my history lesson, Ms. Opal shared that she had a dream that one day Juneteenth would be a recognized national holiday. Martin Luther King had a dream — he believed different races working together was key to bringing about equality. Like King, Ms. Opal believes that for our country to truly achieve equality between races that we must all recognize our past.

In June of last year, at 95 years young, Ms. Opal's decade's long Juneteenth campaign came to pass when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

Fort Worth Inc.’s Person of the Year is an honor bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated significant contributions to making Greater Fort Worth a better place to live and work, with emphasis placed on their contributions over the past year. Not only has Ms. Opal made Fort Worth a better place to live and work, but she has also done so for our entire nation.

LET’S JET

JSX has changed the definition of ‘jet set’ with prices for business people and families that are, well, joyous.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGES COURTESY OF JSX

Air travel will more often than not leave you with your head in your hands, whether caused by your own chagrin or witnessing another’s fury over any number of causes airlines deal with.

A Dallas company, however, is transforming the short-haul travel experience with what seems to be a revolutionary concept: Taking the hassle and headache out of air travel while saving our most precious commodity, time.

JSX, founded in 2016, is an accessible, hop-on jet carrier that operates out of private hangars, flying Embraer ERJ135 and ERJ145 jets, which can also be chartered for private flights.

“JSX is carving out a whole new flying experience and category which is labeled as a semi-private jet service or hop-on jet service that combines the best of both commercial and private flying,” says Alex Wilcox, the company’s CEO and co-founder, adding that its design is to “simplify and streamline the democratization of enjoyable semi-private air travel for all.”

Not simply for the Gates, Buffetts, and Musks of the world.

Flights certainly are priced “for all,” but short hauls for business to Austin or Houston are eye-openers. Flights can be found for as low as $199 one way from Love Field. In addition to Austin, Dallas, and Houston, JSX also serves Burbank, Concord/Napa, Los Angeles, Monterey, Oakland, Orange County, and San Diego in California; Destin, Florida; Las Vegas; Miami; Phoenix; Reno-Tahoe; and Westchester County in New York.

In April, the company and its more than 700 employees celebrated its sixth birthday.

“We have been wholly dedicated to creating equitable and accessible skies for all,” Wilcox says. “We are a highly and intentionally inclusive and diverse com-

pany, championing what we deeply value, prioritize, and proactively seek out in today’s world.”

Every JSX customer enjoys perks familiar to private jet fliers: spacious and private FBOs, minimized “dwell” time — passengers can check in a mere 20 minutes before their scheduled flight — and no lines or TSA bins. Passengers can check up to three bags.

There are complimentary onboard amenities and personalized service from a dedicated flight attendant. And bags are retrieved within minutes of arrival right by the plane you just got off of.

The company’s fleet of 77 jets have 30 leather seats and no middle seat.

The best of luxury travel is what JSX has carved out, a unique niche in the marketplace designed to be a “joyful, simple experience” that’s been lost along the way in the industry for a variety of reasons.

It’s all a result of Wilcox identifying what he called a gap in the airline industry for businesspeople, families, and regional travelers needing a fast, affordable commercial flight option.

Wilcox says aviation has been in his blood since his first memories. Growing up in New York City, he traveled to Europe every year to visit his grandparents, amazed that he could be at home in Brooklyn and in a matter of hours in a different part of the world.

Wilcox, a graduate of the University of Vermont, joined Virgin Atlantic Airways after stints with Brockaway Air and Southwest Airlines. At Virgin, he met David Neeleman. The two founded JetBlue Airlines in 1999. After six years, Wilcox moved to India. He had been recruited by an Indian billionaire to move to Mumbai and help him

start an airline that would become Kingfisher Airlines.

Neeleman is the father of a number of low-cost airlines in addition to JetBlue. His others were Morris Air, WestJet, Azul Brazilian Airlines, and Breeze Airways.

Neeleman has been a mentor, Wilcox says, with his help along the way.

Investors initially shied away from JetBlue, Wilcox says, because they didn’t believe would-be passengers would bypass La Guardia for JFK International Airport for a domestic flight, even though JFK was “wide open” almost all day long, while La Guardia looked like Interstate 35W at rush hour and flight delays.

Wilcox recalls making trips between La Guardia and JFK at different times of the day.

“It was never more than 20 minutes, and David eventually proved that people would drive a few extra minutes for a flight — ontime — with TV.

Neeleman, he says, inspired him to pursue his own big ideas.

“One of the questions I get frequently is whether or not this model of air travel is scalable,” Wilcox told THRIVE Magazine. “The answer is 100%, yes. There are hundreds of underserved, short-distance, point-to-point markets in the U.S. alone. Many of them are huge, and some are small and seasonal and totally underserved. Before the pandemic, we were experiencing double-digit growth year over year and had big plans to expand to new regions and destinations.”

Even during the pandemic, he says, when demand encountered a dramatic decrease, JSX was able to introduce new domestic markets, including pop-up flights to Salt Lake City and the company’s first international route from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas that launched in February 2021.

“It’s a proven fact that flying is safer than driving, and I strongly believe that by giving people a more convenient alternative to driving between short distances — we are, in fact, saving lives.”

He partnered with venture capital firm Proctor Capital Partners to get JetSuite off the ground, and the company evolved into JSX in 2016.

Since then, the company has been award-winning. In 2020, it received APEX’s Regional Passenger Choice Award for the North America region. The same year, Fast Company tapped JSX as one of its most innovative companies. It has also been recognized as a “top workplace.”

JSX’s innovation has gone beyond its startup concept.

The company is a partner with Autism Double-Checked, an organization founded by travel-industry professionals and dedicated to creating a safe and enjoyable space for those on the spectrum and their families when they travel away from home. The hustle and jostling and otherwise high energy typical of an American airport isn’t the best environment.

The organization awarded Autism Double-Checked certification to JSX in April 2019.

All staff, including pilots, flight attendants, and customer service agents, undergo training to better assist passengers with autism. JSX also worked with Autism Double-Checked to create a passenger guide for those flying with passengers who have autism. Among other things, the guide alerts passengers to issues of safety, crowds, waiting, noise, body awareness, heat or cold, light, taste or smell, fine-motor issues and surprise element they might encounter at the various airports JSX serves, or on its flights.

In April, JSX contracted with SpaceX’s cutting-edge Starlink as its Wi-Fi provider at no cost to the customer.

“Our customers repeatedly asked us when we would offer inflight Wi-Fi, and we’ve said that we’ll do it when we find the best product in the world. We’ve found it,” Wilcox says.

And if one customer is to be believed, the service the flight offers might be the best option in the world.

Wilcox remembers the day JSX introduced service to Reno-Tahoe. When the first flight arrived from Burbank, a customer who had been patiently waiting for service to Reno walked down the stairs and “bowed down” to the JSX team.

That, Wilcox says, is the result of travel that is, well, joyful.

And at a great price.

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FORT WORTH INC.

PERSON OF THE YEAR

Her life’s work complete, Opal Lee at 95 is anything but done, with dreams still to achieve.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

IMAGES BY CRYSTAL WISE

Perhaps no one ever in Fort Worth — maybe all of America — has bookends on the journey of life quite like the immeasurable Opal Lee, a titan of 21st century civil rights, better known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth.

CONSIDER: As a 12-year-old girl, Opal watched as a White mob burned down her family’s home on Annie Street. At 95, she was the guest of the White House, a witness to an act of history that she worked so tirelessly to see happen. The man who led that mob isn’t but a lonely gravesite somewhere. His last remaining victim has carved out a place for herself in American history.

“She’s been fighting for what’s right all of her life,” says Frederick Gooding, an associate professor of African American history in the John D. Roach Honors College at TCU, as well as a Ronald E. Moore Professor of Humanities. “All of her life she has had to deal with trauma. Think about it. The home is the bedrock of building wealth in this country, and someone burns down your home. That’s a traumatic event. And for hundreds of people to say we don’t want you in this neighborhood. All [her father] was trying to do was live the American dream just like everyone else.

“But to take that trauma and turn it into triumph, to never stop walking the path, and this never-say-die spirit. She never let go of a vision of reconciliation, truth, and justice. She’s never let go of that. In many ways, she represents, for me, the quintessential American.”

Opal is Fort Worth Inc.’s 2022 Person of the Year, an honor bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated a significant contribution to making Greater Fort Worth a better place to live and work with emphasis placed on their contributions over the past year.

Opal’s decades-long campaign for Juneteenth to be recognized as a federal holiday became reality last June when President Joe Biden, with Opal in attendance, signed the bill making Juneteenth the 11th federal holiday to be celebrated every June 19 forever on.

Nobel Peace Prize, the ultimate recognition from the international community.

“I have been proud to call Ms. Lee a friend and mentor for nearly my whole life and was honored to work alongside her to finally get Juneteenth made into a national holiday last year,” Veasey said. “I cannot think of a better person who has constantly fought for justice, and that is why I am nominating her to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.”

Juneteenth is the commemoration of the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free through Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation 2 1/2 years earlier. But, Opal has argued, Juneteenth is not simply just a holiday for African Americans, but all those Americans who labored to abolish slavery and those in the white community who took up the struggle, at great personal risk, for equality in the Jim Crow 20th century.

Also, this past year, she published a children’s book titled Juneteenth, dedicated, she said, to all the children of the U.S. who need to be made aware of their history. As important was news that Fort Worth would be home to a to-be-constructed National Juneteenth Museum in the Historic Southside. When she was at the White House, Biden wrote her a check for $6.19, which is part of the campaign to raise funds for the museum. All who want to contribute can make a check out for $6.19 or $60.19 or $600.19. Or whatever resembles 6/19.

“We’re blessed to mark the day in the presence of Ms. Opal Lee,” Biden said that day. “You’re incredible. A daughter of Texas. You are an incredible woman, you really are. Hate never stopped her. Over the course of decades, she has made it her mission to see that this day came.”

Later in the year, a Congressional delegation, led by Fort Worth Democrat Marc Veasey, recognized Opal for a dedication to the cause of civil rights and racial equality by nominating her for the

What was said between her and Biden at the White House she is keeping to herself. “I’m not telling anybody what the president said. He was delightful. It was humbling. I was delighted. I tell people I wanted to do a holy dance.”

Biden was the third president Opal has met. She met Lyndon B. Johnson during his administration and Barack Obama during his.

There is much more to know about Opal Lee than her walk across America to raise awareness for Juneteenth, all the while gathering 1.5 million signatures, in her 89th year. She since had gathered 1.5 million more signatures, a total of 3 million, she says, when the White House called her last year with an invitation.

She is a gracious host and loves to laugh and enjoys a joke. While posing for photos for this story, she invited me to come closer to her on her porch.

“You see that?” she asks, pointing to a place underneath an awning at her house that is in need of repair.

“That’s on my list.”

At 95, Opal still has dreams, and they’re all on this list she has mentioned three or four times. It’s a list as long as a child’s at Christmastime, she says. None of them, other than perhaps the fix on her home, has anything to do with her.

Opal has some property around town that she wants to make housing for homeless, including a trailer in her own backyard that

Opal Lee's home is a museum of sorts, with mementos and awards received from her more-than-40-year campaign.

she used as a storage shed. She cleaned it out and envisions making it into two living quarters. She has two other lots that she wants to do the same, except she is intrigued by the idea of the shipping containers that builders are using to make homes. In Texarkana, she owns a property that used to be in her family. She wants to make a park of that.

Opal has thought about the prize that comes with winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s about $1 million. All of those projects for the homeless have a place in the would-be proceeds.

Less known as well about Opal is the work she does quietly from her home. Not far from her house is Opal’s Farm, where produce is distributed to the hungry through food banks, including the one she started at her church, Baker Chapel AME Church, which she has been a member of since 1937, two years before the attack on her family’s home.

An old Jax Beer building, she says, was empty and available behind her home. The lease agreement was for $4,000 a month.

“Where are we going to get that?” she remembers asking. “We paid it for 11 months. The month we didn’t have it, those people [the landlords] came to us and said it looked like we were doing good work here and gave us that $1.3 million building.”

That food bank services 500 people a day, she says, adding that she has been retired from the food bank for several years.

This is not the story, obviously, of someone left angry by childhood trauma. There are so many stories of that, people psychologically scarred in adulthood until the day they take their last breath.

Not Opal.

“I didn’t have time to be angry,” she says. “I finished high school at 16. My mom had wanted me to go back to Marshall [Texas, where the family was from] to go to school at Wiley College. I got married instead. My mother wouldn’t even go to the wedding. It took me four years and four babies to realize I was going to have to raise that husband too. I cut my losses.”

Opal returned home and asked her mother if her offer to go to Wiley was still good. There was no longer any money to go to school. Opal went off to Marshall, however.

“I worked I don’t know how many jobs to go to college,” she says. “I went to Wiley without a dime. Mind you, they put me to work in the college bookstore. And my mother kept the job I had during the week. She would work my job in Fort Worth during the week, and I would come home and work on the weekend. I got done [with a degree] in 3 1/2 years.”

Opal came back to Fort Worth and took a job teaching. Her salary

was $2,000 a year, relative pennies even in the early 1950s when you have four kids to feed. In addition to her job with the school, Opal took another with Convair, the bomber plant in Fort Worth that would eventually become Lockheed Martin. She taught school all day and clocked in at Convair at 4 p.m. and clocked out at midnight.

And it’s clear that at 95, Opal maintains that same ethos even with her life’s work as the Grandmother of Juneteenth complete. In March, she signed with a talent agency in Los Angeles, Creative Artists Agency, according to Variety. From the platforms Opal is put on, she will tell the story of Juneteenth and the world she has seen evolve in her almost 100 years.

She says she generally makes two to three appearances a month to speak, and many of those are at schools, the place and audience she knows as well as any other as a former teacher.

Gooding, the professor at TCU, says time will tell about Opal’s place in American history, though there is no questioning her impact.

“She has indisputably played a pivotal role in heightening awareness around the federal holiday we now call Juneteenth,” Gooding says. “I think regionally, she needs to be at the top of a short list. As far as national impact, how people respond to Juneteenth as a holiday might add to her legacy.”

While I think of her place in history, Opal hasn’t given it any thought, she says, for the same reasons she never dwelt on the tragedy of her childhood.

The truth is, Opal Lee isn’t yet in the past. She lives to make a difference in the present and thinks about the future. Even at 95.

“I keep telling them, I’m just a little old lady in tennis shoes getting in everybody else’s business,” Opal says. “And having a damn good time doing it.”

Opal Lee's focus isn't what has been done, but what the future holds.

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Arts and Leisure

Fort Worth’s arts and leisure scene has been recognized worldwide for decades, showing off an assortment of museums and cultural venues for the likes of the city’s Prince of Soul raised in our own backyard. The city’s arts reemerged after COVID-19, including the highly anticipated return of Bass Hall, host earlier this year of the critically acclaimed “Hamilton.”

ARTS AND LEISURE

Daniel Banks Co-founder DNAWorks

Daniel Banks — theater director, educator, and community organizer — and husband Adam McKinney co-founded DNAWorks, dedicated to dialogue and healing through the arts. With DNAWorks, Banks co-founded a coalition of seven organizations that earlier this year purchased the former KKK hall at 1012 N. Main St. in Fort Worth. The group will transform it into the Fred Rouse Center and Museum for Arts and Community Healing. “I envision a crossroads where all of Fort Worth can gather … where we celebrate the richness of our individual cultures freely and openly and where repairing past harm and damage leads to greater respect and appreciation, creativity, and love — of self and one another,” says Banks, who has a bachelor’s from Harvard and a master’s and Ph.D. from New York University.

Kay Fortson Chairman Kimbell Art Foundation

The niece and sole heir of Kay Kimbell, benefactor of the Kimbell Art Museum, Kay Fortson grew up surrounded by art and culture and has spent her adult life carrying out the mission of her uncle to create a world-class museum in Fort Worth. The Louis Kahn-designed Kimbell Art Museum, Renzo Piano Pavilion, and acclaimed collection are recognized internationally. Fortson’s husband, Ben Fortson, is executive vice president and chief financial officer of the foundation, which owns and operates the museum. Kay Fortson relinquished her position of president of the foundation in 2017 to the couple’s daughter, Kimbell Fortson Wynne, while retaining the position of chair. The museum brought to exhibition last year the range of bronzes, ceramics, and metalwork that John D. Rockefeller III and his wife collected over 40 years.

Brad

Barnes President Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

The Fort Worth Stock Show made a triumphant return in 2022 from COVID-19 under the leadership of Brad Barnes, who took over the top job in 2010, stepping in for W.R. “Bob” Watt, Jr. Barnes has led a successful public-private partnership that has helped Will Rogers become a top equestrian and livestock international destination, boosting spending and tax revenue from the Stock Show and numerous other equestrian events each year at Will Rogers. The Stock Show has invested tens of millions in improvements and expansion at Will Rogers since 1944. The latest improvement, Dickies Arena, is the new home to the rodeo. Barnes is vice president and secretary of the Event Facilities Fort Worth nonprofit, which capped the city’s costs for the arena and guaranteed to raise the rest.

Michael Fouraker Executive director Fort Worth Zoo

Michael Fouraker became director in 1993 of the award-winning Fort Worth Zoo, one of the city’s top visitor attractions. Fouraker is president of the International Iguana Foundation and of the Caribbean Wildlife Alliance, past president of the International Elephant Foundation, board member of the International Rhino and International Bongo foundations and Zoological Association of America, past board member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and board member emeritus of the Turtle Survival Alliance. He’s done field work in India, Namibia, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. The zoo, a perennial nominee as America’s best zoo, was part of a coalition that released 204 captive raised horned lizard hatchlings — those are “Horned Frogs” to our purple people, and the state reptile — into the wild. Of those, 100 were hatched in Fort Worth.

Leon Bridges Musician

Fort Worth soul singer Leon Bridges continued his rise with “GoldDiggers Sound,” his third album since climbing up to the top of pop culture only seven short years ago. “Gold-Diggers Sound” was inspired by a series of concerts played at Gold-Diggers, a hotel and bar in East Hollywood. Of a fourth album, he says: “I’m currently working with this cat named Tyler Johnson at Woodshed in Malibu. I want to try to shape something that hasn't been done before.” His audience waits with bated breath. Bridges is also putting his newfound celebrity to good use, teaming with former TCU football coach Gary Patterson to form The Big Good, a nonprofit that helps children and families. The two joined forces for a fundraising that we’re told knocked it out of the park.

Tony Green Owner

Hello, I'm Tony Green

Fort Worthian Tony Green has been called to a purpose, he believes: “My main job is to attract people to this great city,” he tells KERA in an interview earlier this year. Green has a growing brand that he has been cultivated through a podcast he launched with buddy Henry Abuto, chef and co-founder of the catering company ByWasonga. The show covers everything from arts and culture to local entrepreneurship and politics. Each episode has a recurring theme — to get "on the same page," even on matters they disagree. Everyone has a seat — artists, business owners, musicians, and drag queens. Green, who initially built a following serving wine at Kent & Co. Wines, has explored unusual drink venues, the Cultural District, and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

ARTS AND LEISURE

Karen Hixon Johnson President Amon Carter Museum

Ruth Carter Stevenson founded the Amon Carter Museum, following the desire of her father, the oilman, philanthropist, and newspaper publisher, Amon Carter Sr. Stevenson died in 2013. Today, it’s Stevenson’s daughter, Karen Johnson Hixon, who has the helm of the museum, a noted repository of seminal American art. Hixon, who has a bachelor’s in art history from Smith College in Massachusetts and also serves as a life trustee of the San Antonio Museum of Art, has carried on her family’s legacy as philanthropists. She is also a conservationist, a passion she attends to through the foundation she and her husband established, the Tim and Karen Hixon Foundation. Hixon also has served on the board of the Texas Nature Conservancy and a six-year term on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Opal Lee Community and civil rights leader

The life’s work of Opal Lee, 95, became a reality in 2021 with an invitation to the White House for a bill signing making Juneteenth a federal holiday. “I’m so happy I could do a Holy dance,” she said. For more than 40 years, Lee had worked to expand Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865, the day Texas slaves learned they were free. In 2016 at age 90, she started a cross-country walking campaign to lobby for a national Juneteenth holiday. In February, 33 members of Congress, led by Fort Worth’s Mark Veasey, sent a letter to the Nobel Prize committee to nominate Lee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Lee, an I.M. Terrell graduate, has a bachelor’s from Wiley College and a master’s in guidance and counseling from University of North Texas.

Dione Kennedy President and CEO Bass Performance Hall

Dione Kennedy, who has been president and CEO of Performing Arts Fort Worth, the nonprofit that owns and operates Bass Hall, since 2009, is on record as saying her bucket list includes living in a small house on a beautiful beach and reading books all day. Suffice to say, she didn’t have time for any of that over the past year while the performing arts returned to Fort Worth’s internationally renowned Bass Hall, which initiated a successful phased post-COVID reopening and meeting a goal of full-capacity performances by the fall. The 2021-22 Broadway at the Bass season carried over many of last year’s postponed performances, including the critically acclaimed Broadway tours of “Come From Away” and “Hamilton.” Kennedy holds a bachelor’s from the University of Cincinnati.

Jacques Marquis

President and CEO

The Cliburn

A native of Montreal, Jacques Marquis came to The Van Cliburn Foundation in 2012 as interim director before being promoted in 2013. The Cliburn is known internationally for its quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, first held in 1962 and one of the few musical events worldwide that arranges for competitors to stay with host families, allowing an event infused with local hospitality. Marquis expanded the Cliburn’s offerings with new concerts like the Cliburn Festival, club series Cliburn Sessions, and free Cliburn in the Community concerts. He also launched the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival for 13- to 17-year-olds. A graduate of the Université de Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in music (piano), Marquis earned a degree in business administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Eric Lee Director Kimbell Art Museum

Eric Lee is the Kimbell Art Museum’s fourth director. A native of North Carolina, Lee received his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D., all in art history, from Yale University. Since his arrival in Fort Worth in 2009, the Kimbell constructed and opened the Renzo Piano Pavilion; acquired numerous masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s “Torment of Saint Anthony,” the artist’s only painting in the Americas; and organized acclaimed exhibitions such as “Monet: The Late Years.” During the pandemic, the Kimbell expanded its outreach with online programs and successfully reopened to the public in June 2020. Over the past year, the Kimbell welcomed special exhibitions “Buddha, Shiva, Lotus, Dragon: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society” this summer and “Turner’s Modern World,” featuring works by English painter J.M.W. Turner, in the fall.

Stacie McDavid CEO

McDavid Investments

Stacie McDavid is CEO of McDavid Investments Company, which holds real estate, investments, and equine breeding, training, ranch operations. McDavid’s a near cultural icon in Fort Worth. As a lifelong competitive athlete, McDavid competes in the National Cutting Horse Association, where she was inducted into the Non-Pro Hall of Fame in 2013 with more than $1 million in earnings. In 2014, she was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 2016, she earned distinction in the cutting world as the American Quarter Horse Association Amateur Cutting World Champion. McDavid followed that up with Reserve World Champion in 2017. McDavid is vice president of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. McDavid holds a Bachelor of Science from Texas Woman’s University, where she serves on the Board of Regents.

ARTS AND LEISURE

Jonathan Morris Co-founder Hotel Dryce

Raised near San Antonio, Jonathan Morris left his native state to study business management at Morehouse College in Atlanta. His return to Texas landed him in Fort Worth, where his girlfriend was living. He took a job in Dallas at a digital marketing firm but soon was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. He opened up a successful barbershop in Fort Worth yet dreamed bigger. With Allen Mederos, in August, Morris opened the three-story, 21-room Hotel Dryce on the site of a 50-year-old dry-ice factory right off of Montgomery Street. From there — and in his role as a reality TV star on the Magnolia Network — he is an unofficial ambassador to the city he calls “Funky Town,” derived from R&B radio hosts who decades ago referred to the city as “Funky Fort Worth.”

Marla Price Director Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Marla Price, nationally renowned for her expertise in contemporary art, joined the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as chief curator in 1986. Price was appointed acting director in April 1991 and director in January 1992, and the museum has continued to grow in stature during her tenure. She was instrumental on the building committee that oversaw the construction of the Modern’s new building, designed by Tadao Ando and completed in 2002. Price received a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington College and a doctorate in art history from the University of Virginia, with a dissertation on the American painter Milton Avery. She worked previously as deputy information officer and then associate curator of Twentieth-Century Art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Robert Spano

Music director designate Fort Worth Sympony Orchestra

Robert Spano, 60, four times a Grammy Award-winning musical director with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, had been a principal guest conductor since 2019 but will assume the permanent position of music director on Aug. 1. Spano is the 10th musical director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, dating to 1912. Prior to his 20 years in Atlanta that included the creation of the Atlanta School of Composers, Spano was assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and for eight years the director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Spano studied at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he was on the faculty, and the Curtis Institute of Music. He has received honorary doctorates from Bowling Green and Emory University, among others. Spano was also the recipient of the Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities.

Andrew Walker

Executive director

Amon Carter Museum

Taylor Sheridan Principal Bosque Ranch Production, Inc.

Taylor Sheridan, a Hollywood actor, screenwriter, and director who graduated from Paschal High School, returned to town to make the Fort Worth Stockyards a centerpiece for his “Yellowstone” prequel, “1883,” starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott, all of whom spent time in Cowtown during weeks-long filming. Sheridan, who has a ranch in Weatherford, reached the apex of his profession — or he thought he did — with “Hell or High Water,” which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 2016. That was before “Yellowstone,” which has been a critically acclaimed artistic and commercial success. Also on his agenda this past year was forming a group to buy Burk Burnett’s iconic Four Sixes Ranch. From there, a “Yellowstone” spinoff, “6666,” will be based.

Andrew Walker was named director of the Amon Carter in 2011, making his way to Fort Worth from the St. Louis Art Museum, and has played a critical role in the way the museum connects with the community. The museum in 2018 established Carter Community Artists, an annual initiative dedicated to working with local artists to enhance the museum’s events, connect the North Texas area with practicing artists, and build a diverse network. Walker was formerly assistant director for curatorial affairs at the St. Louis Art Museum. Before that, he was director of collections and conservation at the Missouri Historical Society and formerly an associate curator at The Art Institute of Chicago. He has a bachelor’s in art history from Bowdoin College and a Ph.D. in art history from University of Pennsylvania. Kimbell

Fortson

Kimbell Fortson Wynne was named president of the Kimbell Art Foundation in 2017 after serving on its board for 27 years. During her years on the board, Wynne played pivotal leadership roles in the development of the Piano Pavilion, as well as the expansion of community programs and museum services. The foundation owns and operates the Kimbell Art Museum. Wynne is the eldest daughter of Kay Fortson — the niece of Kimbell benefactor Kay Kimbell, who has spent her adult years carrying out her uncle’s wishes to create a world-class museum in Fort Worth — and Ben Fortson. Kay Fortson remains the foundation chair. Wynne also serves on the board of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and is a board member emeritus of her alma mater, TCU.

An Unexpected Take on Meetings & Events

The Fort Worth Zoo isn’t your typical event space. With unexpected wildlife views and a variety of different meeting, event and party venues, you can create a truly memorable experience for your guests. From wild birthday parties to extravagant corporate galas, the Fort Worth Zoo is the perfect backdrop for your next gathering.

Leading the way.

Simmons Bank congratulates Lori Baldock, Fort Worth Market President, for once again being named to The 400. Lori provides the leadership and teamwork that help move our community forward.

For more than 100 years, we’ve worked hard to meet each of our customers’ unique needs. Everything from buying a home, starting a business or simply having the ability to manage your money safely and securely, anywhere you happen to be.

Find your local branch at simmonsbank.com.

Preserving the past while building for the future

When Ryan Dodson’s team developed new 701 West Magnolia development, he turned to bankers who understand the “why” of historic buildings.

“I needed a bank that could help me give a nod to the past and a vision for the future. Ciera was that bank.”

-Ryan Dodson

At Ciera Bank, we’re proud to provide appreciate the value of history. We’ve been helping North Texans build their dreams for more than 130 years.

Nine North Texas Locations including 1501 Summit Avenue, Fort Worth (817)335-5955 www.cierabank.com

America First Investing

• Venture Capital – national security technology

• Politically Responsible Investing™

• Values based investing

There is a paradigm shift happening in the way technology for U.S. national security is developed and funded. The future won’t be in Silicon Valley or with the major defense contractors. The next generation of U.S. security technology will be led and funded by Texans.

— Hal Lambert, Founder Point Bridge Capital

Banking and Finance

Banking, credit services, insurance, angel investing, private equity, and wealth advisers are part of the region’s financial services ecosystem. Bankers were again pushed into action in the face of surging inflation and rate hikes.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Laura Baldwin Managing director Golden Seeds

Laura Baldwin is president of Waco Bend Asset Management Ltd., where she manages her family’s investment portfolio. She is also a managing director with Golden Seeds, a national angel investment group that invests in women-owned and -led companies. She previously worked in various roles at Triad Hospitals, most recently as VP of finance and investor relations, and in equity research and investment banking. Laura is on the board and chair of the Finance Committee of the Foundation for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth. She is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Texas Women’s Foundation; member of the board and the Finance Committee for TechFW, and on the board of the North Texas Angel Network (NTAN). Bachelor’s, UT Austin, and an MBA from SMU.

Bob Ferguson President Wortham Insurance and Risk Management

Bob Ferguson, a Fort Worth native and graduate of Paschal High School, is an entrepreneur and investor, as well as a member of the Cowtown Angels Steering Council. After time in Hartford, Connecticut, and Dallas, he returned to Fort Worth to join The Brants Company. He became the company’s president in 1983 and remained president of Brants-Wortham from 2000 – 11. Ferguson is also a founding investor and board chairman of Cx Precision Medicine, Inc., which was formed in 2017. In 2019, the UNT Health Science Center gave Ferguson its Vision Award, its highest honor, for his work to raise the university’s reputation. Ferguson is an emeritus member of the UNTHSC Foundation Board and is a generous donor to the Health Science Center. He was foundation chair, 2014 – 2016. He received a bachelor’s in business administration from SMU.

Bill Buechele

Managing director, business development

Capital CFO Partners

Bill Buechele, an experienced board of directors’ member and retired Deloitte & Touche audit partner now focused on serving public and private companies as a director, is chairman of Fort Worth’s Cowtown Angels steering committee and selection committee member, and was membership committee chair and executive committee member of the National Association of Corporate Directors-North Texas. He is a longtime business advisor and investor with diverse industry experience, including private equity, technology, health care, manufacturing, and energy exposure. Buechele was formerly a leader of Deloitte’s Growth Enterprise Services practice in North Texas, providing advisory, tax and audit services to growth companies, entities in transition, and private equity portfolios. Buechele has a bachelor’s and an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business.

Tyler Head President Corbett Capital

Tyler Head founded Corbett Capital, a closely held investment firm focusing on growth capital investments in early-stage and lower middle market companies, founded in 2011. He is a founding member of TechFW’s Cowtown Angels angel investing group and formerly served on its Steering Council. Head was an officer and F/A-18 pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps 1998 – 2009, attaining the rank of major. He serves on the boards of Elevate Credit, Inc., and is chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; Little Passports, Inc., a monthly subscription company for children; and the World Craniofacial Foundation. Head formerly was a TechFW director. He has a bachelor’s in political science with a Spanish minor from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tusk School of Business.

Carolyn Cason Investor Cowtown Angels

Carolyn Cason, retired professor and associate dean for research in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at the University of Texas at Arlington, serves on the Steering Council of the Cowtown Angels investing group. In 1997, she joined the College of Nursing, where she led in creating the research infrastructure needed to support the doctoral program and was instrumental in defining and implementing the program focus on health care for diverse and vulnerable populations. She developed the model for the SMART Hospital, a virtual hospital in which high-fidelity interactive mannequins serve as patients. And as co-founder, she acquired private and governmental funding for it. Inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UTA, 2009. Bachelor’s and master’s, nursing; Ph.D., educational psychology, all UT-Arlington.

Stella Robertson Co-founder and president Bios Partners

Stella Robertson is founder of Bios Partners, a Fort Worth private equity firm. She’s a member of the Cowtown Angels investing group in Fort Worth and has served on its Steering Council. Robertson is known in the Fort Worth tech startup and angel community for her guidance on prospective health care investments. Robertson has over 25 years in pharmaceutical research and development, including R&D strategies, project management, clinical trials, regulatory filings for U.S. and international registrations, product launch, market support, and translational medicine. Robertson was a VP in R&D for Alcon. She received a Ph.D. in biology-immunology from Johns Hopkins and is an adjunct member of the Ophthalmology Department of UT Southwestern Medical School in San Antonio. She holds a number of patents and is author of over 50 publications.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Lori Baldock Market president Simmons Bank

Lori Baldock, who was promoted to market president in 2019, has more than 30 years in commercial banking, specializing in commercial and industrial and real estate financing. She serves as board chair of Near Southside Inc. and is on the executive committee of Texas Health Exchange Fort Worth. She is a member of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth and Women Steering Business. She is also an active supporter of the Women’s Business Council Southwest. Baldock, an alum of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, is a graduate of Leadership Arlington, where she was chosen as class representative and subsequently served five terms on the board of directors. She is also a graduate of the Intermediate Banking School at Southern Methodist University.

Eddie Broussard Banking executive

President, Fort Worth market

After a successful, multifaceted career in North Carolina, Eddie Broussard returned to Texas in 2013 to join Texas Capital Bank as a senior vice president and commercial banking executive. In 2019, Broussard was named regional president. Broussard left Texas Capital Bank in April. In May, he announced that he had taken a job with UMB Bank. He is also currently the chair of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, which played critical roles in bringing the men’s NCAA basketball tournament and Professional Bull Riders World Finals to Fort Worth, as well as the NCAA Gymnastics championships. “There’s just such significant economic engine through sports and sporting events,” he says. “That’s what the heart of what sports is doing for Fort Worth.” Broussard is a graduate of Texas Tech University.

Daniel Berce President and CEO GM Financial

Daniel Berce has been president and CEO of the Fort Worth-based GM Financial since October 2010 when General Motors purchased AmeriCredit and renamed it GM Financial. Berce held various executive posts at AmeriCredit starting in 1990, including CEO from August 2005 to September 2010. Before AmeriCredit, Berce was an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand for 14 years and a partner with the firm. He is a CPA and graduate of Regis University in Denver, where he is also a member of the board of trustees. Berce has been active in many civic and philanthropic organizations, including serving as the past president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and past chairman of Cook Children’s Health Care System. GM Financial is the wholly owned captive finance subsidiary of GM.

Steven Colwick

Market president Comerica Bank

Steven Colwick was named Comerica Bank’s Fort Worth Market president in 2019, and he also is middle market and business banking group manager for the market. Colwick oversees business and community development efforts across the retail, business banking, middle market, and wealth management lines of business. Colwick began his career at Comerica 20 years ago as a credit analyst and has spent most of his career in the middle market sector. Before becoming Fort Worth Market president, Colwick supported the bank’s middle market efforts in Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio as a relationship manager. Volunteers: board, Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth; Junior Achievement of Chisholm Trail; March of Dimes; United Way of Tarrant County. Bachelor’s, Texas State University; MBA, Texas Tech; SMU Graduate School of Banking program.

Henry Borbolla III Senior vice president Ciera Bank

Henry Borbolla III, has blended his morethan-30 years in banking and finance with service to Fort Worth. Most recently his term on the board of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport evolved, as board members elected Borbolla as chair. His career in the financial industry includes serving as a CFO in the manufacturing sector in addition to commercial and private banking. Borbolla also serves on the Trinity River Authority, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., and Historic Fort Worth, Inc. executive committees. Other boards: Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation, Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate, Rotary Club of Fort Worth. He is also active in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth music ministry at St. Andrew, St. Rita, St. Patrick Cathedral parishes. Borbolla earned a bachelor’s degree from TCU.

Mark Drennan Region president Southside Bank

Mark Drennan has been Southside Bank’s North Texas Region president since September 2017, promoted into the post from executive vice president, commercial lending for the North Texas Region. Drennan has more than 20 years in banking, including commercial banking, managing a commercial real estate group, and starting and managing a health care and seniors housing banking team. His board memberships include past chair of Leadership Fort Worth and graduated the program; served on the Vision Fort Worth Advisory Council of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce; Texas Health Resources Research and Education Council board; and Fort Worth Metropolitan YMCA board. Drennan has a bachelor’s and MBA from Texas Tech, and he is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at University of Pennsylvania.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Banking and Credit Services

Jim DuBose Chairman Colonial Savings

Jim DuBose was appointed chairman of Colonial Savings in 2006, succeeding his father and Colonial founder James S. DuBose, who died in 2017. DuBose has served on the Residential Board of Governors of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and is a former director of the Federal Home Loan Bank in Dallas. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. Founded in 1952, Colonial is a national, multi-service financial institution headquartered in Fort Worth and is one of largest servicers of mortgage loans in the U.S., with a servicing portfolio of $26 billion. It is parent of Colonial National Mortgage, CU Members Mortgage, and Colonial Savings. It is also affiliated with Colonial Life Insurance Co. of Texas, DuBose & Associates Insurance, and Colonial Lloyds.

Brian Happel Executive vice president Regions Bank

Brian Happel, a banking executive veteran in the North Texas region for decades, joined Regions’ commercial banking team in June 2021. He is also the bank’s Fort Worth market executive. Happel’s career includes credit and mortgage and commercial banking leadership positions with JP Morgan Chase. Most recently, he worked in commercial banking with BBVA USA. Happel’s community engagement includes board memberships with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Fort Worth Inc. Happel is also a member of UT Arlington’s College of Business Advisory Board. He has a bachelor’s in business administration from UTA and was a member of the football team as the placekicker in the early 1980s. After college he went to camp and had stints with four NFL teams and three in the USFL.

Erika Hersh Regional

lending manager Veritex Community Bank

Erika Hersh joined the SBA lending team of Veritex Bank as assistant vice president in December 2020. Veritex specializes in deals up to $5 million in business acquisition, commercial real estate and equipment purchases, debt refinance, working capital, and expansions. Hersh moved over from PeopleFund, a specialist in microloans and other SBA products, where she was regional lending manager and lauded within the small business finance community. Hersh’s work in the community includes membership in the Fort Worth Chamber’s Cowtown Leads Exchange, as well as time as chairwoman of of the Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce Power of Heels Division, and as a volunteer at Crazy8 ministries. This is Hersh’s third appearance on The 400. She earned a bachelor’s from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.

Dale Klose

Territory executive PNC Bank

With its acquisition of BBVA USA last summer, PNC announced that Southwest and Mountain territory executive Dale Klose would relocate to Fort Worth, signaling, the company said at the time, the bank’s commitment to Fort Worth and the region as it implements its plans to expand across Texas. Klose brought with him more than 35 years of experience with PNC, including serving as regional president for PNC in Kansas City. Over the course of his career, Klose has held a number of executive leadership roles across the bank, including those in corporate banking, treasury management, international and retail banking. He also served as COO of PNC’s Office of the Regional Presidents with responsibility for leading strategic growth initiatives, operational planning and oversight of regional client and community relations across the PNC footprint.

Jason Harvison CEO Elevate Credit

Jason Harvison was promoted to CEO of the Fort Worth-based Elevate Credit (NYSE: ELVT) in 2019, moving up from chief operating officer, a job he held for five years. Elevate sells credit products for nonprime customers and touts itself as remaking subprime lending with transparency. In 2021, Harvison was selected a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Southwest Award, which recognizes leaders around the world who are building and sustaining successful, dynamic businesses. “Jason brings an energy and enthusiasm to his work that inspires employees, retains customers, and drives results,” Elevate Chairman of the Board Saundra Schrock said at the time. Harvison was also a finalist for the Fort Worth Chamber’s 2021 Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award. Harvison earned a bachelor’s in finance from Texas A&M.

Greg Morse President and CEO Worthington National Bank

Greg Morse has more than 38 years in Tarrant County banking, including nearly 20 as CEO and founding member of Worthington National Bank. The San Angelo native’s appreciation of fine art, especially Texas artwork, is visible at each bank location. Morse followed a bachelor’s in business from SMU with an MBA from TCU and successfully completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. Morse is an adjunct professor at UT Arlington, teaching MBA and senior-level finance. His work there has been recognized with the Excellence in Teaching Award. He serves on the board of directors for several area nonprofits, including the Navy Seals Foundation Board, Fort Worth Stock Show, Tarrant County Blue, the Arlington Police Foundation, Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers' Foundation Board, and Amon Carter Museum Ambassadors Council.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Babby Newland Region president Wells Fargo Bank

Babby Newland, who grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from Southwest High School, started with Wells Fargo as a teenager and now has more than 40 years in banking as a branch manager, lender, sales and service coach, retail sales leader, and district manager. She has been active in her community, serving on a number of boards, including YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and as a mentor to young women.

Lonnie Nicholson President and CEO EECU

Lonnie Nicholson became president and CEO of EECU in 2006, previously serving as chief operating officer and credit union service organization president. Nicholson is a 30-year credit union veteran. He is past president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board and serves on the boards of the Credit Union Coalition of Texas, EECU Community Foundation, National Association of Federal Credit Unions. Asked what the best advice he received from a mentor, Nicholson says: "Understand what motivates one person may not motivate another. Take time to know your people and help them grow.” Nicholson attended Fort Hays State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and has an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Martin Noto Jr.

Executive vice president Inwood National Bank

Martin Noto has an extensive background in commercial banking, with 38 years in banking. Before joining Inwood in 2019, he was president and CEO of the Fort Worth Region for First Financial Bank. Noto previously worked for Origin Bank and BBVA Compass Bank. Noto began his career with JP Morgan Chase Bank and experienced all sides of the banking industry. Before leaving, he oversaw the approval process and credit quality of a $3.5 billion loan portfolio originated by 26 bankers in eight offices located in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. He serves on the United Way Board and Finance Committee and is a member of the executive committee of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. Noto is also past chair of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. BBA, marketing; MBA, finance; University of North Texas.

Mark Nurdin

Executive vice president Bank of Texas

Mark Nurdin wears multiple hats for Bank of Texas. He’s been executive vice president of parent BOK Financial since September 2019, responsible for managing two commercial banking teams. He’s also been CEO of the Fort Worth Region since 2009. Before his time at Bank of Texas, Nurdin was senior vice president and regional manager of the Wealth Management Group at Wells Fargo, where he was responsible for leading a team delivering insurance, investment management, and trust services. Under his leadership, the Fort Worth office achieved Concorde Elite status in 2006 and 2008. His board memberships include Visit Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Stock Show. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from Texas Tech University.

Wayne Parkman

Market president BancorpSouth Fort Worth

Wayne Parkman had been area president for Prosperity Bank since 2009. He left there in October. The bank, one of Texas’ largest, obtained a significantly larger footprint in North Texas when it completed its merger in 2019 with the LegacyTexas Financial Group. The combined bank at the time of the merger had $10.5 billion in assets, $9.1 billion in total loans, and $6.5 billion in deposits. Parkman previously worked for Colonial Bank. He earned a bachelor’s in agricultural business from Texas Tech University and certification from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.

Mike Pavell Market president Bank of America

Mike Pavell joined Bank of America in 1993. He is the bank’s Fort Worth and Tarrant County market president and a private client adviser for the Bank of America Private Bank. Before rejoining the Fort Worth team in 2004, Pavell was a principal and portfolio management officer in the former Global Corporate and Investment Bank. While in GCIB, Pavell had coverage responsibilities in the media/telecom industry and in the financial services industry. Board memberships include Trinity Valley School, Davey O’Brien Foundation, International Board of Visitors of the TCU Neeley School of Business, elder and former trustee of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth. Past president of the Neeley Alumni Board and past member of the Frog Club. Pavell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and MBA from TCU.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Banking and Credit Services

Charlie Powell President and CEO Ciera Bank

Charlie Powell’s career spans more than three decades, and he counts the relationships he’s built and people he’s mentored as his legacy. Awards include Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council 2018 Distinguished Health Service, Association of Fundraising Professionals 2016 National Philanthropic Outstanding Volunteer, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce 2008 Leadership and Community Service, Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizens Award, Northeast Tarrant County Leadership Forum 2011 Distinguished Leadership Award, Tarrant County Bankers Association 2011 Banker of the Year. Co-chair of the Tarrant County United Way Campaign, 2013. Current member, JPS Health Network board. Bachelor’s, UT Austin; American Bankers Association National Commercial Graduate Lending School, University of Oklahoma; Southwestern School of Banking, SMU.

Mark W. Warren Region president

PlainsCapital Bank

Mark Warren is a 35-year veteran of the banking industry. As Fort Worth region chairman, he oversees bank management, business development, and recruitment for Fort Worth, including day-to-day operations at branches in Fort Worth, Weatherford, Arlington, Colleyville, and Mansfield. He previously was president of PlainsCapital Bank in Arlington and senior vice president and senior commercial relationship manager at JPMorgan Chase Bank. Warren’s current board affiliations include River Legacy Foundation, where he serves as vice president of the executive committee member and as a finance committee member. Warren has a bachelor’s in business administration and finance from University of Texas at Arlington.

Neil Randel CEO First American Payment Systems LP

Neil Randel is CEO at First American and managing director of Deluxe Payments, a major business technology concern. First American, based in Fort Worth, is a privately owned, leading large-scale payment processor. Randel has more than 30 years in transaction processing. He founded National Merchant Services, an independent sales organization providing merchant services throughout Texas, followed by FirstNet Corp., which provided credit card processing, before joining First American in 1993. First American has become one of the fastestgrowing payment processors in the U.S. In 2004, Randel was selected EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year in Business Services, a program that recognizes entrepreneurial achievement among individuals that demonstrate vision, leadership, and success. He serves on the board of Jewel Charity, a fundraising arm of Cook Children’s Medical Center.

Rick Wessel

CEO and vice chairman First Cash

Rick Wessel has served as vice chair of First Cash since September 2016 and CEO since November 2006. FirstCash is the leading international operator of pawn stores, with more than 2,770 retail pawn locations and 17,000 employees in 24 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador. FirstCash focuses on serving cash and credit constrained consumers through its retail pawn locations, which buy and sell a wide variety of jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, musical instruments, and other merchandise, and make small consumer pawn loans secured by pledged personal property. Wessel joined the company in 1992 as chief financial officer. Previously, he worked for Price Waterhouse.

James Stokes Jr. Executive director Alliance Lending Corp.

James Stokes, with 36 years of experience, is executive director of Alliance Lending Corp., an SBA lending source and provider of long-term, fixed-rate financing for growing businesses. Stokes is charter and past president of the North Texas Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders and continues to serve as a board member. He also is secretary of the National Association of Development Cos. Both associations have a mission of keeping the interest of borrowers front and center before members of Congress. Alliance Lending was chartered in 1976 as the Fort Worth Economic Development Corp., and it changed its name to Alliance Lending in 2005. Stokes earned a bachelor’s in finance from LSU.

Hadley Woerner

President-Tarrant Region Frost Bank

Hadley Woerner has more than 39 years in banking, and today is president–Tarrant Region for the $42 billion Frost Bank, celebrating its 154th year. Woerner, who has built expertise in the business issues of entrepreneurs, corporations, nonprofits, and governmental organizations statewide, including assignments in commercial lending and relationship management for various kinds of middle market organizations, oversees development and expansion of relationships across all Frost financial services. He currently serves on the board of directors for United Way of Tarrant County, Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail, North Texas LEAD, Davey O’Brien Foundation, Tarleton State University Foundation, and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Woerner’s credentials include a bachelor’s in business administration from Howard Payne University in Brownwood.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Gus S. Bates CEO Hub International/Gus Bates Insurance and Investments

Working alongside his father, Gus S. Bates started his insurance career in 1990 and grew into a full-service insurance brokerage, selling retirement plan services, employee benefits, property and casualty, and personal insurance lines. Bates and the company have been longtime Fort Worth supporters of numerous causes, including many proposed by employees. In 2020, Hub International, the global insurance brokerage, acquired the assets of Gus Bates Insurance and Investments. Bates divided proceeds among employees and remained with Hub. Outside of insurance, Bates has built other businesses, including the Pop’s Gym boutique fitness studio and a commercial real estate portfolio. Bates has a bachelor’s from TCU.

Jim Hubbard Managing director, employee benefits Higginbotham

Jim Hubbard has been with Higginbotham since 1989, when he co-founded the firm’s Financial Services Division, and is a director and member of the management team. Higginbotham serves as a single source for insurance, risk management, and financial services, selling commercial and personal property and casualty coverage, employee benefits, retirement plans, life insurance, and executive compensation plans through more than 250 regional and national carriers. Higginbotham is the nation’s 30th-largest independent insurance brokerage and second largest in Texas. Has served on the Fort Worth Country Day School and Trinity Habitat for Humanity boards. Hubbard has a bachelor’s in business administration and management from the University of North Texas.

Matt Morris Area president Hub International/Gus Bates Insurance and Investments

Matt Morris graduated Aledo High School and headed west to Hardin-Simmons University, where he earned his BBA in finance and leadership, was a two-time NCAA All-American offensive lineman, and met his wife to be, Sarah. He began working for Gus Bates, 2002, in accounting and operational support. In 2020, assets of the firm, then with 60 employees and $13.5 million annual revenue, were purchased by Hub International. Morris, as president, helped lead the search for a sale partner that would continue the Bates “people first” culture. He remained as area president. He is active at Christ Chapel, and board membership includes: First Financial Bank Fort Worth Advisory Board, Heritage Land Bank Advisory Board, Aledo Education Foundation, Aledo ISD Bearcat Growth Committee, Aledo ISD Bond Progress Committee (chair). MBA, finance, TCU.

John

Pergande CEO InsureZone

John Pergande founded InsureZone in 1999, a venture-funded company whose goal was to bring technology to insurance by creating a comparative quoting service and other tools to sell and provide service for insurance policies, all online. Original strategy was to lever the brands of financial institutions that wanted to sell insurance on their sites. But major marketing partners generated few leads, so InsureZone rebuilt its plan to focus instead on serving agents, rather than consumers. Today, InsureZone is a holding company with a combination of software development and insurance services. Its software is used by over 35,000 agencies around the U.S. for policy shopping and service. Pergande’s nonprofit interests include: STARS Scholarship Fund, Cristo Rey, Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, and the Fort Worth Symphony. BA, economics and political science, Yale; MBA, Northwestern.

Mark Jones Chairman and CEO Goosehead Insurance

Mark Jones — then a senior partner at Bain & Co. — and his wife, Robyn (a real estate investor), co-founded Goosehead Insurance in 2003 in Westlake, with an independent multi-carrier franchise model. Today, Goosehead represents more than 140 insurance companies that underwrite personal lines and small commercial lines risks, and its operations include a network of nine corporate sales offices and over 1,400 operating and contracted franchises. Shares of the publicly traded company, traded on the NASDAQ, were worth more than $2 billion in April. In September, the husband and wife announced a $100 million gift to Montana State University to train nurses and expand access to health care in the state’s rural areas. Jones earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Harvard University.

Rusty Reid CEO Higginbotham

Rusty Reid has been president and CEO of Higginbotham since 1989. The company has become one of the largest U.S. independent brokerages and largest in Texas, with full property and casualty and financial service lines in its nearly 50 offices in 10 states. Reid implemented the firm’s “single source” service model and established the company’s employee ownership structure. Reid began his career as an assistant to the principals of Ramey, King & Minnis Insurance Agency in 1983. He moved on to American General Fire & Casualty Company before joining Higginbotham in 1986. He is president of the All Saints’ Episcopal School board, first vice president of the Davey O’Brien Foundation board, a member of the Casa Mañana board, and a former regent at the University of North Texas, his alma mater.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Lee Bass

Lee M. Bass Inc.

Lee Bass, youngest of the four Bass brothers, has an estimated $2.1 billion net worth, according to Forbes. The brothers’ uncle, oilman Sid Richardson, bequeathed each nephew $2.8 million when he died in 1959. The brothers turned their inheritances into fortunes, investing in oil and other vehicles. In 2017, the brothers sold oil holdings in West Texas to ExxonMobil for up to a total $6.6 billion. The brothers invested in developing a big piece of downtown Fort Worth into Sundance Square. In 2019, Ed and wife Sasha Bass announced they had taken 100% ownership of Sundance Square except for the City Center Towers. Lee and wife Ramona (see Philanthropy) give to conservation, education, and other causes through Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation. Bachelor’s, arts/sciences, Yale; MBA, University of Pennsylvania.

David Bonderman

Chairman, founding partner TPG

David Bonderman, who worked for Robert Bass before leaving to found the TPG private equity group (nee Texas Pacific Group) with Bass colleague James Coulter in 1992, has built an estimated $4.5 billion net worth, according to Forbes. TPG is a global investment firm headquartered in San Francisco and Fort Worth, with more than $114 billion in assets under management and 12 offices around the world. The firm works in private equity, real estate, and hedge funds. Bonderman works from Fort Worth, and Coulter from San Francisco. Their first deal was a $66 million investment in the struggling Continental Airlines that made the firm a $640 million profit, according to Forbes. Bonderman holds a bachelor’s from University of Washington and law degree from Harvard University.

Robert Bass

Keystone Group LP

Robert Bass, one of the four Bass brothers, has an estimated $5.1 billion net worth, according to Forbes. The brothers’ uncle, oilman Sid Richardson, bequeathed each of his nephews $2.8 million when he died in 1959. Each turned the inheritance into multibillion-dollar net worths, investing in oil and other vehicles. The brothers in 2017 sold West Texas oil holdings to ExxonMobil for up to a total $6.5 billion. In 2019, Ed and wife Sasha Bass (see Real Estate) announced they had taken 100% interest of the family’s Sundance Square holdings, except for the City Center towers. Robert Bass is investing in a startup, Aerion, developing a supersonic commercial airliner and business jet. Robert and wife Anne (see Philanthropy) direct their giving through their Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Foundation. Bachelor’s, arts/sciences, Yale; MBA, Stanford.

Douglas Bratton

Founding partner and chief investment officer

Crestline Investors

Douglas Bratton has been an investment professional with organizations using alternative asset strategies since 1983. He has extensive experience in hedge fund management, credit strategies, private equity, and venture capital. Since 1989, Mr. Bratton has managed portfolios using these strategies on behalf of organizations associated with Fort Worth’s Bass family and has negotiated alternative asset-related purchases and joint ventures for Bass and Crestline entities. Bratton is majority owner of Crestline Investors. Prior to founding Crestline, he spent six years with Taylor & Co., an investment organization associated with the Bass family. Bratton serves on the Fort Worth Zoo board. He received a BS from North Carolina State University in 1981 and an MBA from Duke University in 1984.

Sid Bass

Sid R. Bass Inc.

Sid Bass, eldest of the four Bass brothers, has a $3.4 billion estimated net worth, according to Forbes. The brothers each inherited $2.8 million from their uncle, oilman Sid Richardson, when he died. Each turned that into a multibillion-dollar fortune, investing in oil and other vehicles.

The brothers sold oil holdings in West Texas to ExxonMobil in 2017 for up to $6.5 billion, a deal negotiated directly between Sid Bass and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, according to Forbes. The brothers invested in converting a big piece of downtown Fort Worth into Sundance Square. In 2019, Ed and wife Sasha Bass announced they had taken 100% interest in Sundance Square except for the City Center towers, owned jointly by Ed, Sasha, Sid, and Lee Bass. Bachelor’s, arts/ sciences, Yale; MBA, Stanford.

Randy Eisenman

Co-founder and managing partner

Satori Capital

Randy Eisenman launched (with Sunny Vanderbeck) Satori Capital, a Fort Worth-based multi-strategy investment firm founded on the principles of conscious capitalism. Eisenman spent 10 years at the Fort Worth-based Q Investments, where he was a partner and founded Handango to capitalize on the emerging mobile applications market. Based on his role at Handango, Eisenman was named Ernst & Young’s 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year. Before Q, Eisenman was a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs & Co. A 1993 graduate of Fort Worth Country Day, Eisenman today is president of the school’s board of trustees. Past member, Cook Children’s Health Foundation board and still Investment Committee member, and the TCU Entrepreneurial Program Advisory Board. He is a graduate of Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Craig Kelly President Kelly Capital Partners

Craig Kelly was one of the founding partners of Vintage Capital Partners Fund I in 2005. He later raised two additional Funds: Kelly Capital Fund I in 2010 and Kelly Capital Fund II in 2014. Kelly has raised more than $350 million in private equity and has over 30 years in commercial real estate. His expertise is in acquisition, development, brokerage, and asset management. From 1992 to 2006, Kelly was a partner in Kelly, Geren & Searcy, a full-service real estate company that sold in 2006 to Coldwell Banker Commercial. He served on the city of Fort Worth Planning Commission, the boards of Leadership Fort Worth and The Cliburn, and DFW Center for Autism, where he was chair. Kelly earned a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin.

Scott Kleberg

Principal and managing partner

CA Partners Holdings

Scott Kleberg is the principal and managing member of CA Partners, LLC, a registered investment adviser in Fort Worth, managing investments and advising families. Kleberg is chief investment officer of Bluestem Partners, L.P., a diversified family investment partnership, and founding principal and president of Private Equity Partners, Inc., a private equity investment firm started in 1996 in Fort Worth. Prior to forming Private Equity Partners, Kleberg worked for Luther King Capital Management as an investment analyst, portfolio manager, and vice president. Kleberg is great-great grandson of Capt. Richard King, who founded the King Ranch in South Texas in the late 1880s. From 1984 to 1990, Kleberg was employed by King Ranch, Inc., owner of the 820,000-acre ranch. Bachelor’s, Texas A&M; master’s, Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Ardon Moore

President and CEO Lee M. Bass Inc.

Along with serving as CEO of Lee M. Bass Inc., Lee Bass’ investment vehicle, Ardon Moore, is active in the Fort Worth community. He’s president of the executive committee of the Fort Worth Zoological Association. He’s a former trustee of the Cook Children’s Medical Center and All Saints’ Episcopal School boards. He’s also former vice chairman of the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Co., which manages the UT System’s investment assets. Moore and wife Iris direct giving through their Ardon and Iris Moore Foundation, which held $10.7 million in net assets in 2019, according to its annual federal filing. The Moores were honored in 2016 by All Saints’ Episcopal School for matching contributions dollar-for-dollar to an $11.6 million capital campaign. Moore is past board president of All Saints.

Geoffrey Raynor Founding partner Q Investments

Geoffrey Raynor founded Q Investments in 1994 in Fort Worth. The firm doesn’t limit itself to specific industries or strategies, and it has deployed capital into long-term investments in aviation, private equity, distressed and special situations, and activist spaces. It estimates it has more than $2 billion in invested assets. The firm says internal partners represent about 85% of the capital, with a “few outside investors.” The firm has 50 employees. Raynor’s Once Upon a Time foundation had $189.45 million in net assets at the end of 2018, according to its federal filing, and makes many of its major gifts to higher education, including the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. UT Southwestern recently recognized Raynor and the foundation for $10 million in gifts to support research led by several faculty members.

Les Kreis

Managing partner and cofounder Bios Partners

Les Kreis has more than 25 years of investment experience in global public and private equity. In addition to the Fort Worth-based Bios, he is managing principal at Steelhead Capital Management, which manages a portfolio of small business investments and startup ventures. Kreis is a founding member of Cowtown Angels, the Fort Worth angel investment network. Kreis was formerly a vice president at HBK Investments, a multi-strategy global hedge fund based in Dallas. During his 11 years with the firm, he managed a $3 billion global portfolio of stocks, bonds, and derivatives products. He was one of two professionals who launched HBK’s London office, and he traded in many financial markets including Japan, India, Europe, United Kingdom, Canada, and the U.S. Kreis received a BBA in finance from TCU.

Sunny Vanderbeck Managing partner Satori Capital

Sunny Vanderbeck’s leadership training began when he served as a section leader of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, U.S. Special Operations Command. After leaving the military, Vanderbeck applied his skills to business. Vanderbeck in 1996 co-founded Data Return, a leading provider of managed services and utility computing. The company reached a $3 billion market capitalization after a successful IPO, making Vanderbeck one of the youngest CEOs to lead a Nasdaq company. His experiences with building, selling, buying back, and reselling Data Return, along with his involvement in dozens of businesses at Satori, led Vanderbeck to publish his book, Selling Without Selling Out: How to Sell Your Business Without Selling Your Soul. He co-founded Satori Capital — a multi-strategy investment firm — with Randy Eisenman in 2008 in Fort Worth on the principles of conscious capitalism.

BANKING AND FINANCE

Jeffrey Conner

Managing director, senior wealth strategist Northern Trust

Jeff Conner serves Fort Worth and West Texas as a senior wealth strategist for Northern Trust, responsible for helping clients preserve and grow wealth through asset management, estate planning, trust administration, and private banking. Conner previously spent 19 years in the Private Bank at J.P. Morgan Chase on business development and client acquisition in Fort Worth and West Texas. Conner chairs the Cook Children's Medical Center board and serves on the Cook Children's Health Care System board. Other board memberships include Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate; past chair, Child Study Center Foundation board; past member, Child Study Center board. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a focus on finance from Texas Tech University.

Jeff King Fort Worth Region president Northern Trust

Jeff King opened the Fort Worth office of Northern Trust in March 2013, the firm's first direct presence covering West Texas and New Mexico. He previously was managing director of the J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Fort Worth, where he was market manager for over 25 years and ran the firm's local commercial real estate group and oil and gas services. His board membership includes: The Cliburn, chair; Fort Worth Zoological Association. King is past chair of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Visit Fort Worth, Fort Worth Sister Cities International, and University Christian Church. Former vice chair, Cook Children’s Health Foundation and Fort Worth Zoning Commission. In the past, he has served on the boards of Trinity Metro. King has a bachelor’s in finance and real estate from TCU.

Mark L. Johnson

Principal, vice president, portfolio manager/analyst Luther King Capital Management

Mark L. Johnson has 38 years in investments, joining Luther King Capital Management in 2002. He previously was a principal and portfolio manager at GSB Investment Management, chief investment officer at Mtrust Fort Worth, and credit loan review officer at First National Bank of Fort Worth. Johnson is son of the late Ruth Carter Stevenson, who founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and grandson of Amon Carter. As chair of the TCU board of trustees, he was intimately involved in the hiring of Sonny Dykes as Gary Patterson’s replacement as football coach. He is president of the Amon Carter Foundation and serves on the Carter museum board, where his sister, Karen Hixon Johnson, is president. Johnson earned a bachelor’s from Duke University.

Luther King CEO

Luther King Capital Management

Luther King founded his eponymous firm in 1979 in Fort Worth. The SEC-registered investment advisory firm has offices in Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. The firm has 85 employees, including 53 investment and other professionals, 31 CFAs, seven CPAs, three CFPs, and 32 employees with MBAs. As of March 31, the firm had $25.7 billion in assets under management. King earned a bachelor’s and MBA from TCU. He served as TCU’s board chair, 2005 –11. In 2021, TCU honored King, attributing several achievements to his leadership: dedication of four residence halls, refurbished Frog Fountain, new BrownLupton University Union, Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility & Cox Field, Meyer-Martin Athletic Complex, invitations to six football bowl games, and TCU’s first College World Series appearance.

J. Bryan King

Principal, vice president, portfolio manager/analyst Luther King Capital Management

J. Bryan King has been an investment manager responsible for micro and small-capitalization public and private investments since 1994 at Luther King Capital Management, which had $25.7 billion in assets under management as of March 31. In 2000, King established and is a managing partner of LKCM Private Discipline Management, L.P., LKCM Capital Group, and LKCM Headwater Investments, a middle-market buyout firm. King serves as chair of the board of directors or managing partner of several businesses. He is a member of the Fort Worth Zoological Association board, among others. King graduated with a bachelor’s in history from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard.

Jim Lacamp

Senior vice president

The Money-Sense Team at Morgan Stanley

Jim Lacamp is a longtime Fort Worth wealth manager known for his frequent guest appearances on CNBC, Fox News, and Fox Business. Lacamp has been in investment management since 1985 and works with his business partner, Pat Reddell, also a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager. Together they boast 65 years of experience in the financial markets. Lacamp serves on the boards of the Presbyterian Night Shelter and the Fort Worth Club. He also plays in a band, “6 Feet High and Rising.” A holder of double degrees with bachelor’s in economics and finance from Baylor University.

Hal Lambert CEO Point Bridge Capital

Hal Lambert founded Point Bridge Capital in 2013, providing high net worth individuals with investment advice and independent custody of assets and trustee services. Point Bridge Capital is a fee-only, noncommission, SEC-registered investment adviser. Lambert frequently appears on CNBC and Fox Business to discuss markets, Fed policy, and the economy. After President Trump took office, Lambert, a Republican, created the MAGA exchange-traded fund, trading in stocks of companies with demonstrated histories of Republican support at top. He served on Trump’s Inaugural Committee and worked as a National Finance Chair for presidential campaigns in 2012 and 2016. Before Point Bridge, Lambert managed portfolios at Credit Suisse and J.P. Morgan Chase and was a credit analyst in convertible bond arbitrage for Fort Worth’s Bass family. BBA, finance, UT Austin; MBA, Georgetown.

Bob Semple Chairman, Tarrant County and market executive Bank of Texas Private Wealth

Bob Semple’s history in banking goes back several decades. He served in various leadership posts in the Bank One organization from 1977 – 1998 and subsequently was chairman and CEO of Worth Bancorp. Semple also spent five years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. He is Bank of Texas Private Wealth’s chairman for Tarrant County and market executive. He serves on the Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. board. Past board membership includes TCU Neeley School of Business Advisory Board; Davey O’Brien Foundation; All Saints Health System, where he served as chairman; and chapter president for West Texas Chapter of Young Presidents. Semple is a graduate of TCU.

David Nolet

Fort Worth managing director, market manager J.P. Morgan Chase Private Bank

David Nolet is market manager for J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Fort Worth Region, representing the Private Bank on the Dallas-Fort Worth Market Leadership Team, where he is chairman. Nolet was formerly regional banking practice lead for the Private Bank’s South and Southeast Regions, managing a $220 million revenue business across 15 offices. Nolet was a member of Mayor Betsy Price’s Fort Worth Now economic recovery task force, formed in response to COVID-19. He chairs the University of North Texas Health Science Center Foundation, is vice chairman of All Saints Health Foundation, and serves on the boards of Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and Fort Worth Cradle to Career. He’s also on the Long-Range Planning Committee for Jewel Charity. Bachelor’s, accounting, master’s, finance, Texas A&M.

Mark Steffe

President and CEO First Command Financial Services

Mark Steffe was promoted to CEO of First Command Financial Services, which provides personal financial coaching to 290,000 military client families around the world, in January 2020. First Command, based in Fort Worth, has more than 175 offices, maintains more than $35 billion in managed accounts and mutual funds, and has more than $62 billion in life insurance coverage in force. First Command Bank holds more than $960 million in deposits. Steffe joined First Command as a senior vice president. Promoted to president in 2017, added chief operating officer’s duties a year later. He is First Command’s first CEO without military experience. When COVID-19 hit, First Command rapidly adjusted operations to continue to help clients without in-person coaching and offered financial relief. BS, finance, Illinois; Harvard University Advanced Management Program.

Scott Orr Vice president, government affairs Fidelity Investments

Scott Orr has been Fidelity Investments’ vice president of government relations and public affairs for more than eight years. He is a member of the Texas executive leadership team and responsible for Fidelity’s regional governmental relationships at the local, state, and federal levels, working closely with the company’s Washington-based team. He also oversees Fidelity’s civic and community relations and philanthropic efforts. Earlier in his career, Orr worked for 12 years as portfolio manager and money market group leader in the fixed income department of Fidelity Management & Research, managing over $11 billion in mutual funds. He is public policy chair for the Dallas Regional Chamber and serves on the executive committee of The Cliburn and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board. BBA, accounting, Abilene Christian University; MBA, Harvard University.

Sue Turnage Senior vice president Arden Trust Company

Sue Turnage has been on a journey the past couple of years. Turnage, who has more than 38 years in the wealth and trust industry as an adviser and manager, grew the Frost Bank and Frost Wealth Advisers Fort Worth office to $7 billion in total assets over 20 years before caught in a layoff of executive vice presidents. She quickly landed on her feet, hired to open a Fort Worth office for Argent Trust Company. From there, she took over as Happy State Bank’s senior trust officer in February 2020. Today, she is a senior vice president with Arden Trust Company. Turnage has been a board member for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art Advisory Council, YWCA, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and Kids Who Care. BBA, banking and finance, University of North Texas; graduate, National Graduate Trust School, Northwestern.

Leading the way.

Congratulations to North Texas Regional President Mark Drennan on again being recognized among The 400. Your continued dedication to putting community first makes a positive impact in our North Texas region.

Luther King CapitaL ManageMent

Proudly recognizes some of our own as Fort Worth Inc.’s Top 400 Influential People

Mark L. Johnson, Jr., CFA, CIC Principal, Vice President, Portfolio Manager

J. Luther King, Jr., CFA, CIC Principal, President, Portfolio Manager

J. Bryan King, CFA Principal, Vice President Managing Partner - Headwater Investments

Klose

Economic Development

Fort Worth’s economic development team has a big job: drawing new business to the city, retaining what’s here, and participating in the conversation about what makes Fort Worth a better place to live, work, do business, and play. Its role has never been more pivotal as the city grapples with exponential population growth that has Fort Worth ranked as the 12th-largest city in the U.S. and surging.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Hayden Blackburn Executive director Tech Fort Worth

Hayden Blackburn has been executive director of the nonprofit, 24-year-old TechFW incubator and accelerator and director of the Cowtown Angels angel investing group since 2016. Blackburn moved to TechFW from the Idea Works collaborative. TechFW’s programs include ThinkLab, Cowtown Angels, EpiCMavs at the University of Texas at Arlington, TechNest, and M-Crew, a mentor match that brings in outside volunteer talent. TechFW has ambitious goals, moving to increase participation in its incubator programs and the Cowtown Angels and to potentially rebrand to acknowledge its geographical reach, including the UT-Arlington partnership and a new cohort that ThinkLab has launched in Dallas. Blackburn has been a founder or leading contributor to the major annual Fort Worth Business Plan competition, 1 Million Cups, Startup Weekend, and Entrepreneur Summit. Blackburn has a BBA from Texas Tech.

Wade Chappell Owner Pearl Snap Kolaches

In October, Wade Chappell stepped away from his role as executive director of the Camp Bowie District, the nonprofit that promotes growth and activity along the West Side boulevard, which he took on in 2017. In that position, he worked with city staff on longterm planning, improvement projects, and economic development along the boulevard. He is also an associate with Ehrenberg Chesler Interests of San Antonio, assisting the placement of investment opportunities in North Texas. Chappell co-founded Pearl Snap Kolaches as a delivery business in 2013 and opened its first brick-and-mortar retail location in 2014. Fluent in Spanish, Chappell holds a bachelor’s in Latin American studies with a business and economics concentration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Darlene Boudreaux

DarleneBdx, LLC

Darlene Boudreaux, a pharma entrepreneur who came out of retirement to run the TechFW incubator for 12 years, continues to coach budding entrepreneurs through TechFW since she handed the reins to successor Hayden Blackburn. Boudreaux founded the Cowtown Angels angel investing group within TechFW in 2016. Angel investors secured their first exit with the $465 million sale of Encore Vision — a TechFW client and incubator tenant nurtured by Boudreaux — to Novartis in 2016. Boudreaux co-founded and was CEO of PharmaFab, a Grand Prairie third-party manufacturer, from 1994 to 2006. She grew revenues to $28 million before selling the company. Boudreaux, a CPA, has a bachelor’s from DePauw University in Indiana and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Cameron Cushman Assistant vice president of innovation ecosystems UNT Health Science Center

UNTHSC hired Cameron Cushman in 2017 to help develop and connect Fort Worth’s entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem. Cushman helps usher the next generation of Fort Worth innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors build and grow their startup companies in an idea-friendly environment. Entrepreneurs are able to move faster, avoid failure, create more jobs, and build wealth. Cushman began his career as an executive assistant in President George W. Bush’s White House and moved to Bush’s Commerce Department. Post-Bush, Cushman moved to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City and led initiatives to build entrepreneurial communities, including the co-founding of 1 Million Cups, a weekly educational event now in over 150 cities and 30 countries. Cushman holds a bachelor’s in political science from Texas A&M.

Mike Brennan CEO Near Southside, Inc.

Mike Brennan became president of Near Southside, the nonprofit leading its revitalization, in 2018 after 12 years leading planning and development. Near Southside has become a model of the walkable, mixed-use urban vision other parts of the city aspire to. The Near Southside’s reemergence has been nothing short of Lazarian after years of decay, demonstrated by withdrawal and abandonment. However, it is again a vibrant extension of the central business district. It puts on a range of community-focused programs, including festivals and events that attract thousands, and various business assistance initiatives. Brennan received a master’s in urban planning from Harvard's Graduate School of Design. He is founding chair of Fort Worth Bike Sharing, Inc.

Brandom Gengelbach

President and CEO

Brandom Gengelbach

was named CEO in August 2020. He joined the Fort Worth Chamber as the Executive Vice President of Economic Development in 2016, where he oversaw business attraction and retention efforts, talent development, small business initiatives and advocacy, the four pillars of the Chamber’s strategic plan known as Fortify. Brandom is an economic development and chamber of commerce professional with 18 years of diverse foreign and domestic experience in Nashville, Indianapolis and Brisbane, Australia. In his previous positions, he marketed city assets, providing key information and determining client needs to solicit company relocations or expansions into a city. He has bachelor’s from Samford and an MBA from the University of Southampton, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Michelle Green-Ford

President

Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

Michelle Green-Ford was named president and CEO of the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce in January, selected the permanent replacement for Devoyd Jennings, who died in July. She is the first female president in the chamber’s 40-year history. “She has executive leadership and business ownership experience that prepares her to produce superior results for the Black Chamber,” board chair Reginald Gates said at the time of her hiring. Green-Ford, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, has served in various leadership roles, including most recently vice president and chief diversity officer for JPS Health Network. In addition, she owned a training and consulting company. Board memberships include Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and an advisory board of the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce.

Bob Jameson CEO Visit Fort Worth

The Visit Fort Worth bureau that Bob Jameson took the helm of in 2013 has helped generate record visitation and bookings. The city enjoyed 9.5 million visitors in 2019 and $2.6 billion in economic impact during 2018, according to a study. A big reason for the advancements is the structure Jameson put in place with the expansion of the organization with the creation of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, the Fort Worth Film Commission, and the Hear Fort Worth Music Association. Traffic bounced back from the pandemic in 2021 – 22 with the men’s NCAA basketball tournament and NCAA gymnastics meet, the PBR World Finals, and Paul McCartney, all at Dickies Arena. Jameson, who came to town with 36 years in the hotel industry, earned a bachelor’s in history from the University of San Francisco.

Cortney Gumbleton Assistant director Tech Fort Worth

Cortney Gumbleton became assistant director of TechFW, the business incubator, earlier this year. She also became a figurative bullhorn to inspire what she believes is a sea of would-be women entrepreneurs with the launch of “The FoundHers Club,” a podcast in which she shares through interviews the stories of women who are redefining entrepreneurship. Gumbleton was founder, coowner, and managing partner of Locavore, an event center and commercial kitchens rental business. Before that, she was executive director of The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, where she implemented Texas’ first peer-to-peer suicide prevention program for youth. Additionally, she created the Hope Initiative, which trained thousands of community members with tools to save lives. She has a bachelor’s from TCU, a master’s from UT Arlington, and a certificate of women’s entrepreneurship from Cornell.

Marco Johnson Sparkyard ecosystem network builder

Sparkyard

Marco Johnson took over in 2019 as UNTHSC’s Sparkyard network builder, an initiative to help connect entrepreneurs to resources. Johnson co-leads the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week Fort Worth. He was formerly director of programming at the Accelerate DFW Foundation, where he led the effort to relaunch the former Idea Works incubator. Johnson lived overseas for more than 12 years, most recently working in Tanzania, managing operations for three for-profit social enterprises. Johnson holds a bachelor’s in international affairs from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA in international business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Megan Henderson Director of events and communications Near Southside, Inc.

It's difficult to imagine, much less tell the story, of the reimagined Near Southside without Megan Henderson, a tireless champion of this historic corridor in the city who produces community programs and events, including ArtsGoggle, Open Streets, Art South, and Friday on the Green, working with and advocating for stakeholders in Fort Worth’s historic Near Southside. During COVID-19, Henderson spawned, with seed money from the new owners of Magnolia Wine Bar (nee Kent & Co. Wines), a grant program for struggling creatives. She and Near Southside also helped generate strong support for the district’s small businesses, now totaling more than 140 independent storefronts, all, or most, a part of a master plan that has become an exemplar of revitalization blueprints.

Anette Landeros President and CEO

Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Anette Landeros became the Hispanic Chamber’s new CEO in 2019, bringing more than a decade of background in government and nonprofit posts. In championing inclusive economic growth, Landeros has worked to increase membership, created new ways of measuring outreach and impact of programming, and educated businesses in how to bid for contracts. In three years, she has doubled chamber membership and led the organization to its healthiest financial position of the last decade despite the pandemic. Under her leadership, the chamber has acquired more than $100,000 in grant funding. Board memberships include the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the executive council of Tarrant To and Through. Landeros holds a bachelor’s in public policy analysis from Indiana University and master’s in public affairs from UT Austin.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Mary-Margaret Lemons President Fort Worth Housing Solutions

Mary-Margaret Lemons became president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions in December 2017, after serving as general counsel for two years. In her role, she is the face and voice of Housing Solutions, which is at the center of creating affordable housing options citywide and “decentralizing” poverty. She oversees a budget of $100 million and a real estate portfolio of $1 billion. A native of Fort Worth, she has advised financial institutions on federal and state banking laws and served as in-house counsel for a locally headquartered $1.2 billion bank. Her board memberships include DFW, Inc., North Texas LEAD, and LVTRise. Lemons earned a bachelor’s in public relations from the University of Texas at Arlington and her law degree from Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

Judy McDonald Executive director Workforce Solutions

for Tarrant County

Judy McDonald has been executive director of Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County since 1996, responsible for more than $165 million annually in employment training and child care funds that benefit Tarrant County businesses and citizens. She has been recognized as an exemplar in workforce delivery systems. McDonald oversees five full-service workforce centers and provides employer services, labor market information, job search assistance, career counseling, occupational training, and child care information and assistance at no cost that empowers clients and leads them in a career path of their choosing. During COVID-19, Workforce Solutions disseminated information on how to file unemployment claims and gain access to public assistance, child care, and adult literacy resources. McDonald has a degree from UT Arlington.

Stacy Marshall Executive director

Southeast Fort Worth, Inc.

Stacy Marshall, a Mississippi native raised in a small community, in 2015 was named president of Southeast Fort Worth, Inc., a nonprofit that’s seeking to revitalize Southeast Fort Worth through leading economic development, driving improvements in public education, and influencing public policy. Marshall formerly served as CEO of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and as a consultant for nonprofits and for-profit organizations. After college, Marshall moved to Dallas in 1999 and soon became involved in several civic and political activities. Marshall has been widely recognized for his leadership in strategic planning and growing businesses in the community with a grassroots approach.

Tom Martens Creative director Visit Fort Worth

Tom Martens’ fun fact: He designed Fort Worth’s ubiquitous “Y’all Wear a Mask” COVID graphic. It was so good no one will ever forget it, for all the right and wrong reasons. Martens joined Visit Fort Worth in 2012 as a freelance designer to help with work during the 2011 Super Bowl. Martens has helped elevate Fort Worth’s profile and led in incorporating music into events, advertising, and brand activations. He is founding member of Hear Fort Worth, an initiative of Visit Fort Worth and music to build national awareness of the city’s music scene. Fort Worth is the first city in Texas to be certified a "Music Friendly Community” by the governor. Martens holds a BFA in Communication Design from the University of North Texas.

David Motheral Vice chairman and busines development committee chair

Hemphill Corridor Task Force

In 1980, Fort Worth businessman David Motheral and contractor Rusty Haws partnered to renovate a 30,000-square-foot building on West Magnolia Avenue. The building would eventually become noted hamburger joint BJ Keefers, but three years prior Motheral couldn’t get a loan for the project. No one, including banks, wanted to be on the Near Southside. That event and the will of thenMayor Bob Bolen were the pivotal elements in the reemergence of the Near Southside through Near Southside, Inc. (initially Fort Worth South). At the center of the revitalization: Motheral. Today, Motheral is working with the Hemphill Corridor Task Force to create the same toolbox for Hemphill Street’s revitalization. Motheral has a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin and MBA from TCU.

Stacey

Pierce Executive director Streams and Valleys

Stacey Pierce, a longtime Fort Worth marketing, communications, and development executive, has been executive director of Streams and Valleys, the nonprofit advocacy group for the Trinity River system through Fort Worth, since 2013. Pierce is former marketing and admission director for All Saints’ Episcopal School; marketing and communications director for Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.; development director for the Fort Worth Zoo; and marketing and PR director for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She has also played a major role in many highprofile events, including promoting Fort Worth during Super Bowl XLV, producing the Lonesome Dove Cast and Crew Reunion, and leading the celebration for the opening of the West 7th Street Bridge. She has a bachelor’s in music education from TCU, an MBA from TCU, and Graduate Management Certificate from SMU.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Richard Riccetti Chairman Hemphill Corridor Task Force

Richard Riccetti, director of licensing and international sales for the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co. in Fort Worth, is a longtime Southsider and entrepreneur. Riccetti and his wife, Chandra, have taken on the redevelopment of The Bastion property on Hemphill Street into multiple uses, including multifamily and an event venue. Riccetti is chairman of the Hemphill Corridor Task Force, a group charged with developing a plan and toolbox of incentives to help revitalize Hemphill Street. The idea, similar to the one that revitalized West Magnolia Avenue, has been met with skeptics among property owners who fear being pushed off of Hemphill by gentrification. Riccetti holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management of Arizona State University.

Andy Taft President Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

Andy Taft has been president of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., since 2003. DFWI is downtown’s advocacy organization, and it manages the downtown planning process, two Public Improvement Districts, the downtown Tax Increment Finance District, two city parks, the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, and the Parade of Lights. DFWI developed the JFK Tribute in Fort Worth and is working to renovate and reopen Heritage Plaza. Taft is a past-president of the International Downtown Association and past president of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth. A native of Tampa, Florida, he graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in marketing and began his career in commercial real estate with the Florida Commercial Development Association.

Chris Strayer

Executive vice president, economic development Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

As executive vice president of economic development for the Fort Worth Chamber, Chris Strayer oversees all aspects of economic development for FWC, including advocacy, business attraction, retention, and expansion, small business, talent, and entrepreneurship. Since he joining the organization in 2018, the FWC has been recognized in Site Selection’s Mac Conway Awards for Excellence in Economic Development for four consecutive years. Strayer has overseen more than 50 expansion and relocation projects, generating more than $1.375 billion in capital investments and 9,000 jobs. Projects included Amazon Prime Air, Stanley Black & Decker, Gulfstream, TJX, and Oatly. Strayer holds a bachelor’s in urban and regional planning from Michigan State and an Economic Development Finance Professional credential from the National Development Council.

Jennifer Trevino

Executive director Leadership Fort Worth

Jennifer Trevino joined Leadership Fort Worth as new executive director in 2020. A graduate of the 2009 Leadership Class, she sees her charge as ensuring the organization’s programs and classes reflect Fort Worth’s diversity. Prior to her appointment, she was the chief development officer of Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, where she led the agency’s fundraising and marketing efforts; management consultant, Brittain-Kalish Group, a management consulting firm based in Fort Worth that specializes in health care. From 2007 – 2017, Trevino was vice president of administration and chief of staff to the president at UNT Health Science Center. Trevino also served as a member of Fort Worth’s Race & Culture Task Force. She has a bachelor’s in business administration from TCU and an MBA from TCU.

Robert Sturns

Economic development director

City of Fort Worth Economic Development

Robert Sturns has more than 25 years in local government, commercial real estate, and banking operations with the last 20 years negotiating terms and structuring deals for economic and community development programs in the state. As economic development director with the city, Sturns is responsible for the economic development program for the city, including business attraction and retention, business diversity initiatives, and small business/entrepreneurship development. Sturns estimates he’s been involved in $3 billion of new announced capital investment and 25,000 jobs by leveraging publicprivate partnerships. He received a commission as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves where he served for 10 years, reaching the rank of captain. He has a bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and an MBA from TCU.

Mitch Whitten Executive vice president Visit Fort Worth

Mitch Whitten is executive vice president at Visit Fort Worth, where he is over external outreach, tourism, and the community’s Destination Master Plan. In recent years, Whitten’s team has been great storytellers, launching the Fort Worth Film Commission, fostering the Hear Fort Worth music association, and produced the music video “Things to Do” and the award-winning video series “Fort Worth Stories.” Visit Fort Worth has steadily built awareness and the visitor economy. That was disrupted by COVID-19, but hotel stays rebounded in the past year on the heels of big events at Dickies Arena, including the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, high-profile concerts, and return of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo after a year layoff. Whitten holds a bachelor’s from SMU and master’s from the University of Virginia.

Congratulations Founding Dean Stuart D. Flynn, M.D.

GROW YOUR WORH

MORE IN FORT WORTH

More isn’t always better. But it can be. At Tarleton State University in Fort Worth … it is.

A new 100,000-square-foot Interprofessional Education Building means more room to expand offerings in occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, psychology, nursing, kinesiology, medical laboratory sciences and teacher education.

Move-in is set for 2024.

Education

Administrators continued to wrestle with the impact of the pandemic, particularly with a teacher shortage that has school leaders, already dealing with low outcomes, wringing their hands. Yet, many of those partnerships that were designed to improve access to higher education have restarted with great hope. The last year was also one of controversy as activists continually confronted the school board over contentious political issues, such as the role of critical race theory in the school district.

EDUCATION

Bobby Ahdieh

Dean Texas A&M School of Law

The Texas A&M School of Law has continued its rise since Bobby Ahdieh became dean in 2018. The school ranks 46th among 193 in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report. A&M, which has substantial holdings of property downtown, announced in 2021 a campus expansion that will change the landscape of its law school and presence in Fort Worth. Ahdieh, a Princeton undergrad, is a Yale-educated lawyer. Ahdieh served as law clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before selection for the Honors Program in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. While in law school, Ahdieh published one of the seminal treatments of the constitutional transformation of post-Soviet Russia: Russia's Constitutional Revolution— Legal Consciousness and the Transition to Democracy.

Elizabeth Brands Head of education giving Morris Foundation

Elizabeth Brands, formerly head of education giving at The Morris Foundation, was tapped to be the foundation’s president and CEO in March. The Morris Foundation was founded in 1986 by Linda C. and Jack B. Morris; serves Fort Worth and Tarrant County; and focuses its support in the areas of education, health care, and social services. Brands is also executive director of Read Fort Worth, a nonprofit launched in 2016 to attack low third-grade literacy in Fort Worth schools with volunteer tutors. Early literacy is a Morris focus. COVID-19 dealt a blow to progress, and Read Fort Worth is collaborating with the schools and other organizations on summer programs to help kids catch up. Brands holds a master’s in education from Notre Dame and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.

Tad

Bird Head of school

All Saints’ Episcopal School

Tad B. Bird has been head of school at All Saints’ Episcopal School since July 1998. Episcopal education has been at the heart of his life's work. Bird was previously headmaster of The Trinity School of Texas in Longview, head of upper school and dean of students for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, and associate admission director for Christchurch School in Christchurch, Virginia. Bird holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Austin College and a Doctor of Ministry in Educational Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. He was a 2001 Klingenstein Visiting Fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University. Bird has served on the boards of St. Stephen's Episcopal School and Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools, where he also was president. Bird is a board member for the Episcopal Church Foundation and Hope Farm.

Sherry

Breed Chief of Division of Equity & Excellence

Fort Worth Independent School District

Fort Worth-native Sherry Breed is the school district’s chief of equity and excellence in a department designed to close the gap of achievement in minority students. Upon her appointment, Superintendent Kent Scribner said her hiring was critical to the “Fort Worth ISD becoming a premier urban school district.” Her work has been met with criticism from activists who charge the department’s goals and teacher seminars are immersed in critical race theory. Breed earned a bachelor’s from Texas A&M University in Commerce. She began her career in pre-kindergarten and first grade teacher at S.S. Dillow Elementary School and rose to the position of principal at Sagamore Hill Elementary before assuming a position in the administration building as Chief of Leadership — Learning and Student Support Services. She is a longtime member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Victor Boschini Chancellor TCU

TCU under Victor Boschini, approaching his 20th year as chancellor of TCU, is a top 100 university with a vibrant learning community of 12,000 students and 2,300 faculty and staff members. He has set a tone that emphasizes a “place at the table” for all members of the ever-growing TCU community. As TCU prepares to celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2023, the enrollment has grown, and as of February the school’s most ambitious fundraising effort in its history — “Lead On” — had raised $767 million of a goal of $1 billion from 50,000 donors. The school also found a home in the Medical District for the medical school it took full control over after launching with the University of North Texas Health Science Center with groundbreaking planned for later this summer.

E.J. Carrion Founder and CEO Student Success Agency

EJ Carrion is co-founder and CEO of the Student Success Agency, a fast-growing education software company that partners with school districts to offer digital wraparound services to their students from their cell phones. Carrion is a first-generation college student who received the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship and was Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education honoree in 2018. Carrion, a guest of the Obama White House event recognizing innovative approaches to increasing access to vital educational services to underserved students, holds a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Each Monday, he co-hosts a weekly podcast with Jimmy Sweeney discussing local politics, business, and cultural trends to keep busy Fort Worthians informed about the changing landscape of their city.

Rodney D'Souza

Managing director, Neeley Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

TCU Neeley School of Business

Rodney D’Souza was awarded the 2017 Freedoms Foundation Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education and the 2017 University Award for Excellence in Outreach and Engagement. He has developed and delivered undergraduate courses on entrepreneurial mindset, opportunity recognition, idea valuation, new venture creation, new venture management and business plan writing, and an MBA module on innovation and competitive intelligence. He has a bachelor's from the University of Pune, an MBA from Northern Kentucky, and a doctorate from University of Louisville. Before joining the faculty at TCU, he was the director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Northern Kentucky. D'Souza and colleague Antonio Banos endowed the Antonio Banos and Rodney D’Souza Scholarship at TCU to help students facing economic hardships.

Eric Lombardi

CEO

Fort Worth Country Day School

Eric Lombardi took the job in 2015 as sixth head of school at Fort Worth Country Day School, one of the city’s most prestigious private schools, founded 1961 and initially led by founding headmaster Peter Schwartz. Lombardi was division head of the middle school for St. John’s School in Houston for 16 years. He also had upper school leadership positions at schools in Oklahoma City and Oakland, California. After COVID-19 broke out, Lombardi posted video messages from the school featuring his dog, Falcon, and touring the empty school, inviting students to guess his location on campus. Lombardi, who attended school at St. Mark’s in Dallas, holds a bachelor’s from Dartmouth College and master’s degrees from Duke University and Columbia University.

Tobi Jackson President Fort Worth Independent School District

Tobi Jackson is the president of the Fort Worth ISD Board, which she has served on since 2010. A lifelong East Sider and Fort Worth public school graduate, Jackson has served more than three decades in public service in Tarrant County. She is director of Fort Worth SPARC, an after-school program collaboration, and also serves on the board of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an independent public policy organization based in Austin. Recently, Jackson has been recognized in the community, including receiving the Amiga Award from The Tarrant County United Hispanic Council and the “Good Samaritan” Award from Southside Youth Association. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master's degree from the University of North Texas.

Blair Lowry Head of school

Trinity Valley School

Blair Lowry succeeded Ian Craig as head of school in July 2020. Lowry moved from The Hockaday School in Dallas, where she was assistant head of school and provost. At Hockaday, Lowry was responsible for academic programming and faculty recruitment, hiring and development in grades pre-K–12. Lowry has been in education for 24 years, beginning her career in South Florida as an upper school economics and history teacher at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. At All Saints Academy in Florida, she rose to history department chair. Lowry also served eight years as head of the middle school at Hammond School in South Carolina. Lowry, who has a master’s in political economics from the University of Hull in England, is the first woman to serve as head of school at Trinity Valley.

Elva LeBlanc Acting chancellor Tarrant County College

Once a Tarrant County College student and professor, Elva Concha LeBlanc is now the system’s chancellor on an interim basis, moving into the role this year from her post as executive vice chancellor and provost. Before that, LeBlanc was the president of the college’s Northwest Campus, one of five sites in the Tarrant County College District. LeBlanc has made stops at Galveston College, where she served as president, and Austin Community College, where she served as executive vice president for instructional affairs. LeBlanc has bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from University of North Texas. She also completed post-doctoral work at Texas A&M. LeBlanc serves on the Boards of Higher Education Resource Services, Community College Humanities Association, National Community College Hispanic Council, Texas Statewide Health Coordinating Council, and Arts Council of Fort Worth.

Kim McCuistion

Dean

Tarleton State University

Fort Worth Campus

Kim McCuistion became dean of Tarleton State University’s new, 80-acre Fort Worth campus along Chisholm Trail Parkway in April 2020. McCuistion became vice president for external operations at the same time. She moved up from chief of staff to James Hurley, the Tarleton State president, and is a tenured faculty member in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. McCuistion works with North Texas business and industry leaders, Tarleton faculty and staff, and community college partners to expand existing degree programs and add new ones. She also will be responsible for the university’s Global Campus and outreach programs in Waco, Midlothian, and Bryan. McCuistion holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M, master’s in animal science from Kansas State, and a doctorate in agriculture from West Texas A&M.

EDUCATION

Richard Owens Director of Postsecondary Pathways

T3 Partnership

In his role as director of Postsecondary Pathways, Richard Owens is overseeing a collaborative effort across school districts and nonprofits in Tarrant County to build a system designed to ensure that students who graduate from high school have a clear path to a career and livable wage. Owens began his career in the classroom teaching fifth-grade math and science and later joined Teach for America in a variety of roles. As a senior managing director for Teach for America, he built a community of more than 600 equity-driven corps members and alumni, including raising the team composition from 25% to 45% people of color with varied backgrounds and experiences. Owens is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Fort Worth. He has a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Georgia.

Michael Sherrod

William M. Dickey Entrepreneur in Residence

TCU Neeley School of Business

Michael Sherrod has been the Dickey Entrepreneur in Residence at TCU’s Neeley School of Business since 2011. Sherrod is an entrepreneur whose history has been in online media, knowledgeable in digital strategy, nonprofits, journalism, fundraising, and startups. His teaching at Neeley centers around entrepreneurial thinking, processes, and real-world applications. Publications include The Marketing of Suburban Community Newspapers (1976), How to Advertise & Promote Your Small Business (1984), and — who doesn’t need a little guilty pleasure — Bad Baby Names: The Worst True Names Parents Saddled Their Kids with, and You Can Too! (2008). In 2010, Sherrod became the first publisher of The Texas Tribune newspaper. Sherrod holds a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame, a master’s from the University of Missouri, and an executive MBA from TCU.

Daniel Pullin Dean TCU Neeley School of Business

Daniel Pullin was named Neeley dean in 2019, moving from the University of Oklahoma, where he was business school dean. He sees an opportunity at TCU to create a “business school for the 21st century,” working with the community to identify workforce needs and generate new leaders, collaborate on issues, be a player in the region’s economic development, and “co-create knowledge.” Pullin has sought ways to recruit underrepresented students to Neeley. Prior to OU, he worked for the global consultancy McKinsey & Co. and the private equity firm Hicks Muse Tate & Furst and its portfolio companies. Pullin has been recognized with awards in teaching and innovation in business and academic integrity. He holds a bachelor’s from Oklahoma, MBA from Harvard Business School, and a law degree from Oklahoma.

Fred Slabach

President Texas Wesleyan University

Fred Slabach became 20th president of Texas Wesleyan University in 2011 and has led dramatic improvements in academic excellence, student experience, and the revitalization of the campus and its historic Southeast Fort Worth neighborhood. Under Slabach, Texas Wesleyan has made more than $50 million in capital improvements to the campus and neighborhood, the university endowment has doubled, freshman applications have increased 282%, and overall freshman enrollment has increased more than 80%. The university has worked with school districts and community colleges to improve access. And in fall 2017, football returned to Texas Wesleyan for the first time in more than 75 years. Slabach received his LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law, his law degree from the University of Mississippi, and his Bachelor of Science from Mississippi College.

Kent Scribner Superintendent Fort Worth Independent School District

Kent Scribner was hired as Fort Worth school district superintendent in 2015, and his last day will be in August after he announced his resignation earlier this year. He is leaving noting accomplishments, including a 12-point improvement in the district’s state accountability rating. Also, he said, postsecondary merit scholarships grew from $36 million in 2015 to $158 million in 2022. During his tenure, voters also approved almost $2 billion in construction bond projects. “I am most proud of our work in the area of racial equity. Through the creation of our Division of Equity and Excellence, we have taken actionable steps to address gaps in academic achievement and dismantle systems that have historically reinforced those disparities.” Scribner has a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Arizona State.

Natalie Young-Williams

Executive director T3 Partnership

Natalie Young Williams replaced Mattie Parker, who left to become mayor of Fort Worth, in 2021. The T3 Partnership, founded in 2020, was designed to bridge the high school to higher education and workforce gap with pathways for students in Tarrant County. Williams joined T3 from Paul Quinn College in Dallas, where she served as chief of staff and director of institutional advancement. Prior to joining Paul Quinn, Williams was the chief of staff and senior vice president of achievement solutions and corporate strategy for EdisonLearning. While there she was the executive director of Friends of Magic, a corporate and community engagement effort for the national network of Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies. Young is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and Arizona State University with degrees in philosophy and journalism.

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County (WSTC), under the direction of the Texas Workforce Commission {TWC), is one of 28 local workforce development boards located throughout the state. WSTC's primary goal is to meet the needs of Tarrant County employers and workers through locally designed market-driven workforce development initiatives and services. All employers, workers and job seekers are eligible to take advantage of these services.

Workforce Governing Board Members

Judge Glen Whitley, Tarrant County (WGB Chair)*

Workforce Development Board Members

Mark Barberena, UAW Joint Training

Lillie Biggins, YWCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth

Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, Arlington ISO

Carlos De La Torre, The De La Torre Companies

Mike Doyle, Cornerstone Assistance Network

Mary Farris, Health and Human Services Commission

Mike Gerro, Frost Bank

Joan Grigsby, Tarrant Literacy Coalition (WDB Second Vice-Chair)

Jon Gustafson, Lockheed Martin

Dr. Marie Holliday, Sundance Square Dentist

Deb Jones, TWC Vocational Rehabilitation Services

David Klein, Klein Tools

Dr. Jacque Lambiase, Texas Christian University

Jennifer Limas, Girls Inc. of Tarrant County

Jerletha McDonald, Early Learning Alliance

Keith Muskrat, Talon Industries

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

Rosa Navejar, T he Rios Group*

Bruce Payne, City of Arlington - Economic Development

Jeff Postell, Post L Group, LLC

Vickie Powell, TPPB, LLC

Buddy Puente, Southwest Office Systems

Dr. Di Ann Sanchez, DAS HR Consulting

Leslie Scott, Mother Parker's Tea & Coffee

Michael Smith, Con-Real

Tyrone Taylor, Six Flags Over Texas (WDB Vice-Chair)

Robert Teran, TC Central Labor Council AFL-CIO

Raymond Todd, Texas Workforce Commission

Estrus T ucker, Historic Como Preservation Council*

Gracie Vega, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center (WDB Chair)

Judy McDonald, Executive Director, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County*

*Workforce Solutions congratulates our honorees in The Fort Worth 400

Mayor Mattie Parker, Fort Worth* Mayor Jim Ross, Arlington*

Government

A new generation of leaders took center stage as the faces of local government, led by the youngest elected mayor of a major American city. They have their hands full guiding Cowtown through the potholes of growing into an international destination and hub of commerce.

GOVERNMENT

Elizabeth Beck

City Council member City of Fort Worth

Elizabeth Beck was sworn in for a first term representing District 9 in 2021, succeeding Ann Zadeh. Her swearing in marked a successful second swing through the electoral process after defeat in a race for the state House of Representatives in 2020. She has vowed a priority on passing policies designed to alleviate homelessness, as well as a culture of inclusive entrepreneurship. Beck graduated Fort Worth Southwest High School and joined the U.S. Army Reserves. Beck is an Iraq War veteran. Her first taste of public policy was as transportation planner at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, where she worked while completing a master’s in city and regional planning at UT Arlington. In addition to a bachelor’s from UTA, Beck also earned a law degree from Texas A&M School of Law.

David Cooke City manager City of Fort Worth

David Cooke became Fort Worth’s city manager on June 30, 2014, following a national search. Cooke manages the $1.8 billion city budget and 6,600 employees, and he is charged with navigating Fort Worth’s new place in the world as the 12th-largest city, which grew by 24% from 2010 – 2020. Cooke’s focus has been on maintaining service, planning and implementing infrastructure needs, stressing partnerships, and keeping a long-term perspective. Cooke has had to manage the controversial exit of police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, the promotion of new Chief Ed Kraus, Kraus’ retirement last year, and, most recently, the promotion of new chief Neil Noakes. Cooke’s also hired a new fire chief, Jim Davis, in 2018. Cooke received his undergraduate degree and master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina.

Gyna Bivens

City Council member City of Fort Worth

Gyna Bivens, elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 2013, is mayor pro tem of the 12th-largest city in the U.S. Her district currently includes stretches from Stop Six, Bivens’ home, to CentrePort outside Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and Trinity Lakes in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district. Economic development and opportunity remain the district’s biggest challenges. Bivens is president and executive director of North Texas Leaders and Executives Advocating Diversity (LEAD), a consortium of major employers in North Texas that seek to increase diversity in their managerial ranks. Bivens previously became the first Black corporate spokesperson for Oncor Electric Delivery. She has served on more than 30 boards, the Metropolitan YMCA of Fort Worth and the American Cancer Association. Bivins is a five-time winner of the Dallas Press Club’s Award of Excellence.

Michael Crain City Council member City of Fort Worth

Michael Crain was sworn in for a first term in 2021, succeeding Brian Byrd as the representative of District 3. The ceremony marked his most recent foray into public service, having served in the presidential administration of George W. Bush, including chief of staff of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, as well as Byrd’s district director. In his capacity as a real estate broker and partner with Northern Crain, he was a Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Award winner. His board memberships include Fort Worth Sister Cities International, The Texas Lyceum, and Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation Advisory Committee. He went to Texas A&M for a business degree, earned a law degree from the A&M School of Law in Fort Worth, and he has an MBA from Rutgers.

Roy C. Brooks Commissioner Tarrant County

Roy Brooks was elected commissioner in 2004, succeeding the retiring Dionne Bagsby, the first woman and minority elected to the Commissioners Court. His district includes much of Fort Worth and several other cities. He was reelected to a fifth four-year term in 2020, with 60% of the vote. Brooks has long had interests in the underserved, including public policy dedicated to health care for the homeless, infant mortality, obesity, access, and AIDS education. As past president of the National Association of Counties, he continues to serve on NACo boards and committees and brings Tarrant County to the forefront of conversations and influence. Brooks, a Democrat, led in developing the Tarrant County Ex-Offender Re-Entry Program. He is a Texas Wesleyan University trustee.

Jim Davis

Fire chief City of Fort Worth

Jim Davis, an Ohioan with a list of credentials as long as a fire hose, was sworn in as Fort Worth’s 14th fire chief and successor to Ben U. Bell, who served from 1872-73. He arrived after a close-to 30-year career in Columbus, Ohio, where he was an assistant fire chief. He was responsible for all areas of training and education for the 1,550-member department. Davis, a registered nurse with more than 20 years as a flight RN/EMT with MedFlight of Ohio, said his priority in Fort Worth was to give every member of the department the best opportunity to go home at the end of their shifts. Davis has a bachelor’s from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, an MPA from Central Michigan, and two other master’s degrees.

Gary Fickes Commissioner Tarrant County

Gary Fickes was elected commissioner in 2006, representing Precinct 3, a district that includes Northeast Tarrant County and North Fort Worth. Fickes, a Republican, was reelected in 2020 with 64% of the vote. Fickes has focused on transportation in the sprawling precinct, health care, seniors, and quality economic development. His office assisted in projects such as the DFW Connector and North Tarrant Express. Fickes helped create three new school-based clinics in Precinct 3 and the Gertrude Tarpley JPS Healthcare Center at Watauga. “Empowering Seniors” is a seminar held each October that last year attracted 2,300 free health care screenings and senior-focused topics. Fickes served as chair of Harris Methodist Hospital HEB and as a trustee for the Harris Methodist Health Foundation. He also is a past chair of the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition.

Charlie Geren

State representative State of Texas

Charlie Geren was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in November 2000, representing Fort Worth’s District 99. Geren chairs the Local and Consent Calendars Committee, and he is a member of the Licensing and Administrative Procedures and Energy Resources committees. After the 82nd Legislative Session in 2011, Geren, a Republican, was named by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the "Top 10 Texas Legislators," an honor he also won in 2005. Geren, a businessman, is president of Railhead Smokehouse and the LGS Godley Ranch. He has been honored with the Champion for Free Enterprise award by the Texas Association of Business. His work on behalf of Texas business has earned him the Guardian of Small Business and Most Valuable Player awards from the National Federation of Independent Business/Texas.

Leonard Firestone

City Council member City of Fort Worth

Leonard Firestone, sworn in in 2021 as one of six new members of a transformed City Council, left the business of distilling for public service, but he hasn’t quite yet put away his entrepreneurial hat. Early in his first term, Mayor Mattie Parker asked him to chair the 19-member Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee. Before he found a place in city government, Firestone, great-grandson to the founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, was one of the principals behind Firestone & Robertson Distillery, maker of the highly popular TX Whiskey. He and partner Troy Robertson sold the company to Pernod Ricard, a worldwide leader in the distilling of spirits. Firestone was also a member of Betsy Price’s Mayor’s Task Force for COVID-19 Recovery. Firestone is a member of Christ Chapel Bible Church.

Craig Goldman

State representative State of Texas

Craig Goldman won election to the Texas House in 2012, serving District 97, which covers Southwest Tarrant County, and that was represented for years by longtime incumbent Anna Mowery. After running unopposed in the Republican primary in March, Goldman will vie for a sixth term in November against Laurin McLaurin. Goldman is chair of the House Energy Resources Committee and a member of the Licensing & Administrative Procedures and Redistricting committees. A fifth-generation Texan, Goldman and his father ran a gourmet food and wine store in Fort Worth before Goldman took office. Goldman holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and is a partner in several real estate investment companies.

Carlos Flores

City Council member

City of Fort Worth

Carlos Flores, a son of Fort Worth’s North Side and a graduate of Nolan Catholic High School, was elected to the City Council and took office in 2017, though he quickly became a senior member of municipal government with the election of six new members in 2021. He represents a diverse district that includes the historic Stockyards and part of the Alliance Corridor. He followed a path of public service and interest in neighborhoods onto the council, serving as president of the North Side Neighborhood Association and the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods and chair of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission. Educated as an engineer at the University of Texas at Arlington, Flores worked for Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Parker Hannifin. In 2021, he was elected with 65% of the vote.

Kay Granger Representative U.S. House of Representatives

Kay Granger is vying for her 14th two-year term in 2022, looking to continue from her Fort Worth district as the top Republican on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Granger was previously the first Republican woman to sit on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and went on to serve as chair. In the past year she was able to secure federal funding for the Trinity River Vision project after years of delays. Granger made history in 1997, becoming the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the House. Granger was a teacher but later opened an insurance agency. She later was elected to the City Council serving the East Side and then became the city’s first woman mayor, elected in 1991. Granger is a trustee at Texas Wesleyan, her alma mater.

GOVERNMENT

Jeff Law CEO

Tarrant Appraisal District

Jeff Law is easily one of the most scrutinized public officials in Tarrant County. And, of course, one of its most unpopular. As chief appraiser of the Tarrant Appraisal District since 2008, Law’s office is responsible for coming up with property valuations annually for property tax assessments that has every property owner bracing once a year for the worst. Law was previously chief appraiser of the Hood County Appraisal District and senior appraiser of the Johnson Central Appraisal District. With COVID-19 disrupting protest season, Law’s office held in-person and remote protest hearings. Law earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from TCU in finance, with a real estate emphasis. He is a top-rated instructor of Texas property tax courses.

Kim Neal Police monitor City of Fort Worth

Kim Neal became the city’s first police oversight monitor and director in March 2020, with responsibility to increase “positive” police accountability and address police misconduct. The hiring of a civilian monitor was one of the recommendations of a city Race and Culture Task Force the City Council appointed in 2017, following a high-profile, public confrontation involving police. Recently, Neal created the civilian oversight of law enforcement externship at the Texas A&M School of Law while serving as an adjunct instructor in its Externship Program. Neal was hired from Cincinnati, where she oversaw investigations of serious misconduct by Cincinnati police. A native of Washington, D.C., Neal holds a bachelor’s from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Baltimore.

Neil Noakes Police chief

City of Fort Worth

Neil Noakes was hired for the top job of the Fort Worth Police Department in January 2021. He was homegrown, a product of the city’s Police Academy, Class 102 in 2000. His first year on the job witnessed an uptick in violent crime. The year 2021 marked a 27-year record high of homicide victims. Concern about violent crime grew to a point that the chief and other city officials announced a plan this year to address it. He is also viewed as an innovative, progressive leader on police and race relations. He has a bachelor’s from Tarleton State and a master’s in criminal justice and criminology, graduating with honors, from TCU. His thesis: “A quiet evolution: One effort to successfully integrate community policing into police field training.”

Mattie Parker Mayor City

of Fort Worth

Mattie Parker, at age 37, was elected the youngest mayor of a big American city in June 2021, defeating Deborah Peoples in a runoff, with a mantra of “It’s ‘go time’ for Fort Worth.” She has a taxing task as the city’s chief political officer, leading a city through the growing pains of becoming a big American city yet still lagging behind as a base for corporate America. Parker managed to guide the council through a contentious redistricting process. Parker came up working in support roles, most recently chief of staff to Betsy Price and the council. She left that job to become the founding CEO of Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To & Through Partnership. Parker has a degree from UT Austin and studied law at Texas Wesleyan.

Chris Nettles City Council member City of Fort Worth

Chris Nettles was a comeback kid in 2021, returning from electoral defeat in 2019 to win in a rematch against Kelly Allen Gray. The election actually marked Nettles’ third. He introduced himself as a candidate for mayor in 2017, a contest he lost to Betsy Price. Early in his term, Nettles has found his voice on a number of issues, such as a police oversight board, affordable housing in his district, and contentious redistricting negotiations. Since 2014, Nettles has operated a day-care center, Haven of Purpose Childcare Center, which is run alongside his after-school program. Before assuming office, Nettles also worked as an administrative court clerk and assistant court manager for a Tarrant County justice of the peace. Nettles studied Christian ministries at Dallas Baptist University.

Beverly Powell State senator Texas State Senate

Beverly Powell was elected to the Texas Senate in 2018, serving the swing District 10, which she is giving up without a challenge in 2022, citing a district she says is unwinnable for a Democrat after redistricting. Powell had joined in a federal suit to block the map’s implementation for the March primary, but a judicial panel blocked the request, keeping the map in place until at least after the November election. A former school board president, Powell reached across party lines to pass school finance reform, increase teacher pay, and reform the state’s controversial standardized testing system. She’s worked to promote higher education and career training, including the Texas WORKS program to provide on-the-job training opportunities for students enrolled in Texas universities. She is a trustee of Texas Wesleyan, her alma mater.

Betsy Price Former mayor City of Fort Worth

Betsy Price, Fort Worth Inc.’s 2021 Person of the Year, left City Hall and threw her hat in for the office of county judge, a job the widely popular public servant was expected to win until Tim O’Hare of Southlake scored an upset in the primary. Betsy Price, Republican, had become something akin to Hugh Parmer, at least according to her opponent. She took office as mayor amid a budget crisis caused by recession 10 years ago. She heaped her plate, taking on everything from public pensions to race relations, fitness, civic and voter engagement, economic development, public transportation, and COVID-19 in what’s now the 12th-largest U.S. city. Is she done? Only time and circumstances will answer that question. Price, an Arlington Heights grad, earned a bachelor’s from UT Arlington.

Glen Whitley County Judge Tarrant County

County Judge Glen Whitley decided not to seek another term after 25 years on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, including 15 as county judge. The last two years were likely the most trying. His interests have been in transportation, sustainable communities, efficient government, air quality, higher education, support for veterans and military families, and children’s issues. Whitley has wielded influence as a past president of the National Association of Counties and of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, organizations that help local governments develop policy. Additionally, he is a past chairman of the Regional Transportation Council and the Texas Conference of Urban Counties. Whitley cofounded the accounting firm Whitley Penn in Fort Worth. Whitley earned an accounting degree from UT Arlington and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Jim Ross Mayor City of Arlington

Jim Ross was elected to mayor of Arlington in June 2021, succeeding Jeff Williams. After an honorable discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, Ross joined the Arlington Police Department, eventually becoming a member of the city’s first full-time SWAT unit. Despite having invested 13 years in the department, Ross went back to school to study law at Texas Wesleyan. He began his law career representing clients in environmental exposure cases. He struck out on his own, opening the Jim Ross Law Group, which has grown from an office of one to three offices, in Arlington, Dallas, and Fort Worth, and more than 40 employees, including a dozen attorneys. Board memberships include the Arlington Police Foundation, Special Olympics, and the American Heart Association. He has a bachelor’s from Dallas Baptist University.

Jared Williams

City Council member City of Fort Worth

Jared Williams was sworn in for his first term in June 2021 after ousting longtime incumbent Jungus Jordan in a runoff for the District 6 seat. He is chair of the City Council’s Committee on Neighborhood Quality & Revitalization, charged with developing a conservation strategy for at-risk and distressed neighborhoods. Williams is also working on an economic reinvestment zone in the Altamesa and McCart corridor. Before running for elective office, Williams was regional director of Leadership ISD, an organization that advocates for policies designed to close disparities in student achievement. Williams has a bachelor’s degree in plant science and biotechnology from Fort Valley State University in Georgia, a master’s in environmental science from TCU, and a doctorate in environmental science from University of North Texas.

Mark Veasey

Representative U.S. House of Representatives

Marc Veasey, a graduate of Arlington Heights High School, won his first term for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, jumping from the Texas state House to Washington to represent the newly drawn District 33. In the last Congress, Veasey served on the Armed Services Committee and Energy and Commerce. He was a founding member of Congressional Voting Rights Caucus and serves as its co-chair. In addition, he started the Blue Collar Caucus. He is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. In January, Veasey played a pivotal role in securing more than $400 million in federal funding for the Trinity River Vision, which had stalled from lack of financing. Veasey earned a bachelor’s in mass communication from Texas Wesleyan University, where he sits on the board of trustees.

Roger Williams

Representative

U.S. House of Representatives

The son of a Fort Worth automotive giant, Roger Williams blazed his own trail in politics, first as Texas Secretary of State, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, and now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from District 25. First elected in 2012, Williams has used his father’s experience and his own as a car dealer to be a voice for small business in the halls of the federal government. In the 117th Congress, he served on the Financial Service Committee. A former baseball star at TCU, where he later coached, Williams was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and today is chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Baseball Caucus. A graduate of TCU, Williams now serves on the board of trustees at his alma mater.

Celebrate Father’s Day weekend with River Ranch Stockyards and Texas’ Premium Wagyu Producer. From the Murrin Father and Son duo to yours, we welcome everyone to our Premier Steak Cookoff. Come Friday night for our Steak Dinner or see over 100 teams compete for the grand prize on Saturday.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Brotherhood For the Fallen, a Texas-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the families of officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

LIVE MUSIC BY JOLIE & SONNY BURGESS

Leading health care

Barclay Berdan CEO, Texas Health Resources

Joseph DeLeon President, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth

Shawn Parsley, D.O. President and Chief Operations Officer, Texas Health Physicians Group

Laura McWhorter President, Texas Health Resources Foundation

Health Care and Life Sciences

Fort Worth’s rapidly growing health care and life sciences sector is represented here. Biotech is emerging on a scene populated by hospitals. Our health care leaders played major roles in confronting and managing the region’s response to COVID-19, and Fort Worth companies are leading in developing therapies to improve lives.

HEALTH CARE AND LIFE SCIENCES

John Q. Adams, Jr. Co-founder Spectrix Therapeutics

John Adams, a biotech executive who was CEO of Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, is co-founder of Spectrix Therapeutics, LLC, a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company based in Southlake. Two drugs in Spectrix’s pipeline: a treatment for hypothyroidism designed to mimic normal release of two hormones; and a formulation for a once-daily treatment of dry mouth and eyes associated with Sjögren’s syndrome, an immune system disorder. Adams Respiratory developed Mucinex and was subsequently acquired by Reckitt Benckiser for $2.3 billion in 2007. Adams' net sales grew to $332 million in annual sales in 2007, from $14 million in 2003, growth drive by the FDA’s approval of Mucinex — a treatment for relief of chest congestion — in 2002. John Adams also founded and manages Legacy Capital Partners, LLC, an investment management and private equity firm focused on health care technology and pharmaceutical development.

Mike Ball Chairman

Alcon Laboratories

Mike Ball has been in health care for nearly four decades. Before becoming chair of Alcon, the giant Fort Worth-based eye care products company, Ball was CEO of the division and a member of parent Novartis’ Executive Committee. Novartis completed a spinoff of Alcon into a standalone publicly traded company in 2019. Ball previously served as CEO of Hospira, Inc. from 2011 to 2015. Prior to that, Ball held a number of senior leadership positions at Allergan, Inc. Before joining Allergan in 1995, he held roles of increasing responsibility in marketing and sales at Syntex Corp. and Eli Lilly & Co. Ball served on the boards of several organizations, including Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Hospira, IntraLase Corp., AdvaMed, and sTec, Inc. He began his career in 1981. BS and MBA, Queen’s University, Canada.

Keith Argenbright Director

UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute

Keith Argenbright, MD, wears a number of hats at UT Southwestern. Among them, he is chief of community health sciences at UT Southwestern Medical Center and director of the Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth. Argenbright formed alliances to bring cancer prevention and early detection services and population science research to more rural areas of Fort Worth and surrounding counties, resulting in a service network of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening collaborators and genetic screening. Argenbright is also a professor in the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Clinical Sciences where he serves as the chief of community health sciences. In 2014, Argenbright earned the UT Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, considered the top teaching prize in the UT system. BS, Oklahoma; MD, Tulane; Master of Medical Management, Carnegie Mellon.

Barclay Berdan CEO

Texas Health Resources

Barclay Berdan’s

Texas Health Resources nonprofit health system cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. Texas Health is ranked No. 7 on the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list and has been named No. 1 on the Fortune 20 Best Workplaces in Health Care list for five consecutive years. Texas Health under Berdan took the lead on Fort Worth’s successful push to be certified as a Blue Zones Project healthy living city. Berdan, who has 35 years at Texas Health, became CEO in 2014, promoted from senior executive vice president and COO. Berdan joined Texas Health in 1986 as vice president/administrator for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. BS, TCU; MBA, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Susan

Bailey Past president American Medical Association

Susan R. Bailey, a Fort Worth allergist and immunologist, served as president of the American Medical Association from June 2020 to June 2021 and became one of the medical community’s leaders in promoting the benefits of precautions and restrictions during COVID-19. Previously, she served as president-elect of the AMA, speaker of the AMA House of Delegates, and vice speaker. Bailey has been active in the AMA since medical school, when she served as chair of the Medical Student Section. Bailey also has served as board chair and president of the Tarrant County Medical Society and as vice speaker, speaker, and president of the Texas Medical Association. She has been in practice for more than 30 years. MD, Texas A&M University College of Medicine; residency and fellowship, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.

Ben Coogan CEO

Medical City Fort Worth

Ben Coogan joined Medical City Fort Worth as chief executive officer in July 2021. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Coogan also served in leadership roles in several Medical City Healthcare facilities. Coogan previously served as COO of Medical City Dallas and Medical City Children’s Hospital where his leadership contributed to enhancements in patient experience and employee engagement, along with growth of services. He also played an integral role in capital and program improvement projects including the emergency department renovation and expansions of the OR and the neonatal ICU. As COO at Medical City Arlington, he paved the opening of the $60 million Medical City Women’s Hospital Arlington. Coogan received a bachelor’s in psychology from Texas A&M and an MBA from the University of North Texas.

HEALTH CARE AND LIFE SCIENCES

Joseph DeLeon President Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth

Joseph DeLeon, who became president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth in January 2018 after almost five years as president of Texas Health Hospital Southwest, oversaw the finished product of the Justin Tower, the largest construction project in the history of THR. Hospital officials welcomed the tower’s first patients in April. In total, the ninestory, $300 million building will add 400,000 square feet to the 1.7 million square feet of the Harris campus downtown. DeLeon, a former captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Services Corps, has worked in health care management since 1991. He joined Texas Health in 2005. DeLeon earned a bachelor's in political science and a minor in business management in 1991 and a master's in public administration in 1994 from Texas A&M University.

Karen Duncan CEO JPS Health Network

In November, Karen Duncan, COO of the Tarrant County Hospital District, succeeded outgoing Robert Early as CEO of the $1.3 billion, tax-supported health care system, which employs more than 7,200 and includes more than 40 sites for care across the region. Duncan has been with JPS for five years. During that time, she has been responsible for steering the implementation of the JPS Future Plan, the bond-supported development of health care services and sites throughout the county. In addition to her experience at JPS, Duncan, a board-certified pediatrician, has worked in large public health academic centers in Atlanta and Chicago. Duncan studied medicine at Emory. Her credentials also include a bachelor’s in biochemistry at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and certification from the executive MBA program at Georgia State University.

Elyse Dickerson CEO and co-founder Eosera

Elyse Dickerson, who has more than two decades of leading teams in health care and pharmaceuticals, co-founded the fastgrowing Fort Worth biotech Eosera, Inc., with ex-Alcon colleague Joe Griffin. The company won the coveted TechFW Impact Award earlier this year, and she has since taken a place on the board of the nonprofit business incubator. Dickerson recalled for Fort Worth Inc. her meeting with CVS brand officials, hoping the national drug store chain would agree to test Earwax MD in a couple of thousand stores. “He wound up saying, ‘No, I love it; let’s have it in all 8,000 stores.’” Today, the company has 10 ear care products in 13,000 stores across the nation and a need for bigger warehouses. Dickerson has a bachelor’s from Notre Dame and an MBA from SMU.

Paul Dorman CEO DFB Pharmaceuticals

Paul Dorman’s DFB is a Fort Worth holding company that Dorman and partners started in 1990. DFB grew from four companies and $18 million in annual sales to more than $400 million in sales. DFB sold three businesses for more than $1.5 billion. It continues to operate three businesses, including the Fort Worth-based NanOlogy, formed in 2015 by DFB in collaboration with CritiTech, and US Biotest and is led by representatives from each company. NanOlogy is in clinical trials on a new cancer drug delivery method: forming microparticles made of proven cancer drugs and injecting them into tumors. Dorman guaranteed first-year tuition for the first class — the “Dorman Scholars” — of the new TCU School of Medicine. Dorman holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and law degree, both from Tulane.

Stuart Flynn Founding dean TCU School

of Medicine

Dr. Stuart Flynn is founding dean of the TCU School of Medicine, which split from its partnership with University of North Texas Health Science Center earlier this year. The school will soon break ground on a campus in the Medical District. Community leaders hope the new MD program generates physicians who want to stay in the area. Flynn came to the school from the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, where he was founding dean. He was formerly a professor of pathology and surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. Flynn received his medical degree and residency training from the University of Michigan and completed a fellowship in oncologic pathology at Stanford University. Flynn has authored more than 100 articles, books, and monographs.

Simon Fraser President, advanced wound management Smith & Nephew

Simon Fraser joined Smith+Nephew, the British medical technology company in 2019, with responsibility for its Fort Worth-based Advanced Wound Management Franchise. Fraser has more than 25 years in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, including wound management and a background in managing global organizations with responsibility for profits and loss and growth of the business and market share. Prior to joining Smith+Nephew, Fraser was group vice president of Dentsply Sirona’s Dental Implant Global Business Unit; vice president, US Commercial Infectious Diseases at Abbott Laboratories; president, Latin America, Alere, Inc.; and various roles, Johnson & Johnson. He has a bachelor’s in physiotherapy from Montreal University and MBA from INSEAD in France.

HEALTH CARE AND LIFE SCIENCES

Al Guillem CEO Renibus Therapeutics

Alvaro Guillem has nearly 40 years in bringing new therapies to market and preparing pharmaceutical facilities for commercial production. Renibus is a Southlake biotech company dedicated to transforming the cardio-renal disease treatment model by focusing on the prevention, treatment, and diagnostic testing of kidney disease. Each year, 9 million U.S. adults suffer from acute kidney injury, and today, 37 million U.S. adults are living with chronic kidney disease. Guillem was president and CEO at ZS Pharma, a startup developing a product for hyperkalemia — high levels of potassium in the blood. Astra Zeneca bought ZS Pharma in 2015 for $2.7 billion. While at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Guillem and other team members brought the Mucinex product line to the market. The company later was acquired by Reckitt Benckiser for $2.3 billion in 2007.

Jeff Keyser Co-founder, president, and COO

Renibus Therapeutics

Jeff Keyser has 40 years in developing and commercializing new therapies. He has invented products leading to significant improvements in patient care and has numerous patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Keyser was co-founder and chief operating officer at ZS Pharma, acquired by Astra Zeneca in 2015 for $2.7 billion. While working at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, he developed and executed the R&D and regulatory strategy for bringing the company’s Mucinex to market as VP of development and regulatory affairs. Reckitt Benckiser acquired the company for $2.3 billion in 2007. The Southlakebased Renibus is seeking to transform the treatment model for kidney disease. He also held senior positions at Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Medeva Americas, Marion Merrell Dow, and Abbott Laboratories. He is chairman of the board for Lantern Pharma.

Miles Harrison President, North America Galderma Laboratories, L.P.

Miles Harrison became president of Galderma’s Fort Worth-based North American unit in 2016. Galderma is the world’s largest independent skin care products company. During his tenure, Galderma has launched multiple brands across the company’s prescription, consumer and aesthetic businesses. Harrison joined Galderma in 2014 as vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Unit. He previously had a 25-year career at Novartis. From June 1987 until February 2014, Harrison held multiple leadership positions of increasing responsibility across the consumer, oncology and pharmaceuticals businesses, most recently as vice president and head of global advocacy. Harrison is British and holds a bachelor’s in geography from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom.

Rick Merrill President and CEO Cook Children's Healthcare System

Rick Merrill, president and CEO of Cook Children’s since 2007, has led the organization through record growth, including nearly tripling the size of the Cook Children’s Medical Center campus on the Near Southside. Under Merrill, Cook Children’s has streamlined its mission into a “promise” to improve the health of every child in the region through treatment and prevention. Merrill formerly served as CEO and president of Driscoll Health System in South Texas. He led development of the fully integrated pediatric health system, which included Driscoll Children's Hospital, physician organizations, and the Driscoll Children's Health Plan. He oversaw the opening of two Driscoll Children's Specialty Centers in Brownsville and McAllen. Merrill has a bachelor’s from Texas Tech University and a master’s in health care administration from Trinity University.

Richard Johnston CEO, chief physician officer USMD Health System

Dr. Richard Johnston has been on the scene in North Texas since 1978, when he began his practice in internal medicine in Dallas. His group joined the Medical Clinic of North Texas in 2004. In 2006, he became president of MCNT and was in that post in 2012 when MCNT became part of the merger that created USMD Health System. Johnston graduated from the Texas Tech School of Medicine in 1975. He is boardcertified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and continues his practice in Las Colinas. He completed an internal medicine residency at Austin Breckenridge Hospital. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, Texas Medical Association, and the Dallas County Medical Society. He also serves on the American Medical Group Association CEO Council.

Russell Morton Chairman Cook Children's Foundation

Russell Morton became chair of the Cook Children’s Foundation and Health Care System boards of trustees in 2021. Cook Children's Health Foundation matches the needs of the health care system with generous philanthropic support from the community to enhance patient programs and services. Philanthropy has been at the heart of the hospital’s mission since day one when Missouri Matilda Nail Cook earmarked the oil royalties from the Cook Ranch near Albany for the hospital. Cook Children’s comprises eight entities — Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services, and Health Foundation.

HEALTH CARE AND LIFE SCIENCES

Sid O'Bryant Professor and executive director, Institute for Translational Research UNT Health Science Center

Sid O’Bryant’s lab at UNTHSC is dedicated to precision medicine — an approach that accounts for individual genetics, lifestyle, and other environmental factors — in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, including Down syndrome, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. O’Bryant's multiple National Institutes of Health grants focus on novel strategies for disease detection, screening into therapeutic and prevention trials, and patient stratification for optimal treatment response. The lab has a strong focus on the impact of ethnicity and diversity on cognitive loss during aging, and it runs the one-of-a-kind Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders study, a comprehensive study of Mexican-American brain aging. He has a bachelor’s in psychology from LSU and a master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University at Albany.

Vinny Taneja Director of public health Tarrant County

Vinny Taneja was one of the most prominent members of the team that crafted the region’s response to COVID-19. He became public health director in September 2014, succeeding Lou Brewer, who retired. Under Taneja’s leadership, the department was among the first 100 in the U.S. accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board. Taneja received a medical degree from Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India and a master’s in public health from Eastern Kentucky University. In 2006, Taneja served as an ambassador to the Wisconsin governor’s e-Health Initiative. He helped develop a strategic plan for statewide adoption and exchange of electronic health records. He previously served as Deputy Health Officer and Acting Director of the Wayne County Health Department in Michigan.

Shawn Parsley

President and COO Texas Health Physicians Group

Shawn Parsley, DO, was named president of the Texas Health Physicians Group in 2013 after becoming a member of the group in 2011. The group has more than 850 primary care physicians, specialists, and other medical professionals in more than 250 locations. Parsley works closely with Texas Health Resources’ chief clinical officer and senior executive vice president to develop and implement the system’s physician-directed population health strategy. Parsley also oversees THPG clinical operations, physician engagement, recognition and human resources-related issues. Parsley received his undergraduate degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown before graduating from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth with his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in 1994.

Michael

Williams President UNT Health Science Center

Michael Williams became sixth president of UNTHSC in 2012. Williams, who earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the university, became its first alumnus to serve as president. Williams, who also is an MD, collaborated with TCU and Fort Worth leaders to launch the MD-issuing TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, which last spring completed its first year of operation. Williams practiced anesthesiology and critical care medicine in Texas for more than 20 years. In 2011, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Williams to serve on the UNT System Board of Regents. Williams completed his anesthesiology and critical care training at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. Williams also has an MBA from Duke and master’s in health care management from Harvard University.

Mike Sanborn

President

Baylor All Saints Medical Center

Michael Sanborn took the helm of Baylor Scott & White All Saints in 2016, leading the 574-bed acute care hospital with more than 2,400 employees and 1,100 medical staff members. Under his leadership, the hospital created a partnership with the TCU School of Medicine to develop a physician residency program that will ultimately train over 170 residents annually. Sanborn previously was president of Baylor Scott & White – Carrollton, and before that, corporate vice president of cardiovascular services for the system. Board appointments include Fort Worth Chamber, Healing Shepherd Clinic, Healthy Tarrant County Collaborative (chair and treasurer), DFW Hospital Council, and the executive committees of Near Southside and Fort Worth Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Coalition. He has a bachelor’s and master’s in pharmacy and administration from Kansas.

David Winter Board of directors

Baylor Scott & White Health Texas Provider Network

David Winter serves HealthTexas Provider Network, a more than 1,000-physician organization in partnership with Baylor Scott & White Health, as its past chairman of the board and president. He also is in the private practice of internal medicine at the Tom Landry Center on the campus of Baylor University Medical Center. As a founder of the Baylor Scott & White Medical Group, he serves as past chairman and member of its Board of Governors. Winter also has teaching positions at the Baylor University Medical Center, the UT Health Science Center, and University of Texas at Dallas. He earned his medical degree at UT Medical Branch in Galveston, completed an internship and residency at Baylor University Medical Center, and has been awarded a master’s in medical management from the UT Dallas.

TEXAS BASED. GLOBAL REACH.

For more than 130 years, Jackson Walker has played a vital role in the growth and development of Texas business. Our Fort Worth lawyers, who live and work here, know what drives the Panther City forward and are ready to help clients navigate today’s increasingly complex legal landscape in almost any area of business law.

Albon O. Head, Jr. Partner Litigation

Jay K. Rutherford Partner Labor & Employment

Thinking bigger to get better.

TREATBOLDLY. UNTHSC .EDU

When you think of health, you think of wellness. But research and innovation are a big part of how we achieve it. As a premier academic medical center, HSC is committed to the bigger picture of health. And we’re investing in ideas that advance health care and improve outcomes for all people in North Texas.

When we're all connected, we're in it together. HSC. ASK BRAVELY. TREAT BOLDLY.

BUILDING A NEW EMPIRE

Sanda McGlothlin is building a new Empire.

Industry

The 400’s representation of industry comprises leaders in aerospace and aviation, distribution and logistics, energy, food and beverage, manufacturing, media, and retail. Distribution and logistics continued their emergence after the pandemic.

Eric Fox

Senior director, government relations

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Eric Fox, the senior director of governmental relations for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, has worked for the company since 1999. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Paschal High School, Fox previously served on the staff for the House Appropriations Committee while working for Rep. Henry Bonilla of Texas, who championed deregulation and fiscal conservatism. Fox also served on the staffs of U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, a former livestock auctioneer who served three terms in Washington, and Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from Southwestern University in Georgetown. Fox is past chair of the North Texas Commission, which advocates for the region at state and federal levels.

Mitch Snyder President and CEO Bell

Mitch Snyder was named CEO of Bell in October 2015 and has led a rebranding of the company — one of Fort Worth’s largest employers — to reflect its interest in technology behind the company’s traditional history as a helicopter manufacturer. “Welcome to the future of flights” encompasses autonomous flight and urban air taxi for uses such as cargo delivery and carrying of passengers. Before being named CEO, Snyder was executive vice president of the company’s military business, responsible for providing strategic direction, overall management, and performance for all of Bell’s government programs. Since joining Bell in 2004, Snyder has led the manufacturing centers and several of the most significant initiatives, including the V-22 tiltrotor program. Snyder earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Raanan Horowitz President and CEO Elbit Systems of America

Raanan Horowitz was named president and CEO in 2007 of the Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America, the U.S. unit of the Israel-based Elbit Systems Ltd., a global provider of technology-based systems for defense and commercial applications. Elbit (Nasdaq: ESLT) had a $9 billion market capitalization as of mid-April. The Ethisphere Institute has named Elbit Systems of America one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies,” one of two aerospace and defense companies worldwide to earn the distinction. Horowitz has been instrumental in leading Elbit’s American organic growth and acquisitions. Before ascending to his current roles in 2007, Horowitz was executive VP and GM of the company’s subsidiary, EFW Inc. He earned an MBA from Grand Valley State University’s Seidman School of Business and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Tel Aviv University.

Michael Thacker

Executive vice president, technology and innovation Bell

Michael Thacker became executive vice president for innovation and commercial business in 2020 and is a member of Bell’s executive leadership team. He was named EVP of technology and innovation in 2017, leading Bell’s core engineering team, which develops new technology for use in the company’s products. Bell has rebranded itself “the future of flight.” That means next-generation technologies for applications like passenger and cargo delivery. Thacker joined Textron in 1993 as an engineer in propulsion integration. As a senior vice president of engineering at Textron Aviation, Thacker was responsible for the engineering efforts of Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker product lines. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s from the University of Kansas. He also has an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Ian Kinne Director, logistics innovation Hillwood

A Texas native, Ian Kinne serves as director of Logistics Innovation at Hillwood, the developer of AllianceTexas and leader of the Mobility Innovation Zone. Ian leads the planning and implementation of the surface freight innovation program and affiliated real estate transactions. He works with established global corporate leaders as well as mid-to late-stage, logistics-focused companies to encourage technology commercialization within the Mobility Innovation Zone. Ultimately, these efforts drive the future of mobility and supply chain efficiencies for Hillwood’s partners and the region. Kinne attended TCU, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration in finance with a real estate emphasis. Kinne joined Hillwood full time after graduation on the transaction team, with a focus on office and industrial leasing.

Greg Ulmer

Executive vice president, aeronautics

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program manager for three years, was named executive vice president of the company’s aeronautics unit in the first half of 2021. Ulmer is Lockheed’s top executive over its aeronautics programs, including the Fort Worth-made F-35; the F-16, whose production the company moved to South Carolina from Fort Worth in 2019; the F-22 and C-130 programs; and the Skunk Works product development unit in California. Before leading the F-35, Ulmer was head of Skunk Works, whose work Lockheed keeps secret. Aeronautics is a more than $25 billion unit employing about 30,000 people. Ulmer has a bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering from Polytechnic State University and an executive master’s in business management, with an emphasis in aerospace, from the University of Tennessee.

Eddie Clark President and CEO Professional Turf Products

Eddie Clark is a Philadelphia native who found himself in Fort Worth as a quarterback for TCU’s football team in the late 1970s and early ’80s under coach F.A. Dry. He was named president and CEO of Professional Turf Products, a Toro Company outdoor beautification distributorship that serves Texas and surrounding states with a base in Euless, in 1997 after four years with the company. Professional Turf Products sells to independent dealers, golf courses, schools, municipalities, and landscape and irrigation contractors. He started with Goldthwaite’s, a former distributor for Toro in Texas. Clark is a trustee on the TCU board of directors. In that capacity, he served as an adviser to TCU’s search for a replacement for Gary Patterson, eventually leading to the hiring of Sonny Dykes.

Goran Krndija Former CEO Gozova

It’s been a journey for Goran Krndija, who emigrated with his family years ago from warravaged Bosnia and ended up in Fort Worth, staying at a small apartment on Las Vegas Trail and with little to their names. Krndija made his way to UT Arlington, where he met fellow students who became friends and, in 2016, together launched Gozova, a truck-and-crew-on-demand mobile app and company. In 2000, the fast-growing Gozova secured $500,000 in seed capital from Fort Worth investors Ed and Sasha Bass, Bobby Patton, and two other angels. Since then, Gozova has expanded statewide; opened in Colorado, Florida, and Tennessee; started a storage business; forged partnerships with apartment locators, universities, and interior designers; and broadened its network of transportation providers to include significantly greater numbers of moving companies. The company sold earlier this year.

Arnold Gachman Chairman Gamtex Industries

Arnold Gachman continues to chair the Fort Worth recycling company his grandfather started in 1914 and that’s become one of Texas’ largest metal recyclers. GamTex stays up to date with new technology and automation, ensuring its processes remain efficient, safe, and environmentally effective. Jacob Gachman started the company with several small scrapyards. Gachman traveled by train around the state collecting scrap metal and carrying it in sacks to bring back to Fort Worth. By age 27, Arnold Gachman was named general manager of Gachman Metals and became president five years later. In 1986, he bought Gachman Metals and turned it into what is now known as GamTex Industries. Iric Gachman, Arnold Gachman’s son, is president and CEO today — ensuring the company will stay in the family.

Walt Reynolds CEO

The Reynolds Co.

Walt Reynolds and his brother, Donald Reynolds Jr., continue to run The Reynolds Co., a major electrical supply company that merged with the employee-owned McNaughtonMcKay in 2017. Reynolds had $650 million in sales in 2017. The brothers had taken over operation of the company in recent years from their father, Donald Reynolds Sr., who founded it 30 years ago. The company’s ability to handle large industrial and commercial projects worldwide has been a major contributor to growth and one of its hallmarks. The company in 2020 purchased Flow-Zone, the premier distributor of pipe, valves, fittings, instrumentation, controls, and measurement equipment for oil and gas markets throughout Texas and New Mexico. Reynolds attended the University of Texas in Austin.

Tom Head CEO Blackmon Mooring/BMS Cat

Tom Head, president of Blackmon Mooring and BMS Catastrophe since 2007, is leading an expansion of the company, which does commercial and residential restoration and construction jobs worldwide. Since early 2020, the company has acquired six companies that support BMS CAT’s growth, including firms in Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Head started with the company as its Houston general manager in 2004. Under Head, the company several years ago built a new advanced headquarters and plant on Airport Freeway in Haltom City. The company was started in 1948 as a furniture and dye shop, and today is a leader in its market segments, often on on-site for high-profile natural disasters. Head has a bachelor’s in marketing from University of North Florida.

Glenn Smith President and CEO Mouser Electronics

In the last century, Glenn Smith joined Mouser in as a part-time warehouse employee in San Diego while attending college. In the 21st century, he has helped make Mouser an industry leader in the successful portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway companies. His tenure has seen Mouser grow from a small electronic component distributor to become one of the world’s largest electronic components distributors with more than 3,000 employees in 27 offices worldwide and more than $3 billion dollars in annual sales. Smith has served for many years as a member of the Electronic Component Industry Association Distribution Council and on the ECIA Board of Directors, working to protect the authorized supply chain of electronic components. He previously served on the Board of Directors of NEDA. While serving on the board, Smith received the Distinguished Service Award from ECIA.

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Prasad Reddy is honored to be named among this year’s 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth.

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The RM Restaurant Group has been serving the Fort Worth and surrounding communities for 2 decades. At the core of its two brands, Rio Mambo Tex Mex y Mas and THE RIM scratch craft, relationships have been the key to success. Eloy Reyes, Executive Chef along with key leaders including Luis Suarez (Fort Worth), Angelica Banuelos Rocha (Weatherford), and Laura Rivera (Colleyville) have been instrumental in bringing Rio Mambo to the forefront of the industry. Dave Mueller (Operating Partner) and Keith Hicks along with Chef de Cuisine Jesus Gonzalez have been essential in the development of THE RIM brand opening location number two in the Waterside development in May of 2021. This location is under the leadership of Jose Mireles. Relationships Matter will remain at the core of the culture as long as Brent and Rosanne Johnson lead the company.

Nancy Farrar Photography ( @ nancyfarrar)

Greg Bird CEO Jetta Operating Co.

Greg Bird co-founded Jetta in 1993 in Fort Worth. Bird, who’s been in oil and gas for more than 35 years, formerly worked for Cawley Gillespie & Associates, a petroleum consulting firm. Before that, he worked for Hunt Energy Corp. Bird is chair of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, president of the Boy Scouts of America Longhorn Council Foundation, and member of the TCU Energy Institute board. Bird was named a finalist in the 2020 Southwest Region for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2013, he was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Graduates for the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M. Bachelor of Science, petroleum engineering, Texas A&M.

Jon Brumley CEO Bounty Minerals

Jon Brumley, with others, has listed seven oil and gas companies on the New York Stock Exchange, including five he co-founded. He co-founded XTO Energy. Chair and CEO of Mesa Petroleum until it merged with Parker and Parsley to form Pioneer Natural Resources. Co-founded Encore Acquisition Co. and Encore Acquisition Partners with his son, Jon S. Brumley. Today, chair and CEO of Bounty Investments, formed to buy nonproducing minerals in the Utica Shale, Marcellus Shale, and Appalachia. Company has acquired about 65,000 net mineral acres. Began career with Southland Royalty Co. as a risk analyst in 1967 and became president in 1974. BBA, University of Texas at Austin; MBA, University of Pennsylvania.

Cody Campbell President

Cody Campbell

Enterprises, L.L.C.

Cody Campbell and John Sellers have become astute builders and sellers of energy companies, most recently agreeing to sell their DoublePoint Energy to Pioneer Natural Resources for $6.4 billion a year ago. The deal was for 100,000 acres in the core of the Permian Basin, which at the time was producing 100,000 barrels a day. The co-CEOs divvied up $1 billion in cash and 27.2 million shares of Pioneer between themselves and their private equity partners. It continues a good run for the young oil tycoons who have been buddies since their football-playing days in junior high in the Panhandle and at Texas Tech, the beneficiary of a recent $25 million gift from Campbell. The two sold their Double Eagle Energy company to Parsley Energy for $2.8 billion in 2017.

Brian Crumley

Managing partner

Vortus Investment Advisers

Brian Crumley is a managing partner and co-founder of Vortus Investments. Starting in 1998, his diverse principal investment experience in the energy industry includes equity, debt, and distressed investing across several cycles. Prior to Vortus, he was a founding partner of LKCM Private Discipline Partners LP, which was the first alternative investment partnership under the umbrella of Luther King Capital Management. Previously, Crumley had primary responsibility for energy industry investments at Sirios Capital Management in Boston. He started his career with Natural Gas Partners in the Fort Worth offices of Richard Rainwater. Crumley serves on the board of Cook Children’s Health Foundation, Cook Children’s Health Care System, and Fort Worth Country Day School, STAR Sponsorship Program, and Fort Worth Chamber. Bachelor of Arts, political economics, Princeton; MBA, Stanford.

Brad Cunningham Partner

Four Sevens Oil Co.

Brad Cunningham had flown corporate jets for Justin Industries when he got interested in oil and gas and joining his stepfather, Dick Lowe, at Four Sevens. When he asked Lowe for a job, “Dick said, ‘You got any money?’” Cunningham remembered years later. Four Sevens assembled numerous assets in the Barnett Shale in the mid-oughts with Chesapeake Energy being a principal buyer, including 2008, when it sold a package to Chesapeake for $225 million. Cunningham had the biggest interest. Lowe had recommended securing a pipeline right of way and signing up drill sites in Fort Worth. Cunningham subsequently led the leasing of 7,000 acres. “Brad never drilled a well,” Lowe says, with pride. “He’s a lot smarter than Hunter [Enis] and I,” Lowe said. Cunningham serves on the TCU Board of Trustees.

Hunter Enis Partner

Four

Hunter Enis took a flier on a tapped-out wildcatter named Dick Lowe, and the rest is Barnett Shale history. The two, with the help of geologist partner Larry Brogdon and others, put together big assemblages early on in the Barnett Shale and cashed out for $1 billion in sales. Enis has served on the TCU Energy Institute Board of Advisors, and he founded the Hunter Enis Endowed Chair for Petroleum Geology at TCU. Enis, a Fort Worth native, graduated from Poly High in 1955. At TCU, Enis earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology and lettered in baseball and football. In 1986, Enis was inducted into the TCU Letterman’s Hall of Fame. Enis and Lowe made lead gifts for the renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium at TCU.

Sevens Oil Co.

Jim Finley CEO Finley Resources

Jim Finley, out of the University of Texas with a BBA in accounting, began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co., working primarily with oil and gas clients. In 1981, he joined Duer Wagner & Co. as CFO and, during 17 years there, became managing partner. With his partners, he moved into acquiring oil and gas properties. Finley went out on his own in 1997, establishing Finley Resources as an operator. Finley Resources, Finley Production, and Lonesome Oil and Gas, LLC own interests in 3,000 wells in 13 states. Jim and Charlotte Finley own Mesa Well Servicing, LP in Hobbs, New Mexico, and Mesa Southern in Jourdanton. Other investments include ownership stakes in community banks and commercial real estate. Finley’s active in several causes, including homelessness.

Mary Ralph Lowe CEO Maralo, LLC

Mary Ralph Lowe has been president and CEO of Maralo, LLC, a private oil and gas exploration and production company and ranching operation, since 1973. Lowe, along with her mother, Erma Lowe, established the Lowe Foundation ($45 million net assets) in 1988 to support preventative or rehabilitative programs that benefit the critical needs of at-risk women and children. In November, she made a significant philanthropic gift to help endow and name the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute at the TCU Neeley School of Business as a tribute to her late father. Lowe serves on the TCU, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation, and Performing Arts Fort Worth boards.

Rafael G. Garza

President and founder RGG Capital Partners, LLC | Bravo Equity Partners

Rafael Garza, president and founder of RGG Capital Partners, LLC, and since 2000 co-founder and managing director of Bravo Equity Partners in Fort Worth, has been a director of Atmos Energy since 2016. His companies have provided capital to middle-market companies in the U.S. and Mexico, primarily in the financial services, retail, food, and educational service sectors. He is also actively involved in various private companies. Garza has a strong understanding of global and domestic macroeconomics and capital market concepts through his more than 25 years of experience in managing and advising companies in a wide range of industries on corporate finance, investment, development, and strategic matters. He serves on the boards of TCU, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and Baylor Scott & White Holdings.

Jeffrey Miller

CEO

Vortus Investment Advisers

Jeffrey Miller, co-founder and managing partner of Vortus Investments, has more than 30 years of significant financial, managerial, operational, and technical experience in the global upstream industry. Miller was director of upstream for Mercuria Energy, based in Geneva and Fort Worth, and previously was president of Moncrief Oil International and managing partner of Moncrief Minerals. Vortus, formed in 2013 by Miller and Brian Crumley, is a Fort Worth-based private equity firm focused on generating long-term capital gains through investments in the lower to middle market upstream energy industry in North America. Miller has a bachelor’s in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M and an MBA from Columbia University.

Brad Hunstable Co-founder Linear Labs

Brad Hunstable’s Linear Labs of Fort Worth continues its run. It’s developing fully modular electric motors that produce twice the torque for the same size, weight, and energy input. It reached a deal in 2020 with the city of Fort Worth for $68.9 million in incentive to create a factory in the city. Linear sees applications in mobility, micro mobility, and air conditioning. “You’ll see this in scooters, HVAC, and industrial applications this year. A car, two years after.” Hunstable and his father, Fred, a co-founder, won the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 Southwest Award. Hunstable is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, as well as Ohio State University, where he received an MBA.

Robert Miller President and CEO Crimson Chemicals

Robert Miller leads Crimson Chemicals, a Fort Worth-based company founded in 2002 that specializes in oilfield chemical innovation, offering solutions in oilfield cementing, coil and tubing, production, stimulation and completion chemicals for the oilfield industry. The company boasts a line of completion and stimulation products focusing on hydraulic frac additives that provide maximum fluid stability and efficiency, along with wear and corrosion protection inside tubes and surface equipment. The company also offers a wide range of products and services to the food industry.

John Pinkerton Executive chairman Encino Energy

John Pinkerton assumed the role of chairman of the board of Lonestar Resources in 2016. Pinkerton became a director of Range Resources Corporation in 1988 and was elected chairman of the board of directors in 2008. During his 27-year tenure at Range Resources, Pinkerton was credited for guiding the company from its small cap origins to a $9 billion enterprise with a strong position in the Marcellus Shale. As its CEO, Pinkerton transformed Range Resources, which he joined in 1990 as president, by establishing the technical expertise to enable a drillingled strategy complemented by bolt-on acquisitions where synergies would enhance growth. Pinkerton earned a bachelor’s in business administration from TCU, where he serves on the board, and a master’s from UT Arlington.

Bob Simpson Chairman MorningStar Partners

Bob Simpson’s MorningStar Partners manages Cross Timbers Energy, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between ExxonMobil and MorningStar. Cross Timbers is focused on conventional oil and gas exploration and production onshore in America. Previously, Simpson was chairman and Founder of XTO Energy Inc., which began as Cross Timbers Oil Co. in 1986 by Simpson and two partners. Under Simpson’s leadership, XTO became the largest producer of natural gas in America. In June 2010, ExxonMobil acquired XTO for $41 billion. Simpson, who was salutatorian of his high school graduating class in Cisco, is co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball club. He earned a BBA in accounting with honors and then an MBA from Baylor. Simpson served in the Texas Army National Guard after graduation and then earned his CPA designation.

Bob Ravnaas

CEO

Kimbell Royalty Partners

Bob Ravnaas has been CEO of Kimbell Royalty Partners since February 2017. The partnership has grown to be one of the largest private owners of minerals, royalties, and overriding royalty interests nationally. The Kimbell Art Foundation owns a stake. Kimbell owns mineral and royalty interests in approximately 16 million gross acres in 28 states and in every major onshore basin in the continental U.S., including ownership in more than 122,000 gross wells with over 46,000 wells in the Permian Basin. Ravnaas served as president of Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc., a petroleum engineering firm. He worked as a production engineer for Amoco Production Company from 1981-83. Ravnaas received a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and MS in petroleum engineering from UT Austin.

Jeffrey Ventura President and CEO Range Resources

Jeffrey Ventura joined the Fort Worth-based Range in 2003 as chief operating officer and became a director in 2005. Ventura was named CEO effective Jan. 1, 2012. Previously, he was president and chief operating officer of Matador Petroleum Corp., which he joined in 1997. Before Matador, Ventura spent eight years at Maxus Energy Corp., where he managed engineering, exploration, and development operations and was responsible for the coordination of engineering technology. Ventura was also with Tenneco Oil Exploration and Production, where he held various engineering and operating positions. Ventura holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Penn State University.

Davis Ravnaas

President Kimbell Royalty Partners

Davis Ravnaas co-founded Kimbell’s predecessor, Rivercrest Royalties, LLC, in October 2013 and served as CFO. Ravnaas was an associate investment professional with Crestview Partners, a large New York-based private equity fund, where he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring investments in energy and industrials companies. He started his career as an analyst in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs’ natural resource group. He has been drawn to oil and gas since he was a young boy, growing up hearing the stories of the legendary oil and gas executives from father, Bob Ravnaas. “I always admired the entrepreneurial spirit, the risk-taking, and the relationship-driven aspect of the business.” He has an A.B. in economics from Princeton, MSc in finance and economics from the London School of Economics, and MBA from Stanford.

Ryan

Vinson

CEO MineralWare

Ryan Vinson’s fastgrowing MineralWare — a software and online platform he and partners launched that simplifies the management of mineral ownership — continues to generate new companies. The company, largest tenant in the Fort Worth Club Tower, is preparing to launch an online platform for the buying and selling of minerals, and it’s started another site, Energy Freelance, that aims to connect project owners with freelancers. MineralWare said in the fall of 2019 that it had hit a target it set in 2017 for $250,000 in recurring monthly revenue. That triggered a one-time bonus of up to 50% of salary for employees. The company sold to a strategic buyer in May. Vinson graduated from Texas Tech and went to work for Bessemer Trust.

Mitch Wynne CEO Wynne Petroleum

Mitch Wynne, with partners, took their Kimbell Royalty Partnership public in recent years. The portfolio includes more than 16 million gross acres in 28 states and in every major onshore basin in the continental U.S., and ownership in more than 122,000 gross wells. The Kimbell Art Foundation in Fort Worth owns a big stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners. Wynne, husband of Kimbell Art Museum President Kimbell Fortson Wynne, has been in oil and gas since 1980. Wynne has served as president and owner of Exploration Investments, Wynne Petroleum Co., Wynne Operating Co., and MSW Royalties. His board memberships include the Fort Worth Zoological Association, Millers Mutual Insurance, Inspire Insurance Solutions, Union Gospel Mission of Fort Worth, and All Saints’ Episcopal School. Wynne has a bachelor’s from Washington and Lee University.

Jon Bonnell CEO Bonnell's

Jon Bonnell cracked the code on prix fixe curbside family meal packs, promoted over his robust social media feed, during the pandemic. Customers lined up daily, on some days a line literally a mile long. He has continued that service in what we hope is post-pandemic. Bonnell is owner, with a partner, of Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Waters Restaurant, and Buffalo Bros restaurants. Soon, another Bonnell creation will open, Jon’s Grille, an homage to his late friend Jon Meyerson, who died in 2001. The burgers will be made with Bonnell Ranch Beef, an enterprise of Bonnell and his brother, Ric. The second coming of Jon’s Grille will be at 2905 W. Berry St., around the corner from the original. Bonnell has a bachelor’s from Vanderbilt.

Nafees Alam CEO DRG Concepts

Nafees Alam, with partner Mike Hoque, shut down virtually all of the company’s restaurants in Dallas and Fort Worth (Fort Worth: Wicked Butcher, Wild Salsa, Chop House Burger) during COVID-19’s peak. But he continued working, launching a community kitchen in partnership with 7740 Dallas to feed unemployed restaurant industry members. He also partnered with chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen relief to feed frontline health care workers at Parkland Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas. In 2021, the partners, Alam and Hoque, reemerged with Wicked Butcher’s reopening downtown. Alam serves on the board of directors for the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association and is also a board member of The Bridge of North Texas Homeless Recovery Center. He has a has bachelor’s from UT Arlington and an MBA from SMU.

Stephen Butt President, Central Market HEB

Stephen Butt, nephew of HEB CEO Charles Butt, runs the company’s Central Market unit from offices near Dallas Love Field and lives on Fort Worth’s West Side with his wife, Susan. Forbes pegs the net worth of Charles Butt and his family at $10.7 billion. The magazine reports Butt owns the majority stake in the company, while his two siblings and two nephews also own stakes. H-E-B grocery empire was founded in 1905 by Florence Butt, who in 1919 turned management of the store over to Howard Edward Butt. Stephen Butt is a board member of the Amon Carter Museum and North Texas Commission and member of the 2021 Jewel Charity Invitational Committee benefiting Cook Children’s.

Felipe

Armenta President

Chef Driven Restaurant, Inc.

Felipe Armenta grew up in a San Angelo family that gathered around fresh dishes and creative cuisine. He opened his first restaurant, The Grill, in San Angelo. He and his partners expanded to Fort Worth and other cities. Today, he leads the prolific Chef Driven Restaurant, has 11 restaurants, including The Tavern, Press Café, Pacific Table, Cork & Pig Tavern, and Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, which opened last summer. The restaurant is a tribute to his mother and inspired by her recipes. “When I saw this space, I knew this was it,” says Armenta of the former site of the Hoffbrau on University. “It was in the middle of the pandemic. I knew it would be hard, and it was. But I felt like it was meant to be.”

Carlo Capua Former principal Locavore

Carlo Capua closed his well-regarded Z’s Café caterer during COVID-19. He co-owned the shared kitchen business he started in 2018 with partner Cortney Gumbleton. Capua also started a business, The Meeting Squad, during the pandemic, hosting virtual events and training. Z’s Café went out on a high. Capua founded it as a social enterprise; it created jobs for residents of Fort Worth’s Samaritan House. During COVID-19, he estimates Z’s fed 150,000 people. Capua is a past president of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth. After finishing business school at TCU in 2000, Capua spent seven years in Japan and Mexico teaching English. In all, he has been to 19 countries. Currently, he is deputy chief of staff for Mayor Mattie Parker and council. Capua is studying for a master’s in international relations at Harvard.

Jim Crawford Vice president and plant manager MillerCoors Fort Worth

Jim Crawford took over in 2018 as vice president and plant manager of Fort Worth’s big Molson Coors brewery, one of the eight the company operates in the U.S. Crawford began his career with the company in 2006 as a business unit manager and spent his career in operations. Last summer, the company announced a $10,000 contribution to CommUnity Frontline of Fort Worth, part of a bigger, cumulative $3 million the company has donated to socially conscious organizations supporting Black, indigenous, and other communities of color. “Last year, we saw an outpouring of support for social justice. For us, that meant both looking within our organization and supporting external partners who were fighting for equity in Fort Worth,” Crawford said at the time. He has an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Brent Johnson President RM Restaurant Group

Brent Johnson, a Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Award winner in 2021, managed to expand during COVID-19, opening a second location of his restaurant concept The Rim last year at this time in Fort Worth’s Waterside development. Johnson has four Rio Mambo restaurants and two of The Rim, in which he’s teamed with chef Keith Hicks. Johnson opened his first restaurant on Sept. 11, 2001, in Fort Worth’s Cityview Center. Post-pandemic, RM Restaurant Group experienced a 25% sales increase across its Rio Mambo locations. In his youth, Johnson received a coveted appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but he didn’t like it and left. He took a job instead in the food service industry. “I immediately became attracted to every aspect of the industry,” he said.

Tony Formby CEO Acre Distilling

Tony Formby sold his half of Fort Worth’s Rahr & Sons Brewing in 2014 and opened Acre Distilling Co. with JB Flowers and Brad Berven. After all, to make whiskey and other spirits, first one must make a strong beer that is then distilled. They opened their doors in 2015. The business took its name from its location in the heart of “Hell’s Half Acre,” the city’s notorious red-light district of yesteryear. Some of the names of the spirits are also inspired by the Acre, including its Longhair Jim. The spirits’ quality is supported by the awards they have won, including double gold medal and silver medal at the 2019 World Spirits Competition for Acre Two Minnies London Dry Gin and Acre Texas Single Malt Whisky. Formby is Vancouver born.

John Howard Hallam CEO Ben E. Keith Co.

John Howard Hallam became CEO in 2018 of the family-owned Ben E. Keith, the major food and beverage distributor, one of the oldest companies in Dallas-Fort Worth with a founding in 1906. The distributor serves 16 states, transporting Anheuser-Busch to customers across that footprint, along with craft and import beer brands, spirits, and wine. Hallam is grandson of Gaston Hallam, hired by the company in 1928 to unload railcars and who, in 1959, became president. John Howard Hallam became vice president of Ben E. Keith in 2008. The privately held company began distributing Anheuser-Busch products in 1928. Hallam has a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and has an MBA from the from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lou Lambert Partner

Roy Pope Grocery/Paris Coffee Shop

Longtime restaurateur

Lou Lambert resurfaced on the Fort Worth deal scene in 2021 with two purchases of old favorites — Roy Pope Grocery and Paris Coffee Shop — with partners. They reopened Roy Pope last year, with a robust wine and beer shop, prepared foods and deli, premium meats counter, curated grocery selection, and indoor and outdoor seating. Next is Paris Coffee Shop, set to open within days of this writing. The foodie community is eager and anxious for what he has come up with for the legendary diner. Lambert, a former chef at Reata, has a history as a guy with a Midas touch, however. Changes will include a seven-day-aweek hours, dinner service, Sunday brunch, light interior changes including turning back storage into private dining, eventual full-service bar.

Joe Lancarte Partner

Joe T. Garcia's

When Joseph Garcia crossed the Mexican border into the U.S. in 1912 — his destination was Fort Worth to work in the packinghouses in the Stockyards — his name was Jose Tafolla. He signed his name the formal Mexican way — his first, last, and mother’s family name, Garcia. Believing Tafolla was his middle name, a clerk mistakenly made Jose Tafolla “Joe T. Garcia.” He married Jessie Torres in 1923. They turned a condemned building on the North Side into Joe's Barbecue & Mexican Dishes in 1935 with seating for 16. Joe’s wife dished out the enchiladas she made famous in a small kitchen that customers had to walk through to get to the dining area. The restaurant, owned by the Garcias’ six grandchildren, including Joe Lancarte, has been a destination for visiting celebrities and politicians for generations.

Tim Love CEO Love Style Inc.

Chef Tim Love expanded his footprint over the past year with two openings, Paloma Suerte in the Stockyards, and his first hotel concept, Hotel Otto, a microresort with bungalows made of shipping containers. However, he wasn’t done. Opening soon will be Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall, the Stockyards’ newest live music venue covering 26,000 square feet and two stories with seating for upwards of 1,000 people that will include a restaurant and private event space with a full catering kitchen. California-based Live Nation is a partner in the music bookings. “We plan to bring some incredible acts to Fort Worth,” he said at the time of the announcement. Love is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

Scott McPherson President and CEO Core-Mark Holding Co.

Performance Food Group last year purchased Westlake’s Core-Mark, one of the region’s Fortune 500 headquarters, expanding the company’s convenience store business and adding about $17 billion to net sales. PFG of Richmond, Virginia, combined Core-Mark and its Eby-Brown unit into an expanded convenience store business that will retain the Core-Mark brand and will continue to be based in Westlake. Scott McPherson, the Core-Mark CEO, will retain his role as president and CEO. McPherson has been CEO since 2018 of Core-Mark, one of the largest marketers of food, fresh, and other supply solutions to convenience stores. Core-Mark serves 42,000 customer locations in the U.S. and Canada through 32 distribution centers, including one in Fort Worth that McPherson previously ran. Bachelor’s in business, Lewis & Clark College; MBA, University of Portland.

Sean Murphy

Vice president and GM Andrews Distributing Co.

Andrews Distributing significantly increased its Fort Worth footprint in 2014, when it bought Coors Distributing Co. from the McMillan family and gained eight brewing partners in Tarrant and Johnson counties and more than 3,000 retail accounts. Controls distribution of most major beers not named Bud in region. North Texas native Sean Murphy, a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, has worked in beer for over 35 years, successfully integrated two beer distributorships into the Andrews family while continuing to manage its South Texas operations. He moved to Fort Worth in 2018 to manage sales operations of Andrews’ new 530,000-square-foot distribution center, while continuing to oversee South Texas sales. He received his bachelor’s in marketing from the University of North Texas.

Marcus Paslay CEO

Clay Pigeon, Piattello Italian Kitchen, and Provender Hall

Fort Worth chef Marcus Paslay debuted his newest restaurant — Provender Hall, a Texas brasserie — amid COVID-19 in 2020 in the Fort Worth Stockyards’ budding Mule Alley redevelopment. Provender Hall added to Paslay’s restaurant portfolio in the city. He is executive chef and owner of Piattello Italian Kitchen in the Waterside development and Clay Pigeon in Fort Worth’s Foundry District. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 2006, Paslay worked in some of best restaurants around the country, including preparing rustic American cuisine under award-winning chef Gerard Thompson at Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, creating molecular dishes under James Beard awardnominee chef Jason Franny at Canlis in Seattle, and working as executive chef for Neighborhood Services in Dallas, among many others.

Mike Micallef President Reata Restaurants

Mike Micallef has been president of his family’s nonmanufacturing businesses since June 2005. These include Reata Restaurants, 11,700-acre Sierra La Rana development in Alpine, and CF Ranch in Alpine. Micallef is co-founder of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation. Micallef’s skirmishes with his Sundance Square landlord over valet parking reached a new level in recent weeks with his announcement that he planned to move his acclaimed restaurant after not receiving a lease extension. A new home won’t change “who or what Reata is,” he said. “More than anything, Reata has a strong brand, and a loyal customer base that I believe will support us anywhere we go.” Micallef has a bachelor’s in business administration from TCU and a certificate from the school’s Ranch Management program.

John Pritchett CEO Wild Acre Brewing Company

John Pritchett has worked in beer since the day he crossed the stage to receive his diploma at the University of Texas in Austin in 1996. Inspired by tours of the finest craft breweries and the energy of its employees and patrons, he struck out on his own, pulling the trigger on his dream of opening a craft brewery. Wild Acre opened to the public in 2016 in the former Ranch Style Beans location southeast of downtown. A second location opened on Camp Bowie with chef David Holister charged with overseeing culinary creations that have been widely embraced by the locals. “Wild Acre is a family of beers and brands born from a group of tremendously passionate and dedicated people that I am honored to work with,” Pritchett says.

INDUSTRY

Food & Beverage

Fritz Rahr Owner Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.

Fritz Rahr founded Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. in 2004 in Fort Worth, leaving a career in railroads and following a family brewing legacy, opening what was then the city’s only small brewery. In more than 15 years, Rahr has grown its brewing capacity to 20,000 barrels per year from 2,000. The brewery has won over 90 national awards, including six Great American Beer Festival medals, and helped drive the growth of craft beers in Fort Worth. The early going was difficult with Rahr considering closing it on several occasions. A winter storm in 2010 caused the collapse of the roof, causing a months-long shutdown of operations and revenue, but since then the brand has taken off. Rahr has a bachelor’s and MBA from TCU.

Doug Renfro President Renfro Foods

Doug Renfro works closely with his cousins, Becky Renfro Borbolla and James Renfro, to run the family-owned Renfro Foods, which was founded by his grandparents who started operations out of their garage in 1940. He has developed many of the Mrs. Renfro’s flavors. Son of second-generation owner Jack Renfro, Renfro started on the factory floor as a teen and weighed spices through college. He later recalled that during that time he had the “world’s most interestingsmelling Subaru.” After graduating from the University of North Texas, he worked seven years for EDS, becoming a divisional finance manager. He has an MBA from SMU. The company’s sales are about 10 times larger than in 1992, the year Renfro returned to the company.

Ashli RosenthalBlumenfeld Co-president Standard Meat Co.

Ashli Blumenfeld was nurturing a New York career after college when she returned to Fort Worth and went to work in her family’s business with brother Ben Rosenthal and their father, Billy Rosenthal. She had experience there: As a 9-year-old she was receptionist at Rosani Foods, the pepperoni business her father started. She returned in 2008 working in sales and marketing at CTI Foods, then part of the family’s food portfolio. Before that, Ashli spent five years in the communications department at Ermenegildo Zegna, an Italian fashion house, and later with St. John Knits in public relations. Blumenfeld and her husband, Todd, created the Rosenthal Blumenfeld Research Endowed Fund at Tulane to research the diverse food cultures of the Gulf South. Blumenfeld has a bachelor’s in communication from Tulane.

Brian Sneed CEO

Rooftop Ventures LLC and Quince Rooftop

TCU graduate Brian Sneed announced in December that he’s bringing his special taste of San Miguel de Allende home to Fort Worth. Quince will be opening sometime in 2022 in the WestBend development on the Trinity River. The original in Mexico, a collaboration of Sneed and architect Chantal Arias of Guadalajara, was extoled as the best rooftop restaurant in the world in 2020 by the Robb Report. He was motivated to build it because, he said, he “wanted to build the perfect restaurant in the city he loved.” According to the Mexico location’s website, the menu includes hamburgers, a mix of ceviche, soups, risotto, pastas, and ribs. Before life as a restaurateur, Sneed was a hedge fund manager in Fort Worth.

Ben

Rosenthal Co-president and CEO Standard Meat Co.

Ben Rosenthal and his sister, Ashli Rosenthal Blumenthal, lead Standard Meat Company, the fourth generation of Rosenthals to direct the company, supplier to all of Outback Steakhouse’s 700 locations. Rosenthal is also manager of Penrose, the family’s private investment company, a natural add-on to his duties. Prior to joining the family business, Rosenthal was with Goldman, Sachs & Company in New York. His board memberships include YPO Fort Worth, the Center for Transforming Lives, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. He also heads the Endowment Board at Beth-El Congregation. Rosenthal is also a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate and the Exchange Club of Fort Worth. Rosenthal has a bachelor’s in commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

Richard Stuart II

President Chicken Express

Richard and Nancy Stuart brought into existence the concept of Chicken Express in 1988 with stores in Benbrook and Mineral Wells. Today, the company, Burleson-based Stuart Group Inc, headed by their son, Richard “Ricky” Stuart II, has more than 200 mostly franchised locations in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, with more franchises sure to follow. One of his favorite pastimes is TCU athletics. The Stuart Family Courtside Club at TCU’s Schollmaier Arena recognizes the family signature gift toward renovation of the basketball arena. Stuart is also part of a group formed to help facilitate pathways for TCU athletes to benefit from NIL sponsorships and endorsements. A graduate of TCU, Stuart is on his alma mater’s board of trustees.

Brent Tipps CEO BoomerJack's

Brent Tipps, a former franchise owner of CiCi’s Pizza, has steadily grown his restaurant group from one counter-service wings concept into now three dining concepts, including 17 BoomerJack’s stores across Dallas and Fort Worth, under one umbrella, On Deck Concepts, which he formed in 2020. It all started with a desire to get his wings concept into the Montgomery Plaza. Property management wasn’t interested in a wings restaurant, so, on the fly he created BoomerJack’s. He has ambitious plans to add four to six BoomerJack’s a year, he says, while also adding new concepts. His board memberships have included the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and the Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation. Tipps is a former Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneurs of Excellence Award winner.

Dennis Knautz CEO Acme Brick Co.

From Camp Bowie Boulevard and Sundance Square to Will Rogers Coliseum and Globe Life Field in Arlington, the Acme Brick Co. is a part of it, literally. It is led by a 39-year veteran with the company, Dennis Knautz, its CEO since 2005. Knautz has led, or participated in, every acquisition Acme has made, through which it’s seen brick capacity grow to almost 1.5 billion annually from 400 million. The 130-plus-year-old Acme is the largest brick producer in the U.S., with 26 plants in nine states, at more than $750 million in revenue annually. Knautz helped facilitate Berkshire Hathaway’s purchase of Acme parent Justin Industries in 2000 and worked to assimilate Acme into the Berkshire culture. Knautz is purple, through and through, with a bachelor’s and MBA from TCU.

Greg Crouchley President Justin Brands

Greg Crouchley has the helm of the brand that dates to 1879, when H.J. Justin started a boot company from his home. In 2000, Berkshire Hathaway purchased the company. Justin’s lineup, including Justin, Tony Lama, Chippewa, and Nocona boots, is part of a bigger stable of footwear owned by Berkshire Hathaway Shoe Holdings. Justin continues to be based in Fort Worth. Justin and the Cowboy Channel entered a partnership in 2021 when Justin Boots was presenting sponsor of the Cowboy Channel's "Road to the Horse" broadcast and tailgate party in the Fort Worth Stockyards. As part of the deal, The Justin Studio and the “Justin Sports Medicine Team Report” were also introduced. “The Cowboy Channel’s devotion to the Western way of life makes this an exceptional partnership,” Crouchley said.

Sean Menke President and CEO Sabre Holdings

Sean Menke was promoted in December 2016 to president and CEO of Sabre Corp., leading technology provider at the center of worldwide travel and one of Tarrant County’s largest employers, with more than 7,500 employees globally. Menke joined Sabre in 2015 as president of Sabre Travel Network, the company’s largest line, which processes $120 billion of travel spending annually by connecting airlines, hotels, rental car companies, cruise lines, destinations and travel services to more than 425,000 travel agents and corporate travel managers. Menke, with a career in the airline business of more than 20 years, is former CEO of Frontier Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines. He earned a bachelor’s in economics and aviation from Ohio State University and an MBA from University of Denver.

Thomas Ferguson CEO AZZ Inc.

Tom Ferguson, president and CEO since November 2013, won a contract extension in 2019 that takes him through October of this year. The Fort Worth-based AZZ is a global provider of metal coatings and other solutions to various industries. Ferguson has been credited with the digitization of AZZ’s galvanizing business, transformation in the electrical segment, international expansion of the specialty welding business, and implementation of the business platform for AZZ’s Surface Technologies. Prior to AZZ, he served as CEO of FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies and in executive capacities with Flowserve Corp, a global provider of fluid motion and control products and services. Ferguson holds a bachelor’s in industrial distribution and technology from Texas A&M University.

Prasad Reddy CEO Twisted X

Constantly leading a revolution, powerhouse Prasad Reddy brings his mastery of engineering into the way the business side of life works. With a focus on footwear for more than 49 years, he holds a wealth of knowledge for economic insight in the industry. While transitioning acquisitions into enabled businesses, the success of strategizing global material businesses advances. Respected as taking a masterful vision and making it a reality through supreme innovation, the inspirational, yet, intuitional leader, spearheads ideas into groundbreaking brands. A credible pioneer that drives for transforming the fashion industry. “We have a responsibility as humans to help the environment and community we live in,” Reddy says.

Kenneth Shipley CEO Legacy Housing Corp.

Kenneth Shipley cofounded Legacy Housing Corp. in 2005 with Curtis Hodgson, who both began working in the industry more than 35 years ago. The Bedford-based company (NASDAQ: LEGH, $445 million market value) is the fourth-largest maker of manufactured homes in the U.S. and considered an industry leader in “tiny homes.” The company offers affordable homes at a time when home prices are skyrocketing, ranging in size from 320 to 2,600 square feet in more than 80 floor plan designs. Legacy manufactures at three plants, in Fort Worth, East Texas, and Georgia. Backlog remains strong, the company said in its recent quarterly securities filings. Recognized as one of the country’s fastest-growing companies, Legacy Housing employs more than 900.

Karen Borta Anchor CBS 11

Karen Borta is a veteran journalist who joined CBS 11 News in 1995. She previously was an anchor and reporter at the CBS affiliate WTVT-TV in Tampa, Florida; KRBK-TV in Sacramento; and KCEN-TV in Waco. Borta has won numerous honors. In 2019, the Press Club of Dallas gave her a Legend of North Texas Journalism, the industry’s prestigious lifetime excellence award. Borta graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. In 2003, Borta received UTA’s “Distinguished Alumni Service Award.” Borta has won multiple awards for her efforts to support the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer, as her mother, grandmothers, and numerous aunts and cousins have had breast cancer. Borta has also taken on the cause of finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes after her youngest child’s diagnosis in 2015.

Richard Connor Publisher Fort Worth Business Press

In addition to its special events business, Richard Connor’s Business Press had to make other adjustments amid COVID-19, paring the frequency of its print publication to twice a month from weekly and beefing up its website. The company’s site acts as a news aggregator, and the Business Press drives value through publication of its daily electronic newsletter. Connor is a longtime player in the Fort Worth media market. He was president and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1986 to 1997 and subsequently owned papers in Pennsylvania and Maine. He has owned the Business Press since 2010. Connor has a bachelor’s in English and political science from Hillsdale College.

Deborah Ferguson Anchor NBC5

Deborah Ferguson remains highly visible in the community as co-anchor of NBC 5’s “Today” weekday mornings and a widely popular social media presence. She is also back emceeing fundraising galas and special invents, including the recent graduating class of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Fort Worth. Ferguson joined NBC 5 in 1991 after starting her journalism career as a reporter and anchor for WBAP Radio in Fort Worth. She has won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and a Gracie Award for Outstanding Anchor – News presented by American Women in Radio and Television. Ferguson spends much of her time outside the newsroom at community and charitable events, particularly focused on empowering. A proud Bulldog from Trimble Tech High School, Ferguson earned a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from TCU.

Chris Cobler Publisher Fort Worth Report

Chris Cobler is the founding publisher of the digital Fort Worth Report, which launched in April 2021 under a nonprofit model and started with seed money from the estate of Anne Marion, who died in 2020. The Report has sought out space in the marketplace with specialization and exclusivity. He arrived to town with a load of experience in local daily newspapers, including as a reporter in his hometown of Topeka, Kansas. He also served as the managing editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle and as the editor and publisher of the Victoria Advocate. Cobler, an award-winning leader of newsrooms who attended the University of Kansas, was the first Donald W. Reynolds Nieman Fellow for community journalism at Harvard University, where he studied the digital future of news.

Bud Kennedy

Columnist, editorial board member

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Fort Worth-native and Arlington Heights graduate Bud Kennedy, who covers everything from restaurants to politics in columns for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and with a robust social media presence. He was among the first in the market to use the medium so widely to interact with readers. He got his start in journalism covering high school football when he was 16. He worked for the Fort Worth Press and newspapers in Austin and Dallas and then went to work for the StarTelegram in 1981. He estimates he’s written thousands of columns on news, politics, and dining out. As he says, “If you don’t like what he says about politics, read him on barbecue.”

Vincent Strange Podcaster Gone Cold

Vincent Strange (pseudonym) and his wife tell the stories of the forgotten victims of violent crime in Texas, those cases that have never been solved … that have “gone cold.” The duo’s podcast was brought to the forefront with its episodes on the 1974 Carla Walker murder, which they have been credited putting back on the radar of Fort Worth police. Glen McCurley pleaded guilty to the crime through DNA evidence. Vincent said he discovered a passion for learning in his 30s when he and his wife went back to school. Though it took a little time, he says, to figure out that a podcast was the best medium for telling these stories, “we eventually did, and the rest … is history. Or can be listened to over 200-plus episodes.”

Robbie Baker Owner RLB Auto Group

Robbie Baker is a car guy, so it’s no surprise that auto sales and leasing are what he does for a living. Baker is one of the area’s auto brokers, carrying an inventory of late model luxury autos and some vintage you can drive with right away. If you’ve got something more specific you want that he doesn’t have, he invites you to use the “Find Me a Car” tool on his website. RLB has been in business in Fort Worth for 30 years, and many of the vehicles he offers are current year, with a few thousand miles or less. Baker has an impressive car collection that starts with Oldsmobile, which goes back to the dream car of his teen years, the 1977 Olds Cutlass S. Baker currently owns a few dozen classics.

Bruce Denny President, global brands

Dickies, a Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co.

In 2019, Denny Bruce was appointed Global Brand President of Dickies, the company noted for its durable and comfortable workwear since 1922. He oversees the brand’s wholesale and directto-consumer businesses. Before joining the VF Corporation, which acquired Dickies in 2017, Bruce was executive vice President president of sales, product, and marketing at Traeger Pellet Grills. There, he and his team drove growth in a $10 billion industry and quadrupled the company’s revenue and earnings during a four-year period. Bruce also was part of the leadership team at Skullcandy where he was vice president of domestic sales. Among his accomplishments, Bruce helped create an aspirational lifestyle brand while growing revenue to $300 million, leading to an initial public offering on Nasdaq. Bruce also held roles at Vans and Burton Snowboards.

Jerry Durant

CEO

Jerry Durant Auto Group

Jerry Durant started working in the automobile business at his father's wrecking yard and later Durant Chevrolet in Granbury, which his father bought in 1960. After graduating from North Texas State University, Jerry Durant opened Jerry's Chevrolet in Weatherford when he was 22. Today, the Jerry Durant Auto Group covers 50 acres in Weatherford and sells Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hyundai. Durant gives generously to the Weatherford community and has won several local awards, including Weatherford Citizen of the Year, the James Doss Award, and the Weatherford College Carlos Hartnett Award. Durant also owns racing horses and cutting horses. He estimates he has earned more than $2 million from cutting horses, including the 2007 NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Championship won by Bubba Matlock and Durant's stallion Desires Little Rex.

Will Churchill Co-owner Frank Kent Cadilac

Will Churchill and his twin sister, Corrie Watson (see Real Estate), have plenty on their plates. Their holdings include Cadillac dealerships in Fort Worth and Arlington; a dealership in Corsicana selling Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick; Cadillac Wines; Fort Brewery & Pizza brewpub; an interest in Heim BBQ restaurants; Grease Monkey rubs; a website selling grills; and a portfolio of real estate holdings. Churchill and Watson also took the lead on developing Frank Kent’s Dream Park, a park accessible to children of all abilities, that opened in Fort Worth’s Trinity Park. Churchill and Watson in recent years took the proceeds they received from selling a Honda dealership and a piece of property downtown and reinvested them in property on the Near Southside to tenants such as MELT Ice Creams and Heim.

Tom Durant CEO Classic Chevrolet

Tom Durant, in the car business for nearly 50 years, is handing off control of his Classic Chevrolet to son Bently. Tom Durant, brother of auto dealer Jerry Durant, bought Durant Chevrolet from their father after graduating from Texas Tech in 1972. Sixteen years later, he expanded the business, buying a Chevy dealership in downtown Fort Worth. He renamed the dealership Classic Chevrolet, today the nation’s No. 1 Chevrolet and GM dealer. The Durant family got into the auto business after their father Julian Durant, in the construction business, bought the local Chevy dealer out. In 1992, Tom Durant decided to move the Chevy dealership to Grapevine. "Chevrolet told me I could build a 2.9-acre, 20,000-square-foot facility. Instead, I built a 45,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres."

Steve Greig CEO RV Depot

RV Depot is the familyowned business that declares, like most everyone else, that it happily approves vacation. At the helm for more than 30 years of RV Depot is Steve Greig, an Arlington Heights graduate who opened the dealership in 1990s with a wide selection of in-house, as well as traditional financing options. They offer new and used travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers, and motor homes. Greig also owns Automaxx, a used-car dealership. He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he earned a bachelor’s in business administration in 1990.

Mike Hernandez CEO D&M Leasing

Mike Hernandez is now more than 30 years at the helm of D&M Leasing, an auto leasing business he supposed was a stopping point en route to something else. The firm today has offices in Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Dallas, and Houston, a used car operation, and a finance arm. In addition, Hernandez is the owner and dealer principal of Ford, Buick, Chrysler, and Toyota dealerships. He is a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association and the Texas Automobile Dealers Association. Founder and president of the Hernandez Foundation and a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate. A member of the Board of Regents of Texas A&M, his alma mater, Hernandez is also part of an advisory committee to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on workforce training.

Jason Hiley President Hiley Dealerships

In the early 1980s, Randy Hiley opened Hiley Mazda and Volkswagen dealerships in Arlington. Today, Hiley’s sons, Jason and Matt, run the company and have led an aggressive expansion. The company bought Hiley Mazda of Hurst in 2003; acquired Mazda, Volkswagen, and Audi dealerships in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2009; opened Hiley Buick GMC in Fort Worth in 2010; purchased a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and RAM dealership in Ada, Oklahoma, in 2014; opened a Hyundai dealership in Burleson in 2015; bought a Hyundai dealership in Fort Worth from Frank Kent in 2018; and rapidly, after that, bought Mac Churchill Acura in north Fort Worth, bought AutoNation Mazda in Fort Worth, and completed construction of a Mazda dealership in Burleson.

Robert Howard

President

Don Davis Auto Group

The Arlington-based Don Davis Auto Group has been under Robert Howard’s direction for more than 25 years. He started his Don Davis career in 1985 when he graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington, six years after the company founding. The company employs more than 500 with annual sales typically $300-plus million. UTA has since recognized Howard as a distinguished alumnus. Don Davis has three Tarrant County locations. For years, Don Davis has participated in the Santa’s Helpers toy drive, hosting dropoff centers and typically donating over $100,000 each season.

Vince Puente

President, sales and marketing Southwest Office Systems

Vince Puente and his brother, Buddy Puente, are the secondgeneration owners of the two-person typewriter repair firm their dad started in 1964. The company does more than $15 million in annual revenue, with 52 employees. Since 2001, SOS has operated debt-free, according to Puente, nothing less than a godsend for any company living through a pandemic. Puente, a University of Texas at Arlington graduate, started at SOS in 1972 as a driver. Within a year, he moved into sales. Puente created the “SOS” brand. Puente, a proud product of the Fort Worth school district, reached beyond the world of document imaging in 2016, being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Finance Commission of Texas and re-appointed in 2018, a term that is set to run through 2024.

George Sherman CEO GameStop

George E. Sherman was named CEO of Grapevine-based GameStop in April 2019, the fifth person to hold the position since 2017. He stepped away this year, credited with taking decisive steps to stabilize the GameStop’s volatile business that has struggled with sales growth for several years in the face of stout competition from gamedownload stores and large online retailers, like Amazon. Sherman has more than 25 years in senior management at major retail brands like Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy, Target, and Home Depot. Prior to joining GameStop, Sherman served as CEO of Victra, the largest exclusive authorized retailer for Verizon Wireless products and services. Sherman received his master’s degree from Central Michigan University and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force for nearly seven years.

Randy Watson CEO

Randy Watson Boots

Randy Watson, for years a leader in the boot business at Justin, stepped out on his own in 2019 with his own brand, R. Watson Boots, which not in the too distant past got an unexpected boost when Drake, the hip-hopster, showed up on Instagram wearing a pair of R. Watson’s Antique Saddle Full Quill Ostrich boots with a Royal Blue Goat Top. Watson said he got back into the business after retiring from Justin when vendors and retailers urged him to return with his own stamp. R. Watsons are carried by a number of retailers, including Cavender’s, CB Fincher’s, Teskey’s Saddle Shop, National Roper’s Supply, Wood’s Boots, Lee’s WW, as well as outfitters in Oklahoma and Georgia. And, apparently, a place called Country General Store in L.A.

FORT WORTH INC. ENTREPRENEUR OF EXCELLENCE

EOE Applications for 2022 are Open

We are looking for those entrepreneurs whose vision, creativity and integrity have made Fort Worth the premier place to do business.

Fort Worth Inc.’s Entrepreneur of Excellence (EOE) Awards showcase and honor the contributions of exceptional entrepreneurs in several industry categories.

details: fortworthinc.com/eoe

Interested in sponsoring the awards program?

Contact Melissa Mitchell at mmitchell@fwtexas.com

Thank you to everyone who attended the celebration of The 400: Fort Worth’s Most Influential People and 2022 Person of the Year.

Opal Lee, nicknamed “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” was honored at this special event as well as the influential individuals featured on The 400 list. The cocktail reception took place on Thursday, May 19, at the Fort Worth Club. A special thank you to our sponsors who made the event possible.

PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Garcia-Lancarte Family has been serving enchiladas since July 4, 1935. The internationally renowned Mexican restaurant is nestled in the historic Northside Fort Worth. Established by Joe T and Jessie “MamaSues” Garcia with a seating capacity of only sixteen. Fast forward to today and we continue to grow with seating up to 1200.

The heart of Joe T. Garcia’s and Esperanza’s Bakery is family and legacy. Currently the fifth generation is making their mark in the family business. Joe T.’s truly is a family business; familyowned and family-operated since day one!

Vianei Lopez Braun and Janet L. Hahn, shareholders. Honored to be among Fort Worth Inc.’s 400 Most Influential People for 2022.

Vianei and Janet are top-notch attorneys and community leaders who represent their clients with exceptional legal expertise and volunteer organizations with enthusiasm and commitment. Vianei handles employment law matters in a wide variety of industries and sectors. Janet advises clients in business and corporate legal matters, mergers and acquisitions, and estate planning and probate matters.

Generations of experience. Always moving forward.

Nonprofits and Foundations

Nonprofits and foundations are trying to make a comeback after COVID-19. Hunger, shelter, employment, financial assistance, mental well-being, and child care were among causes that continue to see demand.

NONPROFITS AND FOUNDATIONS

Foundations

Amy Adkins President All Saints Health Foundation

Amy Adkins left her job as president and CEO of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in 2017 to take over as president of the All Saints Health Foundation, which had $60 million in assets in 2019. In her post, Adkins leads Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center’s fundraising efforts, including major gift and donor cultivation, capital campaigns, special events, and other philanthropic initiatives. Adkins earned a bachelor’s from Texas Tech University in music education and an executive MBA from TCU. During her tenure with the Symphony Orchestra, the organization enjoyed recordbreaking fundraising results, including an unprecedented 42% increase in corporate sponsorships and foundation giving. She oversaw winning campaigns, including the drive to fund the Orchestra’s 2008 Carnegie Hall tour and managed the first $1 million gala in 2006 honoring Van Cliburn.

Pete Geren President

Sid Richardson Foundation

Pete Geren has been president and CEO of the Sid Richardson Foundation since 2011, overseeing grants in support of educational, health, human services, and cultural programs and projects that serve Texans. The foundation, named after the legendary oil wildcatter Sid Richardson, gave gifts of $23 million for 2019. The Richardson was one of 20 initial major backers of North Texas Cares, an initiative launched during COVID-19 to identify emergency needs. A University of Texas-educated lawyer, Geren won a special election to fill the House seat of former Speaker Jim Wright in 1989. He served four terms and returned to Fort Worth. He returned to Washington in September 2001 as special assistant to the defense secretary and later served as acting Air Force secretary and 20th Army secretary.

Neils Agather

Executive director The Burnett Foundation

Neils Agather has stewardship of the Fort Worth-based foundation, created in 1978 with $200 million in assets by Anne Burnett Tandy to support a range of projects. Tandy’s daughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, was president of the foundation when she died in 2020. The foundation makes grants in arts and humanities, education, community affairs, and health and human services, chiefly in its Fort Worth home. The foundation also makes grants in New Mexico, largely in the arts. Marion founded the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. Agather is married to the longtime banker Elaine Agather, chosen in 2020 Mayor Betsy Price to co-chair a Fort Worth nonprofit tasked with helping Fort Worth business rebuild from COVID-19 and find new opportunity.

Rose Bradshaw CEO North Texas Community Foundation

Rose Bradshaw, who took over as CEO in 2017, moved quickly to put the North Texas Community Foundation at the center of efforts to identify and fund emergency needs related to COVID-19. The Foundation made $27 million in grants in 2019 and more than $29 million in 2021. Over the course of her career, Bradshaw has worked with philanthropists, foundations, corporations, and nonprofits in North Texas, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago to ignite powerful and rewarding philanthropy that strengthens local communities. The Community Foundation currently has $519 million in assets. She has a bachelor’s from Loyola University’s Mundelein College for Women in Illinois in 1988 with a double major in history and English literature.

Mike Groomer CEO

Event Facilities Fort Worth

Mike Groomer, a longtime local government executive, is CEO of a quiet nonprofit, Event Facilities Fort Worth, which has backed capital projects for years that benefit the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, its home at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, and the construction of Dickies Arena. Event Facilities is chaired by Ed Bass, longtime proponent and backer of the multipurpose arena. After the Bass family agreed to cap the public’s half of the new arena, the job of raising the rest of the money fell to Event Facilities. Groomer joined Event Facilities in 2008 as CEO. He formerly was a Fort Worth assistant city manager and city manager in Haltom City and White Settlement. He received a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Executive director

Juneteenth Museum

Juneteenth as a federal holiday became a reality in 2021 through a bill signed by President Biden in June, and so will the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, which is the vision of Jarred Howard and Sable Brands, his Fort Worth-based marketing firm. It will double as a monument to Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” The museum will be part of a mixed-use development designed to aid in revitalization efforts in the city’s historic south side neighborhood. Juneteenth, which recognizes the day in 1865 that Union troops arrived in Galveston to inform enslaved people of their freedom, about 2½ years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, has been a state holiday since 1980. Howard estimates that cost of the museum will be between $25 million to $30 million.

Jarred Howard

Laura McWhorter President Texas Health Resources Foundation

Laura McWhorter returned home to the Texas Health Resources Foundation as its president in 2021 after a previous 22-year stint there before moving to the North Texas Community Foundation, where she was the chief philanthropy officer. In March 2022, the Foundation celebrated the completion of the Jane and John Justin Tower, a patient surgical Tower at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. The Foundation raised funds to support the construction in the largest and most successful philanthropic campaign for the hospital. McWhorter secured the naming gift from the Jane and John Justin Tower that carries on the vision of this great Fort Worth couple. She is a member of Jewel Charity, serves on the Blue Zones Project Steering Committee and with the Junior League of Fort Worth.

John Robinson

Chairman

Amon G. Carter Foundaiton

John Robinson is the longtime grant administrator at the Amon Carter Foundation, established in 1945 by the businessman Amon G. Carter and his wife, Nenetta Burton Carter. The foundation supports work in art and culture, civic and public affairs, education, health, and human services. As of Dec. 31, 2020, the foundation had made charitable gifts totaling over $718 million. For the five years through 2019, the foundation made $155.89 million in grants, 41% to the Amon Carter Museum. A lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Robinson graduated magna cum laude from TCU with a BBA in accounting. He became a CPA and worked for an international public accounting firm before joining the Carter Foundation as controller in 1980. In 1997, he was named executive vice president and assumed responsibility for all grant-making activity.

Todd Rainwater Director Rainwater Charitable Foundation

Todd Rainwater is chair of the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, founded in 1991 by Rainwater’s father, the investor Richard Rainwater, to improve the lives of children in the U.S. Richard Rainwater died in 2015 of neurodegenerative disease. Rainwater, before he died, set the foundation down a path of investing millions to find a cure. Last year, the foundation and Alzheimer’s Association announced they teamed up again to fund drug discovery research. As COVID-19 broke out, Rainwater signed onto North Texas Cares, a collaboration to identify and fund emergency needs. The foundation also is the lead backer of the new Fort Worth college readiness initiative Tarrant To & Through Partnership, focused on high school students preparing for college.

John P. Ryan Jr.

Chairman

Thomas M., Helen McKee, and John P. Ryan Foundation

John P. Ryan, Jr. is the son of the businessman John P. Ryan, who co-founded the Ryan Foundation in 1983 with his mother, Helen McKee Ryan. The foundation makes grants in health care, human and social services, education, children’s services, and the arts. As of December 2019, the foundation reported it had $120 million in assets and had made $75 million in grants since inception. The foundation received its initial funding from the estate of Helen Ryan upon her death in 1983. It received additional funding from John Ryan during his lifetime and from his estate upon his death in 2003. The foundation is among a coalition of nonprofits that built a $4.7 million permanent supportive housing project in West Fort Worth.

Jean Roach

Vice president

The Roach Foundation

In 2022, Fort Worth mourned the loss of John Roach, longtime CEO of Tandy Corp./ RadioShack, and legacy at TCU, where he was board chair. Roach, named chairman in 1990, led the “1990s Project” that set TCU’s agenda for 10 years. Roach encouraged TCU to approve major increases in funding for technology for teaching and learning. Those technologies were put into place across campus. At Tandy, Roach launched the national Tandy Technology Scholars program, which rewarded teachers and students. Roach consistently set TCU’s agenda for conservative fiscal management. During his tenure, the endowment more than doubled to about $1 billion. Roach and wife Jean Roach, the vice president of the Roach Foundation at the time of his passing, direct charitable giving through the foundation. Jean Roach is a doer in the community.

Vanessa Barker Director

The Welman Project

It was the combination of her teaching and event experience that led Fort Worthnative Vanessa Barker to the idea for The Welman Project in 2008, a nonprofit creative reuse resource for educators. Along with her childhood best friend, Taylor Willis, Barker spends her days saving materials from the landfill and repurposing those items for creative reuse in North Texas classrooms. After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, she went on to teach at a Montessori preschool in Topanga, California, and in San Francisco. She’s been a project manager for events around the country that have included a giant ice wall on the Hudson River for New York Fashion Week and the glitter runways of The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

NONPROFITS AND FOUNDATIONS

Nonprofits

Julie Butner President and CEO Tarrant Area Food Bank

In 2020, Julie Butner became president and CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank, where she provides executive leadership, fund development, board management, and financial management for one of the largest food acquisition and distribution organizations in the U.S. Through the support of 115 employees and a $150 million operating budget, TAFB distributed more than 70 million nutritious meals in 2021. Before the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Butner spent most of her career working in the health care and hospitality industries, specifically focused on food and nutrition, and has held a variety of leadership positions in operations and business development. Butner, a former U.S. Army captain, has a bachelor’s in nutrition and coordinated dietetics from TCU and a master’s in food systems management from Oklahoma.

Ashley Elgin CEO Lena Pope

In 2020, Ashley Elgin took over as CEO of Lena Pope, a long-recognized Fort Worth early childhood learning nonprofit. Elgin has been in youth and family advocacy, prevention, and early intervention for 30 years. Before Lena Pope, she worked for the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, and SafeHaven of Tarrant County. In 2018, she was recognized as Nonprofit CEO of the Year by the Community Council of Dallas. Elgin has served or continues to serve on boards and committees for Mental Health Connection, Texas Network for Youth Services, Meals on Wheels of America, Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, North Texas Association for Play Therapy, and Children’s Advocacy Center of Texas Partner Agency Council. Elgin has a doctorate in counseling from the University of North Texas.

Wayne Carson CEO ACH Child and Family Services

Educated as a civil engineer at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Wayne Carson worked for three years as an engineer but switched to social work so he could work with kids in need of families. Carson started working for the All Church Home in Fort Worth — now ACH — more than 30 years ago. He took over as CEO in June 2000 and subsequently completed his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Arlington. ACH’s big portfolio expanded last year when it assumed case management responsibilities from Child Protective Services in the region for all children in substitute care. With 700 dedicated staff, ACH operates 16 programs in several counties providing a range of services that both prevent and treat child abuse, neglect, homelessness, and family separation.

Elliot

Goldman

Publisher

Greatest Gift Catalog Ever

Elliot Goldman’s business portfolio includes Liberty Bags and Carmel Towel, major niche players in promotional bags, and Lily Pad Properties, which specializes in college-town multifamily properties.

Besieged at home one holiday season by mail-order catalogs, he came up with the idea for a nonprofit gift catalog that offers a curated array of charities that get to pitch to prospective donors. Goldman is chair of the National Leadership Foundation, one of the premier nonprofit educational institutions in the country. It houses one of the finest collections of 20th century American military leadership artifacts in the country. He has a bachelor’s in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. At age 20, he worked for Vice President Dan Quayle in George H.W. Bush Administration and, later, Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

David Cox CEO Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth

David Cox has been president and CEO of Goodwill in Fort Worth since 2013. Cox views the calling of his work as providing disabled and disadvantaged individuals with the “open door of opportunity” so they may achieve maximum independence. Previously, Cox served Goodwill North Central Texas as director of community relations and as senior vice president of retail sales and marketing. Cox is a member of Leadership Fort Worth, Leadership Class of 2002; and serves as board chair for Harvest Christian Academy; chair of the Texas Association of Goodwills; and is an active volunteer with his church. He also worked for the World Organization of Scouts in a small village in the Swiss Alps. Cox has degrees in PR/advertising and studio art from Texas Wesleyan.

Hudson Executive director Legacy Lake Como

Marcus Hudson is a son of Lake Como, his family part of the community since the 1930s. Today, he is also a leader of young people there, the founder of LEGACY Lake Como — Leaders Encouraging Greatness Among Como Youth — a nonprofit designed to provide resources to the residents of Como in the areas of youth development, healthier lifestyles, economic development, and education to transform the neighborhood into one that “showcases excellency in the arts, business, education, and financial literacy.”

On March 30, 2022, Hudson says, “LEGACY became my mission. I called on the men of Lake Como to come out to mow the Como cemetery, which was grossly overgrown, and to my surprise, 22 men showed up. Thus, LEGACY was born. ‘Take Responsibility’ became fundamentally our mission.”

Marcus

Carla Jutson President and CEO Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County

Since 1974 Carla Jutson has been president and CEO of Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, an $11 million agency serving about 1.5 million meals per year and delivering other supportive services to residents in Tarrant County. Jutson was, in fact, a founding member and former treasurer of Meals on Wheels Association of Texas. She served on the board of Meals on Wheels Association of America from 1984-96, including president from 1988-90. In 1999, she was honored as the association’s Distinguished Executive of the Year. Demand doubled during COVID-19, with the pandemic’s spread and resulting shelter-inplace orders, and Meals on Wheels doubled the number of meals it provided with its usual daily drop-offs. Jutson has a bachelor’s in special education from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Toby Owen CEO Presbyterian Night Shelter

Toby Owen has been executive director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, one of Fort Worth’s major shelters, since 2009. Owen has overseen continued expansion of the shelter’s facility and services, which were stretched during COVID’s peak. The Clean Slate employment program offers jobs for residents in janitorial, staffing, and litter cleanup. Before joining the Night Shelter, Owen was vice president of residential services for All Church Home for Children (ACH). Owen has a bachelor’s from Oklahoma Baptist University, a master’s in social work at the University of Texas at Arlington, and a master’s in church and community ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Leah King CEO United Way of Tarrant County

Leah King was promoted to president and CEO of the United Way of Tarrant County in 2019, moving up from chief operating officer. With COVID-19, North Texas’ United Ways were thrust immediately into regional efforts to identify and fund emergency needs through the North Texas Cares initiative. King began her career in North Carolina as a salesperson and store manager with RadioShack. She subsequently held posts at Chesapeake Energy Corp., Holland Services, and Northstar Bank before she was hired by the United Way of Tarrant County as senior vice president of development. Leah serves as a director on the boards of United Way of Texas, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Baylor Scott & White All Saints, T3 (Tarrant To & Through) and the Fort Worth Club.

Christopher Plumlee President and CEO Catholic Charities

Christopher Plumlee was appointed CEO of Catholic Charities in September, resigning his position as chairman of the board to take the job. Plumlee’s background includes a 25-year career in senior leadership positions with several companies, including Bank of America, Eastman Kodak, Staples, Dell, and Hewlett Packard. In 2013, Plumlee opened a sales consultancy business. “We are not providing our brothers and sisters with a fish for today, but we are empowering them with the tools … to fish for a lifetime. I believe every day we glorify God with the kingdom work He has called us to do,” said Plumlee, who recently found himself sideways with Bishop Michael Olson, who asked him to resign over issues with a seminar sponsored by Catholic Charities. That had not been resolved as of this writing.

Mark Melson

President and CEO

The Gladney Center of Fort Worth

Mark Melson joined Gladney in 2008 as chief development officer and became chief operating officer before being named president and CEO in 2018. Melson’s efforts on bettering the lives of children in need extend not only to Texas but around the world through domestic and international programs. Melson has a bachelor’s and MBA from the University of North Texas. Before joining Gladney, Melson was director of finance and gift planning for Harris Methodist Health Foundation and as chief development officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas. He serves on the board of directors of the Children’s Home Society of America.

Ken Shetter

President One Safe Place

Ken Shetter is the president of One Safe Place, a crime and violence prevention collaborative serving all of Tarrant County. Under his leadership, One Safe Place has established a highly successful training and education program, developed one of the most innovative and successful Crime Stoppers programs in the world, expanded the highly successful Imagine No Violence initiative and created important programs for at-risk children and youth. The One Safe Place Family Justice Center, recognized as one of the most effective and comprehensive programs of its kind, serves thousands of victims of domestic violence and their children each year. Shetter was mayor of Burleson 16 years. He has a bachelor’s from Baylor University, a master’s in applied sociology from The American University in Washington, D.C., and a law degree from Baylor.

NONPROFITS AND FOUNDATIONS

Nonprofits

Don Shisler President and CEO Union Gospel Mission

Haltom City-native Don Shisler got his start at Union Gospel Mission in 1993 as a volunteer and became CEO in 1995. He is in the organization’s second strategic plan and last year disclosed plans for the mission’s second affordable housing development on the grounds of its East Lancaster Avenue complex. During his tenure, he has built and renovated five facilities on the 6-acre campus, including the Vineyard on Lancaster, dedicated last year. The two-building, mixed-used facility features 104 apartment units, 98 of which are affordable pricing on a sliding scale. Shisler has served on numerous boards such as Citygate Network, the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, and served as an officer on the board of Recovery Resource Council. Shisler attended Tarrant County College and the Neeley School of Business at TCU.

Kara Waddell Executive director Child Care Associates

Kara Waddell joined Child Care Associates in 2014 and has led in creating what it calls “the finest possible earning learning system” for families and children in need. During the early stages of COVID-19, she led a coalition in quickly developing a web tool called FIND! Child Care, aimed at connecting essential workers with open child care slots. Previously, Waddell served as the lead for Oregon’s child care system and served on the Governor’s Early Learning Council. Prior to Oregon, Kara, who is fluent in Mandarin, lived in China for 12 years leading a countrywide nonprofit working on poverty alleviation, child well-being, and community development. Waddell has a bachelor’s from Duke University and a master’s in public administration from Harvard.

Heidi Swartz Executive director Cowtown Marathon

Heidi Swartz, executive director of the Cowtown

Marathon for 18 years, has made the race an annual destination for runners across the country as well as the world. Her responsibilities include putting on a safe race that is under budget and a challenge to runners at all levels. Swartz has also made the Cowtown a benefactor to young people with the CALF program, created in 2009 to encourage children to pursue a lifelong love for fitness and an awareness of good nutrition. The program was tabbed “The Top Kids’ Running Program in the Nation” in 2011 and 2020 by Running USA. Each year, Cowtown staff visit over 120 schools, teaching proper running technique. The nonprofit has also delivered more than 50,000 grants and pairs of shoes to children in need.

Beckie Wach

Executive director of J.E. and L.E. Mabee Service Center in Fort Worth Salvation Army of North Texas

Beckie Wach became executive director of the Salvation Army Fort Worth in 2007. She leads the planning, development, administration, and supervision of the organization’s adult and family services, which include behavioral health, shelter and housing, social work and social services, child care services, health services, and food service activities. In her role, Wach is also responsible for directing staff selection, policy and procedure development, and compliance at The Salvation Army of North Texas’ 21 centers of operation across Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, and Tarrant counties. Board memberships include Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, Cheryl’s Voice, and The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Council for Anti-Human Trafficking. She previously was budget and finance manager at the Salvation Army in Dallas. She has a bachelor’s in management and psychology, Dallas Baptist University.

Dante

Williams Executive director Community Frontline

Dante Williams is cofounder of CommUnity Frontline, a nonprofit that aims to engage men in volunteer work, mentoring of youth, advocacy of policy change, and conversations about cultural issues like police accountability. The organization seeks to provide opportunities for police to serve in neighborhoods for events like community cleanups and movie nights. Williams serves on the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission. During the pandemic, Community Frontline helped with rental assistance, groceries, and other needs. It also helped small businesses with grants. During the winter storm of 2021, the group repaired pipes, did other home repairs, and assisted with groceries for neighbors. Williams owns DIG Contracting, a commercial contractor. Williams, a son of Stop Six, graduated Dunbar High School and holds a bachelor’s in construction science from Prairie View A&M University.

Taylor Willis Director

The Welman Project

With close friend

Vanessa Barker, Willis co-founded The Welman Project in 2016 in Fort Worth, aiming to collect donations of everything from art supplies to containers, find those items new homes with teachers and classrooms, and ease pressure on the landfill. In her position, Willis oversees all organization operations and business partnerships, manages the budget, accounting, human resources, and board relations. She is responsible for all fundraising, legal compliance, data maintenance, and record keeping. Willis has had a freelance visual arts production business for the better part of 20 years. The Welman Project last year moved to a new location on Fort Worth’s West Side.

Southwestern Seminary has been proud to call Fort Worth home since 1910. Still in use today, the first building on our campus was named Fort Worth Hall in honor of our beloved community.

For over 100 years, the Cowtown community has provided an unparalleled training ground for men and women as they prepare for Gospel ministry. Fort Worth’s city life, diversity, food, culture, and spirit have stayed with our 41,000 living alumni as they serve communities in every time zone around the world.

Learn more about Southwestern Seminary at swbts.edu.

Guiding the Journey Home.

Congratulations to Toby Owen, Chief Executive Officer of Presbyterian Night Shelter. Your strong leadership, vision and commitment to ending homelessness in Tarrant County is an inspiration to the guests and staff you serve.

In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, Tarrant Area Food Bank would like to honor all the Fort Worth businesses who have been longtime supporters of our efforts to alleviate hunger and help ensure our services continue long into the future. To make a contribution towards our efforts, please visit www.tafb.org/donate

M.

President and CEO, United Way of Tarrant County

President and CEO, United Way of Tarrant County

Congratulations for being named one of the 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth. Thank you for your inspiring leadership and dedication to our Tarrant County community!

Congratulations for being named one of the 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth. Thank you for your inspiring leadership and dedication to our Tarrant County community!

Congratulations for being named one of the 400 Most Influential People in Fort Worth. Thank you for your inspiring leadership and dedication to our Tarrant County community!

Leah

King

Leah M. King

Philanthropy

Nonprofits got back on their feet, literally, bringing back the numerous fundraising galas that raise millions annually for Fort Worth charities, a desperately needed economic and morale booster for the city’s generous philanthropists in the aftermath of the pandemic.

PHILANTHROPY

Larry Anfin Principal K&L Ventures

Husband and wife duo

Larry and Karen Anfin are ubiquitous, serving on numerous boards and highly visible at fundraisers and other community events. Among the events, foundations, and organizations

Anfin is involved with include the local Parade of Lights, Main Street Arts Festival, a Wish with Wings, the Fort Worth Chamber, and many more. Anfin is a grandson of the late John McMillan, who co-founded Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth and ran it until he died in 2001. The Anfin family — Larry, who worked at the company from 1974 to 2014, and his three brothers — sold the company to Andrews Distributing Co. in 2014. By his estimation, Anfin serves on 22 community boards.

Anne T. Bass

Keystone Group LP

Anne T. Bass and husband Robert Bass direct their philanthropy through their Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Foundation, which had nearly $85 million in net assets at the end of 2019. Of the 28 DFW grant and contribution recipients paid during the year include: United Community Centers, Texas Ballet Theater, The Epiphany School, Meals on Wheels, James L. West Alzheimer Center, Gill Children’s Services, Fort Worth Orchestra, Fort Worth Youth Orchestra, Center for Transforming Lives, Woodside School Foundation, Women’s Center for Tarrant County, The Salvation Army, North Central Texas Academy, AIDS Outreach Center, Child Study Center, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth, Saving Hope Foundation, and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Ramona Bass Fort Worth Zoo

Ramona Bass, wife of Lee Bass, is longtime co-chair of the Fort Worth Zoo board and one of the country’s most noted supporters of conservation. Bass led creation of the zoo’s most popular Texas Wild! area in 2001. This past year saw the opening of the zoo’s Elephant Springs, which is home to baby elephant Brazos. The new addition to the zoo was recently awarded with a Themed Entertainment Association award for outstanding achievement – the only zoo in the nation to receive such an honor. In 1993, she and her husband founded the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation to award grants for Texas education, community programs and projects for arts and entertainment; and national and regional conservation, education, and research.

Joan Katz Warm Place

Cancer and adoptions remain big volunteer passions of Joan Katz, a former special education teacher. A fourtime cancer survivor, Katz spearheaded the establishment of the Joan Katz Cancer Research Center in 2010 at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, where she is a member of the executive committee and survivor focus group. In 1992, Katz co-founded the Susan G. Komen Tarrant County affiliate and Race for the Cure. She is a member of the board and strategic planning and governance committees. Katz and her husband, Howard, are adoptive parents. In 1997, Howard Katz started The Gladney Cup fundraiser benefitting The Gladney Center for Adoption and, in 2007, served as president of Jewel Charity.

Mercedes Bass Chairman Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Mercedes Bass, former wife of Sid Bass, is chair of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra board, which this past year completed a search for a new music director to replace Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who retired from the orchestra after 20 years. Bass, in February 2021, announced the hiring of Robert Spano, who was previously the orchestra’s principal guest conductor. Bass, who was born in Tehran, Iran, and educated in England, also serves as vice chairman of the executive committee and member of the board of trustees of the American Academy in Rome in Rome, Italy, and serves on the advisory board of the Aspen Music School in Aspen, Colorado.

Marsha Kleinheinz Kleinheinz Family Foundation For The Arts and Education

Marsha Kleinheinz and her husband, John, direct their giving through their Kleinheinz Family Foundation for the Arts and Education. Major gifts in 2019 included: $1.4 million to IDEA Public Schools, $1.05 million to the Fort Worth Zoo, $910,000 to Stanford University, $837,500 to Uplift Education, $632,084 to Great Hearts Texas, $300,000 to Charter School Growth Fund, $250,000 to Key School, $200,000 to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, $200,000 to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, $200,000 to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, $123,000 to the North Texas Community Foundation, $100,000 to Texas Economic Development Corp, $100,000 to Union Gospel Mission, $100,000 to All Saints Episcopal Church, $100,000 to Saving Hope Foundation, and $100,000 to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

Marty Leonard

Fort Worth Nature Center, Historic Fort Worth

Marty Leonard was introduced to golf at age 3 by her father, Marvin Leonard, who founded the Colonial and Shady Oaks country clubs. She enjoyed a lengthy amateur career, built and owns the Leonard Golf Links teaching facility in Fort Worth, and built the Nike Research and Development building and Tech Center in the city. She’s a longtime supporter of Lena Pope, serving on the Lena Pope, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation, and Kids Who Care boards. She is is a board member of the Tarrant Regional Water District board, having been first elected in 2006. She and fellow board member, Leah King, made up the two-person search committee that headed up TRWD’s search for a new general manager in 2021.

Louella Martin

Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth Symphony Boards

Lou Martin and her husband, Nick, who died Jan. 1, 2021, at 96, have lavished gifts on numerous local organizations, including Texas Wesleyan University, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, and, more recently, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital. For the latter, Martin made a substantial contribution to the newly constructed Justin Tower, which will add 144 beds, 15 surgery suites, and new pre- and postoperative services — and the lobby of which will bear the name Baker Martin Lobby. Martin serves on the Texas Wesleyan, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra boards. She was Jewel Charity Ball 2020 president and served on the Jewel Charity Invitational 2020 for Cook Children’s.

Rosie Moncrief

Moncrief Investments

Rosie Moncrief, the wife of Mike Moncrief and Fort Worth’s former “first lady,” devotes her time to issues involving children, senior citizens, health care, life threatening conditions, and human trafficking. In 2014, Moncrief became the first recipient of a Wish with Wing’s Wings of Hope Award, which was subsequently named the Rosie Moncrief Wings of Hope Award. The annual award acknowledges exceptional and selfless individuals and organizations who have dedicated their time and hearts to the charity’s noble mission. Recent board memberships include Community Hospice, The First Tee of Fort Worth, Cancer Care Services, Doris Kupferle Women’s Health Advisory Board of Harris Methodist Health Systems, Fort Worth Promotion Development Fund, and Happy Hill Farm. Another project of Moncrief’s is the reduction of the high incidences of cancer in the city’s firefighters.

Larry O'Neal Classic Auto Detail

Larry O’Neal owns and operates Classic Auto Detail, a full-service auto detailing center. In September 2014, O’Neal founded the Fort Worth Memories Museum, which is located within his detail shop on Rogers Road. The physical museum is an extension of O’Neal’s popular Facebook group “Fort Worth Memories,” which has over 123,000 members. A local historian, all items displayed in the museum are part of the Larry O’Neal Collection. The group chat has also recently become a way for O’Neal to promote civic engagement through discussion of local issues. Because O’Neal forwards the comments to the mayor and city council, the six-figure-strong chat has affected matters being discussed by the city government.

Kit Moncrief

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Kit Moncrief is a familiar figure in the North Texas philanthropic community. She and husband Charlie, who died in January of 2021, have supported a number of causes, including wildlife, conservation, and animal welfare. Moncrief co-founded the Saving Hope Foundation, an organization that aims to end animal abuse and neglect through advocacy, education, and spay-neuter programs. President, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame; co-chair, Fort Worth Zoological Association; first woman vice-chair, TCU board; past-president and current vice president, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Foundation; vice president, Moncrief Cancer Foundation; board member, UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute, Brown Lupton Foundation, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Degrees: art history and ranch management, TCU; art history, SMU.

Kelsey Patterson Gary Patterson Foundation

Kelsey Patterson, wife of former TCU football coach Gary Patterson, works to strengthen local public education. Through the Gary Patterson Foundation, founded to help the city’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, she has raised substantial funds and awareness for struggling schools. Patterson is a founding board member of Saving Hope, which teaches and encourages safe and kind interactions with animals. Patterson’s most recent project — The Big Good — launched in the fall of 2020, brought together local celebrities Gary Patterson and musician Leon Bridges in an effort to create positive change through charitable efforts in Tarrant County. The new charity has partnered with the Tarrant County Food Bank, UpSpire, and United Community Centers to raise money and promote volunteerism. Bachelor’s, communications, University of Texas at Austin.

Susan K. Medina

President/Founder, SKM Communication Strategies, LLC

Co-Founder, The Mosiac+SKM Collaborative

Fort Worth 400

The Mosaic+SKM Collaborative team congratulates Co-Founder and SKM Communication Strategies Founder Susan K. Medina on being named FW 400. Kudos to our respected colleague for this recognition of her professional achievements and stellar career. Susan’s impactful leadership can be seen in so many ways throughout our community.

Congratulations

Fort Worth Inc’s the 400: Fort Worth’s Most Influential People - 2022 -

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

L-R, Partners, David Keltner, Marianne Auld, Dee Kelly

Austin | Fort Worth | Midland | Baton Rouge | New Orleans

Ashley Freer Principal, group director and strategist Three-time honoree

Stuart Balcom President and CEO Five-time honoree

Professional Services

Accounting, consulting, human resources, advertising, public relations and marketing, and the law fill out “The 400’s” professional services lineup.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Larry Autrey Managing partner Whitley Penn

Larry Autrey, managing partner of the 500-employee Whitley Penn, has more than 30 years in tax, advisory, and business valuation with public and private clients. His areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing, distribution, profit enhancement, professional services, business valuations and estate planning.

Autrey is the Former Chairman for the Major Firms Group, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA).

Autrey was formerly on the Cook Children’s Medical Center Board of Trustees, the Texas Land Conservancy Board, and former chair of ACH Child & Family Services Foundation, among many others. Bachelor’s BBA, accounting and finance, Texas Tech University; MBA, data analytics, Abilene Christian University.

Michael Flynn President Southland Tax

Mike Flynn is co-founder and president of Southland Property Tax Consultants. He has more than 35 years of experience in the property tax consulting arena. His duties include strategic planning, marketing, and business development. He is a member of the Texas Association of Property Tax Professionals and is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as a senior property tax consultant. A former football player at TCU, Flynn is a member of the board of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, the Davey O’Brien Foundation, ESPN Armed Forces Bowl, the Greater Fort Worth Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and past president of the Block T Foundation. Other board memberships include Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and the Stephen Breen Memorial Foundation. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration from TCU.

Kenneth Barr CEO BC Collaborations

Consulting Group

Former Fort Worth

Mayor Kenneth Barr is a consultant on governmental relations and public affairs. Barr was elected to Tarrant County College’s District 7 in 2019 to a term that ends in May 2025. He was elected mayor four times, and he retired in 2003. Barr served 11 years as a member of the North Texas Tollway Authority, including chairman, and he played a key role in the development of several road projects, including the Chisholm Trail Parkway. He is chair of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, and he serves on the executive committee of The Cliburn. Barr grew up in Fort Worth, attended public schools, and holds a bachelor’s in business from TCU. His father, Willard Barr, was mayor from 1965 to 1967.

Robert Fernandez

CEO Fernandez & Co.

Robert Fernandez founded his own public accounting firm in 1987. Fernandez performs accounting, tax, and consulting for small and midsize businesses, provides parttime controller/CFO services, and works with international public accounting firms on special projects. Civic involvement includes board memberships with the North Texas Community Foundation, Mary I. Gourley Scholarship Foundation, Trinity Terrace, The Women’s Center Foundation, Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation, Partners for Sacred Places, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and Fort Worth Zoo. Fernandez has been honored by the Texas Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs, as well as Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce and the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Fernandez earned a bachelor’s in business administration and accounting, and Spanish from Vanderbilt University.

Tony Ford

CEO

Success Fort Worth

Tony Ford, a serial entrepreneur, coaches other entrepreneurs through his firm, Success Fort Worth, and promotes Fort Worth as an emerging entrepreneurial center. Ford is founding executive director of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center, which was named “National Model for Business Innovation.” He was also founding CEO, RIDE Television Network; founding partner, Sidelights, Inc., which “reflectorized” America’s trucking fleets and railroad cars; Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame for supporting other Fort Worth private business owners; SBA Exporter of the Year Award winner; co-creator, Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence awards. He was also a senior partner at Kasper & Associates in Fort Worth. Ford earned a bachelor’s from Oklahoma State.

Ron Holifield CEO Strategic Government Resources

Ron Holifield is a “servant leader provocateur.” His Keller-based SGR assists local governments in recruiting leaders. His current clients include over 300 local governments in 41 states, training over 1,000 employees per month. As a former city manager who also worked in five other cities in management, Holifield has grown and transformed destinations to cities named as best-run and top for business, elevating their positions as statewide leaders. He’s partnered with more than 700 local jurisdictions and consulted with some of the nation’s leading corporations, including American Express, Xerox, and IBM. His firm participated in the selection of a Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes. Bachelor’s from Abilene Christian University; master’s, public administration, Texas Tech University.

John Mackel Managing partner Weaver

John Mackel has been with the Weaver public accounting firm in Fort Worth for 20 years and was promoted to CEO in 2015. Mackel has served on Weaver’s executive committee since 2009. He has focused his practice on audit, attestation, and advisory services, primarily in oil and gas, renewable energy, and investment management, including hedge funds, private equity, and broker dealers. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mackel led Weaver’s industry practice groups for five years and was responsible for leading and transforming the firm’s go-to-market approach and growth strategy across its focus industries. He began his career in audit for KPMG. Mackel is an active member of a number of industry associations. He has a bachelor’s from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.

Jim

Penn Of counsel

Whitley Penn

Jim Penn is a co-founder of Whitley Penn who was instrumental in launching the Forensic, Litigation & Valuation Services practice group. Prior to founding the firm in 1983, Penn was with Arthur Anderson & Co., and Rylander, Clay & Opitz. His primary areas of focus over the years include valuation of business entities and intangible assets; economic damages and lost profit calculations; family law matters including tracing and characterization of marital assets, forensic analysis, and quantification of equitable reimbursement claims; forensic accounting; assistance at depositions, mediations, and trials providing case strategies, courtroom exhibits and financial solutions; financial statement modeling and forecasting; buyer/ seller representation in mergers and acquisitions. Penn has a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Houston.

Bob Mitchell Executive recruiter

WhitneySmith Co.

Bob Mitchell is one of Fort Worth’s connectors, spending more than 40 years in executive level experience in the banking and insurance industries before jumping to executive recruiting for WhitneySmith. Co-host of a popular downtown breakfast club for years, Mitchell has been a banking executive dating to the ‘70s, and he later co-founded an insurance company. Mitchell assists clients in the selection of candidates for a range of positions, professions, and industries, including senior and executive management positions. He has served on numerous civic boards. Mitchell has a bachelor’s in psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, and a master’s in financial services from The American College at Bryn Mawr.

Richard Payne

Fort Worth managing partner Ernst & Young

Richard Payne is Managing Partner of EY’s Fort Worth office with more than 30 years of experience serving real estate and asset management clients. He was born and raised in Fort Worth before leaving to attend Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where he earned a bachelor’s in business administration and accounting. He began his career in Washington, D.C., and returned to Fort Worth in 1996. Payne has significant experience serving public and private investment funds and REITs investing in various asset types. He serves as the coordinating partner on several public and private real estate entities ranging in size from $500 million to over $5 billion in assets. Payne has served as the coordinating partner on several of EY’s largest SEC public company clients in the office, hospitality, and homebuilding sectors.

Whit Smith President WhitneySmith Co.

Whit Smith founded the WhitneySmith fullservice human resources firm in 1989 in Fort Worth, currently providing services to more than 1,500 companies across the U.S. and Canada. Smith serves as expert witness and consulting expert in matters relating to discrimination, age, disability, sexual harassment, mitigation (employability and job search effort), recruitment practices, policy issues, and tort claims involving negligent hiring, negligent retention, and wrongful termination. Smith earned a bachelor’s in personnel management and marketing from the University of Texas at Austin. He also completed the requirements in the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking program at SMU. Smith is a director with Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation and former board chair of the Fort Worth Chamber.

Estrus Tucker Co-founder DEI Consultants

Estrus Tucker’s DEI Consultants specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion training, and implementation for corporations, nonprofits, and membership organizations. Tucker was principal consultant for Fort Worth’s Race and Culture Task Force that examined inequity and grew out of a highprofile police confrontation. He also served the same with the city of Arlington’s Unity Council Racial Equity Plan Initiative, as well as the lead facilitator and designer of the University of Mississippi Winter Institute's "Welcome Table" Model for Racial Reconciliation. Tucker serves as a member of the National Leadership Team for the Institute for Health Improvement 100 Million Healthier Lives global initiatives. He serves on the Tarrant County Workforce Development Board and Brite Divinity School Board of Visitors, TCU. He has a bachelor’s in psychology from University of Texas at Arlington.

Stuart Balcom CEO

The Balcom Agency

Stuart Balcom grew up around the advertising business; his father worked for and owned several agencies. In college, Balcom started an agency using University of Texas students as staff. After college, he worked for several agencies and then started Balcom Agency in 1993 in Fort Worth. The agency has won numerous awards, including the 2018 Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame Governor’s Award. Balcom is a cyclist and climber, so much so that he bicycled the entire length of the Pacific coast, from northern Washington state to Southern California in nine days — by himself. Balcom also climbed the highest peaks in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, as well as multiple ascents in South America, without guides. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tom Buxton CEO Buxton

Tom Buxton left the Tandy Corp. and started his own analytics firm in 1994. Buxton built the industry-leading Fort Worth firm on incisive analysis meant to provide clients recommendations on where to locate, based on who their customer is, where they are, and what value they have to the company. Today, Buxton estimates it’s worked with more than 5,000 retail, restaurant, consumer packaged goods, health care, private equity, and public sector organizations. Buxton has been named a top influencer of retail by the National Retail Federation, one who “influences the future of retail real estate” by Retail Traffic Magazine. The company has been featured on the Fast 50 list by Fast Company, a silver award winner in the Most Innovative Company of the Year category at the American Business Awards.

Chris Gavras President The CG Group

Chris Gavras has been a strategic communications adviser in Tarrant County for more than 25 years. His firm advises nearly two dozen clients, including Fortune 100 corporations, privately held companies, several North Texas law firms, professional and trade associations, philanthropic leaders, sports entities, commercial developers, and higher education institutions. Gavras advises several North Texas elected officials. Gavras serves on the Davey O’Brien Foundation board.

Jennifer

Henderson President JO Design

Jennifer Henderson founded her own marketing communications shop in 1998, offering PR, brand development, marketing, communications, social media, and graphic design to clients that include Galderma International, Stockyards Heritage, Trinity Metro, Worthington National Bank, Baylor Scott & White, Laura Wilson Photography, and Susan G. Komen. In 2013, she founded The Cause Agency in Fort Worth, offering marketing and PR to local nonprofits at discounted rates. In 2017, Cause launched its first fundraiser, Common Thread, choosing six causes and recruiting artists to design T-shirts for those organizations, awarding a pro bono marketing services prize to the contest winner. She is past chairman of the board for the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation and serves on the board of Near Southside Inc. Henderson has a bachelor’s in marketing from Texas Wesleyan University.

Ashley Freer

Principal group director and head of strategy

The Balcom Agency

Ashley Freer, a partner at Balcom Agency, leads a group that develops strategy for clients, including Cook Children’s Health Care System, Renfro Foods, The PARC, and Presbyterian Night Shelter. Originally from Georgia, Freer has 20 years of marketing experience with organizations including Ogilvy Public Relations, the Atlanta History Center, and BlueLinx Corporation. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America; served a twoyear term on the board of Mayfest, Inc.; and is a graduate of Leadership Fort Worth's 2015 class. From June 2019 to May 2020, she served as the 90th president of the Junior League of Fort Worth. She has a bachelor’s in communication from Lee University and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Beth Hutson CEO/Executive producer Hutson Creative

Beth Hutson’s creative spirit has taken her from Hutson Creative, which she launched in 2004, to Elevated Content Co., the public relations and marketing brand she created and migrated to in 2019. The agency specializes in creating and distributing content for lifestyle and entertainment brands, including “collections” of authentic brand stories, videos, photography assets and visual identity packages. Her clients include Agency Habitat, Lowtown Studios, Hearst Media, TXU Energy, Trademark, Blackstone, Vestar, Luminant, Clay Pigeon, Piattello Italian Kitchen, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., and developments Waterside, Westbend, and Crockett Row. She also created the Elevated Elixir to raise awareness of alcohol-free craft beers, cocktails, and other adult beverages.

Susan Medina Founder and president SKM Communications Strategies

Susan Medina founded SKM Strategies in 2003, providing strategic client service in the area of public, media, governmental, stakeholder, and community relations and crisis communication. The firm has worked on projects of great significance, including the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon incident and the $14 billion TransCanada Keystone Pipeline project. The firm routinely assists Fortune 500 companies with emergency response drills and exercises across the world. SKM is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise, Historically Underutilized Business with the state of Texas, Women-Owned Small Business, Small Business Enterprise, and System for Award Management with the U.S. government. Medina has a bachelor’s in business management/marketing from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is a graduate of New York University’s Public Relations Institute.

George Popstefanov CEO PMG

George Popstefanov left his native Macedonia for the U.S. and opportunity and ended up at TCU at age 19. After college, he joined a small digital agency and worked there several years before founding the PMG digital agency in 2010 in Fort Worth. PMG, whose services range from search engine optimization to social media, has appeared on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies. PMG has generated a second Fort Worth company, Koddi, a digital agency for the travel industry, which appeared on the 2019 Inc. 5000 with $27.3 million in revenue and 1,489% three-year growth. PMG today has offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, London, and New York. Its clients include Apple, Sephora, Old Navy, Cole Haan, and Survey Monkey.

Linda Pavlik CEO Pavlik & Associates

Linda Pavlik has more than 30 years in strategic communications. Clients of her firm, established in 1983, are located across the U.S., many doing business internationally. Government clients include municipalities in the Southwest, North Central Texas Council of Governments, State of Texas, DFW Airport, and transit agencies. Earlier in her career, Pavlik was vice president/general manager of another Texas-based public relations company and a news reporter for the Dallas Times Herald and Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where editors nominated her for the Pulitzer Prize two consecutive years. Pavlik has been named a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Pavlik is a board member emeritus of Amphibian Stage Productions. She is a member of the Arlington and Mansfield chambers of commerce.

Frost Prioleau Co-founder Simpli.Fi

Frost Prioleau cofounded Simpli.Fi, a company that runs online auctions for digital advertising slots based on targeting and optimization, in 2010 in Fort Worth. The company has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing U.S. companies. It recently moved its headquarters to the Fort Worth Stockyards’ redeveloped Mule Alley. Prioleau graduated Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in engineering management systems. Before Simpli.Fi, Prioleau founded Personifi, a contextual and behavioral targeting company. The firm was acquired by Collective Media in 2008. Considered a thought leader in online advertising, Prioleau often speaks on the topic at industry trade shows.

Kasey Pipes Partner

High Water Strategies

Kasey Pipes is co-founder and partner of High Water Strategies, a public affairs firm with Washington and Fort Worth offices. Pipes serves as national spokesman for several corporations and coalitions. Clients include Under Armour, IMG Worldwide, University of Texas at Austin, DFW Airport, Compete America high-tech coalition, Verizon, Justin Boot Co., and Bowl Championship Series. Pipes spent 10 years in the political arena as a communications and policy adviser. He was chief speechwriter for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and served President George W. Bush for five years. He began his career as an intern in the California office of former President Ronald Reagan in 1995. Wrote the 2019 biography After the Fall: The Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon. Bachelor’s, Abilene Christian University; master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

Holland Sanders CEO

Holland Collective

Holland Sanders launched her boutique agency in 2016, focusing on brands and storytelling and bringing collective resources to bear. Sanders grew up in Arlington, worked for the Concussion agency, and moved to the Fort Worth Opera and became its marketing director before going out on her own. She won the 2014 Communicator of the Year Award from the Center for Nonprofit Management for her work at the Opera. In 2019, Sanders started a pro bono initiative, Collective Consciousness, a program designed to support entrepreneurs, artists, and visionaries among historically marginalized groups across Fort Worth and beyond. Sanders holds a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Red Sanders President Red Productions

Red Sanders’ career started at age 14 as a wedding DJ and videographer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in radio, TV, and film from TCU in 2004. Rather than go west, he stayed in Fort Worth. He has been instrumental in the burgeoning film scene in Fort Worth. His Red Productions is a full-service media production firm with offices here, Austin, and, yes, Los Angeles, working in national TV ads, digital content, brand films, and corporate communications. He also founded Red Entertainment, offering film and TV development, and Backlot Studio & Workspace, with 12,000 square feet of rentable office space and sound stage. He’s produced several feature films and helped found the Fort Worth Film Commission.

Ken Schaefer President Schaefer Advertising Co.

As owner and namesake of Schaefer Advertising, Ken Schaefer has built the agency on core values centered around the company’s mission: “Make Life Better.” Schaefer Advertising over 25 years has won numerous awards. Schaefer is a member of Near Southside, Inc.’s board. He holds a bachelor’s in marketing from Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. While in school, he started a business that he sold his junior year, which funded the startup of a restaurant venture, which expanded to two locations. His career began at Procter and Gamble and continued with a move to the agency side at Ogilvy & Mather. Justin Boot Company recruited him to be director of marketing before leaving and joining forces with Jan Blanchard to establish Blanchard Schaefer Advertising, the forerunner to Schaefer Advertising.

Bret Starr CEO The Starr Conspiracy

Bret Starr founded the agency in 1999 on the Near Southside, becoming one of the district’s creative anchors. He came up with the idea for a B2B marketing agency when, after working in sales and marketing leadership roles for HR tech companies, he tired of hiring firms he had to train in his business. The company has doubled in size in the past year, from 35 to 76 employees. He has also gotten involved in the RussoUkrainian conflict. The Starr Conspiracy is in the midst of making arrangements to send body armor to a company it contracts with in Ukraine. They can’t get any in Europe, and Starr found out there’s a bunch of it sitting in warehouses in Texas. Starr has a bachelor’s from Southwestern and a master’s from North Texas.

Scott Turner CEO Agency Habitat

The agency Scott Turner founded, GCG Marketing, rebranded itself Agency Habitat and in the past year has opened new digs just west of downtown Fort Worth, near the Foundry District. It’s a reimagined former industrial building that today is an openconcept environment that throws shade on the traditional office concept in favor of open spaces for collaboration and creativity. Agency Habitat partnered with Dallas-based architecture and interior design firm Coeval Studio to create the new space. With a stadium seating area, fully stocked bar, arcade loft, private booths for phone calls, soothing greenery, and a variety of lounge areas, Agency Habitat is designed to be a place where people want to be. Check.

Allen Wallach CEO Pavlov Agency

Allen Wallach has led his PAVLOV agency to annual billings of more than $10 million. Clients include Choctaw Casinos, DFW Airport, Chesapeake Energy, Dean Foods, Texas Motor Speedway, TCU, and Visit Fort Worth, as well as disrupter brands such as Ariat Boots and ST9 Gas + Oil. Wallach, cofounder of the Concussion Agency, bought out his partner in 2013 and rebranded as PAVLOV. Under his leadership, PAVLOV has been featured in Adweek and named 2006 Small Business of the Year by the Fort Worth Chamber. He invented and sold Koozball, the first foam football and drink koozie, after putting it into 7-Eleven and Walmart. He has a bachelor’s in advertising and PR from TCU.

Colby Walton CEO Cooksey

Colby Walton, trained as a lawyer and with 25 years in professional services and B2B marketing and municipal communications, became chairman and CEO of Cooksey Communications in January, stepping in for founder Gail Cooksey, who retired. Walton became partner of the firm in 2015 and most recently its president. His community leadership activities include board membership of the Duke Club of North Texas, Leadership Fort Worth, and the Virginia Morris Kincaid Foundation. He has also served on committees and in other leadership capacities with the city of Colleyville, the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, and the UNT Health Science Center. Walton graduated from Duke University in 1994 and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.

Marianne Auld Managing partner

Kelly Hart

Marianne Auld is managing partner of Kelly Hart and chair of the firm's appellate section. She has briefed and argued dozens of appeals in both state and federal courts. Auld began her career as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Following her clerkship, she joined Kelly Hart as an associate. Later, she served as a tenured law professor at Baylor Law School. Auld rejoined Kelly Hart in 2008 as a partner in the appellate section. She serves on several boards, including chair of the Fort Worth Chamber. Her education credentials include bachelor’s and law degrees from Baylor University.

Marvin Blum Founder and managing partner

The Blum Firm

Marvin Blum is boardcertified in estate planning and probate law and is an expert on succession in family-owned businesses. A CPA, he received his law degree from the University of Texas, graduating second in his class. He has a BBA in accounting from UT. Worth magazine named Blum to its prestigious list of “Nation’s Top 100 Attorneys.” He has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for his expertise on the estate tax and income tax. Blum twice had the honor of asking questions to Warren Buffett at Berkshire-Hathaway shareholders annual meetings, in doing so attracting international media attention.

Vianei Braun Shareholder Decker Jones

Vianei Braun, a frequent author and speaker on employment law issues, heads the labor and employment law group for Decker Jones. She has represented employers for more than 25 years, providing advice on employment law compliance and avoiding litigation. She also serves as the firm’s chief development officer. Braun has represented large publicly traded companies, governmental entities, small to midsized businesses and professionals and executives. Braun is also a member of the board of directors of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. She has served on the board of directors for numerous nonprofits. She currently serves on the board of BoardBuild, a program that trains and matches leaders with nonprofit boards. She earned a bachelor’s from Princeton and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

John Allen Chalk Member Whitaker Chalk

John Allen Chalk is a recognized expert in alternative dispute resolution. A winner of the Tarrant County Bar Association’s Blackstone Award for ethical ideals, courage, and service, Chalk applies cost-benefit and risk analysis to help his clients achieve efficient resolutions to their disputes. Chalk focuses on commercial transactions and litigation, state and federal regulatory matters, health care and ADR proceedings, and works domestically and internationally. He was recognized by Best Lawyers and published in the 24th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America 2019 and annually since in the fields of arbitration and mediation. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tennessee Tech and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Janet Hahn Shareholder

Decker Jones

Janet Hahn began working at Decker Jones as a legal secretary in the 1980s. She attended night school during that time to earn a paralegal degree and to become the firm’s first paralegal. After attending night school to obtain her undergraduate degree, while working full time at Decker Jones, Hahn earned her law degree from Baylor Law School. She specializes in probate and estate and business law. Hahn has served on numerous charitable and civic committees and boards such as The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, Tarrant County College Foundation, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, and Women Steering Business, a nonprofit that raises money to buy livestock from girls exhibiting animals during the Fort Worth Stock Show’s annual Junior Sale of Champions.

Albon Head Partner

Jackson Walker

Albon Head has practiced in the federal and state courts in Texas and in numerous other jurisdictions since 1971, with experience in lengthy jury and nonjury trials in complex business litigation. He has defended major oil companies against environmental claims relating to abandoned tanks and abandoned refineries, and banks and publicly traded companies against class actions brought by shareholders and former employees. Head was engaged in the formation and representation of The Texas Rangers, Ltd. in its purchase and operation of the franchise in the mid-1970s and did work for the Rangers during George W. Bush’s ownership. Head successfully handled all contested litigation matters for the court-appointed receiver in the recent sale of the iconic W.T. Waggoner Ranch, largest in the U.S. under one fence. BA and law degree, SMU.

Laura Hilton Hallmon Partner Cantey Hanger

Laura Hilton Hallmon is board-certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, rated “AV Preeminent” by MartindaleHubbell, and chairs Cantey Hanger’s labor and employment practice. Hallmon is a 1996 graduate of Baylor University and received her law degree from Baylor in 1999. A careerlong employment law litigator, Hallmon focuses her practice on the prosecution and defense of state and federal employment law matters, including harassment and discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour disputes, and restrictive covenants prohibiting competition. Hallmon also counsels clients on litigation avoidance through effective employment practices and compliance. Hallmon began her practice with the Law Offices of David Fielding in March 1999, becoming a partner in January 2005. In 2015, Fielding, Parker & Hallmon brought its labor and employment law practice to Cantey Hanger.

Veronica Law Shareholder and director Bracket & Ellis

Veronica Chavez Law is a shareholder and director with Brackett & Ellis, P.C., focusing her practice on complex commercial real estate transactions and financial institution representation. Law has more than 20 years of experience handling an array of transactional work for nonprofits, governmental entities, private businesses, and individuals. She has been selected for inclusion as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star and achieving the Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished Rating for High Professional Achievement. Her board membership has included Fort Worth Sister Cities International, Leadership Fort Worth, and a member of the Advisory Committee for Tarrant County District 9 for the Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise. Law earned her bachelor’s in economics and a law degree from the University of Colorado. In law school, she was elected president of her class.

David Keltner Partner

Kelly Hart

Formerly a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, David Keltner has been lead counsel in over 300 appellate decisions. He was honored by Texas Lawyer as the Go-To Appellate Lawyer in Texas. Texas Super Lawyers selected him as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in Texas for the last 14 years. He was ranked No. 1 in 2009 – 2011. The Texas Bar Foundation honored him with the inaugural Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, and he was named Best Lawyers Appellate Lawyer of the Year for Dallas/Fort Worth in 2016 and 2018. Keltner also won the Tarrant County Bar Association’s Blackstone Award in 2018. Keltner also has been recognized nationally as a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Bachelor’s from Trinity University, law degree from SMU.

Andrew Lombardi Senior vice president, general counsel Crescent Real Estate Equities

Andrew Lombardi is responsible for the legal function of the Fort Worth-based Crescent and provides oversight for human resources, records management, and risk and compliance. He has been instrumental in structuring equity and debt related to real estate transactions secured through the company’s GP Invitation Fund I. Crescent uses the invitation-only GPI Fund, launched in 2016, to acquire, develop, and operate real estate investments. Lombardi holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance from TCU’s Neeley School of Business and law degree from SMU. Lombardi serves on the Chancellor’s Young Advisory Council and was an adjunct professor of management from 2011 to 2016, a National Alumni Board director from 2010 to 2014, and a Fort Worth Young Alumni Board director from 2005 to 2013.

Dee Kelly Jr. Partner Kelly Hart

Dee Kelly Jr. is a partner at Kelly Hart and served as the firm’s managing partner from 2005 – 16. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Administrative Law practice groups and serves on its executive committee. Kelly represents corporate and individual clients in business litigation in state and federal courts, and he also provides advice and representation to clients with matters pending before governmental and administrative bodies. U.S. News and World Report has included Kelly on The Best Lawyers in America ranking every year since 2007. Kelly is a trustee for TCU and the University of Texas Law School Foundation. Kelly is a budding avocational novelist, author of three books under the pseudonym Landon Wallace. Bachelor’s and law degrees, University of Texas at Austin.

Hunter McLean

Member

Whitaker Chalk

Hunter McLean focuses his practice on representing clients in commercial and business disputes, with an emphasis on large complex litigation. McLean has significant experience with complex disputes involving contracts, fraud, employment agreements, trade secrets, covenants not to compete, construction, real estate, leases, mineral interests, oil and gas, insurance coverage, personal injury, products liability, and health care. Has obtained favorable verdicts, arbitration awards, and settlements on behalf of clients and successfully defended clients against multimillion-dollar claims. He’s also an expert in alternative dispute resolution. BBA, SMU; law degree, University of Houston. “I have always held the truth as something that is lofty and honorable,” he says. “The justice system is what really holds everything in check and balance. For a society to function, it’s critical that you have law and order.”

Brian Newby Managing partner, Austin/ Fort Worth Cantey Hanger

Brian Newby, in addition to serving as Cantey Hanger’s managing partner, heads the firm’s public/regulatory practice. He has extensive experience in commercial litigation and regulatory matters. With more than 30 years of courtroom and state administrative law experience, he specializes in assisting clients in resolving high-profile, complex issues. He counsels large and small businesses and state and local governmental entities on a wide variety of administrative law and legislative initiatives impacting their day-to-day operations. Experienced in state and local government, Newby served as the chief of staff and general counsel to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. He co-chaired the state of Texas’ hurricane recovery efforts following Hurricane Ike. Newby retired as a major general in the Air Force. He has a bachelor’s from Texas Tech and a law degree, UT Austin.

Marshall Searcy Partner

Kelly Hart

Marshall Searcy has tried hundreds of cases throughout Texas and the U.S., focused on commercial litigation, legal malpractice defense, and personal injury defense. Searcy has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1997. Highlight reel includes successful defense of numerous major antitrust claims against a major oil company in several jurisdictions; successful prosecution of multi-lawsuit claims on behalf of an independent producer, resulting in two of the largest verdicts in the history of Potter County; successful defense of federal bribery charges against a public corporation engaged in government contracting work; and successful defense of a taxpayer charged with federal tax evasion aggregating into the billions of dollars. BA and law degrees, University of Texas at Austin.

Andrew Rosell

Shareholder; chair, Investment Management & Private Funds Industry Group Winstead PC

Andrew Rosell is a member of Winstead's Corporate, Securities/Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group, with a diverse practice representing private investment fund managers, wealth managers, mutual fund managers, family offices, and public and private companies engaged in strategic transactions. Rosell focuses on representing registered investment advisers in formation and structuring, regulatory compliance, strategic transactions, strategic mergers and acquisitions, investment portfolio transactions, due diligence, fund formation and liquidation and business cessation. He is a member of the boards of Cook Children’s Medical Foundation, Cook Children’s Medical System, and Cook Children’s Health Plan. Rosell is former general counsel and chief compliance officer at Kleinheinz Capital Partners, Inc. BBA and law degrees, SMU.

Jason Smith Managing partner Law Offices of Jason Smith

Jason Smith’s URL — letsgotocourt.com — says it all. Smith, in practice for more than 20 years, estimates he’s obtained jury verdicts in dozens of employment and personal injury cases in Tarrant, Dallas, Johnson, Parker, and Wise counties, including the first sexual harassment jury verdict in Tarrant County. “Jason has a proven record of taking Corporate America, insurance companies, and the government to court and winning,” his website states. Smith is a director of the Tarrant County Bar Association board, past president of the Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, and past president of the Tarrant County Bar Association Labor and Employment Section. BA, St. Mary’s University; law degree, Texas Tech.

Jay Rutherford Partner, Fort Worth Jackson Walker

Jay Rutherford has over 25 years representing management clients in employment litigation and avoiding litigation. Rutherford represents clients in labor issues such as labor arbitration, collective bargaining issues, and defense of unfair labor practice charges, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, civil rights, and other employment-related matters, such as hiring and disciplining employees, compensation, employee benefit plans, insurance benefits disputes, management training, employment handbooks, employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, reductions in force, covenants not-to-compete, and the protection of confidential and proprietary information. Rutherford became co-chair of the labor and employment practice group for Jackson Walker in 2014 and was hiring partner for the Fort Worth office from 2013 –2018. BS, Texas Tech; law degree, University of Texas at Austin.

Rick Sorenson President, shareholder, director McDonald Sanders

Rick Sorenson, a “Preeminent” rated attorney by MartindaleHubbell, has more than 40 years of experience across several commercial sectors, from operations, governance, transactions, financing, contracting, and sales and acquisitions to all things real estate, including construction and energy. He is also annually among Best Lawyers’ best lawyers ranking in commercial litigation and real estate law. Originally from the capital of South Carolina, Sorenson has lived all over Texas. Board memberships include Cook Children’s Health Foundation, Cook Children’s Health Plan, Tarrant County Bar Foundation, and Friends of Children Inc. (Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth). Sorenson received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech in 1974 and his law degree from the University of Texas in 1977.

THANK YOU, FORT WORTH INC., FOR RECOGNIZING OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY.

Real Estate

Fort Worth’s skyline continues to evolve with architects, engineers, brokerages, construction companies, developers, investors, management companies, and homebuilders playing major roles in the city’s real estate landscape. Two major developments — one west of downtown and the other on the southern edges of downtown — were announced in the past year.

Michael Bennett CEO Bennett Partners

Michael Bennett has devoted his career to redevelopment of cities and preservation of the natural environment. After beginning his career in Texas, Bennett spent 12 years practicing in Europe and New York before returning to Fort Worth, joining the firm in 2004 and becoming CEO in 2008. Bennett has led the design of many of the firm’s signature projects, including Frost Tower, MOLA at the Fort Worth Zoo, Erma Lowe Hall at TCU, Martin Center at Texas Wesleyan University, and the Woodshed Smokehouse on the Trinity River. Recent projects include Overton Park Elementary School, Kimpton Hotel Fort Worth, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, and the restoration of Heritage Park downtown. He has a bachelor’s in music theory and composition from TCU, and a Master of Architecture from UT Arlington.

Mark Dabney

Principal/Fort Worth market

leader

BOKA Powell

Mark Dabney leads BOKA Powell’s Fort Worth office and as part of a more-than-30-year career has participated in the renovation of Sundance West at Sundance Square downtown, Tarrant County College’s Trinity River East Campus, the Museum of Living Art at the Fort Worth Zoo, Phases II and III of the West 7th development, Visit Fort Worth’s Main Street Visitor Center, and Sundance Square Plaza, including the Commerce Building, Westbrook Building, and Cassidy Building. Dabney is a past president of the Fort Worth Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a recipient of the Texas Society of Architects’ William Caudill Award for Young Professional Achievement, and the Fort Worth Chapter of the American Institute of Architects 1998 Young Professional of the Year. Bachelor’s from Texas Tech. Past president, Leadership Fort Worth.

Travis Clegg Principal Peloton Land Solutions

Travis Clegg, an engineer, is a principal and business development manager at Peloton, providing program management for mixed-use and master-planned residential projects. Clegg has an extensive background in civil engineering design, entitlement, program management, and city and client coordination. He routinely represents clients at city planning and zoning meetings, city council meetings, and homeowner association presentations. Clegg is Chairman of the PAC and serves on the board at Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council, chair of the Government Relations Committee and serves on the board at the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association and serves on the Governmental Affairs and Infrastructure Committees at Fort Worth Chamber. He also chairs the Fort Worth Development Advisory Committee. He earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Texas Tech University.

Jason Eggenburger Principal 97W

The work of Jason Eggenburger and Steven Halliday, co-founders of 97w, can be found all over Fort Worth in popular spots like Craftwork Coffee shops, Heim BBQ, Taco Heads, District 90, and Zoli’s Pizza. The firm’s vision: “Through design, we seek to make all of your wildest dreams come true.” Eggenburger has a bachelor’s in environmental Design from Texas A&M, and a master’s in architecture from Clemson. While at Clemson, Eggenburger lived and studied at the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies in Genova, Italy, and later studied classical urban planning and architecture in western Turkey. After graduating Clemson, Eggenburger moved to New York City to practice architecture in a true urban context, his focus on inventive design approaches for public spaces and structures.

Brian Coltharp

CEO Freese & Nichols

Brian Coltharp walked across the stage at the University of Texas at Arlington with his civil engineering degree in hand in 1992 and went to work at Freese & Nichols. In 2017, he became the firm’s president and CEO. As an engineer and water practice leader, Coltharp has been overseen more than $1 billion in pipeline and pump/lift station projects, including the Tawakoni Water Supply Project for North Texas Municipal Water District and the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Influent Pump Station for Dallas Water Utilities. His board memberships have included United Way of Tarrant County (chair of the 2021-22 campaign), American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas, UTA’s College of Engineering and Department of Civil Engineering, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., and North Texas LEAD.

Tom Galbreath Chairman of the Advisory Board

Dunaway Associates

Tom Galbreath, a 35-year veteran of Dunaway, is the Fort Worth landscape architecture and planning firm’s chairman, stepping into the role earlier last year when Chris Wilde was named new CEO. As chair, Galbreath works to establish and maintain Dunaway’s reputation, level of service, employee well-being, and overall financial security. Galbreath is actively involved in regional development organizations, serving as liaison between private sector development and municipal agencies. Among his projects was the Marketplace at Highland Village, the 80-acre mixed-use project in Highland Village. Galbreath began his career at Dunaway. Galbreath has a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Steven Halliday Partner 97W

Steven Halliday is the other half of 97w, the architecture firm he started with partner Jason Eggenburger. Their work can be spotted around the city in popular spots like Craftwork Coffee shops, Heim BBQ, Taco Heads, District 90, and Zoli’s Pizza. He earned a bachelor’s in architecture from the University of Houston. Halliday is a licensed architect in the state of Texas, a LEED Accredited Professional, and serves on the Near Southside, Inc. Design Review Board, TCU Interior Design Advisory Board, DAC Sub-committee on Urban Infill, and the ULI Small Scale Development Council. Awards include Neighborhood Revitalization, 2016; Historic Fort Worth Preservation, 2016; and AIA Fort Worth Home Tour, 2018-19. Halliday began his career at Haltner Mirador in Houston, and before 97w, worked at PBK in Fort Worth.

Alfred Saenz Chairman and CEO Multatech Architects Engineers

Alfred Saenz, a nativeborn Fort Worthian raised on the North Side, joined Multatech in 1988 and became president and CEO in 1999, steering the firm toward a vision of becoming a full-service architectural and engineering firm. Multatech has added architecture and civil divisions to its already-successful mechanical, electrical, and plumbing group. Board memberships included Child Care Associates, city of Fort Worth Stockyards/North Side Advisory Council, North Texas Community Foundation, chair, 2018 – 20; former chair, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Opera, March of Dimes, Texas Health Resources. In 2013, selected the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Business Man of the Year. He was also selected to the Fort Worth school district Wall of Fame in 2017. An Army veteran, Saenz has a degree from UT Arlington.

Sloan Harris CEO VLK Architects

Sloan Harris, who joined VLK Architects in 2003, became its CEO in March 2020. Since becoming principal and then partner, Harris’ vision triggered significant growth as the firm expanded to five locations from two, diversified its service markets, and more than doubled annual earned revenue. As partner, Harris oversaw a number of signature projects, including the Arlington school district’s Dipert Career and Technology Center. Harris is an alum of Leadership Fort Worth's Class of 2012. He has also served on the city’s Planning Commission and as a board member for the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, the Texas Transit Alliance, and the Cultural District Alliance. He has a bachelor’s and master’s in architecture, as well as an MBA, all from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Gerald Schwarz Principal Schwarz Hanson Architects

Gerald Schwarz has more than 36 years of experience, including better than 25 years as principal of his company, SchwarzHanson Architects, the firm he founded in 1995 with Tod Hanson. The firm consists of five full time registered architects, including the principals, two interior designers, and a team of project coordinators. In addition to Texas, the firm maintains licenses in Oklahoma and New Mexico. Schwarz is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Texas Society of Architects, and a LEED Accredited Professional. He is a former AIA Fort Worth Merit Award winner for the Park Hill Bridge. Schwarz earned a bachelor’s in environmental design and master’s in architecture, both from Texas A&M University.

Rosa Navejar President and CEO

The

Rios Group

Rosa Navejar has expanded her Fort Worth-based Rios Group, which provides subsurface utility engineering and utility coordination services in recent years with new offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. The City of Dallas - Office of Business Diversity recognized The Rios Group as one of the 2019 4E Award recipients for Excellence, and the City of Austin - Small & Minority Business Resources recognized the firm as one of the 2018 Small Businesses of the Year. Navejar has long worked to support M/WBE programs and companies. Navejar was president and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, first woman to hold the post. She formerly worked in banking for 25 years. Boards: Texas Wesleyan University, North Texas Commission, and immediate past chair, Visit Fort Worth.

Brent Sparks Principal, office director, director of health HKS Fort Worth

Brent Sparks runs the HKS Fort Worth office, which has served clients for 14 years. Sparks team works with clients to design environments for family-centered care. Fort Worth projects have included the Moncrief Cancer Institute and True Worth Bank, and, most recently, the Jane and John Justin Tower, which has transformed the mission and the campus of Texas Health Resources Fort Worth campus. The nine-story edifice reinforces “why I got into healthcare architecture in the first place,” he says. “We are proud to be part of the Harris legacy and Texas Health Fort Worth history and we are honored to help the hospital take a major leap forward to serve the community.” He’s been Fort Worth principal since 2004. Sparks has a BBA in architecture from Texas Tech.

Todd Burnette Managing director JLL

Todd Burnette is managing director in charge of the Fort Worth office for JLL. Burnette's expertise includes site selection, property dispositions and acquisitions, lease negotiations, and strategic consulting. Over the past 25 years in commercial real estate in Fort Worth, Burnette has negotiated more than 25 million square feet of commercial property leases, acquisitions, and dispositions. In the last four years, he has completed over 2,630 acres in site selection services for both corporations and public entities. Burnette has been the top producer in the Fort Worth office every year since it opened in 2002. Key clients: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bell, Pier 1 Imports, Chesapeake Energy, Northwest ISD, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, Cantey Hanger, McDonald Sanders, Brackett & Ellis, Lockheed Martin, JP Morgan Chase, BBVA Compass, United Way of Tarrant County. BBA, SMU.

Sarah LanCarte President Lancarte Commercial Real Estate Inc.

Sarah LanCarte founded LanCarte Commercial, a veteran of 12 years in the industry and having closed more than 700 transactions totaling more than 13 million square feet. She has been recognized by Fort Worth Magazine as a “Top Commercial Broker,” and by the Dallas Business Journal’s “Heavy Hitters List: Rookie 2010.” LanCarte’s professional affiliations include Commercial Real Estate Women, Certified Commercial Investment, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, Fort Worth Real Estate Council, Urban Land Institute, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks. Notable transactions include buyer’s side of DFW Industrial Portfolio, Forest Lane Industrial, Suffolk Business Center, disposition of Anchor Fabrication, and disposition and acquisition for M2G Ventures. She has two bachelor’s degrees from Auburn, business administration and Spanish.

Stephen Coslik CEO

Woodmont Companies

Stephen Coslik co-founded The Woodmont Co. in 1980, directing the strategic planning and operational aspects of the company, including brokerage, development, investment sales and asset management, along with corporate vision and strategy. The company has developed 75 retail centers and 12 million square feet. The firm today manages 25 million square feet of retail space. Staff grew to more than 130 employees from one. He earned a bachelor’s from San Diego State and another in finance from Southern California. He’s a member of the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the chair of the DFW San Diego State University Alumni Association. Coslik began his career with the Lincoln National Development Corporation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, before moving to Fort Worth and a job with Morrow Development.

Ryan Matthews Managing director

As a member of the Fort Worth tenant representation team, Ryan Matthews is responsible for developing new business relationships, performing financial analysis, lease structure, and purchase and sale negotiations for corporate office users. Matthews was responsible for disposing of a portfolio of XTO Energy properties in Downtown Fort Worth. Matthews has represented more than 50 clients, many Fortune 500, with transactions exceeding $235 million. Key clients include Cook Children’s Healthcare System; Emdeon; Dunaway Associates; XTO Energy; and Jackson Walker, LLP. Matthews, who was recognized as a “Top Achiever” the past four years for Jones Lang LaSalle, earned a bachelor’s in business administration from TCU, and a law degree with an emphasis in real estate from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law. He’s a member of Christ Chapel Bible Church.

Jack Huff Principal Transwestern

Jack Huff specializes in brokerage and investment in commercial real estate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He has negotiated more than 1,150 transactions since 1986, with a total consideration in excess of $1 billion. Prior to a merger with Transwestern, he was a founding member and principal at NAI Huff Partners, formerly NAI Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell. Specialization includes tenant representation, brokerage of office buildings, urban land and parking structures. Clients include BDO, Harris Finley & Bogle, Haynes & Boone, Keith Law Firm, Law Snakard & Gambill, Lockheed Martin, Lonestar Resources, Petroleum Club, PlainsCapital Bank, Range Resources, Thompson & Knight, Trademark, US Health Group, Virtuoso, Worthington National Bank. He has a bachelor’s in real estate and finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Will Northern Broker

Northern Crain Realty

Will Northern founded Northern Realty in 2010 and grew it to include residential and commercial brokerage and property management. He has since partnered with Michael Crain. Northern also has expertise in assemblages. Northern learned real estate by managing and redeveloping his family portfolio of a dozen historic buildings in San Saba. Northern, a Fort Worth native, chairs the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, a position to which he was appointed by former Mayor Betsy Price. Civic affiliations include the Development Committee for Fort Worth South, Inc.; The Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth PAC; Leadership Fort Worth, class of 2013; Historic Fort Worth, Inc.; Alumni Planning Committee for Fort Worth Country Day School; and the Mistletoe Heights Neighborhood Association. Northern has a bachelor’s in business administration—entrepreneurial management from TCU.

Bob Scully Senior vice president CBRE

Bob Scully is a senior vice president in Fort Worth within the CBRE Corporate Advisory Services division. A 29-year real estate veteran, Scully has handled more than 1,200 assignments, including corporate tenant representation, project leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, build-to-suits, sale-leasebacks, lease restructuring and renewals, subleases and corporate consulting. Scully has completed 75 million square feet of lease and sales transaction work for corporate, institutional and local owner and user clients. From 2020-21, Scully closed on 42 industrial and office lease and sale transactions totaling 4 million square feet and valued at more than $142 million. Scully is consistently recognized as one of CBRE’s top producers, receiving its DFW Top 20 Producer’s Award in 2007-08. While with Trammell Crow, he earned its National Top Producer Award. He has a bachelor’s in marketing, TCU.

Scot Bennett Fort Worth regional director The Beck Group

Scot Bennett is responsible for Beck’s design and construction work delivered in Fort Worth and the region. Bennett has spent much of his career focused pursuing integrated projects in which Beck is architect and builder. Project leadership includes the construction of Dickies Arena, the Shops at Clearfork, and Sundance Square Plaza. Bennett was integral in developing the Beck School of Construction, a partnership with the City of Fort Worth to grow minority and womenowned business and professionals. Bennett is involved with the Fort Worth Chamber, the Real Estate Council, the Cultural District Alliance and the Urban Land Institute, and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. He has bachelor’s degrees from Woodbury University in Burbank, California, and business from Arizona State University.

Gerald Alley CEO Con-Real

Gerald Alley, who founded Con-Real in 1979 in Arlington, has been working hard at setting his company up for its future. Con-Real provides construction, real estate, program management, and technology and innovation services to local and global clients. The company, which partnered with Manhattan Construction on the Texas Live! project in Arlington, has set up an innovation technology department, looking at technology such as 3D, drone, and virtual and augmented reality to improve construction processes. Alley wants to apply those innovations to the company’s core construction business. “What are we doing in our core business that we could make better?” Alley says. Bachelor’s, University of Arkansas; MBA, SMU.

John Avila Chairman Byrne Construction

John Avila bought Byrne in 1995 after a career as a senior executive at several of the nation’s top commercial contractors, and he built into a major concern whose clients include Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Sons Matt Avila and Paul Avila are the chief executive and chief operating officer, respectively, today. The firm has been the contractor on a number of projects at DFW International Airport, including the Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program and the Terminal B Expansion. Avila retired as a brigadier general from the U.S. National Guard after 32 years of service. He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Texas and 1997 graduate of the U.S. Army War College. Boards: Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Tarrant County Mental Health Foundation.

Sandra McGlothlin Co-founder Empire Roofing

Sandra McGlothlin co-founded Empire Roofing in 1982 and has built it into a leading commercial roofer in the southern U.S., with 13 domestic locations, one in Mexico, and a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies. Empire has also been ranked in the top 10 largest roofing companies in the U.S. for the last five years by Roofing Contractor Magazine. McGlothlin co-founded other companies along the way: Empire Real Estate Equities, a real estate investment firm specializing in industrial properties, development, and raw land; Empire Disposal — she sold — which handled commercial construction, front load, and residential waste disposal. Empire Real Estate Equities develops and manages commercial properties and has 127 commercial properties and more than 200 acres of land in prime industrial areas across Texas.

Zach Muckleroy CEO Muckleroy & Falls

Zach Muckleroy is CEO of the Fort Worth-based Muckleroy & Falls, taking over for his father, the longtime contractor Harold Muckleroy, who retired with partner Max Falls. Muckleroy joined the company several years ago with two others who form the new ownership group. Harold Muckleroy and Falls repositioned the company several years for growth, as their successors came aboard. Revenue reached $86 million in 2018, up 87.44% from $45.9 million in 2015. The firm moved into a new headquarters fronting the Trinity River at University Drive. Muckleroy has a bachelor’s in business administration with a focus on accounting and finance, real estate concentration, from TCU.

Mike Berry President Hillwood

Mike Berry joined Hillwood in 1988 — the year the company broke ground for Alliance Airport, which he helped develop into the 27,000-acre, master-planned, community and global logistics hub known today as AllianceTexas. At the start a controversial project under the watchful eye of skeptics, Alliance has become the innovative economic engine proponents said it would with roughly $100 billion generated in regional economic impact ($8.7 billion in 2021) and more than $3.13 billion in total taxes paid to public entities. Berry’s experience in complex public-private partnerships and approach to creating large master-planned developments has been instrumental in Hillwood’s success. Alliance also has been at the forefront of next-generation distribution technology. Berry has a BS, economics, Vanderbilt; advanced management development, Harvard Graduate School of Design; MBA, TCU.

Bill Burton Executive vice president Hillwood

Bill Burton joined Hillwood in January 1989 and has been a key player in transforming Hillwood’s AllianceTexas into the 27,000acre, master-planned development that is home to more than 530 major companies today. Burton’s expertise includes master planning, building development, sales, leasing, marketing, economic development, and negotiation. He has directed build-to-suit and lease transactions totaling more than 50 million square feet with Amazon, AT&T Nokia, Bridgestone-Firestone, General Mills, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, and Volkswagen of America. Burton has managed portfolio sales for more than $1 billion dollars and coordinated over 1,800 acres of land sale transactions with companies such as Citigroup, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, Intel, Kraft Foods. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration from University of Texas at Austin.

Andrew Blake Founder and managing partner Presidio Interests

In 2006, Andrew Blake and Jim Harris founded Presidio Interests, a commercial real estate investment and development company, with an unconventional, forward-thinking approach in pursuit of transformative urban redevelopment projects. As managing partner and owner, Blake oversees Presidio’s investment and development activities including new acquisitions, management for development and redevelopment projects, and leasing and management of existing portfolio properties. Presidio has acquired, developed, or redeveloped 12 urban infill commercial projects in Fort Worth, including the Foch Street Warehouses and Magnolia & May. Blake founded Urban Green, a nonprofit dedicated to planting trees in Fort Worth’s public places, and he serves the advisory board of Streams & Valleys, which advocates for the Trinity River. Blake has a bachelor’s from Vanderbilt and an MBA from University of Texas at Austin.

Craig Cavileer Vice president

Majestic Realty

Craig Cavileer is Majestic Realty’s executive in Fort Worth who oversaw the major and highly successful Fort Worth Stockyards redevelopment in partnership with Fort Worth’s Hickman family. Cavileer is leading the development team. The redevelopment and adaptive reuse of the historic Mule Barns — transformed from vision to end use as “Mule Alley” — have drawn corporate relocations, new restaurant and retail tenants, and lots and lots of customers. The Hotel Drover, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, a luxury property that anchors the west end of Mule Alley, opened last year and continues to garner rave reviews. Cavileer joined the California-based Majestic in 1988 as vice president of retail development and leasing. Cavileer is senior partner responsible for hospitality, mixed use, and other strategic developments throughout the U.S. Cavileer has a degree in marketing from Texas State.

Flora Brewer CEO Paulos Companies

Flora Brewer’s vision of economically viable housing for chronically homeless people in Fort Worth is gaining traction. Brewer, who redeveloped the old Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street near downtown Fort Worth for the chronically homeless, is part of a coalition of private developers, City of Fort Worth, First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, leading local foundations, and the DRC Solutions to End Homelessness in building a 48-unit, $4.7 million apartment project in West Fort Worth for chronically homeless people. The group welcomed the first 14 guests to three completed and fully furnished fourplexes, part of a $4.7 million project, in the fall. Most were unsheltered, living in parks and other locations outdoors. Its opening expanded hopes that these kinds of projects can be replicated in other parts of the city.

Corrie Churchill Watson Co-owner

Frank Kent Enterprises

Corrie Watson and her twin brother, Will Churchill, triggered the latest rush to West Magnolia Avenue when they reinvested the proceeds from two major assets sales in Near Southside property. The twins recruited tenants they wanted, like MELT Ice Creams and Heim BBQ. Watson and Churchill sold the Kent & Co. Wines business in 2019. The twins also led the development of an all-inclusive playground at Trinity Park. Watson serves on the board of Ladies on the Lamb, which buys champion lambs from girls who show them at the Fort Worth Stock Show and place high enough in awards to enter the annual Junior Sale of Champions.

Bruce Conti CEO Conti Warehouses

The Fort Worth real estate investor Bruce Conti likes warehouses and industrial property and has a portfolio full of it. In one of his properties, at the southwest corner of Interstate 20 and Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, he’s carved out a section for growing entrepreneurial businesses. In another, a former retail center on Camp Bowie Boulevard in west Fort Worth, Conti’s divided a big grocery space into smaller ones and brought in retail tenants, including two he has ownership interests in: Wild Acre Brewing Co. and Lazy Daisy Coffee. In one of his industrial buildings farther down Camp Bowie, Conti has built the Neurological Recovery Center, a large rehab center for major injuries, including one his son suffered while away at college.

Brian Crowell Founder Hudgins Development

Brian Crowell and longtime partner Bud Hudgins estimate they’ve acquired, entitled, developed, or sold more than 7,000 Class A apartment units and brokered numerous multifamily parcels in 14 years. Crowell has founded Maverick Development to continue his partnership with The Hudgins Cos. and add more resources and capabilities. At Maverick, Crowell marshals through all aspects of the development process, from site selection to disposition. In addition, Crowell is also general partner for a number of investment entities that deploy venture capital specifically into innovative new products. Crowell, a member of the Near Southside Development Committee, has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Georgia Tech, a bachelor’s in real estate and finance from University of North Texas, and a master’s in real estate development from University of Texas at Arlington.

Crawford Edwards President Cassco Development Co.

Crawford Edwards is president of Cassco Development Co., Inc., developer of Clearfork in Fort Worth, and one of several members of Fort Worth’s Edwards family working in the company. Edwards works principally with cousin Paxton Motheral in running Clearfork. Edwards is the fifth generation of his family involved in managing his family’s ranching business, which predates the establishment of Fort Worth as a city and once spanned 7,000 acres. After graduating with a Bachelor of General Studies degree from Texas Christian University and the TCU Ranch Management program, he worked as a petroleum landman in West Texas. Edwards serves on the board of directors of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, and the National Finance Credit Corporation.

Jessica Miller Essl Co-owner M2GVentures

Jessica Miller Essl and her twin sister, Susan Gruppi, are the co-owners of M2G Ventures, the Fort Worth real estate development company that’s got a full plate these days. The Foundry District, a rebranding of industrial properties the sisters own off of White Settlement Road and Carroll Street, has held its own during COVID-19. On the Near Southside, another of the company’s latest deals, PROOF, an adaptive reuse of the building that used to be home to the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co., is open and filling with office and entertainment tenants like Trinity Real Estate Investment Services and Bowlounge. M2G is also the retail leasing partner for the Mule Alley adaptive reuse project in the Fort Worth Stockyards, a project of Majestic Realty and Fort Worth’s Hickman family.

Ryan Dickerson COO Walsh Companies

Before joining the Walsh Companies as COO, Ryan Dickerson practiced trial and appellate law, including for Davis, Gerald, and Cremer in Midland. He had also been in private practice in Fort Worth representing clients that included one of the largest health care delivery systems in the U.S., as well as a Fortune 500 corporation, among others. He has worked in state and federal courts. While at law school at the Georgetown University Law Center, Dickerson served as a reader for the Honorable David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also participated in a Domestic Violence Clinic, where he represented indigent victims. In addition to Georgetown, Dickerson has a bachelor’s from Harvard and a master’s degree from Cambridge.

Randy Gideon Co-founder L2L Ventures

Randy Gideon and partner Tom Purvis took their conversations about permanent housing for the homeless with First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth to earnest in 2018. Gideon and Purvis developed the 250 Lancaster mixed-use project — now Pinnacle Bank Place — in 2016 in downtown Fort Worth. The two began hunting sites for an affordable housing development for the homeless and identified the Quail Trail, which opened as a $4.7 million home for chronically homeless people in the fall.

“Tom and I are real estate partners,” Gideon said. “We thought, how hard can it be to build some housing. We got a real education on the politics, all the physical parameters that have to be involved, all the revenue streams and taxes that impact operating costs.”

REAL ESTATE

Susan Gruppi Co-owner M2G Ventures

Susan Gruppi and her twin sister, Jessica Miller Essl, are the co-owners of M2G Ventures, the Fort Worth real estate development company that’s got a full plate these days. The Foundry District, a rebranding of industrial properties the sisters own off of White Settlement Road and Carroll Street, held its own during COVID-19. On the Near Southside, another of the company’s latest deals, PROOF, an adaptive reuse of the building that used to be home to the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co., is open and filling with office and entertainment tenants like Trinity Real Estate Investment Services and Bowlounge. M2G is also the retail leasing partner for the Mule Alley adaptive reuse project in the Fort Worth Stockyards, a project of Majestic Realty and Fort Worth’s Hickman family.

Mike Hoque CEO Hoque Global

Redevelopment of the Evans and Rosedale corridor on the Near Southside is a project being undertaken by Mike Hoque and his Dallas-based Hoque Capital. It’s been a longtime in the making, but the project is slated to break ground later this year. Plans include multifamily residential units, townhomes, commercial and innovation spaces, public amenities, and parking. It is anticipated — hoped – that with the development will come a growth district for this part of the city and its neighbors. Hoque has plans to increase his company’s involvement in Fort Worth. Hoque has been recognized as one of Dallas’ outstanding business leaders, and his corporate-led giving has extended to Fort Worth with initiatives that have benefited Lena Pope Home, the Kimbell Museum, and Hope Farm.

Dak Hatfield CEO Hatfield Properties

Dak Hatfield founded his firm in 2005 as a full-service commercial real estate company, with brokerage, investment, strategy, development, and large-scale project management. Hatfield estimates the firm has completed more than $100 million in development and redevelopment projects. He is also CEO of Half Acre Management, a commercial property management firm he started in 2018. Hatfield Advisers projects have included multifamily, medical, creative office, retail, and mixed-use. Hatfield has particular expertise in blending historic and new market tax credits with conventional debt and equity to finance urban development. Previously, Hatfield was manager of development and investments for Innovative Developers. His board memberships include chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee at Fort Worth Country Day School and University Little League. He earned a bachelor’s in finance and real estate from TCU.

Isaac Manning

CEO

Trinity Works

Isaac Manning’s development work has taken him far afield in recent years to West Virginia; Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America on consulting for Hillwood Strategic Services; home in Fort Worth (consulting for AllianceTexas and Edwards Ranch), and Dallas (American Airlines Center). Manning founded his Trinity Works in 2002, with primary focus on public-private partnerships. Manning’s volunteer work has been focused on Fort Worth public schools as an advisory board member for the Citizens for Great Schools PAC; the Paschal Legacy Project, which funded construction of a new field house; and a member of the Fort Worth ISD’s Citizens Oversight Committee, to oversee spending of voter-approved bond money. BA, Vanderbilt; Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University; and M.S. in architecture, environmental design & development concentration, MIT.

Brad Hickman CEO Hickman Enterprises

The Hickman family’s big Fort Worth Stockyards redevelopment in partnership with Majestic Realty is in full swing, with the redevelopment of the historic Mule Barns drawing corporate relocations and new retail and restaurant tenants, and lots and lots of people swinging by to check it out and spend money. Brad Hickman and his sister, Brenda Kostohryz, are the family’s leads in the partnership, which stirred up bitter disputes among friends and family members in the Stockyards over preservation of history and authenticity. The property was assembled years ago by Holt Hickman, father of Brad Hickman and Kostohryz. Holt Hickman redeveloped the former hog and sheep pens into Stockyards Station and recruited the Tarantula tourist train; what to do with the bulk of the property fell to his children.

Terry Montesi CEO Trademark Property Co.

In 1992, Terry Montesi founded the Fort Worth–based Trademark, which has since developed or invested in about $4.5 billion and 11.4 million square feet of lifestyle retail, enclosed malls, and mixed-use properties across the country. In Fort Worth, Waterside, WestBend, Alliance Town Center. The company announced in 2021 that it was entering the multifamily market in Fort Worth, though its focus would be, specifically in Fort Worth, amenitized, walkable environments. Montesi was co-founder of Huff, Brous, McDowell & Montesi. Montesi serves on the board of Union Gospel Mission and Christ Chapel Bible Church building committee. Montesi has a bachelor’s from Ole Miss, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He hosts a podcast, “Leaning In,” which explores the future of retail and mixed-used real estate.

Paxton Motheral Vice president Cassco Development Co.

Paxton Motheral and cousin Crawford Edwards have the lead in running development of the sprawling Edwards Ranch in the heart of the Chisholm Trail corridor. Motheral flirted with running for the open District 7 Fort Worth City Council seat in 2021 but withdrew, citing potential conflicts with his involvement in the Clearfork development, which features a public-private partnership with the city. “Due to ambiguity in the city charter, it is unclear if anyone involved in a public-private partnership can qualify as a candidate for the City Council,” he said. Motheral instead supported Leonard Firestone and signed on to become his treasurer. Motheral has a BBA with a real estate emphasis and a bachelor’s in ranch management, both from TCU. He also has a master’s in real estate development from MIT.

Chris Powers Founder/Executive chairman Fort Capital

Chris Powers’ Fort Capital continues to build out its River District development on Fort Worth’s West Side. Powers has said it’ll be Fort Capital’s last ground-up development, reasoning there are better places to put investors’ dollars and demand for warehouses and distribution centers will continue to grow as the world moves online. Fort Capital says it’s “aggressively seeking opportunities to acquire Class B Industrial and Urban Core Commercial/Land assets between $5 million and $50 million throughout the state of Texas. It is our goal to find exceptional, riskadjusted assets in high-growth markets.” Powers, who graduated from TCU, got his start in real estate, buying rental property while still in school.

Trey Neville Managing principal Graham Limited

Developer Trey Neville’s latest project — the modern Hotel Revel on Eighth Avenue in Fort Worth’s Near Southside — is hard to miss. Bart Shaw of Ibañez Shaw Architecture brought the concrete, steel, and glass edifice with the blue gradient steel fins to life. Neville was inspired to bring a contemporary boutique hotel to the Hospital District after staying in the Kimber Modern in Austin. Neville, whose phase 1 next door is a mixeduse building whose tenants include the Wabi House restaurant, specializes in urban mixed-use developments. He has worked in commercial real estate for more than 25 years. Before starting Graham Limited, Neville headed up the Fort Worth office for Stablemade Development and Brokerage. Neville, a Fort Worth native, has a bachelor’s in finance with a real estate emphasis from Texas Tech.

Tom Purvis III Co-founder L2L Ventures

Tom Purvis III is on board, as project manager with Randy Gideon, a coalition that’s building a 48-unit apartment complex in West Fort Worth near River Oaks that will be occupied by people who were formerly chronically homeless. It’s a nonprofit version of developer Flora Brewer’s purchase and rehab of the former Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street, east of downtown, into housing for chronically homeless people. The coalition includes Brewer, City of Fort Worth, Presbyterian Night Shelter, local foundations, and the DRC Solutions to End Homelessness, which does on-site case management for Palm Tree tenants and will do the same at the West Fort Worth project. Purvis and Gideon have said they hope to replicate the nonprofit model elsewhere in Fort Worth to meet the demand for permanent supportive housing.

Ken Newell Developer Trinity Custom Homes

Ken Newell and his brother, David Newell — kin to legendary golfer Byron Nelson — developed the Riverbend Business Park years ago in East Fort Worth, a 12,000-acre commercial development with office spaces and warehouses west of I-820 East Loop and south of Texas Highway 121. In recent years, Ken Newell has been focusing on a development just across Interstate 820 loop from Riverbend: Trinity Lakes, a 1,600-acre, mixed-use project he began developing in 1999. A Trinity Railway Express station is in the works for the development on the line, whose stops include the CentrePort/ DFW Airport station. Newell grew up in development; his father started developing industrial property in 1954.

Austin Reilly Broker

Land Advisors Organization

Austin T. Reilly began his real estate career in 2008 with Burdine Realty Co., a boutique land brokerage firm in Fort Worth headed by his mentor Landry Burdine. In 2010, Reilly and Landry were tapped to run the DFW office of Land Advisors Organization. In 2021, Land Advisors completed more than 1,000 transactions amounting to 98,000 acres and $4.6 billion in sales across the company’s network. Notable area projects include Walsh and Westchester Plaza. Reilly participates in the Urban Land Institute. He serves as a mentor and reading coach within the Fort Worth school district and is on the board of directors for the Lena Pope Home. Reilly has a bachelor’s in American studies from the University of Richmond in 2008, where he played on the baseball team.

Pretlow Riddick President and principal Criterion Development

Fort Worth’s Race Street and Scenic Bluff neighborhood continue to be a big focus for Pretlow Riddick and his Dallas-based Criterion Property Co. Criterion is redeveloping — make that, transforming — the Race Street/Belknap/Sylvania triangle into the long-promised urban village with mixed uses. Criterion specializes in the development, construction management, and asset management of investment-quality multifamily communities in Texas and Massachusetts. Prior to founding Criterion Development Partners in 2004, Riddick worked for a large national developer managing the development of more than 50 apartment communities and 16,000 units in 14 states. In 1999, he established A Better Neighborhood Foundation to invest in faith-based community developments in the inner city. Riddick has a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from George Washington University.

Jake Wagner Co-CEO Republic Property Group

Jake Wagner is co-CEO, with Tony Ruggieri, of the Dallas-based Republic Property Group, development partner on the 7,200-acre Walsh development in far West Fort Worth. Walsh selected Republic as master developer in 2015. At the time, F. Howard Walsh III said the family chose Republic based on innovative vision, youth, and experience. “They will be able to grow with this community.” Part of that innovation in Walsh Ranch is what the developer has called the firstever makerspace — a place where people with shared interests, especially in technology, can gather to work on projects — in the heart of a new residential community. Wagner and Ruggieri took over as co-CEOs in 2013. Bachelor’s, English, University of Texas at Austin.

Paris Rutherford Principal Catalyst Urban Development

Paris Rutherford’s Catalyst Urban Development, a Dallas-based real estate planning and development company, is spit polishing the Burnett Lofts, apartments, and mixed uses being built on a package of city lots on the north side of Lancaster Avenue downtown. Catalyst and the city view the “SODO” district as a new gateway to downtown. Rutherford has worked for 30 years to create market-leading, mixed-use and residential districts, delivering profitable urban investment that capitalizes on demand for place. Catalyst has prepared award-winning planning strategies for more than 60 public and private entities, has arranged over $3 billion in debt and equity across 200-plus transactions, and developed more than $500 million in mixed-use and urban residential development focused on urban regeneration and suburban retrofit. Rutherford has degrees from Southern California and Harvard.

F. Howard Walsh III Principal Walsh Holdings

F. Howard Walsh III took over in 2019 as president of Walsh Cos., as longtime executive G. Malcolm Louden retired. Walsh heads the real estate division and is his family’s representative in the ongoing development of the former Walsh Ranch in partnership with Republic Property Group of Dallas. It is a more than 7,200-acre development that will take decades to develop. He is the son of F. Howard Walsh Jr., one of five children of the late F. Howard Walsh and the late Mary D. Fleming Walsh, both major Fort Worth philanthropists. Walsh Jr., a 1963 graduate of TCU and a TCU trustee, died in 2016.

Eddie Vanston Developer 117 St Louis,

LLC

Eddie Vanston’s latest completed adaptive reuse project is the Near Southside’s Dickson-Jenkins Building Lofts, nee the Branch-Smith Building. The circa-1926 warehouse was an apparel factory. Years later, Branch-Smith Printing acquired the building. Vanston turned the building into industrial-style loft condos. Vanston, a transplanted New Yorker, for more than two decades has been buying historic Fort Worth buildings and converting them to residential uses. The Supreme Golf Warehouse and Markeen Apartments are two projects. Vanston maintains higher valuations are pushing developers like him out. He’s one of a chorus of voices worried that high rents will price Near Southside creatives out on their rents.

Co-owner

Fine Line Diversified Development

Ed Bass ($2.2 billion estimated net worth, Forbes) took his family’s lead years ago in the development of Sundance Square downtown. Sundance shone and became a gathering spot after 2014 opening of Sundance Plaza. Late 2019, Ed and wife Sasha Bass announced they took 100% interest in the Sundance properties from the family, except for the garages held by Ed, Sasha, and brothers Sid and Lee Bass. Early 2020, Ed and Sasha Bass announced major management changes, bringing in outsider Henry S. Miller, among them. Later in the year, Sundance reverted to in-house management. Tenants are angry over a string of retail tenant losses, what they say is suddenly unresponsive management, and what they view as botched response to COVID-19. Bachelor’s, arts/sciences, Yale.

Ed Bass

Sasha Bass Co-owner Fine Line Diversified Development

Ed Bass’ wife, Sasha, took on a significantly more visible profile in management of Sundance Square after New Year’s 2020 changes occurred and with Ed dropping out of view during COVID-19. Tenants’ anger (see Ed Bass) was largely directed at Sasha Bass, and the controversy continues, most recently with Reata’s announcement that it was making plans to move out of Sundance Square. Basses in interview with Fort Worth Inc. last year urged detractors to keep the faith. Sasha Bass: “Where’s the faith? Where’s the faith?” Sasha Bass, in private presentation to Fort Worth Chamber’s Investors Council, invited the chamber’s biggest donors to go on a walking tour of Sundance Square with her. She has a bachelor’s from the University of Arizona.

Matt Mildren President and co-founder Tug Hill Real Estate Partners

Matt Mildren has over 25 years in leasing, development, and acquisitions of real estate properties. THREP is a private equity investment company focused on purchasing U.S. real estate. Portfolio includes office buildings, apartment complexes, shopping centers, medical office buildings, senior housing, and industrial buildings. Boards: Presbyterian Night Shelter, BBVA Compass, All Saints’ Episcopal School, Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School. BBA, TCU; Real Estate Advanced Finance Certificate, Harvard University.

Bill Boecker President Fine Line Diversified Development

In November 2019, Sundance Square management announced an ownership and management division in Sundance Square, severing the City Center towers and parking garages into a separate entity. Sundance also announced that Ed and Sasha Bass had recently taken 100% interest in Sundance Square from the family and that Ed, Sasha, Sid and Lee Bass were in a partnership that owned the City Center. In the fall of 2020, Ed and Sasha Bass announced they were taking management back in-house, headed by Henry S. Miller III and Bill Boecker.

John Goff CEO Crescent Real Estate Equities

Self-made John Goff ($1.4 billion estimated net worth, Forbes) last spring won Fort Worth City Council approval of an incentive package that cleared the way for Crescent’s plan to build a $250 million luxury hotel, Class A office, apartment, retail, and restaurant package on 4.1 acres across from the Kimbell Art Museum. It’s Fort Worth-based Crescent’s first development project here. As co-chair of Fort Worth Now, a privately funded endeavor to revitalize the city’s economy after COVID-19, Goff played an instrumental role in Texas A&M’s decision to build an urban campus in downtown, a development that will be “a cornerstone of Fort Worth’s economic future,” he said. Crescent’s GP Invitation Fund I reports $4.9 billion in assets under management. Graduate, University of Texas at Austin.

Steve Murrin CEO River Ranch

Steve Murrin’s family bought a ranch west of Fort Worth in 1934. Murrin still lives at the West Fork Ranch and throws himself a big, well-attended birthday party each year. After he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1960 and served in the Air Force, Murrin entered real estate as a broker and later as an investor and developer. He and partners brought Wild West shows and rodeo back to Cowtown Coliseum in the Stockyards. Murrin — known for his cowboy profile, with big hat and handlebar mustache — owns River Ranch venue in the Stockyards and other real estate. Central figure in tensions in the Stockyards over the now-launched redevelopment of a big piece of the Stockyards by a partnership of Majestic Realty and Fort Worth’s Hickman family.

Bobby Patton CEO TCRG Properties

Bobby Patton’s investments run the range of oil and gas, office buildings, ranches, cutting horses, and a minority stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Patton bought a 343-acre ranch from investor Jon Winkelreid, now San Francisco-based co-CEO of TPG. And when Alice Walton put 90 horses on the sale block, Patton bought many of them. More recently, he hired a Fort Worth fund manager to launch a venture capital fund, dovetailing with Fort Worth leaders’ pitch to have wealthy Fort Worth families invest locally in venture deals. First deal: The fund came in on a seed round with Ed Bass and Sasha Bass on a $500,000 investment in Fort Worth-based Gozova, developer of a truck-and-crew-on-demand app.

David Auld President and CEO D.R. Horton, Inc.

David V. Auld has been president and CEO since October 2014 of the Arlington-based D.R. Horton homebuilder, one of Tarrant County’s Fortune 500 headquarters. Auld was executive vice president and chief operating officer from November 2013 until October 2014. He was region president overseeing the company’s homebuilding operations in Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama from 2005 to 2013. From 1988 to 2005, Auld was division president of the company’s Orlando Division. Prior to 1988, he worked for Texas American Bank and General Dynamics. Auld graduated from Texas Tech University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting.

Chris Baker Managing partner Fidelity National Title (The Baker Firm)

The eponymous Baker Firm focuses on title insurance, a fee office for Fidelity National Title which started in 2010 and has grown to seven offices. Since then, Baker Firm has consistently been Fidelity’s top fee office. Baker also opened Baker Monroe in 2015. It is focused on real estate, transactional, corporate, and lending matters. Prior to that, Baker was of counsel with Murphy, Mahon, Keffler and Farrier for six years. He was also general counsel and COO of N3 Development, Ltd., a national real estate development company, for approximately five years. Baker has a BBA, real estate and finance, from SMU, and a law degree from St. Mary’s.

Mike Bowman President

Century 21, Mike Bowman Inc.

Century 21 Mike Bowman has enjoyed perennial status as the No. 1 Century 21 office in Texas. Bowman, who started his career in 1969 and opened his first office two years later, has operated Mike Bowman Inc. as part of Century 21 since in 1975 with two agents. He was the first Century 21 broker in the TexasArkansas-Oklahoma-Louisiana region. The firm has grown to 175 agents and has been named the No. 1 Century 21 office in the world 18 times, according to his biography. To put that in better perspective, there are 153,000 independent sales reps in about 14,250 offices in the Century 21 family across the U.S. and 86 countries and territories. Bowman was a founder of Phillip’s Wish, a nonprofit that helps the homeless in Tarrant County.

Bryan Braswell President Braswell Custom Homes

Braswell’s roots in homebuilding and a future enterprise began in high school when he worked in remodeling and roofing jobs. He went out on his own, starting his own roofing business when he was 18. At 20 years old, he constructed his first house at the request of a good friend. Not completely sure what he was doing, he went out on his own to do research on how to build a home and do it as cost effectively as possible. The first one out of the way, he built and sold five houses over the next 18 months. An aptitude discovered, he went on to work for several local homebuilders before founding Braswell Homes in 2001 in what has become a well-known residential builder of high-end custom homes.

Johnny Campbell President and CEO City Center Management

Johnny Campbell switched hats in downtown Fort Worth on Jan. 1 of 2020. Ed and Sasha Bass announced in late 2019 they’d taken 100% ownership of Sundance Square properties, except for the City Center office towers, held separately by family members. Ed and Sasha Bass severed unified management of the downtown properties on Jan. 1 of that year. Campbell shifted over to run the office towers and garages. Campbell, who came to Sundance in 2001, led strong results, according to his bio on the management site. “Under Johnny’s leadership, Sundance Square has grown dramatically. Sales have more than tripled since 2001, and five new buildings totaling 800,000 square feet have been added. The average weekly foot traffic has climbed to 123,000, and the annual marketing budget has quadrupled.”

Michael Dike Co-founder and president Village Homes

After graduating with a business degree from the University of Texas, Village Homes’ co-founder and president, Michael Dike, accepted a position at a leading Austin production homebuilder. The cookie-cutter design approach did not coincide with his vision, so Dike went on a mission to create a company from the ground up. In 1996, he discovered a like-minded financier in Fort Worth developer Jim Harris, and Village Homes was born. Village Homes has maintained a reputation for blending the style and quality of well-detailed existing homes with the open floor plans and efficiencies that today’s buyers expect.

Scott McKnight Owner McKnight Title

With experience gained from working several years for a Fidelity National Title fee-attorney office, Scott McKnight went out on his own and opened McKnight Title in 2012. An attorney educated at the University of Oklahoma School of Law, McKnight’s practice is in the areas of Texas real estate, including comprehensive representation of buyers, sellers, and investors of both residential and commercial transactions. He’s a licensed escrow officer, and his expertise includes title insurance laws and regulations; in-house title search and examination. In addition to his law degree, which he earned in 1993, McKnight received a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Jack Rattikin Jr. Chairman Rattikin Title

Though he was protected from the 1950s draft during law school, after graduation in 1957, Rattikin joined the Army and served in the Transportation Corps in Virginia. After the Army, Rattikin returned to Texas, where he practiced criminal law for a short time before joining the title company in 1969. Rattikin served as president of the Texas Land and Title Association from 1974 – 1975 and the American Land and Title Association from 1984 – 1985.

Ramon Romero Jr. CEO Ramon Romero Corp.

When not representing his Southeast Fort Worth District 90 in the Texas Legislature, Ramon Romero spends time tending to his portfolio of businesses: A-Fast Tile & Coping, Stone Mason Supply, rental homes and houses he flips. Romero remembers he looked for odd jobs from a young age to make money. Those included hanging out at the Poly car wash and offering to wash cars for anybody who stopped, scooping ice cream at the Ashburn’s Ice Cream Parlor, and working as an appointment setter for a health and life insurance company. In the mid-’90s, Romero helped form the first neighborhood association in his mother's neighborhood. City Councilman Ralph McCloud noticed and gave Romero his first city appointment.

Susan Semmelmann Owner

Susan Semmelmann Interiors

Susan Semmelmann, a Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneurial of Excellence Award winner in 2021, has spent a career designing and building homes. Nearly three years ago, she launched her own design brand. “I followed God’s lead to go out and give to the world. The freedom to breathe in all life has to offer is where the overwhelming blessing has arisen.” She started with a design client referred by a friend, “and it quickly turned into 11 jobs within three months, and now we are servicing over 60 projects, full turnkey homes, with 10 awaiting to construction plans.” Semmelmann recently completed a design center on Fort Worth’s West Side that will house her firm, a retail space called the Fort Worth Design Studio and her Fort Worth Drapery store.

Scott Watson Owner and principal designer Arch House

Collaborative

With 30 years of experience, Scott Watson has dedicated his career to the pursuit of design. Shortly after graduating with a bachelor’s in architecture the University of Texas at Austin, Watson established his first design firm in 1996. Watson Design Group catered to the world of residential architecture in Dallas which created the opportunity for Watson to expand his business. In 2013 a new firm was established, Flynn Watson Architects, which focused on high-end residential architecture and incorporated commercial design. With this company, Watson was able to expand his business to include offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Southlake. His newest venture, Arch House Collaborative, aims to combine the worlds of art, architecture, and interior design with the fast-paced technology industry.

Chandler Wonderly Principal Olympus Property

Chandler Wonderly started the Fort Worthbased Olympus Property when he was a junior at Georgetown University. Olympus Property has grown from its original two units in 1992 to more than 20,000 units today. With 30 years of owning and operating multifamily real estate, Olympus has consistently delivered returns to investors, the firm says. “Our firm successfully navigated the financial crisis of 2007-08 and delivered profits to investors without a single capital call.” Olympus estimates its portfolio is valued at over $3 billion and represents about 17,000 apartments. In addition to Texas, Olympus works in California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Wyoming, Georgia, Florida, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Idaho.

Zareen Khan Brendel Executive vice president, strategic growth

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Zareen Khan Brendel earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University before graduating from SMU’s law school. Brendel spent two years practicing transactional law at a big Fort Worth firm. In 2007, she began her real estate sales career providing services to developers, investors, homebuyers, and sellers. In August 2013, Brendel started Bloom Real Estate Group with two partners. In September 2015, Bloom was acquired by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty. In 2016, Brendel stepped away from working with buyer and seller clients and took a management role as the director of sales in Fort Worth's Cultural District office. She became the chief sales officer in 2018, overseeing the entire sales organization, and she now serves in her current role.

Randy White Owner

Randy White Real Estate Services

Randy White might have been born to be in real estate, this son and grandson of real estate professionals. While a student at the University of Texas at Arlington, he decided their footprint would be the career path he would follow and pursued a real estate license. His agency in Southlake, which specializes in upscale neighborhoods in Colleyville, Grapevine, Keller, Southlake, and Westlake, among others, has been recognized for its efficiency and customer-based focus. “My main concern is for the customer and what is their best interest. It is important to educate the customer as we move through the process of buying or selling so the absolute best decisions can be made. I want my customers to feel that they have a Realtor, as well as a friend, for life.”

Matt Lewis Co-founder broker, business director League Real Estate

Saturdays were a big day for Matt Lewis growing up in the West Texas oil boomtown of Midland. He would tag along as his father checked on his rental properties. Then the two would go for ice cream. The real estate stuck with him.

LEAGUE Real Estate began as a conversation among three friends five years ago. Partners Matt Lewis, Luke Syres, and Jeff Anderson celebrated the firm’s fifth anniversary this past year by moving into its third home in a renovated historic building on Locke Avenue after a record 2020 year. The firm has grown to 91 agents, with more than 68 in Fort Worth, earning the title of “largest independent brokerage in Tarrant County by sales volume. Lewis has a BBA in real estate and finance from Baylor.

Rick Wegman Realtor Compass

Rick Wegman has been in Fort Worth real estate since 2003. He has over 17 years in residential brokerage and construction and was instrumental in growing HGC Residential Development into the area’s largest custom homebuilder. Wegman launched and owns an interior decorating firm, commercial construction company, and property management firm. He has listed and sold some of the area's most significant properties. Wegman specializes in business development and will continue to manage the residential brokerage, concentrating on agent support and recruitment. Wegman is a Christie's Certified Luxury Specialist. Earlier in 2022 Christie’s ULTERRE migrated to Compass which was the largest migration to Compass in the metroplex. He graduated from TCU and received master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University.

Martha Williams

Realtor

WilliamsTrew

Martha Williams specializes in the relocation of corporate executives and is one of the top 1% of Realtors nationally, which she attributes to integrity, knowledge of neighborhoods, and a deep network that gives her “unparalleled access to some of the finest properties in the Fort Worth market.” Before co-founding Williams Trew in 2000, Williams worked for several real estate companies. She’s been in real estate for more than 38 years. Williams serves on the boards of Fort Worth Country Day School, UT Southwestern Medical Foundation in Dallas, and The Cliburn. She is a founding member of the Fort Worth Professional Women's Organization. She also is a former president of the Junior League of Fort Worth.

John Zimmerman

Realtor

Compass Realty

John Zimmerman has been a top-producing Fort Worth sales agent for nearly three decades, deeply involved in the development of Montserrat and La Cantera neighborhoods. Zimmerman, who leads Compass’ growth into Fort Worth and the Greater Tarrant County area, is a top-producing agent for nearly three decades, has been ranked the No. 1 agent in Fort Worth for eight years, No. 2 in the state, and among the top one-half percent of Realtors nationwide. Zimmerman, who grew up in the Ozarks in Fayetteville, studied finance and real estate at the University of Arkansas. He's lived in Fort Worth for nearly 30 years and lives in the Shady Oaks Country Club neighborhood.

START A REVELLION.

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Religion

Faith traditions have always been part of the fabric of the culture of Fort Worth. Like all the rest, religious traditions were tested during the pandemic. Many churchgoers didn’t return from shutdowns, reviving a pre-pandemic challenge of people walking away from the church doors. For others, meanwhile, the pandemic strengthened their faith.

RELIGION

Imam Mujahid Bakhach

Imam Islamic Association of Tarrant County

Mujahid Bakhach is imam of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Islamic Jurisprudence, both from Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Bakhach is an international speaker on “Islam in America” and director of a radio program, “The Message of Islam.” Bakhach also is a certified mediator, negotiator, and arbitrator, with more than 20 years in providing workshops and lectures on mediation. He’s director of the Mediation Institute of North Texas. He teaches marriage counseling and mediation for Guidance College and also the director of the Family Counseling Department at Muslim American Society of Dallas. He has made presentations on a variety of topics, including “The Muslim Family vs. American Society,” “The First Step Towards Islam,” and “The Role of Islam in Health, Culture & Society.”

Adam Greenway

President

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & Texas Baptist College

Adam W. Greenway became the ninth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in February 2019. Greenway holds a bachelor’s from Samford University, Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary, Ph.D. in Evangelism and Apologetics from Southern Seminary in 2007, and Master of Nonprofit Administration from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Greenway has co-edited two books —The Great Commission Resurgence: Fulfilling God’s Mandate in Our Time and Evangelicals Engaging Emergent: A Discussion of the Emergent Church Movement — and has contributed to several others. Before being elected president of Southwestern, Greenway was dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Under his leadership, the Billy Graham School experienced record enrollment.

Andrew Bloom

Rabbi

Congregation Ahavath Sholom

Andrew Bloom has been rabbi at Congregation Ahavath Sholom since 2011. Growing up in Maryland, he made aliyah at 19 to Israel. Bloom served for 2½ years in the Israeli Army as a combat medic in an artillery unit in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, as well as serving as his unit's medical chemicals expert during the Gulf War. Upon being honorably discharged in 1991 at the rank of Sergeant, Bloom studied education and history at the State Teachers College — Seminar Hakibutzim — and received his ordination and master’s degree at The Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem. His rabbinic thesis: “The Psychology of the Mourning Process.” Bloom in 2017 was appointed by Mayor Betsy Price as a co-chair of Fort Worth’s Task Force on Race and Culture.

Cody McQueen

Lead pastor

Christ Chapel Bible Church

Cody McQueen is lead pastor at the nondenominational Christ Chapel, one of the county’s largest churches, with locations in Fort Worth, Aledo, and Burleson and about 10,000 regularly in attendance before COVID-19 disrupted churches. McQueen holds Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Dallas Theological Seminary. McQueen came to Christ Chapel after earning his master’s degree, having been connected to the church through one of his seminary professors. “He asked me what I planned to do after graduation,” McQueen says. “He must have had pity on me because when I told him that I didn’t know, he asked for my résumé. The rest is history.” Before being named senior pastor, he was Life Stage 2 pastor, teaching pastor, and West Campus pastor.

Tim Bruster

Senior pastor

First United Methodist Church Fort Worth

Tim Bruster became senior pastor of the 6,000-member First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth in 2003. He plans to retire in July. Before First United, Bruster served seven years as senior pastor at First UMC in Georgetown. Bruster was elected to the Central Texas Conference delegation in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and he has served on numerous boards, including Southwestern University, Perkins School of Theology Executive Board at SMU, the Texas Methodist Foundation, the Advisory Board of the Centenary College Christian Leadership Center, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., and the Downtown Fort Worth Rotary Club. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Texas Wesleyan University. He has bachelor’s in religion from Centenary College, Master of Divinity from SMU, and Doctor of Ministry from SMU.

Robert Morris Senior pastor Gateway Church

Robert Morris founded the Bible-based evangelistic Gateway Church in Southlake in 1999. Since then, it’s grown to 10 campuses, broadcasts online and to prison ministries, and estimates more than 100,000 active attendees. Morris’ television program airs in more than 190 countries, and his radio program, “Worship & the Word with Pastor Robert,” airs in more than 2,800 U.S. radio markets across America. Morris is the author of The Blessed Life, Frequency, Beyond Blessed, and Take the Day Off. In 2018, Gateway opened its first prison campus at the Coffield Unit in Anderson County. In 2019, the church launched its first extension campus outside of Texas in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. As the church began navigating COVID, it rallied its members to help, using the phrase “Gateway Together.”

Michael Olson Bishop Catholic Diocese

of Fort

Worth

Michael Olson was ordained bishop and installed in 2014 as fourth bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, shepherd to more than 1 million Catholics. Olson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy from the Catholic University of America and two master’s in theological studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Olson was a charter recipient of the CRS Global Fellowship in 1993, through which he traveled to Egypt and Burkina Faso to study global development in social justice. He is also a past recipient of the Presidential Fellowship of Saint Louis University, where he studied at the Center for Health Care Ethics in the Catholic Tradition. In March 2011, he earned his doctorate in moral theology at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome.

Ryan Reed Bishop

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

Ryan Reed became coadjutor bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth in 2019 and later that year bishop after the retirement of Jack Iker. The year 2021 was a big one for the diocese as its divorce proceeding in a schism with the national church was decided in its favor after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, leaving a lower court’s decision to grant property of the diocese and the name “Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth” to Iker’s breakaway group. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Reed was raised near Houston. He has a bachelor’s in political science from Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, and a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

Russ Peterman Senior minister University Christian Church

Russ Peterman became senior minister of University Christian Church in 2017. He serves on the Compassionate Fort Worth task force, Faith Based Workgroup of Read Fort Worth, and the Mayor’s Faith Based Cabinet, and is a mentor with Academy 4. Peterman was ordained in 1995, and has served churches in Texas, Georgia, and California. Prior to coming to UCC, he served as the Senior Minister to First Christian Church of Concord, California, from 2005-17, the same church where he was baptized as a youth. In the past year, he signed in support of the Fort Worth school district’s $1.5 billion school bond election. Peterman holds a Bachelor of Arts from TCU, Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary.

Kyev Tatum Pastor

New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church

Kyev Tatum of late has used his pulpit to rail against excessive use of force by police. He’s focused his ministry on advocacy, in the past year traveling from Dallas to San Antonio with 40 students to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the hangings of 13 members of the mostlyBlack 24th U.S. Infantry. He lobbied city leaders to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s visit to Fort Worth. Tatum and peers created the Community Peacemakers, a program that trains Fort Worth residents to mediate community conflicts. He is president of the Ministers of Justice Coalition of Texas, using his position to speak out against a teacher who permitted a racial slur to be used in the classroom at Paschal. Tatum graduated from Trimble Tech High School and earned a bachelor’s from North Texas.

Ryon Price

Senior pastor Broadway Baptist Church

Ryon Price has served as senior pastor of the historic Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth since 2017. A Lubbock native, Price graduated from Texas Tech University before moving on to the Duke Divinity School at Duke University. He previously served churches in Lubbock, Vermont, and Durham, North Carolina. Price is a member of the Brite Divinity School at TCU Board of Visitors, the Fort Worth Near Southside Inc (NSI) board, the Mayor’s Faith Cabinet, the National Juneteenth Memorial Museum Capital Campaign Committee, the North Texas Community Foundation Fund to Advance Racial Equity Advisory Committee, and is a founding member of the Fort Worth Circle of Clergy. In 2021 Price was honored by Opal Lee and her organization, Unity Unlimited, with the Erma C. Hadley Servant Leadership Award.

Brian Zimmerman

Senior rabbi

Beth-El Congregation

Brian Zimmerman is a 12th generation rabbi, following his father and grandfathers. Raised in New York, Zimmerman received a bachelor’s from Boston University. He moved to Hollywood, intent to work in film but instead earned a Master of Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in New York. Zimmerman served as the regional and rabbinic director for the South District of the Union for Reform Judaism, tending to the spiritual and physical needs of clergy and congregations in an 11-state district. Zimmerman has merged his passions, Judaism and film, through his temple classes and other outside commitments. He was co-chair of Cinema EmanuEl, a summer Jewish film festival that hosts over 2,000 attendees.

Should You Be Updating Your Estate Plan?

By Kathy Christoffel, Argent Trust Company

Spring is the season when we finally tackle long-overdue projects and get reorganized across our lives. For those who already have an estate plan, spring can also be a good opportunity to adopt an attitude of rejuvenation by making needed updates.

Simply having an estate plan isn’t always enough. As changes occur in your life, such as the birth of new beneficiaries or the purchase of valuable assets, it’s wise to periodically review your estate plan to make sure it still reflects your wishes for taking care of loved ones or causes close to your heart.

If you’re in this situation and don’t know where to start, here are some tips:

Involve an estate planning professional

One issue to watch out for is when your estate planning documents are legally correct but contain ambiguous wording. When updating your estate plan, it’s wise to speak with an estate administration expert, who can identify potentially problematic areas (such as correct titling of property) and suggest alternative wording so that your intent is clear.

Build a tax and wealth management team

While an estate planning and administration expert can ensure your overall plan is properly executed, certain areas might require

specialized skills from other professionals. I recommend bringing a tax expert/CPA into the conversation to make certain your estate plan has no unaddressed tax issues — which could happen if you move to another state, for instance. Similarly, a financial professional can provide valuable input on prudently managing your wealth.

Do regular reviews

There’s no one-size-fits-all timetable for reviewing your estate plan. However, if you’ve had a major life change or expect one, a check-up appointment with an estate planning professional is a good idea. Some examples are marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, an increase in wealth or federal

tax law changes. Even legal issues or acceptance to a prestigious university might make a difference in your plan’s treatment of family members.

How Argent can help

At Argent, our advisors have a deep background in estate planning and are glad to assist with discussing your plan.

Sports

Sports fully reopened its doors to fans, who got an introduction to a new endeavor on our professional landscape — indoor lacrosse. The Texas Rangers were less than great, but on the eve of their 50th anniversary in Arlington, they made a splash with two big free-agent signings.

SPORTS

Greg Bibb President, CEO, and managing partner Panther City Lacrosse Club

Greg Bibb brought the indoor National Lacrosse League to Fort Worth, billed as the city’s first major professional sports team. The Panther City Lacrosse Club played at Dickies Arena from December through April in its first season. In his role as CEO, Bibb is also a member of the NLL Board of Governors and has a seat on the NLL Finance and Audit Committee, as well as the NLL Marketing, Commercial Properties and Broadcasting Committee. Bibb is also the president, CEO, and partner of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, who play in Arlington. Bibb is a graduate of Marist College. Before moving to Fort Worth, he was selected a member of the Washington Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2010. He also serves as an adviser for the Arlington, Dallas and Fort Worth Sports Commissions.

Jerry Jones Owner, president, and

general manager

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys have been No. 1 among Forbes’ most valuable National Football League teams for 13 years. Forbes pegs Jones’ net worth at $11.9 billion, including a $6.5 billion valuation on the Cowboys, which he purchased for $150 million in 1989. The Cowboys have won three Super Bowls under Jones’ ownership. Jones, who made his initial fortune in oil and gas, continues to invest in energy and real estate. Jones’ leadership in marketing, promotion, salary cap, television contracts, and the development of stadiums as revenue centers has helped transform the NFL. Jones and his wife, Gene, direct charitable giving through their Gene and Jerry Jones Foundation. Jones holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas. Jones was co-captain of Arkansas’ 1964 national championship team.

Jeremiah Donati Athletic director TCU

Jeremiah Donati was named TCU’s director of intercollegiate athletics in December 2017, moving up from deputy. Donati found himself on the wrong side of football fandom by firing the school’s beloved football coach in the fall. Despite the backlash, he steered ahead, keeping his eye on the one coach he wanted and ultimately hired: Sonny Dykes. Donati has played a crucial role as a fundraiser through donor-supported facility upgrades, the most recent major upgrade the $113 million Legends Club & Suites at Amon G. Carter Stadium, completed in 2020. Donati also led in guiding student-athletes through the NIL, collaborating with the business school to form curriculum around the issue. Donati holds a B.A. in politics and government from the University of Puget Sound and a law degree from Whittier Law School.

Dennis Roberson Tournament manager

Charles Schwab Challenge

Dennis Roberson has been manager of the PGA Tour’s annual stop at Colonial Country Club since 1985. With the tournament partially interrupted the past two years by COVID-19, it’s full steam ahead for 2022 with no limits on the size of galleries. Roberson is most visibly connected to the community through the substantial annual charitable gifts the tournament makes. In 2020, the tournament was the PGA Tour’s first stop since COVID-19 broke out, with no fans allowed. Roberson’s responsibilities include coordinating with marketing, operations, charity, special events, media relations, volunteers, budget oversight, and strategic planning. He also helps coordinate with the PGA Tour, television networks, club staff, city, title sponsor, and other partners. Roberson holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sonny Dykes Head football coach TCU

Sonny Dykes was introduced as TCU’s new head football coach on Nov. 30, leaving behind one of the Horned Frogs’ most despised rivals for the football pastures of Fort Worth. It was a return for Dykes, who served as a consultant under former coach Gary Patterson in 2017. He was sought after because of what he did at SMU, turning the Mustangs into a top-25 program with three consecutive winnings seasons, something that hadn’t happened there since the 1980s. He is the son of Spike Dykes. Sonny Dykes rebuilt SMU through his deep ties to the state of Texas, focus on recruiting in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and utilization of the transfer portal. Dykes, a graduate of Texas Tech, had previous coaching stops at Louisiana Tech and California.

Chris Young General manager Texas Rangers Baseball Club

Chris Young is in his second season as the Rangers’ executive vice president and general manager. The 42-year-old is involved in all areas of Rangers baseball operations under the President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels. Together, they made a splash with the off-season free-agent signings of Corey Seager and Marcus Simeon to long-term contracts worth a combined $500 million guaranteed. Prior to joining the Rangers, Young spent the previous three years working for Major League Baseball and was promoted to senior vice president, baseball operations, in February 2020. Young, a native of Dallas who grew up in Highland Park before going to college at Princeton, was a pitcher who played 13 Major League seasons for five clubs. He is the ninth general manager in Rangers history.

Congratulations to Opal Lee, who holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from TCU, for being named Fort Worth Inc.’s “Person of the Year.” Your work to secure Juneteenth as a national holiday is truly an example of leading through action and being an unrelenting force for the greater good. And congratulations to all the Horned Frogs who made this year’s list. Thank you for embodying what it means to Lead On.

Jeremiah Donati, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Rodney D’Souza, Ph.D., Managing Director, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Davis Family Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Associate Professor, TCU Neeley School of Business

Sonny Dykes, Head Coach, Football

Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean, TCU School of Medicine

Daniel Pullin, J.D., John V. Roach Dean and Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, TCU Neeley School of Business

Michael Sherrod, William M. Dickey Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Instructor, TCU Neeley School of Business

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Transportation

Where does transportation go next in a region poised to become the third-largest metro in the U.S.? What do we need, and how do we pay for it? Our transportation leaders are charged with sorting that out.

TRANSPORTATION

Onyinye Akujuo Chair Tarrant Transit Alliance

Onyinye Akujuo of the JPS Foundation joined the Tarrant Transit Alliance as vice chair in 2021 and moved to chair where she is responsible for the vision and strategic direction of the board. The Tarrant Transit Alliance, formed in 2017, by community officials, regional leaders, and other stakeholders to build support for regional transit in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Akujuo held key executive roles in transportation planning in New York and Atlanta. She has served on executive Metropolitan Planning Organization committees. She has a master’s in corporate communications and integrated marketing from the New York Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Cornell University. She is an Inaugural Fellow for the NYU Transportation Emerging Fellowship and is a fellow of Leadership NY and Leadership Fort Worth.

Jeff Davis Chair

Trinity Metro

Jeff Davis, chairman of Trinity Metro and a past chairman of the Tarrant Transit Alliance, has been a central figure in the region’s efforts to expand public transit. Trinity Metro, in conversations with Fort Worth and other authorities, is working on establishing priorities, including potentially expanding bus services, use of ZIPZONE shuttles, and commuter rail. Davis, chairman of Republic Title in Fort Worth since 2004, holds an undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he majored in religion, and law degree from SMU. He practiced commercial law for several years before he opened his own law practice and title company. Davis was president of Safeco Title for 16 years before he joined Republic. At 27, he was elected to the first single member district City Council in Fort Worth.

Paul Ballard Interim CEO Trinity Metro

Paul Ballard stepped in to to serve as interim

president and CEO of Trinity Metro after Bob Baulsir retired. Ballard was Baulsir’s immediate predecessor. The board is working with executive search firm Krauthamer & Associates LLC to conduct a national search for a permanent replacement. Under Ballard’s leadership, the agency rebranded to Trinity Metro, developed a transit master plan and implemented new services, including TEXRail, Alliance ZIPZONE, bus service north of I-820, and the EASYRIDE commuter program. In addition, he developed a partnership with Tarrant County College for Trinity Metro to provide service to all TCC locations and the college to pay the fares for student rides. After leaving Trinity Metro, Ballard served as interim general manager and CEO for the Regional Transportation District in Denver.

Sean Donohue CEO

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Sean Donohue is CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports and a primary economic engine for North Texas. Donohue is responsible for the management, operation, and strategic planning of the airport, which connects North Texas with nonstop service to more than 200 destinations in five continents. The pandemic era aside, DFW historically produces more than $37 billion in annual economic impact and generates an average 60,000 jobs. Donohue, who graduated Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in marketing, joined DFW in 2013, following 28 years in airlines in various executive roles with Virgin Australia Airlines and United Airlines, where he started as an accounting clerk and rose to overseeing its operations worldwide over a 25-year career there.

Bill Davis Chairman Fort Worth & Western Railroad

Fort Worth oilman Bill Davis, chairman of Fort Worth & Western Railroad, is in the middle of Fort Worth’s renewed efforts to extend the TEXRail commuter line to the Medical District from T&P Station on the Near Southside. Davis’ railroad owns the right of way that TEXRail would need to run on for the station, which would be on the west side of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center property at Mistletoe Boulevard. Davis chartered the railroad in 1988 to buy trackage from BNSF. He’s grown it to more than 275 miles of track through eight counties, from the original 6.25 miles. Davis’ Fort Worth and Texas roots run deep. He’s the son of Kenneth Davis, one of the founders of the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth. Davis and his wife, Mitzi, are prominent supporters of arts organizations.

Katie Farmer

President and CEO

Burlington Northern Santa Fe

Katie Farmer took over for Carl Ice in January 2021, becoming the first woman in nearly 200 years of railroads to head a Class I railway. Farmer, who holds a bachelor’s and MBA from TCU, was executive vice president of operations, a post she’d held since September 2018. She started her railroad career with BNSF in 1992 as a management trainee and held leadership positions within BNSF’s operations throughout her career. Farmer is a TCU trustee and member of the executive committee of the Fort Worth Symphony. Farmer is one of several CEOs of Fort Worth-based Berkshire Hathaway companies. BNSF, the largest U.S. railroad, is based in Fort Worth and employs about 36,000 people, with routes in 28 states and Canada.

Robert Isom CEO American Airlines

Robert Isom took the reins of American Airlines, the Fort Worth-based carrier that employs more than 123,000, as CEO in March, succeeding Doug Parker. Both played integral roles in the integration of US Airways and American. Isom joined American when the airline and US Airways merged in 2005. He was named president in 2016. Before US Airways, Isom held senior executive operations, finance and commercial roles at GMAC, Northwest Airlines, and America West Airlines. He started his career at The Procter & Gamble Company. Isom earned bachelar’s degrees in mechanical engineering and English from the University of Notre Dame, as well as an MBA from University of Michigan. “I want to thank Doug for his partnership over the past two decades,” said Isom at the time of his promotion.

Michael Morris Director of transportation North Central Texas Council of Governments

Michael Morris plays a lead role in the region defining its transportation priorities and hunting for funding. His office is amid three transportation studies, including one focusing on the western half of the metroplex. Morris is working on extending TEXRail south to Fort Worth’s Medical District and with Arlington on better connectivity inside the city and to DFW Airport. He’s advocating for a westbound high-speed rail line to Fort Worth from Dallas if the proposed privately funded Texas Central Partners line connecting Dallas to Houston goes forward. Morris also is looking into an array of next-generation technologies, like hyperloop, in which vehicles travel at high speeds through sealed tubes. Morris has been director since 1990. He has a master’s in civil engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo.

John Kleinheinz Principal Texas Central Partners

John Kleinheinz, a successful Fort Worth hedge fund manager and a philanthropist with his wife, Martha, is a principal in Texas Central Partners, which proposes to build a privately funded high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. The group completed an initial $75 million investment round in 2015. “As a fund manager, I had the opportunity to invest in companies and projects all over the world,” Kleinheinz said at the time. “I am thrilled to invest in such an exciting project in Texas. I believe Texas Central will pay dividends for Texas, its citizens, and its environment for decades to come.” Kleinheinz, who graduated from Stanford University, opened Kleinheinz Capital Partners in Fort Worth in 1996. He closed the fund in 2012 and returned its capital to investors.

Reed Pigman Jr. CEO Texas Jet

Reed Pigman grew up in aviation, beginning with a flight school started by his dad in 1939.

In 1978, Pigman, a pilot who has a Learjettype rating, founded Texas Jet at Fort Worth’s Meacham Airport, selling fuel, hangar space, and service to pilots and aircraft owners.

Texas Jet opened with 35,000-square-foot hangar but services more than 100 aircraft with 23 hangars encompassing about 500,000 square feet and with plans to grow.

“A lot of people really like doing business in Fort Worth,” he said. “As a result, we’re picking up approximately two to three new transient turbine customers per week.”

Texas Jet’s a perennial award winner, ranking fourth among U.S. fixed-based operators on the closely watched Professional Pilot magazine Pro Pilot PRASE survey, and No. 1 among independent FBOs in 2021.

Bill Meadows Member

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board

Bill Meadows is chairman emeritus at Hub International Services but has plenty on his plate elsewhere. A former chair of the DFW Airport board, he continues as a member. He also chairs the Commission for High Speed Rail in the Dallas/Fort Worth Region. Meadows also is president and co-chair of the Fort Worth Report, a nonprofit digital newspaper. Previously, Meadows served four terms on the Fort Worth City Council and is a former member of Texas Transportation Commission, North Texas Tollway Authority board, Tarrant County Regional Water District Advisory Board, Texas Water Development Board, City of Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Board, and Fort Worth Chamber board. Meadows has a bachelor’s from Southwestern University in Georgetown and studied abroad at the Harlaxton Institute in Grantham, England.

Alicia Winkelblech Senior officer for strategic iniatives

City of Arlington

Alicia Winkelblech directs the city of Arlington’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, whose portfolio includes new, data-driven approaches to strategic city planning and transportation. The office has run three autonomous vehicle deployments since 2017: the existing RAPID autonomous on-demand shuttles and on- and off-street pilot programs. A Richland High School graduate, Winkelblech has more than 18 years in transportation and planning. She has a bachelor’s in environmental design from Texas A&M and a master’s in urban planning from the University of Washington.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know …

We got to know our list of The 400 a little better through a Q&A.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PERSON IN HISTORY?

“Mahatma Gandhi, a lawyer who realized he could put his knowledge, skills, and values to use in bettering the lives of those around him.” — Bobby Ahdieh, Texas A&M School of Law

“Like many lawyers, my favorite historical figures include judges and notable lawyers. Now that the judge and the lawyer who had the most profound impact on my life and career have passed on from this earth, though, my favorite historical figures have to be Judge Thomas M. Reavley and Dee Kelly.” — Marianne Auld, Kelly Hart

“Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, also known as Bangabandu (Friend of Bengal). The first president and prime minister of Bangladesh, he is credited with establishing Bangladesh’s independence and did so much to change the plight of all Bengalis through his advocacy and leadership. His visibility and leadership also put him at risk to enemies, and he ultimately gave his life in his steadfast work of creating freedom and opportunity for Bengalis, tragically assassinated.” — Nafees Alam, DRG Concepts

“Dr. Edward Jenner, the father of modern-day vaccines.” — Ben Coogan, Medical City Fort Worth

“Through my many lives, I have had the opportunity to meet my fair share of people actually creating history. As far as a ‘character,’ hands down it is going to be President George W. Bush. His ideals of selfless public service and compas-

sionate conservatism are something I subscribe to today. I was honored to have worked with him as part of his administration. And, of course, I love the time I have been able to spend with our own Fort Worth icon Opal Lee. Her positive attitude and sheer will to want to see the lives of others bettered are some things we need more of here in today’s world.” — Michael Crain, city of Fort Worth

“Janis Joplin — short life but lived on fire during one of the coolest movements in our history.”

— Jason Eggenburger, 97w

“My wife. I was once told, ‘Brandom, we knew you were the right person for the job until we met your wife. And then we realized we should have hired her.’”

— Brandom Gengelbach, Fort Worth Chamber

“Leo Szilard, the most interesting and important person that almost no one knows.” [Atomic theories led to the bomb.]

— Elliot Goldman, Greatest Gift Catalog Ever

“I admire the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. As an artist, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect, he was the most talented and brilliant person in recorded history.” — Steven Halliday, 97w

“My favorite people in history happen to be family members, coaches, and the like that had historical yet lasting impacts on my life. My father (David Morris), grandfather (Truett Brooks), high school (Tim Buchanan) and college (Jimmie Keeling) coaches, and a few others.” — Matt Morris, HUB International/Gus Bates Insurance and Investments

“My paternal grandfather, John Neal, because of his determination and leadership role in redistricting the Virginia town and county in the 1980s that my dad’s family originated. He was the first named plaintiff in two successful court cases (federal and state) that ensured equitable voting rights for residents of all demographics. He received multiple death threats, but he persevered.” — Kim Neal, city of Fort Worth

“I suppose I better say Jesus.” — Russ Peterman, University Christian Church

“This is a tough one. As I think about influential people, and those who transformed the world, it

is incredible to think about the fact that we are living right alongside a present-day equivalent of Sir Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein. Elon Musk is transforming the automobile business, has already transformed space exploration, is working to transform public transportation ... and who knows what else. Regardless of what you think about it all, it is simply impressive to witness in real time the power of a transformational mind with the will to bring it all into reality.”

— John Pritchett,

Wild Acre Brewing Company

“At the University of Virginia, I became deeply interested in the school’s founder, Thomas Jefferson. The polarity makes him fascinating to study. How could one man be a compelling voice for freedom and democracy on one hand and a slaveholder on the other?” — Ben Rosenthal, Standard Meat Company

“Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell ‘Chesty’ Puller, a Marine corps officer from WW2 and the Korean War, was the most decorated marine in American history with five Navy Crosses and a Distinguished Service Cross.” — Mayor Jim Ross, city of Arlington

“Jesus Christ. Regardless of your religious views, his impact on the social fabric of the world is undeniable. Many in the world have distorted his teachings. It’s hard to argue his answer when he was asked, ‘Which is the greatest commandment?’ His answer? ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.’ Seems to me like a pretty good place to start.” — Ken Schaefer, Schaefer Advertising Co.

“This quote from Mark Twain is a source of inspiration to me, the company, and our employees: ‘Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.’” — Glenn Smith, Mouser Electronics

“I’m a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt. He had his flaws, but I’ve always been fascinated with his larger than life persona and all the varied experiences he had as a war hero, politician, and naturalist.” — Robert Sturns, city of Fort Worth

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

“My first job was working for the Social Security Administration. I was 16 years old! I

had to properly file and archive deceased Social Security numbers and upload it to the federal database. I was able to file so fast that I cleared a three-year backlog in one summer.” — Onyinye Akujuo, Tarrant Transit Authority

“Gopher for American Flyers in downtown Fort Worth on the the 30th floor of the Continental National Bank Building.” — Reed Pigman Jr., Texas Jet

“Sheared sheep. Worst job ever. Sheep are born looking for a place to die.” — David Keltner, Kelly Hart

“Party Hostess at the Arlington Skatium! Roller skates, birthday cakes, and nonstop music. It was a dream job at the tender age of 16.” — Holland Sanders, Holland Creative

“Digging holes for fence posts. It cured me of ever wanting to work outside in the elements again.” — Kasey Pipes, High Water Strategies

“My first job was working at my Aunt Gene’s Rio Records Store across from the Alamo in San Antonio. During my summers, from about 8 to 10 years old, she would daily put me on the VIA Metropolitan Trolley with a paper bag that held the day’s deposits — sometimes thousands of dollars — and I would ride the trolley to the Frost Bank stop. I’ll never forget walking through the large double doors and taking the escalator downstairs to the teller area of that enormous building. I could barely see above the counter where I would hoist that paper bag full of money on the marble counter. The tellers knew to call my aunt when I arrived, so she would know I made it safely. Sometimes I would walk back to the record store and other times I’d ride the trolley. My aunt would only walk me through this process — and ride the trolley with me — one time and then I was on my own for the rest of the summer.” — Susan Medina, SKM Communication Strategies

“Alexander’s Neighborhood Grocery Store in Lake Como at 16.” — Estrus Tucker, DEI Consultants

“I worked at a Mobil gas station pumping gas, washing windows and checking the oil. Great customer service training.” — Larry Autrey, Whitley Penn

“My first job was working at a child agency for children that could not be placed in foster care. Every day after high school, I was the end-ofday receptionist for the nonprofit dealing with frustrated families, social workers, and more. Can’t tell you how much this helped me for what I do today.” — Kara Waddell, Child Care Associates

“I was a waitress at the Brittany Restaurant on Altamesa in Fort Worth, just down the street from Southwest High School. I was 15 years old when I started.” — Heidi Swartz, Cowtown Marathon

“‘Programs, get your programs!’ My first job was selling programs for the Texas Rangers in the ‘old, old’ stadium. Yes, two ballparks ago. I survived the Texas summers, walking endless stairs, and I got to watch hours of baseball. An interesting fact is that I went on to work for the Texas Rangers in various positions for seven years.” — Laura McWhorter, Texas Health Resources Foundation

“Chopping cabbage during summer break after sixth grade at our factory for our Chow Chow, a Southern relish which accounted for 99% of our sales at that time.” — Doug Renfro, Renfro Foods

“Dishwasher in a Catholic girls summer camp.” Tony Formby, Acre Distilling

“Clothing stocker at Henry’s Jean Scene.” — Jon Bonnell, Bonnell’s

“Usher at the Omni Theater.” — Elyse Dickerson, Eosera

“My first job was as a church drummer when I was in elementary school.” — Jared Williams, city of Fort Worth

“Working in an ice cream shop.” — Judge Glen Whitley, Tarrant County

“Bussing tables at Jersey Lilly’s in Hico, Texas.” — Mayor Mattie Parker, city of Fort Worth

“When I was about 10 years old I mowed lawns to earn enough money to buy a new bicycle. I asked my parents to buy one for me, but they decided to teach me a valuable lesson about the importance of hard work and earning things

myself.” — Chief Neil Noakes, city of Fort Worth

“Paper Boy. Delivering the Mid-Cities Daily News on my BMX bike.” — Tom Martens, Visit Fort Worth

“Babysitter — I read all of The Babysitter’s Club books and at age 11 attended Moraine Park Technical College’s weekend babysitting course to become certified.” — Cortney Gumbleton, TechFW

“Putt Putt Golf & Games on Calmont Street.” — David Nolet, JP Morgan Chase

“Raising and selling chickens.” — Bob Ferguson, Wortham Insurance and Risk Management

“I ran a concession stand at the zoo! It was memorable because I worked across from the bears and in addition to selling refreshments, I sold cups of Purina bear chow for folks to toss to the bears!” — Dale Klose, PNC Bank

“At age 10, my best friend and I founded a neighborhood newsletter.” — Stacie McDavid, McDavid Investments

“I opened a ceiling fan store in Waco while I was at Baylor with a friend. I needed a job! College wasn’t cheap!” — Jim Lacamp, Morgan Stanley

“Dental assistant in my high school co-op program.” — Michelle Green-Ford, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

“Opening of McCory’s at Seminary South, now La Gran Plaza” — Judy McDonald, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County

“Installing water sprinklers. I got fired.” — EJ Carrion, Student Success Agency

John Q Adams, Jr 66

Amy Adkins 94

Neils Agather 94

Bobby Ahdieh 52

Onyinye Akujuo 148

Nafees Alam 81

Gerald Alley 125

Lar r y Anfin 102

Keith Argenbr ight 66

Felipe Armenta 81

Mar ianne Auld 115

David Auld 134

Lar r y Autrey 108

John Avila 125

Susan Bailey 66

Robbie Baker 87

Chr is Baker 134

Imam Mujahid Bakhach 140

Stuar t Balcom 112

Lor i Baldock 31

Laura Baldwin 30

Mike Ball 66

Paul Ballard 148

Daniel Banks 22

Vanessa Barker 95

Brad Barnes 22

Kenneth Bar r 108

Lee Bass 36

Rober t Bass 36

Sid Bass 36

Anne T Bass 102

Mercedes Bass 102

Ramona Bass 102

Ed Bass 132

Sasha Bass 133

Gus S Bates 35

Elizabeth Beck 58

Michael Bennett 122

Scot Bennett 125

Daniel Berce 31

Barclay Berdan 66

Mike Ber r y 128

Greg Bibb 14 4

Tad Bird 52

Greg Bird 78

Gyna Bivens 58

Hayden Blackburn 4 4

Andrew Blake 128

Andrew Bloom 140

Mar vin Blum 115

Bill Boecker 133

David Bonderman 36

Jon Bonnell 81

Henr y Borbolla III 31

Karen Bor ta 86

Victor Boschini 52

Darlene Boudreaux 4 4

Mike Bowman 134

Rose Bradshaw 94

Elizabeth Brands 52

Br yan Braswell 134

Douglas Bratton 36

Vianei Braun 115

Sher r y Breed 52

Zareen Kahn Brendel 136

Mike Brennan 4 4

Flora Brewer 128

Leon Br idges 22

Roy C Brooks 58

Eddie Broussard 31

Jon Br umley 78

Tim Br uster 140

Bill Buechele 30

Todd Burnette 124

Bill Bur ton 128

Julie Butner 96

Stephen Butt 81

Tom Buxton 112

Cody Campbell 78

Johnny Campbell 134

Carlo Capua 81

E J Car r ion 52

Wayne Carson 96

Carolyn Cason 30

Craig Cavileer 128

John Allen Chalk 115

Wade Chappell 4 4

Will Churchill 87

Cor r ie Churchill Watson 128

Eddie Clark 75

Travis Clegg 122

Chr is Cobler 86

Br ian Colthar p 122

Steven Colwick 31

Jeffrey Conner 38

R ichard Connor 86

Br uce Conti 129

Ben Coogan 66

David Cooke 58

Stephen Coslik 124

David Cox 96

Michael Crain 58

Jim Crawford 82

Greg Crouchley 85

Br ian Crowell 129

Br ian Cr umley 78

Brad Cunningham 78

Cameron Cushman 4 4

Rodney D'Souza 53

Mark Dabney 122

Jim Davis 58

Jeff Davis 148

Bill Davis 148

Joseph DeLeon 67

Br uce Denny 87

Elyse Dickerson 67

Ryan Dickerson 129

Michael Dike 134

Jeremiah Donati 14 4

Sean Donohue 148

Paul Dorman 67

Mark Drennan 31

Jim DuBose 32

Karen Duncan 67

Jer r y Durant 87

Tom Durant 87

Sonny Dykes 14 4

Crawford Edwards 129

Jason Eggenburger 122

Randy Eisenman 36

Ashley Elg in 96

Hunter Enis 78

Katie Farmer 148

Bob Ferg uson 30

Thomas Ferg uson 85

Deborah Ferg uson 86

Rober t Fernandez 108

Gar y Fickes 59

Jim Finley 79

Leonard Firestone 59

Carlos Flores 59

Stuar t Flynn 67

Michael Flynn 108

Tony Ford 108

Tony Formby 82

Kay For tson 22

Michael Fouraker 22

Er ic Fox 74

Simon Fraser 67

Ashley Freer 112

Arnold Gachman 75

Tom Galbreath 122

Rafael G Garza 79

Chr is Gavras 112

Brandom Gengelbach 4 4

Charlie Geren 59

Pete Geren 94

Randy Gideon 129

John Goff 133

Craig Goldman 59

Elliot Goldman 96

Kay Granger 59

Tony Green 22

Michelle Green-Ford 45

Adam Greenway 140

Steve Greig 88

Mike Groomer 94

Susan Gr uppi 130

Murphy 83

Steve Murrin 133

Rosa Navejar 123

Kim Neal 60

Chris Nettles 60

Trey Neville 131

Brian Newby 117

Ken Newell 131

Babby Newland 33

Lonnie Nicholson 33

Neil Noakes 60

David Nolet 39

Will Northern 124

Martin Noto Jr. 33

Mark Nurdin 33

Sid O'Bryant 69 Larry O'Neal 103

Michael Olson 141 Scott Orr 39 Toby Owen 97 Richard Owens 54 Mattie Parker 60 Wayne Parkman 33 Shawn Parsley 69 Marcus Paslay 83 Kelsey Patterson 103

Bobby Patton 133 Mike Pavell 33 Linda Pavlik 113 Richard Payne 109 Jim Penn 109