CHEF JORDAN & RAMZI
MARK CUBAN
Owner, Dallas Mavericks
Owners, Chops & Eggs Hash House
Corpus Christi Last year, brothers Jordan and Ramzi purchased and reopened the Southside homestyle eatery Chops & Eggs. It had been two and a half years since the original closed following a devastating fire, but now its organic, breakfast-all-day menu of flapjacks, crepes, chicken and waffles, and of course, steak and eggs was newly available. When COVID-19 struck its first terrible blow, Chops & Eggs struggled along with the rest of the food service industry. In the first week after lockdown, the brothers decided to do everything in their power to keep employees on payroll—and that meant giving up their own salaries. “I would split my last dollar with you guys,” Chef Jordan told his employees, according to Corpus’ Action 10 News. Chef Jordan and Ramzi gave all employees two and a half dozen eggs and quickly began selling other lockdown supplies—toilet paper, orange juice, more eggs—to keep some revenue coming in. Months later, Chops & Eggs’ restaurant was still showcasing its community spirit: For the weekend of 9/11, first responders got a meal on the house.
DEANNE CUELLAR
State Director– Texas, Older Adults Technology Services (OATS)
Dallas
When the NBA suspended its 2019–2020 season, it was one of the first signs that COVID-19 would have previously unthinkable effects in the United States. The news rolled out during a Dallas Mavericks game, and cameras caught Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s dropped jaw as he read the headline. Two days later, the Shark Tank star and ever-present encourager of entrepreneurs announced that the Mavericks would continue paying hourly employees— security staff, parking attendants, housekeeping teams, and many others—for the initial six cancelled Mavs home games, preserving their livelihoods during a highly uncertain time. “I’ll keep on paying and I’m doing it not just for the Mavs, but other companies as well,” he said in an interview with KDKA Radio. “It’s just the right thing to do.” It was the beginning of a blitz of initiatives from Cuban and the Mavs, ranging from reimbursing employees for meals bought at independent local restaurants to major donations to healthcare workers and North Texas COVID relief funds. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, as protests against police brutality and systemic racism spread, Cuban spoke his mind on that matter too. He bluntly challenged white Americans to shift their behaviors and mindset to address ongoing racism in this country, calling it a “moral imperative” to do so. That, once again, was strong leadership—speaking up when it matters, whether it’s popular or not.
CHLOE DAO
San Antonio As a tech equity advocate, DeAnne Cuellar believes that every person deserves equal access to technology, including seniors who face social isolation in the era of COVID-19. Through her work as state director for Texas at Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), she helps bring free, dynamic programming to adults over 60 in San Antonio—giving them the opportunity to become thriving members of the digital world. When COVID hit, OATS programming had to move fully online, a dramatic shift that Cuellar and her team pulled off quickly and effectively. These efforts kept seniors engaged and connected at the precise moment when they faced the solitude of quarantine. Since March, Cuellar’s team has offered 60+ hours of online programming each week to more than 54,000 older adults. Classes range from virtual grandparenting, acting (with Ugly Betty’s Tony Plana), and How to Use Zoom, Gmail, Google Docs, and Social Media. A longtime advocate for historically underrepresented communities, Cuellar also serves as Mayor Nirenberg’s digital inclusion appointee to the City of San Antonio’s Innovation & Technology Committee.
PAULA GOLDWILLIAMS
TONY GERBINO
Owner, Dao Chloe Dao
CEO, ErgoGenesis
President & CEO, CPS Energy
Houston
Navasota
San Antonio
“What can I possibly do to help?” Chloe Dao asked herself as she temporarily closed her boutique in March due to the erupting COVID-19 pandemic. The Houston-based designer and Project Runway winner came up with a logical answer: apply her design skills and team to producing personal protective equipment for those in need.
When many Texas homes transformed into makeshift offices last spring, few were equipped with ergonomic solutions. ErgoGenesis, a leading manufacturer of ergonomic office seating, tools, and workspaces, makes those solutions—but had historically been a B2B organization, selling its BodyBilt products to clients like Boeing, Southwest Airlines, and Raytheon.
Paula Gold-Williams took the helm of San Antonio’s CPS Energy—the largest public natural gas and electric company in the United States—in 2015. Leading a team of over 3,000 and serving as the nation’s only Black female energy CEO, Gold-Williams describes her leadership philosophy as People First. Earlier this year, the San Antonio Business Journal recognized how well she lives that philosophy, naming her Woman of the Year in its 2020 Women’s Leadership Awards.
Dao took a strong lead. Though the boutique was closed, she continued to pay her staff and, with their help, produced about 150 face masks a day, which she then gave away to frontline healthcare workers and others in the Houston community. The washable, 100 percent cotton masks include a pocket where the user can insert a filter or additional material. Dao even put a mask-sewing tutorial up on her Instagram account for those stuck at home. To date, she has donated over 5,000 masks in Texas and throughout the US. Now that the shortage is long over and masking is a way of life, Dao’s boutique offers a whole line of designer masks to keep people safe— including one that allows the wearer to safely sip an iced coffee or smoothie while wearing.
18
Texas CEO Magazine Q4 2020
Given this “new normal,” however, it was time for a shift. Under Tony Gerbino’s leadership, ErgoGenesis took a few short months to launch a number of ergonomic workfrom-home solutions geared toward the individual—and priced accordingly. Individual consumers now have access to BodyBilt ergonomic and customizable solutions that have proven to increase productivity and comfort. And as industry innovators, ErgoGenesis developed several of these solutions with antimicrobial and copper-infused fabrics for an added layer of protection during this heightened time of health and safety. Through it all, ErgoGenesis operated as an essential business, especially for DOD companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, keeping its plants open on a reduced workweek while adhering strictly to CDC guidelines. Gerbino’s twin priorities remain the same: to keep the employees and the business safe and healthy.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Gold-Williams stepped up to the toughest test of her career. CPS Energy quickly rolled out protocols for three different employee groups, ensuring that the safety of team members and the public remained top priority while continuing to provide reliable service. The utility also worked to further protect their customers by suspending disconnections while looking for resources to increase funding for utility assistance programs. Gold-Williams points out that these decisions were a team effort and not solely her own. “My general philosophy is the team is exponentially wiser than the individual,” she told the Business Journal. Nevertheless, Gold-Williams has proven herself a strong and steady presence through an unprecedented crisis.