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Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists

Every year, Ernst & Young chooses this region’s premier entrepreneurs in a competition to be named the best in the nation-and the world-at what they do. Here, we tell you how the 27 dynamic local finalists for 2008 have built their businesses and attained their success.
By D Magazine |

In a part of the country that’s known for its innovative, dynamic entrepreneurs, who are the most dynamic and innovative entrepreneurs of them all? That’s what Ernst & Young sets out to determine each year here with its Entrepreneur of the Year program, which honors the hard-working individuals who create and sustain successful, growing business ventures.

  Now in its 22nd year, the Ernst & Young EOY program is structured as a regional competition that leads to national and then international award winners. To be eligible, a nominee must be the owner/manager of a public or private company that’s at least two years old, an active member of top management, and primarily responsible for the company’s recent performance. 

  Independent judging panels from each award area select approximately six to nine EOY winners in several industry categories, including winners in several general-award categories. Regional winners then are eligible for the national and international awards.

  In the following stories, D CEO is proud to tell you about the 2008 finalists for the Ernst & Young EOY awards for the Southwest Area-North, all of whom were selected by a five-member judging panel. The judges were Wendy A. Lopez, co-founder and CEO of the LopezGarcia Group; Michael J. McKay, founder and CEO of eSports Partners; Hasan Pirkul, dean of the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas; Robert J. Potter, president of R.J. Potter Co.; and Julie E. Silcock, managing director in charge of Citigroup’s Southwest Investment Banking Franchise.  

  The finalists–and the winners–of the Southwest Area-North program were honored at a June 28 dinner at the InterContinental Hotel in Addison. The winners announced that night were: Joseph W. Craft III of Alliance Resource Partners (in the Energy, Chemical and Mining category); Greg L. Massey of First United Bank and Trust Co. (Financial Services category); Charles E. Vogt of GENBAND (IT/Communication); John M. Scott III of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts (Hospitality and Construction); Tom Ward of SandRidge Energy (Master Entrepreneur); Patrick Brandt of Skywire Software (Software); Rob Snyder of Stream Energy (Services); Guillermo Perales of Sun Holdings LLC (Consumer); E. Patrick Jenevein III of Tang Energy Group (Green); and Steve Lieberman and Alan Shor of The Retail Connection (Emerging).

   

MEET THE JUDGES
 

   

     

     

     

     

     

   

   

     

   

 

Ernst & Young EOY Judging Panel: (left to right) Michael J. McKay, Robert J. Potter, Julie E. Silcock, Hasan Pirkul, and Wendy A. Lopez.
          Potter: Courtesy R.J. Potter Co.; Silcock: Courtesy Citigroup; Lopez: Courtesy Lopez Garcia; Pirkul: Courtesy University of Texas at Dallas; McKay: Courtesy of eSports Partners

 

 

2008 FINALISTS
  [ SOUTHWEST AREA-NORTH ]

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Joseph W. Craft III
        photography courtesy of Alliance Resource Partners

  Alliance Resource Partners
  Joseph W. Craft III
  President/CEO/Director

  When MAPCO Coal, where Joseph Craft was working as president, decided to bail on the coal industry in favor of natural gas, Craft says he stood firm on coal’s ability to provide a fuel that’s essential to America’s future.

  So in 1996, he and his management team founded Alliance Coal Corp., which later became coal-producer Alliance Resource Partners.

  Part of Craft’s decision to stay in the industry stemmed from his belief in coal as a reliable natural resource. But it also came about because he believed he was working with a “great group of people,€VbCrLf and felt he owed it to them to try to keep the team together.

  In an uncertain industry – environmental concerns and public-policy decisions surrounding coal are unpredictable and difficult to control – Craft continued putting his faith in the Alliance team.

  When the Tulsa, Okla.-based company went public and employees began worrying about job security, Craft told them they were responsible for their own success. “I told them, €˜The spotlight’s on you. We control our job security and our future,’ €VbCrLf he recalls.

  As long as customers want what Alliance Resource is selling, Craft contends, success is inevitable. True enough. Under Craft’s leadership, Alliance has become the 10th-largest coal producer in the country.
   – Stephanie Hutson

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Joseph Hillesheim
        photography by Lisa Means

  Aspire HR Inc.
  Joseph Hillesheim
  President/Founder

  By all accounts, Joseph Hillesheim is a risk taker. He flies airplanes, and he likens business to gambling.

  But Hillesheim believes he merely has a higher threshold than most people for what’s considered risky.

  At 24, Hillesheim started Aspire HR, an SAP-software consulting company, on a credit card. He and his wife had just built their first home, and they used a spare bedroom to store their computer servers.

  “I joked with my wife about hanging a window air conditioner off the side of our house,€VbCrLf he says. “Fortunately, she can laugh about it now.€VbCrLf

  Hillesheim says he and his team didn’t take risks to build Aspire HR; they just made well-calculated, well-planned decisions. And about two years ago, the company reached a tipping point: potential clients were familiar with Aspire when they called – and some clients even started calling them.

  “I do believe all bets are cumulative,€VbCrLf Hillesheim says. “All of the money, the marketing bets, led up to that point.€VbCrLf

  Today, in addition to its headquarters in Plano, Aspire HR has offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Dubai.

  Having become financially stable, Hillesheim says, Aspire HR now measures its success in the quality of the work it does for its clients.  – S.H.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Doug Van Arsdale
        photography by Lisa Means

  Credit Solutions
  Doug Van Arsdale
  CEO/Founder

  After researching the financial-services market for nine months in 2002, entrepreneur Doug Van Arsdale discovered the need for an “effective alternative to both bankruptcy and consumer credit counseling.€VbCrLf The company Van Arsdale founded as the result of his research – Richardson-based Credit Solutions – attempts to settle consumer debts without threats or harrassment.

  “I saw that consumers needed someone who was exclusively on their side,€VbCrLf he says. “That’s where we come into play and ultimately make a difference.

  “In our society, most consumers with debt problems are treated poorly,€VbCrLf he says. In contrast, Credit Solutions “treats them with respect and assists them with getting their lives back in order, regardless of their situation.€VbCrLf

  Today, Van Arsdale says, thanks to the company’s philosophy – and its top technological solutions – even creditors are seeking it out.

  That’s because “working with us on behalf of our mutual clients is very beneficial to them,€VbCrLf he says. “They save time and money that would have been spent on ineffective collection efforts.€VbCrLf – S.H.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Joseph L. Harberg
        photography by Ashley Dupree
Josh Stern
        photography by Ashley Dupree

  Current Energy
  Joseph L. Harberg
  Principal Partner
  Josh Stern
  Principal Partner

  Joseph Harberg and Josh Stern didn’t set out to found a pioneering company providing energy-efficient solutions for homes and businesses.

  But they were smart enough to respond when rising energy costs and growing green consciousness combined to push them in that direction.

  Harberg and Stern, brothers-in-law who are married to two sisters (the former Hilary and Amy Kreisler, respectively), grew Dallas-based Current Energy out of a company called Power Brokers. Started by Stern in 2001, that outfit helped businesses save money on their monthly power bills after Texas deregulated the electricity market. When Harberg, who had a retail backround, joined the company shortly thereafter, the enterprise gradually expanded its scope as customers demanded more and more products and advice.

  Today Current Energy offers one-stop, consumer-friendly services to at least 1,300 clients, 80 percent of whom are commercial; the rest are residential. The latter patronize what’s touted as “the world’s first energy-efficiency store,€VbCrLf located in Dallas’ trendy Knox-Henderson district. There, homeowners learn how to green up their residences, from installing water-saving toilets to switching out their incandescent lightbulbs.

  For business clients, Stern and Harberg offer super-sophisticated automation and control products for buildings, especially smaller ones. The key to that offering, they say, is a small, “real time€VbCrLf

control device (called the MC8A), whose technology they found and acquired in Russia last year.

  With 155 employees – up from just 44 in 2007 – the pair have big plans for the future, including opening as many as 50 more retail outlets. “It’s been a whirlwind for us the last 18 months,€VbCrLf Harberg says. “We really have been in the right place at the right time.€VbCrLf
   – Glenn Hunter

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Edward C. Bailey
        photography by Elizabeth Lavin

  ELB Enterprises of Dallas
  Edward C. Bailey
  CEO/Founder

  Restaurateur Edward Bailey, the son of a manual laborer, grew up in Ohio in abject poverty.

  And though he’s now a successful North Texas businessman – he owns 63 McDonald’s outlets, three Patrizio restaurants, and he’ll open Bailey’s Prime Plus steakhouse next year – the memory of his youthful poverty is always present.

  “You never forget that, and you never want to go back there,€VbCrLf he says. “It’s  seared in your psyche.€VbCrLf

  Following college, Bailey worked as a manufacturer’s rep, selling ladies’ dresses in a three-state area. He realized that someone else was profiting from his skills, so he opened his own men’s clothing store at age 25 with “virtually no money.€VbCrLf

  Bailey later sold his clothing store and entered the restaurant business and, since then, has turned his McDonald’s franchise into a brand within a brand. His upscale stores – decorated with Austrian chandeliers, mahogany booths, and oil paintings – have become an international model of excellence.

  But ask Bailey today whether he’s “made it,€VbCrLf and he’ll say no. He doesn’t golf and he doesn’t travel; his work is his hobby, and taking a break means it could all come crashing down.

  “For me, the fear of failing means maybe returning to how I grew up,€VbCrLf he says.  “That’s a real motivator for me.€VbCrLf  – S.H.

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Greg L. Massey
        photography Ken Helt

  First United Bank and Trust
  Greg L. Massey
  President/CEO

  Greg Massey’s calling as a community banker means more to him than just lending money. Bankers are also church deacons, city council members, and university board regents, and Massey says it’s their job to help make sure that the small towns they serve thrive.

  “In each one of our communities, the community bank is a central part of that€VbCrLf neighborhood bond,
  he says.

  The president and CEO of Durant, Okla.-based First United Bank and Trust, Massey seems to have followed in the footsteps of his banker-father. The younger Massey joined First United –
  then called Durant Bank and Trust – in 1990, four years after his father took over the bank’s leadership.

  Greg Massey had become interested in banking earlier, through a program in high school. He also worked in the industry while earning a business management degree at Oklahoma State University.

  Success for Massey – and for First United – has been slow and steady. The bank’s assets have grown by 10 to 12 percent each year. Much of that success is due to the innovative, larger-market ideas Massey has implemented at his community banks, like leasing and venture-capital services.  Providing for small businesses, Massey says, is a key part of his responsibility as a community leader. “That’s a service the larger banks have a hard time truly serving,€VbCrLf he says, “and the reality is, that’s the growth industry of tomorrow – those small businesses.€VbCrLf   – S.H.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Tahir Hussain
        photography by Doug Davis

  Fusion Solutions Inc.
  Tahir Hussain
  President/CEO

  Tahir Hussain launched Fusion Solutions in 2002, just as the telecom bubble burst. He anticipated that when the downturn reversed, wireless expertise would be in demand and companies would need help ramping up again.

  About two years later, the native Pakistani had an “aha€VbCrLf moment. A business partner landed a big telecom client, thanks to Hussain’s wireless and telecom expertise.

  “That got me thinking about the prospects and client list I had, and wondering, Why can’t we do it for ourselves?€VbCrLf he says.

  Hussain decided to strike out more on his own, providing Fusion Solutions’ niche staffing services directly to the converging IT and wireless industry. It took about 18 months to nail down his first big contract – providing a year’s worth of specialized staffing resources to a corporation.

  That’s when he knew he’d made the right choice.

  Today his Addison-based, certified minority-owned company has reached $24 million in sales and placed fifth on Inc. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest-growing companies of 2007.

  “In business, if you don’t shoot, you’re not going to make the basket,€VbCrLf Hussain says. “I had tunnel vision and knew that I could do this. It was just a matter of time.€VbCrLf  – Wendy Lyons Sunshine

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Charles D. Vogt
        photography Lisa Means

  GENBAND
  Charles D. Vogt
  President/CEO
 
After leading successful turnarounds at other telecom ventures, Charles D. Vogt was recruited to become the chief executive at GENBAND, a flagging media gateway provider, in 2004.

  First, he put the company’s day-to-day activities on hold so he could analyze the operations and management structure. Then he began to raise capital and to execute against the reformulated business plan. Vogt made a key decision early on. He chose to focus on VoIP infrastructure technology that would enable strategic partnerships.

  He led three acquisitions, buying up companies (including some he once piloted), retired certain products, and relocated the firm’s headquarters to Plano. GENBAND made its most recent acquisition in April, adding a complementary technology from Nokia Siemens to its portfolio.

  The company has tripled its staff and become a world leader in media gateways, boosting revenue from $5 million in 2004 to $93 million in 2007.

  The right market strategy is fundamental, Vogt believes. “We’ve taken a landscape where two or three years ago, Alcatel [-Lucent], Nokia Siemens, Ericsson, Nortel, and Motorola were our competitors,€VbCrLf he says. “Now they are all partners.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Reagan Dixon
        photography Doug Davis

  Lumenate
  Reagan Dixon
  President

  Becoming an entrepreneur requires optimism, a willingness to step into uncertainty, and not being afraid to fail, says Reagan Dixon of data storage and technical and business continuity consulting firm Lumenate. He believes you just keep trying and adjusting the process until you figure out what works.

  When a former employer was uninterested in adding consulting services to its continuity and storage offerings, Dixon and three colleagues decided to step out and try it themselves. Securing the first customer gave them confidence and helped build credibility.

  In the five years since, the Dallas-based firm has grown steadily to a staff of more than 40 people, and 2007 revenues exceeded $32 million.

  Dixon says he learned a hard lesson while working on an earlier startup. “Don’t let other people push you beyond what you think is the right plan,€VbCrLf he says. His earlier investors pushed expansion before profitability, Dixon says, and he won’t make that mistake again. “We need to know how to run the business before we replicate it,€VbCrLf he says.

  Over the last 18 months, Dixon has recruited talented leaders with the perspective and skill sets needed to transition Lumenate beyond the startup phase. Growth is already under way, as the firm recently expanded beyond Texas and Oklahoma to a new office in Atlanta.  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Joe Caldwell
        photography by Doug Davis

  MJB Wood Group Inc.
  Joe Caldwell
  CEO

  Creditors were grumbling because MJB Wood group was operating at a loss when Joe Caldwell was promoted to CEO of the Irving-based wood products business in 2004.

  His professional challenge was compounded by personal ones: two valued colleagues had recently succumbed to illness and, within a year, Caldwell’s teenage daughter had died in a car wreck. Amid those hard times, Caldwell turned the company around.

  First, he restored team spirit to MJB’s work force by opening a frank dialogue with staff members, and taking measures to address their concerns. In a bid to distinguish MJB from its competitors, Caldwell expanded its offerings to include inventory management services that make customers’ supply chains leaner. MJB also gave away free proprietary software for tracking and ordering its products via the Web.

  This innovative strategy secured customer accounts. Sales mushroomed in 2006 to $237 million and are on track to increase, even while MJB’s competitors around the country face results that are flagging.

  “All my employees know I’m going to take care of them in good times and bad times,€VbCrLf says Caldwell, who believes an entrepreneur can’t take anything for granted or get too complacent. “We’re always working on the next innovation, because there’s always someone on our heels.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Christopher Wilson
        photography by Kevin Hunter Marple

  Nascent Systems LP
  Christopher Wilson
  CEO

  Christopher Wilson and his partners were experienced Oracle software and systems consultants when they struck out on their own to launch Nascent Systems in 2000. Having witnessed poor results when their previous employer strayed too far from core competencies, the team was determined to stay focused on their key areas of expertise.

  While majority shareholder Wilson helped keep the boutique firm intent on implementing and upgrading services, Nascent slowly broadened its offerings to address tax-compliance concerns. Today Nascent partners up with Oracle on ERP [enterprise resource planning] solutions software suites, and with Vertex on tax technology solutions for clients that range from Atmos Energy to Neiman Marcus.

  Nascent hires only experienced consultants, not recent graduates. In a bid to keep the seasoned team productive and motivated, employees are compensated for what they can control, with rewards structures similar to those for independent contractors.

  Last year, the firm announced its expansion and relocation to a 70-percent larger office space in Plano with an open work area, numerous meeting rooms, and a dedicated space for showcasing software to clients. According to a news release, its nearly 10,000-square-foot space there “reflects significant growth in revenue and headcount.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Philip M. Verges
        photography courtesy of Newmarket Technology

  NewMarket Technology
  Philip M. Verges
  Chairman/CEO

  Many family businesses are started by parents who then pass the reins on to their children. But for Philip Verges, the opposite was the case.

  Shortly after his mother died of cancer in 1995, Verges approached his brothers, sister, and father with the idea of starting VergeTech Inc., a Dallas consulting business with a focus on custom software applications.

  “I kind of expected them to say, €˜We’ll see how you do,’ and wait for a year or so,€VbCrLf Verges says. “I was shocked when they all quit their jobs and moved back to Dallas.€VbCrLf

  The company was a success, with sales growing from $300,000 to $11 million in four years, and the business model was hard for potential rivals to replicate. The Verges family members had backgrounds as computer programmers, and it wasn’t plausible for competitors to hire salespeople to go out and sell top-line technology like the Verges family had done.

  In 2002, VergeTech merged with IPVoice Communications and became NewMarket Technology Inc. With the bursting of the dot-com bubble, the focus shifted to representing early-stage technology companies, though much of NewMarket’s revenue still comes from systems integration (much like EDS or IBM).

  NewMarket reported more than $93 million in sales in 2007, and now has nearly 1,000 employees in seven countries
    – Kristiana Heap

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Mark C. Layton
        photography by Kevin Hunter Marple

  PFSweb Inc.
  Mark C. Layton
  Chairman/CEO

  An entrepreneur must be able to communicate his or her dream and be trustworthy, so that others will follow him and help live that dream. That’s the opinion of Mark C. Layton, who’s been at the helm of Plano-based PFSweb Inc. since its spin-off from publicly held Daisytek International in 2000.

  The newly independent web-services company emerged at the height of the dot-com bust. As its customers went out of business, PFSweb was left with cash in the bank, but little revenue. 

  June 2001 was a turning point, however, when it landed a big contract to provide services for the U.S. Mint.

  “That legitimized us as a player to stay in the marketplace,€VbCrLf Layton says. “It really energized our team and boosted morale going forward.€VbCrLf

  To round out the company’s online retail marketing capabilities, PFSweb acquired a web retailer in 2006. “eCOST.com brings us more scale,€VbCrLf Layton says. It also brings new synergies from a staff experienced in web advertising and a powerful platform that supports high-volume transactions.

  PFSweb now has 1,300 professionals on staff to provide brand-name customers everything from designing, building, and hosting web sites to product distribution, fulfillment, and credit-card processing.
   – W.L.S.

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Fritzi Woods
        photography by Jeremy Sharp

  PrimeSource Foodservice
  Equipment Inc.
  Fritzi Woods
  President/CEO

  Whether in business or elsewhere, a great leader must anticipate the big picture before the hard data is available, Fritzi Woods says.

  For example, how long do you stay with an effort that isn’t working?

  “Is it failing because you don’t have momentum yet, or it is just not going to work?€VbCrLf Woods says. “A great leader knows how to prioritize, and when to stop and go on certain strategies.€VbCrLf

  The time felt right for Woods to buy a majority share and take the reins at restaurant equipment supplier PrimeSource in 2003. The Dallas company’s turning point came three years later, Woods says, with a major restructuring that improved customer service, increased staff accountability, and adjusted productivity incentives.

  “The old culture could not survive under the new alignment,€VbCrLf she says.

  Woods has learned to surround herself with smart people, and not to drag her feet in making changes. “People are such a foundational piece of the strategy,€VbCrLf she says. “When you know you don’t have the right person, you can’t move fast enough.€VbCrLf

  Her decisiveness and clarity are paying off; PrimeSource is on track for revenue of more
  than $100 million by year’s end.
   – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Clifton H. Howard
        photography by Kevin Hunter Marple

  RBC Life Sciences Inc.
  Clinton H. Howard
  CEO

  Imagination is critical for entrepreneurs, Clinton H. Howard believes.

  “An entrepreneur needs to understand problems that exist in an industry and imagine solutions to those problems or opportunities that he sees which others haven’t seen,€VbCrLf he says. “Then he can develop an organization and team to resolve the problem or fulfill the opportunity.€VbCrLf

  Having successfully created and sold two public companies before founding RBC Life Sciences Inc., Howard has no shortage of imagination. His first venture was a quick-turnaround medical testing lab; the second was Carrington Labs, which researched and marketed the active ingredient in aloe vera plants.

  Howard launched Irving-based RBC in 1991 at the age of 62, to incorporate high-quality aloe vera extracts into a range of nutritional products. Five years ago, he expanded RBC’s offerings by acquiring MPM Medical’s wound-care products from a former Carrington colleague. That wholly owned subsidiary has enjoyed an annual growth rate of 32 percent.

   “We’ve got a great team of people,€VbCrLf Howard says. “I would advise a new entrepreneur how critical it is that the team be the highest quality you can possibly get – in accounting and operations and engineering of your product – because no entrepreneur can do it all himself.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Tammy O’Connor
        photography by Lisa Means

  Red River Solutions
  Tammy O’Connor
  CEO

  Tammy O’Connor had ambitious plans for the information-technology systems consulting and project management firm she launched with a partner in 2004. The business plan called for doubling revenue each year to the present.

  Now in its fourth year, Dallas-based Red River Solutions boasts a bottom line that’s right on target.

 

O’Connor admits that cash flow was a challenge initially. The co-founders didn’t take a paycheck for nearly a year, and hiring the first employee came next. “It took a couple of months to understand how banking and financial-services relationships work,€VbCrLf she says. “But we never missed a paycheck.€VbCrLf

  The certified woman-owned firm provides consultants and technology to support Oracle, SAP, and other enterprise resource planning systems, whether the need is in human resources, payroll, or supply-chain management. Installations can require as little as two consultants for six months, or a team of 18 for more than two years. None of the work is outsourced to India. O’Connor’s goal is to help clients improve their return on investment. “A lot of people are afraid to make that leap and start a business,€VbCrLf she says. “But if you’re really good at what you do, go out and do it. The sky’s the limit.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

John M. Scott III
        photography by Elizabeth Lavin

  Rosewood Hotels and Resorts
  John M. Scott III
  President/CEO

  When John M. Scott III became president and CEO of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts in 2003, the hospitality industry was in the midst of a post-9/11 slowdown.

  After having invested in the Dallas-based company – and having spent the six previous years on its board – Scott nonetheless believed that Rosewood had not grown as much as he thought it could have.

  So he took the downturn as an opportunity to focus on defining his vision for the business and strengthening Rosewood’s corporate culture.

  With tenets like “pride, accountability, respect, and servitude,€VbCrLf Scott encouraged his in-house entrepreneurs (or “intrapreneurs,€VbCrLf as he calls them) to make their individual properties relevant and reflective of the communities surrounding the hotels.

  “Hotel management is a very complicated business in that each property is a very large business in itself, with anywhere from $30 million to $50 million in revenues,€VbCrLf he says. “In a homogenous hotel world, Rosewood stands out as being unique.€VbCrLf

  With Scott at the helm of operations, the company founded by Dallas native Caroline Rose Hunt has expanded from nine hotels to 17. Its Atlanta Mansion on Peachtree property opened recently, and plans are in the works to open another three to five properties in the next few years.  – K.H.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Tom L. Ward
        photography courtesy of Sandridge Energy

  SandRidge Energy Inc.
  Tom L. Ward
  Chairman/CEO
 
Growing up in a small town in western Oklahoma, Tom Ward didn’t plan to attend college. And he definitely didn’t foresee becoming one of the wealthiest players in the oil industry. “It was really more about happenstance than anything else,€VbCrLf he says.

  Ward grew up in a farming family and, during the height of the 1970s oil boom, decided to model himself after an uncle who worked in the energy business. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Ward partnered with Aubrey McClendon to begin Chesapeake Energy in the 1980s.

  With Ward as president and COO, the company grew to have nearly 5,000 employees. “The company had grown to a size that I really couldn’t oversee it as I had in the past,€VbCrLf he says. So, he decided to “retire.€VbCrLf

  Ward had been gone from Chesapeake for all of a month when he got a call from the founder of Riata Energy Inc. After personally investing $500 million in Riata, Ward renamed the company SandRidge Energy.

  “We’re a small company that had a big idea [aggressively buying other producers], and we needed capital,€VbCrLf he says.

  The Oklahoma City-based outfit has raised $4.5 billion since June 2006 and is now valued at more than $8 billion. While business is booming, Ward maintains that was never his goal. “All I ever really wanted was a job,€VbCrLf he says.  – K.H.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Patrick Brandt
        photography courtesy of Skywire Software

  Skywire Software
  Patrick Brandt
  President/CEO
 
“We were basically software handymen for the first 9 to 12 months,€VbCrLf says Patrick Brandt of Skywire Software, an electronic document management company that opened its doors in 2000. “We were trying to get happy paying customers, industry domain expertise, and internal ideas about what the market needed.€VbCrLf

  The company’s first big client was in the insurance business, and Skywire Software soon became an expert in the insurance industry. “We’re literally the market leader in policy issuance,€VbCrLf Brandt says.

  The company, based in Frisco, has grown through a total of 11 acquisitions. Now with a portfolio of about 20 products serving 2,400 customers, Skywire Software can take data from any number of input systems and publish it to multiple formats, whether on paper, fax, or the Web in HTML or PDF files.

  Lately, Brandt’s biggest challenge is integrating the four companies acquired since 2007 and establishing a common corporate culture among offices spread from San Francisco to London.

  Hiring the right people and giving them the necessary resources to succeed is important, Brandt agrees, but mindset trumps all for an entrepreneur.

  “If you go into every conversation and interaction and transaction with the approach, €˜I’m here to contribute,’ your likelihood of accomplishment is far greater,€VbCrLf he says.   – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Robrert Lloyd Snyder
        photography by Elizabeth Lavin

  Stream Energy
  Robert Lloyd Snyder
  Chairman

  When Robert Lloyd Snyder and his business partners decided to introduce multi-level marketing into Texas’ deregulated electricity market in 2004, the first challenge was persuading the Texas Public Utility Commission that it was a viable and legitimate approach. Once they had the green light, hurricanes Katrina and Rita promptly doubled electricity fuel prices. But the biggest challenge faced by Stream Energy – and its multi-level marketing arm, known as Ignite – was the market’s overwhelmingly positive response.

  “Our history has been drinking from a fire hose,€VbCrLf says Snyder, who describes the company’s first three years as “a continual manic struggle to keep pace with the issues our success had engendered.€VbCrLf To manage the processes and systems needed to serve its ballooning customer base, Stream Energy invested approximately $20 million in homegrown software.

  Today the Dallas company has approximately 110,000 independent energy associates who market electricity service to friends, family, and acquaintances. They each pay a start-up license fee and earn commissions on recruitment. In April of this year, the company expanded operations into Georgia.

  Snyder says the best business advice he ever got was, “If you want to look like a genius, surround yourself with hard-working people who are more intelligent than you are, and let ’em have at it.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Guillermo Perales
        photography courtesy of Sun Holdings

  Sun Holdings LLC
  Guillermo Perales
  President

  The toughest part of building his business, says Guillermo Perales, was getting that first loan from the Small Business Administration in 1996.

  During the 12 years since, Perales has parlayed the effort into a restaurant empire that includes 48 Golden Corrals, 77 Popeyes, 13 Burger Kings, 5 Denny’s, and one Bennigans – and more are on the way.  

  Based primarily in Dallas and Houston, Sun Holdings also runs franchise locations in Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

  Perales has learned the hard way that some sites are simply more successful than others. When you can’t make one work, he says, it’s time to let it go. “You always have to get rid of the bad stores as fast as you can, so they don’t bleed you,€VbCrLf he says.

  Perales’ other winning strategy is to avoid being a tenant. “Owning the land and building gives you flexibility,€VbCrLf he says. “If you have a lease, landlords usually don’t want to let you out of it. But if you own the land and building, you can convert to another concept or close and sell it, and get your
  money back.€VbCrLf

  Thanks to this approach, Perales is now the largest Hispanic franchisee in the nation, with close to $200 million in sales.  – W.L.S.

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

E. Patrick Jenevein III
        photography courtesy of Tang Energy

  Tang Energy Group
  E. Patrick Jenevein III
  President

  Patrick Jenevein III is a veteran of the energy world. He founded the Nolan Group, a natural-gas processing company, in 1986. But it took a decade and a trip across the world for Jenevein to realize what rich business opportunities lay ahead.

  In 1995, Jenevein traveled to China on a mission to help the state-owned National Petroleum Co. run more efficiently. He soon realized that China lacked the technology and equipment to properly capture and process natural gas. With the help of Dr. Yih-Min Jan, a U.S.-educated Chinese physicist, Jenevein formed Tang Energy Group to work on natural-gas projects in China’s western regions. The company focused on delivering energy and simultaneoulsy provided more wealth to the residents, enabling them to “feed their families and have lights in their schools,€VbCrLf Jenevein says.

  Today, Dallas-based Tang Energy Group works on a variety of clean-energy projects in China and elsewhere. It has developed other “spinoff€VbCrLf ventures as well, including wind turbine rotor blade manufacturing and wind farm development.

  Tang’s move into “greentech€VbCrLf was a natural outgrowth of its experience in China, which is attempting to meet 15 percent of its energy demand with renewable resources by 2020, up from 8 percent today.

  Jenevein credits his company’s success to luck, persistence, and  “trying to do well by doing good.€VbCrLf
   – Ashleigh Falk

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Steven A. Lieberman
        photography by Kevin Hunter Marple
Alan P. Shor
        photography by Kevin Hunter Marple

  The Retail Connection
  Steven A. Lieberman
  CEO
  Alan P. Shor
  President

  When Steven Lieberman and Alan Shor founded The Retail Connection in Dallas in 2004, the retail real estate industry was driven largely by shopping-center owners. Shor and Lieberman, who each had extensive ties to retailing firms, set out to turn that model on its head.

  Today their unique company is a brokerage, advisory, and investment real estate firm that’s driven not by the needs of property owners, but by its strong relationships with retail tenants. “What I really saw [in 2004] was the opportunity to build a new platform,€VbCrLf Lieberman says. “Everything we do is driving the retailers’ expansion plans.€VbCrLf

  Shor, who handles the company’s operations, was a friend of Lieberman’s and a natural fit for the pioneering venture. A lawyer by training – he worked for years at Troutman Sanders, a major Atlanta firm – Shor left Troutman to join Zale Corp., where he rose to become president.

  Lieberman, meantime, had been the top-producing broker and heir apparent at The Weitzman Group, a leading retail real estate firm in Dallas. “What I didn’t have [there],€VbCrLf Lieberman says, “was a shared vision.€VbCrLf

  With about 70 employees and offices in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, The Retail Connection now represents roughly 160 retail and restaurant clients. Among them: Gap, Houston’s, The Sports Authority, and Bed Bath & Beyond. The company also buys and develops shopping centers and helps retailers with financing and strategic planning.

  Lieberman’s  “new platform€VbCrLf seems to be succeeding. According to Shor, revenue at The Retail Connection has grown by a whopping 417 percent since its founding.  – G.H.

 

Warrior Group Inc.
  Gail Warrior-Lawrence
  President/CEO

  Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Gail Warrior-Lawrence always knew that while she wanted to own her own business, the road to ownership wouldn’t be easy.

    

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Gail Warrior-Lawrence
        photography courtesy of Warrior Group

  That’s why Warrior-Lawrence was so conscious of the many obstacles she would face launching Warrior Group, a construction company that makes modular and permanent buildings used for things like banks, classrooms, and military facilities.

  The Warrior Group faced setbacks like zero revenue and credit when it was founded in 1997 – hindrances that would faze many, but not Warrior-Lawrence.

  “I had to work harder to gain customers’ trust and respect,€VbCrLf she says. “Once our customers realized we could deliver a quality product on time, it really didn’t matter if I was a woman or a minority.€VbCrLf

  The DeSoto-based company got its big break on receiving a $40 million contract for Army barracks at Ft. Bliss, which led to a contract for 11 two-story modular barracks. The company recently built several four-story modular buildings. Warrior Group projects revenue of $107 million for 2008, but its CEO doesn’t take all the credit. “I don’t know of any truly long-term, successful companies with only one employee,€VbCrLf she says of her 33-person group. “It takes a team.€VbCrLf
   – Angela Faulkner Stout

 

 

   

     

   

   

     

   

 

Dean Frew
        photography courtesy of Xterprise

  Xterprise Inc.
  Dean Frew
  President/CEO

  Dean Frew was attending an industry standards meeting on behalf of a former employer when he realized that Wal-Mart was poised to adopt radio frequency identification technology.

  So in 2002 he launched Xterprise, a software company, to help vendors connect with RFID technology. Sure enough, the following year Wal-Mart began requiring RFID tags on incoming shipments, and a vast market opened up for Xterprise.

  The turning point came in 2004, when Xterprise won a large bottling company account away from IBM and Siemens in a 7-figure deal. Today, Xterprise software integrates RFID into many industries. The company helps financial institutions track their assets, transport companies manage their pallets and roll cages, and automotive manufacturers know which parts are coming into their manufacturing sites.

  Over the last four years, the Carrollton-based company has grown more than 60% compounded annually, and Xterprise is now at “break even€VbCrLf on a $7 million total investment, Frew says.  

  His best advice for other entrepreneurs? “Focus on real customer needs. Make sure there is market pull for a product before you build it,€VbCrLf he says. Stinginess doesn’t hurt, either. “While my peers did a $10 million first-round funding, I did $1 million. Our investors and shareholders are in a good position right now.€VbCrLf  – W.L.S.

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