Judges
Tom Chambers, Chambers-Interest
Mr. Chambers is the retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chemical Lime Company which he founded in 1966. He sold Chemical Lime in 1997 as the largest lime manufacturer in North America. A native of Fort Worth, Tom graduated in 1961 from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA and in 1964 received his LLB from the UT Law School. He currently oversees Chambers-Interests, a Family Office, and IMin Partners, a private equity firm.
1966- 1998 Chairman, Chemical Lime Company; Ft Worth, Texas
Randy Eisenman, Founding Partner, Satori Capital
Randy Eisenman operates at the intersection of his passions of investing, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. He is a founding partner of Satori Capital, a private equity firm that invests in profitable, growing, sustainable businesses. Prior to founding Satori Capital, Mr. Eisenman spent ten years at Q investments, a multi-billion dollar private investment firm founded by two former investment advisors to the Bass Family. Mr. Eisenman launched the firm's private equity business and served as a Partner for seven years. He was the youngest to be named partner in the history of the firm at age 25.
While a Q Investments, Mr. Eisenman founded Handango to capitalize on the emerging mobile content market. As president and chief executive officer, Mr. Eisenman drove the company to be the global leader in the smartphone content market. Handango won numerous awards including being named to the Inc. 500; one of the "Best Companies to Work for in America"; and named to the Top 101 Classic Web Sites by PC Magazine. Mr. Eisenman was named as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for 2004.
Prior to joining Q Investments, Mr. Eisenman worked as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Principal Investments Area. Mr. Eisenman holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas where he graduated summa cum laude from the Business Honors Program. Mr. Eisenman lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife, Jennifer, their son, Aidan, and their daughter, Avery.
Brian Happel, Fort Worth Market President, Compass Bank
Brian Happel is the Fort Worth Market President; bringing over 20 years of banking and knowledge of the Fort Worth and overall Tarrant County market. Brian leads the Commercial/Corporate Banking Team for Tarrant County which includes the business development of prospective customers for Compass Bank with revenues from $10 - $500MM. His team provides customized business services such as credit, deposits, treasury management, international, leasing and investments needs for clients throughout Tarrant County.
Happel earned his Bachelor's degree in management from the University of Texas at Arlington. Active in the community, Happel previously served as Co-Chairman of the Arlington Citizens Budget Review Committee as a board member of the Fort Worth Arts Council. He previously served on the UTA Alumni Association, President of the UTA Athletics Alumni Association and board member and Finance Director the River Legacy Foundation. Brian Happel is currently a member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, serving as a Director, a Board Member of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., and the Fort Worth Executive Roundtable, Member of the Tarrant County College Joint Accounting Department Advisory Committee, and is an active member of the Boys and Girls Club in Arlington.
Before joining the Corporate Banking world, Mr. Happel was a Professional Football Player with the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Colts, N.Y. Jets, Washington Federals, San Antonio Gunslingers and Green Bay Packers from 1983 through 1987.
Mary Ralph Lowe, CEO of Maralo LLC
Mary Ralph Lowe is the Chief Executive Officer of Maralo LLC, the Managing Partner of Lowe Partners, LP and Lowe Royalty Partners, LP. Maralo's emphasis focuses on growth through acquisitions and timely divestitures coupled with enhanced recovery projects and oil exploration efforts, primarily throughout Texas and Louisiana.
Mary Ralph has been a TCU trustee since 2003, serving as the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee in addition to service on several other standing and special committees. She is a member of the Chancellor's Council. She also serves on other boards: the Modern Art Museum; the Texas Ballet Theater; and the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame.
Mary Ralph established the Erma and Ralph Lowe Chair of Texas History at TCU - the first of its kind in the state - in honor of her parents (her mother, Erma Lowe, also served on TCU's Board of Trustees.) Mary Ralph attended both TCU and Braircliff College.
David Minor, Entrepreneur in Residence and Chairman, TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
David Minor is the William M. Dickey Entrepreneur in Residence and Chairman of the TCU Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at Texas Christian University. Prior to joining TCU David was the President and CEO of Minor's Landscape Services, a company he founded in 1980 which became an INC 500 award winning enterprise and one of the largest and most respected in the landscape industry. In 1998 David harvested his business and teamed with ServiceMaster, Inc. to consolidate the industry nationwide. As a Vice President of this newly formed landscape division David helped lead the acquisitions and integration efforts of over 550 million dollars in landscape division revenues. He is a former winner of the Tarrant County Entrepreneur of Distinction award and was also recognized as the landscape industry's Professional of the Year.
Nate Paul,Founder and President, World Class Capital Group
Nate Paul is the Founder and President of World Class Capital Group. He is involved in all phases of the firm's development and operations.
Mr. Paul began his entrepreneurial career at a young age and previously ran NPE, a multi-venture holding company. Mr. Paul founded World Class Capital Group with aspirations of building WCCG into a leading global private investment firm. He is a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Turnaround Management Association. Mr. Paul also serves on the Board of Directors of Austin Bancshares, Inc, a bank-holding company.
Mr. Paul was a recipient of the 2005 Texas Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award by TCU, KPMG, and Compass Bank. He attended the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the World Champion team at the Thammasat International Case Competition in Bangkok, Thailand.
