Ep 63- Decoding the Sports Industry with David Fletcher

Transcript

Transcripts are generated by machine learning, so typos may be present.

BTB (00:00):

Welcome to the Building Texas Business Podcast, interviews with thought leaders and organizational visionaries from across industry. Join us as we talk about the latest trends, challenges, and growth opportunities to take your business to the next level. The Building Texas Business Podcast is brought to you by BoyarMiller, providing counsel beyond expectations. Find out how we can make a meaningful difference to your business at boyarmiller.com and by your podcast team where having your own podcast is as easy as being a guest on ours. Discover more at yourpodcast.team. Now. Here’s your host, Chris Hanslik.

Chris (00:42):

In this episode, you will meet David Fletcher, general manager of Lone Star Sports and Entertainment. David shares his insights into the business of sports, as well as the economic impact major sporting events can have on the business community. David, I wanna welcome you to Building Texas Business. Thanks for coming today.

David (01:02):

It’s great to be here, Chris. Appreciate the opportunity.

Chris (01:05):

So let everybody know you’re the general manager of what’s called Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, uh, here at Houston. Tell the audience a little bit about what that company is and, and kind of how it fits into the sports landscape here in Houston.

David (01:18):

Yeah, lone Star Sports Entertainment, or LSSC, as we try to call it with, uh, such a long name is, is really the events production and management company of the Houston Texans. So we are a primary outlet for event production promotion and really have focused our efforts to date around filling event dates at NRG Stadium. Uh, most of what we do, Chris, is in the sports space, although we have certainly done fair share of, of shows in the entertainment side. But college football, international soccer, rugby are all really big parts of what we do. And, um, inside of that, you know, we can do anything and everything that we need to do to make an event successful. We can, we’ve promoted and negotiated and done our own events. We work with partners like ESPN or Major League Soccer to host events at our building for them. We work with global brands like Manchester United or Real Madrid, or even Taylor Swift to, to bring events to, to our place in a variety of different ways. So really our focus is on bringing people together in Houston. And we’ve done some other things over the years, some investments and, and some events outside of, of NRG stadium. But, but at our core, we are a, a major part of making NRG stadium one of the, uh, world-class destinations for events. And we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to do over the last 21 years.

Chris (02:41):

Well, that’s what I, I love about kind of the focus at LSSE and, and the Texans for that matter, is, uh, really a focus on doing things for the benefit and betterment of Houstonians. That seems to be kind of maybe a core focus.

David (02:57):

No question. I mean, look, at the end of the day, um, you know, our organization’s really focused on, on three things. Um, it’s, it’s create experiences. Uh, it’s delivering incredible VA partners, um, and it’s about doing great things for Houston. So, uh, you know, in in that core capacity, major events, whether it be, you know, bringing Leon o Messi to play at, at n Energy Stadium in a, in an event like Copa America, a few years ago, I mentioned Taylor Swift. We, we had a chance to host her in 2018, or Ty Chesney or, uh, George Strait or Tim McGraw done shows with all them over the years to the big time college football, like the Tax Act, Texas Bowl that we host each and every year. Our focus is on really those three initiatives. And I think they play into exactly what you said, which our organization has been all about. And the family, the McNair family has been all about since day one.

Chris (03:46):

So we, speaking of tax acts, Texas Bowl, where we’ve got a matchup, uh, right around the corner with Oklahoma State and Texas a and m excited about that. And I would think that there is some excitement from those fan bases about being here in Houston.

David (03:59):

No question. We’re in our 18th year of hosting that, that big or that college football postseason spectacular that happens each and every year at NRG Stadium. Last 10 years, we’ve had the Big 12 and SEC, and you mentioned it, Texas a and m, who’s obviously one of, if not the biggest collegiate brand in this part of the world, going and taking on Oklahoma State, an old rival of theirs from the big 12 days and 20th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, I might add, who, you know, made it all the way to the Big 12 championship game this year and have the, the nation’s best running back in, in Ali Gordon. So a lot of, uh, a lot of things to be excited about on both fan bases. Texas a and m, obviously a great brand, but had their struggles on the field relative to their expectations this year. A lot of transition, including bringing in a, a really exciting new coach and Mike Elko. And, uh, this is an opportunity for both of these teams, but particularly Texas a and m to start their 2024 March to the championship. Right. This, the December 27th.

Chris (04:53):

Very good. So, let’s talk a little bit just about you and kind of how you got into the sports industry. And you’ve been general manager now at LSSE, what, 10 years? It’s crazy ’cause I can remember when you first took over the role. So 10 years goes by fast. It,

David (05:09):

It goes by real fast. Chris, look, uh, you know, for me, sports has been an incredible part of my life. Like many since my early days of youth, I, I know as a kid, you know, for me, there wasn’t a day that didn’t go by literally a, a day that where I didn’t have to go to some practice or didn’t get to go to some practice of some kind, played a lot of sports, um, really important to, to my family growing up and ultimately, you know, developed, um, a very strong passion for just the, the, for sport itself. As I got a little older, I, I was in school at the University of Texas, you know, I realized that you, you could make a business out of it. You could create, you know, a, a life around the, not just playing on the field. And for me, my playing days, they definitely ended in high school, which is okay.

David (05:52):

Uh, it’s still, I still get to this day get to get to go out there and, and try and, you know, hack it with the best of ’em every once in a while. But, but I do it vicariously, you know, most of the time in, in, in working with my kids and, and coaching them and, and watching them grow. So, you know, for me, like I said, I knew sport was a big part of what, um, I had a passion for. Um, when I graduated from ut I had an opportunity to be to work for NFL team in my hometown right here in Houston, Texas. They didn’t even have a name until a few weeks into my job, but that was the Houston Texans. And so, coming outta UT and having the opportunity to be a part of building a a professional team, no, no less an NFL team from the ground up, was something that I thought was really cool and I thought would be something that would help fuel that passion further.

David (06:35):

And it has, there’s no question, of course, uh, as a, as a graduate coming out of, of college, many of us, myself included, had bills to pay <laugh>. And working as an intern at, at, at any sports team is not, uh, a great way to pay off those bills very quickly. But, you know, I knew I had, I knew I had a, a goal in mind. I knew that I could make a business out of this if I really focused on, on making the most of the opportunities I had about keeping a positive attitude and really just taking every opportunity I could to grow. And, and I did that, uh, I worked at the Texans during that first season. Had an opportunity after that to get into a sales side where I did start making money, working in media sales after, after leaving the team.

David (07:15):

Spent a few years doing that for the University of Texas Athletics and then with the Houston Rockets. But I had a chance to return back to the team in 2010 and have been with the Texans in some way or shape or form ever since. And that’s been a lot of fun to really get to be in my hometown, uh, to work for the NFL team. Ups and downs included along the way, right? As, as we’ve had some great years and some not so great years. But going back to what I talked about earlier, about being able to make an impact, particularly in my hometown, it’s been a, it’s been an amazing, uh, it’s been an amazing, uh, opportunity for me. And, uh, I still wake up every day, and I know this is gonna sound really silly, and I’ve grown a lot in my career, but I get we office at NRG Stadium, and there are a lot of days where I’ll walk in, I’ll hear the voice guy David Brady in my head, going, welcome to NRG Stadium. And it’s just, for me, it’s, as I walk in the office, you know, it, it’s, it’s a subtle reminder in my head that, you know what, this is something pretty cool and this is something really special and been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of things that have helped grow this community as a sports destination, and then hopefully a lot more going forward.

Chris (08:18):

That’s great. No, I mean, it’s a very unique position. Unique opportunity. I mean, as it relates to, you know, I guess working for an NFL franchise, right? There’s only 32 franchises that you can work for. So let’s talk again. So you work your way up and then you, you get this opportunity to, to move into leadership and, and I like to talk to guests, entrepreneurs about leadership. So let’s talk about that with you. Kind of give us a little idea of your journey. Who were some of your mentors that you kind of molded your leadership style after?

David (08:48):

Well, I think it’s, mentors are so important, Chris, they’re so important to, to provide you, you know, reality, to provide you guidance Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> to provide you, you know, somebody who can ultimately be a resource good and bad in any situation. You know, for me, it started with a good friend of ours, and I, I still think about ’em all the time as Jamie Roots, you know, ar arguably one of the best in the business president of the Texans for 20 plus years, and spent really so much time, energy, and effort in, in creating and, and ultimately growing the Texans brand. And so getting a chance to watch him and be a part of, of his team for, uh, almost a decade myself was something that, you know, I’ve taken so much from, you know, the things that we focused on we’re, we’re about relationships.

David (09:33):

And, and that’s really where it starts in, in any of these businesses is, you know, whether you’re working with clients, teammates, or employees and just trying to find ways to connect, you’ve gotta be able to connect at all levels, uh, and build relationships with people no matter what role they’re playing in your business. So let’s starting with, with relationships first. You know, I think looking at how Lone Star has been approached, I, I talked to Jamie about a lot about this a lot over the years. Texans so important and ingrained in the business of, or the fabric of the Houston community. But what Lone Star has really helped do is expand the reach beyond just football and reach into what is already arguably the most diverse community in the country, and bring them into a place that they can celebrate that, that the passions they have can, um, create memories that, that last, the last time.

David (10:24):

And ultimately yes. Do business, you know? Yeah. And so, you know, lone Star helps us reach in, we’ve done, you know, 21 Mexican national team soccer events at our stadium. We’ve hosted Beyonce. We’ve had, you know, LSU take on Wisconsin, or, you know, coming up the national championship game for college football. Yes, there’s some core elements that are consistent across every sport, every entertainment, property, every, you know, every football event that I just mentioned. But each of those tie people back to our business. They tie people into our, or they bring people into our community, and they ultimately, you know, give us an opportunity to give, create even more momentum for the team and for Houston going forward. So when I look at how we’ve approached that from a leadership perspective, you know, it’s really been thinking about how our business, my business can impact people outside of what we do in the Texans. And with that, you know, like I said from the beginning, it starts with relationships.

Chris (11:21):

Hey, I, you hit the nail on the head. ’cause I think that’s true. No matter what business you’re in, if you’re a one man shop or you’re, you’ve grown it to be bigger. It’s all about relationships, like you said, with your external partners, but more importantly with your internal teammates. So, talking on that subject a little bit, let’s talk a little bit, I know, you know, you’ve built a team around you at LSSE to help put on and promote these events. What are some of the things you look for when you’re going through that process to one, maybe identify whether it’s through the recruiting process or onboarding or as they’re there and kind of the training to make sure you’re making the best decision you can in building that team. And then maybe we’ll talk about the other side is when, you know, maybe this wasn’t the right fit. Yeah. The harder decisions to make.

David (12:03):

Well, I think it starts, you know, I mentioned it earlier, but to me there’s really three core, core elements of being a a, a good teammate. And I think these matter, whether you’re the intern or you’re the leader of the organization, one, be coachable, right? Nobody that I have ever met, even the best in the business, know everything, right? So be able to take advice, take criticism, uh, learn from your mistakes, and that that’s something I think is really important. Um, two, be ready, right? Be when opportunities exist. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Don’t be afraid to go all in. You never know when an opportunity could be the best opportunity for you if you don’t ask. So be coachable, be ready. And then from my perspective, just be positive, right? The attitude is the only thing that any of us can control. And my experience and my life has taught me that if you focus on the good, you have a lot better chance of getting there than if you focus on the bad. Yeah. And that, that speaks, you know, to communication internally, that speaks to the way you approach, you know, how you position your business. It speaks to how you approach your competition, right? Ultimately, at the end of the day, if you focus on the good, there’s a better chance you’re gonna get good.

Chris (13:21):

Like, I couldn’t agree more on that positive mindset, kind of staying positive, focus on the positive learn from the bad and the negative maybe. But, but your, your primary focus has got to be on improvement in, in a positive way. You know, again, there’s books written about it all over, but mindset makes a big difference.

David (13:39):

No question. No question. And ultimately, if you’re a teammate for us, and you’ve got those qualities, we feel like that’s a great start to being a a, a positive contributor to our

Chris (13:47):

Group. Well, I know just from, you know, being around the organization as much as I have, you know, y’all are known to Texans and LSSE, you’re known within the sports industry of training people to be great. And, and I guess that’s a blessing and a curse. You get really good people, but then people come and take ’em <laugh>.

David (14:06):

Well, I, I’ve always had the mentality, Chris, I know, I know. It’s, it’s one that may, may fly in the face of, um, common thought, but look, uh, if anybody’s being approached or anybody’s being seen as having a, a, an opportunity coming from where we have brought them to, then we’ve done our jobs at the end of the day. And so I, we want to keep as many of those on our team as we can. That’s right. No questions. But many times, you know, for a variety of reasons, you, you have to accept that maybe, uh, the reality. And so do the best of what you’ve got, be ready for the next opportunity. Keep moving forward.

Chris (14:39):

So working in the world of sports, what’s one of the things you think is maybe the, the biggest misperception that most have about what you do? Because it sounds pretty glamorous. <laugh>.

David (14:48):

Well, that’s probably the biggest misperception, <laugh>, I think that, and, uh, that I have access to every ticket for every event all the time. My wife still sometimes even has that misperception, but, you know, I love her for it. No, look, I think the reality is that, you know, I think that, that people do think that, well, let me back up. I think there can be a perception that it is all glamorous all the time, right? There’s a lot of very visible and very, very talented people that, you know, are, you know, in the media all the time that are compensated well that are creating, you know, brands of their own. You know, that there certainly is an element to that. But I think that, you know, more often than not, it’s a job that if you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing, what you are doing, you know, it’s gonna be hard because the hours are long.

David (15:34):

Holidays are not really holidays, you know, the, the players have negotiated a very significant salary, and that’s not always the case for everybody else. And on the business side, you know, and, you know, there are so many facets of what it working in sports can be. And, you know, I think that’s also at the same time an opportunity. You know, a lot of people look at, well, you work for a team so that, you know, working in sports, working in sports can be working for an agency that’s working with a brand that is creating a, a partnership with a team. It could be working on the media side, you know, bringing the, bringing the events to life through social, uh, digital and, and television content. It could be, uh, being a lawyer, uh, that, that negotiate contracts. It could be, you know, taking tickets and welcoming people to NRG stadium. And, and so there’s just so many different ways. There are over 7,000 people that work on a major event day at Energy State,

Chris (16:26):

Just on the day,

David (16:27):

Just on the day itself, right? Between part-time staff. Yeah. Texans, employees, you know, police, fire, you name it. That’s crazy. Um, it’s a big number. So there’s, so, yeah, it’s such a big, it becomes its own little city. So ultimately, you know, there’s a lot of different ways that sports can touch somebody. Most often people just think of the players and, and what happens on the field.

Chris (16:46):

Well, something you said when you started that, and I think it’s true, and again, it transcends all industries passion. Yeah. To be really good at what you do, you have to have a passion for it, because it’s long hours and putting in, you know, real hard time to learn and advance and, you know, grow your expertise at whatever it is. And so it, it has to start and stop a passion,

David (17:09):

No question. And, and if I look towards my life personally, it’s been the fuel that’s, that’s put me on, on the path to the successes that I’ve had. I, I mentioned it from the beginning. I mean, you know, I started out as an intern with the Texans. I’m very proud of the fact that I’m, um, the o the only intern on the, or the only member of the executive team at the Texans that actually, uh, started out as an intern with the team itself. And that wasn’t by accident. I mean, certainly there’s a lot of good fortune along the way, and I’m, I was able to produce results when needed. But I, I look at that as a testament to, without the passion that I had, I wouldn’t have been able to go through the 120 hour weeks as an intern <laugh> making minimum wage. I might add, you know, working on, you know, lifting heavy equipment or organizing, you know, uh, volunteer groups or, you know, putting together hours of copy that may not even be used, right? I mean, it’s just, those are things that are just little steps along the way that, that personally I had to do. But I think they applied to anybody who has felt success in their business, is that it starts with that passion.

Chris (18:09):

Yeah. So let’s turn the conversation a little bit and, and talk about something that I don’t think gets talked about enough. Certainly, at least here in Houston, we, we, when you step back and look at it, we being Houston, which means you and others have done an amazing job of making Houston a true like sports event destination. So we can talk about that a little bit, but what I want to do is connect that to how that, the impact that has on the business community in Houston. ’cause it’s significant,

David (18:43):

It’s massive, you know, so I’ll start with a couple things. One, you know, I think Houston’s success as a destination for sport really points to, you can point to a lot of things that have been contributing factors. And they all have been geography, center of the country, center of the continent. Certainly a, a very, a a very easy to get to market with all the infrastructure here from the great airports, obviously our traffic and our, our freeways. But

Chris (19:10):

The

David (19:10):

Port, you know, the, there, the infrastructure itself is fantastic, have, have served us well over the last 20 plus years with this latest renaissance and Will going forward, you’ve got a,

Chris (19:21):

Some may need some tweaking, right?

David (19:23):

Not, no question about it. I mean, NRG is certainly, you know, a, a fantastic world-class facility throughout its history. But that, that definition certainly has, has changed over the years. And there’s opportunities to continue to be the biggest and the best that we’re working towards getting in the future. But the market seven plus million people in the DMA, it’s a, it’s the most diverse market in the United States. All of that creates a lot of reasons why Houston has been a major destination. But I think the most important element is the leadership and the people. And, and when I say people, I mean the people at all levels that help contribute to the experience that’s created when major event stakeholders are looking for a place to go, and they come into Houston and they get to see it. We’ve got a number of groups that have worked together very successfully over the years.

David (20:19):

The Texans and Lone Star, NRG Park, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, all the major professional teams, Harris County, Houston Sports Authority, Houston First Mayor’s, office, city and Fire, the Texas Medical Center. All of those groups and many others have created a winning formula with how we approach the event experience, whether it’s a festival, a conference, or the Super Bowl, right? You throw in the hospitality community, which, which Houston first is, is certainly a driver of, but the thousands of unbelievable hotels, restaurants, and entertainment options that are here in this community and how they collaborate and work together around these major events. And you, you see no other market in the country can offer what we have as a collective package. Yeah. And that’s why you’ve seen Houston be awarded more major sporting events than any other market in the country over the last 15 years. Um, that’s

Chris (21:15):

Impressive. I mean, it is. People don’t know that. It ain’t, they don’t, it doesn’t get talking about

David (21:18):

It enough. They don’t, they don’t, there, there’s certainly a, a lot of energy around you get the first one, right, and then it just kind of dominoes. And, and we’ve been very aggressive as a community in pursuing those options. We’ve been very successful. And when we get those options here to put our best foot forward, there are great resources at the state level that certainly help with that. And a, a spirit of collaboration with the governor’s office to try and generate as many major events in the state of Texas as possible. So those, those are all winning points in the formula for success. But it really starts with the people. And you know, as we look at the future of the sporting event business and the major event business in Houston, there’s a reason why we keep going after this. And a big part of it is what you talked about, the economic impact.

David (22:02):

Pick any number of these, these events. Final four, college football playoff, national Championship game, fifa, world Cup, super Bowl Tax Act, Texas Bowl, Copa America, I’m missing thousands of events that happen in the Major League baseball, all-star game, NBA all-star game, you know, MLS Cup, all these events that, that you see have really generated billions of dollars collectively, um, for our community and economic impact. That’s people coming to Houston and staying in our hotels. They’re going and, and, and having a great time down in Galveston. They are eating at some of the world’s best restaurants. And that fuels our economy. We, we don’t have the, the typical transient business that, that a vacation destination like a Miami or you know, a New Orleans may have, where, you know, entertainment in the community can spark a lot of travel. We are very much focused on conference events and entertainment opportunities, and we do it better than just about anybody else

Chris (22:57):

Out there. So let’s kind of try to, you know, put some context around that. You mentioned, and, and obviously I’m well aware of the Texas Bowl Tax Tax Act, Texas Bowl, economic impact of that event to the greater Houston area

David (23:10):

Annual basis over the last 10 years has been over $30 million on average every single year. We’ll have anywhere between 25 and 30,000 people traveling in, staying in our hotels, restaurants for three or four days ahead of the event. You’ve got, and you’ve got people that are even driving in too, right? Right. People that are coming in from the outer areas getting to celebrate that event so that, that’s meaningful, especially when that event specifically happens every year. That’s

Chris (23:35):

Right. It’s

David (23:36):

A reoccurring event end of the year, end of the year when a lot of people are traveling for the holidays or maybe not doing as much. We’ve got an event that brings people into our community, that brings people here that, um, may not be from a drivable distance. They may be coming from, uh, you know, South Carolina or Louisiana or, uh, Florida, uh, or Colorado now that the Big 12 has expanded or Arizona. So, you know, it’s, it really is something that fuels those businesses and, uh, gives our community as a whole an opportunity to celebrate around a major event. And, uh, we’re proud of what that particular event has done as long as, as well as obviously many others.

Chris (24:15):

And we’ve got a couple big events on the horizon. I want to, you know, talk about some of that. So let’s talk about the first one, and that’s the national title Football College Football Playoff Championship, uh, on January 8th. Huge deal. It’s the last one, I guess of the, the 14 format, but, you know, what can we look forward to as Houstonians with that game, uh, right around the corner?

David (24:37):

Well, it’s a true celebration of, of, of college football a a week long celebration. So, you know, I think from a, from a community perspective, you know, the impact has already started. Uh, the Houston Love Teachers campaign that the Harris County Houston Sports Authority and, uh, college football playoff local organizing committee has put together is, has already generated millions of dollars in support for and recognition of teachers in our community. Excuse me. And that’s an impact that will obviously pay dividends well beyond, uh, the game itself on January 8th, when you look to event week itself, got four teams and four big brands that are hoping to descend upon Houston right after the New Year’s. Yeah,

Chris (25:16):

Yeah. And so we’ve got what, I mean, I think any way you, any way you slice it, there’s four, two teams that, that show up here are gonna have big followings.

David (25:26):

Well, they are. And, and so you know what that means, um, it’s not just about the 70,000 people that’ll fill up NRG stadium, you know, again, the week long of activities with free concerts every night during the weekend leading up fan fest down at George R. Brown, which will have all kinds of interactive opportunities for fans to celebrate and enjoy the game of college football. You’ve got, uh, a number of initiatives around the industry itself that, you know, just further fuel Houston as a destination for business around the sport, conferences and events and media opportunities. Literally billions, if not trillions of impressions, right. Showcasing our city. So you’re gonna

Chris (26:12):

Have the eyes of the world really all in Houston for that kind of that weekend leading up to get, uh, and I think encourages Houstonians right. To get out and enjoy it.

David (26:21):

Yeah, no question. I mean, it is, Houston is one of the best college football markets in the country. The, the Tax Act, Texas Bowl, and many other events that we host at our place and throughout the city, U of H Rice, H-C-U-T-S-U Prairie View, there’s so much around college football that really, Houston should be part of this destination going forward on a consistent basis. And I think we’ll show that as we bring everybody together here next month.

Chris (26:46):

Very good. Yeah, David, so I think there’s a lot to be excited about having the national title game be in our backyard. And I, I hope Houstonians will show up and, and take advantage of all the, the events that are, are being planned.

David (26:59):

Yeah, it’s gonna be a, an incredible week. We’ve earned the opportunity and um, I know just like we did with Super Bowl a few years ago with Final Four earlier this year, sodium love their sport. They will be out and enjoying, uh, another great celebration. And that’s something that we, we should be excited about. And it’s not the only one, you know, look down the road, we’ve got the world’s biggest event coming just two years from now as well.

Chris (27:23):

And that’s the World Cup.

David (27:24):

That’s right. Yeah. FIFA World Cup returns to Houston in 2020 or returns to Houston. <laugh> comes to Houston in 2026. Houston, one of the venues in North America that was selected. And, you know, just, and you think about the opportunity to host 5, 6, 7, 8 events in NRG stadium with an average audience of a billion people and names like Messi and Namar and Mbae, who probably mean a lot to many people in this community, but are treated as icons around the globe. And for Houston to have its name among the great markets of the world, a truly global market, which we know from a business perspective and from a, from a population perspective it is. But to have that, that verification on that type of stage is something that, you know, as a community we all should be very proud of. And Chris Connet and the World Cup Office and Janice Burke and everybody over at NRG Park, that, that ourselves included, that are helped to be part of making that a reality. We know we got a lot of work ahead to live up those expectations.

Chris (28:24):

That’s great. Well, David, I appreciate you, you know, coming on and sharing some of these specifics. I wanna ask you just a few more questions about you personally. What was your first job before days, you know, the years before you were the intern at Houston, Texas?

David (28:38):

So, I, my first job I’m gonna go with, I’ve got a one, one A all right. So my first job really was, I worked, uh, at a Kroger in Kingwood as a checker, or sorry, as a bagger. But my, my first quote, real job, I didn’t have that one very long, was I, I ended up being a server at Kingwood Country Club. And the reason I say that was my first real job is that I worked in the service industry throughout my career. I mean, I still do today, obviously, but I worked in the service industry for 10 years all the way through my time in Austin, gonna school at UT and tell you that nothing will teach you more about the world, good and bad than working in the service industry. And I am so appreciative of the opportunities that I got to, again, start with something simple as that. But as a funny story, Chris, I will say my crowning achievement as a server is I did serve as Don Johnson, the actor, Don Johnson’s waiter for the Tin Cup wrap party because Tim Cup was hosted in and with Country Club. That’s right. And so I do have that on my resume. So

Chris (29:40):

There you go. See one of the benefits of living in Kingwood.

David (29:43):

<laugh>, that’s right. Yeah.

Chris (29:44):

One of the many I I’ll add. Okay. So since you work so much in I guess service hospitality, this will be easy for you. All right. You prefer Tex-Mex or Barbecue

David (29:53):

Tex-Mex all day long. Alright.

Chris (29:55):

And this one’s gonna be hard for you to answer, I think. Okay. Maybe not. If you could do a 30 day sabbatical, where would you go and what would you do?

David (30:03):

That is a great question. I, I don’t think it’s very, I don’t think it’s very hard for me at all. I am an avid skier and my family and I have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Park City, Utah. And I try and get to 30 days even now, it’s not possible to do in our work, but I love Park City probably more than any place else in this planet. And so I’d love to be able to go with my family for 30 days and just ski our behinds off.

Chris (30:28):

Gotcha. Well that’s great. That’s a good one. David, thanks again for taking the time. Congratulations to you and, and the rest of the team back at NRG Park, the Texans s se, for all you do for Houston.

David (30:38):

Well, thank you Chris, and we appreciate your support and, and involvement as well.

BTB (30:45):

And there we have it. Another great episode. Don’t forget to check out the show notes at boyar miller.com/podcast and you can find out more about all the ways our firm can help you@boyarmiller.com. That’s it for this episode. Have a great week and we’ll talk to you next time.