Each award comes with a $15,000 prize and an invitation to join the Texas Business Hall of Fame network.
The Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation (TBHF) recently announced the scholars and veterans who will be recognized for their early inclination for entrepreneurship and innovation, through its Future Legends Scholar & Veteran Award Program. Included in this year's 44 award winners are three students from the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business: Jim Brooks, Garren Ferreira and Wade McCrory. Brooks and Ferreira received university-specific awards while McCrory received a statewide award.
Each award came with a $15,000 prize and an invitation to become permanent and active members of the Hall of Fame network.
For nearly 40 years, TBHF has set out to celebrate and champion business leaders throughout Texas by selecting a number of emerging business leaders to join its network. TBHF's awards program is meant to recognize excellence in student and veteran entrepreneurs across Texas.
The application process for the prestigious awards is highly competitive. All applicants must demonstrate professional and entrepreneurial excellence and are interviewed by the TBHF's Hall of Fame Legends and Board of Directors.
Jim Brooks – The Pefanis Family Award Recipient
After graduating from Texas Tech University in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and spending nearly 20 years in the energy industry, Brooks enrolled in the Professional MBA program with a focus in energy business.
In his application, Brooks outlined his entrepreneurial spirit and why he plans to keep his newly founded company, Terlingua Resources LLC, Texas-focused.
“With the ever-changing regulatory environment, we feel that operating just in Texas helps us mitigate potential risks compared to other states,” wrote Brooks.
Brooks hopes Terlingua Resources can serve as a model for other oil and gas companies.
“We will demonstrate true integrity when operating our assets – safely, cleanly and most important economically,” wrote Brooks.
Garren Ferreira – The McLane Company Reading Program Award
Ferreira graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's in microbiology in May 2022 and almost immediately transitioned into the STEM-MBA program at Rawls College.
While working towards his bachelor's degree, Ferreira collaborated with faculty at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to co-found the company Dropnu in December 2020. Dropnu provides a plastic attachment to eyedropper bottles that reduces the volume of each individual drop.
“By reducing the volume of each drop, our attachment would reduce costs, increase the amount of time a bottle can last, save patients money, decrease side-effects and increase patient adherence to treatment,” wrote Ferreira in his application.
Dropnu hopes to start testing their device sometime in 2022.
Wade McCrory – AT&T Future Legend First in Family Award
McCrory is currently working on his bachelor's degree in management and is also the first member of his family to attend college.
In his application, McCrory wrote about the ways his entrepreneurial spirit developed by witnessing the ways his father navigated the family business.
“I encountered and lived out the hardships and the moments of growth and achievements,” wrote McCrory. “After experiencing these feelings, I knew that [the entrepreneurial] path was right for me.”
Though McCrory won't be graduating until 2024, he's already founded his own real estate company: M&C Real Estate Services LLC. McCrory's company focuses on purchasing and rehabilitating homes below living standards.
M&C Real Estate Services is currently focused on Lubbock properties while McCrory completes his degree, but he has plans to expand to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“With our population growth booming, our talent and knowledge within the state are rapidly expanding,” wrote McCrory. “I would like to be a part of that.”
This year's winners will be honored at the TBHF annual induction dinner and ceremony in Houston, TX later this fall.