Burkablog »
And now a discussion that really matters (Fri Nov 20 at 5:02 PM)
In the Pink »
The Wrecking Coup (Fri Nov 20 at 1:33 PM)
Page Break »
Supreme Court to Rehear Exxon Case. Yes, That Exxon Case. (Sat Nov 21 at 1:45 PM)
Eat My Words »
Talking Tamales (Thu Nov 12 at 11:12 AM)
Alan says: I am in favor of limiting the governor to two consecutive terms. But blacklisting someone after eight years altogether, regardless of how good or bad they did their job, can needlessly force an effective public official out of public service. Many state governors throughout history have served well over eight years without their constituents regretting it. I would point out that such a system is wholly unworkable in twenty-first century America: we live in the era of the permanent campaign and the 24-hour news cycle. A governor facing re-election every other year would essentially do nothing but fundraise (which is close to what most do anyway even with four-year terms). (November 19th, 2009 at 11:09pm)
Stories on Business
Tomorrow People »
Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Shoes for Tomorrow (TOMS), talks about traveling around the world, shoe drops, and expanding the business.
by Kristie Ramirez [November 2009]
Louis, Louis »
The CEO of Louis Vuitton’s North American division talks about the new store at NorthPark, Marc Jacobs, and knockoffs.
by Kristie Ramirez [November 2009]
The Manual 2.0 »
The experts from Austin-based Sweet Leaf Tea Company teach Andrea Valdez how to brew sweet tea.
by [August 2009]
The Dark Knight »
Inside the fantastic rise and catastrophic fall of Sir Allen Stanford—that high-flying egomaniac with the offshore bank, gold helicopter, Caribbean island, and knack for disposing of other people’s money.
by Mimi Swartz [May 2009]
The Color of Sustainability »
A model to help green entire businesses.
by Jena A. Williams [May 2009]
Ace of Cakes »
Wes Hurt makes people happy—one cupcake at a time.
by Jena A. Williams [April 2009]
Meet Jane »
How a teenager from Trophy Club became an “It Girl.”
by Julia Mullen Gordon [March 2009]
Oh, the Places I Go »
When I want to know what’s new, what’s out, what’s it, I visit my five favorite blogs.
by Kristie Ramirez [March 2009]
Pillow Talk »
Kate Hersch and Lance Avery Morgan, the principals behind August Morgan, know how to throw a great party. Just mix champagne with friends and toss in some vintage needlepoint pillows.
by Patricia Busa McConnico [March 2009]
Our Very Own Bernie Madoff »
Maybe the collapse of the Stanford Group isn’t Enron, but Houston wasn’t about to be left out of the financial scandals.
by Mimi Swartz [March 2009]
The Great Developer »
Trammell Crow made millions based on what he called hunches—warehouses, atrium marts, huge hotels—and amazingly, most of his deals he did on a handshake.
by Skip Hollandsworth [January 2009]
Auto Pilot »
With the Big Three teetering on the brink, it’s worth noting that the Toyota plant in San Antonio is still motoring. Oh, what a feeling!
by Pamela Colloff [December 2008]
What’s in Your Wallet? »
If you decided that 2008 was the year for you to cut yourself off from society, shed all material belongings, live off the land, and grow your own food, then you’ve got a pretty good head start.
by Eileen Smith [December 2008]
Herb Kelleher »
Interview by Evan Smith [June 2008]
The Kitchen Is Closed »
Forty years ago, Pete Dominguez and his Mexican restaurants were the toast of Dallas. Now he’s alone, broke, and nearly forgotten.
by Gary Cartwright [June 2008]
Donald R. Horton »
57, homebuilder, Fort Worth
[February 2008]
The Gospel According to Matthew »
Why does a rich Houston investment banker spend his days traveling the globe, preaching to the uninformed and indifferent that the world’s supply of crude oil is in steep decline and the end of life as we know it is very, very near? Maybe because it is.
by Mimi Swartz [February 2008]
Michael MacDougall »
37, private equity potentate, Austin/New York
[February 2008]
Dave Stephenson »
42, sports marketer, Dallas
[February 2008]
The Unbankables »
All over Dallas are working-class dreamers with more will than wallet, would-be entrepreneurs who’d start their own businesses if only they had savings, good credit, home equity. That’s what brings them to the PLAN Fund.
by Michael Hall [October 2007]
The Next Frontier »
How has the state’s most storied ranch managed to survive and thrive in the twenty- first century? By operating in a way that its founder, Captain Richard King, would scarcely recognize.
by S. C. Gwynne [August 2007]
Eva vs. Goliath »
After James and Linda Rowe were killed in a grisly refinery explosion in Texas City in 2005, their wild-child daughter could have taken a modest settlement and started to rebuild her life in a small Louisiana border town. Instead, she chose to fight—and brought a multibillion-dollar oil company to its knees.
by Mimi Swartz [July 2007]
Eating A Dead Horse »
Even if you’ve never dined on the delicious remains of a noble steed, you probably have an opinion on whether the state’s two slaughterhouses should remain open. Boone Pickens does. And Charlie Stenholm. And Bo Derek. Not to mention the many traders and “killer buyers” for whom business is business.
by Karen Olsson [December 2006]
Dell Freezes Over »
It’s not just the stock price. It’s not just the executive exodus. It’s not just the flaming laptops. It’s not just the lousy customer service. It’s not just the sagging employee morale. It’s all of these things—and it’s deadly serious. Inside the sudden decline of the world’s most
powerful computer company.
by S. C. Gwynne [October 2006]
Guilty Pleasure »
Kenny, we hardly knew ye. Okay, maybe we knew you too well. The jury, at least, seems to have pegged you just right. You too, Skilling.
by Mimi Swartz [July 2006]
Tree Ring Circus »
Why did the feds spend seventeen years pursuing a baseless billion-dollar lawsuit against Houston financier Charles Hurwitz? To help environmentalists take away his old-growth California redwoods. Your tax dollars at work.
by S. C. Gwynne [April 2006]
Retail Politics »
Along a seventeen-mile stretch of Interstate 35 sits a theoretical dividing line between red-state and blue-state America. In Austin, the flagship Whole Foods attracts your typical wine-sipping, tree-hugging, Volvo-driving liberals. In Buda, the massive Cabela’s is a magnet for beer-guzzling, gun-toting, flag-waving conservatives. From these consumer preferences, voting habits are born—but appearances, like tofu dogs and duck decoys, can be deceiving.
by S. C. Gwynne [January 2006]
The Bidness Myth »
Rethinking the way we do business—and government—down here.
by Michael Ennis [January 2006]
Rental Illness »
When people hear I’m a landlady, they tell me I should have my head examined. Yep.
by Suzy Banks [October 2005]
The Mildcatters »
The lessons of the eighties boom have been internalized by today’s energy entrepreneurs, who seem nothing like their risk-loving forebears. They’re happy playing it safe, which is why their preferred commodity is gas, not oil.
by Mimi Swartz [July 2005]
Drawing Conclusions »
Illustrator Jody Hewgill on where she finds inspiration and deciding how to portray Whole Foods’ co-founder and CEO John Mackey.
Interview by Katherine Sands [March 2005]
Happily Enron After! »
The fairy tale is long over, but reality hasn’t necessarily set in.
by Mimi Swartz [February 2005]
The Dallas Morning Blues »
Why isn’t this man smiling? If you were the chairman of Belo, the suddenly stumbling media conglomerate, you wouldn’t be smiling either. Then again, Robert Decherd is sure there’s only good news ahead.
by S. C. Gwynne [January 2005]
Yes in My Backyard »
To say that the private prison in Eden doesn't creep out
the locals is an understatement. They're downright
thankful for the place.
by Jason Cohen [September 2004]
O, Canadian! »
The Panhandle town may be the first in Texas to decide
to base its economy on nature tourism. Judging by the
results, it won't be the last.
by John Morthland [September 2004]
Wheels of Fortune »
For automakers in the U.S. and overseas, Texas is the
very best market for the pickup truck. And for Texans,
the pickup truck is the very best vehicle—if only for
what it says about who we are. Or who we'd like to be.
by John Spong [August 2004]
Fertittaville »
Restaurant mogul Tilman Fertitta means to redevelop
Galveston into what some say will be a Gulf Coast
version of Atlantic City. No wonder he's making waves.
by Katy Vine [July 2004]
Smooth Operator »
Associate editor Katy Vine on Houston businessman
Tilman Fertitta and his impact on Galveston's tourism
revival.
Interview by Patricia Busa McConnico [July 2004]
The Metamorphosis »
If you want to understand the shift in political power that has taken place in Texas over the past thirty years—from rural areas to the new suburbs, from Democratic control to Republican dominance—you'll hardly find a better case study than Tom DeLay's Sugar Land.
by Lou Dubose and Jan Reid [May 2004]
The Voice of America »
Is Clear Channel, the San Antonio-based radio behemoth, as patently evil as everyone says? Don't touch that dial.
by S. C. Gwynne [April 2004]
The Whistle-Blower »
What has Sherron Watkins' life been like since she exposed the financial shenanigans of her colleagues at Enron? Well, she may be one of Time's "Persons of the Year," but she's not necessarily one of Houston's.
by Pamela Colloff [April 2003]
Mother Nurture »
The secret to running Southwest Airlines? Be sentimental. Share. And love.
As told to S. C. Gwynne [February 2003]
Did Dick Cheney Sink Halliburton (And Will It Sink Him?) »
Well, the vice president of the United States was a mediocre CEO, but the company will be just fine. And, despite what you've read in the papers, so will he.
by S. C. Gwynne [October 2002]
“The Trick Is Not to Act Like a Lawyer.” »
So says Rusty Hardin, Houston’s defense attorney of the moment—the latest in a long line of courtroom heroes guilty of premeditated flamboyance and charisma in the first degree.
by Pamela Colloff [September 2002]
Dreade Locke »
Russell Erxleben and Brian Russell Stearns were first-rate frauds who cheated scores of unsuspecting investors. So how did the prominent law firm of Locke, Liddell, and Sapp get stuck footing a $30 million bill?
by John Spong [November 2001]
How Enron Blew It »
The Houston-based energy giant put the pursuit of profits ahead of all other corporate goals, which fostered a climate of workaholism and paranoia. And that was only part of the problem.
by Mimi Swartz [November 2001]
Thanks a Million 1999 »
What do Tom Hicks, Jerry Jones, and Charles Barkley have in common? They’re all good sports — and they were three of Texas’ top philanthropists last year.
by Ann Castle [February 2000]
Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? »
You do, right? Joe Jamail, Red McCombs, Mark Cuban, and seven other superrich Texans tell you how.
by Alexandra Biesada and Claire Poole [February 2000]
The Best of the Texas Century—Business »
Paul Burka on Santa Rita No. 1, Jordan Mackay on Humble Oil, and Brian D. Sweany on the inventor of the century.
[December 1999]
Entrepreneur of the Century—Michael Dell »
“Entrepreneurship is the art of the possible. Anyone with money and a good idea has what it takes to write his own ticket. The hitch, of course, is follow-through. You have to execute. You have to do it. And no one has done it as well as Michael Dell.”
by Evan Smith [December 1999]
