Business
August 1, 2022
Telling the Story of the “Bad Boy” of the ’90s Oil and Gas Industry in Texas
Texas Monthly writer Jan Jarboe Russell on profiling the larger-than-life Houston oilman Oscar Wyatt.
Business
Reporting and commentary on Texas businesses and the trends and innovation happening in our state
Energy
July 29, 2022
ExxonMobil Makes Godlike Profits, but Mortal Challenges Remain
The oil giant this week announced quarterly earnings that set an all-time record for any Texas business. That’s both good and bad news for the state.
Business
July 29, 2022
This Immigrant Entrepreneur Got His Start Hawking Jewelry in Houston Flea Markets. Now He’s Taking on Amazon.
Cart.com's Omair Tariq is out to prove his tech company is a giant-killer.
Business
July 19, 2022
The Climate Crisis Spells Big Business for Carbon Capture
At a recent expo in Houston, innovators claimed they can spare us a global catastrophe—and make billions in the process.
Texas Country Reporter
July 12, 2022
The 175-Year-Old General Store That Came Back From the Brink
I’ve visited the T. C. Lindsey & Co. General Store multiple times over the years, but our most recent visit was a surprise in the best possible way.
Energy
July 11, 2022
Bitcoin Miners Could Save the Texas Grid—or Sink It
Our state struggles to serve Texans’ needs on the hottest and coldest days. So why are we welcoming the energy-hogging cryptocurrency industry?
Business
July 8, 2022
How Houston Went From Oil Boomtown to “BoobTown”
Mimi Swartz reflects on her deep dive into Houston’s breast-implant boom and its larger-than-life profiteers.
Texas Country Reporter
July 8, 2022
Mineola Was Home to the Oldest Female Barber in Texas
Getting a haircut in a small town used to be a story-finding strategy for Texas Country Reporter, but the tale of Blanche Harris is one of my favorites.
Texas Country Reporter
July 7, 2022
Come for a New Muffler, Stay for the Vintage Toy Collection
Performance Plus in Odessa is an auto shop that doubles as an archive of the toys of yesteryear.
Texas Country Reporter
July 6, 2022
The Lone Locksmith Serving 14,000 Square Miles of West Texas
No matter the time of day or night, Victor Laramore will make keys, rebuild locks, and open doors for a desperate Texan who is having a bad day.
Energy
June 29, 2022
An Oil Well Off Padre Island Leaked for Months Before It Was Plugged
Patching it cost the state $1.6 million. Many others are similarly falling into disrepair, and the agencies charged with their oversight are doing nothing about them.
Business
June 16, 2022
Meet the Yucca Whisperer of West Texas
Near Fort Stockton, Hoven Riley has been quietly growing more than 20,000 of the prized plants, which are being illicitly uprooted from public and private lands to meet a growing demand.
Business
June 16, 2022
As Bitcoin Falls, Austin Hosts a Crypto Bacchanalia
Digital currencies are tanking, but that didn’t stop more than 20,000 blockchain enthusiasts from throwing a week-long party.
Business
June 13, 2022
Southwest Airlines Publishes Its Gospel of Herb
The Dallas carrier—whose success is often studied in business schools—offers up its own, self-promotional version of its management secrets.
Texas History
May 31, 2022
How Texas Monthly Chronicled the Eighties Oil Bust Via a Beloved Houston Clothier
Bobby Sakowitz dressed Houston’s most stylish through the seventies and eighties boom years. Then things went bust.
Business
May 29, 2022
Fayez Sarofim’s Life Well Lived
Goodbye to one of Houston’s most colorful colorless characters.
Business
May 25, 2022
Amid the Baby Formula Shortage in Midland, Community and Conspiracies
As rumors swirl about the origins of the crisis, West Texas parents turn to one another for help.
Business
May 20, 2022
Samsung Spills Toxic Water, Wins Texas Environmental Prize
As TCEQ investigates its Austin plant, the company was praised for “protecting our state’s natural resources.”
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2022
Texas Republicans Suddenly Want to Tell CEOs What They Can and Can’t Do
The state GOP long opposed new regulations on corporations. Then Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick launched a crusade against “woke” businesses.
Business
May 16, 2022
Scharbauer Cattle Company Creates a Model for Ranch-to-Retail Beef
The multigenerational ranch’s Midland Meat Company sells its famous Wagyu-Angus-Hereford crossbred beef directly to consumers.
Style & Design
May 12, 2022
How a Kid From San Antonio’s South Side Came to Run Hermès
For two decades, Robert Chavez has overseen the American operations of the luxury French fashion house, which just opened a boutique in Austin.
Business
May 11, 2022
The U.S. Is Offering Meat Processors $1 Billion in Grants. Will It Actually Help?
Today’s the deadline to apply for federal aid, but some experts say decreasing regulations and hiring more inspectors would be more useful.
Business
May 11, 2022
The Writer Who Chronicled the Rise of a Texas Grocery Institution
Jan Jarboe Russell reflects on an exciting moment in H-E-B’s (and Texas Monthly’s) history.
Business
May 10, 2022
The Cattle Trader’s Secret Formula
CEO Jim Schwertner credits the persistent success of Capitol Land & Livestock to a data-driven algorithm.
Business
May 9, 2022
Will Elon Musk Deliver on His Promise of an “Ecological Paradise” at the Tesla Factory in Austin?
The massive facility sits along two miles of the Colorado River. Environmentalists want a say in how the development might affect the waterway.
Business
May 5, 2022
When a Quarry Closes, Can Its Damage Be Undone?
Aggregate mining in Texas yields billions of dollars but leaves behind a pockmarked landscape.
Books
May 5, 2022
What Everyone Got Wrong About GameStop, Reddit, and Robinhood
A Wall Street Journal reporter’s book flips the script about the meme stock–trading frenzy that erupted around Grapevine-based retailer GameStop in 2021.
Energy
April 26, 2022
A New Texas Oil Boom Is Coming, Finally
That is, whenever the industry can sort out supply-chain issues and labor shortages.
Texas Country Reporter
April 7, 2022
In Abilene, Generations of Carpenters Are Behind Central Texas Tool Co.
The Carpenter family, featured in this classic episode from ‘Texas Country Reporter,’ has operated the industrial machine shop since 1937.
Texas Country Reporter
April 1, 2022
The West Texas Jewelry Store Famous for Teeny, Tiny Western Spurs
Born out of the Great Depression, the pieces are still handcrafted in San Angelo and are in as much demand as ever.
Style & Design
March 16, 2022
Kendra Scott Is Testing a New Business Model. Some Fans Are Delighted. Others Are Suspicious.
The brand will now contract with “community stylists,” who will sell jewelry to friends and family for a commission.
Energy
March 11, 2022
$100 Oil Is Back! Why Isn’t Texas Drilling?
Russia’s war on Ukraine has made it practically patriotic to pump oil, but the Permian hasn’t ramped up production. Don’t blame Washington. Blame Wall Street.
Business
March 10, 2022
Why These Texans Joined the Great Resignation
The pandemic has spurred record numbers of Americans to reinvent their lives by quitting their jobs.
Business
March 8, 2022
At Texas Swingers Clubs, “the Lifestyle” Is Booming
As they emerge from the pandemic, some of the state’s least socially distanced venues are welcoming more couples than ever before. But it’s not all orgies.
Energy
March 2, 2022
Exxon’s Russian Exit Ends a Messy, Prosperous Friendship
After Putin met Tillerson, billions were made, but at what cost?
Texas Country Reporter
February 25, 2022
The Texas Furniture Brand That Starred in Hollywood Westerns for Decades
W.R. Dallas has been crafting western furniture since 1929. The company’s iconic pieces have appeared everywhere from Hollywood films to hotel chains.
Business
February 23, 2022
The Texas Wine Industry Is Just Getting Started. Grape Farmers Say the End Is Near.
A toxic herbicide used in cotton fields is devastating vineyards on the High Plains, endangering the state’s $13 billion wine business. Grape farmers have banded together to fight back.
Health
February 23, 2022
This $14,000 Air Filter Promises to “Kill” COVID. Is It Worth the Price?
Taxpayers have spent millions for purifiers promoted by former governor Rick Perry. Could they have gotten the same benefits for far less money?
Business
February 16, 2022
Texas Ranchers Get Paid to Capture Carbon
A San Antonio start-up rewards regenerative agriculture with the help of companies looking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy
February 14, 2022
How Texas Is Rescuing Europe From the Russians
An energy crisis on the Continent has it desperate for help from the Permian natural gas it had earlier spurned.
Business
January 25, 2022
This Elon Musk Superfan Keeps Eyes in the Sky Over Tesla’s New Texas Factory
A retired Air Force pilot has documented construction of the "Gigafactory" in obsessive detail—and believes it's about to produce its first cars.
Environment
January 20, 2022
The Mystery of the West Texas Geyser Deepens
Turns out the Permian Basin well that's been blowing briny water 100 feet high isn't the well the Railroad Commission thought it was.
Business
January 19, 2022
This Lockhart Greenhouse Wants to Grow Your Salad Using Robots
Iron Ox, a San Francisco–area company with a Texas-bred CEO, builds greenhouses that use data to yield pretty produce.
Op-Ed
January 18, 2022
How to Stop the Migrant Caravans That Are Headed to Texas
When I opened my morning paper a few days ago, the front page featured an article about yet another caravan of Hondurans heading to Texas. Many are fleeing the violence in that country, which suffers from one of the highest murder rates in the world. But why do they come
Business
January 12, 2022
Southwest’s New Skipper Buckles Up
Robert Jordan takes charge as the Dallas-based airline faces the most difficult challenges since its launch.
Business
January 10, 2022
Regenerative Ranching Is Better for the Environment, but Can It Be Profitable?
These Texans think so.
Energy
January 6, 2022
This Gas-Burning Power Plant Near Galveston Bay Could Change the Future of Clean Energy
NET Power says it can deliver zero-emission electricity to the Texas grid, but is its sustainable-energy business sustainable?
Libations
January 5, 2022
Troy Aikman’s Light Beer, Eight, Is Available Only in Texas
We cracked open a cold one with the former Cowboy to learn about his latest business venture, a beer aimed at the calorie conscious.
Business
December 27, 2021
Will Elon Musk Austin-ify Brownsville?
Some folks in Texas's poorest city see a new downtown mural funded by the billionaire's foundation as the writing on the wall.
Business
December 15, 2021
Can This UT Professor Clean Up Outer Space?
Moriba Jah, a self-proclaimed “space environmentalist,” has joined a new effort to map the millions of bits of discarded debris orbiting the Earth.