By Sarah Weber For the first time in its history, the Texas CEO Magazine Economic Forecast featured a panel composed entirely of tech leaders. And where better to host that panel than in Austin, the Texas city that is quickly becoming the next tech frontier? The Austin forecast, presented in conjunction with the Baylor University […]Read More
By Pat Niekamp Steve Nivin, Ph.D., an associate professor of economics at St. Mary’s University, began his assessment by noting the US economy is now in its 100th month of expansion—the third-longest stretch in history. Nivin’s “go to” statistic on the economy is found in the yield curve, which plots interest rates on bonds of […]Read More
By Ray Niekamp Although Hurricane Harvey did not hit North Texas, its effects were still felt in the Dallas-area economy. But Mine Yücel, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, thinks the economic impact of the storm will be short-lived. She forecasts the state’s economy will grow 2.5 to 3 percent this […]Read More
By Ray Niekamp The annual economic forecast event in Houston was overshadowed by one major occurrence: Hurricane Harvey. What effect would Harvey have on Houston’s economy? Would the area suffer an economic downturn after so much ground to a halt as it cleaned up from the flooding? The answer, from Dean Peter Rodriguez of Rice […]Read More
HOW TO MAKE SUCCESSFUL ACQUISITIONS Photography by Jonathan Garza In the world of M&A, there are two categories of acquisitions: financial and strategic. In the financial transaction scenario, it’s usually a private equity firm buying a majority stake of a company, placing it in their portfolio, growing it over several years and then selling it […]Read More
Photography By Shannon Drawe Out of the blue comes a phone call from a reputable company targeting your business for an acquisition or merger. You are flattered and you are intrigued. You decide the time could be right to sell, but are you prepared to respond to an unsolicited buyer? For David Dodson, Senior Vice […]Read More
Photography by Shannon Drawe The first thing to consider when entering a merger and acquisition deal is not how to beat the other guy. Terry Fick says it’s all about positioning your company and yourself to negotiate a better deal. Fick is managing director of Corporate Finance Associates, and at a recent Enlightened Speakers Series […]Read More
Photography by Jonathan Garza There comes a time in the life of every business when the idea of selling gains traction. But selling a business is no simple task — it requires about three years of planning and preparation to make the business as robust as possible and get its valuation as high as it […]Read More
Scaling a business is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. Once the decision is made, it’s time to seek advice — from trusted business counselors and experts in the field. But that advice is often confusing. Look at the big picture. Shift from working in your business to working on your business. Think big […]Read More
Photography by Shannon Drawe In a Texas A&M study of the S&P 500, family-owned businesses beat other firms in both revenue and employment growth. A recently published study by the Harvard Business Review found family firms are more innovative than other companies even though their R&D budgets are smaller. Some of the reasons are because […]Read More
