D CEO

Meet the Dallas 500: Chris Luna, SPCA of Texas Under the direction of Chris Luna, who left a successful corporate career at T-Mobile to get into the nonprofit space, SPCA of Texas is working to secure funding and planning for a new 40,000-square-foot expansion at the West Dallas campus. “We can provide more resources in the community to keep more animals in their homes,” Luna says. The new building would have a surgery suite, forensics lab, 123 kennels for cats, and 116 kennels for dogs. #DCEO #Dallas500

For 13 years, Wayne Moore held leadership positions at various hedge funds. Most recently, he served as co-founder and partner at Lunia Capital LP, which invested in business services and IT companies. But one morning in 2018, Moore had an epiphany. “I woke up and realized I just didn’t want to do it anymore,” he says. So, Moore took a year off to explore emerging markets.  “That search led me to the lower and lower-middle markets because of a generational transfer of wealth happening with baby boomers,” he says. “Over the next 30 years, we’re going to see trillions of dollars of assets change hands.” Moore launched Crux Capital Ltd in 2019 in Dallas, using his own cash, to begin investing in consumer service companies with an annual EBITDA between $1 million and $15 million. “These businesses are dominantly owned by one person or one family, and the reason they sell is typically age-related,” he says. “Only about a third of the time does a company that fits these criteria transfer to the next generation, so most of these companies never had a real institutional partner.” Moore pours investment dollars into companies based in North Texas—or those no more than a three-hour flight away from DFW. “Dallas is the best place to launch a private investment firm in the world,” he says. His biggest hit thus far has been Buff City Soap, a plant-based soap franchise, into which Crux, and its LPs, initially deployed $10 million in December of 2019. The company promptly relocated its headquarters from Memphis to Dallas, and Buff City Soap scaled from about 20 units to more than 260 today. Over that growth track, Crux deployed hundreds of millions of dollars into the enterprise. It has since sold a significant portion of its ownership stake to General Atlantic. Other portfolio brands include HTeaO, a drive-thru tea concept with a goal to triple in size by 2026 to 300 locations. Crux also counts Superscapes, one of the largest commercial landscape companies in DFW, and Woody's Brands, LLC, a multi-unit operator of bar-restaurant concepts across Texas and Louisiana, as investments. Earlier this year, to increase his firm’s food and beverage play, Moore launched restaurant holding company Uncommon Brands to invest in QSR and fast-casual F&B concepts that have three to 20 units. “We came across brands that were interesting but lacked real management, infrastructure, and depth,” Moore says. “Although we were interested, it was just too heavy of a lift for private equity to get involved. So, we saw an opportunity to launch a holding company.” So far, Uncommon, led by former NFL fullback and tight end Garrett Mills, has deployed just north of $20 million; over the next several years, it expects to invest $100 million. The holding company’s first purchase came in the form of Fuego Tortilla Grill, a fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant with four locations in Texas. The goal is to grow it to 25 locations over the next five years. 

One of the best things about working for D Magazine is the opportunity to explore entrepreneurial interests and create new products with a strong safety net and ownership support. Such was the case 10 years ago, when Christine Allison and the late great Wick Allison got behind the idea of creating The Dallas 500. It is so rewarding to see what this publication has become, a decade later. I’m proud that we've achieved our mission of telling the story of DFW's business community by shining a spotlight on high-impact leaders, both well-known and under-the-radar. I'm also proud of how The Dallas 500 has inspired similar special editions in other business markets across the country. Thank you to the entire D CEO team for helping to make our 10th anniversary edition such a success, with a special shoutout to Hamilton Hedrick, Ben Swanger, Will Maddox, Audrey Henvey, Layten Praytor, Jasmine Green, Grace John, and Sean Berry. Thanks, also, to the 500 leaders featured in the book for taking the time to share your insights and stories with us. And to our 2025 cover models: Vikram Agrawal, Jennifer Sampson, Jenny Martinez, Rogers Healy, NéAndré Broussard, Mahisha Dellinger, and Nirav Tolia. We appreciate you! See the full 2025 list here: https://lnkd.in/g64CUPjp

This week in personnel moves: Weirs Furniture Village Inc selects Dirk Smith as Chief Operating Officer; United Football League (UFL) names Vince Pannozzo, Jason Bernstein, Jennifer Sailer, and Mike Wade as quartet of vice presidents; HCK2 taps Kerri (Protas) Fulks as next president and COO; Locke Lord LLP appoints Clay Pulliam to partner; and more at the link below.

D CEO's signature special publication, the Dallas 500, features profiles of the most influential North Texas executives in more than 50 industry categories. The 2025 book, our 10th edition, includes well known, emerging, and behind-the-scenes leaders who make the regional economy tick. Editors make selections after months of research and hundreds of personal interviews. Along with providing business advice and industry insights, this national award-winning book gives readers a glimpse at the human side of DFW's most powerful leaders.

The 2025 edition of the Dallas 500 made its debut at an exclusive event last night at the Dallas Museum of Art. Months in the making, the 10th anniversary issue is D CEO editors’ take on the most powerful and influential leaders in North Texas. Included in this year’s book are 52 of the most recognizable names in Dallas business who have made the list every year for the last decade. Each is noted in the publication with an exclusive 10-year badge. Additionally, 181 new and emerging leaders made the list for 2025. D CEO editors spent more than six months doing research, hundreds of interviews, and asking those in past editions about their most respected colleagues—and competitors. We read through nearly 500 nomination forms and were introduced to many interesting under-the-radar leaders. You can access the full Dallas 500 list here: https://lnkd.in/gC7gVMNt. It is just a sneak peek, though, as the full, unabridged content can only be found in the printedition. As always, D CEO editors wrote fresh profiles for all 500 individuals to highlight their latest business moves and achievements. The profiles in our 10th edition of the Dallas 500 will inform, entertain, and inspire. They’ll make you feel proud to live in such a vibrant market.

Introducing the 2025 edition of the Dallas 500! Months in the making, the 10th anniversary issue is D CEO editors' take on the most powerful and influential leaders in North Texas. For the first time, D CEO is providing a behind-the-scenes look at how the cover came together at The Meyerson Symphony Center. This year, the cover, shot by Sean Berry and directed by Hamilton Hedrick, features: Vikram Agrawal of American Resilience Partners, Jennifer Sampson of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Jenny Martinez of Munck Wilson Mandala LLP, Rogers Healy of Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, NéAndré Broussard of BMW Digital, Mahisha Dellinger of Huzzy Smart Sips, and Nirav Tolia of Nextdoor.

Meet the Dallas 500: Vipin Nambiar, HN Capital Partners. After earning a degree in architecture, Vipin Nambiar got an MBA in finance and economics and focused on real estate, working for Hunt Realty Investments before going out on his own in 2017. His $1 billion portfolio—a milestone he recently reached—includes local hotspots like the W Hotel, Virgin Hotel, and the Mansion on Turtle Creek, which he acquired in September 2022. The company has expanded beyond Texas to select opportunities in New York and California.

The editors of D CEO are hard at work on another special publication 👀 The City of Champions will debut in February 2025. We will dig into how and why DFW has become the sports business capital of the world and what it means for the region's future. The economic force that is North Texas is founded on leading industries like energy, technology, real estate, and banking and finance. But one of the most prominent high-growth engines as of late is sports. Dallas-Fort Worth is the best sports business market in the world. (It’s not even close.) How did the region rise to the top? How exactly is sports fueling economic prosperity—and how is it impacting global corporations? Who’s running the show behind the scenes? And where do the greatest opportunities lie? These questions and more will be answered by the editors of D CEO—named the best regional business magazine in the United States for the last four consecutive years—and StrongSide, D Magazine’s award-winning sports platform. “Sports creates a halo effect that spurs commercial development,” Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “Its not just a major economic engine from a tourism and sales tax perspective, but it helps stand up billions of dollars worth of development.” The publication will include in-depth features on the hottest trends and topics in DFW sports, profiles of under-the-radar front office executives and sports industry leaders, data analytics, and much more. “I’m excited about the growth of the region and the transformation that I’ve seen over the last ten years,” said Monica Paul, the Dallas Sports Commission’s executive director. “Layer in the development plans for the next decade and I don’t think there is another region in the United States that will be able to compete with Dallas as a place to live or conduct sports business.” Guided by a thread of economic impact, content will be built around the region’s major professional sports teams (from the Dallas Cowboys to the Dallas Wings), game-changers (like the FIFA Word Cup and PGA Championships), intriguing personalities (names you know or should know), emerging trends (media rights, private equity in sports), and leagues, conferences, and venues. “As a one-month Dallas resident, it has been incredible to see just how vital sports business is to the DFW area,” Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffe said. “I mean in the next two years alone almost every major athlete on the planet will land at DFW, wether thats NFL, NBA, soccer, cricket, or other sports.” Read more for advertising opportunities: https://lnkd.in/gHebe6Aq #sportsbusiness #dallasbusiness #dfwbusiness #sportsbiz #dallassports

The economic force that is North Texas is founded on leading industries like energy, technology, real estate, and banking and finance. But one of the most prominent high-growth engines as of late is sports. Dallas-Fort Worth is the best sports business market in the world. (It’s not even close.) How did the region rise to the top? How exactly is sports fueling economic prosperity—and how is it impacting global corporations? Who’s running the show behind the scenes? And where do the greatest opportunities lie? These questions and more will be answered by the editors of D CEO—named the best regional business magazine in the United States for the last four consecutive years—and StrongSide, D Magazine’s award-winning sports platform—in special edition that will make its debut in February. “Sports creates a halo effect that spurs commercial development,” City of Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney said. “Its not just a major economic engine from a tourism and sales tax perspective, but it helps stand up billions of dollars worth of development.” Called The City of Champions, the new publication will include in-depth features on the hottest trends and topics in DFW sports, profiles of under-the-radar front office executives and sports industry leaders, data analytics, and much more. “I’m excited about the growth of the region and the transformation that I’ve seen over the last ten years,” said Monica Paul, the Dallas Sports Commission’s executive director. “Layer in the development plans for the next decade and I don’t think there is another region in the United States that will be able to compete with Dallas as a place to live or conduct sports business.” Guided by a thread of economic impact, content will be built around the region’s major professional sports teams (from the Dallas Cowboys to the Dallas Wings), game-changers (like the FIFA Word Cup and PGA of America Championships), intriguing personalities (names you know or should know), emerging trends (media rights, private equity in sports), and leagues, conferences, and venues. “As a one-month Dallas resident, it has been incredible to see just how vital sports business is to the DFW area,” Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffe said. “I mean in the next two years alone almost every major athlete on the planet will land at DFW, wether thats National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), soccer, cricket, or other sports.”