People are the greatest asset any organization
can have, and the Greater Dallas Chamber's membership roster boasts some of
the nation's top talent. Each month, The Chamber Report profiles some
of the Chamber's most dedicated volunteers - the board of directors - sharing
their corporate pathways to success.
This month we are proud to feature Bob Estrada
of Estrada Hinojosa & Company, Brad Heppner of The Crossroads Group, Robert
Herchert of Freese & Nichols, Wendy Lopez of LopezGarcia Group, Carol Roehrig
of BKM Total Office of Texas, Terdema Ussery of the Dallas Mavericks, and Mike
Wilson of Jackson Walker.
Robert
A. Estrada
Chairman and CEO
Estrada Hinojosa & Company, Inc.
Bob Estrada, an attorney at law, is chairman and CEO of Estrada Hinojosa &
Company, Inc., an investment banking firm he founded in 1990. Since its inception,
the firm has been involved in municipal bond underwritings totaling more than
$35 billion and has provided financial advisory services on financings totaling
more than $13 billion. In addition to its Dallas headquarters, Estrada Hinojosa
has offices in Houston, San Antonio and San Diego.
From October 1, 1997 until September 30, 2000,
Estrada served a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Municipal
Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), a self-regulatory organization which sets
standards for the municipal securities industry. Estrada was designated chairman
of the MSRB during his third year on the board. At the present time, he serves
as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Advisory Council of Texas
(the "MAC").
In November 2001, Governor Rick Perry appointed
Estrada to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, where Estrada
serves on the Finance and Planning Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee.
From 1990 to 1994, Estrada served on the Board of Directors for the Student
Loan Marketing Association ("Sallie Mae") in Washington, D.C., a $50 billion
corporation, and was a member of the Board's Executive Committee. Estrada is
a former member of the Board of Directors of the Trinity River Authority of
Texas and has served on the Policy Board of the Texas Department of Commerce.
He was appointed by former Governor George W. Bush to chair the Advisory Committee
to the Governor for the selection of the Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design that
will be used by the U. S. Mint to produce the Texas Quarter Dollar in 2004 and
still serves as a member of that committee.
Estrada is on the Executive Committee of the Board
of Directors of the Greater Dallas Chamber and is also active in the Dallas
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and has chaired its Foundation Board. In addition,
he currently is on the Board of Trustees of The Dallas Opera Foundation, the
Board of Trustees of the Dallas Theater Center and works with numerous other
community organizations. In 1989, Hispanic Business magazine named Bob
Estrada among the 100 most influential Hispanics in America.
During his years of active bond law practice, Bob
Estrada worked with the prominent bond law firm of Hutchison Boyle Brooks &
Fisher, Attorneys at Law, where he represented numerous public entities in the
Southwest. Estrada received his Bachelor of Science degree and his Doctor of
Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is an active
member of the Texas Bar Association and is also a Registered Principal with
the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and holds various other securities
licenses.
In addition to his business and legal credentials,
Estrada has extensive experience in government service. He has served in The
White House as a Special Assistant to former President George Bush and is a
former State Director for the late United States Senator John Tower. He also
served in the United States Air Force. A native of Mexico City, Mexico, he is
a U.S. citizen who considers Brownsville, Texas his hometown and has spent most
of his adult life in Austin and Dallas. He is married to Catherine Bernell Estrada,
and together they have six children.
Brad
K. Heppner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Crossroads Group
Brad K. Heppner, chairman and chief executive officer of The Crossroads Group,
has overseen the Company's expansion from $500 million of committed capital
investments to over $2 billion since he led the acquisition of the Company in
1996. Following its founding in 1981, The Crossroads Group has acquired investments
in over 240 strategic private equity partnerships and more than 5,300 portfolio
companies across the U.S. and Europe making it among the largest and most profitable
companies in the private equity asset management industry.
Early in his career, Heppner was associated with
Goldman, Sachs & Co. as an investment analyst in New York and Dallas. Upon
completing Goldman's analyst program and further training at a Dallas-based
merchant bank, he joined the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation in 1989 as director of investments with responsibilities for the
Foundation's $3.5 billion diversified public and private equity portfolio. Heppner
initiated the Foundation's investment in several segments of the private market,
including venture capital funds, buyout partnerships and distressed debt. In
addition, he actively oversaw the foundation's investments in natural resources
serving as a director, chief financial officer and eventually a shareholder
of one of the foundation's affiliated oil and gas operating companies located
in Dallas. Subsequently in 1994, Heppner joined Boston-based Bain & Company,
one of the largest and leading international strategy consulting firms where
he was a senior consultant advising clients on strategies to improve the profitability
and operations of their firms.
Brad Heppner has held advisory board positions
with American Industrial Partners Capital Fund, L.P.; Foothill Partners, L.P.;
North American Fund II, L.P.; Triad Venture Partners, L.P.; and Brantley Venture
Partners. He has also served as a director of Orion Capital Holdings, L.P.,
and BDM Holdings, Inc., an investment joint venture of the Kamehameha Schools
Bernice Pauhi Bishop Estate, Duke University and the MacArthur Foundation.
In addition to his responsibilities at The Crossroads
Group, Heppner serves on the board of directors for the Greater Dallas Chamber
of Commerce and is a past member of its executive committee and prior chairman
of the Dallas Business Technology Council. He also serves as an adjunct professor
for private equity in the MBA program at Texas Christian University.
Brad earned his master's degree from the J.L. Kellogg
Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is an honors magna
cum laude graduate of Southern Methodist University, where he received a B.S.
in economics, a B.A. in psychology and a B.B.A. in finance from the Edwin L.
Cox School of Business. Brad is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a life member
of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He was named Outstanding Young Alumni by SMU's
Cox School of Business in 2001.
Robert
L. Herchert
Chairman
Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Robert L. Herchert has been chairman of the board for Freese and Nichols, Inc.
since 2001 and served as president of the firm from 1990 to 2001. At Freese
and Nichols, he has responsibility for overall governance and corporate issues
of the firm. He is actively involved in representing the firm in community and
civic activities and is heavily involved in the development and maintenance
of relationships with clients of the firm. He serves as principal-in-charge
or as a member of the quality review team on projects on which his knowledge
of the public and private sectors would be beneficial to the client.
His prior experience includes executive roles at
Team Bank (formerly Texas American Bancshares Inc.) and executive director responsibilities
at Sanus Texas Health Plan, Inc. Herchert served as city manager for the City
of Fort Worth for six years and also worked in city management for Kansas City,
Missouri; Camden, Arkansas; and Fairborn, Ohio.
An active community leader, Herchert sits on the
board of directors for the Greater Dallas Chamber as well as Summit Bancshares,
Inc., and Summit Bank, N.A. He also has served on the Trinity Improvement Association
Executive Committee, the University of North Texas Chancellor's Advisory Committee,
the University of Texas at Arlington Development Board and the North Texas Council
of Governments Executive Board. He is a past chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber
of Commerce and former trustee for the Harris Methodist Health System.
A U.S. Army veteran, Herchert earned a B.A. in
personnel administration and political science as well as an M.P.A. in public
administration from the University of Kansas. Herchert is a member of the International
City Management Association, Texas City Management Association and the American
Society for Public Administration.
Wendy
A. Lopez, P.E.
Chief Executive Officer
LopezGarcia Group
As a young student in south Louisiana, Wendy Lopez was inspired by a high school
math teacher to pursue a career in engineering. After graduating from the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a M.S. in Engineering,
Lopez moved to Dallas to begin a career that she never imagined would take her
where she is today.
Today, Lopez is the president and CEO of a 150-person,
multidisciplinary engineering and environmental services firm that she started
as a one-person civil design company. She is currently facilitating another
corporate merger that will grow the company to a 300-person firm, covering eight
cities across Texas, New Mexico and Colorado.
For years, Lopez has been appreciative of the affirmative
action programs that have opened doors and given opportunities to a small, woman-owned
consulting firm. Through these programs, Lopez has developed alliances that
have been helpful in the growth of the company. However, she believes that you
cannot rely on the programs alone for growth. Reputation for quality work and
honest dedication are two key factors in building a successful business. Another
key component of success is having qualified staff. She has worked for years
to assemble a first-rate staff that has her same work philosophy and dedication
to perfection. Additional ingredients for success include opportunity, quality
service, honesty and dedicated employees — that's what really builds a
successful company.
WLA has received awards for its accomplishments
over in the past few years, including Zweig Letter's Hot Firm 2000 &
2001 ranking; Hispanic Business Magazine "The Hispanic Business 500";
Women's Business Council — Southwest "Done Deals" WBE Award; 1999, 2000
and 2001 Dallas Business Journal Top 25 Dallas Area Engineering Firms,
Largest Minority-Owned and Largest Woman-Owned Businesses; Dallas Business
Journal "Pacesetters" Award for 1999 and 2000; Women's Business Council
— Southwest "WBE of the Year"; and the Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé
Nunn-Perry Award.
Lopez is very active in the community, serving
on various local and state boards. She is a member of the Board of Directors
for the D/FW Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO),
Dallas County Local Work Force Development Board, The Dallas Assembly, The Dallas
Summit and the Greater Dallas Chamber. She is a member of the Women's Business
Council — Southwest, Hispanic 50, Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Development
Council, and the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Having been recognized for her accomplishments
and determination for success in the engineering profession some of the awards
Ms. Lopez has earned include BE Advocate of the Year, Women's Business Council
— Southwest, 2002; Named one of YWCA's Women of Achievement, 2001
(Corporate category), 2001; Panel Member, CEO Forum, ASCE Engineers in a Changing
World, 2001; Member of the Year, DFW Chapter, NAWBO, 2001; Public Policy Advocate
of the Year, D/FW Chapter, NAWBO, 2000; Woman of the Year, DFW Chapter, Women's
Transportation. Seminar, 2000; Woman Business Owner of the Year, D/FW Chapter,
NAWBO, 1999; MBE Advocate of the Year, D/FW MBDC, 1998.
Carol
Roehrig
President & Owner
BKM Total Office of Texas, L.P.
Carol Roehrig is president and owner of BKM Total Office of Texas, L.P. Roehrig
assumed leadership of BKM in January 1995 with the intention of purchasing the
business. The acquisition was completed on March 29th of this year.
The company is now one of the top ranking woman-owned businesses is the Dallas/Fort
Worth area.
BKM Total Office of Texas L.P. provides total interior
solutions including architecture, technology and furniture products and services
for office space. Focussed on the ease of change and integration of architecture
with furnishing products, BKM provides modular walls, lighting, raised floors,
carpet, modular electrical and cabling that couple seamlessly with furniture
products. BKM also services customers in reusing existing furniture assets through
refurbishment, storage, move, delivery and installation. The goal of the organization
is to deliver value to customers.
Prior to this role, Roehrig served in sales leadership
for nine years with Steelcase Inc., the world's largest producer of office furniture,
in the Minneapolis, New York City and Washington D.C. markets. She currently
serves on Steelcase's National Dealer Council, a 14-member advisory board to
the executives of Steelcase Inc.
Roehrig is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
and is presently pursuing her masters at Southern Methodist University. She
completed the Leadership Arts program of the Dallas Business Committee for the
Arts and served on the board of the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art. Roehrig
is also an active Steering Committee member and Membership Chair of the Executive
Women's Roundtable. An active runner, she participates with the Park Cities
Running Group and spends weekends running around beautiful White Rock Lake.
Terdema
Ussery
President & CEO, Dallas Mavericks
Chief Executive Officer, HDNet
Terdema Ussery is in his fifth year as the president & CEO of the Dallas
Mavericks, and his first as chief executive officer of HDNet, the nation's first
high definition television network. Ussery came to Dallas after serving as president
of Nike Sports Management. He was general counsel and commissioner of the Continental
Basketball Association from 1991-93.
Terdema L. Ussery II was hired on April 14, 1997
by Ross Perot, Jr. to turn around the fledgling Mavericks organization. In his
first season with the Mavericks, he led the successful citywide campaign to
have the voters approve a several hundred million dollar bond package, which
helped fund the construction of the new $430 million American Airlines Center.
Ussery was also actively involved in securing the $200 million dollar naming
rights partnership with Dallas/Fort Worth-based American Airlines for the downtown
facility and continues to play a key role in the development and management
of the building.
Ussery's impact has been additionally evident in
the growth of both the Mavericks business operation and its community profile.
Under his direction, the club has experienced record revenue growth in corporate
sponsorship, ticket sales and television revenues including new television and
radio packages that went into effect for the 2001-2002 season. To spearhead
the pursuit of excellence, Ussery has emphasized customer and community service
as hallmarks of the Mavericks operation
Ussery grew up in the Watts section of South Central
Los Angeles. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 1981 at Princeton University's
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He earned a master's
degree in 1984 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In 1987, Ussery earned a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley,
where he served as executive editor of the California Law Review.
Ussery practiced business and entertainment law
in the Los Angeles office of the prestigious San Francisco-based firm, Morrison
and Foerster, before joining the CBA as its deputy commissioner and general
counsel in 1990. In April 1991 Ussery was named CBA Commissioner. In August
1993 Ussery was named president of Nike Sports Management. While reporting to
Nike chairman & CEO Phil Knight, Ussery's responsibilities included overseeing
the advertising, marketing and promotion of Nike's most important athletes including
Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Picabo Street, Alonzo Mourning, Ken Griffey, Jr.,
and a select host of other major-league superstars. Twice while at Nike, Ussery
was named to The Sporting News annual list of the top 100 most
powerful people in sports.
In the fall of 2000, Ussery assumed the additional
responsibility of chief executive officer of HDNet, the nation's first high
definition television network. HDNet was co-founded by Dallas Mavericks owner
Mark Cuban and Colorado Studios owner Phil Garvin. Ussery has played an instrumental
role since its inception establishing critical strategic relationships with
HDNet's production partners (Fox Cable Networks Services), its distribution
partner (DirecTV), and various content providers, including Major League Baseball,
the National Hockey League, and the United States Olympic Committee.
Ussery is active in the Dallas/Fort Worth business
community. He sits on the boards of such non-profits as the The California Science
Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Greater Dallas Chamber,
and the Dallas County Advisory Board of The Salvation Army. In the fall of 1999,
then Texas Governor George W. Bush appointed Ussery to a six-year term on the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He currently sits on the for-profit
board of SmartCOP, along with former congressman and Secretary of HUD Jack Kemp,
and social commentator William J. Bennett. Ussery also serves as an alternate
governor for the Dallas Mavericks on the NBA Board of Governors, and as a member
of the WNBA Board of Directors.
Ussery has taught as an adjunct professor with
several institutions including the University of Denver's Graduate School of
Business Administration, where he taught Business Ethics and Corporate Governance.
T.
Michael Wilson
Managing Partner
Jackson Walker L.L.P.
T. Michael Wilson is the managing partner of Jackson
Walker L.L.P. and has served in that position since 1992. His duties are those
of the chief executive officer of the firm, and he chairs all major committees
of the partnership, including the management committee.
Jackson Walker was founded in Dallas more than
100 years ago and now has over 300 lawyers in seven Texas cities–Dallas,
Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, San Angelo, San Antonio and the Richardson Telecom
Corridor. The firm delivers legal services in a wide range of industries and
specialty areas, including technology, intellectual property, securities, health
care, employment law, energy, financial services and many others.
Prior to his election as managing partner, Wilson
was practicing in the litigation group of Jackson Walker's Dallas office. His
practice as an attorney primarily has consisted of representing clients in complex
business and commercial litigation matters, and he has more than 30 years experience
as a trial lawyer.
Wilson is a member of the Texas Bar Association,
the Dallas Bar Association, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel (former
chairman), the Dallas Bar Foundation (fellow), the Texas Bar Foundation (life
fellow), and the Federation of Insurance & Corporate Counsel.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater
Dallas Chamber of Commerce (past executive committee, and past chair of membership,
government relations, and biotechnology). He also serves on the Board of Directors
of the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts, the Advisory Board of the YWCA,
and the Advisory Board of the Greater Dallas Community Relations Commission.
In addition, he is a member of the Committee for a Qualified Judiciary and the
Dallas Citizens Council.
Wilson received both his B.A.A. and J.D. degrees
from the University of Texas at Austin.
For more information on the Greater Dallas Chamber's
board of directors, contact Jan Hart Black at jhblack@dallaschamber.org.
