In this episode, Jeff, Cale, and David discuss: 

• How investment banking has changed over the last few decades. 
• Utilizing private equity to build businesses.
• Creatively solving problems to serve others. 
• Using your business acumen to support your philanthropic endeavors. 

Key Takeaways: 

• You never know who you can build relationships with as you go about your business. Those relationships will often prove valuable as you get further into your career. 
• In the midst of the struggles, everything feels like the world is going to end. But things often turn around. In the struggle, you must convey reality to your team, but you must also give them hope. 
• Work-life balance is particularly important for people of faith, but we still need to reach high and look at our careers as service to the Kingdom. 
• A lot of people have good ideas, the difference-makers are the ones who act on it. 

"We live in a world today where Christians need to be in positions of leadership more so than ever before. Regardless of what your profession is, whether it's the accounting world, investment banking, law, medicine, or politics, if we want to make a difference in this world, we got to be aggressive people. And I'm not talking about being politically aggressive, and I'm not talking about being a jerk on Twitter. But we’ve got to be in positions of leadership." —  David Lumpkins

About David Lumpkins: David was the Executive Chairman and co-founder of PetroLogistics LP, an NYSE-listed company that developed, owned, and operated the first Propane Dehydrogenation facility in North America, which at the time was the largest such facility in the world.   The company’s IPO in 2012 was the largest MLP IPO in history up to that time.  PetroLogistics LP was sold to Koch Industries in 2014.  David was also Chairman and co-founder of PL Midstream, a privately held petrochemical transportation and storage business with operations in Louisiana.  PL Midstream owned and operated salt dome storage and pipeline systems serving the Louisiana petrochemical industry.  PL Midstream was sold to Boardwalk Partners in 2012.  Prior to establishing these companies, Mr. Lumpkins worked in the investment banking industry for 17 years principally for Morgan Stanley, for which he established the Houston office in 1995.  David is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, where he received his BBA and MBA degrees.   He is currently a member of the Crestwood Equity Partners Board of Directors.  He is the founder of Yellowstone Academy, a private Christian school that, along with its sister school Yellowstone College Prep, serves low-income families in the Third Ward of Houston.  He is a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. He and his wife Kristi have three grown children, Kathryn, Paul, and Blake, and three granddaughters, Palmer, Elliot, and Griffin.

Episode Reference: 

• Book: Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Good-Endeavor-Connecting-Your/dp/1594632820
• Generous Business Owner Episode 58 - Embracing the Highs and Lows of Life with Casey Crawford: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casey-crawford-embracing-the-highs-and-lows-of-life/id1611917807?i=1000614112393

Connect with David Lumpkins:

Yellowstone Academy: https://yellowstoneschools.org/ 

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/