Larry Autrey is the CEO & Managing Partner of Whitley Penn. He has more than 30 years of tax, advisory and business valuation experience focused on public and private clients. His areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, manufacturing, distribution, profit enhancement, professional services, business valuations, and estate planning.

In this episode, we discuss:
- How AI and Blockchain are changing the Accounting industry
- How future accountants can remain valuable in this new future
- the impact of PE on firm valuations

Links:
Whitley Penn
Larry on LinkedIn

Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:24) - Thoughts on the state of the world
(00:18:07) - Inquiry into the influence of early life experiences on career choices.
(00:36:35) - Growth rates and defining moments in the firm's history.
(00:42:02) - Strategies for dealing with an aging population within the firm and sustainability.
(00:44:16) - Private Equity and valuations
(00:48:00) - The future of the accounting profession.
(00:50:45) - The impact of blockchain and AI on the industry
(00:57:44) - The mindset of younger generations regarding career progression and firm loyalty

George has nearly 17 years of hands-on experience in the parking realm, focusing on managing the parking operations of class-A office garage facilities and comparable top-tier parking operations across the continental United States. He prides himself on deep domain knowledge of the event parking space and providing a comprehensive suite of services both software and hardware to support his ever-growing clientele therein. In order to consistently exceed customer expectations in the event-parking space, ParkHub provides logistics and occupancy management services, as well as cutting-edge insights into parking operations for management.

We discuss:
- Hot topics in 2024
- George's upbringing
- Building ParkHub
- The future of Technology

Links:
ParkHub
George on LinkedIn

Topics:
(00:02:00) - Immigration, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and inflation

(00:08:07) - George’s upbringing

(00:11:40) - The Parking industry

(00:16:49) - Building ParkHub

(00:27:41) - Defining moments

(00:33:07) - Getting comfortable with selling the company

(00:34:36) - Empathy, humility and being lonely at the top

(00:38:15) - The future of technology

(00:41:46) - Selling the business

(00:44:02) - What’s next for George

(00:45:15) - Advice for entrepreneurs

(00:48:00) - What’s something few people know about you?

(00:50:00) - Fatherhood

Mike has twenty-five years of real estate and finance experience. His experience includes structuring joint ventures, acquisitions, development, accounting, and investment management; with acquisition officer responsibility for approximately $1 billion in investment across asset classes and in multiple U.S. markets.

On this episode, we discuss:
- Growing up with Best disease (vitelliform macular dystrophy)
- The changing landscape of NIL in college sports
- Mike's real estate career, thoughts on the market and entering the cannabis industry from a real estate perspecitve
- Building a real estate investment platform

Links:
Mike on LinkedIn
Morningside Capital

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:27) - Dealing with Best disease as a child
(00:20:23) - The evolving landscape of NIL
(00:24:01) - Mike's career
(00:41:29) - Lessons learned and setbacks
(00:44:40) - The real estate opportunity in the marijuana industry
(00:52:33) - Building an investment platform

Philip is a Partner in the Corporate team at Knights PLC.

Experienced in a wide range of corporate transactions, Philip specializes in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and has advised on many high-value and complex corporate transactions.

Philip’s experience covers UK and international transactions across a wide range of sectors, including building products, house building, oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, sport, and technology. Philip also has strong experience in equity capital markets and private equity transactions, group reorganizations, shareholder and joint venture agreements, and general strategic corporate matters.

Additionally, Philip has a strong international practice and experience, with a particular focus on the US market and supporting US and European corporates, individuals, and law firms.

In this episode, Michael and Philp engage in a deeply vulnerable conversation centered around Philip discovering the truth behind his family's past.

Topics:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:24 - Philp’s background and career

00:11:34 - How a Brit perceives the state of affairs in the USA

00:17:38 - Philip’s journey to discover his birth parents

01:12:26 - What do you want people to know about you?

Links:
Michael on LinkedIn
Philip on LinkedIn

Anna M. Alvarado is a business-oriented, operationally focused executive who is bilingual (fluent in Spanish) and bicultural. In her role as Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Texas Capital Bank and its parent company, Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ®: TCBI), she is responsible for supervising and coordinating all legal services for the company, serving as key legal advisor to the Board of Directors, ensuring legal compliance with all securities laws and banking regulations, serving as the lead legal advisor on all the firm’s strategic initiatives and commercial and transactional matters, advising the bank on litigation risks, and serving as primary liaison with regulators.

On this episode, Michael and Anna discuss:
- Anna's upbringing in an immigrant family and the American Dream
- Developing her sense of adventure and risk-taking
- Her career with Texas Capital Bank

Links:
Upward Bound
Texas Capital Bank
Anna on LinkedIn

Topics:
(00:01:00) Introducing Anna

(00:02:24) Anna’s upbringing

(00:17:40) Thoughts on the immigration crisis

(00:23:48) College and Law School 

(00:38:10) Anna’s early law career

(00:45:51) What’s something nobody knows about you?

(00:53:51) Anna’s career with Texas Capital Bank

(00:58:20) What do you want people to know about you?

Business owner, designer, mentor, and passionate activist, Nancy Gale is an inspiring individual with a fascinating story of overcoming hardship and turning it into something beautiful.

A strong force not only in the entrepreneurial world but also in shaping future generations, Nancy is the founder and creative vision behind JAMAH, an American luxury, Made in the USA bespoke handbag brand, featuring the finest customized Italian lambskin and exotic handbags, men’s bags and accessories.

She also founded AMBITION, a nonprofit entrepreneurial program for disadvantaged youth. Its mission is to reframe their potential and to provide students with the support, access, and resources necessary to reach their goals.

Links:

Nancy on LinkedIn

ambition.org

[email protected]

Jamah.com

Topics:

(00:00:31) Introducing Nancy

(00:03:39) Southfield, Michigan

(00:05:43) Solving a murder, and dealing with the aftermath of loss 

(00:36:02) Nancy’s Foundation & the non-profit world

(00:54:52) Nancy’s handbag business

(00:59:06) What do you want people to know about you?

CT Charlton currently serves as the President of the Charlton Group.  Leaving a career in finance to officially join the Charlton team in 2011, CT was responsible for starting the industrial division which has been an area of steady growth and diversification across all business units.  Over the following 10 years, CT has held roles in Chicago and Seattle before moving to Detroit in 2020.  Under CT’s leadership, the company has grown significantly expanding heavily into connected vehicles, ADAS, and autonomy.  He has put extensive effort into growing his outstanding teams in Europe and North America, enjoying record profits each year driven by thoughtful partnerships and investing back into the businesses Charlton believes in.

On this episode, Michael and CT discuss:

• The familial dynamic between generations of Charlton leadership
• Teaching love and empathy within the business
• CT's passion for flying and how that's translated to becoming a better leader

Links:
The Charlton Group
CT on LinkedIn
Michael on LinkedIn

Timestamps
(00:01:29) Colorado, Coach Prime, Family, the Armed Forces 

(00:07:19) The Founding of Charlton & growing the business

(00:19:39) The Charlton family dynamic between generations

(00:27:49) Pivoting during the Pandemic and over the next 20 years

(00:33:00) Teaching love and empathy

(00:36:59) As your company becomes more global, what excites you and what worries you?

(00:40:23) CT’s flying hobby

(00:43:51) How does learning to be a pilot translate to your leadership at work?

(00:46:37) What is your true north when you feel lost?

(00:49:24) What do you want people to konw about you?

Tony Iannessa is the Founder and CEO of BIG Construction. Born in Chicago, Tony Iannessa is driven by the work ethic he inherited from his family, who immigrated from Italy in the early 1950s. Having built a foundation working in the trades, Tony’s roots in construction trace back to his youth, when he spent summers as a concrete laborer and interning with an electrical contractor.

On this episode, we discuss Tony's upbringing as the 2nd of four brothers and how that impacted his career today. We also spend a lot of time discussing how Tony has dealt with the hard times we face in life, specifically with his wife having to overcome breast cancer shortly after the birth of their child. We also reflect on why we get fired from jobs, the challenges of running a business and how to implement company values. Enjoy the Climb!

Links:

Tony on LinkedIn

BIG Construction

Imerman Angels

YPO

Bob Kinnan is the resident historian of the legendary King Ranch, which now covers 825,000 acres—more land than the state of Rhode Island. Over 160 years, King Ranch led some of the first cattle drives, developed the Santa Gertrudis and Santa Cruz cattle breeds, bred the finest Quarter Horses, and produced champion Thoroughbreds—all under its iconic Running W® brand.

Bob dives deep into the history of the Ranch, from the beginning in 1853, when Captain Richard King purchased a creek-fed oasis in the Wild Horse Desert of South Texas, to the current day where the ranch is still owned by the 8th generation of the King family. We also discuss life in Austin back in the 50s and 60s, Bob's career, and more. Enjoy the Climb!

Links:

King Ranch

King Ranch: A Legacy in Art

Topics:

(1:56) - Bob’s background, career, and family

(12:20) - How Austin has changed since the ’50s

(16:50) - The legacy and history of the King Ranch

(54:31) - The introduction of King Ranch Inc. and taking the Ranch global

(1:09:05) - What were some of the challenges that the family has gone through?

(1:16:00) - What does the King Ranch look like 100 years from now?

(1:20:58) - Summer in the 1950s and 1960s in Austin

(1:26:25) - What do you want people to know about you?

Links:
Breneman Capital
The Rise and Invest Podcast

Topics:
(0:14) - Drew’s background and career

(3:55) - What do you think inspired your entrepreneurial curiosity?

(5:39) - Drew’s family dynamic

(7:27) - How did you qualify for your first loan?

(8:50) - What was your first deal?

(9:19) - What would you tell new investors looking at getting into Real Estate?

(15:22) - Are there things about RE investing that don’t change as you’ve done this over 17 years?

(18:24) - How’d you end up on HGTV?

(20:25) - The Keep it Simple Investing Philosophy

(25:18) - What did you learn from working for a MF developer?

(33:58) - What were some sacrifices you made when starting your own organization?

(36:19) - How do you develop the ability to see 3-4 steps ahead in a competitive space like Real Estate?

(43:19) - Where do you see home ownership vs. renting over the next decade?

(50:14) - Drew’s journey as a podcaster

(51:40) - What’s something that people don’t know about you?

(55:13) - What do you want people to know about you?