A new fellowship honoring Stuart W. Murff ’73 has been established to benefit the Finance Department at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. Stuart is a Fort Worth businessman who is actively involved in community service.

A $100,000 gift from Stuart Murff’s older brother James D. “Don” Murff ’70 and his wife Jeanie endowed the Stuart W. Murff ’73 Fellowship in Finance. “We are pleased to establish this fellowship to honor my brother’s friendship and to commemorate his highly successful business career and his many contributions to his community,” said Don Murff, a retired civil engineer. The fellowship is greatly enhanced by the generous ExxonMobil matching program.

“Don’s decision to honor his brother is consistent with Texas A&M University’s focus on family,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Through his generosity, we will be able to attract top graduate students to our Department of Finance and provide support for them during their studies at Mays.”

Stuart Murff is currently managing partner of a private investment partnership formed in 1997 following the sale of Central Bancorporation to Norwest/Wells Fargo. Prior to that, he was president of Central Bancorporation, a publicly held local banking group with $1.1 billion in assets. Stuart previously owned and operated a bank consulting and data processing firm. Following graduate school, he worked in various corporate finance capacities at Mercantile Texas/MCorp a banking group.

He has a BA in economics, an MBA in finance and doctoral studies in economics from Texas A&M. He has been on the faculty of The Graduate School of Banking at Boulder, Colo.

Stuart is an active member of the Fort Worth Community with a particular interest in organizations serving children, having served on the Boards of Lena Pope Homes, The Boys and Girls Clubs, The Tarrant Metropolitan YMCA and Communities in Schools. He was Chairman of The Metropolitan YMCA and on the Board of Trustees for YMCA Foundation and Chairman of Communities in Schools as well as Chairman of CIS Foundation. Through his work in the community, he has been honored with YMCA’s Chi Rho award and the Fort Worth Star Telegram STARS award recognizing community service.

Stuart and his wife Melissa live on a horse farm outside Fort Worth, where they breed, raise and train Three-Day Eventing Sport Horses. They have four children – two of whom are Aggies – and seven grandsons.

James D. “Don” Murff ’70 served in the U.S. Army for five years and is a retired Exxon Research Engineer. He received his BS from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and MS and PhD degrees in civil engineering from Texas A&M. After retirement from Exxon, Don served 10 years as a visiting professor in A&M’s Civil Engineering Department. He now serves as an industry consultant.

Don and Jeanie, a retired nursing home marketing director, live in the Village of the Hills near Austin. They have two sons and two grandchildren.

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

Epstein earned his degree after serving in the Army. His career began in insurance, then he founded and operated Risktech, an independent risk management consulting firm. He served as CEO until his retirement in 1991.

Stevens served in the Air Force after graduation, then became a CPA. He worked for Arthur Anderson, then in 1999 became managing partner of accounting firm Stevens & Matthews. He previously served as a Regent of the Texas A&M University System.

Mariott began her career in the banking industry, and now owns GCM Designs, a design, build and remodeling firm. She served on the Texas Residential Construction Commission and on the board of the Association of Former Students, where she was the first female chair.

The annual award is reserved for alumni who have made significant contributions to their professions, their local communities and Texas A&M University, and is the highest honor a former student can receive.

“Each one of our 2013 Distinguished Alumni is a true inspiration as they serve as outstanding examples of the impact that Aggies can have on their alma mater, their communities, and the world,” said The Association of Former Students’ 2013 Chair of the Board of Directors David Heath ’76. “They all share the same deep commitment to Texas A&M and epitomize our core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service.”

The association will honor all of the recipients at the annual Distinguished Alumni Gala on Oct. 18 and will also recognize them at the Oct. 19 Texas A&M football game against Auburn.

A detailed profile of all the recipients is available at http://www.aggienetwork.com/DistinguishedAlumni/

Robert A. Epstein, Class of 1944

R. H. “Steve” Stevens, Jr., Class of 1962

Glenda C. Mariott, Class of 1979

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

Anthony DeLuca ’84

DeLuca, who received a bachelor’s in accounting from Texas A&M University in 1984, urged a group of Mays Business School undergraduates to secure internships, even if they are not required.

“That should be your first job, to begin looking for an internship in August or September of the school year,” he said, advising them to find meaningful opportunities, not just “resume fillers.” “You not only get good experience, but you also get to try things, some of which you think you’ll really like but then find out you really don’t care for. It has been a career saver for some people.”

DeLuca joined two others at SCF in 1992, and most of their current investors have been affiliated with company since the beginning. He attributes the company’s success to its focus on one industry. The firm has built and sold 50 platform companies, has eight companies in its current portfolio, has made more than 300 acquisitions and has a total transfer value of more than $10 billion. “On average, for 24 years we have bought a new company every three weeks. It is a very busy, actively engaged firm,” DeLuca describes.

In the beginning, the investment team members had no job titles, they just did what was necessary, DeLuca recalled. Now there are 22 people working for the firm, of which about half work on the transactions. “We used to require our new people to have experience in energy,” he explained. “Now we want people who are excited about energy and willing to learn.”

Tania Sustaita ’14, a Business Honors and accounting major, said she benefitted from DeLuca’s advice to learn how to take constructive criticism, and to realize from the start that employers do not expect you to do things perfectly. “No one likes to deal with people that cannot accept their mistakes or feedback that they are wrong,” Sustaita said.

Alex Washington ’13, a Business Honors and finance major, said she enjoyed hearing Deluca discuss how he moved from a career at Arthur Anderson to the private equity arena. “I really have not had very much exposure to private equity, so I learned a lot about platform companies and how to combine those for competitive advantages,” she said.

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

Davis, who received an accounting degree from Mays, already knows what it takes to be successful and how to give back. He and his wife contributed to the new Becky ’76 and Monty ’77 Davis Player Development Center near Kyle Field.

Monty Davis ’77, COO of Core Laboratories

“I want you to be successful, and I want you to help others after you’ve been successful,” Davis said to students, referring to giving back to the university.

The ability to make decisions was one of the attributes for success Davis emphasized, along with being able to communicate clearly. “Be willing to express your opinion and have confidence. Nobody wants a yes-man working for them.”

Davis offered advice not only from the employee’s perspective, but also from the employer’s perspective.

“Always respect your employees,” he advised. “You never know where somebody else is going to end up. An employee today could become a customer tomorrow.”

Davis also touched on success in life, saying it starts with determining what is important to him. For him, family is number one. He showed students a small journal he keeps in his briefcase, in the back of which he keeps two lists of goals, one for his personal life for the year and one for business. He said he picked up the idea from a management class, and he encouraged students to do the same, and to track their performance against their goals.

“You’re not going to reach all of your goals,” Davis says. “If you do, you’re not setting good enough goals.”

Emily Neubert ’15, a business honors and MIS major, said she enjoyed hearing Davis’s insights about how to succeed in business, as well as in life. “He shared how being flexible and moving overseas helped advance his career quickly, so he recommended that we consider working abroad for a couple years.”

Monty Davis ’77’s top attributes for success

• Intelligence
• Education
• Effort, ability to work under pressure
• Initiative – “You can’t go to a job and just do what’s asked; that’s not enough.”
• Discernment, ability to make decisions
• Ability to express yourself
• Results oriented – “It’s not a matter of getting work done, it’s a matter of working to achieve a result.”
• Responsible, dependable
• Integrity – “In business and in your life; if you don’t have integrity you’ll never get anywhere.”

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

Jennifer and Brian Lamb ’91

Distributions from the $100,000 endowment, funded through the Texas A&M Foundation, will be used to support the activities of the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship (CNVE) at Mays Business School. The center’s vision is to produce and encourage entrepreneurs. Its activities are supported by corporate and individual partners.

Brian Lamb received his bachelor’s degree in management from Mays and has served on the CNVE’s advisory council since 2010. Both Brian and Jennifer have supported the CNVE financially since 2008.

Brian serves as president and Jennifer as Vice President of Administration at AXYS Industrial Solutions, Inc., a Houston-based company that re-purposes secondary products from industry and helps companies find new revenue streams while reducing disposal costs. Brian Lamb says the entrepreneurial approach aligns with the Companies philosophy and business ethic. “It’s just the way we do business and the way we think,” he says.

The Lambs say they wanted to honor Texas A&M while encouraging young people to pursue their dreams. “I tell young people to focus on the things they are good at and find solutions to problems in areas they can do something about. Find your passion, and your niche will show itself,” Brian Lamb explains.

“The Lambs are helping us work to create the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Through their time and financial investment, they are providing us with the resources to help young people achieve their dreams and pursue their passions.”

The Lambs’ company was recognized as an honoree in the CNVE’s “Aggie 100” program that recognizes the fastest-growing Aggie-owned companies in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

“I feel as though our Business Honors graduates can compete with the likes of those coming from Harvard and Yale. I want to do all I can to help our students and faculty feel equipped for any comparisons nationally.”

Taseer Badar ’95, CEO of ZT Wealth

Badar says he and his wife Zohra were eager to honor his mother in this way. “All my family has science background – doctors of nuclear medicine and engineering – so when I chose a different path, they were concerned that I was going to go hungry. But my mother believed in me, and I am tied to the health field from a different perspective.”

Badar moved to the U.S. from Lahore, Pakistan, at 11 months old, and says he has been “living the American dream” since. He got his first work experience mowing lawns in his hometown of Humble, Texas, and received a bachelor’s degree in management from Texas A&M. He now has 800 employees as president and CEO of ZT Wealth, which provides equity offerings in the health care, global commercial and residential real estate markets, and co-founder of Altus Healthcare Management Services. He has also developed several medical centers.

As a leader of numerous companies, Badar has received 18 Aggie 100 awards, which are given to the fastest-growing Aggie-owned companies.

“To establish an endowed scholarship at such a young age speaks highly of Taseer’s success and his generosity,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Not only will our students benefit from his financial gift, but also from the opportunity to meet and know a great entrepreneur.”

Badar says his mentor is Ghulam Bombaywala, who has owned 80-something restaurants. “I really want to compete with the Ernst & Youngs, the top national firms. I want to produce high returns. I want us to be #1 and I want to bring a lot of good people with me.”

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

T. Randall “Randy” Cain ’82

Cain, Vice Chair and Southwest Regional Managing Partner of the firm where he has worked for 30 years, says he and his wife wanted to create the Randy ’82 and Jyl Cain Accounting Education Excellence Fund to help ensure continued excellence in accounting education at Mays.

Matching funds from the Ernst & Young Foundation will be used to complete the gift, which is being funded through the Texas A&M Foundation. “Without the quality students A&M provides and the top-notch graduates from Mays, we would have a hard time meeting our professional goals,” he explains.

Proceeds from the fund will be used to support strategic initiatives of the accounting department. “Hopefully, it will allow more flexibility to the professors so they can focus on doing what they do best, which is to attract the top students and provide them with the knowledge they need to succeed,” Cain explains.

He praised the accomplishments of Mays Dean Jerry Strawser and accounting department head James Benjamin, and added, “We are trying to give them the tools – the arrows in their quiver.”

“It is difficult to envision how anybody could participate more in the life of our school,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “Whether hiring our students, speaking to our classes, serving on advisory boards or providing financial support, Randy has literally impacted thousands of Mays graduates. We are truly blessed to have him as an advocate for our students and programs.”

The Cains’ affinity for Texas A&M has trickled down to the next generation: daughter and son-in-law Courtney and Tim Kuhn ’06 were part of the Professional Program at Mays, each earning a BBA in Accounting and an MS in Management Information Systems. Daughter Meredith Cain ’13 is also at Texas A&M, studying recreation, park and tourism sciences.

About Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School educates more than 5,000 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. Mays consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the country for its undergraduate and MBA programs, and for faculty research. The mission of Mays Business School is creating knowledge and developing ethical leaders for a global society.

James P. Kelly ’13

Kelly, who is from Houston, is president of the MBA Association at Mays. He enlisted in the Army in 2001, and deployed to Iraq in 2003 as a sniper with the 4th Infantry Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Sam Houston State. He has been married for 10 years and has three children.

The foundation annually awards one scholarship at each of the program’s 19 participating Texas universities. The undergraduate and graduate students selected are all focusing on entrepreneurial studies at Texas universities.

The awards were presented at an Oct. 30 luncheon in the recipients’ honor at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston.

That evening, the scholars were presented at a gala for 900 attendees, who also witnessed the induction of five Texas Legends into the Texas Business Hall of Fame – including Donald Adam ’57 of Bryan. The Bryan native, a longtime businessman, was a 1993 Mays Outstanding Alumnus and a 2012 Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M.

LinkAmerica CEO Andres Ruzo ’83 told Mays students, “You sink or swim, make lemonade or quit. Entrepreneurship is not for everybody… because it’s really hard.” (view more photos)

Ruzo shared his story recently with a group of business honors students at Mays Business School, and his wife accompanied him to visit the campus where they met.

Ruzo was born in Lima, Peru. In 1980, he came to the United States, with two bags and a dream. “At that time, America still was a country where you could make your dreams come true.” He graduated with an industrial engineering degree from Texas A&M University, worked in the oil industry and real estate in Houston, then moved to Dallas to continue pursuing his career as an entrepreneur.

He started LinkAmerica in 1994 in his son’s bedroom, refurbishing telecommunications gear and providing repair services and support to big carriers. “We went from nothing in 1994 to $12 million in sales by 2001. I call these my fat cow years – easy to make money.”

Then the dot-com bust and 9/11 hit. Ruzo sold the company but kept major stockholder status. “Starting in 2001 we rode for seven years downhill, but we never gave up. That is what entrepreneurship is all about. You sink or swim, make lemonade or quit. Entrepreneurship is not for everybody… because it’s really hard.”

During those years, Ruzo says he reinvented himself four times in seven years. “When I had a lot of cash I didn’t blow it, so we had a solid balance sheet. For six months I was not paying myself a salary just so I could stay in the game.”

Persistence, commitment and faith

Starting at the end of 2007, within two and a half years, the company improved 207 percent, and revenue increased from $3 million to $215 million. It has maintained double-digit percentage annual revenue growth from $12 million in 2008 to $215 million in 2011, and continues to grow. “Collaboration and innovation are in the DNA of my company,” he explains. “In my first 45 years, I pushed and pushed in everything I did. The last five years, I have connected to a higher energy that pulls me… There is a saying: ‘When you do a greater good, the universe conspires to help you.’ I really can feel that force.”

LinkAmerica was given a 2012 Aggie 100 award, ranking as the eighth fastest-growing company owned and operated by Aggies. Its growth rate was 129.22 percent.

In 2012, LinkAmerica was ranked as the 2011 fastest-growing Hispanic company in the U.S. out of 3 million Latino businesses (2012 – HispanicBusiness Magazine’s “100 Fastest-Growing Companies).

Ruzo says the keys to his success are persistence, commitment and faith. He insists on being involved in his community, serving as a thought leader among Hispanics and actively expressing his faith. “We as business people have a huge responsibility to evangelize and touch a lot of people,” he says. “That’s why I love to be an entrepreneur. What keeps me up at night is the question, ‘How much value can I bring to my customers?’ I am rewarded often for having that kind of mindset.”

The 2012 award recipient is Satish Jayachandran ’99, the Francis M. Hipp Moore Distinguished Fellow and Professor of Marketing at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Satish Jayachandran ’99

The award presentation and comments from the honoree will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by a reception mixer 2:15-3:15 p.m. in the Cocanougher Special Events Center in the Wehner Building.

This award honors doctoral graduates who have achieved significant distinction in their field and serve as role models for current students. Among the characteristics demonstrated by current and past recipients of this prestigious award are: sustained research productivity and visibility in the field; service to the profession as editor of a major scholarly journal; recipient of major awards for excellence in research, teaching and/or service; academic and administrative leadership as dean or associate dean of a business school; successful career progression at a peer or aspirant school; and holder of an endowed position.

Satish’s research interests are in the area of marketing strategy. More specifically, he is interested in how marketing assets and actions influence firm performance. His research has been published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research and other journals. With his co-authors, Satish was a recipient of the Harold H. Maynard award for 2001 from the Journal of Marketing and the Tamer Cavusgil Award for 2009 from the Journal of International Marketing.

Satish was nominated a “’young scholar” by the Marketing Science Institute in 2003 based on research productivity and managerial interest in research. Satish has also taught graduate courses at Wirtschaftsuniversitat Wien (Vienna University of Business and Economics) in Austria, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara, Mexico and the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India. He received the Alfred G. Smith Award for Outstanding Teaching from the Moore School in 2005.

Satish is a member of the editorial review boards of the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. He has six years of professional experience that includes information technology marketing and advertising.

He received his PhD from Texas A&M in 1999. His MBA came from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, India, in 1988. His B. Tech was from the University of Kerala, India, 1985.