Greenbelt Kombucha was founded in the spring of 2018 by Nathan Klatt (‘95), Timothy Klatt (‘06), Rick Boucard (‘06), Adam Blumenshein and Gavin Booth. The team plans to release two flavors to over 100 H-E-B stores by March 18 and continue promoting an environmentally friendly beverage.

Nathan Klatt, one of the co-founders and UT business alumni, said less effort goes into making kombucha than making beer. Because of this, he said the team feels like other kombucha companies take advantage of retailers by upcharging.

The team claims another unique aspect is the kombuchas’ aluminum can packaging. Before Greenbelt’s creation, Timothy and Blumenshein launched other companies such as Strange Land Brewery, Texas Saké Company and Barrel Creek Provisions. Through these companies, the two observed craft beer’s movement from glass bottles to aluminum cans. Read more here.

Susan G. Komen Houston’s Board of Directors announced today that Julie Voss has been named Executive Director of the organization, effective immediately. Julie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The McCombs School of Business.

Voss brings more than 25 years of fund development and leadership experience to Komen Houston from her time at major nonprofits and foundations. She has served as Interim CEO of the Memorial Hermann Foundation and was most recently the Regional Development Officer for the national office of the Boys & Girls Club of America. She has also served in leadership positions at the University of Texas Medical Branch, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Read more here. 

The Walton Family Foundation announced Wednesday (Jan. 30) that executive director Kyle Peterson will be leaving the mammoth nonprofit this summer.

The Bentonville-based foundation was created in 1987 and is led by the descendants of founders Sam and Helen Walton. Carrie Walton Penner, who is their granddaughter, is the board chair.

“We are appreciative that he is willing to stay during the next six months to help with the transition,” Penner said in the note.

Peterson was hired in June 2016 to replace Buddy Philpot. He was a previously a managing partner and board member of FSG (formerly Foundation Strategy Group), a Boston-based nonprofit consulting firm that serves the social sector. Read more. 

Texas business law firm Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC (RMWBH) is proud to announce that Edward (Teddy) Holtz has joined the firm as an associate attorney.

Holtz is joining RMWBH’s growing Community Association Law practice, already one of the largest in the state of Texas. He will work under the leadership of Equity Shareholder Marc Markel and Shareholders Sipra Boyd, Cliff Davis and Eric Tonsul in RMWBH’s Houston office.

“Teddy brings years of experience in all facets of Community Association law and will help RMWBH continue to provide the service our HOA partners expect,” said Markel.

Holtz previously practiced law at Ford + Bergner LLP. He earned his law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and also completed the Business Honors Program at The University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Read more here. 

BBVA Compass announced it would extend and expand its brand ambassador agreement with May 2018 Texas Longhorn graduate and rising country music singer Tyler Dial. The then-senior at the McCombs School of Business had just finished recording the first EP for his second album project, recording in Nashville, Tenn. with new industry veterans by his side for production, instrumentation, background vocals and more. Read more here. 

Alumnus Jared Laake market director of the Dallas-based brokerage firm, has assumed leasing duties for the 19-story office tower. He is active in The Real Estate Council’s Young Guns and a committee member of the North Texas Commercial Realtors Young Professionals Forum.

Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has been tapped to lease the 398,767-sf Merit Tower as it enters into its seventh year as property manager of the class A high rise in North Dallas’ prestigious Park Central submarket.

Jared Laake, market director of the Dallas-based brokerage firm, has assumed leasing duties for the 19-story office tower at 12222 Merit Drive. Krystal Zahniser, a Bradford senior vice president with 35 years of industry experience, is responsible for the high rise’s property management. Eduardo Gildenson serves as asset manager and local liaison for the out-of-state owner. Read more

Five Austinites have been named directors of The Texas Lyceum, a statewide nonprofit organization that cultivates next-generation leaders.

In all 26 new Texas Lyceum directors were announced Jan. 21. From Austin were Darrel Davila, chief of staff for Texas Lt. Governer Dan Patrick; Gerado Interiano, managing director at consulting firm Pericles Strategies LLC and a former staffing executive at Google Inc.; Jenny Jacobi, senior director of content at Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas; Elizabeth Pishny, North America CPG lead for Facebook Inc.; and Zach Walker, Texas lead for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit.

The Lyceum’s 33rd conference is scheduled to take place Feb.1 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The group’s 2019 president is Sanjay Ramabhadran of Houston, founding principal of engineering firm VERSA Infrastructure LLC.

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Jones Energy, Inc. promoted Kirk Goehring, 34, the Company’s Vice President of Strategy and an executive officer of the Company, to the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Goehring has served in various operating, corporate development, and finance roles at the Company since September 2012.  Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Goehring was an Associate at Metalmark Capital and an Investment Banking Analyst at Greenhill & Co. and Bear Stearns & Co. Mr. Goehring received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Read more here

Raj B. Mistry is the son of Indian immigrants who settled in a small town in Texas, hoping their son would grow up to be a doctor. But Raj was drawn to the quintessentially Texan oil and gas industry. At 27, he is the co-founder of Lynx Resource Partners, which has spent the last two years assembling oil and gas acreage in the Anadarko basin of Oklahoma. Last year Lynx sold 10,000 acres of oilfields for about $30 million. They have since attracted $100 million in private equity capital to build up 15,000 acres. Mistry got his start working at Citi, helping to raise capital for Chesapeake Energy, which helped him get the attention of its late founder, the risk-loving “wildcatter” Aubrey McClendon, who poached Mistry to help him launch American Energy Partners, which raised and deployed more than $5 billion before McClendon’s death in 2015. Mistry worked with McClendon on deals in Texas, Ohio, Australia, Argentina and Mexico, eventually becoming director of finance for AEP. Read more here.