Interview with Ed Curtis - CEO of YTexas

Ed Curtis, CEO of YTexas runs a company that welcomes companies and people to Texas.  He said Texas welcomes people, no matter where you're from…So, from an outsider looking in, I said, I would love to form an organization that helps people understand the values in Texas

Join the Rainmakers   Network on LinkedIn
Guest - Ed Curtis
Host - Carl Grant
Producer - Seth Grant

Transcript

Carl Grant: 0:10

Welcome to Rainmakerks. I'm here with Ed Curtis, CEO of why Texas welcome iEd.

Ed Curtis: 0:17

Thank you Carl apperciate it.

Carl Grant: 0:19

So, Ed, you got an interesting story here. You, you didn't start out in Texas, you started out somewhere else. And you can tell us where you came from. But then you move to Dallas. And you had to kind of recreate your whole personal network and get to know people. And, and eventually, you turn that into a business after being a banker for many years. So talk to us about where you came from and what your experience was moving to Texas.

Ed Curtis: 0:51

Sure, well, as I say, what I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could. andthat happened in the early 90s. I yeah, I'm I was born and raised in New York, and worked in New York City in the early 90s, after graduating college. And I was kind of at the point in my life where I wanted to explore a little bit more, really never been outside of New York as a young child and students and stumbled upon Dallas, Texas came down with a friend of mine to poke around for about a week or so and went back to New York, quit my job, told my family, I was moving to Dallas, they thought I was crazy. And I've been here ever since 28 years, and it's been a joy.

Carl Grant: 1:36

And what was it that drew you to Texas?

Ed Curtis: 1:41

You know, it's funny at that time, there were two cities that were kind of on the map of the places to be it was Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas. And I believe that was around the time where Atlanta had won the Olympics. And Dallas has always been, I think, always been that shining star from a national and even international perspective where people were interested and intrigued in it, but they really don't know much about it. And I was I was in that camp, and I kind of looked at the two. And I said, you know, well, funny story. I was working for an ad agency. And one of the TV stations that I was representing was Katie vt in Dallas. And it's very cutthroat business, whenever you get on the phone, whether it's a TV station in Portland or New York or California, you know, it was, you know, on and off the phone, what do you got, here's the cost, I move on to the next deal. But whenever I talked to the people in Dallas, they were nice. They asked me how my day was, and I couldn't believe it. And I actually made the visit to Dallas. I've also been to Atlanta, and then I chose Dallas, and packed my bags and moved

Carl Grant: 2:52

But you didn't stay in Dallas, you you moved to Austin. And what precipitated that?

Ed Curtis: 2:59

Well, I think when and this is really, one of the big things that I talked about in our business is that Texas is a huge state. And wherever you land, you're still within earshot from other major cities that are driving the US economy in Texas. So at the time I had moved to Dallas. I was I heard about Austin. Again, it was back then it was a sleepy college town, made a road trip with a friend of mine and couldn't believe the beauty and the landscape. And also that you know, the people were Yeah, they're definitely weird at the time, and maybe still are a little bit but it was just different. It was a college town. beautiful landscape. I had grown up in upstate New York. So I appreciated the hills and the mountains and the greenery. And I said, Wow, this is a place I want to get to eventually wanted to learn a little bit more about it. And just in my in the business where I have to travel around the state, I thought Austin was a good location. It's located in the capital city. It is the capital city where I do a significant amount of business, essentially located somewhat, and just a great place to live. So I moved my family and my kids down here about four years ago.

Carl Grant: 4:17

So let's talk about how you establish yourself in the state, built your own personal network, and then how you've translated that into this business you have today.

Ed Curtis: 4:28

You know, I tell a funny story. When I had when I moved to Texas, I went back to school to get a degree in finance. My plan was to move back to New York and go to Wall Street, which obviously never happened. I got picked up by someone that worked for Comerica Bank, and got me entered into their banking training program. And when I first entered the job, I inherited appoints portfolio of companies. And I had to walk into these offices.To say, My name is Ed Curtis, and I'm your your new banker. And I had to walk in with a very strong New York accent. And didn't have no any history in Texas didn't really know any people in Texas. So I had to prove myself. And I have to tell you, I reflect back to that to this day. And every single one of my clients gave me a shot. And you know, they it was it was funny, they would joke around about my accent, where are you from? How'd you get here? Maybe a Yankee comment here and there. Again, this is, you know, 28 years ago, but they all gave me the business. And they all, you know, allowed me to prove myself and throughout my career, I never forgot that. And people and in Texas are really true to their word, they will give anyone a shot and matter where you come from. And I think that's really that was really the foundation of, you know, as I reflected back on my 20 plus years in banking, I said, you know, I've built a pretty good, trusted network, that I think others moving into Texas could benefit from.

Carl Grant: 6:00

Now, talk, talk to us about how you do that. So I'm a vie, admit you a year ago, when I had moved here, what would what would that look like if I engaged you?

Ed Curtis: 6:13

Well, I mean, even when I was in banking, I tried to expand my sphere of influence, I think, one, when people get into a profession, it's very common for them to run in very similar circles. So in banking, you'd hang out with accountants, lawyers, consultants, real estate brokers. But you wouldn't necessarily maybe run around with people in a different industry that have nothing to do nor benefit you in any way that are doing different things. And I always was curious about other things that were happening outside of my sphere of influence. And I think that really benefited me in the end, because I, I got to know, I got to know people who didn't know each other. And you can probably appreciate this and in what you do, Carl, I mean, you know, if you'refrom, let's say, lakeway, you know, chances are, you'll make an introduction, and they know each other, but when you meet people that are doing completely different things, and you introduce them, and they end up doing something that's kind of magical.

Carl Grant: 7:19

Oh, yeah. I do it all the time, Absolutely.

Ed Curtis: 7:21

Yeah. Right.

Carl Grant: 7:22

So so but you do this as a business, I kind of do it as a business. I mean, I represent a law firm doing business development, and there's a legal component to just about everything that happens out there. So you strategically make these connections, and then things happen, and then they need you need your services. Right. But you're you're making these connections happen. You know, kind of it's, it's a business, right? You enjoy it. It's fun. But you know, so how did what? What does that look like you if I came to Texas didn't know a soul. All right? You're going to introduce me to organizations, to individuals to groups, invite me to events, parties, lunches, what does that? What does that look like? And this is for the person who's listening to this podcast? Who's planning their move to Texas?

Ed Curtis: 8:12

Yeah, and, you know, it's a great question, because when I first started, why Texas, it was an idea and a concept. And again, networking is not anything new. But I was very passionate aboutthe future of Texas, I was very interested in making sure that Texas continued to be that place that welcomes people, no matter where you're from, and like anything, when, when a good thing, you know, when too many people find out about a good thing, typically what happens is they forget about, you know, why they moved to a certain place or joined a certain organization, you get too many people with too many different opinions and, and you lose kind of the soul of the of the organization and, and the concept. So, from an outsider looking in, I said, You know, I would love to form an organization that helps people understand the values in Texas and the different cultures between San Antonio Houston, Dallas, Austin, of course, progress their career forward and introduce them to people that can make them better, more profitable. But really, the underlying mission was to make Texas better and to keep Texas good. So I think the difference between what we do and what let's say YPO does, or other networking groups that are that do great things for people and help them grow their business. Ours really at the core of ours is, is making Texas better and if you care about the future of our state, I mean, Carl, you and I have to, you know, we have young kids just being a part of the fabric of the state and also networking and meeting new people. I really felt that combination of those few things would make for a good organization.

Carl Grant: 10:03

Now, in order for these groups and individuals and people in taxes to take your referrals and respond to you, when you reach out to them, you have to do something to maintain those relationships. These are not transactional relationships. So talk to us about what you do to main]tain this network throughout the state.

Ed Curtis: 10:25

I think just being engaged with them in things that do not involve business to business. And I'll give you an example. Last night, we had the executive director of the bush combat Development Center, speak to 15 students about how he moved his career, he was a Filipino immigrant. And he moved his way all the way up to the position he's in now. And he shared his story with 15 students, and the students benefited. And I think he felt good about what he did. That has nothing to do with business for him, there was no money exchanged, it was just Hey, could you share your experience with a bunch of students? So I think, I think it just comes down to just, again, business will come but if you're if if the if the network, and the you know, the the benefit that you gain is in a number of different areas outside of just business exchange, that makes you a better person, it, people understand you more, and I think you, you know, it makes you feel good.

Carl Grant: 11:36

So let's use a use case here. I, I've been here a year, I've been coming to Texas for eight years. So I know people here my network has doubled since I've been here. I know people in obviously in Austin, but also in San Antonio and Dallas. I don't I don't know if I know a soul in Houston. I was thinking about it. And I hear that, I hear that in Houston. They're not as as welcoming to outsiders. So I don't know if that's true or not. But But assuming it is, and so I'm going to Houston and I reach out to Ed Curtis and say, Ed, I need your help. I'm going to Houston, how do I penetrate this market? and get to know people? What would you do? Well, the first thing I would do is probably introduce you to people at the Greater Houston partnership. It's, you know it every region has their own economic development, organization and platform. And for what I do for a living, the economic development organizations are really kind of the Engine for Business recruitment, expansion. And, and they're a wealth of knowledge, the people that sit on their boards are the most powerful and influential people in the region. And they happen to be very open and welcoming. And I would probably introduce you to them, because they're the center of gravity for everything that's happening in business. In Houston, I will tell you, what's interesting about the regions within the state is that they all have, they all have their own culture and identity. But if you spend a lot of time in each region, they really are welcoming and very prideful about their region to the point where they almost, if you spent time in Houston, and you know, put the weather aside, I know most people don't like us, because of the weather. You probably want to move there. I mean, there's a lot of passion around people that live and do business in Houston. And they feel like the same way they're like, I don't know if Dallas is as friendly and welcoming as Houston, but we're pretty friendly and welcoming. So that's really what drives me is, you know, when when I when people do have a particular impression about a region, like you did for Houston, which I did, and, and, and, and still do, to some extent about certain things about a region. But if you really spend a lot of time in these cities, which is what we do, you'll really understand how they do business and they do business differently. But it really expands your your networking and understanding of the business landscape in the state. I understand your economic development approach. Totally. I come from an economic development background. That's kind of where I got started in my career. I've had three different economic development jobs. So I get it, that's your job. And and so when I entered a San Antonio, that's, that's the reception I got. I got to know all of their economic development organizations. They're absolutely wonderful in San Antonio, I've become personal friends with some of them and yeah, so so they got us around to see every everybody that mattered in the city, and it was great and and as a result, I'm referring business down there. I Send virtually all of the life sciences prospects I see that are headed anywhere near this area, I send them down to San Antonio as a result. So I

Ed Curtis: 15:09

Absolutely I think they're unsung heroes. Honestly, I don't I don't think people look to them like, like you and I do. They just look at them. As you know, that's an organization that I don't know if it would help me or benefit me. But they really are the heartbeat of the region.

Carl Grant: 15:27

Yeah. So so how can if somebody is gonna listen to this? And they're, they're planning to move their business to Texas? How do they reach out to you and engage you give some advice?

Ed Curtis: 15:40

Well, I mean, I think if you want to penetrate the, the Texas market, when I say Texas market, that's 29 million million people live here. It's a long game, it's not a short game. And I, I learned this fortunately, as a young man, I moved here in my mid 20s. And it took me several years to realize that, you know, there's a lot of power in Texas, because, you know, we have the can do attitude, the welcoming spirit, all the you know, that the kind of the canned words that you hear. But it really is true. And I think you will be if you move here, you will stay, he will not leave, you will probably open up more offices than you had planned, you'll probably have, at the end The end more employees move here than you had planned. And you need to be ready for that. And like I said, it's a long game. So build long lasting relationships, reach out to organizations that can help you do that, why Texas happens to be one of them. But I mean, we're big fans of chambers of commerce and trade organizations. I think what we've done is we've consolidated all of these networks that you will need to build over time in one spot. So we really try to it's a one stop shop, we try to help save you time, because mostly when companies moving here, you know, the first six months, they're just, I mean, they don't have a second to breathe, but they're very important six months because you're you need to get your brand out and people need to know why you're here and what you care about. And, you know, network as quickly as quickly as you can. And of course, we're a resource for that.

Carl Grant: 17:19

Oh, thank you. That's great advice. Ed Curtis, if you want to find him online, it's Y the letter Y, Ytexas.com and I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you. Thanks for joining us today, ed. And if you like what you heard this morning, please subscribe. Please rate the podcast and share it on social media with your friends. Thanks