fresh starts

Over 23 years ago, when I walked into TBG’s office on Sixth Street as a job-hungry college student hoping for an interview — I just tagged along with my buddy from OSU who was there for an interview and asked if I could interview as well — I never would have imagined that one day I would be asked to be the President and lead the company.

Thinking back about that day, and the journey to get to this point, has been eye-opening. When I was approached by the Board to be the next President, my first response was that I needed to think about it. I wanted to make sure I could commit the time needed, but as TBG’s 11^th employee, I also understand the legacy of the firm and wanted to make sure I could carry it on.

In the beginning, we’d all sit around the table at the Sixth Street office in Austin and stay up all night rendering drawings. It’s amazing to think about how far we’ve come since my first days in that office: from 11 of us in Austin, to moving to Houston with only a few people on New Year’s Day in 2000, to five locations, working all over the country — all over the world — sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if it’s real. It’s been fun seeing the firm grow in success — not just in numbers, but in quality and reputation.

Today, my excitement for TBG’s future has never been greater. I believe in the value of each and every person at TBG and what they have to offer. We’ve got the most talent of any firm in the country. Combine that with a culture that celebrates being different and our potential is unlimited. The only thing that can hold us back is ourselves.

As TBG embarks upon a new era, a new presidency after five years of visionary leadership by Jim Manskey, who followed in the larger-than-life footsteps of our founder, Earl Broussard, I’m thrilled for this opportunity and eager to see what the next few years have in store for us. There’s no better firm than TBG and that’s because we’re not afraid to do it our way. We work hard, but play even harder, and that’s the same recipe Earl started the company with back in 1987.

It’s a fresh start, the future is brighter than ever at TBG, and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Bill Odle