Chad Auler has taken his McCombs MBA and reinvented the family business. Following in his father, Ed's, footsteps, Chad's love for the beverage industry grew from its beginnings at his parents Fall Creek winery into his own endeavors. After parlaying what he learned from his parents and coupling it with the business sense developed at McCombs, Chad ventured into the vodka business, co-founding Deep Eddy Vodka and eventually starting Milestone Brands, which represents a wide variety of beverage labels. He talked with McCombs Made about the journey from there to here, what he sees as his next chapter, and what it's like to continue his family's legacy.

Brian McDermott, MBA '14, president and COO of Frönen, took all he learned while studying entrepreneurship at McCombs and parlayed it into a number of business ventures. But the most daring and visionary has to be his latest – spearheading the national expansion of the non-dairy frozen dessert brand Frönen, which he and his partner, George Ho, acquired in 2024. Hear how a family medical issue inspired Brian's passion for clean ingredients and how he is using all he learned as a student on the Forty Acres to make them accessible – and delicious – for everyone.

Lisa Gagnon knows entertainment. More specifically, she understands sports entertainment. After earning her BBA degree from Texas McCombs in 1997, she went on to earn a MBA in marketing from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill before heading up the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee as vice president of marketing. Today, she is the chief marketing officer for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which broke its all-time attendance record in 2025 with 2.7 million attendees.

Lisa sat down with McCombs Made to reflect on her journey from student to play-maker, life as a sports entertainment marketer and what she plans to do next.

John C. Goff graduated with his BBA from McCombs in 1977 and proves that a curious mind paired with keen instincts can change the world. Currently, John owns and operates the investment firm Goff Capital, which he founded in 2009, and is the vice chairman and CEO of Crescent Real Estate. But rewind to his young life growing up in Lake Jackson, Texas, and you'll find a kid happily running the roads on his bicycle, collecting scraps to craft his latest project, including a two-man submarine. Or you might have found him at the ripe young age of 13 managing an apartment complex, the beginnings of an entrepreneur on full display. He talks about all of that and his work with the John C. Goff Real Estate Investment program at McCombs in our latest episode of McCombs Made. He'll also reveal his hidden talent and what he has learned from his mistakes. Tune in, turn it up, and take notes. You might learn something.

 Alissa Bayer graduated with her MBA from McCombs in 2004 and quickly launched Milk and Honey Spa. After over 20 years in business and 10 locations nationwide, in this episode she reflects back on the lessons she learned at McCombs, what it's been like to navigate changing social norms and how she hopes her business sparks joy in the wider community.

 Albi Zoga graduated with his BBA from McCombs in 2022, and inside of the last three years, opened not one, not two, but three restaurants at the ripe old age of 25. A graduate of the entrepreneurship program, he has taken what he learned at McCombs and parlayed it into three thriving restaurants, the last of which just opened in Boerne recently.

 Jeremy Tsui graduated in 2015 with a BBA from McCombs as part of the honors program. He had a startup with friends before he even graduated and now is the CEO and co-founder of Finley, which is a tech company redefining the ways startups get funding. In this episode, he talks with host Miranda Bradley about his journey from cellist to business mogul, wannabe to McCombs, grad to young CEO, and exactly what that experience has taught him.

Gilbert Aranza (BBA '74) is the President and CEO of Star Concessions, Ltd., which owns and operates food and beverage and retail concessions at airports, primarily Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.