Few companies in the American energy sector can point to a history as steady and deliberate as Gulf Coast Western. Founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1970 by Thomas H. Fleeger, the firm began with a clear focus on acquiring and developing domestic oil and gas resources. Over the following decades, it expanded from a regional […]

Ask Michael Polk Newell Brands what a CEO is ultimately there to do and the answer comes quickly: create value. That principle, Polk says, holds whether you are running a global public conglomerate or a lean private company. What changes is how you pursue it. The Public Company Playbook Polk spent decades building that conviction […]

In an industry where automation has become a competitive shortcut, Greg Soros has built Podcraft Media Lab into a profitable boutique operation by doing the opposite of what trend-chasers recommend. The Austin podcaster and production entrepreneur has structured his company around a simple belief: the human elements of audio storytelling are not inefficiencies to be […]

Publishing for young readers has never been static, but the pace of change has accelerated considerably as digital technology reshapes how children interact with content. For Greg Soros, author with more than fifteen years of experience in the field, that shift raises important questions about the future of children’s literature without undermining his confidence in […]

For most people in finance, success is measured in numbers. Assets under management, quarterly returns, new client acquisition these are the yardsticks by which careers are built and reputations are made. Justin Nelson, Managing Director and Head of the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Connecticut, has spent […]

Surgical innovations gain traction when they come supported by rigorous documentation. Dr. Andrew Jacono has built that foundation methodically, publishing clinical outcomes, refining the technique in peer-reviewed literature, and translating years of practice into a formal medical textbook. That body of work is one reason his extended deep-plane approach has spread from a single New […]

When a plastic surgeon flies across the country to have another surgeon perform a facelift on them, it signals something about the recipient’s reputation. Dr. Paul Nassif, based in Beverly Hills, made exactly that trip to New York to undergo the extended deep-plane facelift with Dr. Andrew Jacono. The decision underscores what the broader surgical […]

Yazan Al Homsi has built a distinctive presence in North American venture capital from his base in Vancouver — one grounded in a personal story that spans continents and in an investment philosophy shaped by exposure to genuinely different economic contexts. Born in Saudi Arabia and now firmly established in British Columbia, Al Homsi brings […]

On March 20, 2026, Judd Zebersky officially stepped down as CEO of Jazwares, the company he founded in 1997 after leaving his law practice. The departure closed a chapter that began with a flight to China and ended with Jazwares operating in more than 100 countries, employing approximately 1,400 people, and owning one of the […]

Judd Zebersky trained as a lawyer at the University of Miami before leaving his practice in 1997 to start Jazwares. He spent months in China learning toy manufacturing firsthand. The company he built grew into the home of Squishmallows, now one of the best-selling toy brands in the world. That commercial success runs parallel to […]