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E. Javier Loya

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E Javier Loya
NationalityMexican-American
Other namesJavier Loya
Alma materColumbia University:[1]
Occupation(s)Chairman and CEO of OTC Global Holdings
Years active2007–present
Known forCEO of OTC Global Holdings, Minority Owner of Houston Texans
SpouseLucinda Vincent-Loya
Children2

Enrique Javier Loya[2] (born February 2, 1969) is a Mexican-American business entrepreneur and former college football player. He is a minority owner of the NFL's Houston Texans.[3] Loya is also the co-founder of independent commodity broker OTC Global Holdings.[4][5]

Education and family

Loya was raised in El Paso, Texas as the second-youngest of seven children.[6] His father worked at a Farah Manufacturing Co. plant and taught his children to prioritize education.[6] Loya graduated from New York City’s Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1991.[7] Loya married Lucinda Vincent (Now Lucinda Vincent-Loya) and has 2 children.[7][8]

Football career

Loya played for the Columbia Lions as a linebacker and a defensive end throughout his academic career at Columbia University.[9][10][11] He was a varsity letterman in all three of his varsity seasons[11] and was named an Honorable Mention All-Ivy League Selection in 1990.[12] He is tied with several other players for the fourth-most career fumble recoveries while playing for the Columbia Lions.[12]

Career

Choice! Energy LP

In 1994, Loya co-founded Choice! Energy LP with two partners. Choice was an energy brokerage firm specializing in natural gas.[13][14][15]

In 2000, Loya purchased control of the company from his partners.[7]

After Texas deregulated the power market in 2002, Loya launched a new firm, Choice Energy Services. As the sole owner of Choice Energy Services, Loya expanded the company's services from wholesale markets to retail commodities management.[16][17]

In 2015, Loya’s company, Choice Energy, filed a lawsuit against 9 of their brokers for breach of contract. The 9 brokers filed a countersuit claiming they were forced to resign due to unpaid commissions and hostile work environment. All but one broker settled out of court.[18]

Houston Texans

In 2002, Loya became the first Hispanic owner in the NFL after he purchased a minority stake in the Houston Texans.[3] Loya was one of 10 investors in the Houston Texans.[19][20][21][22][23][24]

During the Choice Energy lawsuit, Javier was accused of being a high-stakes gambler, which sparked an investigation from the NFL due to Javier’s ownership of the Houston Texans. According to the NFL Ownership Guidelines, it is a violation for owners or employees of any NFL team to take part in any gambling.[18][25]

OTC Global Holdings

In 2007, Loya co-founded OTC Global Holdings as a commodity brokerage that initially acquired Choice Natural Gas, Choice Power, and Choice Energy. OTC Global Holdings has grown to service over 450 institutional clients in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.[26][27][4][28][29][5]

Litigation

In late December 2019, John Klosek, one of the founding members of OTC Global Holdings, filed a lawsuit against the CEO Javier Loya, COO Joseph Kelly, and several employees. The lawsuit was over extravagant personal spending decreasing the company's value to a negative net worth.[30] Loya and the other accusees denied the allegations.[30][31] The claims state the defendants have embezzled over millions of dollars from OTC Global Holdings for personal use. The lawsuit is currently on-going.[32][33]

Veneno Tequila

In September 2019, Loya, his wife Lucinda, and several Houston entrepreneurs launched a tequila brand called Veneno Tequila. Actor Danny Trejo was the first person to introduce and drink a bottle of Veneno Tequila.[34][35][36]

Other Activities

Loya has served on the Board of Regents for Texas Southern University as well as other charitable foundations across Houston.[37][38][39]

Philanthropy

Loya is a sponsor and member of the board of directors for the Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase, a charitable organization that organizes high school football scouting events. The organization has provided over $100 million in scholastic aid to over 3,000 participants since 2008.[11][40][41][42]

In 2011, Loya founded the Greater El Paso Football Showcase Combine, which provided over $9 million in scholarships to over 100 high school senior athletes.[3][11][43][44]

Awards

  • In 2002, Loya received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award from the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.[45][14][46]
  • In 2004, Loya was named “Hispanic Businessman of the Year” by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.[8]
  • In 2004, Javier was also given the John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement by his former university, Columbia University.[47][48][49]
  • In 2007, Javier received the “Emerging Leader” Award from the Greater Houston Partnership.[50]
  • In 2010, Javier received the “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award from Ernst & Young.[8][21]
  • In 2017, Loya was honored as a distinguished graduate by the Ivy Football Association at its bi-annual dinner at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.[11][51]

References

  1. ^ "Javier Loya interview from 2015 Connects in Houston". Columbia Alumni Association. August 3, 2016.
  2. ^ "The perfect combination". Smart Business. June 26, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "Part-owner of Houston Texans still giving back to El Paso's student-athletes". KVIA ABC-7. December 14, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Q&A: Market volatility a way of life for commodities broker". Houston Chronicle. April 26, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Rutledge, Tanya (May 2, 2010). "Brokering options for growth: OTC Global Holdings". Houston Business Journal.
  6. ^ a b Robertson, Dale (May 9, 2002). "Robertson: Energetic trader Loya personifies American dream". Houston Chronicle.
  7. ^ a b c Cabral, Elena (January 2003). "FEATURES - Javier Loya '91". Columbia College.
  8. ^ a b c "Lucinda and Javier Loya". The Social Book - Houston.
  9. ^ "College Football; Lions Edge the Tigers With a Fierce Defense". New York Times. October 28, 1990.
  10. ^ "5 More Reasons to Celebrate Columbia Athletics". Columbia Magazine. Spring 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Ivy Football Association Honors Javier Loya". Columbia University. January 26, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "2018 Columbia Football Record Book". NCAA. 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Wollam, Allison (November 24, 2002). "Building on a choice". Houston Business Journal.
  14. ^ a b Phillips, Bruce (February 26, 2003). "Loya Named Hispanic Male Entrepreneur of the Year". Hispanic Engineer.
  15. ^ Goodman, Leah McGrath (July 2, 2007). "Power In Energy Trading Shifts to Smaller Brokers". Wall Street Journal.
  16. ^ Martin, Joe (October 5, 2016). "Houston power co. to go on hiring spree, move headquarters". Houston Business Journal.
  17. ^ "Moneymakers: Javier Loya". Houston Chronicle. August 11, 2004.
  18. ^ a b McClain, John (February 16, 2008). "NFL Probes Allegation Against Texans Partner".
  19. ^ Easton, Pam (March 26, 2002). "Hispanic businessman becomes newest investor in Texans". My Plainview.
  20. ^ Wilson, Aaron (May 19, 2020). "NFL owners table proposal to incentivize hiring minorities, expand Rooney Rule". Houston Chronicle.
  21. ^ a b Wilson, Aaron (June 22, 2020). "Summit seeks to widen NFL opportunities for minorities". Houston Chronicle.
  22. ^ Trotter, Jim (June 23, 2020). "Coaching Summit offers positives, but major diversity issues remain". NFL.com. NFL.
  23. ^ "Texans' minority owner defends Bob McNair and players". abc13.com. ABC 13 News. October 31, 2017.
  24. ^ Breer, Albert (June 18, 2020). "Quarterback Coaching Summit Aims to Create Opportunity for Black NFL Coaches".
  25. ^ Abelson, Max (October 14, 2008). "What a Gas! Texas Mogul Streams $4.3 M. to Moby and Pals for Stuy Square Spread". Observer.
  26. ^ "History & Timeline". OTC Global Holdings.
  27. ^ "Bloomberg: Javier Loya Business Profile". Bloomberg.
  28. ^ "Commodity Broker of the Year: OTC Global Holdings". Risk.net. May 10, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  29. ^ "Nicholas Ernst joins Choice Natural Gas as Director of Weather Markets". Artemis. May 31, 2013.
  30. ^ a b "San Antonio Express News Co-Owner Sues Houston Brokerage". San Antonio Express-News. December 19, 2019.
  31. ^ Tisma (December 19, 2019). "Raw materials: the castle life of the managers of a broker on the verge of bankruptcy". Financial Investor.
  32. ^ Bair, Jeffrey (December 17, 2019). "CEO's $17,000 Birthday Party Spurs Commodity Brokerage Lawsuit". Bloomberg News.
  33. ^ "Partner sues commodities broker for clocking up expenses". Financial Times. December 18, 2019.
  34. ^ Hodge, Shelby (September 21, 2019). "This Texans Party Turns Into a Red Hot Tequila Launch With Moguls, Beautiful People and Pro Athletes". Paper City.
  35. ^ de Luna, Marcy (December 2, 2019). "Texans vs. Patriots tailgate party doubles as tequila launch". Houston Chronicle.
  36. ^ Hodge, Shelby (September 21, 2020). "Electric Tequila Party in River Oaks District Shows Chic Houstonians Aren't Afraid to Have Fun". Paper City.
  37. ^ Tresauge, Matthew (May 10, 2007). "Perry picks 5 appointees to reshape TSU". Houston Chronicle.
  38. ^ "Senate confirms new Texas Southern regents". The Eagle. May 12, 2007.
  39. ^ Kamara, Margaret (May 14, 2007). "Texas Southern Takes Step Back to Stability". Diverse.
  40. ^ "Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase Board of Directors". Greater Houston Senior Football Showcase. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  41. ^ "Second-chance athletic showcase turns $5,000 budget into $12 million in scholarships". Houston Independent School District. February 6, 2015.
  42. ^ "NFF High School Showcases Expand Impact". South Florida Tribune. February 10, 2019.
  43. ^ Deaver, Colin (December 20, 2019). "915 Showcase Combine gives El Paso players a shot at next level". KTSM.
  44. ^ Kaplwitz, Steve (September 14, 2011). "Kappy's Corner". What's Up.
  45. ^ Kaplan, David (September 28, 2002). "Hispanic male entrepreneur of the year says system works". Houston Chronicle.
  46. ^ "Hispanic Chamber to host reception for CHOICE! Energy's Javier Loya". The Monitor. October 26, 2003.
  47. ^ "JOHN JAY AWARDS". Columbia University Alumni Association. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  48. ^ Palladino, Lisa. "John Jay Awards To Honor Alumni, Parent". Columbia College Today. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  49. ^ "University will honor successful Burges grad". El Paso, Texas. February 28, 2004.
  50. ^ "DeBakey honored as one of 'Houston's Greatest'". Houston Chronicle. December 12, 2007.
  51. ^ "Robert W. Pangia '73 To Be Honored By Ivy Football Association". Brown University Athletics. September 9, 2016.

External links

Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople Category:American company founders Category:People from Houston