North Texas Companies, DFW Airport Named to 2023 Texan by Nature 20 List

Austin-based Texan by Nature, a Texas-led conservation nonprofit founded by former First Lady and Dallas resident Laura Bush, has announced 20 honorees of the 5th annual Texan by Nature 20—an official ranking of companies with Texas operations that have made a demonstrative commitment to conservation.

Included in the list are several companies with North Texas ties. The TxN 20 recognizes the best and most innovative work in conservation coming from businesses based or operating in Texas.

“We believe in building an environmentally sustainable future through actions, collaborations, and innovative models in conservation,” Joni Carswell, president and CEO of Texan by Nature, said in a statement. “It’s an honor to celebrate the Texas-based industry leaders that share these values and prove the transformative benefits of pairing business resources with conservation efforts to impact the globe.”

As part of the TxN 20, Texan by Nature honors companies across 12 industries in the state whose ingenuity cultivates impactful programs and forges new, beneficial paths in conservation.

The 2023 TxN 20 honorees

Alamo Group
Cemex
Cirrus Logic
CPS Energy
Darling Ingredients, headquartered in Irving
Desert Door Sotol
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
HOLT CAT, which has locations in DFW
JP Morgan, which has a large DFW presence and a regional campus in Plano
Mary Kay, based in Addison
Microsoft, which has an innovation center in Irving
NextEra Energy
North American Development Bank
Ørsted
Overland Partners
PepsiCo
Stantec, which has an office in Plano
Texas Health Resources, based in Arlington
Wayne Sanderson Farms
WM

Recognizing conservation leaders and tracking best practices

With 171 million acres of land and global leadership across multiple industries, Texas is fortunate to have industry leaders who see the value in partnering with conservation initiatives while also developing innovative, environmentally sustainable methods, and processes within their business, the organization said.

Texan by Nature said that as a catalyst for thought leadership, innovative partnerships, and community-led solutions, it has been working with the Texas business community to implement Texas-led conservation practices.

The TxN 20 not only recognizes the honorees, but also is a catalogue of best practices and metrics to industry peers. Texan by Nature said the honorees’ commitment to conservation, their projects and programs, best practices, and lessons learned are examples and inspiration for everyone.

“I’m happy to celebrate this year’s TxN 20! And I encourage other companies to follow their example and engage in conservation. Together, we can contribute to our prosperous economy, protect our rich natural resources, and ensure that Texas has a bright and beautiful future for our children and grandchildren to enjoy,” Bush said in a statement.

The 2023 TxN 20 is catalyzed by Jetco Delivery, the organization said.

“With our investment in the TxN 20, we hope to amplify cross-industry innovations and actions that will inspire and propel businesses toward a sustainable future,” Jetco President Kyle Kristynik said in a statement.

How companies were evaluated

Selection of the 2023 TxN 20 included evaluating company data submissions along with independent research across more than 2,000 of Texas’ publicly traded and private companies across 12 industry sectors.

All companies were evaluated on key criteria through a 17-point scoring system to narrow down the list to the top 60 companies in Texas, the organization said. Key scoring criteria included: stated commitment to conservation; reported metrics related to conservation; measured investment in conservation; reported Return on ConservationTM results; positive conservation impact on land, water, wildlife, people, waste, energy, and more; and activities such as infrastructure, production and supply chain, employee engagement, and more.

Each year, a selection committee of industry leaders is formed to evaluate the top 60 companies and select the final honorees for the TxN 20. TxN 20 selection and recognition is also supported by HOLT CAT.

The TxN 20 2023 Selection Committee members included:

Rick Archer, Founding Principal – Overland Partners
Andrejs E. Avots-Avotins, MD, PhD, The Elizabeth & Drayton McLane, Jr. Chair in Health & Wellness Vice President of Medical Affairs – Baylor Scott & White Health – Temple
Zach Baumer, Interim Chief Sustainability Officer — City of Austin
Tracee Bentley, President & CEO – Permian Strategic Partnership
Stoney Burke, Founder/CEO — Aquia Group, TxN Advisory Council
Edward Craner, Sr. Vice President – HOLT CAT
Matthew Crommett, Managing Director – LH Capital Inc., Lyda Hill Philanthropies in Dallas
Michael Dorff, Communications and Public Affairs – Raytheon in McKinney
Trey Dyer, Director of Land and Fixed Assets – The East Foundation
Smith Getterman, Director of Sustainability and Special Projects – Baylor University
Robert Horton, Vice President, Environmental Affairs & Sustainability – Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, TxN Board
Devin Hotzel, Manager, Government Relations – Enbridge
Bob Malone, Chairman, President & CEO – Sonora Bank
Richard McDonald, Corporate Director of Sustainability, Sundt Construction Corp.
VJ Smith, Manager, ESG and Stakeholder Engagement – Marathon Petroleum
Audrey Templeton, Enterprise Risk Manager – Molson Coors

Texan by Nature’s projects and programs have impacted more than 7 million people, 19.5 million acres, and all of Texas’ 254 counties over the last two years.