Exela Technologies Names CEO of BPA Subsidiary

Suresh Yannamani

Irving-based Exela Technologies announced the promotion of Suresh Yannamani to chief executive officer, Exela Technologies BPA, a subsidiary of Exela.

The company said that Yannamani’s promotion is part of plans underway since last year including the appointment of several presidents of business units within its accounting segments. Some of these appointments were from within the company’s ranks and some were from the industry.

In this position, Yannamani will report to the executive chairman and will be responsible for driving Exela BPA’s global business along with the current leadership team.

Most recently, Titzler was Interim Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communication at Texas Woman’s University, leading the division responsible for media relations, social media, web communications, creative services, digital content creation, crisis communications, marketing, and advertising. She worked at TWU for more than five years in positions of growing responsibility before being named interim AVP.

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OrderMyGear CEO Leonid-Rozkin (left) and Executive Chairman Dave Dutch [Photo: OrderMyGear]

OrderMyGear Names Sole CEO, Announces New Funding

Dallas-based e-commerce company OrderMyGear has named Leonid Rozkin as its new CEO as the company eyes its next phase of growth with new funding.

The company focused on selling custom-branded goods to groups like sports teams has announced taking on a new debt facility from CIBC Innovation Banking to help it “enhance growth,” the company said in a statement.

“My hope is to propel OMG forward, and to continue driving innovation,” Rozkin said in a statement.

Rozkin joined OrderMyGear in 2019, previously serving as a vice president at California investment firm Francisco Partners. Since joining OMG as head of finance and accounting, Rozkin has also served as its CFO and co-CEO, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The company said that Rozkin takes over from Dave Dutch, who took on the top exec role at the beginning of 2019 from company co-founder Kent McKeaigg. A former CEO for property management payments platform PayLease, Dutch will stay on with OrderMyGear as the company’s executive chairman, where he will focus on building and bolstering partnerships, while coordinating with Rozkin.

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Dave & Buster’s new executive leadership team (top row first): Antonio Bautista, Rob Edmund, Steve Klohn, Les Lehner, John Mulleady, Michael Quartieri, Tony Wehner, and Ashley Zickefoose

Post-Merger, Dave & Buster’s Forms New Leadership Team With Multiple Executive Appointments

CEO Chris Morris

Coppell-based Dave & Buster’s Entertainment—which acquired Dallas-based Main Event Entertainment last April to form an eatertainment powerhouse—has announced a series of executive appointments to form a new leadership team that will support CEO Chris Morris.

“At Dave & Buster’s, our people, at every level of the organization, are core to everything we do and achieve,” Morris said. “The depth of expertise and proven track record of this team is a testament to the incredible talent across our two brands, and I look forward to all that we will achieve together.”

The senior leadership team will include the following individuals:

• Antonio Bautista, Chief International Development Officer
• Rob Edmund, Chief People and Legal Officer
• Steve Klohn, Chief Information Officer
• Les Lehner, Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Main Event Development
• John Mulleady, Chief Development Officer
• Michael Quartieri, Chief Financial Officer
• Tony Wehner, Chief Operating Officer
• Ashley Zickefoose, Chief Marketing Officer

The company said that the appointments take effect August 1.

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Ebby Halliday Foundation Names New Executive Director

Mary Poss

Mary Poss has been named executive director of the Ebby Halliday Foundation, which was created to carry on real estate legend Halliday’s philanthropic vision by supporting charitable organizations.

Poss served eight years on the Dallas City Council, where she held the positions of Mayor Pro Tem and Acting Mayor. She also has co-chaired the Homeland Security Task Force of the National League of Cities, served as regional chair of the Homeland Security Committee of the North Central Texas Council of Governments and served on the Advisory Council of the National League of Cities, the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities and as Vice-Chair of the National League of Cities Transportation and Communications Committee.

Poss has also been a top-producing Ebby Halliday Realtors agent.

Halliday died in 2015 and her relationship with Poss goes back nearly 40 years, to a time when Halliday chaired the Keep Texas Beautiful program and Poss was on board with Clean Dallas.

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GameStop Appoints New CFO

Grapevine-based retailer GameStop Corp. announced that it has appointed Diana Saadeh-Jajeh as chief financial officer, effective immediately.

Previously, Saadeh-Jajeh held the role on an interim basis in 2021 and most recently was the company’s chief accounting officer.

The company said that Saadeh-Jajeh’s appointment coincides with GameStop’s termination of the employment of Michael Recupero.

GameStop gave no reason for firing Recupero, other than to say that under terms of his employment agreement it was “without cause,” CNN reported. The network also reported that the company is planning an unknown number of layoffs to serve what CEO Matt Furlong has called GameStop’s “transformation needs.”

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RailPros Adds Chief Financial Officer to Leadership

Jeff Vines

RailPros, an Irving-based railroad engineering and construction services company, announced the appointment of Jeff Vines as chief financial officer to oversee the company’s finance and accounting department.

“Our executive team is focused on continued growth and long-term strategy, which Jeff will help us achieve. We look forward to his insights and guidance as he steps into the CFO role,” said Ken Koff, president and CEO of RailPros.

Most recently, Vines was vice president of transformation at Magellan Healthcare, where he oversaw strategic vendor management and cost control, business disposition and transition services, and operational process improvement. He has more than 20 years of experience as a leader in creating financial disciplines and controls, operating efficiencies, and business acquisitions across various industries, RailPros said in a statement.

Vines is the second executive hire for RailPros in recent months; Daniel Carter joined as chief legal and people officer in May.

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 LEARFIELD Names New Chief Financial Officer

Peter Lori

Plano-based LEARFIELD has named Peter Lori chief financial officer, President and CEO Cole Gahagan announced recently.

LEARFIELD is a media, data, and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics.

Lori joins the company after three decades of experience with progressive responsibilities in finance, most recently as the chief financial officer for Univision Communications Inc. His 17-year career there culminated with the merger of Grupo Televisa’s media content and production assets and Univision.

Lori will report to Gahagan and will join LEARFIELD’s leadership team. He’ll be relocating to North Texas to office in the company’s Plano headquarters.

“As we continue to remain intently focused on innovating for our school and brand partners, he brings a wealth of knowledge from inside a respected media company,” Gahagan said.

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Leeward Renewable Energy Names New CFO

Greg Hazelton

Dallas-based Leeward Renewable Energy announced that Greg Hazelton has been named its new chief financial officer.

In his new role, Hazelton joins LRE’s Senior Leadership Team and will lead its financial operations, which includes finance, accounting, financial reporting, treasury, and financial risk management. He reports to Chief Executive Officer Jason Allen.

“Greg brings a wealth of experience in the regulated utility and competitive renewable power generation industries and a track record of successful financial management that will offer a tremendous competitive advantage to LRE as we expand our wind, solar, and battery storage portfolio,” Allen said in a statement.

Hazelton comes from Hawaiian Electric Industries, where he was executive vice president and CFO and oversaw HEI’s corporate financial strategy and performance.

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Smoothie King Appoints New Chief Development Officer

Chris Bremer

Coppell-based Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie chain and the first health and fitness QSR brand of its kind, has appointed Chris Bremer as chief development officer.

In his new role, Bremer will be responsible for implementing strategies to meet Smoothie King’s ongoing rapid expansion plans and overseeing the franchise development, real estate, design, and construction departments. The addition to Smoothie King’s executive team comes as it recently announced several agreements to expand its footprint in key growth markets such as the Upper Midwest and Central Atlantic regions as well as Colorado and Texas.

“Chris is an exemplary, purposeful leader, possessing a passion for leading teams in the food & beverage and hospitality industries and will undoubtedly make invaluable contributions to our rapidly-growing franchise system,” said Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King

The company said that Bremer has a diverse history of driving profitable growth within multi-unit franchise organizations, spending nearly six years with TGI Friday’s as the development director in Asia Pacific, leading rapid expansion across the region.

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United Way of Tarrant County Adds Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

Deanna Titzler

United Way of Tarrant County announced that Deanna Titzler will join its internal team as chief communications and marketing officer, beginning July 20.

In her new post, Titzler will lead, manage, implement, and evaluate all marketing communications strategies, including advertising, promotions, and public relations, to support the marketing objectives and maximize the positive exposure in local and national markets. Titzler also will lead the creative development for a wide range of efforts to impact the entire organization.

“With more than 25 years of marketing and communications experience working in the higher education, nonprofit and private sectors, we’re confident she will have tremendous success spreading our mission to Tarrant County communities,” said Leah King, president and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County.

Most recently, Titzler was Interim Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communication at Texas Woman’s University, leading the division responsible for media relations, social media, web communications, creative services, digital content creation, crisis communications, marketing, and advertising. She worked at TWU for more than five years in positions of growing responsibility before being named interim AVP.

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Aimbridge Hospitality Adds Chief Global Growth Officer, as It Forms Six Operating Divisions

Allison Reid

Plano-based global hospitality company Aimbridge Hospitality has hired industry veteran Allison Reid to the newly created role of chief global growth officer. Aimbridge said her addition to its leadership team represents a continued investment in securing top industry talent and driving growth through strategic development and operational expertise.

Reid’s experience and leadership will empower the company’s business development teams to fuel the company’s global pipeline, Aimbridge said in a statement.

“As Aimbridge evolves it is an ideal time for Allison, a recognized executive with extensive experience, to lead our growth focus, and through our operating structure and expertise we have the acumen ready to immediately take over management and add value for owners across the full spectrum of hospitality verticals,” said Michael J. Deitemeyer, Aimbridge president & CEO.

The hiring of Reid comes after Aimbridge formed six operating division with the goal of delivering enhanced expertise across all its properties after forming six operating verticals several years ago.

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Salvation Army Appoints Married Couple as Commanders

The Salvation Army said it’s welcoming a married couple, Majors Paul and Dawn McFarland, back to North Texas as the newly appointed area commanders of the region’s largest social services provider.

The nonprofit said in a statement that as former leaders at the Adult Rehabilitation Center in Dallas, the McFarlands bring over three decades of social service expertise to the region. In their new role as area commanders of The Salvation Army of North Texas, the McFarlands will oversee operations that support those combatting poverty, addiction, and homelessness in Dallas, Tarrant, Ellis, Denton, and Collin counties.

“As thousands of North Texans continue to face the impacts of rising costs with inflation and the depletion of federal aid programs, the need for support is great. Our success as a region is due to strong leadership and collaboration and we know Majors McFarland will lead us there,” said Jay Dunn, managing director of The Salvation Army of North Texas.

As the largest social services provider in North Texas, The Salvation Army reaches every pocket of the region, covering 4,078 square miles at 17 locations across five counties. Since March 2020, The Salvation Army of North Texas has served more than 11.6 million meals, provided more than 520,000 nights of shelter, paid more than $9,000,000 in financial assistance to help 30,000 individuals, and comforted 84,000 people through spiritual care.

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Integrity Marketing Group Names President of Integrity Contact Centers

Bryan Hunsaker

Dallas-based Integrity Marketing Group announced that Bryan Hunsaker will become president of Integrity Contact Centers.

Integrity is a leading distributor of life and health insurance and a provider of wealth management and retirement planning solutions. Hunsaker will oversee Integrity’s expansive contact center and telephonic agent efforts. Hunsaker also will work closely with other members of Integrity’s executive leadership team as they work to unify and optimize the company’s omnichannel customer contact operations.

“Bryan’s successful track record in the industry makes him the perfect leader for this exciting new role at Integrity,” said Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. “His understanding of the industry and how our organization fits into the larger picture of providing life, health and wealth solutions has already made him an invaluable asset to our growth. Bryan will be a great addition to Integrity’s leadership team, and our operations will benefit immensely from his insights and vision. This move will help accelerate Integrity’s efforts to improve the experience for our partners, agents and advisors, carriers and consumers.”

In June 2021, Hunsaker’s company, Unified Health, joined the Integrity platform and he became a managing partner. With more than 3,000 contact center agents handling over 10 million customer interactions annually, Integrity has become a strong player in the contact center space. Hunsaker’s new and expanded role will allow the entire Integrity organization to benefit from his in-depth experience and expertise.

As president, Integrity Contact Centers, Hunsaker will be responsible for leading all of Integrity’s contact center initiatives and will work to optimize processes and unify them with the growing volume of telephonic operations conducted by agents. Hunsaker also will be tasked with designing and implementing transformative strategies and systems that advance Integrity’s efforts to help consumers get solutions in the ways that work best for them—in person, over the phone, or online.

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Newmark Adds Tenant Representation Expert as Senior Managing Director

Susan Arledge

Newmark announced that it has hired tenant representation expert Susan Arledge, SIOR as Senior Managing Director in Dallas, where she will use her nearly three decades of experience in advising corporate clients on their location decision-making by utilizing sophisticated data and analytics strategies.

In a statement, the company said Arledge’s extensive global experience will bolster the Dallas office’s suite of tenant services, as she has worked with notable companies to identify and establish real estate locations including headquarters sites, distribution/e-commerce centers, customer support/shared service centers, back office and tech support operations.

“Susan has been a leader in this industry for years, her experience and commitment to excellence will deepen our ability to integrate services and serve our clients at the highest levels,” Newmark Executive Vice President and Texas Market Leader Ran Holman said.

Arledge has received numerous professional honors throughout her career. She was the recipient of the prestigious “Stemmons Service Award,” given annually to a commercial broker that best represents the industry’s standards for business success and community service. Arledge has served as President of the SIOR North Texas Chapter, on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and as Chair of the Go Red for Women Luncheon in Dallas.

Before joining Newmark, she was executive managing director at Dallas-based commercial real estate firm ESRP.

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VERTESS Announces Three New Partners

Fort Worth-based VERTESS, a leading healthcare mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, announced the addition of three new partners.

The firm said that managing directors Rachel Boynton, Anna Elliott, and Robert Villalobos are the newest additions to the leadership team.

Rachel Boynton

Rachel Boynton joined VERTESS in 2018 as a managing director and has proven to be a successful, dedicated, and compassionate team member. Prior to joining the firm, she co-founded a multistate human services and healthcare organization where she oversaw the operations, finance, human resources, and quality insurance departments. At the firm, Boynton provides M&A advisory and consulting services to the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD), behavioral health, and related healthcare markets.

Anna Elliot

Anna Elliott is the most recent addition to the team of the new partners, having joined earlier this year. Previously, she co-founded a boutique M&A firm in Pennsylvania, where she developed her passion for mergers and acquisitions. She brings over 15 years of experience working in high-growth, healthcare technologies with specific experience in Deep Tech, SAAS, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Ambient Solutions, and healthcare companies.

Robert Villalobos

Robert Villalobos began his tenure at VERTESS in 2016 as a business development leader. Before that, he worked in public relations and marketing in various industries and facilitated the operation of a non-profit business incubator for entrepreneurs and small business owners. In his role as director of business development, he sourced and cultivated leads for Managing Directors.

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Capco Appoints New Partner in Dallas Office

Russ Meyer

Capco, a management and technology consultancy focused on the financial services and energy industries, announced the appointment of Russ Meyer as a partner in the firm’s Dallas office.

Meyer will be tasked with leading the firm’s Commodity Trading & Risk Management practice and contributing to the expansion of Capco’s energy consulting services growth globally, the firm said in a statement.

Meyer brings over two decades of energy industry experience in trading and risk management spanning consulting, software, technology, and digital transformation, risk advisory, and strategic planning to his new role.

“With his energy trading background, wealth of industry knowledge, valuable industry relationships, strong reputation, and proven track record of delivering solutions of value, he will be an invaluable asset to our team and clients solving problems related to commodity trading position visibility and analytics, P&L reporting, solution advisory, and TRM selection and implementation,” Lance McAnelly, Managing Partner of Capco Texas, said.

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Stream Data Centers Hires New SVP of Operations

Dallas-based Stream Data Centers announced that Chris D. Jackson has been hired as its new senior vice president of operations.

In his new role, Jackson will be responsible for all aspects of operations, including security, safety, reliability, engineering, customer experience and compliance. Stream said in a statement that Jackson’s wealth of insight and experience ensures Stream’s customers can have all their needs met with an enhanced platform that delivers both leading services and the benefits of a strategic single-team approach.

Before joining Stream, Jackson was an instrumental leader in taking highly distinguished organizations from national to global leaders, Stream said. During his time with a leading cloud services provider, Jackson managed the world’s largest availability zone (which totals in excess of 1200MW of resources spread across 140 data centers), achieving and maintaining 99.999% availability.

More recently, with another data center provider, Jackson spearheaded growth from three markets in the U.S. to more than 20 markets across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. His teams led the development of multiple strategic global programs and procedures, which in turn streamlined upwards of 24 global maintenance procedures.

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Media Culture Adds New Director of Analytics

Bethany L. Peters

Independent brand performance agency Media Culture announced that Bethany L. Peters has joined its leadership team to lead the agency’s Analytics, Data Science, and Software Development initiatives as director of analytics.

Peters has a proven track record across a variety of brands including American Airlines, Walmart, McKesson, Kimberly Clark, U.S. Army, the Dallas Mavericks, Brooks, and more, the company said. Previously, Peters held senior-level positions at Sears Holdings Co., Empower MediaMarketing, and RAPP. Peters will report to Jared Harrington, Media Culture’s vice president of analytics.

“Our clients deserve the best,” Harrington said in the statement. “Bethany reflects our commitment to providing our clients access to the most talented minds in the industry. Having transitioned from Economics to Analytics, Bethany not only brings a unique perspective, but she also possesses immense talent.”

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Adolfson & Peterson Hires Director of Business Development for North Texas

Melisa Baune

Adolfson & Peterson Construction, a national, family-owned construction management and contracting company, has hired Melisa Baune as a director of business development for North Texas in the firm’s Dallas office.

The company said that Baune brings 15 years of professional business development experience to her new position.

In this role, Baune will develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to identify new business, markets and clients throughout DFW, while ensuring profitable growth and alignment with the company’s strategic goals and mission, the company said.

“Melisa’s extensive experience and reputation in the industry for building solid business relationships provides great value and growth opportunities for AP as we continue to implement our business plans,” said Mike Benford, Business Development Director for AP. “In addition, Melisa’s involvement in the local nonprofit community, including her mentorship role in shaping the industry leaders of tomorrow, is something we really value at AP.”

Baune has worked on multiple business development teams, where she helped firms grow their presence in both new and existing markets, including Texas, Arizona, Colorado, and Ohio.

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OrangeGrid Names New President, Makes Multiple Leadership Moves

Dallas-based fintech OrangeGrid, a provider of mortgage servicing software, has hired and promoted several new members to its team to support what it says is the rising demand for automated mortgage servicing software that maximizes profitability by simplifying the way servicers manage their workflows across legacy systems and reporting tools.

According to the company, the new hires and those promoted include:

Denis Brosnan, OrangeGrid’s new president, has spent decades leading a variety of fintech companies with a special focus on the mortgage servicing industry. Brosnan first joined the company in 2021 and served as both chief product officer and corporate development officer until his recent promotion to his current position.

JC Espino, the company’s director of customer solutions design, is responsible for the definition, design, and use-case development of the OrangeGrid product. Previously, he worked at a variety of technology and financial organizations including JP Morgan Chase Bank and HSBC Consumer Lending.

Rob Pajon, the new senior vice president of marketing and product, has driven executive marketing and product development initiatives in the default servicing industry for 16 years and will lead the company’s product marketing efforts to generate awareness, sales leads, and revenue generation.

Gabriel Varga, the new senior vice president of product, has two decades of experience leading business process innovation efforts for many financial organizations, including Mr. Cooper and Ocwen Financial Corp.

Connie Baringer, the new director of talent and culture, has spent many years performing all human resources functions for companies within the mortgage servicing industry.

Sean Walker, a new graphic designer/marketing assistant, leads OrangeGrid’s digital and print layout and design projects and conducts market research.

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New MD7 VPs, left to right: Catherine Abejar, VP of land use and processing; Chris Rios, VP of development services; and Courtney Davis, VP of small cells and EV. [Photos: MD7]

MD7 Promotes 3 Longtime Leaders to Vice Presidents

Allen-based MD7 is promoting three of its longtime leaders to vice presidents to accommodate rapid growth as the company seeks to build a more connected world.

Catherine Abejar is the new vice president of land use and processing, and Chris Rios is now the vice president of development services. To facilitate the company’s latest business, managing electric vehicle charging station agreements, Courtney Davis, Esq., is vice president of small cells and EV.

“With wireless connectivity on such a rapid growth curve, we are fortunate to have experienced and talented leaders to accept the increased responsibilities of vice presidents,” MD7 Founder and CEO Michael Gianni said. “Catherine, Courtney, and Chris have decades of wireless industry experience combined, and each of them has been with us for at least nine years. We offer our team members a career home with advancement and personal growth opportunities.”

Abejar joined MD7 in 2006 as a lease negotiator and has since served in various roles, including lease processor, team lead, project manager, and program manager.

Davis joined MD7 in 2009 as a lease auditor and was quickly promoted to a supervisory role, where she served as project manager, program manager, and director.

Rios joined MD7 in 2013 as a project manager and has also served as program manager and director of development.

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Mike Kilpatrick (left) snd Tim O’Brien

Bank of Texas Appoints Two to Commercial Lending Teams

Bank of Texas announced that Mike Kilpatrick and Tim O’Brien have been appointed to the commercial lending teams in Richardson and Dallas which focus on businesses with revenues from $10 million to $75 million.

The announcement was made by Mandy Austin, Dallas Market president, and Melissa Keeling, senior vice president and commercial banking manager,

Kilpatrick, vice president and relationship manager, is based at the company’s Richardson location and O’Brien is based at the Sherry Lane location in Dallas.

Kilpatrick has spent his entire career in the Dallas area, serving in various roles including Relationship Manager at Chase and Business Banking Officer at BBVA Compass, prior to joining Bank of Texas.

O’Brien, senior vice president and relationship manager, has served in many capacities throughout his 18-year financial career, most recently at StackSource as a capital adviser, a commercial Lender at MidFirst Bank, and relationship manager at Wells Fargo.

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Independent Financial Adds New Associates in Middle Market Banking

McKinney-based Independent Financial has added new associates to its Middle Market Banking team in both the Texas and Colorado markets as the financial services company expands to meet the financial and banking needs of its business clients.

The company said that the new Middle Market Bankers are Christina “Crissy” Rivera, Jennifer Baggs Kamacioglu, Matthew Opheim, and Jeff Gulczynski.

Independent Financial said it announced plans last year to double its growing Middle Market portfolio over the next five years, with a focus on working with clients of annual revenues between $20 million and $1 billion.

Independent Financial, ranked by Forbes as the country’s sixth-best publicly traded bank, operates as a financial services company with locations throughout Texas and in the Colorado Front Range region.

Based in Dallas, Gulczynski has over 20 years of finance and banking experience including large corporate and middle market commercial banking. He is focused on expanding the Texas middle market client book and working with various product partners throughout the bank.

Kamacioglu will serve clients in Fort Worth and is an experienced relationship manager and strategist, having worked in various roles of client relationship development at several major banks.

Rivera is based in Houston and has more than 20 years of experience in banking, including commercial lending, middle market lending, and commercial real estate.

Opheim is a relationship manager at Independent Financial in Denver, Colorado.

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Complexity Gaming Signs Musician and Streamer

Jordan Fisher

Complexity Gaming announced that it has signed musician and streamer Jordan Fisher, and the company’s launching an exclusive merchandise drop to celebrate.

“As a lifelong gamer, and a creative, I’m consistently impressed by the commitment Complexity and GameSquare have both to their fans and to the quality of their content,” Fisher said in a statement. “With the organization’s storied history, world-class facilities, and diverse roster of talent, I’m confident that partnering with the organization will uniquely allow me to elevate all aspects of my content and Complexity’s engagement, and reach more fans than ever.”

Fisher will host as well as participate in gaming events while also creating engaging content, Complexity said in a statement. With his signing, Complexity’s talent roster will officially have a reach of over 100 million fans on social media, Complexity said.

Not only is Fisher a musician, he’s also an actor and dancer with experience in TV, music, Broadway, and movies. He’s appeared in ‘The Flash’ as well as “Dancing With the Stars,” along with various Broadway appearances.

_Boards

Fort Worth Exec Added to Texas Mutual Insurance Board

Fort Worth executive Kevin Robnett has been appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the board of directors of Texas Mutual Insurance Co., the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance. He will serve on the board until his term expires on July 1, 2027.

Robnett is co-CEO of Lithos, a critical materials exploration and production company. Before that, Robnett was senior vice president at Tiedemann Advisors and as deputy general counsel and senior policy advisor to Texas House of Representatives Speaker Joe Straus.

He also serves as chairman of the board for National Security Technology Accelerator and director for Texas Lyceum.

“Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge from the leadership positions he has held in the corporate and government sectors,” said Rich Gergasko, president and CEO of Texas Mutual.

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Arun Agarwal (left) and Katie Farmer

Two North Texans Named to Texas Economic Development Corp. Board

Gov. Greg Abbott has tapped two local executives along with seven others from Texas to become part of the Texas Economic Development Corp’s board of directors., tasked with attracting business and bringing new jobs to the Lone Star State.

“Their efforts will be instrumental in amplifying the success of TxEDC in promoting Texas as a premier business destination,” Abbott said in a statement.

Locally, Arun Agarwal and Katie Farmer have been named to the board.

Read more in our story.

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Zimperium Appoints Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman to Board

General Joseph F. Dunford Jr

Dallas-based Zimperium, the only mobile security platform purpose-built for enterprise environments, announced the appointment of Joseph Dunford, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Liberty Strategic Capital’s Senior Managing Director, to its board of directors.

Gen. Dunford brings four decades of global operations and risk management experience and a distinguished career as a national security leader to the board, along with invaluable knowledge and understanding. He will help guide Zimperium to further solidify its position as a worldwide leader in mobile security.

Dunford served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military adviser to the president, secretary of defense, and the National Security Council, from October 2015 until his retirement in September 2019. Before that, he served as the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Among many other roles, Dunford served as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2010 to 2012 and was Commander, International Security Assistance Force, and United States Forces-Afghanistan from February 2013 to August 2014.

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Evolve Mortgage Services Adds Former White House Official to Advisory Board

Mark Calabria

Evolve Mortgage Services, a Frisco-based provider of outsourced mortgage solutions and eMortgage technology solutions, announced that it has added Mark Calabria as a member of its advisory board. He will serve on the Evolve advisory board for a one-year term from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

The company said in a statement that the charter of the advisory board is to add value by exposing the management team to new innovations, broadening horizons, improve understanding of Evolve’s market position, company risks, future drivers of growth, and challenging assumptions. Its mission and vision are to embrace, drive change and propel the company, and industry forward.

Calabria is a senior advisor at the Cato Institute and has more than 25 years of financial regulations experience and was the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he was appointed by President Trump. As FHFA Director, Calabria led the agency’s response to COVID, bringing stability and support to the mortgage market, while also laying the groundwork for a removal of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship. Prior to FHFA, Calabria was chief economist to the vice president at the White House.

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Recuro Health CEO Michael Gorton was named to the SYNAPS Dx advisory board.

SYNAPS Dx Appoints Dallas CEO to Advisory Board, as It Announces Pilot Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test in DFW

Maryland-based SYNAPS Dx, a privately held company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease, announced that physicians in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be among the first in the country to offer area residents access to DISCERN, a minimally invasive diagnostic test.

SDx has appointed longtime Dallas resident and business executive Michael Gorton, CEO of Recuro Health, to its Advisory Council. Council. Gorton was awarded an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Central Plains in June.

“Texans are truly fortunate to be in the first region for national commercialization of this amazing, highly accurate diagnostic test for AD,” Gorton said. “Thanks to the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of the leadership team, more Texans will benefit from this important healthcare breakthrough.”

In a statement, the company said that DISCERN assesses the factors directly related to the formation of synaptic connections in the brain impacting loss of memory and cognition in people living with AD, as well as regulators of amyloid plaque and tau formation—hallmarks of AD at autopsy.

“AD is a major public health issue in Texas and according to the Alzheimer’s Association, affects approximately 390,000 Texans. We selected Texas as the first region for the commercial launch of DISCERN based upon this high need and the proactive strategies that the state has undertaken,” Frank Amato, CEO and president, SDx, said in a statement.

“We already have significant interest throughout the Dallas medical community for DISCERN, which has demonstrated >95% specificity and sensitivity in identifying AD through long duration, autopsy-validated, blinded clinical trials,” Amato said, citing the National Institutes of Health criteria that define AD at autopsy.

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