Left: Morton H. Meyerson. Right: John C. Goff
Two of the Texas Business Hall of Fame’s newest inductees have connections to Cowtown.
The list of six was headed by Mark Cuban, but a Fort Worth native and a resident commercial real estate magnate joined the Dallas Mavericks owner in the Class of 2020 – 21.
Morton H. Meyerson, who grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from Paschal High School before leaving for the University of Texas and a job with Ross Perot’s EDS in Dallas, and John C. Goff, who headquarters his Crescent Real Estate in downtown Fort Worth, were among those enshrined in the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
The three were joined by John Paul Dejoria, Gerald Smith, and Randall Stephenson.
“The mission of telling stories that inspire business leaders and future business leaders in Texas to reach further and do more in improving the lives of Texans, through economic growth and an unwavering commitment to progress, has been extremely fulfilling,” says Jon Karp of Whitley Penn, the chair of the Texas Business Hall of Fame. “I extend my biggest congratulations to this year’s inductees and the lasting impacts they have made in our communities.”
In 1966, Meyerson joined EDS, then a Ross Perot startup, as a systems engineer trainee, rising to become president and vice chair, leading 50,000 employees. During his tenure with EDS, he led duPont Glore Forgan, a Perot-owned Wall Street brokerage firm, into the advanced use of information technology.
In 1984, Meyerson played a significant role in the sale of EDS to General Motors, becoming the chief technology officer of GM. In 1986, he left GM to focus on private investing, working closely with Richard Rainwater and coaching Michael Dell during the formative period of Dell Computer. In 1992, he again teamed with Perot, becoming chair and CEO of Perot Systems and leading it to $1 billion in revenue.
Meyerson is currently chair of 2M Companies, a family office he established in 1983, and of The Morton H. Meyerson Family Foundation.
Goff is chairman of the board for Crescent Real Estate, as well as Contango Oil & Gas Company, a publicly traded independent oil and gas producer.
Goff originally co-founded Crescent Real Estate with Rainwater in the early 1990s, designing the strategy and orchestrating the acquisitions leading to its initial public offering (NYSE) in May 1994. Under his leadership as vice chairman and CEO, Crescent grew from approximately $500 million at its IPO to $6.5 billion upon its sale to Morgan Stanley in August 2007.
In 2009, Goff reacquired Crescent in a partnership with Barclays Capital, and in December 2017, he purchased Barclays’ interest to become the principal owner of Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and Canyon Ranch — the world’s recognized leader in health and wellness.
In September, Crescent broke ground on what has been described as a world-class mixed development in the Cultural District. The Crescent Fort Worth, a 200-room luxury hotel, will spring near the corner of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Van Cliburn Way.
Past inductees from Fort Worth include Perry Bass, Amon Carter Sr., John Justin, Anne Marion, Monty Moncrief, Tex Moncrief, Sid Richardson, and John Roach.
More information is available here.