DALLAS, Nov. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A rodeo bull
rider once said, "It ain't bragging if it's true." Well-known
companies such as In-N-Out Burger, Trader Joe's, Apple and Google
are expanding their presence or moving their headquarters to
Texas. Over the past 10 years, 850,000 Americans have
migrated to Texas, in stark
contrast to the 1.5 million who have fled California. Home to
the fastest growing cities in the U.S., Texas is an entrepreneurial mecca boasting the
quickest growing technology sector and the largest independent
music festival in the world. Texas
stereotypes aside, the state has evolved from its Wild West roots
to today's thriving economy—prompting the question—how do you
explain its success?
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121130/DA21680)
Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly, emphatically answer with their new
book, Texas Got It Right! (Melcher Media, October 2012). Texas Got It Right!
(TXGIR!) explains why Texas
leads the nation in imports and exports, has been the top wind
power state for the past six years and is the number one place to
move in the U.S.
"My son, Andrew, and I decided to write this book because we saw
America being pulled in two very different directions. On one
side was California, where
taxation and regulation were squeezing the blood right out of
entrepreneurs and sending that once-proud state to the very bottom
of almost every major entrepreneurial ranking. On the other
side was Texas...where the best and the brightest people and
greatest companies are voting with their feet... in unprecedented
numbers to set up shop in Texas,"
said Sam Wyly.
Texas is home to many firsts,
and leads the nation and the world in many economic areas. With
dynamic infographics, TXGIR! brings the facts to life
showing why Texas is leading
America's charge out of the Great Recession.
- Job Growth - Texas added the
most jobs in the last five years of any state in the country and
has led job growth overall for 21 years
- Affordability - A dollar goes farther in Texas than almost anywhere in the U.S.
Texas is home to the top 10 least
expensive cities in which to live in the U.S.
- Business Friendly – CEOs have ranked Texas the Best State for Business for the past
eight consecutive years
- Imports and Exports - One-fifth of all U.S. goods enter or
leave from Texas, creating 1
million jobs
- Business Creation – The number of IPOs filed and IPO proceeds
are the highest in the country
- Deregulation - Thanks to deregulation, Texas leads the U.S. in wind power sales, oil
and natural gas production AND has reduced air pollution by 58
percent over the past 10 years
- Political Clout - Texas is the
only state gaining four new seats in Congress
The 10-step policy guide in Texas Got It Right! is a
roadmap for the other 49 states to follow. As Walter Isaacson says in his foreword, "The
state's can-do spirit and love of independent thinkers, innovators,
and entrepreneurs is something that could help kick up our whole
economy." In brilliant color with hundreds of photographs,
Texas Got It Right! chronicles the people, companies and
achievements of the Lone Star State. From Sam Houston to Mary Kay
Ash, from Whole Foods Market, Half Price Books, Southwest
Airlines and Dell to the invention of the microchip, building the
Houston Ship Channel and the creation of SXSW, opportunity abounds
in the Lone Star State.
Texas game-changer Richard Kinder said, "In Houston, you are what
you achieve. That is my idea of the American dream."
Texas' larger than life themes,
locations and personalities are favorites in today's arts and
entertainment world -- No Country for OId Men was shot in Marfa, Texas, home to one of the most
important contemporary art scenes in the world. Dallas has returned to the small screen,
and almost every major network and cable station are currently
showcasing Texas, Texans, or
Texas-based companies. The
musical Giant (the original movie was also shot in
Marfa) opened at the Public
Theatre in New York City on
November 15.
Texas Got It Right!, currently available for purchase at
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, was released on October
16. (Melcher Media, ISBN 978-1-59591-074-5, $19.95, 176pp with illustrations, October 2012) For more information, visit
http://www.TexasGotItRight.com and find us on Twitter @TXGIR and
Facebook.
About Sam Wyly and
Andrew Wyly
Sam Wyly was raised in
small-town Louisiana. Sam got his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1957, and began his
career as a salesman for IBM, then worked as a manager for
Honeywell. At the age of 28, he created his first company,
University Computing, which married computer technology services to
telephone technology and became the first of six enterprises Wyly
grew to over $1 billion valuations.
Over the next fifty years, Wyly became one of America's top
multiple entrepreneurs, building companies such as Michaels Stores,
Bonanza Steakhouses, Maverick Capital and Green Mountain Energy. He
resides in Dallas and Aspen with his wife, Cheryl, and has six
children, twelve grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Wyly's
memoir, 1,000 Dollars & An
Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire, was published in 2008, and
his illustrated business biography, Beyond Tallulah, by
Dennis Hamilton, was released in
2011.
Andrew Wyly is an
entrepreneur, investor, and film producer. Born and raised in
Los Angeles, California, with some
schooling in Switzerland, he has
been a Texan by choice since 2004. After earning a BA in history
from Denison University, Andrew worked
as a sales agent for Green Mountain Energy and managed a hedge fund
portfolio. He is an active participant in several political
organizations. In 2007, he created the Andrew Wyly Film Company.
Blood Shot, his first feature film, was completed last
year.
About Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson, CEO of
The Aspen Institute, has been chairman of CNN and the managing
editor of Time magazine. He is the author
of Steve Jobs; Einstein: His
Life and Universe; Benjamin
Franklin: An American Life; and Kissinger:
A Biography. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Contact:
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Allison M.
Allison
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Karen
Wade
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Media
Relations for Sam & Andrew Wyly
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Office of
Sam & Andrew Wyly
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214-354-4688
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214-871-8021
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Allison_m_allison@att.net
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info@texasgotitright.com
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SOURCE Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly