A Leadership
Development
Program
Like No Other
Real business
Real experience
Real leadership
A year
You Will Never Forget
At Leadership Academy, we believe that career paths are not always linear. For the right individual, going through Leadership Academy at the beginning of your career could become one of the most formative experiences of your life.
Leadership Academy is a hands-on crash course in leadership, entrepreneurship, and real-life business experience – all while being paid a salary. Recent college graduates are hired on as Business Associates and will be immersed in multiple “Best-in-Class” service companies at the forefront of their industries and directly mentored by the people who lead them.
A role as a Leadership Academy Business Associate positions individuals to become a future business leader in one of our partnering companies or beyond.
MEET
Your Mentors
Each of our mentors has excelled in their professional career and today, many of them hold significant leadership positions in their respective industries. They were in your same shoes not too long ago.
Chris Covo
Chris Covo owns and operates commercial service companies. He is Co-Founder of Exterior Cleaning Solutions of Texas and Revival Surfaces. His greatest joy is creating dignified jobs for working class men and women ..
Chris Covo
Travis Dyer
Travis is the Director of Technology for Clean Scapes, Texas’s premiere commercial landscape construction and maintenance company. He is addicted to finding new technologies and more efficient ways to get things done across the company...
Travis Dyer
Travis is the Director of Technology for Clean Scapes, Texas’s premiere commercial landscape construction and maintenance company. He is addicted to finding new technologies and more efficient ways to get things done across the company.
Travis is also the Co-Founder and General Partner of PriceTable.io, a web-based software that helps companies of all sizes manage their businesses and get paid faster.
Travis earned his BA in Economics with a Minor in Business from the University of Texas. During his time at Texas he had the honor of serving as a Texas Cowboy and shot Old Smokey, the cannon, at UT football games!
Travis was born and raised in Austin and still lives in South Austin with his wife Lindsay, and their two children. Travis loves spending time doing pretty much anything in the great outdoors! If you get a chance, ask him about his 21 day trip white water rafting through the Grand Canyon.
Alex Lee
Alex is a Branch Manager for Clean Scapes, Texas’s premiere commercial landscape construction and maintenance company. He’s been at Clean Scapes for 8 years...
Alex Lee
Alex is a Branch Manager for Clean Scapes, Texas’s premiere commercial landscape construction and maintenance company. He’s been at Clean Scapes for 8 years and oversees the Houston / College Station Division.
Alex graduated from Concordia University Texas with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science. Ask him about his time living in the Amazon Rainforest or his experience with exotic animals - especially the ones he’s brought into the Clean Scapes office.
Though originally born in Boca Raton Florida, Alex has been in Austin since he was 2 until recently relocating to Houston when instated as the Branch Manager. Other than being an avid outdoorsman, Alex has earned a reputation for enjoying a good prank so be ready.
Trey Webb
Trey is the Director of Marketing for Clean Scapes Landscaping, Texas's most trusted commercial landscape partner. He grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree...
Trey Webb
Trey is the Director of Marketing for Clean Scapes Landscaping, Texas's most trusted commercial landscape partner. He grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Trey is an active alumnus with Phi Delta Theta and the Texas Tech Alumni Association.
Outside of Clean Scapes, Trey focuses on his wife, Jennifer, and their three sons. Trey is very active in his church and community. He has served on several boards including the Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ), the Austin Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) as well as President of Trojans Pop Warner Football.
Trey was a member of the Seton Fund’s “The Fifty," a group of emerging leaders established to support a bold vision for the future of medical care in Central Texas. He is also a committee member promoting and supporting the new Wheelchair Accessible Fishing Pier on Lady Bird Lake.
Trey has been involved with several leadership and business organizations including Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), Austin Round Table (ART), and remaining active with the Austin Breakfast Group.
Trey's passion for nature and the outdoors shows as he hosts two annual fund raising events, supporting local non-profits: The Austin Fly Fishing Film Tour and The Austin Hunting Film Tour.
Matthew Tucker
Matthew is Assistant Manager at Exterior Cleaning Solutions of Texas, recently brought on to help build new back-office systems as they continue to experience rapid growth...
Matthew Tucker
Matthew is Assistant Manager at Exterior Cleaning Solutions of Texas, recently brought on to help build new back-office systems as they continue to experience rapid growth.
Prior to ECS, Matthew started an education service business with his brother in San Antonio, partnering with local schools and families to improve standardized testing outcomes. His side hustle during that time was teaching high school math and coaching Varsity Soccer. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in Finance.
Matthew’s near-death experiences include having to swim a Class V rapid in the grand canyon, crashing a motorcycle into a barbed wire fence, and sharing an office with a second degree black belt. What really haunts him late at night, though, is getting 2ndplace in cornhole and sand volleyball rec leagues...a tragedy he hopes to rectify soon.
Daniel Simpson
Daniel Simpson is the Construction Operations Manager for Clean Scapes, the third largest landscaping company in Texas.
Before working for Clean Scapes, Daniel attended Grove City College in Pennsylvania and received his BA in Political Science and Economics...
Daniel Simpson
Daniel Simpson is the Construction Operations Manager for Clean Scapes, the third largest landscaping company in Texas.
Before working for Clean Scapes, Daniel attended Grove City College in Pennsylvania and received his BA in Political Science and Economics.
Daniel currently lives in Southwest Austin with his wife and two kids, one of whom was born on leap day. Over the past 5 years, he has traveled to 18 countries and skied on three continents. He also enjoys live music, bouldering, playing soccer, rugby, and woodworking whenever he can find time.
Paul Hastings
Paul Hastings is the Founder and Owner of Imagivation LLC, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in providing analysis, strategy, and execution to small and mid-size businesses with an emphasis on creating new media and social movements...
Paul Hastings
Paul is the founder and owner of Imagivation LLC, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in providing analysis, strategy, and execution to small and mid-size businesses with an emphasis on creating new media and social movements.
He is an award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, and entrepreneur. He is the host of Compelled, a podcast telling unique stories about God working through people's lives.
Paul has crafted and launched viral social campaigns that have been viewed by millions and earned national press coverage. His work has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, TheBlaze, WND, The Gospel Coalition, WORLD Magazine, American Family Association, and more.
Paul, his wife, and their three children attend Redemption Hill Church in Round Rock, Texas and live in the Greater Austin Metro.
Nolan Gore
Nolan Gore is General Manager and Co-owner of Top Choice Lawn Care, one of the largest and fastest growing residential lawn and landscape businesses in Austin...
Nolan Gore
Nolan is General Manager and Co-owner of Top Choice Lawn Care, one of the largest and fastest growing residential lawn and landscape businesses in Austin.
Nolan served 4 years as a combat engineer officer in the United States Marine Corps. During his time in the Marine Corps he was the battalion engineer officer for the first Marine forces re-entering Iraq in response to the ISIS surge. Additionally, he led over 120 Marines as the head of land security forces in Oman for a $10M exercise.
Prior to the Marine Corps, Nolan attended Texas A&M University where he was heavily involved in student government and the Business School. He received a BA in Finance.
Nolan loves to compete and will make a game out of just about anything. Even though Nolan doesn’t have any black belts, he feels confident he could take Chris in a fight. He enjoys a good book, a hard workout, a close game, any type of whiskey, and his kid’s laughs. He is happily married with 3 kids under 6.
Josh Coulter
Josh Coulter is the President and Co-founder of Exterior Cleaning Solutions of Texas, which provides window cleaning, pressure washing, and other exterior maintenance services to low and high-rise commercial buildings across Central Texas...
Josh Coulter
Josh is the President and Co-Founder of Exterior Cleaning Solutions of Texas, which provides window cleaning, pressure washing, and other exterior maintenance services to low and high-rise commercial buildings across Central Texas.
Josh graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in business and Plan II Honors. He is interested in the creative ways that business can be used to create social value and has spent the past ten years of his career learning how to do that.
Josh was part of a touring folk rock band (anyone enjoy listening to the Friendly Savages?), loves long cooking projects, and serves as committee chair for Young Life at the University of Texas. He lives in Austin with his wife, Natalie, and their son, Milo.
SOME OF
Our Speakers
Dick Anderson
Dick Anderson is a founding partner of HPI Real Estate Services and Investments and serves as its managing partner overseeing day-to-day operations...
Dick Anderson
Dick Anderson is a founding partner of HPI Real Estate Services and Investments and serves as its managing partner overseeing day-to-day operations.
Building on his quick success with Trammell Crow Company, Dick co-founded HPI in 1992 with two other Trammell executives. HPI has grown from a four-person development firm to a full-service real estate firm with over 150 employees with offices in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio and holds an active portfolio of over 15 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail products.
Dick began his real estate career as an intern for Trammell Crow Company while at Southern Methodist University. Upon graduation, Dick turned his college internship into a five-year marketing career with Trammell, resulting in him serving as Marketing Director for the company’s industrial division before co-founding HPI.
Dr. Richard Reddick
Richard J. Reddick, Ed.D. is the inaugural associate dean for equity, community engagement, and outreach for the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin...
Dr. Richard Reddick
Richard J. Reddick, Ed.D. is the inaugural associate dean for equity, community engagement, and outreach for the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also an associate professor in the Program in Higher Education Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP) at UT. Additionally, Dr. Reddick serves as the Assistant Director of the Plan II Honors Program in the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Reddick is the faculty co-chair for the Institute for Educational Management (IEM) at Harvard University, and teaches in the Institute for Management Leadership in Education. Dr. Reddick earned his B.A. in Plan II Liberal Arts Honors at UT. He then went on to teach elementary and middle school in the Fifth Ward community of Houston, Texas. He went on to work in the student affairs field at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Emory University. He earned master's and doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Reddick's research has been highlighted on NPR, the Associated Press, PBS, the BBC, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and he regularly presents his research at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). In addition to these scholarly activities, Dr. Reddick is a Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! champion, husband to Sherry, and most importantly, dad to a 12- and 10-year old. Dr. Reddick is the board chair of Montessori For All, the first public Montessori school in East Austin, and serves on the Austin Regional Board for IDEA Public Schools. He is a proud graduate of Department of Defense Dependent Schools and the former Johnston High School in East Austin.
Becky Heston
After graduating from the University of Texas, Becky’s career began in 1983 and has covered a full range of real estate services, including project management, facility management as well as retail, office and industrial property management...
Becky Heston
After graduating from the University of Texas, Becky’s career began in 1983 and has covered a full range of real estate services, including project management, facility management as well as retail, office and industrial property management.
Commencing with the opening of the Domain in Austin, Becky and her team have become specialists in the management of vertical mixed-use projects. Becky was a Principal at Trammell Crow Company and a Managing Director at its successor, CBRE. Now as a Principal at Endeavor Real Estate Group, Becky is responsible for implementing the company’s property management services platform for projects in and around Austin. In this role, Becky oversees and coordinates management resources for property owners, asset managers and investors.
Chris Gagnon
Chris Gagnon
Chris Gagnon is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. Chris co-leads McKinsey’s Organization Practice globally and is the head of the firm’s OrgSolutions group. He helps clients improve performance and health by taking an integrated approach, aligning organization design with culture, talent, change management, and leadership. He has worked with clients in many sectors, including consumer products, hospitality and leisure, private equity, and technology.
Chris has long been active in knowledge creation and publishing. He led the team that co wrote Real Change Leaders: How You Can Create Growth and High Performance at Your Company (Harmony Books, 1995) and has published numerous articles in the Harvard Business Review and the McKinsey Quarterly on topics such as agility, analytics, leadership, and organizational health. Chris lives in Austin, Texas, after spending much of his career in the Northeast. In his free time, he enjoys working out, playing chess, enjoying blues harmonica, and coaching youth basketball. Chris holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Nikelle Meade
Nikelle Meade is an attorney with the law firm of Husch Blackwell LLP in Austin, Texas. Meade’s practice is focused on representation of clients before state, and local governmental agencies on real estate development, procurement, and economic development matters...
Nikelle Meade
Nikelle Meade is an attorney with the law firm of Husch Blackwell LLP in Austin, Texas. Meade’s practice is focused on representation of clients before state, and local governmental agencies on real estate development, procurement, and economic development matters. During prior legal appointments, she served as Judicial Intern for Justice Jack Hightower of the Supreme Court of Texas, as a Legislative Intern for State Representative Dawnna M. Dukes and as an Associate Attorney with the law firm of Minter Joseph & Thornhill, P.C. Ms. Meade's professional affiliations include the American Bar Association State and Local Government Section and Section of Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law, the State Bar of Texas, the College of the State Bar, the Texas Bar Foundation, the Austin Bar Association, the American Planning Association, the Urban Land Institute, The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, the Real Estate Council of Austin, CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women). Ms. Meade received a BA in English Literature and Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas School of Law.
Thomas Ball
Thomas Ball is a founding general partner of Next Coast Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage information technology companies, with a primary focus on internet, software, and technology-enabled business and consumer services...
Thomas Ball
Thomas Ball is a founding general partner of Next Coast Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage information technology companies, with a primary focus on internet, software, and technology-enabled business and consumer services.
Tom was previously at Austin Ventures from 2005-2015 where he served as a general partner. He was also the first investor in RetailMeNot, Inc. Prior to his involvement with Austin Ventures and RetailMeNot, Tom founded a number of successful companies, including Openfield Technologies (which later merged with Razorgator Interactive Group) where Tom was CEO, and eCoupons where Tom served as CEO until the sale of the company to Lifeminders.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Sheila McHargue
Sheila McHargue is Managing Director of Asset Services for Cushman & Wakefield’s Austin market. With more than 28 years of experience, Sheila brings a wealth of knowledge within the commercial real estate industry to her role...
Sheila McHargue
Sheila McHargue is Managing Director of Asset Services for Cushman & Wakefield’s Austin market. With more than 28 years of experience, Sheila brings a wealth of knowledge within the commercial real estate industry to her role.
Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, she served at Peloton Commercial Real Estate as the Vice President and Regional Director of Property Management for the Austin and San Antonio offices.
Starting her career in 1991 with Trammell Crow/CBRE, Sheila spent 16 years delivering property management services for a two million square foot office and retail portfolio. She later moved to Pyramid Properties (Aquila Commercial) where she managed operations for a three million square foot portfolio.
Sheila has extensive experience in contracting and managing performance of third party property management, as well as agency leasing brokerage firms. In addition, she has participated in various acquisition, disposition and redevelopment transactions with Reit. Shelia received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University.
What is
The Program?
Leadership Crash Course
Entrepreneurial Boot Camp
Real Field Experience
- This is a highly selective, one-year, leadership development program for college graduates.
- You will work in at least 2 (possibly 3 or more) “best-in-class” service companies that lead the market in their respective industries.
- You will get hands-on experience executing the “blue collar” work that makes our society run. This is hard, dirty, sweaty, physically demanding work.
- You will receive opportunities to lead and manage people.
- You will be mentored and developed with routine and frank feedback.
- You will participate in a rigorous reading and writing program that will ensure you internalize lessons learned.
WHAT DOES IT REALLY LOOK LIKE?
The Nuts & Bolts
- You will rotate through multiple companies, spending several months at each. You will interact directly with company executives.
- This is hard work. To thoroughly understand your market, you will be immersed in all aspects of the service industry and will be working in hands-on manual labor as well as administrative and office work. These jobs could include landscape installation, mowing, window cleaning, industrial pressure washing, janitorial work, irrigation service, etc.
- You will receive firsthand experience with managers, technicians, and estimators in the field interacting with customers, making sales presentations, and assessing projects.
- You will see projects progress from leads to completion and all the behind-the-scenes operations that happen in between (operations, logistics, material sourcing, etc.).
- You will engage in a weekly meeting with an assigned mentor.
- You will consistently receive honest and blunt feedback on your performance and will be encouraged to provide your own assessments as well.
- You will participate in Leadership meetings weekly.
- Rigorous reading program (one book every two weeks)
- Writing assignments
- Round table discussions with your cohort
- Interviews with leaders in the community
Some of the topics you will learn about
Setting Strategic Vision
Financial Workflows
Budget Forecasting
Project Bidding
In-person Sales
Competitive Analysis
Supply Chain Logistics
Negotiating
Lean Management
Workflow Automation
Conducting Effective Meetings
The “Entrepreneurial Operating System”
Hiring and Firing
Gaining and Retaining Competitive Edges
Documenting Core Processes
Building Minimum Viable Products
Thesis testing
Zero-based Budgeting
Crisis Communication
Customer Management
Vendor Selection
Matching Right People with the Right Seats
Best Case
You spend a year around high-achieving, high integrity people and learn a lot about small business operations, while developing friendships with your leadership cohort.
You fall in love with small business.
You join one of our companies for the long run and grow into a manager (or more).
We help you start a business.
Worst Case
You spend a year around high-achieving, high integrity people and learn a lot about small business operations while developing friendships with your leadership cohort.
You learn more about yourself–what you’re good at and like doing and what you’re not good at and don’t enjoy doing.
What does it cost?
Nothing. In fact, we actually pay you $50,000 annualized with $10,000 included development during the program (and yes, you have to find your own housing).
We believe in investing in the future, even at a time when most companies in our space are freezing hiring and hunkering down.
We believe you are worth the investment and that we will find our next generation of company leaders through this program. We are willing to pay for that privilege.
Where will it be?
Austin, Texas
The Capital City of the Lone Star State. Come and enjoy our world-famous BBQ, the greatest live music in the nation, and rub shoulders with entrepreneurs from around the globe.
Apply
We only accept the top 10 applicants each year.
Yes. The program is very competitive.
- August 2023 - Next Cohort Begins
- Applications for 2023 Cohort are OPEN and being accepted on a rolling basis.
MEET OUR
Family of Businesses
We are a group of family and friends that run service businesses in Central Texas. Over the years, our companies have become highly respected businesses in the community. We are long-term, strategic thinkers that strive to serve our employees, build excellent businesses, and have a good time in the process.
Top Choice Lawn Care
Top Choice Lawn Care is a customer service business that happens to do lawn care. We are owned and operated by Austinites committed to making our city beautiful and embracing our common appreciation for the great outdoors.
Clean Scapes
Clean Scapes constructs and maintains exceptional landscapes and relationships with integrity and excellence. We strive to conduct our business with sustainable, earth-wise practices. We value our people as our most important asset, and we know their hard work is the foundation for our success. In everything we do, we hope to exceed the expectations of our clients and leave their properties more beautiful than we found them.
Exterior Cleaning Solutions
Exterior Cleaning Solutions provides window cleaning, pressure washing, and other exterior maintenance services to low and high-rise commercial buildings across Central Texas. We deliver high-quality work with clear communication. We provide jobs that offer dignity and a living wage to our employees. As the world becomes increasingly automated, our work remains focused on people. It still requires a human touch for both our employees and our customers alike to be successful. It’s why we love what we do and why we are so grateful for the opportunity to do it.
Emerald Lawns
Emerald Lawns was founded by Luke & Mary Hawthorne in 2006 to provide a personalized approach to lawn care in Central Texas. Our simple honest approach is to do everything we can to ensure that our customers have a healthy and beautiful lawn year-round. We have always understood that our customer's business is earned with each application, not just at the sale. Emerald Lawns is dedicated to meeting and exceeding our customer’s expectations with the highest quality products and services, produced by the finest landscape professionals.
