H-E-BUZZ

H-E-B rings up spot on Forbes’ list of biggest family businesses

H-E-B is Forbes' 11th biggest family run business.

H-E-B

One of Texas’ most beloved companies is also one of the country’s largest family businesses, and it’s based right here in San Antonio.

Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s 100 largest family businesses ranks companies based on annual revenue. With $49.6 billion in annual revenue, the H-E-B grocery chain appears at No. 11 on the list.

Founded in 1905, H-E-B operates more than 450 grocery stores in the U.S. and Mexico. The company says its annual sales exceed $50 billion.

In a Forbes essay, Byron Trott, chairman and co-CEO of merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners, offers an assessment of America’s family businesses that certainly applies to H-E-B:

"At a time when much of the business conversation is defined by speed, scale, and disruption, family businesses reflect a different model of success, one grounded in endurance, stewardship, resilience, and trust,” wrote Trott. “Their impact is often felt not only in revenues or valuations, but in livelihoods, institutions, and the strength of local communities."

H-E-B shows up regularly on Forbes lists and similar rankings. The company ranks:

First on Dunnhumby’s list of grocers on its Retailer Preference Index.
Third on the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s list of the top U.S. grocers.
Third on Glassdoor’s list of the best places to work in the consumer services category.
Fifth on Forbes’ list of the country’s largest private companies.
20th on YouGov’s list of the most popular grocers in the U.S.
40th on Forbes’ list of the country’s best large employers

One other San Antonio company, Zachry Group, lands on the family business list at No. 82. Its annual revenue is $6.2 billion. Zachry Group, led by John Zachry, specializes in engineering, construction, maintenance, turnaround, and fabrication services for the energy, chemical, power, manufacturing, and industrial sectors.

Other Texas companies that appear on the Forbes family business list are:

The 10th-ranked pipeline company, Enterprise Products Partners, based in Houston and affiliated with the billionaire Duncan family. The company’s annual revenue is $52.6 billion.
33rd-ranked Houston-based Friedkin Group, which owns car dealerships, resorts, sports teams, and other assets. The company, led by billionaire Dan Friedkin, has an annual revenue of $15.7 billion.
44th-ranked Westlake Corp., a Houston-based company that produces petrochemicals, polymers, and fabricated building products. Ting Tsung Chao founded the company, whose annual revenue is $11.2 billion.
69th-ranked Ben E. Keith, based in Fort Worth. The company’s annual revenue is $8 billion. Ben E. Keith, connected to the Keith and Hallam families, is a wholesale distributor of food and alcohol.
95th-ranked Consolidated Electrical Distributors, based in Irving. The company, with annual revenue of $5.5 billion, distributes electrical equipment. It’s tied to the Colburn family.

The No. 1 company on the Forbes list shouldn’t be a surprise. Retail giant Walmart, a public company that’s largely controlled by the Walton family, lands in the top spot with annual revenue of $713 billion.

forbes h-e-b rankings lists business

career hotspot

San Antonio makes new list of America's best cities to start a career

City of San Antonio - Municipal Government/Facebook

San Antonio isn't as business friendly as other Texas cities, according to WalletHub.

College graduates staying in San Antonio are in the right place, according to a new WalletHub study. San Antonio has emerged on a new list of the 100 best places in America for starting a career.

The Alamo City ranked 85th out of 182 U.S. cities based on its quality of life and vast opportunities for new college graduates transitioning into the workforce. The study compared each city based on 25 relevant metrics, like the availability of entry-level jobs, each city's annual job growth rate, workforce diversity, median annual income, housing affordability, and others.

Atlanta, Orlando, and Austin, respectively, comprised the top three best places to start a career.

San Antonio ranked No. 72 for its professional opportunities for new college graduates, and appeared 94th overall for its quality of life. Whether it's starting a new business or entering a high-earning job field, San Antonio has many more opportunities than over half of the other cities on the list.

"The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career."

Other Texas hotspots for early career professionals
Austin boasts the best quality of life among all 182 cities in the report, and the 10th-best professional opportunities. The state capital city also outperformed all other U.S. cities with the highest monthly average starting salaries for early career workers after being adjusted for the city's cost of living. Austin also offers the 15th highest number of entry level jobs per capita, the report said.

In a separate comparison of the cities with the largest share of residents aged 25 to 34, Austin ranked No. 5 nationally.

"In addition, Austin’s median annual household income is the 10th-highest in the nation, providing strong earning potential for those starting a career or a business," the report said. "Austin is also the sixth best city for singles, offering a vibrant social scene alongside strong career opportunities for young professionals."

Early-career professionals aren't the only ones who can benefit from a move to Austin. Earlier this year, WalletHub dubbed Austin one of the 10 best U.S. cities for finding a job, citing the city's favorable socioeconomic status and ample job opportunities across all career stages.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked as the second-best city in Texas for new grads to start a career and 12th nationally. Additional cities that made it into the top 100 best U.S. cities for early career professionals include Plano (No. 32), Irving (No. 42), Houston (No. 51), Fort Worth (No. 64), and Amarillo (No. 73).

The top 10 best cities for starting a career are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Austin, Texas
No. 4 – Tampa, Florida
No. 5 – Miami, Florida
No. 6 – Charleston, South Carolina
No. 7 – Pittsburgh
No. 8 – Knoxville, Tennessee
No. 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah
No. 10 – Columbia, South Carolina

austin wallethub reports innovation jobs