[00:00]Intro: Welcome to Owl Have You Know, a podcast from Rice Business. This episode is part of our Flight Path Series, where guests share their career journeys, the stories of the Rice connections that got them where they are.

At Rice, they say, if you're an Owl, you're an Owl for life. And Rice Business grad, Tim Okabayashi, exemplifies that statement in every way. The 2005 Jones School of Business alum and former Rice Business Alumni Board president talks to us about the extraordinary impact the MBA program has had and continues to have on his life decades after graduation. We also talk about his impact on Rice Business and how he and a classmate pitched this very podcast back in 2020, using none other than water bottles as microphones.

An impressive career in energy leading him to many different corners of the globe, Tim shares a bit of his own wisdom about the future of innovative energy technologies, what he's working on now, his perspective of always staying deeply rooted to the Rice Business Network, and even a piece of advice he would give to his younger self.

So, welcome, Tim. We're thrilled to have you today.

[01:13]Tim: Maya, it's really a pleasure to be here. So, thank you very much for having me.

[01:17]Maya: One of the other things that people may not know is our history and our background. So, we went to high school together, and I haven't seen you in, like, you know, it's been two years since high school, right, so, because we're really young.

[01:31]Tim: I don't, I don't want to give anything away, but I ran into some of our fellow high schoolmates, and they reminded me that my 30th-year reunion was coming up, which is a pretty scary thing.

[01:44]Maya: No, it's a great thing. And not only that, but we share our high school, like, we also share Rice, which is really such an honor to reconnect with people. And that's what I've noticed that Rice Business does. You reconnect with people that you would have never expected.

[01:59]Tim: The Rice network is a fantastic network. And I find that it's one that people just stay really close together, and even if you are connected only through a connection of a connection, that Rice Business connection is always there.

[02:14]Maya: And not only that, but you really have stayed active as an alumni. I mean, you graduated in 2005. I mean, I'm a class of ‘22, so I'm a newbie. And your connection to Rice has really spanned decades. Let's start with Rice and why you chose Rice. You went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I remember that, when you graduated. And you studied science and engineering and you minored in chemistry. So, what was your goal? What did you want to do when you grew up?

[02:47]Tim: Actually, when I graduated UNC, I went into environmental consulting, which is, kind of, interesting. Basically, I was living in Atlanta. I had clients that were in all aspects of manufacturing, materials, commercial aviation, the military, and I was helping them out with their air quality compliance, industrial hygiene programs. Anything, kind of, EPA-related, we were there to help support them.

And at the time, after a few years, I felt a little bit like I wanted to make a transition. I was getting very used to, kind of, the operational level things, but I wanted to have a different perspective. I wanted to gain that business perspective, that strategy perspective to see what were the drivers behind the operational decisions that were being made.

That's why I wanted to look at a full-time MBA program to make that transition, not only in function, but also industry.

[03:38]Maya: You said you were in Atlanta, did you want to come back home to Houston? Was that one of the real reasons that you wanted to come to Rice? I mean, other than the fact that Rice is the best, you know, MBA program in the country in our opinion, but was it, was that the reason?

[03:52]Tim: Yeah. So, growing up in Houston, I have a lot of family there, a lot of friends there. And, you know, I, at least, wanted to have the opportunity to work in Houston. Certainly, the energy markets at the time were very hot and wanted to make that an opportunity of what I wanted to explore post-graduation from Rice. So, that combination of wanting to go into energy and also work in the Houston area was definitely one of the reasons why I went back to Rice.

[04:17]Maya: Tell me about those two years that you were there. So, it was from ‘03 to ‘05.

[04:21]Tim: That's right, yeah. The school had just moved into the new building about a year prior. It was a great experience. Our cohort sizes were about 60, and we had 60 people, and we had about three classes.

It was a great experience. Could not believe how close you were able to get to your classmates in such a short amount of time. Combined with, in fact, the curriculum was challenging and it took up a lot of time. I mean, I was busy from every moment of the day, it seemed like, but I got so much out of the experience.

[04:53]Maya: Can you tell me some of what drew you to really stay engaged, over all of these years, even after graduation? So, you graduate in ‘05, you know, I mean, everybody says that they want to give back to their alma mater and all of that, but what was it, specifically, about Rice that made you stay so passionate and involved?

[05:12]Tim: One of the things I distinctly remember about my time at Rice was, probably, on the first few days we were going through orientation, there happened to be some, then, Rice Business Alumni Association board members who were attending an event. And someone introduced themselves to me and just had a conversation.

It was so great to see that those alums and board members of the Alumni Association were there, getting to know the incoming students. And so, that spoke volumes right from day one of how engaged the alumni base was for Rice Business. It was incredible. And, even through the program, you would always come in contact with alums who were recruiting or networking, and they were always so passionate about Rice Business and giving their time back to Rice Business and to be so giving with the programs within Rice Business, from Rice Alliance to business plan competitions, to mock interviews, to recruiting. It just showed part of the real strength of Rice Business and what keeps the strong network alive for the school. And I wanted to be part of that.

Aside from that, I had the opportunity to move overseas. And I really found, kind of, one's personal network, when you move overseas, it can be a little bit diminished, just by geography and distance and miles, right? And I know you've lived overseas as well, but I moved to Kuala Lumpur in about 2013, so, some years after my graduation from Rice. When I got back to Houston, I joined the board, or I applied for the board, and spoke about how I wanted to really try and bring about more engagement with the international graduates who have moved away from Houston and the U.S. So, I wanted to try and help build that connective tissue between the school and those students, where there's not a lot of concentration of graduates.

[06:55]Maya: Right. Well, now, well, now, we have a whole campus overseas and, well, over in Paris, which is a very nice place to be. I think that Rice recognizes that there's a need for that, because we are growing exponentially and our alumni network is growing exponentially. And by having opportunities to connect with alumni all over the planet, that's one of the distinguishing factors of Rice Business.

[07:19]Tim: That, and the Rice MBA program, basically, allows for students to be anywhere around the world, taking the same classes, going through the same experience together as the rest of the Rice Business school, and that goes to the Jones School.

[07:32]Maya: So, tell me about your time as the president of the alumni board. How long is the term, and how do you get in? You know, I know that there's an application process and due diligence and all of that.

[07:44]Tim: Sure. There's an application process where you submit a form to the board. You describe yourself, about your history, how you've been involved with Rice Business in the past, why do you want to become a board member on the alumni association? And then, if you are elected to the board, then you join for a period of, what I believe is a minimum of three years or a maximum of six years, unless there's some extenuating circumstance where you become an officer and it gets extended. So, I've actually served for a total of seven years. I've just finished up my seventh and last year as past president. So, officially, I am off the board now.

[08:19]Maya: But you're also in the UK. You live in Cambridge. And so, you served as the president from, you know, across the ocean.

[08:27]Tim: I did. You know, that was one of the concerns I had to discuss with the, then, executive committee, like, can we pull this off? Can someone be not in Houston, not in Texas, not in the U.S., and still be the board president? And, you know, we had come through COVID by this time, so everyone was on Zoom, and we were conducting most of the meetings in that fashion.

So, we really didn't see a problem with that. There were some events during my term as president that I wasn't able to get back to, and we nominated other people on the board, or the president elect stepped in or other board members stepped in to, say, give a speech at graduation where I just physically couldn't be there. I tried to attend as many events as I could, but the rest of the board was happy to help out. So, it was fantastic support.

[09:13]Maya: Well, and how lucky Rice Business has been for you to serve for seven years. Are you sure you don't want to come back for, maybe, an eighth? Or, I mean, is there, like, a… can you, I mean, can you, like, take some time off and then maybe come back? I don't know.

[09:26]Tim: Sure.

[09:26]Maya: Just, I don't know what the, what the rules and regulations are, but nobody wants to lose Tim. And I don't blame them.

[09:32]Tim: I'm sure there's always ways in which I could volunteer my time for Rice Business, and I'd be happy to do so. While we were on the board, we tackled a lot of issues. And I'm really proud of the work that myself and my fellow board members did. I mean, I think I did the math or asked someone to help me out with the math. I think we came in, I came in contact with about… someone's going to have to fact-check this, but maybe, like, 40 different alums have, kind of, been in and around the different years while I've been on the board. So, it was a great way to get to know other alums in a way that I hadn't before, from all different years, from all different backgrounds. So, that was another plus.

[10:08]Maya: For sure. So, it was COVID time and everybody felt fairly disconnected. How did you and Karen decide, you know what? Why don't we start a podcast at Rice?

[10:22]Tim: Yeah. So, Karen is Karen Crofton, who's in Boulder, Colorado. It was actually before COVID had happened. I think we were at our fall retreat in September — August or September — where we were discussing ways in which the board could increase alumni engagement. That's really the core of what the board is there for. We're there to help increase engagement with alumni and build up relationships between the school, alumni. And when I say school, we're looking at aspects of the students, the faculty, and other alumni. So, any way we can increase engagement with the alumni base back to the school, however you want to define it, that's fair game for us. That's what we want to look at. That's what our, kind of, North Star is and what drives us.

There are some other projects that we were considering, and we, kind of, broke up into teams and did a vote on what looked interesting. The topic of a podcast came up, and Karen and I were the only ones brave enough to, kind of, join that squad. And we were, we were hashing it out. We broke off into a breakout room. I think we came up with, like, a three-slide presentation to pitch back to the group after we came back from break. I think, literally, with about 10 seconds before it was time to present, I leaned over to Karen and just said, “Let's scrap the slides. Let's just pretend we're doing a podcast interview right now.” She was totally game for it. She's like, “Let's do it.”

I think we picked up our water bottles we had and just used those as microphones. And I, kind of, got a little announcer voice going on and asked Karen questions about what the podcast would do, what it would be like, who would we interview, why we'd want to do it. And it was just, kind of, a hit. We, kind of, got immediate approval, and were off and running. So, for the next year, we, basically, were in planning mode. How do we do this? And at the time, we thought we would have to do it at the school. We would have to take advantage of the recording studio at the school. You know, we were, kind of, really worried about, like, how are we going to get alums to come by the school to do the recording? Is that going to limit us to just Houston-based alums?

We were worried about that. Then, we were thinking about the production. We got a lot of these things figured out, but there's still some issues we were working through. So, it did take us a while. And considering that the alumni board is a voluntary board, we were doing this in our part time. So, it was, kind of, incrementally nudging along. So, it did take us a little while. But we did figure it out in the span of a year and started moving forward, recording our own board members first as our brave guinea pigs.

[12:46]Maya: So, what's your favorite podcast? I have to ask it. Or, are you, like, do you love podcasts? Is that why you decided… hey, by the way, very creative of using the water bottle as a microphone. I mean, I have to say, like, hats off to that.

[12:59]Tim: There’s so many podcasts that come to mind, the ones that I really remember and that I think are incredible stories of people's lives that I only knew a portion of, right? And so, I mean, just to name a few, well, I'll be partial. I'll be partial to a family member, full disclosure, Amanda Stewart was on and she talked about the DEI activity she's bringing about in her company, and I'm so proud of her. There's Brian Jackson, current president of the board. He told his story out there, and it was amazing. I can't believe how transparent and authentic he is. And he's like that in real life. It’s unbelievable.

There’s another fellow high-schooler that was interviewed, Will Robertson as well. That was a great interview. Oh, Bethany Andell. I mean, she talks about her business, but also, kind of, her ethos of the way she engages with clients. So, it's really great to hear just additional color about people's lives and their intersection with Rice Business.

[13:51]Maya: Yes. And so, what's interesting is that I know the studio that you're talking about that we have on campus and how unique and ironic is it that we were able to, because of COVID, have an opportunity to really interview anyone on the planet because of the innovation that we have, because you're not in the United States and we get to talk to you and tell your stories, or it really doesn't matter where you are on the planet to be able to share the journeys and the stories and the pivots and the flight paths and all of those things that you want to showcase about Rice.

[14:26]Tim: I just don't want to diminish how things might have looked back then, you know, as well. But yeah, you're absolutely right. The opportunities to virtually expand your reach are pretty phenomenal these days. And I think the Owl Have You Know platform is a great one that continues to grow and expand with the different programs and subject themes and the interviews with the staff and academics and highlighting the research. I think it's incredible. I think there's a lot of room for Owl Have You Know to become a really central part of Rice Business, as well as the business community.

[15:02]Maya: For sure. So, the name, Owl Have You Know, tell me how you came up with the name. How did that transpire? Because people ask me that all the time, and I'm like, “I don't know, but I'll ask Tim.”

[15:18]Tim: All right. So, the Owl Have You Know name came about just through basic brainstorming and trying to find something witty and a little punny, if you will, for the podcast.

[15:30]Maya: Very punny, very punny.

[15:32]Tim: Yeah, there you go. I actually pulled up a list of some of the other contenders, and I think, I think we could probably agree on most of these, that they were probably good that we passed on. Let's see. Who gives a hoot?

[15:44]Maya: That's a good one.

[15:46]Tim: Owlified might have been the next best contender, yeah. So, certainly, it didn't take us a long time to realize that Owl Have You Know was a much better name. And we also wanted to leave it at the time, I think this is evident in the first season that, at the end of every podcast, we would ask the guests of, like, if you had to say something, like, Owl Have You Know, as a surprise, that we were thinking, like, that would be, kind of, a little bit of the catch of the podcast.

[16:14]Maya: Huh! Gosh, nobody told me that part.

[16:17]Tim: I think it's a lost opportunity, Maya. I mean, you got to, you got to, you got to bring it back.

[16:23]Maya: Well, for sure, I'm going to bring it back. And don't let me forget to ask you at the end of this, if you could, if there was something that you could share. Wait, wait, wait, what's the exact question? What is it?

[16:34]Tim: If you were to tell the audience one thing in the framework of Owl Have You Know, what would you tell them?

[16:40]Maya: Yes, I love that. I love that. Let's pivot a little bit and talk about what you have been up to since graduation and, kind of, the trajectory of your career and how Rice Business has really shaped who you are today. Because I know how Rice Business and Owl Have You Know has shaped me and continues to do so, but let's talk about you.

[17:01]Tim: Sure. So, right after graduation, I joined this clean energy technology startup company in Houston. It was a small company that was primarily angel-funded. And we had this proprietary technology that we're trying to break into the off-road diesel market. So, off road diesel in the U.S. is primarily red dye diesel that goes into engines like locomotives or drilling rigs, marine vessels. And at the time, again, back in 2005, you know, commodity prices were high. And anything we could do to help reduce fuel consumption and reduce harmful combustion emissions was a good thing.

So, we were trying to break into that market, and it was a great experience being with a startup company and being in that industrial space. Did that for about three years. I actually joined the company with a fellow classmate of mine. So, we were… the two of us from our class were lucky to sign on as full-time employees there.

So, it was a great chance to do something that was really rewarding and doing it with someone who is a close classmate. About 2008, then, I left the company and then joined Smith International, which was an oil field company, doing M&A work. We were looking at, what was our white space? Where did we want to grow into? And I was definitely leveraging my MBA to look at opportunities for acquisition to help us grow.

And in about 2010, then, we got purchased by Schlumberger, which is now SLB. And so, then, I transitioned to a different role, and I transitioned into what we would call marketing and technology, which was looking at market analysis, pricing, product launches, service launches within the drilling tool space for SLB.

Did that for several years. And then, in 2013, transitioned to Kuala Lumpur to take on a more ops-driven role there for about three years. And that was a, that was a really great assignment. It was our first international assignment, and it was a tough one.

[19:04]Maya: And you've worked a lot in Asia and in the Asian market. What were some of the surprises and some of those “aha” moments while you were in Asia?

[19:13]Tim: I think one of my biggest learnings was actually passed to me from a colleague. And at the time, I, kind of, brushed it off. But he said, like, you know, “Tim, the world is such a small term for such a large place.” And I think, often, in times, in oil and gas, we think of the natural resources, you know, crude or natural gas as really being just commodities and it's the same anywhere. But that's really not true. I mean, to a certain degree, it is, by the chemistry, but then, again, the methods and the people and the culture around the activities in different parts of the world can be uniquely different. And that is something that I had grew to have a great appreciation of when I moved abroad.

[19:57]Maya: And then, what brought you to Cambridge? I mean, obviously, SLB brought you to Cambridge, but so tell me about that path.

[20:03]Tim: In about 2018, then, I got moved to a different assignment over in Cambridge, which is attached to a research facility. And at the time, we were standing up this group to leverage our own data warehouses, if you will, to try and develop digital solutions for our drilling operations. So, this is, I mean, again, going back to 2018, now, it probably doesn't seem so novel, but at the time we were really trying to unpack and leverage all this data we had to bring about solutions, both internally and externally, for our clients. So, I was part of that domain team that looked at big data analysis for well construction activities.

[20:42]Maya: What do you see for the future, you know, because we have energy transition, we've got so many exciting things on the horizon, also, with AI and drilling technology and clean energy? What are you the most excited about of what's coming up in the next, I mean, five to seven years?

[21:01]Tim: I'm most excited about the continuation of just the advancement of technology throughout the oil field and new energy and alternative energy and transition energy. Like, at the heart of it, the research and development, technology development is really the key enabler. And it takes time to develop this technology, commercialize it, and then have adoption, right?

And this process requires people. And yes, big data, AI can certainly assist, but at the heart of it, there's still this need for people and researchers and ideas and science. And so, being surrounded by these highly talented people, like in Cambridge and throughout the rest of the world, throughout the industry that are at the forefront of technology development, that's what still gets me excited about working in this space.

[21:48]Maya: And so, you've been with SLB for quite some time, even through a rebranding, because it was Schlumberger and now it's SLB, right? I live in Houston. So, I drive by, and I saw the changing of the sign. And SLB is, you know, a behemoth in the energy space. What do you see for the future of SLB?

[22:06]Tim: SLB, at its core, is still delivering products and services to oil and gas clients. We also have SLB New Energy, which is looking at different avenues of developing new energy solutions for the energy market. SLB is a technology company. And also, what I'm doing now within the methane space is very, very appealing and has the opportunity to really help decarbonize the emissions that come from oil and gas operations. So, these are the things I'm most excited about being with SLB.

[22:40]Maya: Tell me a little bit, whatever you can, about what you're working on, with regards to methane. Because, obviously, I'm assuming you're talking about flaring.

[22:47]Tim: Sure. Well, that's one key aspect of it. So, you know, the IEA, the International Energy Association, approximates that about one-third of the methane in the atmosphere comes from energy-related activities. And methane is a greenhouse gas, and on some levels, or some estimations, it's about 80 times more powerful in terms of global warming potential as a ton of carbon dioxide over the span of about 20 years.

And what's really interesting is, with this contribution of methane from the energy industry, about 50% of the methane emissions is approximated to be able to be reduced at no net cost for the industry. Meaning that the methane, in the form of natural gas, can be put back into the pipeline and sold. And so, there's this huge potential for abatement that could be at relatively low cost or no cost to the industry. And what's difficult is, often, to find out where that methane is, how much of it is there, and what type of abatement technologies to apply.

And so, our group, the SLB, End-to-end Emissions Solutions, is in that space. We're helping our clients identify where their methane emissions are coming from, quantify it, find ways to reduce their emissions, and then help them report their emissions to whatever reporting agency or regulatory agency that might need them.

So, emissions could be coming from flare, like you said, or they could be coming from general leaks, right? So, leaks would be called fugitive emissions. Sometimes, you don't know how long a leak is going for, or you don't know how big the leak is. So, you do need some measurement technologies to go out there and find them and then identify them and then repair them.

[24:31]Maya: That's really, really, really interesting. I know that they're doing a lot of work here in Houston. So, do you have any plans of coming back to Houston? I know that you've got some kiddos. And are you enjoying life in the UK?

[24:43]Tim: We do enjoy our time here in the UK. We've grown very fond of the place we live and the friends we've met. I think we've been very fortunate wherever we've lived, be it in Malaysia or Houston or Cambridge, to just have really found a good network of friends. That is one thing that, being an expat, you know, you're, kind of, removed from that safety net of your home, let's call it home, friends and family. And you need to, kind of, find support around you wherever you are. And we've managed to do that in some ways. And so, we're very fond of the people that we have close to us here. And we know that, eventually, we will most likely move back to Houston. We have friends and family that we’re very close to back there. And we miss the food. So, eventually, we will find our way back to Houston, but right now we still continue to look at this as an adventure.

[25:31]Maya: Well, can you tell me a bit about your family and about your wife? Because they've been, they've been on this journey with you.

[25:37]Tim: Yeah, my wife is, my wife is really amazing. She's actually from Houston as well. We grew up, you know, probably about two miles from each other, but we never knew each other until we were adults, until we started dating. So, it's really, kind of, interesting. We actually have some friends of friends in common, but yet, we still never met each other in Houston. She is a classically trained soprano singer. She graduated from the Moores School of Music at University of Houston.

Prior to us moving around the world, she spent a lot of time in education, teaching middle school choirs. So, that was what her previous professional life was. I really can't say how amazing she is. Just to give you an example of the support she has given me and how great she is, I remember distinctly, we were waiting for a transport bus to take myself and then just our one daughter and about six huge duffel bags to the airport to move to Malaysia. This was going to be our first assignment overseas. And even up until the point where that van pulled up, we were like, “Are we doing the right thing? We were about to take ourselves and our 14-month-old daughter away from her grandparents and family, and we're going to move, literally, around the world. Are we sure this is the right thing?” And I think I recall her, she just looked over and said, like, “Tim, I believe in you. I believe in us. And I believe that we will survive, no matter what.” And I think, at the end of the day, like, that was such a great thing she could say at the right time.

The role I was taking was a stretch role. I was luckily pushed into this role by some mentors for growth. And there are some nerves about that. But to be given, basically, the opportunity to fail and permission to fail from my partner was just an incredible gift. And it's something I will always remember.

[27:30]Maya: That's phenomenal, that's a phenomenal person to have a partner. And we talk a lot, even at Rice, part of the curriculum is you got to learn how to fail because that's when you have the most growth, you know. And to have that support, that's one of the things that, you know, has stuck with me about Rice, is that you've got to learn how to, how to fail, and then how to get back up and how to try again. And it seems so simple, but people have such fear of doing that. When you're an adult and you're, you know, you're married and you have children that are depending on you…

[28:03]Tim: A mortgage.

[28:04]Maya: Mortgage, right. You've got bills to pay. You're like a grownup. You don't feel like one, but you still are. And, you know, you've got all these responsibilities. 

[28:12]Tim: Adulting is hard.

[28:14]Maya: Adulting. Yes, adulting is hard, but, you know, that's what we try to teach our own children is you've got to learn how to fail. And then, we can't lose sight of that as adults as well, because that's how you keep growing and keep pushing yourself. And you got to live by the words that you preach. So, that's incredible that you have, you have that opportunity to take on stretch roles. And also, just going to Rice was, you know, kind of, a stretch role, I think, for anybody.

[28:39]Tim: Sure!

[28:39]Maya: To take that step and decide, “You know what? I'm going to do this. I have no idea if I'm going to succeed or if I'm going to fail, but it's worth a try.” And I think that that's really what is unique and sets us, Rice Owls, apart from the rest of the flock. It's obvious. We're a different, we're a different breed of bird. It's one of the best decisions, I think you'll agree. It's one of the best decisions that anybody can make.

[29:08]Tim: Yeah, absolutely. I don't regret it for a minute. To just bring in the other members of the core family, just real fast. I've got two amazing children, a 12-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son, and they're just amazing little humans that I'm always surprised at their resilience every day. Our son is starting to play cricket. I mean, he's asking help for cricket and I have no idea what to do.

They're involved in their own activities. And, you know, we're trying to give them space to grow in the interests that really are attracted to them. And they're finding their way. And we're trying to support them every way we can.

[29:42]Maya: Do you guys come to Houston at all?

[29:45]Tim: We do. We try and make it back at least once a year. I mean, if we don't make it back once a year, we definitely get in trouble with our family.

[29:52]Maya: You should definitely come by Rice, which I'm sure is on the agenda, along with your kids. And who knows? They have an undergraduate business program now, too.

[29:59]Tim: I know. I know.

[29:59]Maya: So, maybe, one of your kids would love to come and be a Rice Owl as well, because it's really incredible growth. And you have to come see it when you're in town.

[30:08]Tim: Yeah, it's very exciting. I think you could really see from the ambition that Rice has the confidence that the university has in Rice Business as well. And I think that what makes it special is, you know, the graduates, the alumni, the students, Dean Rodriguez, his staff, the faculty.

What I've come to find out with my term in the alumni association is that it's not just the dean's office. You know, I think it certainly is. And that's where the direction comes from and the inspiration. But there's so many members of the staff that work at Rice Business that help propel the school forward day to day. And, you know, I think, year in and year out, they are there as the, kind of, the constants, if you will, to help drive things forward. And I think, sometimes, we don't give enough credit and thanks and recognition to the staff that works for Rice Business.

[31:04]Maya: Absolutely. And to people like you who volunteer their time to continue that engagement and to give back, because that's also one of the things that makes Rice Business so unique and special is alumni like you, and the ones that I get to talk to and to interview, because that's really the heart and soul of the school.

[31:24]Tim: Absolutely.

[31:25]Maya: So, a couple of last questions. What's one piece of advice that you would give your younger self?

[31:33]Tim: I think I would give myself the advice that we’re talking about earlier, that it's okay to try things and fail. Like, fail fast, learn, innovate. Like, it's okay. I think, kind of, growing up, however I did, you know, I think there was always this mystique around failure. And so, you know, failure is not a bad thing, as long as you learn from it and develop. So, I think I would have told myself that a bit earlier, yeah.

[31:58]Maya: That it's okay to fail and fail, but fail fast.

[32:00]Tim: Yeah.

[32:01]Maya: And then, what's one thing that Owl Have You Know, Tim Okabayashi… because now I'm going to ask everybody that.

[32:13]Tim: Yeah. Owl Have You Know that, while I've been in Cambridge, I started to row with a rowing team, like, a crew team. I was pulled in by a coworker. They have a river here in Cambridge, the Cam River. There are boat clubs all up and down the river, and they have social teams for adults, as well as the students. And I, and I started to learn how to row and be a cox for a crew team. And it was a really enjoyable experience. Probably, one of the more difficult things I've ever had to do, of being in charge of an eight-person boat, rowing down the river, and maybe even more difficult than being in some of the courses at Rice.

[32:51]Maya: Okay. Well, it has been a pleasure to talk with you. And again, need to thank you for the brainchild that you came up with, Owl Have You Know. Grateful for an opportunity to talk with you and to share the stories of alumni and faculty and staff and to really showcase Rice Business, one story at a time.

[33:11]Tim: Well, thank you, Maya. And thank you for continuing on the part of being the host. You, Scott, David, and Christine have done an amazing job being the voice of Owl Have You Know. And we couldn't do this without you. So, thank you very much.

[33:26]Outro: Thanks for listening. This has been Owl Have You Know, a production of Rice Business. You can find more information about our guests, hosts, and announcements on our website, business.rice.edu. Please, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you find your favorite podcasts. We'd love to hear what you think. The hosts of Owl Have You Know are myself, Maya Pomroy, and Scott Gale.

[00:00]Intro: Welcome to Owl Have You Know, a podcast from Rice Business. This episode is part of our Pivot Series, where guests share stories of transformation in their lives and careers.

Marine Corps veteran and Rice MBA graduate, Steve Jimenez, never expected to find himself in the world of nonprofits. The entrepreneur tells us his poignant story of serving our country and returning home from active duty with internal wounds hidden from sight to a world in which he was struggling to find inner peace. His battle with post-traumatic stress disorder led him on an unlikely path of healing and, also, recognizing his new mission in life, was to help others like him. Founded in 2018, Hives for Heroes provides a healthy transition back to civilian life through the art of beekeeping, while cultivating a strong sense of belonging and lifelong friendships.

Steve, thank you so much for being on Owl Have You Know.

[01:01]Steve: Thank you so much for having me and having us represent Hives for Heroes today. Just wonderful to see all the successes that you've had, so congratulations, and congratulations to the show.

[01:11]Maya: Well, no, congratulations to you. You have had such a unique and unconventional journey. And I've really been looking forward to talking with you. We were actually at Rice at the same time, both graduated in 2022, but never had an opportunity to meet. When I had heard about what you had launched back in 2018, Hives for Heroes, it really resonated with me in a lot of different ways. And I was very much looking forward to getting to know you and to learn about how much good you've really done in your young life, I mean, you're just really starting out. Native Houstonian, graduated from A&M in 2006, and went to go join the Marine Corps.

Before we jump into this incredible organization, this nonprofit that serves so many people and does so much good, let's start from 2006. So, you went to A&M, and what did you study?

[02:07]Steve: I studied sociology. To be honest, it was a weird transition because a lot of my era understands 9/11 and was there when that happened in high school. And my parents were very adamant to go get an education and not just join the Marine Corps as enlisted personnel. And so, I went to A&M and studied engineering.

And then they told me it was going to take a year longer because I couldn't get a class in. And I was like, “Absolutely not.” The advisor, I said, "How do I get out of here?" And they're like, "You can do a liberal arts degree." So, I have a BS in sociology, and it's actually very good. It's helped me a lot in what we do. It's God's plan, His timing. And it's so cool that, when I'm going through certain things, I think they're challenges, they're really just preparing us for the future.

[02:52]Maya: Yeah. Then, what propelled you to join the Marine Corps? Do you come from a family of people that served in the military?

[03:01]Steve: I had a bunch of buddies that I went to school with at our school in high school, they just went to the Marine Corps. Of course, all the branches are incredible. We serve every branch, and we love them. It's all brothers and sisters in arms. And we serve each other still today, but just the camaraderie, kind of, the best of the best mentality, serving others in such a forward way, and also, leading from the front is something that really, it was an advantage to me. I love leading. I love being out in front, being able to push the envelope, inspire, and try to innovate things, right? This beekeeping world that we'll get into is pretty traditional. And we love being able to push the envelope just a little bit to better serve those that are actually doing the work inside of the organization. 

[03:47]Maya: And tell me about your training and your deployment and the tours in which you served.

[03:51]Steve: Yes. So, I joined in ‘06, graduated from Quantico, and then was immediately going through courses. So, we have OCS, TBS, comm school.

[04:01]Maya: Wait, wait, back up. What are all those things, for those of us that don't know?

[04:05]Steve: OCS is Officer Candidate School. So, after graduation, I went to Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. That's a 10-week program where you graduate and commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. And then I went to the basic school, which is a six-month program, still there in Quantico, that teaches you, literally, everything you need to know about being a Marine Corps officer.

There's a saying in the Marine Corps that every Marine is a rifleman and every Marine officer is a rifle platoon commander. So, you have to know how to employ your resources, which are the troops and the weapons, and literally, your brothers and sisters. And we got very, very close. And that was a wonderful part of my life, of being shoulder to shoulder with some of the best people on the planet, doing some of the best work on the planet.

After that, I went to comm school, which is communication school, that was in Quantico as well. So, I spent a lot of time there. Some people go other places to do their training. And that was another six months. So, now, you're, you know, a year plus in to the Marine Corps, graduated from that course, and was stationed out in Miramar, which is in San Diego, which is beautiful, San Diego.

[05:10]Maya: Beautiful, yes.

[05:12]Steve: Which I still absolutely love. And if it wasn't so expensive, I'd be staying there because the weather is perfect all the time. Went to Miramar to MAG-11, MAG-16, and was the EKMS officer there as well. So, a lot of very nerdy communication stuff. I'm going to talk across the planet, right? That's essentially what we were doing.

And then I ended up doing an individual augment to 15th MEU, which is the Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operations Command, and we deployed to 17 countries throughout our eight months that we were deployed, and did a lot of kinetic operations, humanitarian assistance, piracy operations. We were literally all over the world, again, doing some of the best things that you could possibly do, serving others in capacities that a lot of military units would not be able to do, and transitioning a lot. So, there's all these massive shifts, and you have to be very agile. And our Marines are top-notch, I mean, extremely professional.

[06:10]Maya: Without a doubt.

[06:11]Steve: Easy to make things happen when you have such amazing people in an organization like the Marine Corps. Came out, and then I went to my first real job.

[06:21]Maya: So, you were in the Marine Corps from 2006 to 2011.

[06:26]Steve: Yes, ma'am. And then I went to Eaton, which Eaton bought us out, but it was Cooper Power Systems at the time. And just had a wonderful time there as well. This is all really just centered around people, really good people doing good things, trying to make the world just a little bit better of a place in the spot in which you're in, right? So, at that time, it was manufacturing.

[06:49]Maya: So, in 2011, when you came back and were trying to reintegrate into civilian life, you come back and then you just apply for a job? How does that work?

[07:01]Steve: I didn't apply for a job. They had these things back then called headhunters.

[07:06]Maya: Oh, those guys, okay.

[07:08]Steve: Because I had no idea how to navigate that, to be able to go from an institution, right, a premier institution that you are told what to do, you have your uniform, where you eat, you know, where you live, everything is prescribed for you on most bases, right? This is a hierarchical structure of things that need to get done on a mission and goal basis. So, it's very structured. There's an adage that says that military personnel have about 300 decisions that they make per day. And the moment they get out of the Marine Corps or the military, in general, they have 3,000 decisions they have to make.

Even so much as to go to the Walmart aisle and get your toothpaste, that is a massive difference. You're like, “Wait, what? There's 300 different toothpastes? I thought there was one.” You know, there's these things that you don't have to do, and, in the capacity of growth, you really have to grow from. And how that happens, for me at least, was through mentorship and allowing others to step into my life that have been there and been able to share their successes. And that's why we do what we do. We do the similar stuff. We mentor through and grow.

[08:23]Maya: Trying to reintegrate back into civilian life. And now, you have a career and you have to go figure out what toothpaste to get. And I mean, these are… they seem simple, but for five years of your life, it’s a very different perspective. Once you got back and were reintegrating back into civilian life, what did you notice that was the most challenging for you?

[08:50]Steve: Challenges were more of my personal life. I would say that I had an immense amount of gratitude for the opportunity to serve our country. And I truly thank those that have and are currently doing so as well. There's the adage of “Thank you for your service,” and a lot of military personnel get uncomfortable and they don't, they don't know what to say back. The reality is you don't have to say anything. And so, thank you to all those that are out there that have, that continue to do so, and probably will in the future. I highly encourage it.

But the trouble was personally, the personal traumas that had, kind of, reared their ugly head, even from childhood, now that I know that. There's a lot of healing in bees. And so, there's a lot of questions about this healing when you start working with bees or anything that gets you into a healing methodology. And so, the struggle was me. The struggle was the things that I was doing, the things that I was running from, and what I ran to, which was a lot of disconnection. So, now that we are in a disconnected state, we're not actually feeling and thinking and living a purposeful life.

And so, that was the hardest part for me, was the personal struggle transitioning back. When it came to professional life, still a Marine. We're going to go succeed and we're going to get the job done.

[10:07]Maya: That's right. So, what was, really, the catalyst that brought you to honeybees and to starting and launching this nonprofit organization? Hives for Heroes was launched in 2018. So, in those seven years, what were you up to?

[10:23]Steve: Oh, Hives for Heroes 2018 was not Hives for Heroes that we have today. Back then, there was a massive struggle with myself and around 30 years old plus when I, basically, financially retired. So, I was sitting here going, what do I do? And so, I had no goals left. So, this is one of those things where they're teaching points and lessons that I've learned from my mentors that I'd love to share, which is have goals. You have to have goals. If you're not moving forward in your goals, you're really not enjoying life the way you could or shining your light the way that you can for others so they can have goals as well.

So, I was pretty stagnant. And in that place, I had massive depression, which I'm sure a lot of people struggle with, especially nowadays. And I just really didn't know why I was here, what I was supposed to be doing, because I had “accomplished” so much, right? All my goals were complete. So, when I started turning that externally was when a friend invited me to a beekeeping event that I did not want to go to.

[11:25]Maya: What year was this?

[11:26]Steve: This was about May, in May of ’18. And she invited me to an event. She's an Air Force veteran, and I did not want to go, but I cared about the relationship enough to step out for her, if that makes sense.

And so, we went out and did that, and it shifted my perspective of life. So, I'm grateful for her. I'm grateful for all those that were with us in the start of this organization, because it shifted my energy. Stay with me for a second. So, when I walked in – into an environment that I felt a high level of anxiety, I still had a lot of hypervigilism from PTS, you know, still today.

And as you're walking into an unknown environment, clearly not knowing what is going to go on, what is going to happen, what is the effect of this, and you're suiting up into a bee suit, and it started feeling very familiar. We walked up to a roof on a, on a yoga studio out in Spring Branch, and we started opening up the hives and it turned into a little bit of chaos, right? So, these bees are coming out there. These ladies are coming out, and they're like, “Who are you? What are you doing opening up my home?”

[12:40]Maya: Because honeybees are female, right?

[12:43]Steve: 99.9% of them are female, right. You have your queen bee, then you have a ton of worker bees, and then you have your drones. And so, these ladies are coming out and the ladies are the ones who have stingers, right? Drones don't have stingers.

[12:55]Maya: Good to know.

[12:56]Steve: Yes.

[12:57]Maya: Now, I know.

[12:58]Steve: So, they're coming out, and I'm like, “Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh, this is the first experience I've had.” But when I started focusing into the beehive, this experience caused me to really remove every external thing that I was thinking about. Anything that was going on at the house, anything with my kids, anything that was going on externally was gone.

[13:21]Maya: But it was very similar to how, when you were serving in the Marine Corps, right?

[13:26]Steve: Yes, yes.

[13:26]Maya: Everything else is gone. You're laser-focused on one thing.

[13:30]Steve: Yes, ma'am. You have this, what we now call chaos to calmness. So, this was the first time in almost 10 years that I actually felt peace, like, I felt calm in my spirit, in my soul, in my brain, however you want to describe it. Everybody has their ways of describing. And then we would follow this process, that then found success, that then built confidence. So, all of a sudden, you're looking at it in a perspective of these metaphors of military. A lot of people that have kicked in doors or done some heavy training or combat can understand or relate to this, is you trust yourself, your gear, and your buddies. You walk into an unknown environment, follow a process, find success, and build confidence. So, all of this happened in, like, five minutes.

[14:25]Maya: Which is what your training is about. And when you come back, it's missing, right? And so, this is a way to really find that, it's comfort.

[14:39]Steve: Yeah, it's an opportunity for us to get together again. So, we get back to the connection side. We speak about our core values very, very often — connection, purpose, relationships, and service. And so, this is an opportunity for, if you know anything about beekeeping, great. If you don't know anything, we got you. It's the opportunity to connect again and to connect to somebody that has a similar experience. Just because you're in different branches, that doesn't matter. You still signed a line on a check. And that check was your life. Like, that's huge to understand that and for our civilian population to understand it, honor and respect that, is awesome. We don't expect it, though. It's great when it's appreciated, but we don't expect it because we're going to do what we're going to do anyway. We're going to go lead and we're going to make the world a better place with the skills in which we have.

[15:29]Maya: So, you went to this event with your friend and…life-changing, obviously. So, you recognized that you have to bring this to others, to other veterans. I'm not one, obviously. But it seems that there is this journey and this camaraderie and, also, this shared experience of missing something once you come back, right?

So, you recognize that this is something that people are missing that have gone through the unfathomable and seeing things that nobody should ever see, you know, those sorts of life-altering experiences. And so, in that moment, you realized, “I need to do this. I need to do this for others.” So, walk me through that.

[16:16]Steve: I wish I just decided to do so and there was this massive plan. For all the entrepreneurs out there that think you have a plan, we never thought that the organization would have the reach and impact that it does today. I think our most important number has always been one. One, meaning to serve one person in a capacity that changes their life. And we can do that, whether that's a beekeeping experience or even a conversation. When you are around people that genuinely care about you and your successes but want nothing from you, it's a pretty powerful position to be in, especially when you feel alone.

So, what our organization has been able to do is connect individuals to individuals in their local areas. So, we call it hyperlocal global impact, because that's what we do. I don't even know a lot of the people in our organization now. I used to call every single one on the phone. We would have a Zoom call. We would match the mentor and the newbie. It was beautiful. That was my favorite part.

[17:25]Maya: That's leadership, though. That's leadership right there, right?

[17:29]Steve: Cost to leadership. And in, and in my case, it is not being able to shake everybody's hand and look them in the eye and say, “Thank you.” That's the cost of leadership in this. Although, it allows other people the opportunity to step up as leaders, and they have in droves. We have state leaders all across the United States that are served, as well, with state representatives, that continue to serve the organization. But most importantly, they serve that individual veteran that might not have been seen or heard. And they're right there, boots on the ground.

[18:05]Maya: So, tell me about those relationships. Tell me about some of the people that you know whose lives have been changed by Hives for Heroes.

[18:14]Steve: Gosh, there is now thousands. We're over 7,000 people throughout the United States. A little update on that first number is now we're over 150,000 hives throughout the United States.

[18:24]Maya: Wow.

[18:25]Steve: This growth comes from, literally, caring about each other. And so, it's really a blessing to have such a word-of-mouth organization where people trust us and then share that to their loved ones, families, and friends. People in the organization, I could literally go on for days. I'm going to, I want to share two stories. And they're from, kind of, almost rags to riches, they're unbelievable. We have one person, his name is Ron, and he is in Indiana. And Ron had addiction issues, as many of us have, especially returning. It's not just a military issue, either, right? This is a national issue that we have.

[19:04]Maya: Global, really.

[19:05]Steve: Yeah, global. Absolutely. I agree. So, he comes in to the organization pretty early on. He's probably been around four years at this point. And he was, he was struggling. And so, at that point, as I mentioned, we were able to talk to every single veteran, which was incredible. And he was having a hard time, a very hard time, he has a spouse and children, in between jobs. And as we were working with him, he had the opportunity to meet his mentor, which, his name is Bill.

And if you know anything about some of our older veterans and first responders, because we do serve first responders as well, sometimes they can be very straightforward. There's no real beat-around-the-bush type with Mr. Bill. And so, Bill said, “Do you want to learn?” And he's in Indiana, mind you. So, I've never met him in person. And he goes, “You want to learn beekeeping? Let's go.” And they started doing rescues and removals immediately, which is how we started funding the organization in 2018 and ’19, was we were out doing rescues and removals for a community. He loved it. He loved the adrenaline. He loved being out there. He loved fulfilling a purpose. He loved being able to meet somebody and then serve the community, which is literally our core values.

Before you knew it, after one year of being in Hives for Heroes with a mentor, he had 64 hives. He now runs a company called ARK Hive Apiary in Indiana, outside of Indianapolis, just got a new house with his family and has been off of any kind of drugs, alcohol for now almost three years.

[20:44]Maya: What a story.

[20:45]Steve: So, you're sitting here looking at how you can literally shift somebody's perspective, which one of my other buddies says, from these little bugs in a box. My buddy, Greg, in Ohio, he's like, “Well, how do these bugs in a box do so much for us?” So, it's hard, very hard, especially in our organization, to take credit for anything because there's these choices that are made. We have the privilege to provide opportunity. And then those that put in the effort and go out and do this, it's their win. It's what they get to do. And then we're very happy whenever they still wear a Hives for Heroes shirt or mention that in the news media or do things like that. We're grateful for that, but that was never the intent. The intent was to serve that one.

So, Hives for Heroes is operated like a hive, if you hadn't noticed that yet. It is pooling in resources, doing things together, and then the output is better than the sum, right? So, 1 plus 1 is 3 in Hives for Heroes. I was going to mention as well, Derek, who's here, actually, in Houston. He was a reservist and was removed from the military during the COVID piece. And so, this gentleman was also in a very, very tough place. Found Hives for Heroes. And I will never forget the Facebook message that came in. And he literally said, “Hives for Heroes saved my life.” And now, we get to be friends. Now, he's down the road, and he's happy, and he's going to school, and he's going and serving the community, doing things inside the beekeeping world. And it's just incredible to see the transition when you have natural healing, right? This wasn't Steve or a mentor or somebody else, it was somebody giving just a little bit. We call it GAS. Just give a shit, just that much. And then, all of a sudden, their life changes for the better because they wanted it to. They just needed a little bit of support, and that's what we want to be, is that bit of support.

[22:33]Maya: And to provide those deeper connections and to finding purpose and to processing trauma and all of those things, that this is really an outlet for that. So, how, if somebody is interested, you know, that's a veteran, how do you become a part of Hives for Heroes? And what's the training for that?

[22:54]Steve: Yeah. We've made it extremely simple. So, whether you're a newbie or mentor, a newbie being a veteran or first responder that has little to no beekeeping experience, you go to the website, hivesforheroes.org, and you fill out a newbie form. Super easy. We got the rest of it on the back end. And then, as a mentor, we ask, you don't have to be a military personnel. We love civilians in the organization, because this is about transitioning into our lives, right? You're not in the military anymore. I used to call myself Steve the Marine. Now, I'm Steve that was in the Marines. There's a very different shift there that I love. Like, I am now more so a father than a Marine. That's who I am, right? I care about my kids more than the Marine Corps at this point in my life. Doesn't mean I don't honor that service. It just means that I've moved forward.

And that's a lot of growth for me, personally. I know we tend to put our identities into things. You get to choose that. So, I choose to put that into my fatherhood or being a public servant, that we're able to serve the general public in really amazing ways, leading what I consider one of the best organizations on the planet. Those are the types of things that when you take your identity and allow yourself to create your identity and your path and your journey, it's a super powerful experience.

So, what we do with them is the mentors will just go to the website as well at hivesforheroes.org, and we ask for you to have three or more years of experience. For you beekeepers out there, the reason for that is because we want to know that you've been able to overwinter twice. So, you're going through at least two full overwinters, which gives, what we believe is the practical skills in order to serve somebody well. But we also make sure that you know that you don't have to be perfect, right? You don't have to be a doctor. You don't have to, you know, have, you know, 1,000 hives.

We're talking about – this is building relationships that matter in your community. We match people within 30 miles of each other so that they can actually see each other. They schedule their own time. We do not micromanage. So, the benefit of that is you just get to have a friend, right? You just get to have a friend in your area that likes the same stuff that you do.

And then, on our end, what we're going to do is be your backstop. We're going to work through any kind of resources that are necessary, whether that's mental health resources, financial health resources, and then we're going to train, equip, and empower those veterans and first responders to do what they want to do. We have thousands upon thousands of resources and collaborations all across the United States. And those are directly connected to the veterans and first responders. They have direct access to those.

[25:40]Maya: Because you have dedicated your life and yourself to, really, public service in so many different ways, you also have won quite a few awards, the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from the President of the United States. And also, the Future Texas Legend Award, and you're also Houston's 40 Under 40 from the Houston Business Journal.

So, tell me about that. I know that you're a fairly understated person, and I know that you don't do this for the awards and the recognition, but what does it feel like to have really created something so powerful and so unique and to really, I mean, gosh, you've definitely benefited society in so many different ways? But what was that experience like?

[26:24]Steve: Well, I very much appreciate that. Yes, we are a “we” organization. So, all those accolades go directly to all those that have poured into me over the years, whether that was a drill instructor or SART instructor, my parents, my kids, any professors. I mean, we can go on at Rice about this, too, because I still go back.

I think that awards are great, as we're utilizing the recognition for the greater good, if that makes sense. So, we… yeah, we don't post a lot about the awards. I think it's great recognition. I think it's validation for the things that we're doing. At the same time, I think we can still be doing better. And we're still… it's still the push. Again, it's that number one. It's that one veteran that we're not serving right now, the one veteran that we didn't call, the one veteran that doesn't have access to a computer or a phone, you know, that this can be life-changing for them. So, that is our focus.

The accolades are great, and I very much respect those and all those that have received those awards previously. The Texas Business Hall of Fame is a fantastic organization that we are in the executive leadership group now, through them. And they are just wonderful resources, wonderful people. I can't thank them enough for the support in which they provided Hives for Heroes and now Heroes Honey, which is our honey line that has just been released. And the 40 under 40, that was completely unexpected. That was pretty cool. And then, the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award is something that is special in a lot of ways, not only the person that wrote that up because of the care and love that they took to actually do that, but also, it's, kind of, like, a highest achievement, right? It's one of those things that, how do you, kind of, top that?

So, now, our challenge is to figure out how to top that. How do we continue down this path of service in a way that includes others? So, one of those calls to actions that we have now is we need your support, right? We need Rice's support. We need other people's support, because this organization grew in a mentality of serving each other only. Well, we need external support now because of the growth in which we've had. 50 states, 7,000 people, four volunteers running headquarters, four volunteers. We have 50 state leaders. So, you're looking at a big shift in culture, right? We have to now serve in a capacity that is greater than we, than we ever thought.

[28:47]Maya: Scaling. You have to scale.

[28:49]Steve: Massive scale. So, we're being able to serve building out technologies, but we need support in that. Building out a headquarters here in Houston. We want to make a global headquarters here in Houston. We want this the place to be that every single veteran that ever thinks about going into beekeeping comes to Houston, Texas. This is my home. I love this place. I want them here.

[29:09]Maya: Well, and they should be here. So, tell me, is this why you decided to pursue your MBA?

[29:14]Steve: I wish I had that much forethought. Again, I think the exponential growth is due to the love, care, and support that we have to train, equip, and empower veterans to do really good things. I think it's serendipitous. I actually had another Air Force veteran, who is very close that we do, like, kind of, counseling and therapy work for Texas for Heroes together, which is another great program.

And I was on the board of the organization at that time. And he encouraged me to just not be in the house. Like, go do something and challenge yourself. And clearly, when you ask a Marine to go challenge themselves, they do so. So, he's an EMBA, and he's like, “Go, get your MBA.” And I'm like, “Dude, Rice will never accept me. I'm just a, you know, dumb Marine,” type mentality, right? Self-limiting beliefs.

And so, I ended up going and applying and got accepted. And it was just such an amazing ride, even through COVID, because my focus was making the organization a thriving organization. And I do have to… I got some call-outs, right? So, like, Kyle Judah from Lilie Lab. I was, I was all over that. We had another project called RUTD, and that was the 2021 Napier Rice Launch Challenge. We won the pitch competition with Napier Rice Launch Challenge, and Kyle was a huge portion of that. Hesam and Kyle and the staff that's at the Lilie Lab, they are doing such amazing things at Lilie. I think it's, like, five times number one entrepreneurship program in the country. Like, this little bitty piece that we get to talk about this because there's so many incredible people doing wonderful things. And if you see the projects that are going through Lilie, there are very little that are like, “Let's go just make money.”

[30:59]Maya: It really is serving others. Those are the best kinds of startups, are the ones that you're thinking externally. You're not thinking so much internally. You're like, “What is the pain point? How can I help somebody? What is it that I can do?” And I think that that is also one of the main reasons why Rice is the number one entrepreneurship school in the country, is because it's a very different way of viewing things. And I think that it's very selfless. And the folks that are running the Lilie Lab, you know, that's what the focus is, is, you know, how can we bring people together? What connections can we, you know, recognize that we have together? What is it that we can do to really capitalize on serving our community and serving the world, rather than-

[31:48]Steve: Yourself.

[31:48]Maya: It's not serving yourself. Yes, exactly.

[31:50]Steve: To me, one of those massively inspirational people, and everybody knows this name, he's a legend, Mr. Al Danto.

[31:55]Maya: Oh, of course, Mr. Al Danto.

[31:59]Steve: Come on, we get to go have lunch. And we’re doing an acquisition at one point, and I just texted him. I'm like, “Hey, can we meet up?” And we're already graduated. So, you're able to lean in and tap into the resources of Rice, even, you know, the donor network. We're very grateful as well, already the alumni foundation, for us, brought in Heroes Honey. They had done an event with board advisors or the board of directors there at Rice, which all received Heroes Honey. And then, now, the business school is purchasing as well to be able to give to the incoming MBAs that are going to be joining this wonderful family. So, we're really excited about that. So, Heroes Honey will be coming to, you know, the Rice campus.

[32:42]Maya: Well, so, tell me about Heroes Honey, because I want in on that. I mean, I'm an alum and I want some Heroes Honey. How do you… tell me about that.

[32:49]Steve: Yeah, Heroes Honey is a product based out of the, you know, the successes that we've had at Hives for Heroes and, also, the ability to give back financially but receive a sweet reward. We call it the Sweet Taste of Freedom. And you can get your monthly dose of freedom as a subscription base at HeroesHoney.com, which is awesome. And then all the proceeds go back to Hives for Heroes, so we can perform our programming, and also, our scholarships.

So, we are excited about that. All of it is raw honey. So, we don't do flavors or anything like that. We understand the health benefits. If you look at our YouTube, we had one of the world premier medicinal properties of honey's experts on last week. He's out of UTSA. He's incredible. So, if you want any information on that, you can go to our YouTube @hivesforheroes. Every month, we have a really, really special guest that comes on and does their specialty in whatever it is in beekeeping or pollinators, et cetera. It's really exciting.

But yeah, Heroes Honey is available here in Houston at our headquarters and, also, online, and then soon to be in other special places throughout the United States. So, we'll be in about 100 sites within the coming weeks.

[34:00]Maya: That's the beauty of Rice, you know. I get to meet these phenomenal folks like you that really have made such an impact on our community and on the planet. And it starts with Rice Business. And, you know, the ecosystem that's there, ways that people can contribute to society. And this is one way that has so many different touchpoints. You know, you've got folks in the military. You've got business people. You've got entrepreneurs. You've got innovators. You've got newbies, you know, the little baby MBAs that come in. It's the things that you don't expect.

[34:33]Steve: It's an M-Bee-A, there you go.

[34:36]Maya: M-Bee-A, I love it. I can see, I can see a t-shirt, I can see a t-shirt coming out.

[34:43]Steve: It's so funny. And we have, we also, just in case your viewers want to know, we have a gala coming up September 7th. It is specifically for fundraising. At this point, we're looking for half a million dollars to then start up our capital campaign for our $25 million new headquarters here in Houston, Texas. So, if anybody's interested in that, we would love to talk to you.

[35:04]Maya: September 7th. So, what's next? Because you're… it's a capital campaign to build a headquarters here in Houston. Tell me more about what the future holds for Hives for Heroes.

[35:14]Steve: The future, the future is bright. So, our overall vision is connecting people, nature, and technology to make the world a better place. So, here you have the people side, right? Veterans, first responders, and those that are willing to serve in that capacity. So, we have our people side. We have our purpose side, and the nature side, right? So, we're going to connect you to nature. A lot of healing in nature in and of itself, right? Get outside, get fresh air, get some exercise, move your body. As Brett would say, put your feet in the dirt, like, put your feet on the ground, there's that electromagnetics-type stuff.

There is a lot of healing in bees, but there's also a lot of healing just out of nature. I have a friend that goes and walks and she, like, tries to find where the birds are at and just try to find them. It's like the mindfulness-type techniques, right? But, of course, getting fresh air, getting fresh water, and doing those things for yourself, nature's a massively healing space for that. And then, the beautiful part of technology. Merging these pieces together. We work with Hewlett Packard Enterprises, which is one of our sponsors. We do facial recognition software with bees, believe it or not, which is really, really cool.

[36:23]Maya: Really?

[36:25]Steve: Yes.

[36:25]Maya: Well, no, wait, wait, wait. Facial recognition with bees. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I can't just, like, gloss over that. What? Facial? Okay, tell me about facial recognition with bees.

[36:34]Steve: Yeah. We put these really cool cameras that are like, I guess they're 4k cameras. And you're able to literally see the bees and the faces and the butts that go in and out. So, it's the first time that we know of in the entire world that you can have an actual bee count and know what is going in and out. Almost every other type to count bees is a laser wall or a fence. So, you just know that the fence is broken. You don't know if they're going in or out. So, in this case you can actually track them, and it's wild. So, if you go to HPE's innovation center, it's the CIC, but it's up here in Spring. And we jokingly say that we're the power behind Formula 1 as well, because our display is behind the Formula 1 race car, which is so cool as well. And in between Formula 1 and NASA is Hives for Heroes at HPE.

So, we do predictive analytics as well. This is something that we think is game-changing because we're utilizing the data inside, putting sensors, heat barometer, microphones, scales, utilizing that data to then predict colony collapse. So, we can know when a queen's going to leave the hive. We know when they're going to swarm. So, now, we can better predict what we need to do to better serve and steward the bees, which also allows us to not have to get into them as much. So, this is, this is high-tech stuff that you probably wouldn't think of from a, from a four-person, you know, headquarter organization in Houston, Texas, you know, volunteering time. But people believe, and they see the advancements that can happen when we understand the smallest of our creatures and merge that with, I don't know, caring in kind, purposeful individuals that are going to go out and do good things. But if we can start predicting these things, I mean, that's massive.

[38:29]Maya: It's fascinating. Well, it could really… the reaches are far and wide, to really understand nature in a way that we've never understood it before.

[38:38]Steve: We work with another organization that we can… we're working on, basically, reporting out the biodiversity and utilizing the bees as the sensors. So, it is… these are conversations that are, that are really quite unique and fun. And it inspires me to keep moving forward. We get to serve veterans every day and work in a capacity to literally, even by data, start making the world a better place, or at least give us the opportunity to make decisions on what things look like. It's fascinating. So, yeah, people, nature, and technology. How do we merge those together? That's what we're doing at Hives for Heroes.

[39:14]Maya: And inspiration. And I will tell you that this conversation has certainly inspired me, and I'm sure that it has… is going to inspire our listeners and our viewers. And I'm just grateful for the opportunity to talk to you and to share your story. And I just want to thank you for telling us about your journey and about Hives for Heroes. And we look forward to that headquarters here in Houston.

[39:37]Steve: We need your help. We need everybody's help.

[39:40]Maya: Everybody's help.

[39:40]Steve: We need everybody's help. This is a city endeavor, I promise you that.

[39:43]Maya: Well, I think you've got some connections at Rice that, maybe, you can use. They'll be listening as well. And I'm sure that Rice would love to be a part of it.

So, Steve, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time today. And we look forward to the future.

[39:56]Steve: Thank you so much. For any more information, hivesforheroes.org. Thank you so much. And I encourage anybody to go to our socials because there are these stories on there. You will meet the people on the stories that we're talking about. I believe it's inspirational. I get to wake up every day and do this and I'm very grateful. Thank you so much.

[40:14]Maya: Absolutely. Thank you!

Thanks for listening. This has been Owl Have You Know, a production of Rice Business. You can find more information about our guests, hosts, and announcements on our website, business.rice.edu. Please subscribe and leave a rating wherever you find your favorite podcasts. We'd love to hear what you think. The hosts of Owl Have You Know are myself, Maya Pomroy, and Scott Gale.