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Robert Rowling
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| Robert Rowling | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | TRT Holdings |
| Role: | Co-founder and CEO |
| Location: | Dallas, Texas |
| Education: | •University of Texas (bachelor's degree, business administration) •Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (J.D., 1979) |
Robert Rowling is a businessman in Dallas, Texas. He is the co-founder and CEO of TRT Holdings, which manages companies such as Omni Hotels and Gold's Gym. He has donated to Republican candidates and Super PACs over the years.
Career
Robert Rowling earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas. He earned a J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1979. After working as a lawyer for a year, he joined his father's Corpus Christi, Texas, oil company, Tana Oil and Gas Corp., in 1981. In 1989, Rowling and his father sold the oil company to Texaco Inc. for $476.5 million. They co-founded TRT Holdings, Inc. that year to manage their businesses. The pair used the money from selling Tana to invest in a bank, Corpus Christi National Bank, which they sold for $131 million in stock.[1][2]
In 1996, Rowling and his father bought Omni Hotels and moved the headquarters to Texas. They also returned to the oil and gas business and sold a pipeline company in 1996 for $380 million and re-sold Tana in 1999. Rowling formed another Tana oil and gas company in 2002. In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. He purchased Gold's Gym International Inc. in 2004.[2][1][3]
Rowling has served on the boards of several companies and organizations:[1]
- TRT Holdings, Inc.
- Guaranty Financial Group Inc., 2008 to 2009
- Gaylord Entertainment Co., 2009 to 2010
- Young Life
- NationsBank of Texas
- J.G. Boswell Company
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- University of Texas College of Business Administration Foundation
- Zale Lipshy University Hospital
Rowling served on the University of Texas Board of Regents and University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) from the early 2000s to 2009, when he resigned following questions about UTIMCO bonus compensation. In 2015, Forbes ranked Rowling number 76 on its Forbes 400 list of the richest people in the United States.[4][5]
Political activity
Robert Rowling has donated to several Republican and conservative candidates and organizations:[2][6]
- Arizona Senator John McCain (R) for his 2008 presidential campaign
- American Crossroads
- Restore Our Future, a Super PAC that supported former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign
- Texas Conservatives Fund
- Republican National Committee
- Former Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)
- Former Governor of Texas Rick Perry (R)
- Governor of Texas Greg Abbott (R)
In 2010, four Gold's Gym franchises split away from Rowling's ownership after Rowling donated money to American Crossroads, which gave money to candidates perceived by the owner of the Bay Area Gold's Gym franchise as "anti-gay."[7]
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Robert Rowling as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Robert Rowling Texas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Texas
- John McCain
- American Crossroads
- Restore Our Future
- Mitt Romney
- Republican National Committee
- Kay Bailey Hutchison
- Rick Perry
External links
- Omni Hotels & Resorts
- Gold's Gym
- Young Life
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Zale Lipshy University Hospital
- University of Texas Investment Management Company
- American Crossroads
- Republican National Committee
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bloomberg Business, "Robert B. Rowling," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 TMCnet.com, "Robert Rowling is the billionaire Dallas doesn't know," August 24, 2008
- ↑ Texas Business Hall of Fame, "Legends, 2003," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ Forbes, "#76 Robert Rowling," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ The Austin Chronicle, "Rowling's Resignation," February 8, 2009
- ↑ The Center for Public Integrity, "Donor Profile: Robert Rowling," August 22, 2012
- ↑ Forbes, "Gold's Gym Franchises Revolt Against Billionaire Owner For Funding Rove Group," October 26, 2010
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