Daryl Scott
Chief Executive Officer
Daryl Scott serves as both CEO of Leonard Holding Company and Surlean Foods, as well as being a member of the Board of Directors for Leonard Family Corp. Surlean is a custom food manufacturer specializing in long-term strategic relationships while providing proprietary food items for the Quick Serve Restaurant QSR chains and other industrial channels. Surlean Foods was established in San Antonio, Texas, in 1979. Surlean now operates two facilities in San Antonio, one in Atlanta, one in Phoenix, and one in Dallas, with annual revenue of $600 Million and employs 750 team members.
Daryl started his career in the food industry immediately after completing his studies at Texas A&M University where he earned a degree in Animal Science with an emphasis on Meat Science. Daryl gained his extensive knowledge of the food industry while working in Operations, Sales, and facility Management before being promoted to President in 2007 and now serving as the CEO.
Daryl was raised in San Antonio where he met his wife, Amy. They were married in 1994 and have two children. Davis and his wife Nicole, and Kendall and her husband John, both of whom are starting their families. During his time away from work, Daryl enjoys the outdoors, gardening, fishing, and hunting. Daryl and Amy enjoy spending time with their family, especially the grandchildren who call him “Dude”.
Daryl Scott
Chief Executive Officer
Russell Faldik is the CEO of the Leonard Holding Company / Family Office as well as the Chief Investment Officer. Russell previously was the president of New Earth, a soil, mulch, and compost bulk manufacturer serving the central and South Texas area. Before being appointed New Earth President, Russell was CFO at Leonard Holding Company. Russell also worked for Ernst & Young LLP acquiring an extensive and broad experience serving a wide range of public and private companies from global Fortune 1000 enterprises to entrepreneurial ventures in multiple industries.
Russell graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting degree in 1995 and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is involved in helping the community and has served multiple terms as a board member for the United Way Leadership Society.
Clay Davis
Clay Davis is the Chairman of the Leonard Holding Company. Clay has more than twenty years of entrepreneurial and investor experience, having co-founded Evity, Inc. in 1998, which was subsequently sold to BMC Software. Since Evity, Clay has been involved in numerous early-stage ventures as an investor and founder. He currently serves as managing director at Springbok Ventures, a firm providing capital and guidance to early-stage businesses.
Neal Leonard
Neal Leonard is the former CEO of Leonard Holding Company (LHC), LHC is a third-generation, family-owned business. He has served as Chairman and CEO since 2007. Before becoming CEO, Neal gained invaluable experience working in almost all aspects of the family business, including Production Supervisor, Cattle Buyer, and Vice President of Sales.
Neal is currently serving on the Boards of Jungle Disk, a former division of Rackspace (RXT: Nasdaq), History Maker Homes in Dallas, TX, and North American Meat Institute (NAMI). He has served as President for the Transplants for Children organization from 2005 to 2007. Neal is a former Board Chair of Respite Care of San Antonio. He has also served on the National Alumni Board for Texas Tech University.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Neal went to college at Texas Tech University. He graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. He completed his MBA at the SMU Cox School of Business. Neal is married to his wife, Megan and have five children.. In his spare time, Neal enjoys golfing, hunting, fishing, and is an avid runner.
Annette Vaccaro
Annette Vaccaro is a Senior Vice President and CFO at Community Coffee Company, the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in the U.S. Annette has over 20 years of experience leading corporate finance, tax, enterprise risk management, commodity purchasing, and other teams. Annette began her career in public accounting with Ernst & Young and KPMG and served as the Tax Director of General Health System prior to joining Community Coffee.
Annette earned a BS in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. She also serves as a Board Member for the Council for A Better Louisiana.
Paul Zipp
Paul Zipp serves as President & Chief Operating Officer of James Avery Artisan Jewelry, where he leads the vertically integrated, family-owned jewelry maker, and omni-channel retailer. During his time at James Avery, he also served as Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer. Paul has over 25 years of experience in strategy, finance, accounting, supply chain and commodity management, manufacturing, board management, shareholder relations, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, and human resources.
Prior to joining James Avery, Paul held executive roles at RSI Home Products, Continental Cabinets, and Heritage Bag Company. He began his career at Deloitte & Touché LLP, providing audit and advisory services to multinational clients in the manufacturing and technology sectors.
Paul holds a BBA in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas. He is committed to community service, serving in leadership roles in his local church, various not-for-profit organizations, and Bible Study Fellowship. Paul and his wife, Michele, have eight children.
Joe Wade
Joe Wade is a partner at Brown Advisory, a leading independent wealth management firm, working from the firm’s Austin office. Joe has worked in the financial industry his whole career. Joe’s focus has been working with wealthy families on wealth management, business advise, generational transitions, and other matters that impact families.
Joe’s prior firm, Meritage Capital, was acquired by Brown Advisory in 2018. Meritage specialized in managing assets, and offering advise to wealth families. Meritage acquired Centennial Partners, a firm founded by Joe in 2012, that was in a similar business. Prior to forming Centennial, Joe worked in the financial consulting business working with institutional and family clients in the US, Europe, and Japan.
Joe’s interest in financial matters began when he worked in his family’s country banking business in Alabama while attending both high school and college.
Joe graduated from the University of Alabama in 1977 with a bachelor of science degree in finance and insurance. Joe is a strong supporter of the University and an avid fan of the Crimson Tide teams.
Joe’s charitable actives include support for First Tee of Austin, Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and the Madonna School for Special Needs Children. Joe is married to Dianne Wade and has four boys.
The Leonard Holding Company is a third-generation, family-owned business. To fully understand Leonard Holding Company, you have to start at the beginning.
Al Leonard grew up in the rural community of Roscoe, Texas, in a family of cotton farmers. After graduating high school and working his way up in a meatpacking company, Al Leonard and a fellow employee Dwayne Harral decided to venture out on their own. In 1963 they both sold their homes, downgraded their cars, and raised $21,000 to start the business. They formed a partnership and started the L&H Packing Company in 1966. Al Leonard set up an office in the small home where he moved his family. His three children tell the story of constant phone calls, unloading rail cars late into the night, and “pinching every penny more than once.” After approaching numerous banks, Al Leonard’s last chance was at Texas State Bank. Meeting the bank president, he explained his need for a loan to build a plant for their company. Mr. Williams, the bank president, was quoted as saying in true Texas fashion, “Al, I learned a long time ago that you have to feed the pups because someday they will be big dogs.” That was a turning point, Al Leonard secured the loan of $10,000 to build their meatpacking plant.
After buying land on the south side of San Antonio and building a plant, the business began to thrive. Their plan of 100 cows per day quickly became 350 per day. Very approachable and genuinely interested in people, Al Leonard treated everyone from “prince to peasant” exactly the same way and was known for striking up a conversation everywhere he went. He believed in always keeping his word and treating people, especially employees, well. He involved his three children, Ken, Sharen, and Terry, in the business and had them help in different capacities. Al Leonard passed down the business to his son Ken Leonard along with his work ethic and integrity. After the third generation worked in the company for years, many of them took up leadership roles in the company. Neal Leonard was the former CEO of the holding company while his brother Clayton Leonard was the president of New Earth for 20 years, and his cousin Daryl Scott is now President of Surlean Foods.
Established in 1994, the Leonard Holding Company is proud to serve its subsidiaries with the same integrity and dedication as Al Leonard did, in 1966.