Connections and Collaboration Highlight First MAVS100 Mixer

Business, banking and big ideas took the spotlight as Mavericks came together for an evening of collaboration.

The College of Business hosted its first MAVS100 Quarterly Mixer on Wednesday, bringing together Maverick business leaders for an evening of community and connection. Hosted at Texas Live! and sponsored by Amegy Bank, the event celebrated the spirit of entrepreneurship while providing a valuable opportunity for networking and professional growth. 

The MAVS100 program recognizes and honors the 100 fastest-growing Maverick-owned or Maverick-led businesses each year. These quarterly mixers extend that celebration year-round, offering a space for UTA business leaders to connect, share experiences and learn from one another.

Three attendees pose for a photo. Photo by Ellman Photography.

Amongst appetizers and drinks, attendees were encouraged to mingle freely, meet new people and strengthen existing connections. For many, it was a chance to both reconnect and meet with fellow Mavericks, share updates on their businesses and explore potential collaborations. 

“We held this event to create an opportunity for MAVS100 businesses to network, collaborate and connect. This was the first of the quarterly events we are planning to host,” Chase Regian, Community Events and Alumni Coordinator for the College of Business, said. “The biggest feedback we received from businesses that participated in our annual celebration is networking, and we wanted to bring those kinds of opportunities for them several times a year to build a community within our MAVS100 businesses.” 

The evening’s program began with a welcome from College of Business dean Harry Dombroski and remarks from UTA president Jennifer Cowley. Cowley discussed the importance of a focus on entrepreneurship within the College of Business and highlighted partnerships with industry leaders as a key part of that focus. 

“In the College of Business, I love that entrepreneurship is a focus, that we have MAVS100 as a way to celebrate our entrepreneurs who are growing and developing their businesses and that we have partners like Amegy Bank helping us to fund and support the financial needs of those businesses,” Cowley said. 

President Cowley speaks to attendees. Photo by Ellman Photography.

Cowley also spoke on the importance of UTA’s mission to prepare students to meet the needs of employers in the DFW metroplex.

“We’re busy launching entrepreneurship programs, hospitality management and we’ve got a consulting sales program that’s in development. We’re trying to meet the needs and be responsive to the communities that are telling us, ‘What talent needs do we have?’” she said. “That’s something really fantastic that I see about UTA is that we’re listening to our business partners and we’re being able to be responsive and creating that talent pipeline that we know is urgent for our community.”

Following President Cowley’s remarks, attendees turned their attention to a panel discussion titled “Access to Capital,” featuring her alongside Amegy Bank Fort Worth President Brandon Bledsoe and Amegy Bank Texas President and UTA alumnus Laif Afseth, with Dean Dombroski as moderator.

The conversation focused on banking topics related to businesses, including lending options, funding, digital banking, security and the importance of banking relationships. Bledsoe, in his response, stressed the importance of business owners building a relationship with their banker.

“I will tell you, as a former finance person, you better know your banker, and they better know you,” Bledsoe said. “One day you’re gonna get in trouble, you’re gonna have a rough patch, and you’re gonna need your banker to get through it with you. If he or she doesn’t know your business that well, it’s gonna be a lot more difficult.”

Amegy Bank Texas President Laif Afseth speaks to attendees during the panel. Photo by Ellman Photography.

Afseth gave attendees advice on how to protect themselves and their businesses in the world of online scams and fraud, encouraging them to be vigilant in the methods they use to send and receive money, and how they bank online. 

“Take advantage of all the services you might have to protect yourself,” Afseth said. “If you don’t know, ask your banker how you can better protect yourself because (scams and fraud) will happen to all of us, individually and as a business, so do your best to try and minimize it.” 

As the evening wound down, attendees left Texas Live! with new ideas and fresh connections, serving as a reminder that the Maverick network is a powerful tool for success. 

To see more photos from the event, click here.

Four attendees pose together in the Blue Moon Taproom. Photo by Ellman Photography.