Mentors
"Herb"
Herbert David Kelleher, just “Herb” to his friends, was a GSD&M client for 37 consecutive years, and a Mythos Legends client for 20 of those years. Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Southwest Airlines, Herb and his team of warriors built Southwest from a Dallas Love Field-based regional carrier to the largest domestic airline in America. A remarkable servant leader and humanitarian, Herb slipped the surly bonds of earth on January 3, 2019, and now rests eternally at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
There are so many lessons learned from this titan of his industry. One of our favorites is: “We take our competition seriously, but not ourselves.”
"Queen Colleen"
Colleen C. Barrett is President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines and the first woman president of a major U.S. airline. Just as Herb Kelleher was Southwest’s soul, Colleen will always be known as Southwest’s Queen of Hearts. She was instrumental in creating Southwest’s Culture Committee, which has been widely adopted by other Fortune 500 companies around the world.
Colleen is a dedicated servant leader and big believer in The Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.”
"Red"
Billy Joe “Red” McCombs is an American entrepreneur and a true force of nature. Founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group in San Antonio, Texas, Red is also a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, chairman of Constellis Group, a former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, San Antonio Force, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Vikings, and the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.
Red’s life lessons are many, but among our favorites is the first question he ever asked us: “Why would you be satisfied with simply making a living, just so I can make another million?”
"Mr. Sam"
Sam Moore Walton was an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding global retailers Walmart and Sam’s Club. Walmart Stores Inc. grew to be one of the world’s largest corporations by revenues, as well as the largest private employer in the world. At one point, “Mr. Sam” was the richest man in America. GSD&M was Walmart’s advertising agency as it expanded from a regional merchandiser to one of the most successful companies in American history. Sam died on April 5, 1992, and news of his death was relayed by satellite to all 1,940 Walmart stores at the time.
Our favorite quote? “You won’t get rich working with Walmart, but you’ll make a little money every day.”
"Kidon"
William “Bill” Fields passed away unexpectedly on February 16, 2020. He previously served as Chairman of Fields Texas Limited, LLC, whose activities include direct capital investments in operating companies, investment vehicles, as well as active and passive investments within the global consumer and retail sectors. Previously, Bill served as President of Walmart USA., which is where he and Mythos Legends Founder & Chairman Tim McClure first met. Together, they created the legendary Walmart Always campaign. Tim is a partner in another Bill & Lucia Fields-founded company, Origenetics, a global regenerative medicine initiative.
Bill and Mr. Sam Walton shared a legendary battle cry: “Make the ordinary extraordinary!”
Kent Barker for Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Newsroom
Sarah Wilson for McCOMBS Magazine
Louie Psihoyos/CORBIS
Dennis Fagan for Origenetics