Javier Loya, Chairman, and CEO of OTC Global Holdings LP and minority owner of the NLF’s Houston Texans.

By Daniel Sanchez Torres

Javier Loya is part of a familial lineage of hard work and ambition. The Chairman and CEO of OTC Global Holdings LP, Loya is a native of El Paso, Texas, and a first-generation Mexican-American. He is also the child of parents who came to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream.

Javier came from a large family of seven kids. In thinking about his roots, he recalls that his grandfather of Spanish roots moved his family to Chihuahua, Mexico where his father was born, and met his German/Italian mother. His family was a family of farmers, so while they didn’t have a formal education they did have the tenacity to work hard and the quest to provide a better life for their children.

“My father was my hero growing up,” Loya says. With nothing but his ambition, his father emigrated to the United States with the intention to join the army and fight during World War II. His father was too young, though, so he instead joined the Red Cross.

Javier recalls hearing stories of the war and when he was growing up he thought that they were memories of his father. What they actually were, were stories that his father had read. Though his parents did not have a formal education and lived a humble life, both of his parents were well-read and would pass on this thirst for education to their children.

After the war ended, Javier’s father’s dedication to the Red Cross granted him American citizenship and he made a home in El Paso, Texas. In Texas, his father would join an American manufacturing company. He started at the company loading trucks but over the course of his 34 years with the company, he rose to the position of supervisor.

Javier was the sixth of seven children and when he was born his family would make a permanent move to El Paso. While his older brothers and sisters spent much of their childhood in Juarez, Mexico Javier has vivid memories of crossing the border often. “It was an intertwined community,” he says of life between the two countries.

His family was close, Javier remembers fondly of 6 o’clock dinners with his whole family talking about what they learned in school that day. These dinners not only instilled the importance of education but also helped nurture a healthy competition as he grew up listening to the ambition and success of his brothers and sisters.

Javier jokes that he is the 4th most successful person in his family, but the anecdote proves that his home environment was a place where he was challenged to find his passion and encouraged to be exceptional at it.

When it came time to think about college, Javier understood that going to a top university would open up a lot of doors for him. He had his sights set on playing football for a top Texas university, but it soon became clear that while he was good at football, his skills were not necessarily on par as other players competing for the same spots.

His grades, however, were exceptional and when coupled with his strong talent for football, Columbia University in New York became his ultimate choice. In reflecting on the decision, Javier admitted that with time he understood that there is a “difference between a college that wants you, and a college that will take care of you.”

Columbia University did allow him to play football, but more than that it provided him the professional support that was instrumental in helping him land Summer jobs and find employment after graduation. And, after a young life growing up between Juarez and El Paso - New York City seemed like an exciting adventure.

University was a defining time for Javier because it saw him grow out of an ambition to play professional football and focus his energy on a Political Science degree and train his focus and ambition to a career in law.

However, through a connection from his older brother Javier got the opportunity to intern at Amerada Hess, a commodity brokerage firm focused on crude oil.

Loya, with a smile, describes his first impression of the firm as “a bunch of young people screaming and yelling [into phones]. When the market closed, they all jumped into their Ferraris and Porches.” He was so overwhelmed and unfamiliar with the language of commodities that he didn’t think that this would be something he would be interested in.

His intern days were full of picking up dry cleaning and delivering lunch, but in a strange twist of fate, during his time there, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and overnight oil prices shot up and the brokerage firm experienced a boom in business.

His boss at the time offered a full-time position to Javier. He was hesitant at first because he was a semester away from graduating and felt a familial obligation to fulfill the dreams of his parents, to receive a college education. But a lucrative offer swayed him and he took the job with the caveat that he would talk to his professors to figure out how to finish his last semester. Fortunately, he was able to work with his professors to graduate and he has been a commodities broker ever since.

The efforts of hard work that his family instilled in him allowed him to gain experience and develop a network of clients and supporters for Javier to decide to start his own company, Choice Energy Group, in 1993.

While the company experienced early success, the early 2000s saw Enron as a strong competitor. The competition of Enron discouraged his parents and allowed Javier to buy out the equity of his partners and push forward on an aggressive growth strategy that saw the company rebrand as OTC Global Holdings, and expand the portfolio beyond just energy, to include agricultural products and metals. This shift allowed for the company to transform from an organization of one office and 7-8 employees to what it is now: a company with 350+ employees, 200+ brokers, and headquarters in Houston, New York, Chicago, London, Singapore, and soon Shanghai.

His love for football never went away, though. And in a serendipitous moment of a morning spent reading the newspaper, Javier learned that Bob McNair, an American businessman, and philanthropist, was the principal owner of the newly formed Houston Texans. McNair had worked diligently to put together an ownership group that was reflective of the Houston community but had run into severe criticism for not having a Hispanic member. McNair was clear, thought that he was eager to find one.

Javier reached out and shared his story with McNair and how football gave him - and his brothers - the opportunity to pursue an education and develop a huge passion for the sport. His enthusiasm was clear and Javier was able to buy into the franchise and become the first Hispanic investor in the NFL.

Reflecting on his career and success Javier doesn't think that there's any “secret sauce” to success. “It’s about communication and authenticity,” he says. Javier has had the experience to see how companies, industries, and businesses have evolved; and the lesson that he has learned is that as long as he is committed to communicating with his team and customers about what they are doing, how they are doing it, and what’s in it for them and remaining authentic people will follow and support.

Javier continues to be excited about the growth of his company. But he’s also invested in giving back to the community that made him. Specifically a student showcase in both Houston and El Paso that brings together college coaches and administrators focused on a range of sports and disciplines to come to one place and provide academic scholarships to students who may not necessarily get the attention they deserve. In the past 10 years, he’s proud to say that $30-$40 million of scholarships have been awarded.

Despite all of his success the topic that clearly brings him joy is his family. He has two young daughters and a wife who have their own ambitions and goals and he is excited and proud to be along for the ride and support them in any way that they need. The Loya legacy of hard work and ambition continues.

Rising Into Success Through Authenticity