GABE CASTRO: FROM THE TENNIS COURTS TO ENERGY EXPERT
by: Luisiana Rodriguez
EXCLUSIVE WITH GABE CASTRO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF VISTRA'S US RETAIL BUSINESS MARKETS
Gabe Castro is the Senior Vice President of Vistra's US Retail Business Markets and an executive board member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). He’s an adventurous and competitive person who enjoys playing sports, traveling with his family and being outside.
AS A CHILD of Mexican-American parents, Castro is eager to share his perspective on the energy industry and his journey. “I grew up in San Antonio, and my dad —who was very big on education because he didn’t have the op- portunity to go to college. Both of my parents stressed ed- ucation, work and family – all while striving to enjoy life. Competition was a central theme in our family, so I played a lot of sports, mainly tennis. I didn’t know at the time, but that was my key to college.”
Castro attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, to study for a BBA in Finance in the 90s. “It was my chance to get to know people from different backgrounds, it was really a good place for me. I got to play tennis all 4 years and it was a great opportunity.” After graduation, Castro started work with an energy company, learning how gas is traded, trans- ported, and consumed.
“I was able to work in Mexico for about 2 years, I was excited to travel and be part of the culture. At the time we were selling financial solutions to big companies and industrials. When I came back to Texas, the deregulated electricity market, which gives consumers the ability to choose their electricity provider, was especially attractive.”
After his time in Mexico, Castro returned to the U.S. to work at Vistra, which is a leading integrated retail electricity and power generation company, based in Irving. Whenasked about the link between natural gas and electric power, Gabe points out that they have a strong correlation since they’re now remarkably intertwined. In his current role, leading Vistra’s U.S. Retail Business Markets, he’s focused on developing customer solutions, saying every day presents a unique challenge – perfect for someone fueled by competition.
“Years ago, if somebody asked you if you wanted a camera on your phone you would think ‘why would I want that?’ But now you can’t imagine a phone without a camera. I think it’s a similar story with power. Thanks to the emerging options available, we offer much more than a basic service that keeps the lights on.”
In June, 28 years will have passed since his beginnings at Vistra and Castro reminisces about his career with contentment. Through all of it, he says he’s constantly raised his hand for an extra project and pushed himself to get better. “The people that I’ve worked with have been exceptionally bright but also exceptionally kind.”
As a Latino, Castro says there’s an open window of op- portunities presented for all. “Whether it’s engineering, sales, marketing, or communications, there is a role for someone to fit in the energy industry because of the speed in which it is evolving.” Castro says Vistra works to create the next generation of employees who want to do more and want to do it right. With regards to the future, Gabe visualizes a world with greener solutions as the economy goes electric. “We are in an energy-centric environment that is changing rapidly, with all eyes focused on solutions that are both sustainable and economical. ” Not everybody needs a phone, Castro emphasizes, but everybody does need power.
From delivering innovative solutions to his customers at Vistra to his personal passion for increasing what’s possible for minority companies at the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Gabe Castro shares this conversation about leadership and growth as an experienced Latino-background professional in one of the country’s star energy companies. All of this while still playing tennis as a hobby.