Gamechangers: H-Town brothers handle much business

Black men are too often introduced to America through an avalanche of negativity, stereotypes, and falsehoods. 

But Houston tells a different story.

Across this sprawling city, Black men are building businesses, serving communities, mentoring young people, pursuing education, and using their experiences to create opportunities for others. Their stories may not always dominate headlines, but their impact is felt in boardrooms, schools, churches, community centers, arenas, and neighborhoods.

These men demonstrate that Black male leadership is not a single thing. It can look like entrepreneurship, civic engagement, education, mentorship, public service, or simply showing up consistently for others. Here are three Houston-area brothers handling business—and changing lives along the way.

MARCUS BROWN

From Energy Trading to Leadership

For Marcus Brown, professional success has been built on faith, family, continuous learning, and more than two decades in the energy industry.

His career began in energy trading operations and risk management before expanding into consulting and leadership roles involving complex Energy Trading and Risk Management applications and systems. His experience has included working with companies engaged in both physical and paper commodities trading, giving him a deep understanding of an industry that can be difficult to enter—and even harder to navigate successfully.

But Brown’s professional journey is about more than climbing a career ladder. He believes what he has learned should be used to help others climb theirs.

Mentorship has played a major role in that philosophy. One of his most influential advisors was Latasha Smith, whom Brown first mentored as an intern on Dynegy’s trading floor. Smith eventually blazed her own professional trail and later became a key advisor to Brown.

For Brown, that relationship represented a powerful full circle.

He deliberately seeks out young Black professionals in his field whom he can advise and mentor, provided they are receptive. At the same time, he recognizes that mentorship must work both ways. Younger professionals bring perspectives on emerging technologies, opportunities, and cultural changes that can help experienced professionals refresh their own thinking.

That exchange, learning while teaching, has become part of Brown’s community impact.

Words of wisdom

“You do not need to see your entire path before taking the first step. Build your character, learn a valuable skill, remain curious, and become someone others can depend upon. Adopt a belief in ‘falling forward,’ and ‘leveraging the lesson.’ Take calculated risks where the potential reward is big.

TERRANCE ROBINSON SR.

Service as a Second Career

Terrance Robinson Sr.’s journey has never followed a straight line—and that may be precisely what makes his story so powerful.

A native of Houston’s Fifth Ward, Robinson fathered two children before finishing high school. He attended Prairie View A&M University for a year before leaving college to join the Navy and support his family.

Eventually, he found his professional calling in service to others.

Robinson spent 20 years with the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, retiring in 2011 as a shift coordinator. Retirement, however, did not mean stepping away from responsibility. He began a part-time career at Toyota Center as the floor and court security event manager for Houston Rockets home basketball games.

His most significant community contribution, however, came in 2021 when he founded UsAmerica Advocates.

Born from the grassroots organizing and civic energy surrounding the national uprising following George Floyd’s murder, the organization advocates for civic engagement and seeks to empower Black and Brown communities through awareness and involvement.

The organization’s work has since expanded beyond civic advocacy. UsAmerica Advocates now hosts children’s literacy events at schools, youth community centers, and churches. The organization also recently obtained its 501(c)(4) nonprofit status.

For Robinson, the work reflects a purpose he came to understand through his own unconventional journey.

A formative influence was Dr. Theodore Merril, a longtime family connection who recognized Robinson’s ability to connect with people and lift their spirits.

That affirmation stayed with him.

Words of wisdom

“Be true to thyself. Don’t be afraid to dream, but more importantly, seek to make it come to fruition. Let determination and passion be your motivation. I live by a code, as every man should. And that is: ‘To achieve, to inspire, to motivate, and to give hope. It is all that I am. It is all that I hope to be.’”

MARVIN PIERRE

From Wall Street to the Classroom

Marvin Pierre’s journey from South Jamaica, Queens, to Houston’s education and nonprofit communities is anything but conventional.

Pierre attended Tabor Academy for high school before graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He later earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Houston.

After college, he entered the corporate world on Wall Street, beginning his career at Goldman Sachs in New York City. The experience provided valuable lessons, but Pierre eventually realized that his deepest passion was elsewhere.

He wanted to help change the narrative surrounding boys of color in education and create opportunities for young people to see possibilities beyond their circumstances.

A central influence in that transformation was his mentor and surrogate father, Dr. Sam McFadden. McFadden taught Pierre the importance of servant leadership and the philosophy of “lifting as I climbed.”

After McFadden’s death in 2006, Pierre committed himself to carrying that legacy forward by investing in young people.

For the past decade, Pierre has worked in the nonprofit sector, leading Eight Million Stories and working with young people and young adults often described as “at-promise.” His mission is to help them write new narratives for their lives—ones in which their past does not have to determine their future.

Pierre says he is most proud of remaining obedient to God’s calling. He is also deeply proud of being a father to his two-year-old daughter, Aria Kennedy Pierre, whose presence has sharpened his perspective on the kind of world and opportunities today’s adults create for the next generation.

Words of wisdom

“Serve somebody. Whatever career you choose, find a way to use your gifts to make somebody else’s life better. Success isn’t just about what you can accomplish for yourself; it’s about who you can bring with you along the way.