Texas Got It Right! By Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly, Foreword by Walter Isaacson

DALLAS, Nov. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A rodeo bull rider once said, "It ain't bragging if it's true."  Well-known companies such as In-N-Out Burger, Trader Joe's, Apple and Google are expanding their presence or moving their headquarters to Texas.  Over the past 10 years, 850,000 Americans have migrated to Texas, in stark contrast to the 1.5 million who have fled California.  Home to the fastest growing cities in the U.S., Texas is an entrepreneurial mecca boasting the quickest growing technology sector and the largest independent music festival in the world. Texas stereotypes aside, the state has evolved from its Wild West roots to today's thriving economy—prompting the question—how do you explain its success?

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121130/DA21680)

Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly, emphatically answer with their new book, Texas Got It Right! (Melcher Media, October 2012). Texas Got It Right! (TXGIR!) explains why Texas leads the nation in imports and exports, has been the top wind power state for the past six years and is the number one place to move in the U.S.

"My son, Andrew, and I decided to write this book because we saw America being pulled in two very different directions.  On one side was California, where taxation and regulation were squeezing the blood right out of entrepreneurs and sending that once-proud state to the very bottom of almost every major entrepreneurial ranking.  On the other side was Texas...where the best and the brightest people and greatest companies are voting with their feet... in unprecedented numbers to set up shop in Texas," said Sam Wyly.

Texas is home to many firsts, and leads the nation and the world in many economic areas. With dynamic infographics, TXGIR! brings the facts to life showing why Texas is leading America's charge out of the Great Recession.

• Job Growth - Texas added the most jobs in the last five years of any state in the country and has led job growth overall for 21 years
• Affordability - A dollar goes farther in Texas than almost anywhere in the U.S.  Texas is home to the top 10 least expensive cities in which to live in the U.S.
• Business Friendly – CEOs have ranked Texas the Best State for Business for the past eight consecutive years
• Imports and Exports - One-fifth of all U.S. goods enter or leave from Texas, creating 1 million jobs
• Business Creation – The number of IPOs filed and IPO proceeds are the highest in the country
• Deregulation - Thanks to deregulation, Texas leads the U.S. in wind power sales, oil and natural gas production AND has reduced air pollution by 58 percent over the past 10 years
• Political Clout - Texas is the only state gaining four new seats in Congress

The 10-step policy guide in Texas Got It Right! is a roadmap for the other 49 states to follow. As Walter Isaacson says in his foreword, "The state's can-do spirit and love of independent thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs is something that could help kick up our whole economy."  In brilliant color with hundreds of photographs, Texas Got It Right! chronicles the people, companies and achievements of the Lone Star State.  From Sam Houston to Mary Kay Ash, from Whole Foods Market, Half Price Books, Southwest Airlines and Dell to the invention of the microchip, building the Houston Ship Channel and the creation of SXSW, opportunity abounds in the Lone Star State.

Texas game-changer Richard Kinder said, "In Houston, you are what you achieve. That is my idea of the American dream." 

Texas' larger than life themes, locations and personalities are favorites in today's arts and entertainment world -- No Country for OId Men was shot in Marfa, Texas, home to one of the most important contemporary art scenes in the world. Dallas has returned to the small screen, and almost every major network and cable station are currently showcasing Texas, Texans, or Texas-based companies.  The musical Giant (the original movie was also shot in Marfa) opened at the Public Theatre in New York City on November 15.

Texas Got It Right!, currently available for purchase at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, was released on October 16.  (Melcher Media, ISBN 978-1-59591-074-5, $19.95, 176pp with illustrations, October 2012) For more information, visit http://www.TexasGotItRight.com and find us on Twitter @TXGIR and Facebook. 

About Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly

Sam Wyly was raised in small-town Louisiana.  Sam got his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1957, and began his career as a salesman for IBM, then worked as a manager for Honeywell. At the age of 28, he created his first company, University Computing, which married computer technology services to telephone technology and became the first of six enterprises Wyly grew to over $1 billion valuations. Over the next fifty years, Wyly became one of America's top multiple entrepreneurs, building companies such as Michaels Stores, Bonanza Steakhouses, Maverick Capital and Green Mountain Energy. He resides in Dallas and Aspen with his wife, Cheryl, and has six children, twelve grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Wyly's memoir, 1,000 Dollars & An Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire, was published in 2008, and his illustrated business biography, Beyond Tallulah, by Dennis Hamilton, was released in 2011.

Andrew Wyly is an entrepreneur, investor, and film producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, with some schooling in Switzerland, he has been a Texan by choice since 2004. After earning a BA in history from Denison University, Andrew worked as a sales agent for Green Mountain Energy and managed a hedge fund portfolio. He is an active participant in several political organizations. In 2007, he created the Andrew Wyly Film Company. Blood Shot, his first feature film, was completed last year.

About Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson, CEO of The Aspen Institute, has been chairman of CNN and the managing editor of Time magazine. He is the author of Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; and Kissinger: A Biography. He lives in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE Sam Wyly and Andrew Wyly

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