Gary Chouest, president and CEO of Edison Chouest Offshore, leads one of the most important privately held maritime service empires in the United States, built from the Louisiana vessel business founded by his father in 1960. Under his leadership, the company has expanded into a vast offshore fleet serving oil, gas, offshore wind, shipbuilding, and national-security markets, helping make Edison Chouest a cornerstone of U.S. marine logistics and deepwater operations. Known for a low public profile and long-term industrial vision, Chouest has become one of the defining figures in American offshore shipping.

Todd Graves, cofounder and CEO of Raising Cane’s, turned a single Baton Rouge chicken-finger shop into one of America’s fastest-growing restaurant brands by doing one thing exceptionally well. Since opening the first location in 1996, Graves has built Raising Cane’s into a national powerhouse with a tightly focused menu, founder-led culture, and a marketing strategy that blends celebrity partnerships with cult-like customer loyalty. Known for relentless operational simplicity and brand discipline, he has become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in modern quick-service dining.

Holden Spaht, managing partner at Thoma Bravo, is a leading figure in private equity with a focus on software and technology investments. Since joining the firm in 2005, he has played a key role in building Thoma Bravo into one of the world’s largest and most successful software-focused buyout firms, managing over $130 billion in assets. Spaht has overseen major deals across enterprise software, cybersecurity, and fintech, earning a reputation for his disciplined investment approach and ability to scale technology businesses.

David Filo is an American engineer‑entrepreneur best known for co‑founding Yahoo! alongside Stanford classmate Jerry Yang in 1995. As the company’s “Chief Yahoo,” he led the engineering behind early web directories and services. A Sam Houston High and Tulane graduate who earned a master’s in electrical engineering from Stanford, Filo grew Yahoo into an internet pioneer and became a billionaire after its IPO. A longtime tech philanthropist, he has donated millions to sustainability and journalism initiatives.