2024 Hall of Fame Inductees
Presented By: M&A Leadership Council
Steve Demetriou
Executive Chairman
Jacobs
Steve Demetriou is Executive Chair of Jacobs Solutions. He also sits on the boards of FirstEnergy and Arcosa. Additionally, Demetriou is Chairman of Scythe LLC and a Managing Partner at Shearson Sports Fund. Formerly, he led Aleris Corporation, guiding it through Chapter 11. His prior roles also include CEO at Noveon, EVP at IMC Global, and various positions at Exxon. Past boards include Kraton, Foster-Wheeler AG and OM Group. Demetriou holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Tufts University.
John Muse
Principal
Muse Family Enterprises
John Muse began his career in investment banking in Los Angeles and then moved to Dallas and eventually joined Prudential Securities where he directed and headed the investment/merchant banking activities of Prudential Securities for the southwestern region of the United States. At Prudential, Mr. Muse provided investment banking and financial advisory services in connection with several transactions led by Hicks & Haas.
In 1989, he co-founded Hicks Muse & Co., a private equity fund. During the next 10 years, Hicks, Muse raised six funds totaling over $6 billion wherein the firm’s investment activities concentrated on consumer products, energy, and media. Mr. Muse served as a board member on a number of portfolio companies and served on the firm’s investment committee.
In 1998, he successfully extended the firm’s investment activities into Europe and raised two funds totaling over $3 billion. Upon Mr. Muse’s return to the US in 2005, he continued to serve on the investment committee of the European operation and as a board of director for a number of the European portfolio companies.
In 2007, HM Capital Partners (the successor to Hicks, Muse) raised its eighth fund – the Sector Performance Fund. In 2011, he directed the rebranding of the firm to Kainos Capital, focusing exclusively on the consumer branded products sector. Thereafter, he stepped away from his day-to-day chief executive responsibilities and became Chairman of Kainos Capital. He continues to serve on the board of NexStar, the largest television broadcasting company which acquired Media General, an HM Capital portfolio company. He previously served on the Board of Advisors at the Anderson School of Business at UCLA.
In 2017, Mr. Muse retired from Kainos Capital but continues to invest with them and share investment ideas. He now manages his family office, Muse Family Enterprises (“MFE”) out of Dallas. Its holdings include a majority stake in Lucchese, Inc., the premier manufacturer of western boots, and Free Flow Wines, the leading supplier of alternative packaging to the wine industry through kegs and cans. He is Chairman of both Lucchese and Free Flow. He also develops commercial real estate, principally in hotels and single-family residential projects. His family office manages intergenerational wealth for his family, his grown children, and for his family’s Muse Family Foundation, whose principal initiatives are to address opportunity gaps in education, affordable housing, and healthcare.
Mr. Muse is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and received his MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sam L. Susser
Chairman & CEO
Susser Bank
Sam L. Susser is Chairman and CEO of Susser Bank, and President of Susser Holdings II, L.P. A University of Texas finance alum, he started at Salomon Brothers in NY, joining the family business in Texas in 1988. Under his leadership, Susser Holdings grew into a Fortune 500, $6.7 billion operation, went public in 2006 as "SUSS," with its division "SUSP" following in 2012. Post-acquisition by ETP in 2014, Susser chaired "SUN" until 2015.
He heads Susser Bank, Corpus Christi Athletic Club, chairs multiple boards, and contributes to MD Anderson, Southwestern Medical Foundation, and Texas research and planning initiatives. A UT benefactor, he's honored in the Texas Business Hall of Fame and received multiple accolades for his contributions.
Married to Catherine G. Susser, they have three children and are active in educational and women's commissions in Texas.