Tuesday, OCTOber 30, 2012

Great Investors’ Best Ideas Foundation (GIBI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2007 by John Neill and Fredrick “Shad” Rowe.  Having been friends and neighbors for over 20 years, John and Shad decided to create a premier investment event in Dallas to benefit causes they are passionate about, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation.  The goal of the GIBI Investment Symposium is to enlighten, inspire and inform attendees while raising much-needed funds for two worthy causes.

The GIBI Investment Symposium is fortunate to have some of the world's most respected investors generously agree to donate their time and share their best investment ideas to these two charities. This event is fully underwritten by its co-founders so that every dollar raised is donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation.

Due to the generosity of our loyal supporters, GIBI has donated over $4.8 million since its creation four years ago.  This year, we are on track to donate another $1 million - thanks to our 2011 underwriters and attendees.

About the Founders

John Neill, Telesis Company

John Neill became actively involved in the Vickery Meadow community when he and his business partner, Steve Rush, built Walnut Place Nursing Home across from Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in 1980. At the time, Vickery Meadow thrived with a population of young professionals.  However, due to changes in housing laws and an economic downturn in Dallas real estate in 1986, a steady influx of low-income families began moving to the area. The population grew to more than 50,000 residents within a three-mile radius. Unfortunately, the infrastructure of Vickery Meadow was not designed to accommodate this population increase, nor did it provide the basic services needed by these new families.  In 1993, John joined with other Vickery Meadow property owners to form the Vickery Meadow Improvement District (VMID), with a goal of providing critical social and safety services for Vickery Meadow’s residents. Since formation, VMID and the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation (VMYDF) have been catalysts for uniting the public, private, and social agencies now serving Vickery Meadow.

VMYDF’s youth development programs focus on academics, sports, character development, and early childhood development for children living in Vickery Meadow. Summer camps, after-school activities, and junior college scholarships are also funded by the Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to bridge the gap of inequality for these children, born into poverty, and help them develop to their full potential.

John Neill co-founded Telesis Company in 1969 with Steve Rush, whom he met at Harvard Business School while obtaining his MBA. Telesis provides the Dallas metroplex with senior housing care (including retirement apartments, assisted living facilities, nursing care, and Alzheimer care units). John received his undergraduate degree from Yale, and he is also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. Both John and Steve continue to be personally involved in the daily operations of Telesis. John lives in Dallas with Barbara, his wife of 41 years. They have three grown children. By donating time and resources, John’s family plays an integral role in helping Vickery Meadow’s youth achieve a higher quality of life and a future filled with hope.

Shad Rowe, Greenbrier Partners, Ltd.

Shad Rowe was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in December of 1998. Parkinson’s is a complex disease that varies greatly among affected individuals. The most common symptoms of the disease are rigidity and a small tremor.  In short order, Shad decided to literally keep moving.  He spent two years being treated in an experimental drug trial at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Unfortunately, the trial was halted despite anecdotal evidence that the drug was working. Shad then decided to become more proactive in the fight to find a cure and/or better treatments.  Shad endorsed The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research because he believed it had the most potential to achieve its goal (and his goal) of finding a cure. Presented with the opportunity to join the board of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Shad eagerly accepted.

In the fall of 1985, Shad started Greenbrier Partners, Ltd., a private partnership, which invests primarily in publicly-traded securities.  Shad is a member of the executive committee of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, President and Trustee of the Investors for Director Accountability Foundation, former Chairman of the Texas Pension Review Board and was recently elected to the Investment Committee of Texas Health Resources. Shad’s articles have appeared in Forbes, Fortune, Barron’s, The American Banker, Southpoint, Texas Monthly, D Magazine and Grant’s Interest Rate Observer. His comments have appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg Markets, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and on CNBC and Bloomberg Television. Shad lives in Dallas with his wife Michele of 35 years. They have four grown children.