Co-Founder & Managing Director
- Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Consolidated Restaurant Organization, Inc.
- Chairman of the Board, Regency Energy Partners, L.P.
- Director, Emisphere Technologies
- Independent Director, Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.
- Director, Leap Wireless International, Inc.
- Independent Director, Loral Space and Communications, Ltd.
With strategic vision and an entrepreneurial spirit, John D. Harkey Jr. selects companies, both public and private, in which to invest—concentrating on acquisition, consolidation and management.
Nurturing and growing businesses for more than 25 years, his scope continues to be wide, impacting everything from fine dining to propane. His involvements include: real estate, internet and wireless services, wholesale healthcare products, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunications satellites, wholesale farm and ranch products, petrochemical services, self-storage warehousing, ATM processing services, pharmaceuticals and software development.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Restaurant Companies, Inc. (CRC), Mr. Harkey is the majority shareholder of privately-held CRC and its subsidiaries, related companies and joint ventures. Comprised of nearly 120 restaurants and employing approximately 6,300 people throughout the United States and in London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Cairo, CRC serves approximately 14 million meals per year. CRC currently operates and franchises casual-dining restaurants: Cantina Laredo, El Chico, Good Eats and Lucky’s; and fine dining steakhouses: III Forks, Cool River Café and Silver Fox Steakhouse.
Mr. Harkey obtained his M.B.A. from Stanford University School of Business, a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a B.B.A. with honors in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
An Eagle Scout, Mr. Harkey has been on the Executive Board of Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America for more than a decade. He also serves on the Baylor Health Care System Foundation Board of Directors, the Howard Payne University President’s Development Council, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
With a broad spectrum of interests, Mr. Harkey particularly enjoys golf, fitness and motorcycling. This native Texan also spends as much time as possible at his ranch.
