Early Days
Cary McNair was born in 1959 in Columbia, South Carolina. His parents moved to the Houston area in 1960 and Cary attended public schools in the Spring Branch and Cy-Fair Independent School Districts, graduating from Cy-Fair High School in 1977. He studied at The University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree and later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.
Cogen Technologies
Cary's early years were spent along the Gulf Coast in petrochemical transportation and commercial real estate brokerage. He joined Cogen Technologies, Inc. – a company founded by his father – in 1986 as a financial analyst. His business and real estate experience were instrumental in propelling Cogen into the world's largest independent power cogeneration company in the world. Promoted to vice president in 1993, Cary's primary focus centered on project development in the Americas. In late 1997, Cary left the energy business to pursue his own entrepreneurial ideas. Cogen Technologies was sold to an Enron/Calpers consortium in 1999, the same year Cary moved his family to Austin, Texas. The proceeds from the sale of Cogen Technologies enabled Bob McNair to purchase the 32nd NFL team franchise, that became the Houston Texans.
Bulwark Films and Entertainment
After his success at Cogen Technologies, Cary joined the independent film industry by starting Bulwark Films and Entertainment LLC, an independent movie production and distribution company in Austin, Texas. He established a satellite office for Bulwark in Los Angeles and in 2003 co-produced and released Killer Diller. In 2006, Griffin and Phoenix was released with Cary serving as Executive Producer for the film, which starred Dermott Mulroney and Amanda Peet.
Palmetto Partners and McNair Interests
With his father's encouragement, Cary returned to Houston in 2009 to lead the transformation of Palmetto Partners, the holding company for the business interests of Bob McNair, from a family office into a dynamic, thriving business organization. Cary restructured and expanded existing operations and launched a series of strategic growth initiatives focused on direct business investments and developments in real estate, medical assets, and public and private equity. As a result of this successful endeavor, in 2016 he was named Chairman and CEO of McNair Interests, a newly formed company under the governing Palmetto Trust Company umbrella. McNair Interests is a private equity investment company active in real estate and energy development projects as well as public and private equities. Under Cary's leadership, McNair Interests thrived and enjoyed year over year asset growth and diversification, for the benefit of the multi-generational family Trust company.
McNair Medical Institute
In 2013, Cary was named President of the McNair Medical Institute, an endeavor of the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation focused on four life science areas: Type 1 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and neuroscience. The Institute provides funding for recruitment of McNair Scholars into the Texas Medical Center as endowed researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, and the Menninger Clinic. McNair Medical Institute also invests in early-stage development opportunities through venture philanthropy.
Civic Leadership
Through McNair Interests, Cary supported and funded efforts to improve education and stop human trafficking in Houston. He served on the boards of directors for The Fay School, Goodwill Industries of Houston, and served on the University of Texas Houston Health Science Center Development Board.
Family Life
Cary and his wife Kate, a former elementary school teacher, met in 1987 on a blind date set up by Cary's roommate. Married in 1988, they have three children and four granddaughters.
An avid outdoorsman, Cary enjoys fishing, motorcycling, team sports, and ranch management. He and Kate are enthusiastic travelers.