Howard O. Payne Award Free Enterprise Award Recipient, Jim Clawson, Jr.
In the world of global business, there are individuals who not only leave an indelible mark on their industries but also embody the spirit of leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment.
Today, we are thrilled to announce a momentous achievement that encapsulates all these qualities and more – the presentation of the Howard O. Payne Award for 2022 to none other than Jim Clawson, Jr., the esteemed President of Third Coast.
Texas First Bank Proudly announces 2022 Howard O. Payne Free Enterprise Award Recipient Jim Clawson, Jr.
Given in 2023, the Howard O. Payne Award for 2022 is presented to Jim Clawson, Jr., owner and President of Third Coast. Established in 1989 as Third Coast Packaging, Inc. (dba Third Coast Terminals), the company has since expanded into a group of other specialty companies, including Third Coast Chemicals, Third Coast International Limited, Third Coast Analytical Technologies, Tripp Transportation, Third Coast Friendswood Operations, and TC Chemisphere. Clawson was also a Director and involved in overseas ventures, including Rig Resources Pte., Chemical Specialties Limited (CSL), Strategic Transportation and Transmission (STAT), and Third Coast International Qatar.
These companies provide sales, marketing, and a broad array of services and logistics to the global petrochemical and oil and gas industries. As a sixth-generation Texas rancher, Clawson is still actively involved with the management of Clawson Cattle, Ltd. in Central Texas and CV Cattle Company, LLC in Nebraska. He is a graduate of Clear Creek High School, has attended College of the Mainland and the Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, Mexico, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 2013.
He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing all over the world. His enjoyment of these sports and his belief in wildlife conservation and management have allowed him to partake in safaris across Africa, North America, and South America.
About the Howard O. Payne Free Enterprise Award
The Howard 0. Payne Award was established in 1973 to honor Mr. Payne, a lifelong businessman and the founder of First State Bank of Hitchcock (TX), which went on to become what is now Texas First Bank. Payne was born on a 200-acre farm in Maryland in 1883. He spent his childhood on this farm, attending a one-room schoolhouse nearby and hauling wood to town to exchange for items needed on the farm.
At 25, Payne went to Philadelphia to visit friends and observed that business was thriving in the city. He particularly liked the produce business and went to work for C. H. Peacock Produce Receivers. In 1935, Payne took over the business under the name of Peacock-Payne Company and operated it until 1957 when he came to Hitchcock, TX.
You might think that at the age of 74, when Payne came to Texas to live in La Marque with his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis G. Wittjen, he would retire from the business world. Not Mr. Payne. Payne became one of the founders of First State Bank of Hitchcock and worked at it until his death in 1977 at the age of 94. Payne was involved in a number of businesses throughout his life, all of which he termed “exciting,” and all of which made a significant impact on their local communities. A truly lifelong businessman, and as far as Texas Independent Bancshares is concerned, the unofficial record holder of the “world’s oldest active banker” title, Mr. Howard Payne exhibited true leadership in the development of his local economies, and we are honored to name the award after him.
