Fall / Winter 2025 | Texas Leader

Ray Brimble is creating a legacy inspired by community.

Ray Brimble, B.A. ’74 and Karen Brimble, BBA ’92
Photo by Ricky Clack

When Ray Brimble, B.A. ’74, came to UT, he discovered multiple windows into a great big beautiful world. “It is said about journeys that the person who returns is never the same person who left,” he says. “For me, the first leg of what would become a life of many wonderful journeys, both mentally and physically, started at UT.”

Through their gift of the Brimble Global Impact Endowment, Ray and his wife, Karen, BBA ’92, ensure Longhorns can embark on wonderful journeys of their own.

Ray grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in the southwest suburbs of Houston, where he saw himself as “just an ordinary guy” who wanted to do normal things with his friends and his life. He was influenced by his remarkable parents — a mother who emigrated from Cuba and a father from East Texas — who were both intellectually curious and had built successful careers in international trade. Ray was inspired by the diversity of his large multicultural family and his parents’ professional associates, who came from around the world to do business in Houston’s thriving international community.

“On UT’s campus, I saw a beautiful collage of students, the sons and daughters of people who came here just like my family did a generation ago,” he says. “UT is a magical place with an old worldly charm about it. I remember walking to and from classes under the big oak trees and stepping into libraries that had a particular aroma of books and wood. There was an earthiness that was comforting to me.”

After graduating with a degree in international studies, he earned a master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University. A visionary entrepreneur, he started his first business at 22 and went on to found, run and sell more than 50 businesses. He is currently the founder and CEO of Lynxs Holdings, LP, an international real estate development firm, and Seed/Pod Holdings, LLC.

For three decades, he has been a champion for the McCombs Center for Global Business (CGB), which supports hands-on programs that offer students global skills and experience, personal guidance via mentorship, exposure to global leaders and career planning support. He has acted as emeritus chair of the CGB Board of Advisors for most of the 30 years he’s been involved with the center.

CGB was launched in 1999 with government funding. Because the Brimbles are passionate about fostering global perspectives among UT students, they stepped forward with a gift in 2022 to ensure the center could continue to serve Longhorns with transformative educational and career resources.

“For more than 30 years, Ray Brimble’s enthusiasm, innovation and generosity have contributed to the advancement of international business education at McCombs,” says Deirdre B. Mendez, director of the CGB. “He has served our center and community in diverse ways — as the founding chair of our board of advisors, a member of our faculty, a speaker and guest lecturer and as a major donor. As a dedicated alumnus deeply connected to our students, Ray has garnered respect and admiration from the entire Longhorn community.”

Ray also serves on the McCombs School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council to assist the dean, faculty and staff of the school in becoming one of the top business schools in the nation. In October 2024, he was inducted into the McCombs Hall of Fame.

“I looked at the recipients of this award over the past four decades, and these people have really changed the world,” he says. “I am extremely honored to be included in that roster.”

Most recently, he became a member of UT’s International Board of Advisors — a group of 48 UT alumni from around the world — to provide advice, support and direction to UT’s president and leaders to strengthen and enhance UT’s global visibility.

“Serving on the International Board of Advisors is quite a distinction. We offer a broad perspective of the world to help promote the global Longhorn Nation, serving as ambassadors of UT and resources for faculty, students and staff on campus,” he says.

He is grateful for the opportunities that started right here in Austin. “I was able to piece together this journey that was part surreptitious, part luck and part hard work. I continue to do business and have made wonderful friends all around the globe, continue to learn about new things and have watched my world — our world — change and change again. What starts at UT truly does change the world,” he says.