Enrique Javier Loya is a fi rst generation Mexican-American born in El Paso, Texas. He was taught the value of hard work by his father who, with only a grade school education, worked his way up to supervisor of a clothing manufacturing plant. Mr. Loya received a degree in Political Science from Columbia University in 1991.

Mr. Loya began his career as a natural gas options broker with First National Crude Oil where he managed accounts consisting of major oil companies, natural gas producers, electrical utilities, institutional banks and energy marketers.

Currently, Mr. Loya is the president and chief executive offi cer of Houston-based CHOICE! Energy. He has held this position since acquiring a controlling interest in the fi rm in August 2000. Mr. Loya helped found CHOICE! Energy in 1994, creating one of the fi rst institutional natural gas brokerage houses following industry wide deregulation. As a natural gas options broker, he built the business into one of the most successful of its kind in the country. Today, CHOICE! Energy is one of the leading institutional energy brokers in the country offering, not only natural gas, but a complete range of energy commodities from electricity to renewable energy credits, with a customer base consisting exclusively of the largest utilities, energy marketers, and fi nancial institutions in the world. In the recently deregulated retail electricity market, CHOICE! Energy’s newest division, CHOICE! Energy Services, provides energy and energy-related products to commercial and industrial customers, from small to mid-sized businesses, to the largest industrial and manufacturing facilities.

Mr. Loya made headlines in 2002 when he signed on as a minority owner of the National Football League’s Houston Texans and was awarded ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ honors by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, Mr. Loya was appointed to the NFL’s diversity committee.

Mr. Loya and his wife, Lucinda Vincent-Loya are committed to the Houston community as well as local Houston charities. He serves on the Board of Directors of Hispanic Achievement Place and on the Board of Arté Publico. He also serves as an active member in The Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Houston Minority Business Council, and Young Entrepreneurs Organization. They also support such charities as The American Lung Association, The American Heart Association, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Boy Scouts of America, The Special Olympics of Texas, The Houston Fire Department, The Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA), The Hope Shelter, Houston Achievement Place, Neighborhood Centers Inc., Arte Publico, and La Casa de

Additional Resources: Self-Made Texan/Energetic Broker Loya Personifies American Dream Article from CHOICE! Energy