Kelcy Warren

Early life

Born in Gladewater, Texas, Warren grew up in White Oak, Texas, the youngest of four sons of Hugh Brinson Warren and Bertie Lee Kirby. His father worked as a field hand for Sun Pipeline, a company now owned by Warren. Warren went to White Oak High School.

He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1978.

Career

He started his career working for the Lone Star Gas Company. From 1981 to 1992, he worked for Endevco. He served as executive vice-president Cornerstone Natural Gas from 1989 to 1990, and as president and CEO from 1993 to 1996. He has been the co-chairman and co-CEO of Energy Transfer Partners since 2007. He also serves as member of the management council of ETP Enogex Partners LLC, co-CEO of ETC OLP, co-CEO and co-chairman of La Grange Energy and of US Propane LLC. He is a former co-chairman of Le Gp, OEC Compression.

From 1996 to 2000, he sat on the board of directors of Crosstex Energy. He serves on the Advisory Board of his alma mater, the University Of Texas At Arlington.

In 2007, he bought the bankrupt Lajitas Resorts in Lajitas, Texas as a real estate investment.

Warren purchased the Roatan Electric Company (RECO) in 2008, where he serves as President and Chairman of the Board. RECO is investing $7 million on a wind farm that will be complete by 2017.

Warren is chief executive officer and chairman of Energy Transfer Partners. Warren also serves as chairman of the general partner of Energy Transfer Equity. Prior to the combination of the operations of ETP and Heritage Propane in 2004, Warren co-founded the entities that acquired and operated the midstream natural gas pipelines that were contributed in the merger. From 1996 to 2000, Warren served as a director of Crosstex Energy, Inc. and from 1993 to 1996, he served as president, chief operating officer and a director of Cornerstone Natural Gas, Inc. Warren has more than 25 years of business experience in the energy industry.

In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas appointed Warren to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Music

In 2007, he co-founded an independent record label, Music Road Records, with Jimmy LaFave and Fred Remmert. He collects music memorabilia like autographs of Jackson Browne and drumsticks signed by the Eagles.

Philanthropy

Warren founded Cherokee Crossroads, Inc. in 2007 as a nonprofit organization to raise money for children’s charities and local public service organizations. It is funded by the Cherokee Creek Music festival held each year at Warren's Los Valles Ranch ranch near Cherokee, Texas.

In 2012, Warren donated $10 million to help build a park in downtown Dallas, Texas and named it for his son. As part of the contract, his son cleans up trash from the park once a month.

The Kelcy Warren Foundation supports the Caddo Lake Institution, an organization with the mission of protecting the ecological, cultural and economic integrity of Caddo Lake, its associated wetlands and watershed.

Political activity

Warren donated $6 million to Governor Rick Perry's presidential campaign. He also donated $103,000 to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Personal life

Warren married the former Sherry Johnson on May 18, 1980 in Dallas, Texas and they divorced in 1991. He married Amy Hudson on June 3, 2010 in Dallas. He has one son, Klyde Warren.

He lives in Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas on an 8+ acre estate on Park Lane valued at more than $25,000,000.

In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado for $46.5 million. He also owns an 8,000-acre ranch near Cherokee, Texas, the 20,000-acre Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa in Lajitas, Texas, and a private island near Roatán, Honduras.