A&M honored H-E-B president and Chief Operating Officer Craig L. Boyan for service-oriented leadership in business Wednesday night with the 2015 McLane Leadership In Business Award.
The honor is awarded by The Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy to recognize outstanding contributions in the area of business, public service or community service on the national level.

The award emphasizes the recognition of the combination of giving back to the community and business seen in Craig Boyan’s life, said Ryan Crocker, Dean of the George Bush School of Public Service.

“What you see in people like Craig Boyan is this fusion of business and service,” Crocker said. “H-E-B is a profitable company, but they’re also an incredible service organization and we like to get across to our students that great service and good business go hand in hand.”

One of the greatest takeaways from the speech was one example of a variety ways to give back to the community, said Crocker.

“[Craig Boyan] shows that there many avenues of service,” Crocker said. “If you’re going to go into corporate America, it’s not the bottom line — it’s another place to serve and Craig exemplifies that with H-E-B.”

Corporate leaders coming to A&M provides hope for aspiring business leaders, said Caleb Ogier, business freshman.

“I think it’s very inspiring to see something like this,” Ogier said. “A few months ago I was in high school, and now I’m standing here next to higher ups in companies like this and it reminds me that it starts here with these four years.”

Craig Boyan said A&M provides great leaders of character, many of whom work for H-E-B and provide excellent service in the company.

“I come to A&M often to see some of the stores and I think they’re some of the best in the state,” Boyan said. “We hire plenty of Aggies — this year alone we have already hired 115 Aggies and a lot of senior leaders in the company are Aggies.”

The upcoming leaders in the corporate world have much expected of them, but A&M prepares the students well, said Boyan.
“This is an important institution, and that’s why we are accepting this award, because we are proud of what you all do,” Boyan said. “I’m very bullish that your generation will invest in people; your generation will make them great.”

The values displayed in Craig Boyan and other retail leaders are reflected in the university, said Crocker.
“A&M is all about leadership,” Crocker said. “And leadership comes in many forms and many fields and this event is a great way to demonstrate that variety.”