Howdy.

I'm a Texas-loving entrepreneur who’s found his post-legal career calling in celebrating the great State of Texas. I am the proud founder of Texas lifestyle brand, No. 4 St. James, and Co-Founder of The Art of Pecan, which innovates food products from the American native pecan.

I created Texas Works because I believe there are compelling stories to be told about remarkable Texans with extraordinary talents and enough courage and enough crazy to become product entrepreneurs.

This project started in 2013, when I edited and published Texas Works: Products & Portraits of Talent.

Now’s a good time to be an entrepreneur in Texas. Millions of people and thousands of businesses have moved here during the last decade. They’re drawn by many of the same promises that lured earlier Americans to the young Republic of Texas: cheap land; low taxes; room to roam; and the chance to pursue what God intended them to pursue without interference: the promise of freedom.

These promises can be summarized as a simple but powerful idea: Texas Works. And it’s an idea expressed daily by Texas makers and manufacturers, artisans and craftsmen.

Texas Works is a place to celebrate these creators. My goal is to present a variety of engaging channels where you can discover extraordinary products and meet the people behind them. The aim is to please makers and consumers alike: For the makers, Texas Works hosts an annual awards program and conference. For consumers, we've planned a marketplace and pop-up stores across Texas. And for both, we’ll produce original content—video and written—that will entertain and inspire.

I want to show the world a different perspective on authentic life in Texas, using products as a novel touchstone. Hopefully, as you explore Texas Works online, you’ll better appreciate the scope of talent and enterprise in Texas; if so, we will have achieved what we set out to do.

Vincent Friedewald, Dripping Springs