Getting Deals Done with Gary E. Bryant, Captain of Industry & the Great One

“Gary Bryant is said to be the best in the microcap, capital markets industry, taking companies public and getting deals done.” ? Leslie Stone, editor and writer for Opportunist Magazine

“Whatever Gary touches is more than likely going to succeed.” ?I wrote that about Gary Bryant for?that same magazine - Opportunist Magazine in 2011. ? And I meant it. ? I had worked with him on some pretty amazing projects over the years - capital market formation, electing a US President, helping to fund companies, investor relations, running a couple of investment associations, my own economic and free enterprising development, and creating my own San Diego Investment Conference or West Coast Wall Street Conference and others - and that was my experience with the man.? Truly, he was great.

There was this twinkle in his eye.? No, seriously, he would talk with a trademark Oklahoma twang charming the words out of his mouth, and on more than just a few occasions, this glimmer would just sparkle.? The first time I saw the twinkle was at his offices in Pelican Hill in Newport Beach where he was neighbors with, ironically, Kobe Bryant. I had just come on to work with him in the wake of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and I wondered did I just see that?? He asked me, “How much do you want to be paid?” ? He would also talk to his beloved wife Suzanne, or about his daughter or grandsons, or his grandfather (a beloved mentor in finance) or father (a farmer), or an oil and gas deal he was working on (but he worked on all sorts), or, a client coming to his office.?

Years later, I would recall the fictional Jock Ewing, patriarch of JR and Bobby Ewing, and Miss Elie Ewing of the hit television series, Dallas, that I would sometimes catch with my mother growing up. To me, a Sacramento California home gown brown-skinned kid who was lectured to incessantly about the virtue of entrepreneurism and the Henry Fords, Andrew Carnegies, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers by a Caribbean American History professor and father? Gary was a revelation. Yes, Gary E. Bryant was as real as they come, also as good, and, to me, as I suspect many of us, just knowing Gary was a superpower.?

Gary has been a great friend and wonderful client. Newport Capital Consultants has helped our company grow and has been one of the founding pillars of our client base. Gary has always provided me and my company with good friends to bounce ideas off of and to help my company grow. I look forward to helping Newport Capital and Gary grow their company as we grow ours. - John Browning, who worked with Gary.

Gary E. Bryant was a true love-prenuer and his life’s work has been in capital market formation and helping small businesses go from emerging growth to publicly traded companies. He helped so many companies and people become better and richer. ? He wouldn’t say any of that though. ? He would just say, “Patrick, I help out small businesses.”? Or, as he said to me on one occasion, “I get deals done.” I know a lot of us made money, had a lot of fun, made memories, and enjoyed a warm friendship with Gary.

Matter of fact, the name of this LinkedIn blog as well as my podcast came from him - Getting Deals Done. Like I told you, I asked him one time, "What exactly do you do?" Gary was a captain of industry. In the 19th century, and apparently the 21st century, a "captain of industry" has been a business leader whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way.

Remember that salary he asked me about before? He only gave me a percentage of what I asked for. And then looked me in the eye, the trademark twinkle glimmering, and said resolutely, "I'm not going to give you a fish, Patrick. But I'm going to teach you how to fish." I have worked with emerging growth and small-cap companies to this day (after a successful tenure as a retail banker ) with a knowledge of capital market formation that was learned working for and alongside Gary.

Love-prenuer - an entrepreneur who has given a lifetime’s industrious dedication to a passion or love to create a legacy if not for the world, then in a specific industry.? This truly free enterpriser may or may not have wealth, prestige, fame, influence, and power; he or she does, however, get the deal done, whatever that deal may be.? They live their purpose.? They live “prosperously”. ? A Love-prenuer moves humanity forward with his or her good works.?

Have I ever fished these American capital market ebbs and flows , like a capital market- free enterprise enthusiast taught and mentored by the Great One himself.

Since 1963, Bryant has been the lead underwriter, and part of the selling group or consultant to nearly 200 different companies. He also served his nation, the investment community, and the microcap sector in the following roles of president of Newport Capital Consultants ; co-founder, of Southwest Investment Association (Dallas, Texas); Chairman, of the San Diego Investment Conference; former chairman, and; founder, of director, president, and treasurer of Anderson, Bryant, and Co. (at one time and point one of the largest small, if not largest, broker-dealer in Oklahoma); co-founder of the National Investment Banker’s Association, Bryant was involved as a co-founder of the Southern California Investment Association (a comprehensive organization that offers select small-cap companies a venue to present their company to a group of investment professionals). In 2006, Bryant received the prestigious “Founders Award” from the National Investment Banker’s Association, and we gave out the first Lifetime Legacy Achievement Award at our celebration of Gary's life and legacy at the Balboa Bay Club in 2011 .

Gary and Suzanne Bryant, his life partner, stood shoulder to shoulder with US Presidents, governors, senators, and captains of industry in a variety of industries and just people from all walks of life - he could talk with a president, the same as a common man and I'm not sure he saw the difference although he certainly understood power, abundance and the gift of giving - Gary and Suzanne are good, decent folk exemplifying what was good about the good old days and if you think about my race as a black man in America, that is saying something truly exceptional.

I've known Gary for several years and through several ventures. In all facets, he has exhibited a wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and contacts. Gary has been extremely successful with his many ventures and is most willing to share. Anyone will count themselves fortunate to know Gary in business or as a friend. - Forrest Jones, Gary's client

Simply put "An extraordinary individual". This gentleman provides aggressive insight and creative contributions to any business undertaking. The breadth and depth of his business knowledge and honesty in sizing up situations and offering the best solution for success are without a doubt, among the highest quality of advice I have been privileged to receive in over 25 years of financial business operations. May God always be with you! - John Everding, Founder at Luminec Corporation & Luminec Group of Companies

I know racial justice and racial healing were an integral part of Gary's work in life as an American and human being. We never talked about it explicitly per se but there were more than a few times when a feeling - an incredible feeling of the profound richness of our relationship was all but spoken. I think we both understood that the very special introduction that was made by Lisa Elzy Watson had profoundly affected both of our lives. I think we also knew that a good ole boy from Oklahoma and Dallas and a first-generation African American financier and son of a Central American and Caribbean could only create the sort of bond we enjoyed in the United States of America.

After we worked on the election of a young senator out of Chicago Illinois who would go on to become America's first multi-racial and black president, I had a couple of conversations with Gary in subsequent years about his family and their legacy as Americans. As with so many families in American history, there was a complex and rich legacy of redemption and healing and I believe Gary in his incredible love with Suzanne, worked to ensure that their legacy was not only in capital formation but the fight for racial justice.

To me? ? Getting deals done in the cathedral of American capitalism, was his life’s sermon - it was the message he would repeat over and over with his good works, deals, and capital formation. Getting Deals Done was one of the many ways Gary expressed his spirit and it's love in this world.

Gary E. Bryant - November 29th, 1938 to March 25th, 2024

Gary is survived by his wife, Suzanne, his daughters, Holly Palm and Cecille Anderson, J.D. Kerr, and his wife Meredith, Liz Jones, and her husband Steve. Grandchildren are Chase Palm, Preston Palm, Brent Zechiel, Joe Grimes, John Kerr, Cade Jones and Carsen Jones, and his sister Darla Riddle. ?Gary was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Pamela Bryant and Gloria Moyer, and his brother Harvey Bryant. ?

There were a lot of us in his orbit of emerging growth, capital, and micro-cap formation in Newport Beach, Dallas, and around the country - if I omitted you, please add an anecdote to this thread:

Grant Bettingen Charles Hays George Morris Stephen Fryer Dan McClory Jim Jaime Edwards Paula Argento,Esq. George Roth Shelly Kraft Ari Blaine Lynne Bolduc Fred G. Jager George Mottel Brian Jue Sean Dignan Jack Dignan Jack M. Andrew Dorman Andrew Dorman Ross Allford Al Kau Ray Kau Ben Doherty Mike Zaman Mike Zaman Peter J. Irvin, CPWA?, QPFC Sam Deeb Julie Giventer Michael Fugler Leslie Stone Richard Jones Paul Knopick Marty Jensen ATFA / TEP Alan Stone Sara Ishag, MBA Jim Hogue Mark Whitlock Jr Abdi Ahmed University of Oklahoma Jonathan Ung Mark Turok Brad Turner Shameem Gafur Sam Deeb William Ricketts Feyzi Fatehi Calvin Yap Austin King Charles Strongo

Gary's funeral service is today at 9033 Fort Worth Dr. Argyle, TX, you can send flowers, plant a tree, contribute to his and Suzanne's pet rescue, sign the guest book, send a sympathy card, or add a photo to the online album:

https://www.billdeberry.com/obituary/first-mi-last?fh_id=13043

@ 2024 Victory & Noble LLC All Rights Reserved

Getting Deals Done is a show about doing business, changing power, changing systems and making the world a better place one deal at a time. Host, veteran banker and entrepreneur Patrick A. Howell , speaks with leading and successful innovators, mavericks and captains of industry about making big things happen in the world.

The entirety of our interview will be broadcast via ourpodcast Getting Deals Done onApple iTunes ,Amazon Audible , Google Podcasts,Stitcher ,iHeart Radio ,Spotify , or wherever you receive your podcasts.