A native East Texan, John Soules Sr. is the founder and chairman of John Soules Foods Incorporated, the leading producer of beef and chicken fajitas in the United States, with a retail presence of more than 17,000 stores in 50 states.

Mr. Soules also is a steadfast supporter of Tyler and East Texas, giving generously of his time and resources to various community efforts.

Earlier this year, the Soules family and John Soules Foods entered into an agreement with UT Tyler to make a major investment supporting student success in business and technology programs. The investment is the single largest, most transformational private contribution to UT Tyler in the university’s history.

The UT Tyler College of Business was renamed the Soules College of Business in recognition of the new partnership.