Crenshaw Fronts ‘Leaders & Legends’ Issue

Cover
Houston CityBook’s second annual “Leaders & Legends” portrait collection — featuring notables from various disciplines and walks of life including the arts, media, philanthropy and business — are highlighted in the April 2019 issue. New congressman and wounded war veteran Dan Crenshaw appears in the collection opposite legendary civil rights icon Rev. Bill Lawson, under the “Service & Sacrifice” heading, and the lawmaker also appears on the cover.
Other luminaries and personalities featured this year include gospel music superstar Yolanda Adams, fresh from her performance on the Grammys in tribute to Aretha Franklin, and top philanthropist Margaret Alkek Williams, photographed by Steve Visneau. Steve Visneau also photographed the 2018 collection, which touted the likes of mega-ballerina Lauren Anderson, society queen Lynn Wyatt, billionaire reality TV star Tilman Fertitta, and cancer researcher Jim Allison, who won the Nobel Prize since appearing in CityBook.
“Our goal with ‘Leaders & Legends,’ as with all of our content at CityBook, is to present a timely, compelling and diverse mix of Houstonians to our readers,” says Editor-in-Chief Jeff Gremillion. “The annual photo series has quickly become one of our most important and anticipated projects, and I hope folks will find it intriguing."
All of the 2019 portraits will go online at houstoncitybook.com tomorrow. The April 2019 issue of CityBook will hit newsstands beginning Saturday.
Dispatches

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

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How did you get to where you are today? My journey to where I am today is built on a foundation of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Every step along the way, I faced obstacles, but I approached each one with determination and a “never give up” mindset. Instead of being discouraged by challenges, I used them as opportunities to grow and improve. Consistency was key—I committed to showing up and giving my best effort every day. I also learned not to take “no” as a final answer. Instead, I saw it as a chance to push harder, adapt, and find another way forward. It’s this combination of persistence, resilience, and unwavering focus that has brought me to where I am today.

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