Firm History

In 1988, William D. “Tex” Gross founded the Dallas office of SAMCO Capital Markets. James B. Gardner joined Tex in 1994 after a forty year career in banking. Mr. Gardner first served as Sr. Managing Director of Investment Banking and Corporate Finance. Dory Wiley joined SAMCO in 1996 and has remained a Managing Partner since that time. Tex, Jim and Dory spun out the asset management and investment banking practices from SAMCO on October 1st, 2007 and Commerce Street Holdings, LLC was launched. Ultimately, Jim Gardner served as Vice Chairman Emeritus and Co-Founder until his passing in November, 2013. Tex and Dory remain partners and continue to guide Commerce Street launching new and innovative business practices for middle-market corporations and investors across the nation.