CHAIRMAN EMERITUS PROFILE

Gonzalez relocated to Dallas in 1968, and worked for Texas Instruments with their human resources group with hiring responsibility for its new headquarter offices. A lay-off in 1971 and a $13,000 home mortgage were all the motivation that Gonzalez needed to establish Gulf-Tex Construction, Inc., a general contracting firm specializing in the development of homes, small commercial projects and government facilities. The ups-and-downs of the Dallas real estate market in the 70s pushed Gonzalez towards diversification, and in the early 80s he set up Gulf-Tex Resources, a crude trading entity that ultimately supplied oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The swings in the volatile Texas economy found Gonzalez in the early 90s knocking on doors looking for a new opportunity. As luck would have it, one door opened and behind it was the genesis of AGE Refining. Through a long-standing relationship with an energy procurement officer in Washington, D.C., Gonzalez learned that there was a refinery in San Antonio, Texas that was in need of new lease on life. With no investment capital (Gonzalez borrowed money for a plane ticket from his long-time assistant), some resourceful crude supply programs, and a Texas-sized dose of good luck, he formed Al Gonzalez Energy (AGE) Marketing Company and purchased the Howell Hydrocarbons Refinery in San Antonio, Texas in January of 1991. Through a series of investments, this company would become AGE Refining, Inc., one of the nation's most innovative suppliers of specialized fuels.

Al Gonzalez believes in strong values, an unwavering commitment to quality and a can-do attitude that can be summed up by one of his favorite phrases: "Whatever it takes!" His positive approach to business carries over into how he spends his free time. A big believer in giving back to the community, Mr. Gonzalez is involved in numerous civic and socially conscious activities, most of them focused around his local community.

His community service begins at home, and Mr. Gonzalez has been appointed to numerous state and local boards, including task forces, commissions and committees throughout Texas. Currently he sits on the boards of the University Medical Center, part of the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the Minority Business Roundtable, which is based in Washington, D.C., and The Zale Lipshy Hospital in Dallas.

In the past, Gonzalez has also served on a number of civic boards. These include the Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport Board; The Texas Private Sector Prison Industry Oversight Authority; elected to Dallas City Council; Dallas Citizen's Council Board; Chairman of the Mayor's Commission on Drug and Substance Abuse; President of Dallas Ft. Worth Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America; and the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Park Foundation.

As well, Mr. Gonzalez has played a significant role in many charities over the past ten years. Some of these include The One Hundred Club of Dallas, Circle 10 Boy Scouts Council, March of Dimes, and the United Way/Big Gifts Division. Gonzalez has also helped his community by serving on the boards of the City of Dallas Bond Campaign, the Dallas Multi-Racial Committee, the Texas Low-level Radioactive Authority, and the Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Al Gonzalez and his wife Sharron divide their time between Dallas and San Antonio. They have two sons.