Texas Public Finance 2022 Opening Remarks: The Bond Buyer & Co-Chairs

Michael Ballinger, Publisher, The Bond Buyer; Leonard Jones, Managing Director - US Public Finance Group, Moody's Investors Service; Noé Hinojosa, Jr., Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Estrada Hinojosa & Co., Inc.; Lloyd Pepperl, Head of Relationship Management, Moody's Investors Service

Transcription:

Mike Ballinger: (00:07)

I'm Mike Ballinger Publisher, the Bond Buyer. My pleasure to welcome you to our 26 Annual Texas Public Finance conference. We have more than 400 registered attendees, and we're particularly pleased that we have over 70 issuers in attendance. I'm thrilled that we're able to host this event as a live event, moving it back to the end of March. And it's great to see so many familiar faces in the audience. This year's Texas Public Finance conference will get address key issues and trends that are impacting the municipal bond market in Texas. And the overall market we're particularly pleased have such an outstanding lineup of keynote speakers, including Glen Hager, Texas controller, Chris Brown controller the city of Houston and Mark Zandy Moody's analytics, chief economist. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors for the conference, especially our conference. Co-chairs Noe Hinojosa chairman and president CEO, Estrada Hinojosa and company, and Lloyd Pepperl head of relationship management for U.S Public Moody's Investor Service. I also wanna thank several Bond Buyer employees for outstanding work in this conference, Alma Subasic, our program manager and Lynne Funk, our innovations editor responsible for developing this excellent agenda along with our conference. Co-chairs I also wanna give a special shout out to the co-chairs teams at Moody's Estrada Hinojosa for their help with the program. In addition, I want to thank Jasmine John, Nayena Mowla, Dan Hoskins, Ryan Fallows, Richard Peral who have handled all the conference, logistics and marketing for the conference. Please join me in a round applause for their efforts. The Bond Buyer editorial staff is also well represent. This conference led by our editor in chief Mike Scarchilli. Mike is joined by Lynne Funk, Ritz Sasco, and Karen piarag. I urge you to reach out to our editorial conference staff during the course of the conference, you off the conference, by pleasure to introduce our conference. Co-chairs Noé Hinojosa is chairman, president and CEO of Estrada, Hinojosa and company since founding Estrada Hinojosa 1990 Noe is been responsible for managing the firm's transactions and growth of the firm. In the past three years alone, the firm has participated in 1100 transactions, totally in 114 billion as a founding partner and CEO he's led the firm to 30 years of consecutive profits. Noe's built a strong reputation for creative solutions to complex challenges in the finance arena. Lloyd Pepler is head of relationship management for us public finance at Moody's investor service, which includes both business development and account management teams located in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco prior to joining Moody's Lloyd began his career. The New Mexico finance authority subsequently Lloyd was the investment banker at RBC capital markets in Phoenix and Dallas while Lloyd is a conference co-chairs as the opening remarks for Moody's will be delivered by Lenny Jones. Lenny is Managing Director of the Moody's public finance group, and as co-manage the local government ratings in U.S, He's responsible for managing the New York Boston San Francisco based local government ratings teams. Lenny also leads Moody's PFG efforts in focusing on cyber security, environmental issues, as well as charter school ratings. Prior to joining Moody's. Lenny was a partner at rice financial products. Please join me in a warm welcome for Noe and Lenny.

Noé Hinojosa: (03:25)

Well, I wish I had prepared remarks, but it's also good to be able to come out in 2022 and be able to fit in your own suit that I bought back in 17 or 18. So I see a few colleagues out here and realize how time has flown, has gone by, I think 2020 was a great year for a lot of us out there. And that's something to be set for the kind of industry that we're in. And most importantly, the kind of state we live in. And I think, Mike just mentioned over the fact that we have over 400 people and a lot of issuers here. I think if somebody walk in here, from any other state and sees who plays in the state, I think they'd be very proud to see that we got the best of the best here in Texas. And I think for all that matter the best of the country, and it's hard to not understand, realized that when Texas time and time again, in looking at GDP, looking at municipal bond issuance, we continue to lead out there in growth. I think, that's a lot of due to the municipal advisory council, Laura. So, I think, a lot of the bankers that are out here very well, versed and educated on how to provide ideas. I'm on the FA side. I started many years ago with, with first our company, I guess. And, then went on this crazy venture of creating your own company. And that's been crazy Elizabeth, trust me. I but you know, going back to those years, the way to learn the industry was by picking up those Mac reports. And I think when I see fellows, like just to mention a fellow out there, John Daniel and others that come from New York every week, I think a lot of it has to be said for the fact that there's a very sophisticated state. It's a very sophisticated group of issuers. We, we know what's going on here. And I think, a lot of its due to the Bond Buyer also having started now on the 26th, conference can't believe it's 26 crazy. You had hair. And I had, I don't know what I had, but anyway I had less pounds on me, but I think, I think what's good to see is a group of committed people. We continue to encourage you to be part of our field, be part of our game. I know that, I guess if you would've talked to me, late last year and told you how well we closed and then start this year, I didn't think it would be as I guess as actively or as active as we've been so far in the first quarter of the year, but I was just pricing some deals last week. Like many of you out there and they are very uncertain times and very vulnerable times for issuers, most importantly. And I think when I say, do you all thank you in great part for being involved, most importantly, for being educated about our challenges and concerns, I think, in the months to come maybe more instability, but that's what we thrive on. We like to see challenges and I commend all of you for being part of our state. And I welcome you as a Texan that I've been, most of my life. I really thank you for coming out here and learning, I think the agenda you're gonna see, you know, we talk again about issues of cybersecurity. I see Rick Weber out there. I just, Rick is you still the managing partner in Oregon Fulbright or one of the guys, but I think when you see what the legislature does here in Austin, a lot of it's a product of a lot of our actions. And I know some of you that come from New York probably find more challenging now to do business in Texas, but we're open for business. And we thank you again for being here with us. And, again, Mike, congratulations to you and I know Elma did all the work this time but again, thank you again for coming to our 26 conference and now Lenny Jones, I've known you for quite a number of years, too. So nice coming up is your turn.

Leonard Jones: (07:46)

Thank you, Noe I just wanna welcome everybody. This is great that we're meeting here in person. After a couple of years, Texas is very, important to me. I've spent a large part of my career here, living in Texas, I live in New York now, but I manage our Texas office and, Texas is very important to Moody's. So we're glad to be a sponsor here and I, to be helping getting the conference going. I also am very happy to be co welcoming you with Noe Hinojosa. Noe is a trail blazer in this industry. Somebody I've always looked up to. And, just want you to know that you are a trail blazer and thank you for everything you've done for our industry. It's been a difficult couple of years. On the one hand our business has been doing okay the last couple of years. So even, we're that fortunate group, that's mostly been able to work at home and keep things going. So I feel very good about that, but on the flip side there, a lot of people have died over the last couple of years and I must acknowledge the loss. We've lost some members of our municipal finance community. Our, and I want to remember them in addition to people within our community who have lost other family members. So we're glad to be moving forward from that. And I think we have a couple of, action pack days, set up for you over the next, couple of days there's been a program committee. That's spent a lot of time talking about issues, talking about topics and coming up with a set of panels that we think are gonna be very interesting and provide a lot of information to folks. So, welcome to the 2022, Texas Public Finance Conference. And, we hope we're in person from here forward. But welcome to get us started again. Thank you.