ON THE BOARD MICHAEL LEWIS

Michael, a.k.a. "Late Night", Lewis knows a good opportunity when he sees it. Case in point: in the midst of the Great Recession, he and three partners launched Velocis, a national real estate equity fund focused on office space, retail, data centers and medical offices. It may not have been the easiest time to launch a new fund, but seizing the opportunity at the right time has paid off for Velocis, which successfully closed its second fund this past July. Since 2010, Velocis has purchased nearly two dozen properties located in major markets in Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Virginia and North Carolina.

"I love dealing with tangible assets. I've always liked the challenge of finding a property that is undervalued or broken in some way and identifying opportunities to unlock hidden value. We look at what kind of creative capital improvements we can make to improve an asset for the user, and ultimately, take it from a dormant state to its peak performance," Mike said.

When it comes to investing his time outside of work, he's also open to good opportunities. After Rowland K. Robinson, president of Baylor Health Care System Foundation, invited Mike to join the board, he considered it carefully and decided it was a good fit: "I wanted to make sure that my passion would truly be behind it," he said. "I love the fact that Baylor Scott & White Health is a faith-based organization. That's key. And the more research I did, the more it confirmed that Baylor is the type of organization I want to be affiliated with," Mike said.

It helped, too, that Baylor was a familiar name to him while growing up in Paris, Texas. His father, a general surgeon, often referred his patients with complex needs to Baylor.

Since joining the Foundation board in 2013, Mike has enjoyed his role as a member. "Baylor has all the things that I look for in a first-class, top-rate system. Not only is Baylor's patient-centric mission noble, its mission from a business perspective is also very solid."

What brought you to Dallas?

I got my B.B.A. from The University of Texas in Austin in 1982. After I graduated, I had friends moving in all different directions. I looked at all the major cities in Texas, and it turned out that the best business opportunity I had was in Dallas. I've been here ever since.

What was the business opportunity?

It was a real estate development company, and they wanted to bring me in to handle the marketing side of it.

What type of career would you have if you had not pursued real estate investment?

I've always liked investing. If it wasn't in real estate, it'd be something else. Maybe oil and gas. Tell our readers about your family. I married my wife, Lisa, in 1987, and we have three children. We have Ellie and Courtney, who are twins. Ellie teaches at Peak Preparatory near the Baylor campus, and Courtney is currently studying to be a physician's assistant at Baylor School of Medicine in Houston. Our youngest, Katie, is studying communications in college. All three of my kids went to The University of Texas.

What sorts of things do you enjoy doing when you're all together?

We have always loved sports. Our kids were very active in sports throughout high school, and I think all five of us love The University of Texas football and basketball teams. And the four of them love the "sport" of shopping. I let them do that on their own.

Do you serve on any other boards?

I do. I'm involved in the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. I'm on the Dallas Country Club Board of Governors, and I'm on the Benchmark Bank board. I'm also on the executive committee of the Chancellor's Council at The University of Texas.

What book has been most influential in your life?

The Bible. My favorite book that I read on a consistent basis is Psalms. It's very calming to me because David really struggled with a lot of things and yet had a heart for God. It's good at grounding me. Of course, if I could only read one book, it would be the Gospel of John.