Texas EDC: Gone to Texas Podcast Show Notes & Social Posts
Episode #4 Michael Rufail, Founder & Chief Gaming Officer, Envy Gaming
If you don’t know much about esports yet, you will soon. But first know that since 2017, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has been home to Envy Gaming, one of the world’s most valuable professional gaming organizations. The company made headlines last year for bringing on music megastar and fellow Texans native Post Malone as a co-owner. Founded by Texan Michael Rufail in 2007, Envy Gaming is a sports entertainment company that operates teams in multiple leagues and is best known for its highly successful Dallas Empire team in the Call of Duty league and Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League.
In this episode, learn about how Rufail grew up as a son of Egyptian immigrants in Lufkin, moved away as a young adult, and then felt the call back home in 2017 when he ultimately relocated his company here from Charlotte, North Carolina. You’ll also learn more about how esports compares to other professional sports organizations, the company’s plans for 2021 and onward, and of course, how the stars aligned to attract Malone to the fold.
“He’s just an interesting DFW guy. An awesome guy. Just really, really, really nice and cares about this metroplex, which is really cool,” Rufail says of Malone. “He’s worked really hard to get where he is and I felt like he embodied a little bit of just not only DFW spirit but also the mentality that we like to take on in every aspect, which is just ‘Work really hard for what you get’.”
Rufail explores that Texas spirit further, breaking it down into the many factors that led him and his company home, including savings from a favorable tax structure, a safe environment for raising a family, an overall lower cost of living, and how all of that translates into happier residents who are able to reinvest that money and energy into one another.
“It’s just a great place to be able to thrive. It’s a place where you have opportunity to really thrive,” Rufail says. “ … People are just a little bit more capable here to do the things that matter in life, in my opinion. So I find it just a little bit more pleasant to live here. Obviously, the economic incentives are great, because you can grow a business and apply more of your earnings to the things that matter -- your family.”
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode the Melissa Industrial & Economic Development Corporation in Melissa, Texas.
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Envy Gaming:
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