From Research to Racing:

Learn about donor Billy Hibbs Jr. and his involvement with the Hibbs Institute for Business and Economic Research and UT Tyler’s Baja Society of Automotive Engineers Project

Publication Date: 04/21/2020

Most students on the UT Tyler campus know the name Hibbs from the Hibbs Institute for Business and Economic Research, which is a unit of the Soules College of Business. But most would be surprised to find out that for the past several months the name behind the institute—Billy Hibbs Jr.—isn’t just interested in economic research. He’s been helping mechanical engineering students build an all-terrain sporting vehicle for an international competition.

Hibbs’ East Texas roots run deep. Born and raised in Tyler, he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School and Tyler Junior College before getting his BBA from UT Austin and his MBA from Southern Methodist University. After spending time in Dallas, he and his wife, Tisa, decided to make the move back to Tyler so he could join the family insurance and risk management business.

But while growing up in Tyler, Hibbs says he loved racing and “grew up racing off-road motorcycles, cars and anything else I could get my hands on.”

It was actually that love of motorcycles and cars that laid the foundation for his relationship with UT Tyler, specifically with former UT Tyler president, Dr. Rod Mabry.

Hibbs recalled that Mabry became a friend and not just a next-door neighbor when his son shot an arrow over a wall that punctured the garage door of Mabry’s house.

“Dr. Mabry was very understanding and amused to watch my then 12-year-old son use a hammer, dolly, Bondo and paint to repair the hole in his garage door,” said Hibbs. “Dr. Mabry, as it turns out, also enjoyed motorcycles and cars and would often drop by for a visit.”

Mabry later approached Hibbs with the idea of an institute for economic research, and Hibbs, having served as an intern at the Bureau of Business Research at UT Austin in the late 1970s, was already familiar with the importance of these organizations and their work.

“We live in an information society where most of the underlying data, in order to make economic decisions, is already available from a variety of mostly government sources, but it’s just not easily accessible,” said Hibbs. “My dream has always been that the Hibbs Institute would play an important role in sharing with the world the economic benefits of living in East Texas. We have a great untold story about all of the many diverse opportunities that exist in this part of the state.”

But diverse opportunities don’t just exist in East Texas, they exist throughout the University. Where else could a donor help fund economic research while also support a group of engineering students who are building and testing a sporting vehicle?

Having first heard about the Baja Society of Automotive Engineers project through Amy Lively, director of development for the college of engineering, and Rob Springer, director of development for the Soules College of Business, Hibbs decided a monetary donation to the team wasn’t enough.

“About six months ago, I offered to lend my many decades of experience in all forms of off-road racing to the group to help them try to work their way up a steep learning curve as quickly as possible,” said Hibbs.

Hibbs also brought in two of his friends, James LaFitte of LaFitte Fabrication in Palestine, and Russ Hobbs of JRH Enterprises in Tyler, to help the team with the setup and other details, such as driver education.

“This is an area where I have a lot of firsthand, personal experience, but I also have a great team of very gifted friends who can bring a lot of knowledge and information to the students in order to make them more competitive and more successful,” said Hibbs.

But it’s not just the students who gain something positive from Hibbs' involvement with the team or with the institute.

“We are very fortunate to have outstanding institutions of higher education in this region,” said Hibbs. “And specifically, we are honored to have our family name associated with a university with the reputation of the University of Texas System. It has played an important role in my life.”

#SoulesCollege