How President and CEO of TRIO Holdings Beau Pollock is Shaping the Future of Houston’s Workforce

This article is part of a promoted series and not produced by the editorial staff.

This profile is a part of the Texas Mutual Insurance Company Leader Series, spotlighting Texas business owners and innovators strengthening their communities through leadership and philanthropy. Each feature tells a story of resilience and impact, aligning with Texas Mutual’s mission to support a stronger, safer Texas.

For Houstonian Beau Pollock, President and CEO of TRIO Holdings, it wasn’t a question of if he wanted to be an owner and operator of a company one day, but how and when. After graduating from Episcopal High School, he spent some time in the Midwest for college and started his career in investment banking. He eventually made his way back to Houston, which is when he joined his father in a two-year-old electrical construction firm, TRIO Electric, which he ended up purchasing from him.

Pollock quickly realized his biggest constraint to growth was finding enough electricians to grow the business. An idea was born. In 2017, Pollock formed a partnership with Spring Branch ISD to offer electrical training to high school students. He says creating these pathways to professions morphed into his biggest passion, eventually giving students across 22 different ISDs an opportunity to learn a new skill that helped them get a high-paying career if they weren’t planning to pursue university or join the military.

“There are plenty of students who aren’t heading to college or the military,” says Pollock. “We’d train them in our trade, hire as many as possible, and help place the rest through our industry network.”

Since 2017, the program has morphed from simply a school partnership program into new business, TRIO Education, which now offers an adult training program: The Electrician Career Academy. The Electrician Career Academy brings in young adults, from high school graduates to young adults with a demonstrated track record of employment, who want to improve themselves and want to work with their hands in jobs that won’t be lost to Artificial Intelligence. They then complete a five-week training program. Ninety-five percent are then hired by the industry. Since 2017, more than 5,000 students have enrolled in Pollock’s training programs.

Pollock has a front row seat to Houston’s expansive growth and booming economic scene.

“Texas is a strong place to do business,” says Pollock. “We have steady population growth, pro-business policies, and a solid workforce. It’s not only a great environment for companies, but also an excellent place to raise a family.” 

Of course, it’s not all work and no play for Pollock. When it comes to his favorite hot spots in the city, you can catch him at one of the Goode Company Restaurants or any of the other amazing restaurants the city has to offer, or enjoying a night out for baseball at Daikin Park or the little league fields. He and his family are also passionate about supporting a variety of local charities and philanthropies, including the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Faith In Practice, Memorial Assistance Ministries, MD Anderson, and Breakthrough T1D.

As he looks towards Houston’s tomorrow, he’s excited by the city’s young, vibrant and diverse workforce. 

“We have a young, well-educated workforce,” says Pollock. “There’s strong talent here, and continued investment is essential to keep the economy growing. That benefits everyone.”