Edward Crawford, co-founder of Fort Worth-based Coltala Holdings, has been named to the inaugural NYSE Texas Advisory Board as the New York Stock Exchange doubles down on its expansion into the Lone Star State.
The exchange on Thursday unveiled the advisory board to mark the one-year anniversary of NYSE Texas, its Dallas-based arm launched to serve public companies across the Southwest. Crawford joins founding members Amanda Brock, co-CEO of Houston-based Solaris Energy Infrastructure Inc., and Scott Mueller, managing director of the Southwestern region at Goldman Sachs in Dallas.
NYSE Texas has surpassed 100 dual listings to date. The exchange reached the 100-company mark in December 2025, positioning it as the leading exchange presence in the state.
“Edward is proud to support the movement often affectionately referred to as ‘Y’all Street,’ an initiative that continues to position the broader Texas region as a premier financial hub in the United States,” Coltala said in a statement. “He looks forward to working alongside Gov. Greg Abbott and other business leaders to help accelerate Texas’ economic growth and support the continued expansion of businesses across the state.
“He is honored to contribute to this next chapter of the state’s financial and business leadership.”
The exchange’s Texas branch opened in late March following the relocation of the Chicago Stock Exchange to Dallas, ending its 143-year presence in Illinois’ largest city.
“Establishing the NYSE Texas Advisory Board on the one-year anniversary of the announcement of NYSE Texas underscores the momentum and meaningful progress we’ve achieved in only 12 months,” said Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group, in a statement. “With more than 100 dual-listings to date, and growing, we look forward to continuing to offer the highest level of support to our issuers in the state of Texas and beyond.”
Crawford, with business partner Ralph Manning, is co-founder and co-CEO of Coltala Holdings, a Fort Worth-based private equity firm committed to acquiring and scaling mission-critical service companies. Through its subsidiary, Mansfield-based Coltala Aerospace, the firm has expanded into aviation and advanced manufacturing. More recently, the firm acquired Alsay Inc., one of Texas’ oldest and largest water well drilling and service companies.
Crawford has become an increasingly visible figure in Texas business circles, previously appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the state’s Product Development and Small Business Incubator Board.
Crawford and Manning were recipients of a Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Award in 2024.
Crawford holds a bachelor’s degree in English from TCU and two master’s degrees, including an MBA from MIT. Crawford’s mother was an entrepreneur who built a Suzuki violin school from scratch. His grandfather was an Austrian Jew who immigrated to the U.S. after escaping the Holocaust.
“I started my first profitable business venture in high school, then started a successful coffee business in Dominican Republic while in the Peace Corps,” he told us a few years ago.
The broader Texas push by the NYSE reflects what many have described as Wall Street’s westward drift. A Fox Business report in December highlighted the 100-company dual-listing milestone as evidence that the state’s pro-business climate and population growth are translating into capital markets activity.
Texas has aggressively marketed itself as an alternative to traditional financial hubs, touting lower taxes, lighter regulation and access to energy, aerospace and technology sectors.
“This is the home of the economy, and it is going to be the home of financial exchanges going forward,” Abbott said in August before ringing the New York Stock Exchange’s closing bell at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Nasdaq Stock Exchange, a competitor to the NYSE, also announced last year that it would open a regional headquarters in Dallas. Moreover, a separate Texas Stock Exchange will open in Dallas in the first quarter of 2026.
“Texas ranks No. 1 in so many different ways,” the governor said. “We are No. 1 for economic development, most new jobs added, and ranked No. 1 for the most business listed on the NYSE.”
In January, President Donald Trump said the New York Stock Exchange expansion to Dallas was “unbelievably bad” for New York and a failure of city leadership under new Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“We’re excited to accelerate the growth of NYSE Texas and to strengthen our connection to the companies we serve in the region,” said Bryan Daniel, president of the NYSE Texas. “This group of founding members is the perfect team to help guide our efforts moving forward, and I look forward to working closely with them as NYSE Texas continues to expand.”