Compassion in the face of disaster | Jim "Mack" McIngvale | TEDxHBU

Jim McIngvale shares his experience during Hurricane Harvey in Houston, TX and how his compassion and resources helped save the lives of total strangers. He challenges viewers to be generous and selfless in the face of disaster. He tells us that we must care about people. Born in Mississippi, Mack attended high school in Dallas, and college at the University of Texas and the University of North Texas where he played football for both schools in 1969-1970 and 1972-1973, respectively. After college, Mack worked at a convenience store where his boss did him a huge favor one day: he fired him. Refreshed and determined, Mack found a job at a furniture store where he diligently worked, absorbing the business practices and trades of the furniture industry. Inspired, Mack made a decision that would forever change his life and the competitive world of retail industry: to open up his own furniture store. His brother helped him find the perfect location to start the new business: an abandoned model home park located in Houston. Mack asked his then-girlfriend Linda to join him in Houston, and she said she would move under one condition: if they became husband and wife! The McIngvale’s now have three Gallery Furniture stores. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx