On March 11, some of the nation's most prominent twenty-somethings and teens gathered at the Westlake home of Paul Mitchell hair products founder and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria and his wife, Eloise.
Forbes Magazine sponsored the cowboy-themed event, which celebrated the most influential young businessmen and women in the U.S. DeJoria, the owner of Patron tequila, showed off an ice sculpture created from the drink. The program featured stylists from Transformations Salon, a Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, who teased and sprayed the hair of some of the attendees, including the musicians of folk-rock band Delta Rae, most of whom wanted big "Texas hair" to go with their boots.
Forbes' invite list included Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, CNN anchors and, of course, many of the honorees who were selected from 15 categories including education, energy, finance, marketing and advertising, music, law and policy.
Technology gurus Drew Houston, 29, and Arash Ferdowski, 27, who co-founded the file-sharing site Dropbox, were among those who attended. Executive Chef Grant Gordon, 26, a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award, was also present. Patient and former Duke University student Josh Sommer, 24, was highlighted in the science and health care category for his work founding the Chordoma Foundation, which focuses on research and funding for his own rare form of bone cancer.
Grace Watson, owner of Transformations Salon on RR 620, seemed to enjoy the entrepreneurs she met during the party, including Sommer.
"Sadly I don't remember everyone's name, but I do remember everyone's story," Watson said of the experience.