Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Slaughter.
Stephen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Entrepreneurship, Purpose, and the Spirit We Share
I’m not always sure where to start, but for me, entrepreneurship began at a very young age.
My dad purchased two shoe stores in Dallas called Vandy’s—one at Preston & Royal and the other at Preston Center. That’s where I began my career, working in the stock room before eventually selling women’s and children’s shoes on the floor. Later, my dad acquired The Shoebox, and our family helped expand the business until the late 1990s, when competing with companies like Nordstrom became increasingly difficult.
Around the dinner table and during car rides, my dad exposed my siblings and me to the inner workings of his businesses. He taught us urgency, discipline, and respect for the customer. We had a front-row seat to both his successes and the difficult seasons that challenged our family. From him, we learned to outwork others, and resilience became second nature.
My mom played an equally important role. As the daughter of a mechanic, she brought a toughness and grounded perspective into our home that kept all of us humble—especially my dad. She also had a deep and steady faith. When the world felt like it was collapsing around my dad’s business, she didn’t miss a beat and remained a constant source of strength, anchoring our family in faith, character, and gratitude.
I watched my parents put my brother and sister through school at TCU during a period when my dad’s businesses were struggling. When I graduated high school, I decided to accept a golf scholarship to UTPA (now UTRGV). I had opportunities at Baylor and Texas Tech, but without scholarships, so I followed the practical path. That decision introduced me to lifelong friends and allowed me to build on the Spanish I had learned in high school.
Most of my teammates were of Hispanic descent, and Spanish was the primary language spoken on the course. During that time, three or four of us on the team would occasionally cross the border on weekends to play golf at Club Campestre de Reynosa and have dinner in the city. Those trips became formative experiences—immersing me in the culture, deepening my appreciation for Mexico, and marking the beginning of my love for sipping tequila. Little did I know how meaningful those moments would later become with La Pulga Tequila.
After my junior year, I transferred to UT–San Antonio and was fortunate to secure an internship with the San Antonio Spurs marketing department. Growing up as a very loyal Mavs fan, I kept my loyalty quiet at first—but eventually my boss caught on. While I have a deep respect for the Spurs organization, I’m a lifelong Mavericks fan (MFFL), and he even allowed me to attend early shootarounds when the Mavs were in town.
At UTSA, I majored in Marketing, minored in Spanish, and earned a scholarship to study abroad in Spain. Following college, I had an invitation to go work for Giovanni Mastromatteo in Europe, which came through our time in the shoe industry. Giovanni apprenticed under Salvatore Ferragamo and invited me to work with Intertech Shoes in Florence. There, I learned contract negotiation, purchasing, and logistics.
While living in Italy, I received an offer from Dallas-based J Renee Shoes to relocate to Shanghai as their boots on the ground, performing many of the same responsibilities. I spent several years overseas, but eventually became homesick. As much as I loved Italy and China, my heart wanted to be back in Texas.
When I returned, I took a brief role as a sales representative for Callaway Golf in South Texas and performed well, but I missed working internationally. That led me to Minneapolis, where I accepted the role of Global Sales Manager for Chamilia—Pandora’s largest competitor at the time and later acquired by Swarovski. The role gave me the best of both worlds: living in the U.S. while traveling globally to open new markets.
While attending a wedding in San Miguel de Allende, I received an offer to return to Texas and work for Haddock Investments, a family office owned by Gerald Haddock, former CEO of Crescent Real Estate. It was a complete departure from my background in consumer products, but at that point in my life, I was ready for a new challenge and a different way to grow.
It became the most demanding role I’ve ever had. Gerald pushed me relentlessly to understand real estate finance and every cost associated with running a business. He often told me he didn’t want to see my “office light go off” when he went to bed, as he lived just a few blocks away. Without attending an Ivy League school, I often say Gerald gave me an unofficial degree in finance.
In 2008, I once again had a front-row seat—this time to the subprime mortgage crisis. Deals dried up, layoffs followed, and while I still had a job, there was no upside on the horizon. I left, waited tables at Bob’s Steak & Chop House at night, and tried to piece together real estate deals during the day.
Eventually, I received a call about becoming a landman, a role I knew very little about at the time. I initially declined, but three months later decided to listen. I quickly excelled, combining my real estate background with the sense of urgency my father instilled in me. I became one of the top landmen in a company of more than 300 and started to get invitations to various industry events, often with golf involved.
That exposure led to expanded responsibilities, including modeling land and agricultural yields—something I never expected to do. During this time, I met my wife, Molly. Today, I’m incredibly blessed by her and our three boys, who keep me grounded, humble, and constantly reminded of what truly matters.
In 2012, after securing our first contract with BP, Molly and I launched Larkspur Land Group. The company grew to four regional offices and more than 135 landmen at its peak. In 2015, recognizing shifts in the market, we sold Larkspur at the right time and later launched Potomac Mineral Group.
Since then, Abrazo Partners has grown as our parent company, focusing on minerals, renewable development, real estate, and purpose-driven work. Collectively, we’ve sourced and closed more than 1,200 deals and built one of the best organic acquisition teams in the country.
That sense of purpose deepened after mission trips to Cambodia, where we witnessed extreme poverty and unmet needs. Through our company, we funded the construction of new children’s homes and committed to supporting education beyond high school. Today, we support 52 children, including several currently attending college. This work has become one of the greatest joys of my wife’s and my life, especially being able to take our family and give our children a broader perspective on gratitude, opportunity, and service.
That same commitment to community recently led our company to acquire 17 acres in Aledo to build the new Aledo Soccer Club facilities. I believe deeply in people doing life together, investing locally, and not being return-driven. A group of families and young leaders came together to start the club and create a place where kids can develop, compete, and belong. This is a special project for the community and us.
After COVID, during a season of slowing down and spending more time with family, the idea for La Pulga Tequila began to take shape. Conversations during trips to Cabo and San Miguel de Allende sparked the vision. When I shared the idea with my longtime friend Sarah Castillo, she told me she and Andrew Dellatorre were already exploring the purchase of a historic Mexican flea market and starting a tequila brand. A little more on my amazing partners, Sarah is an acclaimed restaurateur who began with a humble taco trailer and is now the visionary behind Tinies Mexican Cuisine and Sidesaddle Saloon — and Andrew De La Torre, an innovative club owner and operator of the Northside Fort Worth open-air market, La Pulga.
The three of us met shortly after and committed to building something the right way—no shortcuts, no additives, and honoring the past. We named the brand La Pulga, paying homage to flea markets around the world and the historic market we acquired in Dallas–Fort Worth. Though La Pulga translates directly as “the flea,” it’s also a beloved name for open-air markets north and south of the border, filled with heart, music, food, and community.
That spirit is what we wanted to bottle.
Since launching, La Pulga has been one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the country, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support from the Dallas–Fort Worth community.
Today, La Pulga Tequila is sold in 12 states, on Disney Cruise Lines, and at more than 165 military bases worldwide. Our slogan, “The Spirit We Share,” reflects the belief that great tequila—and great experiences—belong wherever people can gather as a community, from a backyard barbecue to a mahjong night or a company outing.
La Pulga Tequila is available at retailers across Texas and beyond, and can also be purchased online at lapulga.com. More information about the nonprofit work Stephen supports in Cambodia, including ways to get involved or donate, can be found at anewthread.org.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While it has been smooth at times, it has been a tough road as well. Growing up, I watched my parents navigate both success and hardship in business, and I learned early that challenges are part of the journey. Through those experiences—and later through career pivots, economic downturns, and seasons of uncertainty—I leaned heavily on my faith. When things felt unstable or unclear, faith provided perspective, peace, and direction. I came to understand that adversity wasn’t something to fear, but an opportunity to grow, trust, and keep moving forward with humility and purpose.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What I’m most proud of professionally isn’t tied to a specific deal or milestone, but to the culture we’ve built. First, taking care of the people who work alongside us has always been a priority—creating an environment where they’re supported, valued, and able to share in the upside of what we’re building together. Second, I’m proud that our company operates with a clear sense of purpose beyond the work itself. Giving back is not an afterthought for us; it’s woven into who we are, and seeing our team genuinely buy into that mission has been incredibly meaningful. Knowing that our work positively impacts both our people and the communities we serve is what I find most rewarding.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I loved being outside. Building forts in the trees, riding bikes with my buddies, playing pickup basketball—those were my happy places. Basketball was my first love, and for a long time I hoped it would take me somewhere bigger. Golf eventually became the sport that opened those doors, but that wasn’t the path I expected.
In fourth grade, everything changed. I developed osteomyelitis and spent a significant amount of time at Cook Children’s Hospital, including months in a wheelchair. I was fortunate to survive, but I dropped to about 45 pounds and spent years feeling like I was fighting uphill just to keep up.
To my mom’s credit, she never let me stop moving or competing. She kept me involved in sports, encouraged me to push forward, and believed in my recovery long before anyone else did. It took years to regain my strength, but that season quietly shaped my resilience, my perspective, and my appreciation for simply being able to play.
Fun fact: My intramural basketball team at UTSA became the first team in 20 years to win a championship as a true potluck team—none of us knew each other before being randomly placed together. We kept that team intact throughout my time at UTSA, and I still stay in touch with most of them today.
Thanks, Mom.
Contact Info:
- Website: lapulga.com
- Instagram: lapulgaspirits
- Facebook: La Pulga Spirits
- Other: anewthread.org
Image Credits
Adrian Cortes
