Name: Andy Hines
Family: Hillary Hines – Wife ; Georgia Hines (3) – Daughter ; Anniston (2) – Daughter
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Age: 34
Company: Whitley Penn LLP
Position: Audit Partner
How do you choose to give back to the community? I have a knack for accounting (obviously), so I have served on the board of FitWorth and Helping Restore Abilities. Fitworth was originally Mayor Betsy Price’s healthy city initiative and I helped move them in to a stand-alone 501(c)(3) that I then served as the chair of the finance committee for a number of years until we merged in to the UNTHSC Foundation. HRA is a large not-for-profit located in Arlington who provides home health services to disabled Texans. I have served as the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance committee for 3 years. I choose to volunteer my time and accounting/finance knowledge to organizations that I like and that I think fulfill a need in the community. I have also served on committees for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation over the years.
What advice would you give to yourself at age 15? Buy stock in Tesla. And buy Bitcoin (then sell them in 2020). But really, I think I would tell him to not be in such a rush to grow up. Enjoy college. Take a gap year. I turned down a trip to Argentina when I was in college because I didn’t want to miss class before finals – terrible choice.
Where did your first paycheck come from? Legit paycheck – Six Flags when I was 15. I was a games guy. Before that I was a referee for recreational soccer (was paid before each game by the coaches) and before that my neighbor and I had a yard service. I think I was 12 when we started doing that.
What other profession would you like to try? I considered going into Chiropractic medicine for a short time after college. I liked the mix of chiropractic and sports medicine. I think if I tried another profession, it would be something that did not revolve around excel and a computer all day.
Tell us about an influential person in your life. How did they influence you and why are they important? John Carpenter worked for Vector Marketing (the marketing/sales arm of Cutco) and he was a highly influential person in my life from the age of 18 to 22. He was the Division manager for all of north Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas. He was very successful and had a way of connecting with everyone in a room. He wasn’t a “sales guy” – he was just a genuinely good person that people wanted to be around. He gave me a lot of responsibility at a young age and showed a great deal of faith in my abilities. He is important to me because he did so much to build my confidence and push the limits of what I could accomplish.
What did you want to be when you grew up? A professional soccer player (no, I was not good enough)
What movie, TV show, book, stage play or video game influenced you growing up? Fridays were Blockbuster and pizza nights growing up. We would go to blockbuster and pick out a movie for the night. I remember watching all of the classics with my Mom and Dad – Star Wars, Back to the Future, Never Ending Story, Ghost Busters. I was a typical 90s kid – Goosebumps books, Are you Afraid of the Dark show, Power Rangers, Doug, Hey Arnold, the best shows.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people would be surprised to find out? My wife suggested – I’m really good at making voices for children’s books.
What is your ideal vacation? Beach or Boat. I love going to the beach and we also love a good Cruise.
Favorite food or restaurant? Nona Tata in Fort Worth is among my favorite restaurants. Favorite food is probably steak. My wife is a fantastic cook – so anything she makes is great.
Favorite drink? Bourbon – I have a decent size Bourbon collection
Favorite movie: This is tough – I have a lot. Fight Club, Watchmen, Endgame, Coda (just to throw a twist in)
Favorite sports team: Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks
Favorite song: Too hard to say. I love 90s/2000s pop punk.
Tell us about your prop? I play a lot of random sports. I’ve played competitive dodgeball for about 9 years. I have also played Racquetball for close to 12 years. More recently I started playing Wallyball (an indoor version of Volleyball that is played in a racquetball court where you can use the walls) and pool (billiards). I think something most people who know me well know is that I love to compete and I love sports. If it’s something athletic that I can do competitively – I’m in! The other thing that defines me are my girls – I feel like they need to be in this. My thought is to have the girls throwing dodgeballs at me with all of my other random sport items around (my racquet, racquetballs, a wallyball, my pool cue, maybe my golf clubs, a kickball, soccer ball, and maybe some other random sports items I’ve played over the last 10+ years