Meet Andrea Young | Co-Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve been a CEO since I was 27 and have been fortunate to have a fair amount of success. My husband and I have a financial planner, an estate lawyer and a professional CPA, but I was shocked that not a single person had ever told us about the advantages of donating appreciated stock. I realized that not only did people not understand the benefits, but the status quo for donating stock was cumbersome and full of administrative burden. My co-founder and I saw a huge opportunity to unlock tremendous value for donors and not for profits by making it safe, fast and free for all people to donate stock to the charity of their choice while taking advantage of the tax benefits. This was a chance to do something that helps people donate more and have a bigger impact in their communities.

What should our readers know about your business?
I was fortunate enough to land my first CEO role at the age of 27, which really set the stage and help define my career for the next 15 years. I served as President & CEO of the Houston Comets, Houston’s WNBA team from 2005 to 2007 and as CEO for the Sam Houston Race Park and its affiliated entities from 2007 to 2020. About three years ago while I was still working in the corporate environment, I took my skills and began to transition them towards more entrepreneurial interests working for myself. I’ve expanded into many industries as both a leader and investor, such as retail, real estate and pharmaceuticals. Some roles may be passive while others are more active serving as either the CEO or a board member. I am the second-largest franchisee of Nekter Juice Bars, a southern California health food brand.

Last year, I helped co-found DonateStock after my now partner and co-founder, Steve Latham, brought to my attention the lack of awareness of the benefits of and the administrative difficulties associated with donating stock through a personal experience he shared with me.

True success cannot happen without taking some risks. I was 28 at the time I accepted another opportunity to oversee a company that was losing money in a distressed industry. The way I looked at it was, we had a 20% chance of being successful. If we could achieve that, then we’ll have a great story. If we don’t achieve that we will learn something along the way. From the start of my career, I’ve gravitated towards roles and companies that are messy, need to be fixed or growing.

I want to be remembered for the kind of person I am, not what I’ve done. I don’t need to be known for being the youngest CEO of a WNBA team. At the end of the day, we are all evaluated on the quality of our character and whether we make the right choices in our personal and professional lives. I’ve never sacrificed my integrity for a career move. I want to be remembered as a good person who gave back and worked hard. People may say I was tough or difficult at times, but I hope they will also acknowledge that I was fair and good.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Nekter Juice Bar to eat, the Musuem District for some great culture and a Rockets game of course!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom!

Website: https://donatestock.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donatestock/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/donatestock/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Donate_Stock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonateStock