Inquisitive students in Rodney Hill’s Design Process class at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture received special Halloween treats from a guest speaker, the likes of which Hill had never seen in almost four decades of teaching.
On Oct. 31, Scott Moscrip, who heads two businesses ranked in the 2008 Aggie 100, a list of the fastest-growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world, came to speak to Hill’s students. Such lectures are part of the Aggie 100 program, which is coordinated by the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Mays Business School.
“He handed me 40 sealed envelopes,” said Hill, who also received instructions to give the envelopes to the students who asked the best questions.
Hill split the envelopes with his teaching assistant and they handed them all out as the students peppered Moscrip with questions after his presentation.
“He was supposed to be through at 5:10, but he stayed until 6:20,” said Hill. “When everyone was getting ready to leave, I asked one of the students what was in the envelope. He tore it open and there was a $50 bill. So, he gave $2,000 out.”
Moscrip is CFO, founder and owner of D&S Factors LLC, a transportation/finance company. It’s the No. 3 business on the Aggie 100 list.
He began the company in 2003 when he realized truckers, after delivering a load, were having to do their own invoicing, then waiting to get paid.
“His company pays the truckers and does the invoicing,” said Hill. “It made $84 million last year.”
Moscrip’s first business, Internet Truckstop, ranked 82 on this year’s Aggie 100 list. He founded the company in 1995, after noticing that there was no efficient way for a truck driver who, having arrived at a destination with a load, to find out if there was a load to waiting to be hauled from that point, either back to the trucker’s original departure point or on to another destination.
Internet Truckstop filled the void, conveniently connecting truckers with loads requiring delivery.
“He just looks for problems that need to solved,” said Hill.
