Background & Education
Born in 1959 in Columbia, South Carolina, Cary moved with his family to the Houston area in 1960. He was raised in the Spring Branch and Cy-Fair communities, attending public schools in both districts before graduating from Cy-Fair High School in 1977. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.
Career in Energy
Cary began his career along the Gulf Coast, working in petrochemical transportation and commercial real estate brokerage. In 1986, he joined Cogen Technologies Inc.—the power cogeneration company founded by his father—as a financial analyst. Drawing on his background in business and real estate, he played a central role in the company’s expansion into the world’s largest independent power cogeneration enterprise, ultimately operating five plants across New Jersey, New York and West Virginia with a combined generating capacity of 1,382 megawatts. Among its landmark projects was the Linden, New Jersey, facility, whose financing ranked among the largest cogeneration transactions in the country at the time.
Promoted to vice president in 1993, he directed project development across the Americas before departing in late 1997 to pursue independent ventures. Cogen Technologies was sold to an Enron/CalPERS consortium in 1999 for approximately $1.5 billion—a transaction whose proceeds enabled Bob McNair to acquire the 32nd NFL franchise for $700 million, then the highest price ever paid for a professional sports team. That franchise became the Houston Texans.
Independent Film
Following his tenure in the energy sector, Cary founded Bulwark Films and Entertainment LLC, an independent motion picture production and distribution company headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. In 2003, the company co-produced Killer Diller, directed by Tricia Brock and based on the novel by Clyde Edgerton, featuring Lucas Black, Fred Willard and musician Taj Mahal. The film screened at South by Southwest in 2004.
In 2006, Cary served as executive producer on Griffin and Phoenix, directed by Ed Stone and starring Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was an early project from Blumhouse Productions. The venture into entertainment reflected an entrepreneurial willingness to operate across industries—a hallmark of his career.
McNair Interests
In 2009, at his father’s encouragement, Cary returned to Houston to oversee the transformation of Palmetto Partners—the holding company for the McNair family’s business interests—from a family office into an active operating enterprise. He restructured existing operations and introduced strategic growth initiatives spanning direct investments in real estate, medical assets and public and private equity.
In 2016, he was named chairman and CEO of McNair Interests, a newly formed private equity investment company operating under the governing Palmetto Trust Company umbrella. Under his leadership, the firm achieved sustained asset growth and diversification across real estate, energy development and public and private equities—strengthening the multi-generational family trust. Following the passing of Bob McNair Sr. in November 2018, Cary’s role in preserving and advancing the family’s business legacy took on added significance.
McNair Medical Institute
Established in 2007 with a $100 million gift from the McNair family to Baylor College of Medicine, the McNair Medical Institute is an initiative of the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation dedicated to advancing research in four life science areas: Type 1 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and neuroscience. In 2013, Cary was appointed president of the institute.
Under his stewardship, the institute has continued to fund the recruitment of McNair Scholars as endowed researchers within the Texas Medical Center—placing them at Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and the Menninger Clinic. It also invests in early-stage development opportunities through venture philanthropy, bridging the gap between academic discovery and clinical application.
Civic Leadership & Philanthropy
Cary has long regarded civic responsibility as inseparable from business leadership. Through McNair Interests and the broader McNair family enterprises, he has committed significant resources to causes that reflect the values instilled by his parents—chief among them education, public health and the protection of vulnerable communities.
In Houston, he directed funding and organizational support toward initiatives combating human trafficking and advancing educational opportunity. He has served on the board of directors for The Fay School and Goodwill Industries of Houston, lending both governance expertise and philanthropic capital to organizations focused on workforce development and community uplift. He also served on the UTHealth Houston Development Board, contributing to the growth of one of the state’s leading academic medical institutions.
Taken together with his work at the McNair Medical Institute, these commitments are part of a broader family legacy of giving—the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation’s lifetime philanthropy exceeds $500 million—guided by the conviction that enterprise and stewardship are complementary obligations.
Personal Life
Cary and his wife, Kate, a former elementary school teacher, met in 1987 on a blind date arranged by his roommate. They married in 1988 and have three children and four granddaughters.
An avid outdoorsman, Cary spends his time away from business pursuing fishing, motorcycling, team sports and ranch management. He and Kate are dedicated travelers.