Diezi, Mike

Biography

Mike Diezi grew up on his family farm in Brookshire, Texas. Aside from working on the property and helping raise cattle, he also worked at the family-owned Diezi’s Meat Company. As a young man, Mike was fortunate enough to see the impact and importance of agriculture from farm to fork. Mike nurtured his fondness for agriculture with his involvement in 4-H and FFA. He raised pigs for the Waller County Fair, steers for the Royal FFA show, and competed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with commercial steers and breeding heifers, both in the junior show and through the calf scramble program. Mike also showed Brahman Heifers and was a member of the American Junior Brahman Association and the Texas Junior Brahman Association. He held several leadership positions in high school, including Class President, Royal FFA chapter President, and FFA District and Area Vice President.

Mike began attending Texas A&M in 1992, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Ross Volunteer Company, and, during his senior year, Corps Staff. He graduated with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1996.

Following graduation, Mike started his career at Pilgrim’s Pride in Lufkin, Texas, as a Second Processing Line Supervisor. In 1997, he moved to Dallas where he began a career in finance and data analytics. During that time Mike earned his CSSC Certification through the University of Norte Dame, and his Series 7 and Series 66.

In 2000, Mike moved back to Houston where he began his career in the beverage and alcohol industry as a Category and Market Data Analyst with Republic National Distributing Company. He was soon promoted to Category Manager and then later to Department Head, where he hired, developed, and trained data analytics and category management for both his department and for other markets across Texas.

In 2008, Mike went to work for Pabst Brewing Company in sales as a Chain Account Manager. He was part of a team that helped reestablish various heritage brands in the market, which included, but were not limited to, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and Lone Star Beer. Mike was promoted to the General Manager of the Lone Star Brewery in San Antonio, and he held that position until he moved to the Gambrinus company in Shiner, Texas, to sell Shiner Beer.

In 2015, Mike’s combined experiences in food, liquor, wine, beer, finance, and analytics allowed him to accept an executive position with Spec’s Family Corporation in Houston, where he oversees Category Management and Merchandising, Buyer and Procurement Directives and Inventory Management. This role spans the entire chain of more than 200 locations and manages more than 80,000 unique items that provide the tools for each customer to create wonderful experiences. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of Spec’s Liquor in 2024. He supports the industry as a member of the Texas Package Store Association, having served on the Board of Directors of that organization since 2023.

Mike is involved in many community activities. He joined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) as a Committeemen in 2001. He has served on the Safety Committee, the Winery Relations Committee, the Calf Scramble Greeters Committee, and has served as the Chair of the Calf Scramble Arena Committee. He has been a member of the HLSR Board of Directors since 2022. Mike has served as a member of the Katy FFA Booster Club and has received Honorary Chapter FFA Degrees from both Katy FFA and Royal FFA. He was also a member of the Katy ISD Campus Advisory Board. Mike was also involved with the Katy Cavaliers Lacrosse Cub as a member of their Board of Directors and was the Katy Junior High Mascot “Dad.” He is a Past Master of the Brookshire Masonic Lodge #1066 and volunteers his time as an Assistant Kung Fu Instructor at Jade Mountain Martial Arts where he earned his Black Belt. Mike also gives of his time as an ordained minister helping to assist in ensuring that couples have a special day to remember. Mike is currently a member of Beefmaster Breeders United as he continues to improve his herd on the same family property on which he was raised. He is the founding member of the Midnight Riders, a non-profit organization that assists the youth of Texas as they compete, raise, and show projects. This organization also rewards scholarships for students pursuing an education in agriculture or the trades, to help the next generation keep the farm-to-fork process going strong.

Mike participates as a Professor for a Day’ at Texas A&M and has been involved in supporting the Agrifood Sales program in a variety of ways. In 2024 he was appointed to the inaugural Weston Agrifood Sales Program advisory board in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University to guide the program in better serving the stakeholders of the program. He has contributed to the curriculum content for AGEC 416, where he is frequently a guest lecturer in that class. Mike claims as a highlight of his time at Texas A&M meeting and marrying Courtney ’96. They live in Brookshire, Texas, and are continuing the Aggie tradition with their daughter Cate ’23, an Agribusiness graduate and their son, Brett ’26, a Construction Science major.

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