Michael Horton: building a quiet legacy

Michael Horton with his daughter, Caroline, and son, Henry, in Vail, Colo.

Michael Horton has always loved building things. So, it’s no surprise that the CEO of Good Living Ventures is a builder—not only in the traditional sense, but also by working to provide affordable, sustainable housing for others.

Horton, who earned a 2002 University of Oklahoma energy management degree, became a successful energy executive in Houston and Denver and played an integral role in building and selling over $6 billion in Felix Energy assets. Concurrently, Horton focused on his love of architecture and design, “pursuing fix and flips and passion-type projects.” This passion led him to pursue real estate full-time in 2020, while his love and appreciation for Oklahoma and OU prompted him to give back to the Michael F. Price College of Business.

Horton made a $1 million gift to the OU Foundation to provide student enrichment experiences for finance majors pursuing the real estate track through the Michael D. Horton Real Estate Finance Student Development Fund. To date, he has given more than $2.5 million to benefit students.

“Michael is a visionary. Not just in business, but in his philanthropy,” said Price College Dean Corey Phelps. “He saw the potential impact our college could have in developing the next generation of real estate finance leaders and entrepreneurs, and he was willing to invest in this potential before anyone else. His gifts create critical momentum by catalyzing others to give.”

Horton credits his parents and grandmother for instilling his values, but also for influencing good design in construction and nurturing his passion. “I’ve loved the building process from a young age, but I was never good with the more technical aspects of it, despite working with my electrician/entrepreneur dad. I was more of a sledgehammer than scalpel kind of guy,” he related.

“From my mom, I learned to appreciate art and architecture. With her and my grandmother’s influence, I developed joy in taking something and making it better—especially stuff that had been neglected. They made me believe I could do anything and always stressed the importance of doing it right and with integrity.”

Growing up in rural Ardmore, Okla., Horton said he learned about mobile home living. “I had a lot of good friends who grew up in mobile home parks. Some of the parks were nice and some were pretty bad, but none of them were scary. That experience taught me the importance of thoughtful, community-minded management and the importance of this type of housing for low-income folks. I just believed we could do it better and make it cool.”

With that goal in mind, Horton started Good Living Ventures in 2017. The company currently maintains 18 parks and more than 2,000 home sites.

Horton attributes OU for his success. “I made some unbelievable friends at OU who pushed me to be my best and still do today. Scholastically, I love what OU did with their energy management program in making the degree so hyper-practical and giving people like me the job skills needed to succeed. I love Dean Phelps’ vision in taking a similar approach to finance with a real estate track, and that’s why I chose to get behind it.”

While Horton’s business is spread across the United States, he still considers Oklahoma home.

“Oklahoma is near and dear to me—a touchstone, the red dirt I grew up in and something I always come back to. There is a legacy of quiet giving in Oklahoma. I aim to continue that and hopefully inspire others.”