Mays Business School Unveils Renovated Phillips 66 Trading Room

Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School celebrated the grand opening of the renovated Phillips 66 Trading Room, a specialized finance classroom that supports experiential learning across multiple finance programs.

Originally established in 2000 and renamed in recognition of Phillips 66’s long-standing partnership and investment in student success, the renovated learning space reflects growing employer demand for graduates equipped with applied experience, analytical fluency, and leadership readiness in increasingly complex financial markets.

“At Mays, we are building a better future through business by preparing students for the realities of modern markets,” said Dr. Nate Y. Sharp, dean of Mays Business School. “The Phillips 66 Trading Room gives our students access to professional tools, industry perspectives, and applied learning experiences that prepare them to lead with confidence and integrity from day one.”

The Phillips 66 Trading Room serves as the academic home of Mays’ nationally recognized Trading, Risk and Investments Program (TRIP) within the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Department of Finance. A selective, commodities-focused program, TRIP prepares students for careers in energy trading, risk management, and global markets. Through TRIP, students assume responsibility for market analysis, capital allocation, and risk evaluation within a structured academic framework designed to mirror professional trading environments. The program’s close ties to energy markets and corporate partners, including Phillips 66, have made it a distinctive pathway for students pursuing careers in commodities and risk.

“Phillips 66 is building the next generation of industry talent by investing early and engaging deeply with institutions like Texas A&M,” said Brian Mandell, executive vice president of marketing and commercial for Phillips 66. “We have hired more people from Texas A&M than any other university in the last five years, and together we’re continuing to develop graduates who are market ready from the start. Education is central to our social impact strategy, and supporting institutions like Texas A&M reflects our commitment to preparing a diverse, skilled workforce for the future of energy.”

Located in the Kay ’02 and Jerry Cox ’72 Hall in the Wehner Building on Texas A&M’s West Campus, the Phillips 66 Trading Room features Bloomberg terminals, upgraded risk management platforms, digital market displays, and collaborative workspaces designed to replicate modern trading environments.

In addition to housing TRIP, the classroom supports other high-impact programs within the finance department’s Adam C. Sinn ’00 Center for Investment Management. These include $20.6 million in student-managed investment funds with the Tanner Fund, established in 2000; the Reveille Fund, managed on behalf of the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) since 2021; and the Adam Sinn Hedge Fund, established in 2022 and authorized to trade long and short positions as well as derivative securities. Distinct from TRIP’s commodities focus, these funds provide students with structured experience in equity analysis, derivatives strategy, portfolio management, and disciplined decision-making within a faculty-guided academic framework.

“The Phillips 66 gift is an incredible investment in our students and in the future of finance education,” said Jamie Brown, professor and department head of the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Department of Finance at Mays Business School. “The modernized space allows students to learn in an environment that mirrors what they’ll face in the profession. It strengthens multiple programs within our department and prepares our students for impactful careers in trading, risk, and investment management.”

With industry partnerships, applied coursework, and student-managed capital operating within the space, the Phillips 66 Trading Room reflects Mays’ commitment to experiential education. Here, students do more than study markets — they analyze commodities, manage portfolios, evaluate risk, and make decisions grounded in real data and real responsibility.