Henry Ross Perot Jr. (born November 7, 1958) is a real estate developer and American businessman who is best known for his development of Alliance, Texas, an inland port near Dallas–Fort Worth, and making the first circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter at the age of 23. Perot serves as the chairman for multiple companies including The Perot Group and Hillwood. He is the only son and eldest child of American billionaire businessman and former United States presidential candidate Ross Perot. Early life Perot was born and raised in Dallas, the son of Margot (née Birmingham) and Ross Perot. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in 1977. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, he served in the United States Air Force for eight and a half years. Career In 1982 Perot co-piloted the first flight by helicopter around the world. Using a Bell 206 L-1 Long Ranger II, Perot completed the circumnavigation on September 30, 1982. Perot serves as chairman of The Perot Group, which manages the various Perot family interests that include real estate, oil and gas, and financial investments. He developed the Fort Worth Alliance Airport and is a large real estate developer. Hillwood's residential division, is building Harvest, a $1 billion, 1,150-acre development in Northlake and Argyle. Hillwood Communities recently kicked off developments including the 1006.5 acres development Pomona in Manvel, TX and the 787-acre Union Park in Little Elm. From 2002 to 2003, Perot served as chairman of the Texas Governor's Task Force for Economic Growth. In March 2007, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, seeking the Republican Party nomination selected Perot as a member of his Texas finance committee. Perot was a member of the Board of Directors for Dell Inc. Perot is a board member of Guide IT. He is Chairman of the United States Air Force Memorial Foundation and Co-Chairman of the EastWest Institute. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of St. Mark's School of Texas, Southern Methodist University, and Vanderbilt University. In 2010 Forbes reported Perot's net worth at $1.5 Billion. Perot was the 1983 recipient of the Langley Gold Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.. In April 2020, Governor Greg Abbott named Perot to the Strike Force to Open Texas – a group "tasked with finding safe and effective ways to slowly reopen the state" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Dallas Mavericks ownership Perot purchased the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team