Javier Loya
Javier Loya

Not long ago, 'crisis management' was a binder on a shelf – dusty, occasionally updated, and only opened when something broke. Those days are over.

Today, volatility is not the exception; it's the operating environment. Interest rates lurch upward, supply chains flex and snap, policy pivots rewire markets overnight, and social media can swing sentiment in hours.

'If you're waiting for perfect stability to make a move, you'll be waiting forever , ' says Javier Loya , a Houston-based entrepreneur and investor whose portfolio spans energy, technology, and professional sports. "The real skill is moving with intention when the landscape is in flux."

The Resilience Loop: A New Model for Leading in Volatility

Loya's approach, honed over decades and tested across wildly different sectors, can be distilled into what he calls The Resilience Loop—a three-phase cycle that repeats as conditions evolve:

  1. Anticipate – Run scenario modeling not just for best/worst cases, but for likely middle grounds where opportunity hides in plain sight.
  2. Absorb – Build capacity to take short-term hits without structural damage, whether that's financial liquidity, diversified supply chains, or cross-trained teams.
  3. Adapt – Pivot operational and strategic priorities quickly, but in ways that align with the long-term vision, avoiding 'panic pivots' that create brand whiplash.

Then the loop resets. The point isn't to avoid disruption; it's to metabolize it.

From the Rugby Pitch to the Trading Floor

Loya's ownership stake in the Houston Sabercats rugby team gave him an unusual laboratory for resilience.

"When COVID disrupted the league, the easy play was to wait it out," he says. Instead, the Sabercats invested in fan engagement tech, experimented with hybrid streaming models, and deepened community ties through local partnerships.

That same mindset carried into his role at GETCHOICE!, an energy-tech platform where Loya pushed for early adoption of predictive analytics to help clients lock in favorable utility rates ahead of market swings. The result: One manufacturing client shaved 12% off its annual energy spend during a period when competitors saw costs rise.

The Data on Disruption

The macro picture backs up Loya's emphasis on agility. In July 2025, US job growth slowed to 73,000, GDP growth eased to 1.2%, and inflation showed stubborn stickiness. Yet consumer spending held steady, bolstered by wage growth in key sectors.

Dr. Elaine Porter, an economist at the University of Texas, says this 'dual-speed economy' rewards companies that can operate in both offense and defense simultaneously. "It's a moment for leaders who can exploit the volatility without letting it eat their balance sheet," she notes.

Opportunity Inside Uncertainty

While some executives cling to the sidelines, others— like Loya —lean in. Over the past two years, he's made targeted acquisitions in energy services, pursued cross-border investments in Latin America, and backed sports-business ventures with scalable media potential.

"Volatility tests whether your vision is real," Loya says. 'If it still makes sense in chaos, it's worth pursuing.'

He's not alone. A 2025 McKinsey survey found that companies investing during downturns were 2.6 times more likely to outperform peers in the recovery phase.

Building for Both Sides of the Curve

The Resilience Loop isn't just a mindset; it's operationalized through what Loya calls dual-track growth:

  • Track 1: Defensive Infrastructure – Hedging energy costs, locking multi-year supplier contracts, maintaining higher-than-average liquidity.
  • Track 2: Opportunistic Plays – Funding R&D, expanding into underpriced markets, and forming strategic alliances during competitors' retrenchment.

"You don't have to choose between safety and scaling—you need both," Loya says .

Why This Matters Beyond the C-Suite

Crisis mode leadership isn't just for Fortune 500s. Loya argues that small and midsize enterprises—often more exposed to shocks—can adopt the same loop in a lighter form:

  • Simplify the scenarios but still plan for more than one outcome.
  • Hold a small liquidity buffer to avoid high-interest borrowing in a pinch.
  • Maintain a customer-facing narrative that signals confidence without ignoring reality.

Looking Ahead: The Next 3–5 Years

When asked what volatility will look like in 2028, Loya doesn't expect a permanent 'return to normal'. Instead, he predicts:

  1. Shorter Market Cycles – Economic peaks and troughs will compress, requiring faster strategic adjustments.
  2. Regulatory Whiplash – Sectors like energy, AI, and cross-border finance will see rules change mid-game.
  3. Data-Led Decision Culture – Companies without predictive analytics in their core operations will struggle to compete, not just in forecasting, but in execution speed.

Dr. Porter agrees: 'What we're seeing is not a temporary storm—it's climate change for business.'

The Bottom Line

The companies that will stand tallest five years from now aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest war chests—they're the ones with structural agility baked into their DNA.

And if you ask Loya, resilience isn't about bouncing back.
"Bouncing back assumes you're trying to get to where you were," he says. 'I'm trying to get to where we haven't been yet.'