The company was co-founded by long-time friends and business partners, Ernest Cunningham and Todd Ernst. Both are 1989 graduates of MacArthur High School in San Antonio. Ernest graduated from Texas A&M in 1994 while Todd graduated from the U. S. Air Force Academy in 1993. Their unique complement of business expertise and military background combined with their vision and strong work ethic, are rivaled only by their dedicated enthusiasm for success.

Ernest Cunningham

As a founding member and senior partner with EC Ventures, Ernest Cunningham is a critical backbone of business know-how following 13 years of unparalleled success in the Telecom industry and more than 6 years of exceptional performance as a real estate investor and entrepreneur.

Ernest began his distinguished career earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a Management Minor from The Texas A&M University in 1994.

His ambition for success was quickly recognized by his first Telecom employer, Westel Communications, when in 1996 he distinguished himself as the company’s Number One sales producer in the country, beginning an extensive string of superior sales performance. He immediately followed in 1997 nabbing once again the designation as Number One producer at Westel and continued to distinguish himself with the same top honor while working for Logix Communications in 1998 and then for Broadwing/Level 3 Communications in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

During his 13-year tenure as a Top Sales Leader, Ernest skillfully managed sales teams in Major, National, and Global accounts, negotiating multi-million dollar contracts with Board of Directors, CEO’s, CFO’s and CIO’s at Fortune 500 companies. Time and again, his employers relied on Ernest for Top Line revenue growth, account retention and bottom line SG&A expense control.

Ernest’s impressive Telecom sales and leadership resume are rivaled only by his achievements as a real estate investor and entrepreneur. He began investing in residential real estate in 2001, purchasing nine single-family rental properties in his first year alone. He remained focused on one investment strategy—securing distressed assets for rehab and repositioning them on the market. Coupled with a keen awareness for where the next HOT market will be, Ernest aggressively climbed to the top of yet another lucrative business market—real estate investing. He currently maintains personal residential holdings in excess of $2.5 million dollars, including 18 single-family homes.

Ernest has masterfully blended years of acquired business savvy from the telecom industry with focused real estate investment strategies. With more than 50 individual real estate transactions to his personal credit involving more than $10 million dollars, he perpetuates a remarkable combination of business and real estate expertise for the continuing success of the EC Ventures team today and well into tomorrow.

Todd Ernst

Having served his country dutifully for more than 14 years on active military service, Todd Ernst brings a unique element as a founding member and managing partner to the EC Ventures team.

He began his standout military career in 1993 receiving a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a German minor from the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated with military honors and was further distinguished through the General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Award, recognizing him as the Academy’s Outstanding Cadet Squadron Commander.

Todd’s exceptional aviation skills have been recognized time and again. He was handpicked during his first assignment as the lead pilot on two operational firsts for the B-1 Bomber including the high-altitude release of a CBU-87 and release of the MK-62 Quickstrike mine. During his more than 2,000 hours as a T-38 instructor and evaluator pilot he has been highlighted as Instructor Pilot of the Month and Quarter on numerous occasions and was selectively chosen to stand up Air Education & Training Command’s prestigious composite formation fly-by team. His worldwide experience as a U-2 pilot have included sensitive high-altitude reconnaissance missions over Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq with more than 220 hours of combat time, earning him The Air Force’s Air Medal for his efforts in direct support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Todd’s remarkable aviation talents are matched only by his accomplishments outside the cockpit. He was selected by the Air Combat Command Inspector General team in 2006 as the leader of an “ACC IG Superior Performance Team” and has been awarded the Air Force Achievement, Commendation, and Meritorious Service Medals. Additionally, his professional military education includes multiple seminars at the Rand Graduate School in Washington D.C., Aircraft Maintenance Officer School, Squadron Officer School, and Air Command & Staff College amongst others.

In 2005 Todd was selected as one of a select few Air Force-level award winners. Receiving the Air Force Association’s Gill Rob Wilson Award for outstanding contribution in arts and letters, he joined the ranks of previous recipients such as The Wall Street Journal, Cable News Network, Tom Brokaw, Tom Clancy, and The Discovery Channel. This was a culmination of widespread critical acclaim from every senior Air Force leader, including the U.S. military’s point man General Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for Todd’s skilled efforts on the book Home with Honor-Thirty Years of Freedom.

Now a licensed realtor and one of the managing partners for EC Ventures, Todd’s exceptional military background, education, and work ethic bring a distinctive blend to a rapidly growing real estate investment company eager to command success.