Every business has a beginning. Ours requires a little explanation and, depending on who’s telling it, possibly a rebuttal.
We met at Park Place Motorcars in 1996 and immediately began pranking each other. Apparently, that was our way of conducting a character assessment.
Somewhere between the mischief and making a living, we became friends. Then we went into the mortgage business together, which gave us ample opportunity to discover whether the friendship could survive business.
It did.
Over the years, our paths took different turns. Michael entered the furniture business in Houston and later moved to New York. Philip taught school and built a construction company. We stayed friends and business associates, carrying on a conversation that stretched across careers, cities, and nearly thirty years.
We kept coming back to the same question: What could we build together?
There were plenty of ideas. Some deserved another conversation. Others were best allowed to pass peacefully without a forwarding address.
The conversation continued because we had a foundation of friendship, respect, and trust. We knew each other’s strengths and had a reasonable understanding of the stubbornness involved.
Our favorite movie is Tombstone. Michael is Doc Holliday. Philip is Wyatt Earp.
We’ll leave each man to explain why he believes the casting is accurate. Neither is likely to request a different role.
On May 5, 2026, we met at a hotel in Houston. That meeting brought years of conversations about building a business together into focus. We brought our experience, our ideas, and a friendship that had already survived several versions of both of us.
The business taking shape was Ardelius, Inc.
Ardelius means:
“Driven by rare, disciplined passion, transforming emotions into purpose and intensity into creation.”
That is a considerable standard to put on a company. For us, it means following an idea through the decisions and daily work required to make it real, especially after the initial excitement gives way to problems that need solving.
Ardelius, Inc. is the company behind ChesterHaus, Grandifique, IndoAkar, Minxen, MorFurn, and Throne Source. MorFurn and Throne Source are its two DBAs.
This blog follows our story as we build Throne Source. We want to keep a record of what it takes, including the uncertainty, setbacks, long days, and occasions when laughing is the most productive thing left to do.
We have experience. We also have questions we haven’t answered yet. You’ll meet both here.
That May meeting gave a long-running conversation a place to become something tangible. Two old friends sat down in Houston to work out what they could build together.
Nearly thirty years after Park Place Motorcars, we were at another starting line. Doc and Wyatt had a business to build.
The pranks, regrettably, remained an ongoing concern.
