Irving-based Undivided Life has bought a large minority stake in Dallas-born Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, stepping in as co-owner alongside founders Tom and Margaret Landis as the company looks beyond its current footprint. The partnership is intended to speed up national expansion while keeping the Landises in majority control, and financial terms were not disclosed. Around North Texas, Howdy Homemade is best known for employing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for pushing out pints and catering gigs across the region.
In a press release via PR Newswire, the two organizations said Undivided Life will drive strategic growth plans to boost the number of company-owned stores and expand catering. Tom Landis is quoted in the announcement saying, "We couldn't imagine a better aligned partner than Undivided Life." The release frames Undivided Life's role as operational and strategic rather than an outright takeover, with scaling employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities flagged as a core objective.
Big Growth Targets And A National Spotlight
According to Dallas Innovates, Howdy Homemade's public roadmap calls for more than 60 new company-owned locations by 2030 and a goal of creating over 1,000 jobs for adults with IDDs. The outlet also reports that the company already employs more than 100 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has landed national attention through features on The TODAY Show and ABC's World News Tonight. That visibility, paired with its inclusion-focused staffing model, is a key part of the pitch as the partners try to scale the concept.
Who Is Undivided Life?
Undivided Life is an Irving-based strategy and culture firm that provides leadership coaching, operational support, and growth services, according to the company's website. Co-founder Jeff Schiefelbein is named in the announcement as a lead on the partnership, and company materials highlight culture-building and operational scaling as central strengths. Both organizations cast the deal as a way to combine Howdy Homemade's mission-driven model with Undivided Life's playbook for growth.
Inclusion As A Business Play
The partners described the deal as an attempt to grow an inclusion-first business model that already brings in awards and corporate collaborations. The announcement points to a 2025 National Down Syndrome Congress Employer of the Year award and a royalty-free license for a Dr Pepper Chocolate Chip flavor granted by Keurig Dr Pepper Group, according to PR Newswire. Company leaders say the mix of retail points, catering, and branded partnerships gives them multiple revenue streams that can be used to support additional hiring.
What Comes Next
Executives say the immediate focus will be opening more company-owned shops, expanding catering contracts, and growing wholesale distribution, with the 2030 targets serving as a public scorecard for that push. As Dallas Innovates reported, the partners are keeping the economics of the deal and the exact timing of the first new store openings to themselves for now, beyond the broader 2030 goal. In the meantime, Howdy Homemade supporters are hearing a familiar promise: more scoops served by more Howdy Heroes.
