By the end of 1997, Ryan had helped to grow the company to 75 employees, added new offerings, and increased the number of clients outside of Texas.
[5] That same year, he was also ranked number 44 in the Glassdoor Highest Rated CEO's Employee Choice Rankings for a large company,[15] and was included in the Dallas 500 list of most powerful business leaders in Dallas by D Magazine,[16] and Irish America's Wall Street 50 list.
[18] In 2019, Ryan was selected for membership to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.[19] That same year, he was also named to the 2020 Dallas 500 List of Most Influential Business Leaders by D CEO Magazine.
[22] This annual publication profiles the most influential business, civic, and nonprofit leaders in North Texas from a wide range spectrum of industries.
[23] As of 2022, Ryan LLC has 113 locations, which includes operations in Singapore, Australia, Canada, India, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and others, with an annual revenue of over $700 million.
[28] He also purchased four city blocks in Big Spring, including the Ritz movie theatre on Main Street and an old bus depot.
[31] He was appointed to serve on the Taxpayer Advisory Group by Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Susan Combs.
[34] He was appointed to the Texas legislature commission examining state economic development efforts by Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst.
[36] Ryan has served as the chairman of the Board of Regents since 2013,[37][38] and was reappointed to the position in 2015 by Governor Greg Abbott for a term expiring in 2021.
[45][4] Ryan co-founded a political action committee supporting Rick Perry's bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
[2] He also serves as finance chairman for all three super PACs supporting Perry's bid for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination which raised nearly $17 million.
[2] In 2015, Ryan was one of 56 business leaders selected by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to provide recommendations to the Texas Legislature.
[51] In October 2017, Ryan helped to organize an event for the Kuehne Speaker Series that brought Donald Trump Jr. to the University of North Texas.
[59] In December 2017, Ryan and his wife donated $300,000 to the Museum of the American Railroad to fund a permanent model train exhibit.
[1] Ryan is an executive producer of a film about life in the West Texas oilfields in the late 1930s, The Iron Orchard.