HD, you don't just get to apply for membership. You have to be invited to apply for membership. All invitations to apply were accepted and all applications were approved.
All Guice and Wood could do was call and make Tech's case. No market size with a way too small budget was never going to be enough. If Tech's budget was $35 million there would have at least been a case to present, but even that might not have been enough.
Just need to be ready to be next up when Memphis gets the call. Getting the budget to near $30 million in the next 2-3 years is critical.