In another series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the standard, Amarillo-focused questions of photographer/concert promoter Bahareh Ritter, marketing advisor Cale Hawley, and workforce specialist Sabrina Meck. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe .
A conversation with Abhishek Sonkkar, general manager of the Amarillo Club, a prestigious dining club located at the top of the city's tallest building. "Abhi" is a native of northern India who arrived in Amarillo expecting it to be a temporary stop in his hospitality career. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Abhi's background, why he chose to stay here, and how the Amarillo Club is moving forward despite its financial struggles earlier this year. This episode is sponsored by Bivins Pointe ....
A conversation with Beth Duke, executive director of Center City Amarillo, a nonprofit involved in the revitalization and historic preservation of downtown Amarillo. At its helm, Beth has been the driving force behind countless efforts to restore the vibrancy of this part of town, from the signage on Polk Street to the Amarillo Community Market. With host Jason Boyett, she explains why a strong core is so important to the city and how her journalism background prepared her for the job. This epis...
A conversation with Dr. Ryan Pennington, the founder and director of the Refugee Language Project (refugeelanguage.org). Pennington, a linguist by profession, moved to Amarillo after several years as a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea. Here he discovered an extraordinary refugee population—and set about trying to remove the barriers that kept these residents from success. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Pennington's culture shock, how West Texans and Somalis are alike, and why relationsh...
A conversation with Jon Mark Beilue, the recently retired columnist at the Amarillo Globe-News . Jon Mark's decades-long career in Amarillo has covered high school sports, unlikely championships, local heroes and the unique residents of the area. Just a few days after his official retirement, Jon Mark sits down with host Jason Boyett to discuss how he got into the business and why he loves telling Amarillo's stories. They also discuss the current state of journalism amid claims of "fake news."...
In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of insurance agent (and food blogger) Jason Burr, artist and shop owner Stacy Lavon, and credit card manager Jennifer Callahan. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation .
A conversation with Michael Rowley, director of the upcoming documentary feature film Hurdle . With host Jason Boyett, Michael talks about growing up in Amarillo, his background in art and theology, and how he settled upon the idea for his new film. Central to his story is how the city's creative community 10 years ago helped launch Rowley into what he's doing now. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation ....
A conversation with David Prescott, the President of Talon/LPE , a multi-state environmental services company headquartered in Amarillo. With multiple locations and Fortune 500 clients, why make Amarillo the center of Talon's operations? Host Jason Boyett asks David that question as they discuss the company's humble beginnings and the secret that makes the local workforce so valuable. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation ....
In a series of three shorter, "Eight Straight"-only conversations, host Jason Boyett asks the usual questions of entrepreneur Andrew Brandt, photographer Angelina Medina, and author/investment advisor John Early. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation .
A conversation with Manny De Los Santos, the pastor of Power Church and organizer of the Barrio Bash on July 14, an outdoor community event in the historic neighborhood east of downtown Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Manny discusses his path from entrepreneurship into pastoring, as well as his unexpected decision to stop trying to grow his church and focus instead on serving his neighborhood. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation ....
A conversation with John Hintz, an IT professional and prominent leader and activist in Amarillo's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. For years he represented the Panhandle on the board of Equality Texas . June is LGBT Pride Month, so John and host Jason Boyett discuss the local LGBT community and John's experiences—both positive and negative—living as an openly gay man in a conservative place like Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporatio...
A conversation with Stacy Sanning, a senior project manager at Golden Spread Electric Cooperative . Stacy works in a field that's typically dominated by men. For that reason, she's passionate about getting young girls interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. We discuss her arrival in Amarillo as an 8th grader, the differences between Golden Spread and Xcel Energy, and why Stacy recently has been thinking so much about helium. This episode is sponsored by the Amaril...
A conversation with Steve Kersh , the chief meteorologist at ABC7. It's a big understatement to say the weather is always on the mind of locals. Panhandle people are obsessed with it. So with this being severe weather season, host Jason Boyett sits down with Steve to discuss how he got into the business, what he does on a daily basis, and how much his job reporting the weather on TV has changed during the last few decades. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online and Xcel Energy ....
A conversation with Tony Ensor, President and General Manager of Amarillo Professional Baseball. Last week, the team's management unveiled the five finalist names (Boot Scooters, Bronc Busters, Long Haulers, Jerky and Sod Poodles) to widespread public consternation. Thousands signed a petition demanding new finalists. In this episode, he and host Jason Boyett discuss minor league naming conventions, why the team name is important, and whether the petition means anything. Jason asks him directly:...
A conversation with Matthew Garner, PhD, a scientist and entrepreneur/CEO who manages New York businesses and microbiology labs from his home base of Amarillo. Matt is also trying to build, in his words, "a microbiology company of epic proportions" to serve the ag industry in Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett discuss Matt's background and career, why he works remotely from Amarillo, and why he believes this area could become a technology haven. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online ....
A conversation with Eric Miller, the communications director for the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council . Eric is as pro-Amarillo as anyone in the city—because promoting the city is literally his job. He spends his days working with writers, travelers and other groups to promote Amarillo as a tourism destination. In other words, he's a salesman, and the product he's selling is Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett talk about how Eric ended up here in the 1990s, what he actually does, and how...
A conversation with Linda Hughes, a former Globe-News Woman of the Year and a pioneer of local children's theater. Linda was a professional ice skater who performed all over the U.S. in the 1960s before returning home to Amarillo, after which she helped launch children's theater programs at ALT and then Amarillo College. On the eve of her retirement, Linda tells host Jason Boyett about sharing the stage with Ann B. Davis ("Alice" on The Brady Bunch ), teaching two generations of local performers...
A conversation with Dyron Howell, the founder of Snack Pak 4 Kids . A Clarendon native who had been living and working in the Metroplex, Dyron returned to this area in 2010. He started feeding hungry kids almost immediately. Today SP4K serves more than 10,000 children every year. Dyron tells host Jason Boyett the mostly unknown story of how his organization began, and how Dyron managed its growth while working full-time in the pharmaceutical industry. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online and ...
A conversation with Jake McWhorter, the lead arborist for Arborlogical Inc. Jake is a long-time outdoorsman and the only International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist in the region. A university-educated tree expert, Jake grew up in Amarillo—a place with very few trees. (While outsiders lament our lack of trees, locals learn to cherish every tree.) With host Jason Boyett, Jake talks about Amarillo's "urban forest" and the optimism it takes to plant, and care for, t...
A conversation with Lanitra Barringer, the co-founder and executive director of the College Success Initiative , which grew out of an annual college bus tour for economically disadvantaged students in Amarillo. A former teacher, Lanitra talks with host Jason Boyett about reluctantly moving to Amarillo in 6th grade, about her own educational journey, and about the value of helping local students see themselves pursuing some form of education after high school. This episode is sponsored by ROI Onl...
A conversation with Stephanie Tucker, the general manager and owner of two of Amarillo's professional sports franchises. She runs the Amarillo Venom —the local indoor football team—and is launching the brand-new US Arena Soccer League as owner of FC Amarillo. Stephanie and host Jason Boyett talk about the business of sports, her failures as a track athlete and farmer, and why so many pros want to play in Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online ....
A conversation with Ray Wilson, who dropped out of high school and worked for Domino's Pizza before building a successful local IT business ( CatManDu ). And then Ray stepped away from the business. Today he owns and operates High Fidelity Records on Sixth Street. He and host Jason Boyett discuss Ray's winding path from high school dropout to CEO to selling vintage vinyl—and how he found happiness in the process. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online ....
A conversation with Amy Henderson, a commercial loan officer with Amarillo National Bank who specializes in small business. An Air Force veteran, Amy grew up in Wisconsin but moved here after her military service, deciding to raise her family in Amarillo. She and host Jason Boyett discuss the local climate for small businesses, her career at ANB, her prestigious position on Governor Abbott's Commission for Women, and why it's so hard to be a hockey mom in the Texas Panhandle. This episode is spo...
A conversation with Stevi Larson, special events coordinator at Sharing Hope Ministry . After years of addiction to heroin, Stevi found herself in the state prison system. During her incarceration, she got in touch with the Amarillo-based Sharing Hope. That connection brought Stevi to Amarillo following her release. She spent time at Patsy's Place Transitional Home, worked two jobs, beat her addiction and turned her life around. Stevi tells her story in this episode, which is sponsored by ROI On...
A conversation with Travis Tidmore, a local attorney and one of the co-owners of Yellow City Comic Con , the largest annual fandom convention in the Texas Panhandle. With host Jason Boyett, Travis shares about his unique officeless law practice, the robust local "nerd culture," and why the celebrity guests who attend Yellow City Comic Con always want to come back to Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online .
A conversation with Colin Cummings, one of the founders and co-owners of the new Six Car Pub & Brewery in downtown Amarillo. A U.S. Army veteran who lived in Oregon and Alaska before returning to his hometown, Colin is that rare combination of entrepreneur and free spirit. He is as passionate about composting and bike commuting as he is revitalizing downtown, and in the process has become one of the city's most thoughtful public advocates. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online ....
A conversation with Julio Salazar, a local college student and a "Dreamer"—a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). He works full-time, is pursuing a degree, and wants to invest his talents in this community. But Julio is one of 700,000 illegal immigrants in danger of deportation because of decisions their parents made. Julio tells their story, and his story, and explains why he loves Amarillo so much. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online .
A conversation with Patrick Miller, a local educator who became, at 25, the youngest person ever elected to the Amarillo College Board of Regents. Also a board member of the Amarillo chapter of the NAACP, Patrick joins host Jason Boyett to discuss how and why he got into local politics, his work with refugees at Whittier and Travis, and the huge role Amarillo College plays in the local economy. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online and Amarillo National Bank .
A conversation with John Petty, who left an engineering career in the 1990s to open The Bagel Place , now an extremely popular breakfast and lunch eatery. With host Jason Boyett, John talks about his dramatic career shift, how he introduced Amarillo to bagels in the first place, and how The Bagel Place actually benefited when a national bagel chain showed up. (The chain only lasted a year in Amarillo.) This episode is sponsored by ROI Online and Amarillo National Bank ....
A conversation with Alex Hunt, the director of the Center for the Study of the American West at West Texas A&M University. A student of Panhandle history, Dr. Hunt is fascinated by Amarillo's connection with the West and the American frontier. We discuss everything from ranching and local hiking trails to how Amarillo's refugee population today compares to the original pioneers in the 1800s. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online and Amarillo National Bank ....
