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Weekly News &
Business Resource Update
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This week's email includes:
- Photos from Last Week's Business After Hours at the Tri-State Fairgrounds
- Photos from Two Recent Ribbon Cuttings
- 4 New Members to Welcome
- A Spotlight on 9 of our Business Award Winners
- A Look at the Chamber's Governmental Affairs Council
- More Upcoming Ribbon Cuttings, Ground Breakings, Council Meetings & Events Happening Soon
- SSBI Partner Content Article "Building Pantex City: A Village is Born"
- A Reminder for Last Year's Barbecue Teams to Sign Up Now
- CGI Digital Offers Video Content to Chamber Members
- Text Message Reminders about Networking Events
- Advertising Opportunities in the Chamber's City Map Now Available through Cramer Marketing
- Additional Business Resources & Opportunities Including:
- Amarillo Matters eNewsletter | August 14
- Brickly eNewsletter | August 15
- Workforce Solutions Panhandle Fall Job Fair | October 10
- Chamber Job Bank -- List Your Job Openings For Free
- Online Community Calendar - Promote Your Events
- A List of Chamber Events Happening in 2023 & 2024
- and More
On behalf of our staff, Board of Directors, and the Amarillo business community, we want to thank you for your continued support of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to serving you now and in the future. Please let us know what we can do to help your business.
Penni F. Bentley
VP of Communications & Marketing
Amarillo Chamber of Commerce
1000 S Polk
Amarillo, TX 79101
806.373.7800
806.342.2005 direct
806.674.7334 cell
penni@amarillo-chamber.org
www.amarillo-chamber.org
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Thanks to the Tri-State Fairgrounds for Hosting Last Week's Business After Hours | |
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Click here or on an image above to view, print or download more photos from our online Flickr album.
"Business After Hours" are FREE business networking events for current and future members of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and include free food, drinks, door prizes, and lots of networking. Click here to learn more about After Hours FREE networking events, and watch for more information coming soon on our next After Hours event at Casey Carpet One on Thursday, September 7th.
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Click here or the image above to view or share this photo on Facebook,
or click here to watch the ribbon cutting video.
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Click here or the image above to view or share this photo on Facebook,
or click here to watch the ribbon cutting video.
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Welcome to these New Chamber Members | |
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If you know of a business that is not a member of the Chamber, we always appreciate referrals. For more information on joining the Chamber and the costs and benefits, click here, or give us a call at (806) 373-7800.
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Hope Springs Water
Amanda Bennett
PO Box 1567
Athens, TX 75751
(903) 292-1781
www.HopeSpringsWater.org
Non-Profit bringing clean water, sanitation, health and hygiene education to South America and Africa.
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McDonald's (58th & Georgia)
Stephanie Khayat
2694 SW 58th St.
Amarillo, TX 79110
(806) 576-6644
http://www.mctexas.com/amarillo
Risk Services- Leavitt
Colton Collen
6905 Kingsbury Dr
Amarillo, TX 79109
(806) 335-6600
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colton-collen-985038139/
Commercial insurance.
RockOne Realty LLC
Sandi Eudey
14422 FM 2590
Amarillo, TX 79119
(806) 599-9900
www.RockOneRealty.com
Real Estate Brokerage.
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Meet Our 2023 Business Excellence Award Winners | |
In the coming weeks we will be giving social media shout-outs to our 2023 Business Excellence Award winners including our Top 20 Under 40 Young Professionals, our Top Businesses, and our Top Emerging Businesses. Be sure and like, comment and share these awesome people and businesses on social media to spread the word about these special award winners. Below are more of the ones we have recognized so far. | |
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Justin Shepherd
Shepherd Concrete, WTX Foundation Repair & Shepherd Earthworks
Top 20 Under 40 Award Winner
Click here to learn more about Justin in this short video.
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Business Excellence Award winners were selected from the more than 80 public nominations by a secret committee of the Chamber's Business Council. To learn more about these awards or to nominate a young professional or a business for our 2024 awards, click here.
Thank you to Graham Brothers Jewelers for sponsoring the beautiful awards for our winners, and additional thanks go out to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for sending all our winners a signed Certificate of Commendation.
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The Chamber's Governmental Affairs Council | |
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The Chamber's Governmental Affairs Council recently had their monthly lunch meeting at the Chamber offices to discuss the bills they are working on in Austin during this year's legislative session. The Governmental Affairs Council researches and identifies national and state legislative issues affecting businesses in Amarillo and the surrounding area. The council has final approval of legislative issues presented to them for inclusion in the concerns presented to the Texas Legislature during each session. The council prepares resolutions and position papers regarding national and state issues that are presented to the Chamber Board of Directors for approval. The council strives to increase community awareness of national and state legislative issues through special programs and projects.
2022-23 Governmental Affairs Council Members
Ed Nichols, Chair
Tamme Aureli
Bob Austin
Jay Barrett
David Bishop
Greg Burgess
Michael Conner
Al Cunningham
Lezlie Davis
Sean Doherty
Trystan Franks
Andrew Freeman
Kevin Friemel
Michael Gonzales
Bobbi Hanson
David Hemphill
Jason Herrick
Duffy Hinkle
Mark Hodges
Jessica Mitchell
Cameron Monroe
Kristi Morrow
Doug Nelson
Jennifer Nickell
Mig Owens
Shannon Parker
Gary Purser
Megan Reed
Joel Riedel
Ed Romero
Brice Sheets
Matt Sherwood
Kashion Smith
Judy Stark
Doug Street
Bruce Tarletsky
Blake Vineyard
Debbie Walker
Ronnie Walker
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Chamber Events Coming Up Soon | |
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
Chamber Event: Business Excellence Awards Celebration & Reception**
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center
This is a private event by invitation only to honor and celebrate our award winners.
More Information: Mary, (806) 342-2009
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31
Club Meeting: Round-Up Luncheon**
11:45am
Crush - 627 S Polk
More Information: Sydney, (806) 342-2019
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See more upcoming ribbon cutting & ground breaking events on our Week's Sneak Peek page or on our online calendar. If you would like more information on scheduling an event like this for your business, complete the online Ribbon Cutting Request Form.
* NOTE: We will help promote Ribbon Cutting or Ground Breaking events held outside of our normal business hours, however, we cannot guarantee the Chamber Staff or RoundUp Club members will be in attendance.
**Meeting requires RSVP and is open to council/committee members only and is closed to the public. If you would like more information on the meeting or open council/committee seats, please contact the staff member listed.
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Building Pantex City: A Village is Born | Engineer Ed Groman surveys the northwest boundary corner of the Pantex Housing Project in 1943. | |
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“It takes a village.”
That phrase, echoing a proverb about the emphasis on family and community in raising children, also applies to a time about 70 years ago in the heart of the Texas Panhandle.
In 1943, housing was at a premium in the Amarillo area, and with the war effort and production at Pantex already in full swing, along with a growing workforce, the need for new homes was obvious.
The National Housing Administration (now, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD) approved 175 new homes for Pantex employees with three or more family members, but even that was not enough. So, an additional 360 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments were built.
It was all part of what was then called “Pantex City,” located just north of U.S. Highway 60 and Farm-to-Market Road 683. Along with apartments and homes, the village included plans for a shopping center with a grocery store, meat market, fire station, drug store, barber shop, beauty parlor, shoe repair, and a tailor shop. There was also talk of a possible grade school with plans to bus students back to town for high school.
Thanks to pre-fabricated, mass-production methods, construction was slated for completion in April 1943. Dwellings went up like Tinker Toys with each unit comprised of four to eight apartments. An additional 400 pre-fab homes were added, bringing the population of the Pantex Village up to a few thousand. The village grew to 69 residence buildings, a community center, and a store, supporting the approximately 5,325 Pantex employees working three shifts at the height of World War II.
Before the war’s end, the village was fairly isolated, functioning as a self-sufficient community. It was 10 miles from the town of Panhandle and accessed only through a perimeter gate, which was locked each evening. There were recreational facilities, especially for the younger set; including basketball and tennis courts along with a teen club for dances.
As a village, there was also a small newspaper called the “Pantex Breeze.” There were no real village officials, as the place was run like a housing project; there was a manager but no one was ever elected as an official to preside over the village. To some outsiders, the village was known as the low-income “Cardboard Village” due to the pre-fab materials and walls so thin you could hear neighbors talking.
In 1949, the plant and village were acquired by Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University), and by the end of that year, the village was turned over to Carson County. It was still going strong in the early 1950s with apartments ranging from $33 to $42 per month and all utilities paid. After years of rotating chaplains, the Baptist church and Church of Christ moved into permanent buildings within the village early 1950s.
In an article published in the Texas Observer magazine called “Letter from the Panhandle,” noted cowboy poet, author, and former village resident Buck Ramsey reminisced about his time at Pantex.
“On the western edge, the government constructed a village; symmetrical rows of buildings so uniform there was a nightly problem of entering the wrong apartment by mistake. The war industry, with its promise of regular paychecks and dwellings with gas heaters and indoor plumbing, lured many families from the hardscrabble countryside. Mine was among them.”
But all good things come to an end, and in 1968, Pantex Village closed due to the Amarillo Air Base being shut down the previous year and the resulting large number of vacancies caused by improved economic opportunities elsewhere.
Ads were placed throughout the Panhandle announcing that the village buildings were all to be sold at auction. Some of the smaller buildings ended up being sold and are reportedly still being used in the town of Panhandle for storage.
However, the most surprising outcome of the auction can still be found on the east side of Amarillo, on Interstate 40 at one of the city’s most heavily advertised and well-visited tourist destinations. The Big Texan Steak Ranch, famous for its “free 72-ounce steak, if eaten within an hour,” has a surprising Pantex connection.
Owner Bob Lee purchased and dismantled five barracks picked up at the auction and used the lumber to build his restaurant in 1960. Reportedly, most of that wood was lost in a fire in 1976, but the restaurant was rebuilt with the help of 100 of his employees pitching in to help out.
Just like a time more than 30 years earlier… it took a village.
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Site of the Pantex Village | |
Construction of the pre-fab housing units at the Pantex Village | | |
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Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.
For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
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SSBI Partner Content: Click here to view this article on their website, or click here to email a Pantex representative directly. | |
Barbecue Cook-Off is Thursday, October 5th -- Reserving Space for Last Year's Teams Now | |
If your business had a cooking team or food space at last year's Chamber Barbecue Cook-Off, you should have received a text message reminder and a link to sign-up to secure your space for this year's event. Please make sure that you have confirmed your space before we open it up to new teams in the coming few weeks, or your spot could be filled by someone else. If you have questions about this event or would like to be on the waiting list when we open up space to new participants, email Lindsey at lindsey@amarillo-chamber.org or call (806) 342-2006. Watch our website for more information coming soon and the link to sign up new teams. | |
CGI Digital Offers Video Content to Chamber Members | |
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The Chamber is proud to continue our more than nine-year partnership with CGI Digital to offer video content to be featured on the Chamber's website to our members. CGI created a series of events for the Chamber to promote Amarillo as a great place to live, learn, work, and play to feature great parts of our community to visitors and those who may be considering relocating to the area. CGI representatives may reach out to you as a Chamber member to offer their products and services to you to be included in this program and to gain more exposure through our website. If you are considering video content for your business, we hope you schedule an appointment with a representative to learn more about the program and see if it is a good fit for your business.
For information on our partnership with CGI Communications for our Community Video Program, watch our 1-minute Press Release video from Chamber VP of Communications & Marketing, Penni Bentley. Learn more about our third-party advertising partners on our website.
View our Community Video Tour here to watch the Chamber's videos and see list of current video partners. We are thankful to these companies who have already partnered with CGI Digital and the Chamber:
- Amarillo Dental Associates
- Connie Taylor Group / Keller Williams
- Education Credit Union
- Furman Land Surveyors, Inc.
- GDI - Geospatial Data, Inc.
- Gaut-Whittenburg-Emerson
- Grizzle Heating & Air
- Happy State Bank
- Highland Park ISD
- Price Roofing Co.
- San Jacinto Christian Academy
- Triangle Realty
- West Texas A&M University
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Special thanks go out to local videographer, Lindsay Gomez with 41 Productions, for shooting most of the video content in the Chamber's Videos. We are also thrilled to have local chiropractor and voice-over actor, Dr. Jeff Williams of Creek Stone Integrated Medical narrating the Chamber's main videos in the program. You can check out more of his Voice-Over work here. | | |
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Do you love networking at our After Hours Events but sometimes forget they are happening? Opt in to our text message reminders by texting the word CHAMBEREVENTS (without a space) to 40691. We send reminders of the date, time and location 2-3 hours before the event starts. It's free, but standard text message rates apply if you don't have unlimited texting. We also send out registration reminders about bigger events coming up through this special keyword. It's a great way to stay in the loop.
Please note, if you would like to opt in for reminders about ribbon cutting events, text the word REDCOAT to the same number. Note, ribbon cuttings are open to the public, but in order to be considered to serve on our Roundup Club as a Redcoat Representative, you must apply online.
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Cramer Marketing Producing the Chamber's
City Map -- Advertising Space Now Available
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We are once again excited to partner with Cramer Marketing on the companion piece to our printed membership directory and relocation guides...the official City Map. Cramer Marketing offers paid advertisements in this helpful resource on behalf of the Chamber for you to promote your business. City maps are mailed to those requesting relocation information from our office, but as a member, you will be able to pick up free copies to distribute to your customers, employees, or use for your own recruitment purposes in the near future. If you would like more information on promoting your business with an ad, contact Mitch Khoury at (806) 371-7310.
For more information on other advertising opportunities available through the Chamber or one of our approved partners, click here or contact Penni Bentley at (806) 342-2005.
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Sponsored Content. Click here or the ad above for more information.
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Additional Business Resources & Opportunities | | |
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MAIN POINT MONDAY FROM AMARILLO MATTERS | August 14
This week's newsletter includes information on:
- Extra, Extra: Read All About It
- The Lead: Honoring Local Heroes
- State News
- Local News
- Out and About
- and more
Click here to read the entire update.
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BRICKLY NEWSLETTER FROM BRICK & ELM MAGAZINE | August 15
This week's newsletter includes information on:
- Sleepy Hollow School Principal Dies
- Local Focus
- Canyon One of Texas’ Safest Cities
- Disaster Loan Application Deadline
- Barrio Monument Fundraising
- Local Earthquake
- Chip Chandler’s “Can’t Miss”
- Eye on Amarillo
- Grab a Chip and Let’s Dip
- and more
Click here to read the entire update.
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October 10, 2023 10 AM - 2 PM
Booth Price if paid on or before 9/30/23 - $100
Booth Price if paid on or after 10/1/23 - $125
Lunch will be catered, the cost for each boxed lunch is $10.00.
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WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS PANHANDLE FALL JOB FAIR | October 10
The Amarillo Job Fair continues the tradition of providing large-scale recruitment opportunities to the business community of Amarillo and the surrounding areas. At the last job fair, more than 100 businesses participated offering job opportunities ranging from entry-level positions to professional careers. With an average job seeker attendance rate of 1,200, employers are able to make contact with dozens of candidates in a single afternoon. This is the perfect opportunity for your business to fill vacant or new positions and showcase your business to the community.
Booths will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to allow a convenient time for prospective employees to interview with your company. Booth setup will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the event. We encourage you to share information about your company, take applications, and recruit future employees. This event will be publicized through community mail-outs and local media.
Click here to learn more about this event sign up your business to meet potential employees at the Fall Job Fair.
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CHAMBER JOB BANK -- LIST YOUR JOB OPENINGS FOR FREE
Is your company hiring? Did you know you can put job openings in our online Job Bank for FREE?
Check out our website and click the buttons for "Job Seeker" or "Employer" and you can either view job openings or post your own with an online form.
Have questions, contact Denise at (806) 373-7800.
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ONLINE COMMUNITY CALENDAR - PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS
Are you holding a fundraising event, open house, or other special events you want to share with the public? You can add events to our Online Community Calendar for FREE. Click here to complete the online form and submit it to the Chamber. Your event will not be visible until our staff approves the event, typically within 1-2 business days.
Please do not use this form to request or schedule a ribbon cutting or ground breaking event.
If you have questions about using the calendar, or what kinds of events are allowed, contact Denise at 806-373-7800.
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Chamber Events Planned for 2023 & 2024
All events are tentative and subject to change.
Watch the online calendar for more details and updates.
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8/24/23 - Business Excellence Awards Celebration
9/7/23 - Business After Hours at Casey Carpet One
9/21/23 - Business After Hours at FirstBank Southwest Downtown Tower
10/5/23 - 27th Annual Chamber Barbecue Cook-Off
10/19/23 - Business After Hours at Rockwood Furniture
11/9/23 - Business After Hours at TownePlace Suites (Hosted by RAM Hotels)
12/7/23 - Business After Hours at Street Volkswagen
1/11/24 - Bomb City Distillery
1/25/24 - Street Toyota
2/22/24 - Amarillo Botanical Gardens
3/21/24 - WTAMU Amarillo Center / NWTHS / Scarborough Specialties
4/11/24 - Happy State Bank
5/2/24 - Window on a Wider World
6/6/24 - Adobe Walls Stoneworks
7/11/24 - KT Black
8/8/24 - Tri-State Exposition / Fairgrounds
9/5/24 - Casey Carpet One
9/19/24 - FirstBank Southwest
10/17/24 - Reed Beverage
11/7/24 - TBD
12/5/24 - Street Volkswagen
If you have questions about participating in or sponsoring any events, please call the Chamber at (806) 373-7800 or email chamber@amarillo-chamber.org.
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Thank You 2023 Supporting Small Business Initiative Partners | |
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The Chamber is thrilled to recognize our sponsors that stepped up to be part of the Supporting Small Business Initiative for 2022-2023. This program is designed to support the Chamber's efforts to serve our small business community better by offering programs, seminars, virtual events, and more for little to no cost to our members throughout the year.
Please join us in thanking these generous underwriting partners that are serving the Chamber, our members, and the entire business community with their support. DIAMOND PARTNERS: Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, Amarillo National Bank, Atmos Energy, Happy State Bank, Northwest Texas Healthcare System, CNS Pantex, Reed Beverage, and Xcel Energy. RUBY PARTNERS: Amarillo College, Adobe Walls Stoneworks, Bank of America, Casey Carpet One, Prosperity Bank, Southwest Airlines, Street Volkswagen, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and TEEMS Manufacturing. SAPPHIRE PARTNERS: Andrews & Associates, AT&T, Avant Garden, AW Broadband, BSA Health System, Carson Wealth Management, Edward Jones, FirstBank Southwest, Insurica, and KT Black.
If you would like to know more about this program and the benefits of partnership, contact Jason Harrison or Ashley Gutierrez at (806) 373-7800.
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Chamber Partner CGI Communications Offers
Advertising Options to Members
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CGI Communications has been a partner of the Amarillo Chamber for a number of years. CGI handles several advertising products offered to our members including website banner ads, community videos, ReviewTube reviews, and now has a new Magellan tool for voice-activated website searching for text and videos.
Our representative and the team associate may be reaching out to some of our members to offer more information about these tools that may be beneficial for your business.
Should you want more information on any of their products, reach out to Rich Yohonn at the contact information below.
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We try to alert you anytime a third party may contact you so that you know they are a trusted and legitimate partner of the Amarillo Chamber. You may see our complete list of advertising options and partners on the Advertising Opportunities page of our website. We encourage you to always check this site or contact Penni Bentley at (806) 373-7800 to verify our official program partners before giving out personal or financial information.
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See our Staff Directory with photos, direct phone numbers and more on our Contact Us page of the website.
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2022-23 Chamber Board of Directors | |
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
John Luciano
Chair
Street Volkswagen
Spanky Assiter
Chair-Elect
Assiter Auctioneers
Richard Constancio
Finance Chair
Shiver-Megert & Associates
Chris Reed
Past Chair
Reed Beverage
Jason Harrison
President & CEO
Amarillo Chamber of Commerce
Wes Wright
Business Chair
Wright Law TX, PLLC
Julie Imke
Membership & Quality of Life Chair
Harrington Academic Hall
WTAMU Amarillo Center
Ed Nichols
Governmental Affairs Council Chair
Brown Graham & Company, P.C.
Brice Sheets
Ag & Natural Resources Chair
Alpha Media
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DIRECTORS
Tyler Andrews, Andrews & Assoc. / cat.man.du
Blaine Baker, Crown House Insurance
Brad Baldridge, Xcel Energy
Kevin Carter, Amarillo EDC
Sonja Clark, Bell
Tony Ensor, Amarillo Sod Poodles
Skylar Gallop, Elevate Amarillo President
Michael Gonzales, Atmos Energy
Andrew Hall, Amarillo EDC
Mark Hodges, Prosperity Bank
Jody Holland, Jody Holland Training & Speaking
Matt Irwin, Insurica DFB
Karen Isern, Amarillo National Bank
Wade King, AgTexas Farm Credit
Charles Leard, M&R Liquor
Brent McClure, KFDA NewsChannel 10
Jared Miller, Amarillo City Representative
Joby Mills, Happy State Bank
Trent Morris, Workforce Solutions Panhandle
Lindsey Murphy, Education Credit Union
Joseph Peterson, Edward Jones
Brady Ragland, Tri-State Expo
Chris Rhynehart, Rhynehart Roofing
Doug Street, Affiliated Foods
Wendi Swope, Double U Marketing
Sean Wright, GVH Distribution
Ryan Zimmer, A-1 Rocket Industries
Learn more about our Board of Directors
on our website.
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The Chamber cannot guarantee your success or your profitability,
but it can guarantee the right business climate for you to succeed.
– Author Unknown
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