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Weekly News &
Business Resource Update
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021 |
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This week's email includes information on the barbecue cook-off that's happening 1 month from today and a special addition to this year's event. We are happy to have 2 new members to welcome. As we approach the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, we've included a guest column from our SSBI Partner, Pantex, about the deep meaning of patriotism. We celebrated one ribbon cutting last week and have two coming up within the next week. Please note one we originally scheduled for 9/14 has been canceled. We're sharing 8 more photos of our Business Excellence Award winners this week, and you can also find them on our social media accounts to like and share. If you missed last week's webinar with Jody Holland, you can watch it from the link below. Be sure to check out the additional resources section for webinars, news, and events coming up that might benefit your business. You can get information on all of this and more below.
We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and add new information and resources to our COVID Resource Page on our website that may be important to our members.
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, and 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
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We're One Month Away from the 25th Almost Annual Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off
Thursday, October 7th at the Tri-State Fairgrounds
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We are one month away from the 25th Annual Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off happening on Thursday, October 7th at the Tri-State Fairgrounds outside of the Amarillo National Center. We have around 80 teams signed up for the event to show off their grilling and smoking skills and serve up an all-you-can-eat barbecue with ice-cold beverages. In addition to the great food and drinks, we are so excited to bring back LIVE music to this event from local favorite, Insufficient Funds. One ticket gets it all. All-Inclusive Tickets for this fun event are on sale now at all Panhandle Ticket outlets including the customer service desks of area United Supermarkets/Market Street/Amigos, the Civic Center Box Office, or online at panhandletickets.com. Tickets are still just $30 in advance, and tickets at the gate will be $40 each.
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Welcome to these New 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 our Membership Director Ashley a call at 373-7800.
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Superior Home & Respite Care
Jan Cannon
PO Box 52312
Amarillo, TX 79159
This home care agency is founded by three licensed registered nurses who are passionate about providing our patients with compassionate in-home care. Our agency offers a wide range of services. We believe that in the comfort of your own home, you or a loved one will live longer, heal faster, and smile more.
Torkworx
Kathleen Collins
11401 S Coulter St
Amarillo, TX 79119
(806) 584-0800
Since 2008, Torkworx has provided torque and tension solutions to Wind, Solar, Oil & Gas, Gas & Steam industries. Credentials: ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accreditation.
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Patriotism has Deeper Meaning at Pantex Plant |
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According to Merriam-Webster, patriotism is a love for or devotion to one's country.
For those who work at the Pantex Plant, patriotism is also tied to the day-to-day mission of the work we do.
As the nation approaches Patriot Day, the memories created by the attacks on September 11, 2001, will forever be engrained in the minds and hearts of Americans, and those events forever bound the nation together in Patriotism. The memories of that day will never be forgotten, and each year the anniversary of the September 11, tragedy brings Americans together to remember the bravery of both first responders and everyday heroes.
As a lasting tribute to those first responders and everyday heroes, a memorial with a connection to the 9/11 tragedy was built right here at the Pantex Plant. That connection? A piece of steel from the World Trade Center.
This steel was incorporated as part of a permanent memorial monument to those lost on 9/11 and can be found outside of the Pantex Fire Department.
“It is extremely appropriate that we place this memorial in front of the building that houses our first responders because it serves as a symbol of our gratitude for the service they provide to this Plant,” Mark Padilla, Assistant Manager for Programs and Projects with the NNSA Production Office (NPO), said at the monument’s dedication in 2013. “It also serves as a bridge between our first responders and the first responders who gave their lives on that fateful day.”
Plans to create the monument at Pantex began in 2009 with a letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey requesting a piece of the World Trade Center for a memorial monument. Once onsite, the steel was cut onsite in Pantex’s Machine Shop.
“It is important that we can visually see something tangible and realize that what we do at Pantex is important to our freedom and the American way of life,” said Donovan Morgan, retired Pantex Fire Department battalion chief, who spearheaded the memorial initiative.
Craft Supervisor and member of the Navy Reserve John Herrera oversaw work done on the steel in the Machine Shop. “I revere the World Trade Center steel just as I would a piece of steel from the USS Arizona,” he said. “On the USS Arizona, we had military personnel from the Navy and the Marines die on board when it sank. At the World Trade Center, we had civilians die from the deliberate attack.”
“During the attack at Pearl Harbor, the sleeping giant awoke,” said Herrera. “During the attack at WTC, it united all fellow Americans, both civilians, and servicemen, as brothers and sisters. It changed the way we live and made us more aware of the existence of terrorism around the world. As I walk past the WTC memorial, I will remember the civilians that died on that day and the dark moments this nation has endured.”
In addition to the monument in front of the Pantex Fire Department, two other pieces of steel from the World Trade Center are on display at the NNSA Production Office onsite at the Pantex Plant and at the Pantex Visitor Center.
Each of these monuments and displays is a permanent reminder of the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and the patriotism of all Pantexans and the roles we play in national security.
Click here to see a video about the September 11 Memorial at Pantex.
Below are the reflections and remembrances on September 11, 2001, from some of Pantex’s first responders.
On September 11, 2001, my wife and I were on our way to the Chicago O’Hare International Airport returning home from vacation. On our way to the airport, we heard the gut-wrenching news that the Towers had been struck and that the United States was under attack. After returning home and to work as a firefighter, I noticed that the relationship between the public and their local firefighters had grown in response to the 343 brave firefighters that lost their lives while trying to save others.
— Jamie Hall, Firefighter, Pantex Fire Department
On the day that the Twin Towers fell, I was eating breakfast with my pregnant wife and baby boy. As I looked into my son's eyes, I couldn’t help but consider the many children waiting at the door for a parent who would never return. I watched as Fire, Police, and EMS freely gave their lives in service to others. On that day, we were a nation that lost its innocent but renewed its allegiance. Out of the rubble, a nation was forged, once again we became the “United” States of America.
— Joshua Brown, Captain, Pantex Fire Department
The Pantex Fire Department was completing daily readiness checks of apparatus, communication equipment, and personal protective equipment. I was in the department’s training room when a firefighter came and said an aircraft crashed into a New York skyscraper. It was a very hard and traumatic day for America. America and the world lost many precious lives that day, and continue to lose 1st responders and civilians today due to the contamination and exposures they encountered during the response and cleanup endeavor.
— Bill Ho Gland, Assistant Chief, Support, Pantex Fire Department
I think it hit the members of the firefighter brotherhood harder than most can imagine because when we watched those towers fall, we knew that there would be several firefighters killed and we felt the pain of loss personally. I have spent a lifetime caring about the well-being of people I do not know, and that was what those 343 brave souls were doing that fateful day.
— Tony Dompe, Battalion Chief, Pantex Fire Department
How easily our lives can be taken from us. I will always remember that a lot of people died that day, and I will never forget that 343 firefighters died that day.
— Steve Lasher, Firefighter/Paramedic, Pantex Fire Department
In the aftermath, people from all aspects of life, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation, reached out to support those in need with complete disregard for their own safety. It was truly a remarkable example of the spirit and devotion of all Americans.
— Jeremy Baker, Paramedic, Pantex Fire Department
What I most remember about that day is the feeling of helplessness. As a first responder, it is the hardest thing in the world not to help when help is needed. I guess we all helped in our own way by ensuring we fulfilled our firefighter responsibilities at home.
— Timothy Hunter, A Shift Battalion Chief, Pantex Fire Department
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Recent Ribbon Cutting & Ground Breaking Events
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Is your organization a new member of the Chamber? Is your business celebrating a milestone anniversary (10, 25, or 50 years) in business? Have you recently moved to a new location or undergone a major renovation? Will you be building a new location for your business? We can help you celebrate with a Ribbon Cutting or Ground Breaking event. Contact Christy Bigler at (806) 342-2004 for more information.
NEW: You can now request your free Ribbon Cutting or Ground Breaking through the event request form online here.
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Upcoming Events Within Next Two Weeks |
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
11:00am
7102 Imperial Trail
More Information: Kristen, 290-7724
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
11:00am
2623 Paramount Blvd., Unit 5
More Information: Jasmine, 316-7136
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Meet the Winners -- Business Excellence Awards |
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The Annual Banquet and Business Excellence Awards that was originally scheduled for Thursday, August 26th at the Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Ballroom has been postponed until Thursday, December 9th, and will be moved to the Civic Center Grand Plaza. We apologize for any inconvenience.
We are featuring each of our winners over the coming weeks on our Facebook page and Instagram platform. Check out the winners we featured this past week and stay tuned to our social media for more winners soon. Click on an image to read more about these winners. |
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Stay tuned for more winners coming next week. If you know a young professional or outstanding business that should be recognized with an award, you can nominate someone for a 2022 Business Excellence Award anytime between now and next May 2022 through the webpage. |
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In Case You Missed It -- Check Out Last Week's Webinar Video |
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If you missed last week's webinar on the top 3 challenges businesses face in the coming year, you can view the hour-long video on our Facebook page. Topics covered include:
- How do you tell the story of your business? Your story is the emotional appeal that gets to the heart of employees, potential employees, and customers.
- How do you build your presence? Once your story is in place, building a presence through strategic marketing initiatives creates a flow of people wanting to learn more about your company.
- How do you create certainty in the midst of chaos? The manner in which we lead and manage our people will determine their emotional state. That state determines their working style, drive, and stability moving forward.
When you conquer these 3 challenges, you prepare yourself for a year of victories instead of a year of reactivities.
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Additional Business Resources & Opportunities |
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BRICKLY NEWSLETTER FROM BRICK & ELM MAGAZINE | September 7, 2021
This week's newsletter includes information on:
- Rezoning the North Heights
- Local Focus
- City of Amarillo seeing input on use of government funds
- WTAMU announces record-setting fundraising year
- AC unveils Career Accelerator
- Chip Chandler's "Can't Miss"
- Eye on Amarillo
- Range Writer: An Interview with Taylor Moore
- and more
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2021 FALL CAREER EXPO | October 14, 2021
Employers, if you’re looking for energetic, qualified, and talented, candidates to help take your business to the next level, the place to be is the 2021 Fall Career EXPO, Thursday, October 14, from 10am to 2pm, in the First United Bank Center on the campus of West Texas A&M University. You will have the opportunity to recruit students, graduates, and soon-to-be graduates with that highly sought-after West Texas work ethic, so many employers have already enjoyed by recruiting at WT!
Many students attending this event will be eager to apply for your upcoming fall, spring, and summer internships. Internships are a great way for you to “test drive” an employee, or “grow your own” employee before you spend your valuable time and money on training.
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The Early Registration fee is only $150, until September 16, 2021. Then, the Registration fee is $200 until the final deadline of September 30.
This event is hosted by the Office of Career and Professional Development at West Texas A&M University. To register for this event, just go to your account in the Handshake database. There is no cost to have an account in Handshake. If you don’t have an account in Handshake, simply go to the link at joinhandshake.com. If you have any issues or questions, call the easiest phone number in the Texas Panhandle – 806 - 65 -1-2-3-4-5. See you at the 2021 Fall Career EXPO!! Questions? Email Karl. |
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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.
If you have questions about using the calendar, or what kinds of events are allowed, contact Denise at 373-7800. |
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Attention Members Who Joined Through Our Member Mania Membership Event June 22-24 |
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If you are a new member who signed up during our Member Mania event June 22-24, we need you to update your Membership Listing so that your listing appears properly in our online and printed directories. You can request your login credentials to update your listing on your own by emailing Denise@amarillo-chamber.org, or we can update your listing for you with the following information:
- business name
- business address
- primary contact person's name
- billing address if different
- phone number
- website address
- social media links
- email address (this is for our use only and will not be printed or shared)
- business category type (you can choose up to 3 categories to be listed in)
- and 25-word description about your business
As soon as we get a more complete list of new members, we will share that list in this email in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience as we work to get our more than 500 new members updated in our database so we can provide you with a more accurate listing.
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The Chamber is thrilled to announce and recognize our new sponsors that are stepping up to be part of the Supporting Small Business Initiative for 2021-2022. This new 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.
If you would like to know more about this program and the benefits of partnership, contact Jason Harrison at (806) 373-7800 or jason@amarillo-chamber.org. |
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Chamber Events Planned for 2021
All events are tentative and subject to change.
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10/7 - Good Times Celebration® Barbecue Cook-Off at the Tri-State Fairgrounds
10/14 - Business After Hours at Casey Carpet One
10/28 - Business Leader Panel Discussion In-Person Seminar
11/4 - Business Webinar with Jody Holland
11/4 - Business After Hours at The Nesting Place - Bushland
11/18 - Fall Mega Market
11/18 - Business After Hours at Fairfield/Four Points Downtown Amarillo
12/1 - Ag Appreciation Luncheon at the Amarillo Civic Center
12/2 - Business After Hours at Street Toyota
12/9 - Annual Banquet & Business Excellence Awards
12/16 - Business After Hours at Rt. 66 Auto Haus
If you have questions about participating in or sponsoring any events, please call the Chamber at 373-7800.
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COVID 19 Vaccine Offered Through City of Amarillo |
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The City of Amarillo Public Health Department is currently administering COVID-19 vaccines. Be sure to check the clinic hours, vaccine availability, or the Mobile Clinic location ONLINE before going. |
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Chamber Partner Cramer Marketing Offers
Advertising Options to Members
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The Chamber has had a partnership with Cramer Marketing (formerly Data Flow) for more than 15 years. Cramer is great at helping us promote our Members in our Printed Directory and our community through our Relocation Guides and City Maps. We are proud to offer these high-quality publications to our members and people looking to call Amarillo home at no cost thanks to our generous supporters and advertisers. Sold, produced, and printed locally! If you would like to showcase your business in these great publications, give us or the Cramer Marketing team a call at (806) 371-7310.
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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, Al Forys, and his team will 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 Al Forys at the contact information below.
Senior Sales Executive
CGI Communications, Inc.
(585) 576-0947
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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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President & CEO
VP of Membership & Business Development
VP of Communications & Marketing
Membership Director
Business Development Director
Database Administrator
Director of First Impressions
Communication & Marketing Assistant
Senior Consultant
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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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2020-21 Chamber Board of Directors |
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Dusty Doyle
Chair
Casey Carpet One Floor & Home
Chris Reed
Chair-Elect
Reed Beverage
John Luciano
Finance Chair
Street Volkswagen
Michelle Reichert
Past Chair
CNS Pantex
Jason Harrison
President & CEO
Amarillo Chamber of Commerce
Brandy Sanchez
Membership & Quality of Life Chair
KAMR/KCIT/KCPN-TV
Wes Wright
Business Chair
Wright Law TX, PLLC
Leon Church
Ag & Natural Resources Chair
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DIRECTORS
Tyler Andrews, Andrews & Associates / cat.man.du
Blaine Baker, Crown House Insurance
Scott Bentley, Amarillo EDC
David Bishop, Amarillo ISD
Lew Bradshaw, Pat Davis Properties
Kevin Carter, Amarillo EDC
Ryan Chandler, Northwest Texas Healthcare
Richard Constancio, Shiver-Megert & Associates
Joe Graham, Graham Brothers Jewelers
Jason Henderson, Bell
Brady Hochstein, Elevate Amarillo
Mark Hodges, FirstCapital Bank of Texas
Julie Imke, WTAMU Amarillo Center
Charles Leard, M&R Liquor
Trent Morris, Workforce Solutions Panhandle
Ed Nichols, Brown, Graham & Company, P.C.
Joseph Peterson, Edward Jones
Stephanie Price, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Aaron Sage, Sage Oil Vac
Doug Street, Affiliated Foods
Wendi Swope, Double U Marketing
Ronnie Walker, Xcel Energy
Peter Warrick, Atmos Energy
Mikel Williamson, Happy State Bank
Lance Wolff, Insurica DFB
Learn more about our Board of Directors
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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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