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Weekly News &
Business Resource Update
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Tuesday, September 14, 2021 |
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This week's email includes information on a special performance happening at the Barbecue Cook-Off on October 7th and how you might win a couple of tickets. You'll also find 3 new members to welcome and a special guest column from SSBI Partner Bank of America on "4 Trends for Successful Digital Transformation." Check out the photos and videos for two ribbons we cut recently, and see who has ribbon cutting events coming up in the next couple of weeks. 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. The Federal Reserve Banks are looking for input for their Small Business Credit Survey, and Workforce Solutions Panhandle has a Job Fair coming up soon. Find 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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Live Music Returns for the 25th Almost Annual Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off
Thursday, October 7th at the Tri-State Fairgrounds
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🚨TICKET ALERT🚨
Who wants to win some tickets to the Chamber Barbecue Cook-Off coming up on Thursday, October 7th? We are thrilled to bring this event to a new location this year at the Tri-State Fairgrounds, PLUS, we are bringing back LIVE MUSIC from Insufficient Funds of Amarillo. You’ll get to eat lots of great barbecue, drink some ice-cold beverages, network with friends and enjoy some great tunes with your all-inclusive ticket.
We are giving ONE lucky winner the chance to go to the event for FREE and bring a friend!!⬇🎉
Click here, or the band's photo, to be taken to our Facebook page contest and follow the directions for a chance to win 2 tickets. Enter before 5pm this Wednesday and watch our Facebook page for more chances to win in the next couple of weeks.
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Even if you don't win tickets, don't forget to pick up tickets in advance and save $10 over the gate price. Tickets make great gifts for your employees, customers, or VIP clients. 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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High Ground Homes
Shane Killham
14310 Soncy
Amarillo, TX 79119
(806) 676-7508
High Ground Homes is a custom home building business. We offer a trade in program that will pay you up to 90% of your appraised value and you can stay in your home while your dream home is being built. We are owned and operated by local Amarillo natives and will provide you the experience you will enjoy.
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Pay Studio, LLC
Shawn Nelson
704 SW 9th Ave
Amarillo, TX 79101
(806) 372-9016
Pay Studio, LLC provides full-service payroll to businesses of all types and sizes.
Texas Green Bonnet
Samantha Griego
702 SW 10th Ave.
Amarillo, TX 79101
(806) 223-6239
Texas Green Bonnet is an educated CBD/Delta8 dispensary smoke shop.
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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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Four Trends for Successful Digital Transformation
W. Ashley Allen, President, Bank of America in Amarillo
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Technological innovation is integrated throughout the daily operations of companies across industries, even in traditionally rural sectors like livestock and agriculture. According to a recent Accenture report, “future-ready” organizations – those that are resilient enough to survive a disruption – are twice as efficient and three times as profitable as their peers.
These companies have doubled down on their digital transformation. In fact, the global pandemic prompted entire industries to rethink their strategies and implement digital innovations to stay connected with customers, employees, and facilities.
While the future is bright, it can also be blinding. With so much innovation moving so fast, businesses must see clearly enough to create their own digital roadmaps. Regardless of a firm’s industry or stage in its journey, knowing where to focus is the first step toward building a resilient future. We have identified four “megatrends” from a recent Bank of America report that will help companies navigate their digital transformation:
#1 - Moving to the Cloud
AI, automation, and the cloud are more than technological trends, they are key forces to organizations looking to adapt to digital transformation. Cloud computing also makes the Internet of Things (IoT) possible, which is quickly becoming the Internet of Every Thing. A Juniper Research study found that the number of global industrial IoT connections will more than double to 36.8 billion in 2025, primarily because 5G connections and cloud computing will make real-time data transmissions made possible.
Cloud computing allows companies to successfully utilize other technologies, including AI and analytics. Cloud adoption is already making the world more efficient: telepresence robots, controlled by a computer or smartphone, are restocking shelves and sanitizing hospital rooms and helping with meetings through video capabilities, and using laser pointers. The cloud also helps control Internet of Behaviors (IoB) to monitor events, data, and people through facial recognition, location tracking, and big data to change experiences.
The cloud is not just a game-changer in how business gets done, but also a catalyst for new innovation. Mid-sized companies should consider a cloud readiness assessment to determine when and how best to adopt cloud computing by making a list of common tasks that could be improved with greater automation or faster connectivity.
#2 - Reinventing Marketing
Successful businesses value and nurture their customer relationships, especially in a post-pandemic world where people are reevaluating and redefining their interactions. Forrester notes that more marketers are realizing the mistake of separating customer acquisition from customer retention. Merging them is not only critical but in some cases requires reinventing the entire marketing function.
The focus on customers should be front and center, and data is the key. We can expect to see an increase toward more retention-based marketing—by as much as 30%, according to Forrester—and a move beyond purchase frequency rewards programs to true “loyalty” programs that foster stronger ongoing engagement.
Companies should review their marketing mix and determine if customer acquisition and retention are aligned. They can explore how to offer more meaningful incentives and engage with customers beyond transactional moments.
#3 - Collaborating to Make it Work
Whether large or small, companies should encourage their teams to drive innovation through collaboration. Business leaders can get caught up in concepts that seem innovative but have no real ties to their priorities. The goal of collaboration should be to solve challenges and create real value.
Companies can create impactful collaboration by aligning internal resources like IT and information security to integrate solutions or evaluate new technology to save time and money. The focus should be on solving for needs.
#4 - Looking Beyond Your Organization
External partnerships are just as crucial as internal ones, especially during periods of long-term transformation, intense change, or crisis.
Digital transformation is a marathon, not a sprint—as such, these initiatives require input from all relevant sources. McKinsey and company offered this advice: Look beyond the boundaries of your own company across enterprises to include your channel partners, vendors, and suppliers. Chances are they are willing to collaborate and share data and learnings to help ensure everyone thrives.
Business owners should determine if they have the right mix of external providers. It is important to manage the costs and benefits of moving your data and avoid getting locked into a long-term contract.
Ultimately, whether it’s the cloud or AI, customer data or collaboration, digital transformation must be grounded in serving customers while reducing risk. New technology is exciting, but there will always be new technology—what matters is choosing the right technology to stay competitive and make the digital experience seamless for customers and employees alike.
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© 2021 Bank of America Corporation
SSBI Partner Content. Click here to email a Bank of America representative directly or click here to visit their website.
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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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SSBI Partner Content. Click here to email an Insurica representative directly or click here or their ad to visit their site.
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Upcoming Events Within Next Two Weeks |
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
1:00pm
8200 Crestline Drive
More Information: April, 677-2600
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
2:00pm
1000 S Polk (Chamber of Commerce Steps)
More Information: Trinity, 584-0253
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
4:00pm
11570 I-27 (Sundown Exit)
More Information: Stephanie, 358-8778
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
10:00am
14310 Soncy
More Information: Evan, (512) 589-1061
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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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Small businesses are critical to the US economy. But data on small businesses is limited—especially data on how and why small businesses seek financing.
Through the annual Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS), the Federal Reserve Banks capture one-of-a-kind data on small businesses. The Fed is apolitical, independent, and decentralized, which puts it in a unique position to collect, analyze, and distribute this data.
By taking the survey, small-business owners contribute to data that directly informs the Fed, federal government agencies, service providers, and others—ultimately benefitting their business and other businesses like theirs.
The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and is open to for-profit businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Responses are confidential, and small-business owners do not need to provide any personal information. Take the survey today—it closes on Friday, November 19. CLICK HERE to take the short survey.
Click here to email the Federal Reserve for questions.
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Additional Business Resources & Opportunities |
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WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS PANHANDLE JOB FAIR | October 5, 2021
Register TODAY for the 2021 Fall Amarillo Job Fair
EVENT DETAILS:
- Location: Amarillo Civic Center’s North Exhibit Hall, located at 401 S Buchanan
- Date: Tuesday, October 5th, 2021
- Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Booth Setup: Day of the event beginning at 8:30am
- Attendees: Over 1,500 job seekers attended the last in-person job fair
- Each employer typically sends 2 participants, but you are welcome to send more
- Register at https://wspanhandle.com/amarillo-job-fair-employer/
COST:
- Booth Price before October 1, 2021 – $100
- Booth Price on or after October 1, 2021 – $125
- Lunch will be catered by Jason’s Deli. The cost for each boxed lunch is $12.00.
PROVIDED:
- 8-foot table & chairs
- Breakfast snacks & coffee
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MAIN POINT MONDAY FROM AMARILLO MATTERS | September 13, 2021
This week's newsletter contains information on:
- The Lead: Keeping Amarillo Strong in Defense
- State News
- Local News
- What We're Listening To
- Out & About
- and more
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BRICKLY NEWSLETTER FROM BRICK & ELM MAGAZINE | September 14, 2021
This week's newsletter includes information on:
- Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm Opens this Week
- Local Focus
- National Clean-Up Day this Saturday
- Amarillo's Cost of Living is 20% Lower than the National Average
- Will 2021 also Bring a Flu Outbreak
- Police Chief Addresses Violent Crime
- Chip Chandler's "Can't Miss"
- Eye on Amarillo
- Last Week's "Exceptional Rodeo"
- and more
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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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