Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Dean Boyd, one of the highest-profile personal injury lawyers in Amarillo. Most locals know Dean from his advertising, but who's the attorney behind the ads? With host Jason Boyett, Dean discusses his difficult upbringing, how he got into law in the first place, and why he takes his job so seriously even if his "Strong Arm" commercials are pretty lighthearted.  This episode is...

A conversation with Mercy Murguia , Potter County Commissioner representing Precinct Two, which includes much of northeast and east Amarillo. Recently elected to her second term in office, Mercy is also a healthcare software consultant who holds an MBA from West Texas A&M University. She and host Jason Boyett discuss how she got into local politics, her passion for community engagement, and how sh...

A conversation with Jack Mustard, the chiropractor behind Mustard Wellness Center . Jack is also the founder and director of Mustard Street Charities, which serves up to 500 hamburgers to homeless men and women every week, along with offering a jobs program and other outreach. With host Jason Boyett, Jack shares how he ended up in Amarillo after abandoning plans to live in Mexico, and how an encou...

A conversation with Kasey Tam , owner of Nest Interiors & Construction and The Nat Antiques on Route 66 , which is one of the most iconic buildings in Amarillo's history and currently home to more than a hundred small shops. With host Jason Boyett, Kasey talks about her business career, the ins and outs of working on 6th Street, and how she's planning to increase the visibility of shop owners in t...

A conversation with Derek Weathersbee , a graphic design instructor at Amarillo College and a font creator whose typefaces are used all over the world—from Taco Bell advertising to the NFL Network. With host Jason Boyett, Derek talks about his decision to return to Amarillo from Dallas and details just how much the millennials he teaches (plus younger generations) have to offer the city.  This epi...

A conversation with Reverend Nell Newton, the pastor of Amarillo Unitarian Universality Fellowship . Nell is originally from Detroit, spent most of her adult years in Austin, and moved to Amarillo in 2017. With host Jason Boyett, she talks about the Michigan-to-Texas culture shock, the history of her religious movement, and why she has grown to love the Texas Panhandle's "terrible beauty."  This e...

A conversation with architect Mason Rogers of Playa Design Studio, the firm behind the award-winning Six Car/Crush building on Polk Street and other new, high-profile construction projects in Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Mason talks about the city's architectural history, whether or not Amarillo has a unique "style," and what he thinks the future holds for development and redevelopment. This...

A conversation with Shauna Thornhill of Amarillo Vision Specialists —an optometry practice based in the Walmart Supercenter on Grand. Shauna was named Walmart's optometrist of the year for 2018. With host Jason Boyett, she explains the connection between Walmart and eye care, how education became her escape from poverty, and why she's one of the few healthcare providers her patients ever see. This...

A conversation with Eveline Rivers-McCoy, the philanthropic powerhouse behind the Eveline Rivers Christmas Project and Eveline's Sunshine Cottage . She and host Jason Boyett discuss how she ended up in Amarillo, her professional childcare career, and the sad circumstances that helped kick off her now 40-year-old Christmas project. This episode is sponsored by Betenbough Homes , with an assist from...

A conversation with Jacob Aaron Morin , an Amarillo-born artist who shuffled around the foster-care system before ending up here full-time. Jacob abused drugs during his teenage years, and at the age of 17, nearly died after being shot through the neck. Jacob believes he survived for a reason, and has spent the years since working on his art and giving back to his community. This episode is sponso...

A conversation with Suzanne Wheeler, a relative newcomer to Amarillo. Less than a year ago, Suzanne left Tulsa, Oklahoma—where she had raised a family—to open a branch of Mariner Wealth Advisors here in Amarillo. The decision was intentional. She first saw Amarillo and Palo Duro Canyon as a weekend vacation spot. Then she saw the business opportunity here. Suzanne and host Jason Boyett talk about...

A conversation with Matt Darby, who saw the clothes jockeys were wearing ten years ago and thought, "We can do better than that." This year, his Speed Silks® were seen riding Triple Crown winner Justify and are being used by some of the biggest names in horse racing. A former sportscaster and radio guy, he and host Jason Boyett talk about Matt's dramatic career shift—and Amarillo's entrepreneurial...

A conversation with Daniel Davis, the proprietor of Sad Monkey Media and half of the country/americana band Fine & Dandy . Daniel is a designer, web developer, songwriter and musician who started both his business and the band over the past couple years. (He's been busy.) With host Jason Boyett, Daniel digs into the local music scene and why he's so invested in the growth of downtown Amarillo. Thi...

A conversation with Savannah Gates, the entrepreneur behind Reinventing the Weal , a hydroponic farm and consulting business west of Amarillo. Savannah is hard to describe. She's a former engineer. She's a mixologist. She grew up on a Bushland farm and studied sustainability in Hungary.  With host Jason Boyett, she shares her passion for cultivating the connection between local farmers and chefs a...

A conversation with Jason Boyett , host and creator of this podcast. Jason is a longtime designer, copywriter and author who has been working in Amarillo's marketing and advertising industry for nearly two decades.  Interviewed by Dusty Green, Jason explains his longtime interest in theology, how he found his way into celebrity ghostwriting, and why two years at Amarillo College played such a huge...

A conversation with Valerie Gooch, executive director of The PARC —the Panhandle Adult Rebuilding Center, which serves members of Amarillo's homeless population by offering classes and activities that help them rediscover their identity and purpose . With host Jason Boyett, Valerie explains why Amarillo is such a generous city and why it's so important that homeless people have a safe place where...

A conversation with Dr. Guy Loneragan, a former WTAMU faculty member and now a Texas Tech  Animal & Food Sciences professor  working to bring the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine to Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Guy explains why Amarillo is a perfect fit for this high-impact vet school and details the huge economic benefit it will bring. A native of Australia, he also compares West Tex...

A conversation with Kristin Babbitt, a local entrepreneur and the owner of Dotsy's Boutique in Wolflin Square. Women's fashion is big business in Amarillo, and Dotsy's has carved out a loyal following despite tons of competition. With host Jason Boyett, Kristin shares how she started her boutique and why social media is so central to Dotsy's success. This episode is sponsored by Street Toyota . He...

Jason talks! In this 52nd episode of the podcast, host Jason Boyett gives up control of the mic and lets Wes Reeves ask him questions about the first year of the show. Together they discuss the current moment in Amarillo and what part Hey Amarillo may be playing among those who want to see the city meet its potential. Jason also introduces a new way for listeners to connect with him and help fund...

A conversation with Jodi Thomas , a best-selling novelist and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Jodi lives in Amarillo and has written more than 50 books, from historical romances to contemporary women's fiction—including Mistletoe Miracles , her latest. With host Jason Boyett, Jodi shares about how her career began, her writing process, and why this area plays such a signific...

A conversation with Patrick Freeman , a professional voiceover artist who narrates audio books and voices video game characters from his home studio in Amarillo. He and host Jason Boyett talk about Patrick's career change—he used to work in financial services in Houston—and why he's chosen to live and work in Amarillo. We also discuss his upcoming work in China and the techniques he uses to perfor...

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 forw...

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 c...

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 Boy...