Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Charles D'Amico, the owner-operator of local Jimmy John's locations and the proprietor of Blue Handle Publishing and Book Puma . D'Amico grew up in Detroit but moved his family to Amarillo when he saw an opportunity to buy three existing franchise locations. He tells host Jason Boyett why he specifically chose this area to sell sandwiches, why he writes thrillers and started an...

A conversation with Suzanne Talley, the executive director of the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle , an organization that helps the families of local firefighters and peace officers who are killed in the line of duty. Before that, she spent 17 years as the executive director of Coffee Memorial Blood Center . Suzanne tells host Jason Boyett about her two decades in the nonprofit world, how the 100 C...

A conversation with Lance Garza, owner of Bitter Buffalo Records and one of the partners at Caliche . Lance grew up in Amarillo before departing during his high school years. But in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he and his wife decided to move back here from Chicago. More than a year later, Lance tells host Jason Boyett about the growth and opportunity he recognized in Amarillo—especially w...

In a special year-end episode, Hey Amarillo host Jason Boyett and editor Angelina Marie answer listener-submitted questions about the podcast, including surprises during recording, Jason's vocal tics, how he chooses guests, what Angelina edits out, and a lot more. They also discuss Amarillo itself: local "hidden gems," their individual Amarillo-related worries, and what their dreams are for the ci...

Jason's father, Mike Boyett, passed away on December 16, 2021, after a year-long journey with cancer. As a result, there will not be a new Hey Amarillo episode this week. Instead, host Jason Boyett has recorded a quick message for listeners. Read Mike Boyett's obituary here . Contribute to the T. Mike Boyett Memorial Scholarship Fund here .

A conversation with Jim Whitton, who is officially retired but has made enormous contributions helping connect Storybridge to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Jim has had an incredibly diverse career, from international banking to talent representation in New York City to marketing at Hastings in the 1990s, followed by a lengthy tenure with The Hunger Project . He tells host Jason Boyett about...

A conversation with Claudia Stuart, recently named Distinguished Alumni at West Texas A&M University. Decades ago, she became WT's first full-time, African American female faculty member and authored several books, including  African Americans in Amarillo , which she cowrote. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Stuart shares about growing up in Germany, being one of the first Black studen...

A conversation with Angela Workman, the proprietor of Aunt Eek's Books & Curiosities on historic 6th Street in Amarillo. Angela grew up in rural Amarillo, married early and left town. She eventually found her way back to Amarillo, where she spent time in the antiques world and working in temp agencies. Last year, during the pandemic, she opened the popular Aunt Eek's with a desire to create someth...

A conversation with Jill Goodrich, the executive director of Opportunity School . A native of Nebraska, Jill first came to Amarillo as an intern during her college years. She then spent the first decades of her career in marketing and communications—work that eventually brought her back to Amarillo. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Jill shares how she found her way into the nonprofit w...

A conversation with Natalie Schlabs , a Nashville singer-songwriter who grew up in Hereford and spent the first few years of her music career in Amarillo. After working in the food and catering for a few years, Schlabs eventually moved to Nashville to take her burgeoning music career more seriously. In this episode, she tells host Jason Boyett about getting her start singing in church, the early i...

A conversation with the Honorable Judge Doug Woodburn of the 108th District Court in Potter County. A long-time family law attorney before his election in 2008, Woodburn is nearing his retirement. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, he shares why he committed so much time to family law, why he decided to run for judge several terms ago, and how the actual courtroom differs from what we se...

A conversation with Susan Sherali, a third-year medical student and one of nine Afghani siblings who arrived as refugees in 2000. Susan and her family fled the Taliban and happened to end up in Amarillo—and two decades later, continue to love living here. Susan tells host Jason Boyett about learning English at Lamar Elementary and First Baptist Church, practicing her Islamic faith in a predominant...

A conversation with Brady Clark, the co-founder and executive director of Square Mile Community Development , an organization working to bring long-term improvements to the San Jacinto neighborhood. A former pastor and veteran nonprofit consultant, Brady spent several years working in inner-city Dallas before returning to his hometown. He tells host Jason Boyett about growing up in Amarillo's 1990...

A conversation with Josh Gilmore, RN, a medical ICU nurse by day and a concert promoter by night. Gilmore has been in healthcare since graduating from Tascosa High a few years ago, and finished his RN degree right in the middle of the pandemic. He tells host Jason Boyett about working in a local COVID unit, as well as about his side hustle bringing headliners like Genuwine and Dru Hill to the area...

A conversation with Helen Burton, the small business owner behind Burton Insurance and Burton Leadership Solutions. Recipient of the 2019 Hispanic Woman of the Year award, Burton grew up in the Barrio neighborhood before attending Amarillo College as a single mom—and represented the first in her family to pursue higher education. She tells host Jason Boyett about her career path, breaking stereoty...

A conversation with Richard Walton, a partner at NCW Risk Management . Walton spent several years working in Dallas before making the calculated decision to return to Amarillo. (His DFW friends staged an intervention.) Walton specializes in health insurance, and tells host Jason Boyett about the complexities of that world, along with what it's like working for a 95-year-old, generational business...

A conversation with Andrew Hall, chair and founder of the Hoodoo Mural Festival , an organization bringing large-scale public art to downtown Amarillo. Hall grew up in Amarillo but left during his college years. He launched a financial services career before moving back home several years later, at which point he noticed his hometown still lacked the cultural elements—including murals—he'd appreci...

A conversation with Jeremy Bradford, Vice President of Development at the Hope to Opportunities Foundation , which supports Advo Companies . Bradford shares with host Jason Boyett about how Advo provides training, work opportunities and residential housing for individuals with intellectual disabilities. A veteran of nonprofit work in the Metroplex area before returning to Amarillo, Bradford discov...

A conversation with Katie Blake, PhD , a social psychologist who teaches at Amarillo College and is a Masters-level yoga instructor. Though based in Amarillo, she also hosts a virtual community of women all over the world who are in the process of deconstructing their faith. Dr. Blake tells host Jason Boyett why a reevaluation of religious traditions and beliefs can be so valuable—and why relation...

A conversation with Larry Borger, owner of Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm . A former builder and developer with a degree in finance, Borger found his way into agricultural tourism around 14 years ago. Agritourism become a big deal and Maxwell's was one of the first of these kinds of local destinations. With host Jason Boyett, Borger shares the Maxwell's origin story, how he develops new, family-friendly a...

A conversation with Lori Crofford, a longtime local radio personality and now the Resource Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Texas Panhandle . Originally a Hereford native, Crofford shares with host Jason Boyett about the past two decades of change she's seen in the local radio industry, how she transitioned out of radio into the nonprofit world, and why mentorship can be so...

A conversation with Gus Trujillo, the former office manager of the Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the 2020 Democratic congressional candidate for Texas District 13. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Trujillo describes growing up in Amarillo's Barrio neighborhood, his work interning for former U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry in Washington, and what he learned about this are...

A conversation with Traci Mahannah of the Acupuncture and Holistic Medicine Clinic in Amarillo. One of the first state-licensed acupuncturists in the Panhandle, Traci has been providing pain relief and alternative therapy to locals for more than 15 years. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Traci describes how she encountered Chinese medicine after relocating to Austin, and why she decide...

A conversation with Zivorad Filipovic, director of marketing and communications for High Plains Food Bank . Z first came to the U.S. as a refugee from Serbia during the Balkans crisis in the 1990s. He learned English at Sam Houston Middle School and became the first in his family to graduate from college. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Z describes his intense upbringing, the Amarillo...

A conversation with Jimmy Lackey , President and CEO of Kids, Incorporated, the nonprofit youth sports organization that celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Lackey tells how he arrived at the iconic organization in the 1990s, how he helped bring Kids Inc online in the early days of the internet, and how Cal Farley and a few friends originally fou...