Hey Amarillo

"We have to be ready to help them." Local families are feeling the impact of job losses and a transformed economy as the nation battles Coronavirus outbreaks. These interviews were recorded on or prior to March 29. Things may have changed by the time you listen. Guests are Zack Wilson ( High Plains Food Bank ), Dr. Kirk Coury ( Amarillo Endodontics ), Benton Allen & Trent Kelly ( BTG Products/WTAM...

"We are prepared for it." As Coronavirus infections begin to increase in Amarillo, local people discuss the impact on hospitals, grocery stores, churches and education. These interviews were recorded on or prior to March 25. Things may have changed by the time you listen. Guests are Dr. Brian Weis ( Northwest Texas Hospital ), Ken and Jarrett Copheranham ( Fiesta Foods ), Pastor Manny de los Santo...

"If you can, you do." This episode features short interviews with Amarillo people about what things look like right now in the city due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Interviews were recorded the afternoon of Sunday, March 22. Things may have changed by the time you listen. Guests are Charles D'Amico ( Jimmy John's ), Lytton St. Stephen ( Panhandle COVID-19 Home Help ), Katie & Seth Wieck ( Wie...

A new podcast format going forward: This episode features short interviews with Amarillo people about what things look like right now in the city due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Interviews were recorded the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18. Things may have changed by the time you listen. Guests are Wes Reeves ( Xcel Energy ), Bekah McWhorter ( Bivins Pointe ), Jason Burr ( NCW ), Kyla Frye (...

A conversation with Neal Nossaman , an Amarillo eye doctor. Neal grew up in Amarillo and, after schooling, returned here to join his father's practice. Today he's a partner at Broome Optical, which started in 1929. With host Jason Boyett, Neal shares about serving in north Amarillo early in his career, what it meant to finally marry his husband Greg, and how they found a church home at St. Andrews...

A conversation with Shilpa Shah , an Amarillo immigration attorney who serves clients around the world. Shilpa grew up in Amarillo—her father was the first Indian-born physician in the city—and speaks with host Jason Boyett about her career, her multicultural upbringing, her Hindu faith and how Amarillo's community of Indian families works to maintain its heritage and traditions in the Texas Panha...

A conversation with Jim Livingston , a fine arts photographer known for his Texas Panhandle landscapes as well as his " I Am Rt 66 " portrait series. Jim has spent the last decade pursuing photography but has a deep, intriguing resume. He's been a Jesuit priest, spent years as a social worker, and was once technically homeless after being forced to uproot rapidly from his life in Wichita Falls. He...

A conversation with Laci Scott, who has spent the last decade working in public health with a focus on refugee resettlement. With host Jason Boyett, she explains her early involvement with the Emergent Village movement in Evangelical Christianity, how she ended up "breaking up with church," the friendliness difference between Amarillo and Kansas City, and what it's like for refugee families when t...

A conversation with Chandra Perkins, founder/director of Storybridge , an Amarillo nonprofit that gives free, age-appropriate books to at-risk children. A longtime educator, Chandra saw that early introduction to books at home was the #1 predictor of academic success for a child. Her kids had dozens of books. Some kids had zero books. With host Jason Boyett, she explains how she set out to rebalan...

A conversation with Kaleb West, co-owner of Pondaseta Brewing Co. , a brewery and taproom on 45th Street in southwest Amarillo. With his friend Trever Martin, Kaleb opened Pondaseta in 2018 after a career installing equipment in other breweries across the country. Having grown up in Canyon, Kaleb explains to host Jason Boyett why he moved back from Austin and Orlando, what makes Amarillo the perfe...

A conversation with Nicole Fleetwood, co-owner of Scratch Made Bakery . Nicole arrived in Amarillo on the heels of winning a Season 7 episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. She had been living in North Carolina, but moved after the show aired and found herself having to build a new life—and business—in a new place. With host Jason Boyett, she explains how she ended up on TV, her culture shoc...

A conversation with Jeff Justus, community liaison for the Amarillo Fire Department . Despite a long career as a firefighter, Justus also spent several years as a traveling stand-up comic before finally trading that life for one with more stability—a decision that brought him to Amarillo. Today he serves as the public face of AFD in a position he helped create. With host Jason Boyett, Jeff describ...

A conversation with Ruby Moreno, executive director of the Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce . Ruby immigrated to the U.S. when she was very young, grew up in rural Kansas and Wyoming, and made her way to Amarillo by way of West Texas A&M University. In college, a stint interning for the Hispanic Chamber led to her current position. With host Jason Boyett, Ruby talks about local entrepreneursh...

A conversation with Steve Brown , founder of ROI Online and author of the new book The Golden Toilet . With host Jason Boyett, Steve shares how a former "chicken fried steak guy" and lifelong Amarillo kid had his eyes opened while living in Japan. He finally returned to Amarillo, attended AC as a nontraditional student, found his way into the world of website design and ended up launching a local...

A conversation with Hilary Marie , a local musician and bookkeeper who lived in Borger and New Orleans before making a home in Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, Hilary shares the details of her personal story, which involve finding healing—mentally, physically and emotionally—after multiple cycles of addiction and abuse. Their discussion covers plenty of unique territory, from Hilary's American Id...

A conversation with Fr. Scott Raef of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Canyon. A longtime Amarillo resident, Scott has served in a variety of positions within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo, including St. Thomas the Apostle Church and St. Mary's Cathedral . With host Jason Boyett, he shares about his career and calling, the Catholic history of Amarillo, and about time he spent during a recent...

A conversation with Phyllis Nickum, owner/operator of Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West , a tourism company on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon. Phyllis literally grew up in hotels, spent decades in hotel management and operations—including the Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo—and "retired" to a second career on horseback. She talks to host Jason Boyett about her career, the Ambassador's heyday, and why rid...

A conversation with Jennifer Gallardo , a vice president at Amarillo National Bank. Jennifer manages the ANB branch at  NE 24th & Grand, where she deals with a remarkably diverse customer base, and has worked at the bank since she was 17. In this episode, she tells host Jason Boyett about her career path, growing up in the Barrio, and her involvement on the Amarillo Civic Center Complex executive...

A conversation with Kent Harris, a working potter and the owner of Blue Sage Pottery . A Missouri native who got a fine arts degree from WTAMU, Kent is one of those unique Amarillo creatives who is making a living as an artist. His stoneware pottery sells online and has appeared in galleries across the United States. With host Jason Boyett, Kent discuses how he and his wife, Megan, built their bus...

A conversation with Emmi Hilbish, an elite wheelchair athlete and graduate of River Road High School. Born with spina bifida, Emmi struggled to walk and was entirely wheelchair-bound by the age of 10. After getting her first sports wheelchair in high school, she discovered a talent for wheelchair basketball, got a full-ride scholarship to the University of Texas at Arlington, and won a national ch...

A conversation with Dr. Billy Graves of Amarillo Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AOMS), one of the nation's largest oral surgery practices. A native of Kentucky, Dr. Graves intentionally picked Amarillo as the place to start his practice after he finished his schooling and residency. With host Jason Boyett, he reveals why Amarillo was his ideal choice, why the people here continue to surprise him, a...

A conversation with Dajana Johnson, the owner/operator of The Slay Station , a salon at 1st and Polk near downtown Amarillo. Only 22 years old, Dajana is a young entrepreneur who is carving out a career despite the challenges of her low-income upbringing. With host Jason Boyett, Dajana reveals her career path so far, why her salon is only "Level 3" in a multi-step career, and why it's so important...

A conversation with Chris Seals, cofounder and CEO at Still Austin Whiskey Co . An economist who spent the last 15 years in Amarillo, Chris now splits his time between here and Austin, where he runs the first whiskey distillery in the state capital since Prohibition.  With host Jason Boyett, Chris reveals how his career developed, why a change in Texas law made Still Austin viable, and why this ar...

A conversation with Libby Lane, owner and designer of Libby Lane leather handbags and accessories, an international business based in Amarillo. Libby grew up in Bushland, attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and now assembles each of her products by hand in Amarillo. With host Jason Boyett, she explains how her business began, why the Panhandle is so central to her products' story, and how she f...

A conversation with Lara Escobar, the executive director of Amarillo Area CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates). Lara lived in El Paso, College Station and Lubbock before coming to Amarillo ten years ago. With host Jason Boyett, she shares about her career in social work and public health, what she discovered upon relocating to Amarillo, and how volunteer advocates can change the life of a chil...