May 2010 eNews

President/CEO Gary Molberg Finance & Administration Dianne McClish, VP Christy Bigler Mary Garcia Membership Andrea McClintock, VP Lupe Fasano Linda Palmer Communication Penni Bentley, Director Business Development & Governmental Affairs Jason Harrison, Director Kim Woolsey Quality of Life & Arts Becky Zenor, VP Lupe Fasano K. Lynn Kiihn Convention & Visitor Council Jerry Holt, VP Mindy Bradley Jutta Matalka Eric Miller Rick Matchett Tina Teague Tiffany Redinger K. Lynn Kiihn Dulcy Carden Visitor Information Center & Gift Shop Mary Ramirez, Manager Helen Martinez Nancy Simpson Ann Beach Kay Cochran PO Box 9480 Amarillo, TX 79105 806.373.7800 806.373.3909 fax Amarillo-Chamber.org

A new campaign launched in Amarillo on Tuesday, May 4th, Shop Smart. Shop Local. It was a little over six months ago when the city’s an-nual sales tax numbers came across the desk of City Manager, Alan Taylor. Looking at the declining reve-nue, particularly relating to local sales tax dollars, Mayor Debra McCartt and Taylor immediately started researching ways to boost the numbers. What they discovered is this problem tends to be an issue in most cities across the country at this time although Amarillo is weathering this trend better than most. “Mayor McCartt shared their concerns with me, and we started talking about project ideas to address the de-cline in local sales dollars and how to implement some-thing positive to give our city a boost,” said Chamber President & CEO, Gary Molberg. The city’s annual budget looks like a huge dollar amount to most of us and many might think that the city has more than enough money. No one likes to pay taxes or have taxes increased, but we determined that a key part of the local declining sales tax issue is insur-ing that the public has the correct understanding about what those sales tax dollars represent and mean to each and every citizen of Amarillo. Of the 8.25% charged on goods and services in Amarillo, the city general fund operates on only one cent of every dollar paid in taxes. The monies the city collects and keeps for operations are critical to providing the needed ser-vices we as citizens often take for granted—police and fire and sanitation departments are examples. The safety of our residents and their property is affected when cuts have to be made in those critical areas due to decline in collected sales tax dollars. That makes the issue of sales tax revenue to be everyone’s concern and responsibility. “I remember the dark days following 9/11 when our country was facing uncertain times. Our local paper started a campaign to remind the public that our coun-try couldn't just shut down—we had to support Amer-ica—we were encouraged to buy American products and Shop at Home,” commented Molberg. “I knew that we would need the support and manpower of the local media for a new project of this scope to be suc-cessful, so I contacted Les Simpson at the Amarillo Globe-News. Les and his staff took the ball and ran with it over the past few months, and I think as a team

that includes city officials, we have kicked off a great program to encourage local spending that will benefit the entire city.” Headlines and news channels are hammering the word recession into everyone’s brain, and people are spend-ing more conservatively. So how do you justify asking people to shop and spend money in this economic cli-mate? The key isn’t necessarily how much you spend...it’s HOW you spend. The goal of this campaign is to point out the importance of money spent lo-cally. When you shop at a store in Amarillo or eat in an Amarillo restaurant or buy a car at a local dealership, those businesses are able to hire and pay employ-ees. Spending locally protects jobs as well. In turn, local employees then have the opportunity to spend locally. The money is recycled in our community. Dol-lars spent on the internet or in other cities for goods that could be purchased in Amarillo leave the commu-nity, and the monies are gone permanently with no chance for the city to recapture the funds for use in the city general fund. Over the next year you will see various programs re-leased that are designed to encourage shopping and spending in Amarillo that will offer great benefits to consumers. Be sure to visit www.amarilloshopsmart.com for informative video messages from key sponsors and register for your chance to win $100 gift cards that will be given away every single day.

M A Y 2 0 1 0

1 0 0 0 S O U T H P O L K - A M A R I L L O , T E X A S

Shopping Local Makes Amarillo Stronger By: Penni Bentley, Director of Communications

Les Simpson, Publisher Amarillo Globe-News with Gary Molberg, Chamber President/CEO

Chamber Volunteer of the Quarter Ag Council Salutes Cory Bruce By: Jason Harrison, Director of Ag Council The Chamber is proud to recognize a key volunteer and sponsor for many annual Ag related events. Cory Bruce, Panhandle-Plains Land Bank, has been a supporter and participant at Ag Council and ag-related events held by the Chamber each year. Cory was a key part in not only the organization, but in the implementation of the Fall Outreach Trip to Dalhart in November 2009. When we needed a speaker for the Ag Appreciation Luncheon last November, it was Cory Bruce who stepped up to the plate and was instru-mental in securing Congressman Charlie Stenholm. He also served as host for a dinner for the Congressman and a few members of the Ag Council as thanks for his time. The Pan-handle-Plains Land Bank was one of the sponsors of the event. Cory was a driving force in the first annual “Agribusiness Is Your Business” area at this year’s BusinessConnection® — which was a big success. He is also a contributing writer for agriculture related articles for our Chamber newsletter, stressing the importance of agriculture for our city and the panhandle as a whole. Cory has more than 12 years of long-term real estate financ-ing experience as VP/Capital Markets with Panhandle-Plains Land Bank. Cory received his B.S. and MBA from West Texas A&M University. He is a current member with numer-ous civic and community organizations, including Amarillo By Morning Lions Club, West Texas A&M University Agricul-ture Development Association, Amarillo Chamber of Com-merce Ag Council, Randall County Livestock Boosters Com-mittee, CISD District Advisory Committee and the South Randall County Hospital District Board. Cory is also highly involved in leadership development and is a graduate of Leadership Amarillo & Canyon and the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Program (T.A.L.L.). Cory has traveled internationally to Mexico and China. Cory lives in Canyon, Texas with his wife, Kim and their three children, Abby, Luke and Caleb. When not working, Cory enjoys many types of outdoor activities, spending time with his family, travel, and is an avid reader. Cory is just one of many volunteers and sponsors that devote their valuable time to the betterment of Amarillo and the surround-ing area. It is through busi-ness professionals like him that we are able to spread the word on the many great opportunities our city has to offer its employers, their employees and their fami-lies.

Cory Bruce VP/Capital Markets Panhandle-Plains

www.scottco.com/

www.scottco.com/

www.scottco.com/

www.scottco.com/

DID YOU KNOW… If you receive an invoice from the Chamber via email, you can click on the link and pay it directly online with your credit card through our secure site. Save a stamp…use the web.

A-1 Rocket Industries Mark Zimmer & Ryan Zimmer 2214 South Buchanan Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 374-0651 Fax: (806) 374-0757 www.a1rocket.com Rental of Portable Restrooms, Luxury Restroom Trailers, Chain Link Fencing, Shipping Containers, Office Trailers, and Barricades. Alley Katz Antiques LaDon Paige 2807 W 6th Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 342-5432 www.antiquesalleykatz.com Under New Ownership and newly remodeled. Alley Katz is located on Historic Route 66. 12,000 sq ft with over 70 dealers. Antiques, eclectic items, gifts & treasures.

Alpha Omega Chiropractic Dr. Joshua Auzenne 7460 Golden Pond, Suite 300 Amarillo, TX 79121 (806) 367-5000 Amarillo Embroidery Teri Anna Kitts & Susan Browning 812 S. Georgia Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 242-0111 Fax: (806) 242-0113 We are a custom embroidery company family owned & oper-ated specializing in embroidery, screen printing, sport teams, spirit items, promotional prod-ucts, apparel and caps.

Welcome New Members Thanks for Joining in April

[email protected]

[email protected]

http://bit.ly/b3CHW1 http://bit.ly/b3CHW1

The Agriculture Impact: By the Numbers By Kay Ledbetter, Texas AgriLife Research Communications Specialist Without a doubt, agriculture is one of the primary drivers of the Texas High Plains' economy. If the 26-county region of Texas referred to as the "High Plains Trade Area" were a state, it would be among the top 15 states in production of fed cattle, swine and dairy, as well as wheat, corn, cotton and sorghum, all from 14 million acres of agricultural land. The impact is immense. Value-added agricultural commodities, government payments to producers and the payroll of agri-business firms averaged more than $5 billion per year in the trade area for 2005 through 2008, according to "The Impact of Agribusiness in the High Plains Trade Area," a publication compiled by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service for the Ama-rillo Chamber of Commerce. Total crop receipts in 2008 generated more than $1.3 billion for this area and livestock added another $2.4 billion in value-added sales. As money circulates through the economy, it multiplies the original $3.7 billion economic contribution from farm and ranch product to a total region-level economic out-put of $6.5 billion. Some of that money might be spent out-side the High Plains region, but it is still spent in Texas, so the farm-level production leads to a larger state-level output of $7.2 billion. Dr. Steve Amosson, AgriLife Extension economist, explains that to get a true value of agriculture in the region, more than the crop and livestock production must be taken into consid-eration. Agribusiness, or the phases of the agriculture industry that are off-the-farm activities, such as retail trade and food service, manufacturing, wholesale trade and the agricultural services sectors must be included. Private sector agribusiness employs about 37,600 people in 1,559 different establishments with a payroll of $884 million, according to the publication. Add to that the farm and ranch employment figures, with another 13,451 employees who earn $185 million annually, and agribusiness accounts for more than $1 billion in annual payroll. However, even that is not a true picture of the contribution made, as the estimates do not include agriculture-related public sector/government employ-ees or the 14,811 farm and ranch operators. Amosson said it is also important to keep in mind that agricul-tural production values are not the only benefit to the local economy. Many production expenses are paid to local suppli-ers. Farmers and ranchers also spend part of their wages and profits eating at local restaurants and buying groceries, cloth-ing and movie tickets. In turn, the employees of these busi-nesses purchase supplies and spend wages at local busi-nesses, continuing to turn over the agricultural dollar.

Chamber Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmarilloChamber

CVC Facebook (Tourism): www.facebook.com/AmarilloTravel.Tourism

CVC Facebook (Conventions): www.facebook.com/AmarilloConventions

Chamber Twitter: http://twitter.com/amarillochamber

CVC Twitter: http://twitter.com/amarillocvc

Chamber Videos: www.youtube.com/amarillochamber

Chamber Event Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/amarillochamber/

Insurance Now Available Through Chamber of Commerce Insurance agents and businesses interested in the Amarillo Chamber Healthcare Cooperative insurance products must be members of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and agents must be certified by UnitedHealthcare. Call Dianne McClish at 342-2002 or email her at [email protected] for more information. Certified Agents are listed on our website and the eight United HealthCare insurance plans available to members at a 7% discount are also described on our website under the “Healthcare” tab. A shortcut to the link is: http://bit.ly/rBmhu

Recognizing Top Small Businesses & Young Professionals

Members don’t miss this opportunity to show your appreciation of outstanding young professionals and small businesses, by submitting a nomination for the Chamber’s annual business awards, Top Small Business and Top Twenty Under 40.

These awards will recognize local professionals under the age of forty who are pursuing excellence in their careers and small businesses thriving in our business community. The deadline to submit a nomination form to our office is Friday, June 4th. Award recipients will be announced the end of July and hon-ored at the Chamber’s Awards Banquet in August 2010. Chamber members will receive an invitation to the awards ban-quet via email, reservations will be required.

The nomination process is simple; just follow the link below to review the awards’ criteria, eligibility and promotional benefits, which are all included in the nomination form.

If you have any questions, contact Jason Harrison at 342-2018.

http://amarillotxcoc.weblinkconnect.com/CWT/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=607

amarillo-chamber.org/cwt/external/wcpages/wcevents/eventsstartpage.aspx

Check out our Chamber and Community Calen-dars online. You can submit events to the Com-munity Calendar. This is a great way to show locals and visitors to the city the many things to see and do in our community. Please keep in mind the Chamber reserves the right to include or exclude events as we deem appropriate.

www.Amarillo-Chamber.org

Convention & Visitor Council 2009-10 Year-To-Date Statistics

Tourism Occupancy Rate 52.72%

Room Nights 553,525

Overnight Visitors 1,029,885

Visitor Center Guests 3,862

Group Tours 192

Inquiries for Amarillo Information 21,458

Overnight Travel Impact ($) $159,968,810

Film Office Information requests 1

Conventions # of Conventions/Groups in Amarillo 25

Delegates 14,652

Room Nights 7,929

Delegate Spending ($) $7,285,748

Delegates Booked-Future Conventions 12,563

Delegate Room Nights Booked 13,336

CVC Website

Ave Monthly Visits 27,654

Ave Monthly Page Views 175,927

Page Views / Visit 6.36

CVC Communications

Publicity Advertising Equivalency $1,071,509

May 2010 1-2 American Legion 150 4th Division Convention 1-2 Amarillo Area Tennis Association 200 CHAMPS Major Zone Tournament 11-14 Boy Scouts of America 85 Southwest Boy Scout Retiree Reunion 13-15 International Assn. of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) 250 Texas/Louisiana Division Annual Meeting 14-16 Panhandle Firemen’s Association 100 Training 14-16 America Supports You Texas 250 Armed Forces Day Banquet 14-15 National 42 Players Association 60 Tri-State 42 Championship June 2010 5-6 Amarillo Area Tennis Association 100 June ZAT Tournament 8-12 Hale Publishing Company 200 Human Lactation, Clinical Research & Clinical Implication 9-11 Texas Historical Commission 35 Board Meeting 11-13 Amarillo Area Tennis Association 250 USTA Texas Section Senior Mixed 13-17 County and District Clerks Association 450 Annual Meeting 16-20 Texas Junior Hereford/Texas Junior 300 State Show 23-3 American Quarter Horse Association 600 24-26 American Quarter Horse Association 400 Leadership Conference—Youth Excellence Seminar (YES) 24-27 Jehovah Witnesses 5,000 Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witness 24-25 Texas Municipal League 50 City Managers Association

www.visitamarillotx.com/

http://www.visitamarillotx.com/coupons.cfm



WELCOME THESE CONVENTION GROUPS TO AMARILLO

Andrea Porter (right) of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Mu-seum welcomes two visitors to Amarillo during the National Tourism Day celebration at the Texas Travel Information Center on May 11. The City also proclaimed it Amarillo Tour-ism Day on the 11th. The Amarillo CVC worked with TxDOT and the Travel Information Center staff to sponsor the spe-cial event.

Amtech Security Services, Inc David R. Johns 5410 S. Bell Bldg. A Suite 205 Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 352-9944 Fax: (806) 352-9945 Professional Security Systems, sales & installation. Camera sys-tems, access control, 24 hour monitoring medical alert systems, custom pre-wiring. Angelic Candles of Amarillo Lisa Chontos & Stefanie Chontos 105 Circle View Amarillo, TX 79118 (806) 584-5116 Fax: (806) 622-8812 Angelic Candles of Amarillo works with non-profit fundraising and retail sales in the Amarillo area. Babies Palace Dan & Tracy Miller 3333 S. Coulter C-1 Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 356-8880 We offer unique baby gifts, baby shower supplies, new mommies gifts, toys, infant clothing size 0-6 months, custom diaper cakes. Bean-N-Things Robert & Cherish Fields 1700 E. Amarillo Blvd. Amarillo, TX 79107 (806) 373-7383 Serving breakfast, lunch, & dinner with the same great food and service you would expect. Doing Amarillo & Texas proud and Now representing Route 66.

Bluebonnet Environmental Consulting Lauren Caudle P O Box 50674 Amarillo, TX 79159 Specializing in storm water/erosion control for construction and industrial clients, as well as Phase I Environmental Site As-sessments for banks and develop-ers. Staff will install erosion or sediment controls, and additional needs. Bullard Foot & Ankle Institute Dr. Bryan P. Bullard Michele Tupin 500 Quail Creek, Suite B Amarillo, TX 79118 (806) 356-8003 Fax: (806) 356-8813 Emeritus at Seville Estates Tiffany Brandes & Sharla Fischer 7401 Seville Drive Amarillo, TX 79121 Fax: (806) 351-0143 www.emeritus.com Felix Insurance Kevin Felix 22 SE 6th Ave. Perryton, TX 79070 (806) 435-6606 Ferguson Ronnie Pepper & Tracy Weiland 5823 Canyon Drive Amarillo, TX 79110 (806) 354-8555 Fax: (806) 352-1407 www.ferguson.com Ferguson is a wholesale distributor of plumbing and heating and air supplies, lighting, appliances, tools and safety equipment.

www.harrisfg.com/

www.harrisfg.com/

www.harrisfg.com/


[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

http://bit.ly/9a6Osk

BusinessConnection Promotes Local Businesses The Chamber was proud to host the 18th Annual BusinessConnection with over 370 exhibitors, show-casing their products and services to thousands of potential customers on May 4th. Those involved with the Chamber often refer to this event as the

Upper Left: Over 370 booths in this years BusinessConnection Tradeshow. Upper Middle: Mindy Bradley taking bids for the silent auction items donated by Chamber members. Upper Right: Jason Harrison congratu-lated drawing winner David Hemphill, Sonic, with a travel voucher.

“premier” business to business networking opportu-nity. The successful tradeshow gave exhibitors the perfect opportunity to make multiple contacts with old acquaintances and develop new business rela-tionships in a short time frame under one roof.

Are you tired of traveling to other cities for meetings, conven-tions, conferences or events? Why travel when everything you need is in your own backyard? Amarillo is home to approximately 5,000 hotel rooms, more than 400,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and some of the BEST attractions in Texas! Save yourself the time, money and frustration of travel, boot the local economy and earn fabulous rewards by partnering with the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council to bring meetings, con-ventions and other events home! You could earn a reward of as much as $200 if you help bring a new meeting to Amarillo between now and September 30, 2013. * Call the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council Sales staff today and talk with Tiffany, Rick or Tina at 374-1497 today!

* Call for details and meeting requirements.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarillochamber/sets/72157623956144911/


Frenzel Computer Services Misty & Ervin Frenzel 7707 St. Louis Drive Amarillo, TX 79118 Fax: (806) 463-5003 www.frenzelcomputerservices.com With over 19 years of computer network experience, Frenzel Com-puter Services is the place to turn to for all of your computer net-work security needs. Gary Devenney Paint Contractor Gary Devenney 4302 W 51st St. Apt. 120 Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 676-0192 Fax: (806) 373-3144 Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas Anna Braye & Jason McDonald 1904 Bell Ave. Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 744-8419 Fax: (806) 741-1352 www.goodwillnwtexas.org Goodwill Industries of Northwest Texas is a not for profit organiza-tion dedicated to helping people with barriers for employment find meaningful employment.

H & H Federal Credit Union Terry Maxwell P O Box 1187 Stinnett, TX 79083 (806) 878-2452 Fax: (806) 878-3784 www.myhhfcu.org We are a federal credit union dedi-cated to provide quality financial services with a commitment to meet the needs of our members. Harvest Christian Fellowship Chris Craig 4909 Canyon Dr. Amarillo, TX 79110 (806) 296-7158 www.harvestchristianfellowship.org Sunday Services begin June 6, 2010. Service times: 9:00 am and 10:50 am. High Plains Contractors and Management Group Michael Ramirez P O Box 1444 Dumas, TX 79029 (806) 283-0911 Just Tees'n Jan Douglass & Carey Spence 618 S. Polk St. Amarillo, TX 79101 (806) 379-8337

Fax: (806) 379-9204 www.justteesn.net Just Tees'n has been downtown since 1989. We offer screenprint-ing, embroidery & promo items. We also have a retail store with jewelry & accessories. Machaffey Orthotics & Pros-thetics Cliff Mahaffey & Carrie Arellano 5507 W 9th Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 358-2343 Fax: (806) 358-2920 www.mahaffeyop.com We are dedicated to providing the highest quality in patient care and service possible using the latest technology. Certified by the Ameri-can Board of Certification. Martin Road Eye Care Amy Nailling OD 826 Martin Road Amarillo, TX 79107 (806) 373-4977 Fax: (806) 373-5003 Martin Road Eye Care is a primary care optometry office specializing in glaucoma, diabetes, and family eye care, without the puff of air!


www.actx.edu/ce/ www.amarilloedc.com/

www.entrepreneuralliance.org/ www.prpc.cog.tx.us/

www.incubationworks.com/ www.smallbusinessdevelopmentcenter.com/

www.amarilloedc.com

www.anb.com

http://bit.ly/9HNof1

www.axigent.net

www.axigent.net

Above: Some of the 72 partici-pants at the SpeedConnect event held at the Ambassador Hotel on April 27th. Left: Jason Harrison, Chamber; Amy Henderson, Amarillo Na-tional Bank; Lyndy Forrester, Amarillo EDC; Heath Acker, ANB; Alissha Jefferies, Liquid Siding; Paula Davis, Canyon Creek Soap Co.; Chris Clark, Ambassador Hotel; Blanca Frey, Ambassador Hotel

www.kgncfm.com/

www.kgncam.com/

www.1009theeagle.com/

Women’s Council Scholarship Recipient Graduates From Amarillo College By: Christine Wyly, Publicity Chairwoman of Women’s Council Steering Committee Andrea Alcala, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Women’s Council scholarship recipient, is graduating from Amarillo College this semester. The graduate majored in Respiratory Therapy and received her diploma on May 14, 2010. Alcala has received scholarship funds the last two years from the Women’s Council. She worked full time throughout her time at Amarillo College and is raising three boys as a single mom. The primary purpose of the Women’s Council of the Ama-rillo Chamber of Commerce is to promote business and commerce in Amarillo and enhance the role of women in business. The role of providing scholarships to deserving young women, giving them a boost into productive lives and careers, is an additional, rewarding function of the Women’s Council. Proceeds from their annual member-ship directory are used to fund the $1,000.00 per semes-ter scholarship. Alcala is appreciative of the scholarship and wants the la-dies of the Women’s Council to know she “expresses her gratitude to them for the gift.” Further, she stated that she “wouldn’t have been able to get it done without the help.” Her selection from a list of candidates provided by Amarillo College two years ago has been the start of a better future and she is looking forward to her career in the medical field. She will begin her job search in the Amarillo area after her graduation. The Women’s Council of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce wishes her great success and the best of luck as she seeks employment as a respiratory therapist.

Roadrunner Express Courier Service Jean & Dan Small 9655 Broadway Amarillo, TX 79108 (806) 674-5405 Courier service and hot shot. Sims Parge' Moya Architects, LLC John Moya Jr. Kent Parge’ Jim Sims 718 W 15th Ave. Amarillo, TX 79101 (806) 374-2341 Fax: (806) 372-5038 SPM Architects provides archi-tectural services for the benefit of our clients. We strive to of-fer solutions which are func-tional, pleasing, cost effective and sustainable. Sparky's Storage Solutions Cindy Wilkinson 7550 Golden Pond Pl Amarillo, TX 79121

Fax: (806) 331-5311 www.sparkysstorage.com A state of the art self storage facility with climate control, dust control,& regular storage options available. We have moving sup-plies and the best customer ser-vice in town! TruGreen Jeff Snyder Brenda Bagot Denese Hayden 8222 Canyon Dr. Ste E Amarillo, TX 79119 Fax: (806) 355-1364 www.trugreen.com At Trugreen, we know how to get your lawn and landscape healthy and keep it there-guaranteed. Willie's Bayou Grill Sandy & Robert Williams 6101 Bushland Rd. Amarillo, TX 79119 (806) 242-3474 Fax: (806) 322-0050 www.williesbayougrill.com


Interested in advertising in this electronic publica-tion? Get a 1/4 page ad for $50 or a 1/2 page ad for $100. For more information, contact Penni Bentley at 342-2005 or email [email protected]. Ads are hyperlinked to your website or email. Click an ad and try it out. Thanks to all of our advertisers in this issue.

http://www.famousdaves.com/



®

11TH ANNUAL CHAMBER OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT 11TH ANNUAL CHAMBER OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT Thursday, July 29, 2010

Location: Ross Rogers Golf Complex Format: 4-Man Scramble

Can’t Play? Sponsor A Tee Box Sign: Tee Box Signs - 18” x 24” Sign – $400.00 Your company logo will appear on 2 full color canvas signs. The signs and sign holder are yours to keep after the tournament. The corners have grommets and the signs can be reused as 2 mini banners. All signs are dis-played prominently at the registration area and around the clubhouse for maximum visibility by 320 golfers.

Call Becky at 342-2010 or Lupe at 342-2003 for more info or to be

put on the waiting list!

PRESENTING SPONSORs

19TH HOLE CLUBHOUSE

LINKS

CADDY ACE

EAGLE

BEVERAGE CART

BIRDIE HOLE IN ONE

Tee Box Signs

In-Kind Sponsors: Amarillo CVC, Amarillo Residence Inn, Display Concepts, Document Shredding & Storage, Glazer’s, Johnson

& Sheldon, Midas, WTAMU Athletic Department

Are you a new Chamber Member?

Remodeling or expanding?

Opening a new location?

Celebrating an anniversary year in your business? A Touch of Elegance

3700 Olsen, Suite A Allied Waste & Hastings Recycling Drop-Off

3601 Plains Blvd.

Ellwood Senior Park SE Corner of Jackson & Park Place

Et Cetera 2610 S Wolflin

Fire Slice Pizzeria 7306 SW 34th

Habitat for Humanity 2805 S Houston




[email protected] Contact Linda to

schedule your Ribbon

Cutting or Ground

Breaking event!

342-2006


Mariposa & Cypress Creek Apartments 509 Jason Ave.

Miller Paper 6511 S Washington

Our Lady of Guadalupe School 1108 S Houston

Texas Legacy Land & Title 1900 SE 34th, Suite 30

The Salon by Lora Brown 3901 S Bell

W Silver Recycling, Inc. 3320 E Amarillo Blvd. East

Willie’s Bayou Grill 3819 I40 West

Wooden Nickel Café 701 Fillmore (inside Happy State Bank)





575 Pizzeria A-1 Homes Amarillo Abuelo's Restaurant Acute & Chronic Pain and Spine Center Adele Bryan Insurance Advo Companies, Inc. Alarm Link Security Amarillo Energy Savers/ Peter K Fehr dba Amarillo Family YMCA Amarillo Heart Group Amarillo Physical Therapy Services, Inc. Amarillo SPCA Amarillo Tri-State Exposition Anne Jones Ascension Academy Atmos Energy Auction Systems of Amarillo, Inc. Baymont Inn & Suites B-B-Q Barn Ben E Keith Foods Berg, Howard L. Border States Electric Supply of Texas Inc. Boy Scouts of America/Golden Spread Council Burkett Bus Bench Advertising Bush-Emeny Properties C & B Printing Cain's Carpet Care, Inc. Cakes N More Canyon Creek Soap Company CareNet Pregnancy Centers Centergas Fuels Inc. Chop Chop Japanese Steakhouse Comanche Trail Golf Complex Comer Custom Builders, LLC Concentra Medical Centers Coyote Bluff Cafe Custom Gardens, LLC David Swinford/State Representative Davis-Phillips Insurance Solutions Double J Siding & Windows Dulaney Auto & Truck Parts Dwight L. Rogers Insurance Edible Arrangements Expert Editing Exposito School of Hair Design Family Support Services Farmers Insurance Bryan Tackett Agency Farmers Insurance District Office Fastpay Payroll Services Firestone Complete Auto Care

Firestone Complete Auto Care Fountain of Health, Inc. Frank's Repair Plumbing, Inc. G & P Associates G. R. Chapman Limited Partnership George Bonin Insurance Agency GlassDoctor formerly Wayne's Quality Auto Glass, Inc. Golden Corral Buffet & Grill Griggs Schooler-Gordon Funeral Directors Gwen Murphy & Associates Harrington House Historic Home Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Howard Smith Co., Realtors Independent Investment Corp Inc Insurance Management Services J Gaut & Associates Jiffy Cleaners Joe Norman & Company K X G L "The Eagle" Keller Williams/Cindy Cunningham KFDA NewsChannel 10 CBS TV/DT Law Offices of Nelson & Nelson, P.C. Little Miracles Lone Star Decorating & Exposition Services Lorene Lacer Manpower Martha's Home Maverick Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo Mayfield Paper Company, Inc. Mays Investment Company McCormick Company Merritt Vaughn State Farm MicroFour, Inc. Mister Doyce Tuxedo Rental & Sales Morrison Supply Company Mr. Electric Myrna l. Hill CPA Neely Craig & Walton Newport Apartment Homes /Case & Assoc Office Service Systems Inc. OHMS Cafe & Bar Oliver Saddle Shop P A S O/Panhandle AIDS Support Organization P.R.I.M.E. Services Inc Page & Associates Peppermint Garden Physicians Hearing Center Plains Dairy L.L.C.

Preston West Golf Course Professional Counseling & Biofeedback Center Quality Inn Ralph Duke Photographer Randy's Mufflers and More Real Estate Concepts Region 16 Education Service Center Renew Media Group, Inc. Rick Lovelady Carpets Ricoh River Breaks Ranch Roosters Espresso Cafe Rusty Roush CPA, P.C. Ryan O'Neal Auto's Sharkys Burrito Co. Shepler's Boots n Jeans Shoppa's Material Handling Signs of Change Silver Oak Apartments Sonic Drive-In Sparkman Orthodontics Steven J Austin, D.D.S. Suddenlink Communications Suddenlink Media Sumner Insurance Agency SWIRL /D&S Beverages, Inc. Taxequences Templeton, Smithee, Hayes, Heinrich & Russell Texas Cattle Feeders Association Texas Plains/Friendly Frontier Travel Host Magazine Texas Trio The Church at Quail Creek The Real Estate Book Thomas L. Moore & Associates Financial Services ThreeLeaf Tracy Howland - Realtor Tripp's Harley Davidson, LTD Wealth Insight Network Welcome Pardner! Wesley Community Center West Texas Western Store Western Equipment Whataburger Williams-Boyce Agency, LLP Winchester Apartment Homes/Case & Assoc. Wirt Insurance Youngbloods's Stockyard Cafe

AMARILLO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Chamber eNewsletter is published by the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, 1000 South Polk, Amarillo, Texas 79101. It is pro-vided free of charge to Chamber members. Address correspon-dence to Chamber Communications at the address listed above, or call 806.373.7800, fax 806.373.3909.

2009-10 Board of Directors Executive Committee

Chair Laura Street Chair-Elect J. Pat Richmond President/CEO Gary Molberg Past Chair Kelvin Betzen Finance David Hemphill Membership Council Al Cunningham Business Council Bill Jenkins Governmental Affairs Council Bill Harris Quality of Life Council Penelope Davies Ag Council Dr. James Clark Convention & Visitor Council Guy C. Vanderpool City of Amarillo Mayor Debra McCartt Commissioner Madison Scott

Directors

amarillo-chamber.org/cwt/external/wcpages/index.aspx

Visit our website at:Visit our website at:

AmarilloAmarillo--Chamber.orgChamber.org

Penni Bentley, EditorPenni Bentley, Editor [email protected]

Fredia Allen Tim Archer

Roy Bara Scott Bentley

David Craig Michael Cruz

Jill Dana Buzz David

Bob Garrett Brad Martin

Cameron Monroe

Shawn Morrison Robert Murray David Prescott John Salazar, Jr. Rod Schroder Les Simpson Janie Singleton William Ware Leah West James Wester Jeff Yarber

May 18 Top Two Percent Awards May 22 Golden Nail Awards Jun 24 Summer Fiesta July 29 Chamber Open Golf Tournament Aug Business Awards Sep 9 Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off Oct 19 Chamber Annual Banquet

www.artsinamarillo.com/

www.artsinamarillo.com/

[email protected] www.xcelenergy.com

www.xcelenergy.com

www.xcelenergy.com

Editor’s Corner—Why Facebook? By: Penni Bentley, Chamber Director of Communications [email protected] Whether you like it or not, this Facebook thing doesn't appear to be a flash in the pan. Social media isn't going away, so you might as well not be the last business to take advantage of this great FREE marketing tool. I try to keep up with the latest trends and tips with a great resource: www.mashable.com. This website is devoted to social media, in pretty much any form, from Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and mobile applications to name a few. They provide a daily electronic newsletter to give you the latest news, and you can follow them on their website, Facebook or Twitter. That brings me to my point. Many ask “Why do I need a Facebook page when my company already has a website?” Use Mashable.com for example. Sure they have a website, but it isn't likely that all of their loyal fans will go to their site every day to read what’s new. They use Facebook and Twitter to post their headlines with links to their articles and more information. For instance, I “LIKE” or currently follow 108 different companies or organiza-tions on my Facebook profile. If I sat down and tried to visit those 108 sites daily to check for the newest updates, sales, or information, I would never accomplish a thing. By following them on my social media site, they tell me when there is something to know. I get lots of different company updates in one location in a quick and easy form. Your organization’s website should be the primary resource for your com-pany with the bulk of information, but once you build it...will they come? Or what if you don’t have the funds to build a professional website for your company? Facebook pages are FREE. A presence on Facebook is a great way to talk about your organization in short bursts to a targeted audience that has chosen to follow you. Interaction with your followers is another great benefit, allowing you to pro-vide instant customer service to answer questions or address concerns. And if nothing else, your Facebook page can drive traffic to your website for more information with easy to use hyperlinks.

www.upshawbrownins.com/



One of my biggest tips for a company wanting to get on Facebook is this: First, create a Facebook PROFILE for yourself...the person...not the com-pany. That’s how you interact with your personal friends and family and can have private information that not everyone has access too, but also because Facebook requires a company page to be associated with an actual person. Second, create Facebook PAGE for your company and make yourself the administrator. So, why is this important? For me personally, I have no security issues “LIKING” or being a “FAN” of a company. I get to follow them and get up-dates from them, but as a fan, the company doesn't have access to my per-sonal Facebook profile. They can’t, for example, look at my kids photos or view my personal contact information. If a company sets themselves up as a profile instead of a page, it is like that company is my FRIEND—and they can view anything on my profile that my friends do. That bugs me a little bit. The Chamber has a Facebook page, and I am the administrator. To those almost 600 loyal people that have “LIKED” us or become our fan, as the administrator I cannot view the personal information of our fans. You can feel safe in your “liking” that I won’t use your personal information some how. The other key tip I have for companies on Facebook is that your page shouldn't be just self promoting and one sided. The whole concept of social marketing is that you have to share and be social. Don’t be afraid of allow-ing feedback on your page—both good and bad. Don’t be afraid to share another great page you like with your followers. The do unto others philoso-phy applies. Helping other people gain new followers is a great way to get followers of your own. The Chamber would love to know if your company has a Facebook page. If so, visit www.facebook.com/AmarilloChamber and write on our wall how to find your company on Facebook, and we’ll try to share that with our followers. But don’t forget to “LIKE” the Chamber and share us with your friends as well. Check out http://mashable.com/guidebook/facebook/ if you want simple answers to starting a Facebook page for your company. So as always, tell us how we are doing. Give us your suggestions, feedback, and input. Get involved. We are YOUR Chamber.