March 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

Amarillo Chamber eNews M A R 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

Chamber Receives Community Service Award By: Penni Bentley, Chamber Director of Communications

The American Advertising Federation-Amarillo Chapter recently contacted the Chamber to say we had been nominated to receive their Community Service Award at their Addy Awards, and asked us to put together some information about how the Chamber works for the betterment of the community. This is what we submitted: Last year the Chamber helped more than 350 busi-nesses reach thousands of potential customers at the annual BusinessConnection® Tradeshow. The Good Times Celebration® Barbecue Cook-Off provided a fun networking opportunity for 110 cooking teams and 8,000 of their closest friends and customers. The Ama-rillo Chamber Open Golf Tournament is the largest one-day non-profit golf tournament in Amarillo, allow-ing 256 golfers, representing 92 companies, to network and have a great day of golf. As host of these events, the Chamber spends money in the local economy, but so do our attendees and participants. Money raised from these events helps the Chamber conduct more programs that benefit the community and our members. We believe all businesses can and should be members of the Chamber, and holding these events allows us to keep our membership dues affordable for all. Working for a better quality of life in Amarillo through arts, education and civic beautification, plays an impor-tant role in many of the Chamber’s programs. Last year, the Arts Committee provided financial assistance to local non-profit arts organizations in the amount of $88,000. One of the Chamber’s educational programs, Ready for the Real World, has helped almost 10,000 juniors in the five years since its inception prepare themselves for college, vocational school and/or the workforce. The Top Two Percent Awards annually recognizes an average of 60 graduating seniors from the 13 local high schools who represent the top two percent of academic achievements. The Chamber was also a sponsor of the Amarillo Globe-News Celebrate Education program for the previous two years. The Governmental Affairs Council serves as the voice of the panhandle to legislators in the state capitol as well as in Washington DC with programs such as Pan-handle Days and DC Days. The Chamber researched for over two years to find a health insurance plan that would benefit business

members and insure more individuals in Amarillo. We recently partnered with United HealthCare to launch a great health insurance plan with access to all Amarillo hospitals. The Convention & Visitor Council promotes Amarillo as a destination for meetings and conventions or as a vacation or stop-over for tourists and travelers. Dollars brought into our community by these outside visitors benefits all of our local economy. The Chamber opens its doors and meeting facilities to a number of other non-profit groups throughout the year to conduct business, and has even hosted the Addy Awards judging for the past 10 years. The Chamber is made up of a staff of 21 full-time and

4 part-time employees, representing more than 230 years of service. The fact that the average tenure for Chamber employee is more than 9 years is a good indicator of our own personal level of commitment to the Chamber and our community. A number of staff members also serve on other organizations’ boards or commit-tees in their spare time. Staff members currently serve (or in recent years have served) on boards for the following organi-zations: Amarillo Hotel Association, Amarillo Tri-State Exposition, Amarillo Young Professionals, American Advertising Federation – Amarillo Chap-ter, Centennial Committee for West Texas A & M University, Greater Southwest Music Festival, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Humane Soci-

ety, Jan Werner Adult Day Care, Meals on Wheels, Panhandle Human Resource, Panhandle Regional Plan-ning Commission, Texas Business Women of Amarillo, Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, Texas Tech Mass Communications Advisory Council, and The Mav-erick Club. Chamber President, Gary Molberg commented, “We are humbled and honored to receive a Community Service Award from the Amarillo Chapter of the American Ad-vertising Federation. We are simply doing our best to carry out the mission of the Chamber of Commerce, in a professional and ethical work environment, to do the most good for Amarillo businesses, the local economy, and the future of our community. Working for you…it’s what we do.” Previous recipients of the AAF-Amarillo Community Service Award include Tyson Foods, Jack Sizemore Traveland, The Donut Stop, the American Quarter Horse Association, Wonderland Amusement Park and many more.

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 Greg Meyer

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 4 BusinessConnection May 13 Ready for the Real World May 18 Top Two Percent Awards May 22 Golden Nail Awards Jun 24 Summer Fiesta July 29 Chamber Open Golf Tournament Sep 9 Good Times Celebration Barbecue Cook-Off

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http://amarillo-chamber.org/cwt/external/wcpages/health/Insurance_Coverage.aspx

amarillo-chamber.org/cwt/external/wcpages/health/Insurance_Coverage.aspx

Policy highlights are available on the chamber website www.amarillo-chamber.org under the HEALTH CARE tab and INSURANCE COVERAGE quicklink. An exclusive panel of local insurance agents will assist the Chamber membership with sales and service.

Sensible Solution...an Alternative Coverage to Workers’ Comp For more info: [email protected]

Diane Wall Insurance Agency 468-9034

Edmond Deaton & Stephens 356-6000 www.edsinsurance.com

Fuqua-Bryson Benefits Group 350-6660 www.myfbbenefits.com

Hilb Rogal & Hobbs Co of Amarillo (HRH) 376-8275 www.hrh.com

Neely Craig & Walton 376-6301 www.neely.com

PIA Insurance 374-4621 www.piainsurance.com

Upshaw Insurance Agency 468-0400 www.upshaw-insurance.com

Williams-Boyce Agency, LLP 376-4247 www.williamsboyce.com

Willis HRH 376-4761 www.hrh.com

www.jackson-lloyd.com/

A Touch of Elegance Sandra Aguilar & Martha Aguilar 3700 Olsen, Suite A Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 679-6763 www.touchofelegance.tk A Touch of Elegance is your event decorator and wedding coordina-tor. We offer affordable prices and accommodate large and small occasions. Brown Funeral Directors & Browns Flowers Mykel Litterell & Carolyn Brown 206 W 1st Street Borger, TX 79007 Fax: (806) 274-2150 www.brownfuneraldirectors.net We are a full service funeral home and flower shop with 3 locations, Borger, Fritch & Stinnett to serve our families.

Continental Airlines Jamie Hamous 10801 Airport Blvd. Amarillo, TX 79111 (806) 335-2321 Fax: (806) 335-2340 www.continental.com Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental has more than 2,750 daily depar-tures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Crossroads Technologies Daniel Roeder & Joshua Woodard 203 SW 8th Avenue, Ste 340 Amarillo, TX 79101 (806) 350-5400 Fax: 806-350-5410 www.crttex.com NEC Authorized Dealer providing Telecommunications, Tel/Data Network Cabling and Certifica-tion. Licensed Fire Alarm and Security Installation and Service.

Welcome New Members Thanks for Joining in February

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[email protected]

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http://www.amarillo-chamber.org http://www.actx.edu/ce/ http://www.entrepreneuralliance.org/ http://www.prpc.cog.tx.us/ http://www.incubationworks.com/ http://www.smallbusinessdevelopmentcenter.com/

Attend this event, and your business could be eligible to receive valuable scholarships for more training, seminars, education and services.

AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS

ENTREPRENEUR ALLIANCE Business Boot Camp $1,590/$795 per recipient Summary: Business Boot Camp is a 2 ½ day in-tensive training seminar for aspiring and existing small business owners. There are two tracks, start-up and growth, depending on your entrepreneurial stage. You will learn, laugh, possibly cry, and get inspired from our region’s most successful entre-preneurs and knowledgeable service providers. http://www.entrepreneuralliance.org/ PANHANDLE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION Waiving Loan Origination Fee - $1,200 value Summary: Receive financing for expanding or starting businesses with no loan origination fee. http://www.prpc.cog.tx.us/ WTAMU ENTERPRISE CENTER Quarterly Enterprising Ideas Training Programs - $980 value/$196 for 5 recipients Summary: Entrepreneurial development training and workshops that are focused on a variety of business topics requested by clients and entrepre-neurs of the Amarillo area. http://www.incubationworks.com/ WTAMU SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER Business Brand – $1,500 value Summary: A total identity package for your busi-ness, which ties all aspects of your public image together through consistent application of brand image to your business’ industry and individual per-sonality. Includes up to 40 hours of one-on-one consultation, provided by the WTAMU Office of Economic Innovation.

· Name Development · Tag Line Development · Professional Logo · Internet Domain · 5 Page Basic Website · Email Address · Email Signature · Business Cards

http://www.smallbusinessdevelopmentcenter.com/

Scholarships to receive business training are available through the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce to a limited

number of recipients. To be eligible for a scholarship, you must attend this event, complete application, be a member of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, and be employed by

a business with 100 or less full-time employees or have plans to start a business.

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[email protected]

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

Tourism Occupancy Rate 50.58% Room Nights 380,110 Overnight Visitors 646,176 Visitor Center Guests 2,426 Group Tours 146 Inquiries for Amarillo Information 14,673 Overnight Travel Impact ($) $109,851,790 Film Office Information requests 1 Conventions # of Conventions/Groups in Amarillo 18 Delegates 12,180 Room Nights 7,137 Delegate Spending ($) $6,623,662 Delegates Booked-Future Conventions 10,933 Delegate Room Nights Booked 11,409 CVC Website

Ave Monthly Visits 25,271 Ave Monthly Page Views 167,135 Page Views / Visit 6.17

March 2010 2-4 US Dept of Agriculture 80 Ogallala Researchers Workshop 21-26 Texas Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative 40 Services Division for the Blind Training 22-23 Baptist General Convention of Texas 350 Senior Adult Choir Festival 23-27 Amarillo Hardware Show 500 Annual Show 25-27 Southwestern American Music Therapy Association 100 Regional Conference

www.visitamarillotx.com/

[email protected] www.xcelenergy.com

www.xcelenergy.com

www.xcelenergy.com

April 2010 8-9 Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association 60 Seminar 14-16 American Advertising Federation 200 District 10 Student Competition 14-18 American Advertising Federation 150 District 10 Professional Convention 14-17 Texas Association of School Boards 42 Leadership Training & School Site Visits 23-25 Northern Texas/Northern Louisiana Synod of the 600 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 24-25 Jehovah’s Witness 700 Circuit Events 27-2 American Contract Bridge League 400 Duplicate Bridge of Amarillo (Tournament)

WELCOME THESE CONVENTION GROUPS

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Duncan, Fraser & Bridges Insurance Agency, Inc. Lyndon Field & Gail Woodington 117 E. Kingsmill Pampa, TX 79065 (806) 669-3333 Fax: (806) 669-2111 www.dfbinsurance.com With locations in Pampa, Ama-rillo and Borger, we can serve your business, personal insur-ance and employee benefits needs. Four Winds Construction Co., Inc. Mike Hanes & Curtis Davis 11730 Hwy 152 Pampa, TX 79065 (806) 665-4336 Fax: (806) 665-4457 Pipeline and plant construction. Germ Busters, LLC Jerry Miner 1108 Broadmore Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 681-2910 Using a power washing machine your commercial men's & ladies restrooms will be cleaner than they have ever been. This sani-tizing process kills 99.9% of germs & bacteria. Golden Spread Chorus/Amarillo Chapter Barber-shop Harmony Society Bob Lile & Roy Hedke 6202 Landon Dr. Amarillo, TX 79119 (806) 322-7464 www.goldenspreadshorus.org Amarillo's own award winning barbershop chorus delivering the gift of music since 1948. Available to entertain at banquets, meetings, reunions & private parties. Looking for men of all ages who like to sing.

HouseCallMD, P.A. Eric Guy M.D. 112 SW 8th Avenue Amarillo, TX 79101 (806) 350-6799 Fax: (806) 350-6552 www.housecallmd.org No delayed appointments. 24/7 coverage for Amarillo residents, businesses and hotels. Doctor is board certified in internal medi-cine and provides urgent care such as stitches. Jan Werner Adult Day Care Center Alana Chilcote 3108 S. Fillmore Amarillo, TX 79110 (806) 374-5516 Fax: (806) 373-9446 www.janwerneradultdaycare.org Day health care for aging and disabled adults providing nursing care, exercise, therapy, nutrition, transportation, supervision and activities. Program of All-inclusive care for qualified eld-erly. Max Waste Management Paul Smith & Elaine Smith 117 N Tyler Amarillo, TX 79107 Fax: (806) 352-5559 We provide Roll-Off containers to fit almost any project. Precision Cartridge LLC Bryan & Shannon Waitman 5017 Wesley Amarillo, TX 79119 (806) 331-7746 Fax: (806) 358-1514 www.precisioncartridgetx.com We save companies money on toner and service by offering an end to end solution to identify, control and manage the cost of printing documents.

Welcome New Members

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1

WC Steering 2

Arts 3

Civic Beautification Sports Selection

4 5 6

7 8 9 Ag Council

10 Conv. & Tourism Communications

Govt Affairs Council

11 Quality of Life Council

12 13

14 15 Women’s Council Luncheon

16 17 Golden Nail

18 19 20

21 22

23 CVC Council Business Council

24

25 Sports Luncheon

Real World

26 27

28 29 30 31 Sports Selection

Executive Board

Events in RED are closed meetings and for committee or council members only. Events in Black are open to Chamber members and/or the public. Some events may have a fee or be open for sponsorship and benefits. Contact the Chamber for any information on events, meetings, committees, sponsor-ships, volunteering and more. =Committee Mtg 806-373-7800 www.amarillo-chamber.org

March 2010

[email protected]

http://www.hppr.org/



DID YOU KNOW… If you re-ceive an invoice from the Cham-ber via email, you can click on the link and pay it directly online with your credit card through our se-cure site. Save a stamp…use the web.

Quick Quack Car Wash Mark Torres 2400 S. Georgia Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 352-3535 Fax: (806) 463-2375 www.dontdrivedirty.com Quick quack has 3 express car washes in Amarillo where you can get unlimited washes for $12.95 per month. Don't Drive Dirty! Quick Quack Car Wash Mark Torres 4310 S Coulter St. Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 467-0077 Fax: (806) 467-0094 www.dontdrivedirty.com Quick quack has 3 express car washes in Amarillo where you can get unlimited washes for $12.95 per month. Don't Drive Dirty! Quick Quack Car Wash James Smith 1001 E Amarillo Blvd. Amarillo, TX 79107 (806) 372-8844 Fax: (806) 342-5998 www.dontdrivedirty.com Quick quack has 3 express car washes in Amarillo where you can get unlimited washes for $12.95 per month. Don't Drive Dirty! Stork Vision Amy King & Kenley King 2600 Paramount, G1 Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 331-6871 Fax: (806) 331-6872 www.storkvision.com

We are a prenatal imaging center that provides 2D, 3D and 4D scans for pregnant women to see and meet there unborn little baby. The Salon by Lora Brown Lora Brown 3901 Bell St. Amarillo, TX 79109 (806) 352-8688 Fax: (806) 356-0510 www.thesalonbylorabrown.com The Salon by Lora brown is a High Tech, sleek and progressive salon. Having a reputation for professionalism. Dedicating our-selves to giving you THE extraor-dinary experience. Total Physical Therapy Tom Weaber 3701 A-1 Olsen Amarillo, TX 79109 Fax: (806) 467-8282 www.totalptamarillo.com We provide complete hands-on physical therapy services in a motivational environment. TRW Credit Group Kevin Foster & Brad McNew 6200 Westwood Amarillo, TX 79124 (806) 355-2020 Fax: (806) 355-7118 www.trwcreditgroup.com We are a fully licensed and bonded credit repair organization helping people with credit chal-lenges. Uniforms Plus, Inc. Carole Crawford & Kim Williams 3440 Bell Street #226 Amarillo, TX 79109

Welcome New Members

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(806) 358-4500 Fax: (806) 358-2001 We provide the panhandle with medical apparel & accesso-ries. We take pride in our large selection to serve the profession-als of our area. Uniforms Unique Danny Williams, Kim Williams & Carole Crawford 2019 S Coulter St. Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 358-4624 Fax: (806) 358-2001 www.uniformsplusunique.com We provide the panhandle with medical apparel & accesso-ries. We take pride in our large selection to serve the profession-als of our area. Wise Hearing Solutions Diana K. Wise-McPherson 3440 S. Bell, Suite 116 Amarillo, TX 79109 Wise Hearing Solutions is owned and operated by Diana K. Wise-McPherson, Au.D. She holds a Doctorate of Audiology and has been serving patients with hear-ing needs in the Amarillo area for 15 years.

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Member Advertising Opportunity Did you know the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce has launched a Chamber Member advertising opportunity? This opportunity is creating extremely high levels of expo-sure and return for participating members. In this economy, The Chamber has made a commitment to our Membership to provide cost-effective, affordable and on-target advertis-ing venues. This advertising program is another way in which we are fulfilling that promise. Visit www.amarillo-chamber.org and notice the large mar-keting messages at the top of our page. The rotating adver-tisements are only a portion of a larger package of branding messages that appear throughout the website. All major industry pages and category pages offer a multitude of ad-vertising packages which are tracked with detailed statis-tics. The advertisements provide targeted opportunities for you to not only get your name and message to customers, but take them from our website to yours. Due to the limited number of positions available advertising positions are sold on a first-come first-served basis. Call Penni Bentley at 342-2005 to schedule a guided tour of the Chamber’s Website marketing program or email [email protected] for more information.

Interested in advertising in this electronic publi-cation? 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.

For more information contact Jason Harrison, Director of Business Development and

Governmental Affairs, at 373-7800 or [email protected]

[email protected]

Are you a new Chamber Member?

Remodeling or expanding?

Opening a new location?

Contact Linda to schedule your Ribbon Cutting or Ground Breaking event! 342-2006

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarillochamber/sets/72157623600571964/





http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarillochamber/sets/72157623600571964/ Celebrating an anniversary year in your business?

It’s Spring Break By: Eric Miller, CVC Director of Communications [email protected] Time for one last ski trip. Or a quick visit to the beach. Or maybe a school trip to sites throughout Texas and the West. This year, it may be a trip closer to home. So the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council and more than a dozen tourism partners, placed full-page ads in newspa-pers throughout the High Plains to remind people that Ama-rillo has a lot to offer during Spring Break. “Typically, Spring Break is the first time travelers get out on the road for the calendar year. They head to the mountains or the beach, or somewhere in between, to stretch their legs,” Jerry Holt, Amarillo CVC Vice President says. From the Amarillo Civic Center to the Zoo, the promotion features over 30 reasons to stop in Amarillo, Holt says. And there are great offers from so many top partners to help travelers make the decision to stop for a night in our area. The ad partners include Panhandle-Plains Historical Mu-seum, Big Texan Steak Ranch, TEXAS, American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, Amarillo Zoo, Broadway Spotlight Series, Mr. Gatti’s, Fifth Season Inn & Suites, Ash-more Inn & Suites, Baymont Inn & Suites, Fairfield Inn, Sleep Inn & Suites, Ambassador Hotel and Holiday Inn. The ad appeared in newspapers in Cannon AFB, NM; Clovis, NM; Portales, NM; Tucumcari, NM; Clayton, NM; Dalhart, TX; Perryton, TX; Guymon, OK; Elk City, OK; Garden City, KS and Liberal, KS. The promotion is also available on the Amarillo CVC web site, www.visitamarillotx.com. Just look on the coupon page and download the ad to get all the great offers. It is also featured in the regional TravelHost magazine distributed in hotels and motels from Amarillo to Abilene. And it was emailed to more than 7,000 people who have asked for Amarillo information in the past, under the teaser “Special Spring Break Offers From Amarillo.” It’s all about getting people to visit our attractions, eat in our restaurants and stay in our hotels and motels. That’s good business for everyone.

Download the full March 2010 Coupon Flyer: http://www.visitamarillotx.com/march2010CouponFlyer.pdf

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Annual Telephone Book Recycling

Now - April 24th

Place outdated phone books in the container marked “Telephone

Books Only.” do not mix materials. Newspapers, catalogs, plastic bags or magazines must NOT BE MIXED

in with the phone books.

CITY RECYCLING DROP OFF CENTER 27th & Hays (Across from Llano Cemetery)

FIRE STATION #4

208 E Hastings

WAL-MART SUPERCENTERS 5730 W Amarillo Blvd.

4215 Canyon Drive 4610 S Coulter 3700 I-40 East

SAM’S CLUB

2201 Ross-Osage Drive

Info: Dusty McGuire, 378-9305 or Michael Rice

Hundreds of Employees Now Covered by Health Insurance By: Dianne McClish, VP of Administration The mission of the Amarillo Chamber Healthcare Cooperative is off to a great start. Fifty Chamber member insurance agents are now certified to offer eight UnitedHealthcare Insurance products to Chamber members businesses at discounted premium rates. Even though we got off to a slow start through the holidays, we now have at least 26 companies insuring nearly 500 employees who have not previously had health insurance coverage, with several policies pending coverage. Area Chambers are beginning to launch the program in their respec-tive cities. The Pampa Chamber held a press conference on Febru-ary 11 at the Pampa Regional Medical Center to launch their part-nership with Amarillo and UnitedHealthcare for Pampa insurance agents and Pampa business members. The Amarillo Chamber is excited about bringing other Panhandle towns into our Healthcare Cooperative to broaden insurance options for small employers. Insurance agents and business 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

[email protected]

[email protected]

Chamber Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmarilloChamber CVC Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmarilloTravel.Tourism 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/

Advanced Pavement Maintenance, Ltd. AFLAC/Regional Allied Waste Allstate Security Industries, Inc Amarillo Area Tennis Association/Foundation Amarillo Branch NAACP Amarillo Cataract & Eye Surgery Center Amarillo Club Amarillo Dental Spa Amarillo Fairfield Inn Amarillo Gear Company Amarillo Independent School District Amarillo Inventors Association Amber Dobler-Dixon, M.D., P.A. Antonio V. Aragon, II, M.D., P.A. Armstrong County Museum & Gem Theatre Arnold Burgers A-Town/Hi-Tech Avon Independent Rep Center Bank of America Home Loans Beal Insurance Agency Ben E Keith Foods BNSF Credit Union Broome Optical Bruce L. Weinberger, M.D., P. A. Burr Insurance Agency C. Alan McCarty, MD, PA Casters of Amarillo Inc. Century 21 Boston & Company Cobblestone Custom Home Design Inc. Commercial Industrial Builders, Inc. Community Options Country Barn Steakhouse LLC Craig Methodist Retirement Community D & K Automotive

Davidson Oil Company Digital-on-Demand Inc., Xerox Sales Agency Dulaney Auto & Truck Parts Encourage Consulting Estates Plus Executive Office Suites of Amarillo Faulkner Pest Service, LLC FIMC Commercial Realty First Mortgage Home Lending G E Jones Electric Company George's Shoes Goodin's Jewelry High Plains Dermatology Center, P A J Edward Ysasaga, M.D. JAG Properties Jenkins Doors & Windows JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. Junior League of Amarillo K & M Custom Jewelry Designs Keller Williams Realty Keller Williams Realty/Marie Abers Klein Eye Center Lake Steel, Ltd. LAV-Amarillo Leadership Amarillo & Canyon Mary Ann Piskun M. D. MIN-AD, Inc. Mr. Rooter of Amarillo Nationwide Insurance Northwest Texas Rehabilitation Hospital Office Depot Inc #166 Omega Electronics OMNI Capital Corporation Owens Corning

Panhandle Assessment Center Panhandle Eye Group, L.L.P. Panhandle Human Resources Association Panhandle Presort Services Ltd. Party Stop Pete's Car Smart KIA Potter Randall County Medical Society Reid's Appliance Service Richardson Seeds, Ltd. Robert E. Gerald, M.D., P.A. Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla Factory Safety Kleen Corp Saladmaster San Jacinto Christian Academy Sharp's Motorsports Inc SOS Staffing Services Sprint Store/Soncy State Farm/Kay McMinn Talon/LPE Tasco Tascosa Road Fellowship/ Oneighty Tejas Broadcasting Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo Texas Panhandle Sports Network Texas Salvage Sales dba MRL The Laser Center for Vision Three Falls Cove Trinity Lutheran School & Child Care Unlimited Software Assistance Valmed Home Health Solutions, Inc. W. John W. Murrell, M.D., P.A. Western Discoveries Travel & Cruise Zarges Aluminum Systems, LLC.

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Editor’s Corner By: Penni Bentley, Chamber Director of Communications [email protected] Sometimes this corner is a platform for work projects, sometimes for personal reflection, and sometimes a combination of both. Because no matter what I do at work or in my personal life, I can usually tie them together and gain something valuable from things I experience or witness. It’s time for March Madness and the Olympics have just wrapped up, so sports is on lots of people mind. Even the Chamber’s Quality of Life Council annually recognizes more than 130 teams/athletes from the Amarillo and surrounding area for outstanding athletic achievements. I write this today, wearing my parent hat. I’m going to brag on my daughter, Chase, but mostly on her team and coach at (don’t laugh) Amarillo Cheer Elite (ACE). I know, like most, I initially didn't really consider cheerleading as a “real” sport. And my writing today isn't really to convince you one way or the other. But I will say that I’m always in awe when a group of kids gets some valuable experience they can use later in life without really realizing it. All sports teach a sense of teamwork, and that is a critical skill people carry into the workforce later in life. How is cheerleading any different? For one, most sports don't have every athlete on the field at the same time...there are substi-tutes for different positions...the second and third string. My daughter’s ACE Allstar Squad has about 25 boys and girls doing a combination of tumbling passes, stunts, pyramids, cheers and dance moves. All of this is highly choreographed, and the routine is worked on for months to compete at state and national levels. Two weeks before the last competition, 3 members of the team quit for personal reasons. This meant the whole routine had to be reworked. They were strong bases on pyramids and critical to the routine and the safety of the athletes known as “flyers” (like my daughter pictured right).

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Extra hours and sweat got the team ready for competition in record time. They performed this past Saturday in Denton as part of a two-day event, but in a tumbling pass one of our athletes broke her ankle. That meant the Sun-day performance was uncertain. Rather than throwing in the towel, the coach reworked the routine and the kids met early for practicing the changes. I stood watching these kids, who range from age 12-18, and no one panicked. No one cried or threw up their hands. No one quit. They all gave 110% to make up the slack and do their best. When things happen in life that don't always go your way, many of us stop and ask “what’s the point?”. What lesson am I supposed to get from this? As a parent, I would love to see my kid always win the championship and bring home the trophy. No one wants their kid to have the disappointment our ACE athletes have had over the last few months. But I’m thankful for the lessons they are learning for later on in life. I’m thankful for the coaching staff that instills a strong sense of faith in God in the athletes and a moral code for be-havior. They take the mat with the words “Always Remember God is Love” stamped on their arm before every performance. Because our future is in the hands of today’s youth, I think these are important lessons to learn.

At a recent staff retreat, Gary had us go around the room and say what we thought helped make a good team in the workplace. It’s funny how those same traits that are present in kids’ athletics are vital in the adult workplace as well: cooperation, respect, sup-port, fun, creativity, loyalty, communication and flexibility, just to name a few. And everyday, I’m thankful to be part of a great team at the Chamber. So as always, tell us how we are doing. Give us your sugges-tions, feedback, and input. Get involved. We are YOUR Cham-ber. Amarillo Cheer Elite is the only local Cheerleading and Tumbling company that is currently a member of the Chamber.

March 2010 eNews

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Transcript of March 2010 eNews