Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Linda Hughes, a former Globe-News Woman of the Year and pioneer of local children's theater. Linda was a professional ice skater in the 1960s before returning to Amarillo, after which she helped launch children's theater programs at ALT and Amarillo College. On the eve of retirement, Linda tells host Jason Boyett about sharing the stage with Ann B. Davis, teaching two generations of actors, and why Amarillo is a haven for the arts. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com)

A conversation with Dyron Howell, the founder of Snack Pak 4 Kids (sp4k.org). A Clarendon native who was living in the Metroplex, Dyron returned to the area in 2010. He started Snack Pak almost immediately. Today SP4K feeds more than 10,000 kids every year. Dyron tells host Jason Boyett the mostly unknown story of how SP4K began, and how Dyron managed its growth while working full-time in the pharmaceutical industry. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com) and Xcel Energy (xcelenergy.com)

A conversation with Jake McWhorter, the lead arborist for Arborlogical Inc. Jake is the only International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist in the region. A university-educated tree expert, he grew up in Amarillo—a place with very few trees. With Jason Boyett, Jake talks about Amarillo's "urban forest" and the optimism it takes to care for trees in this region. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com) and Xcel Energy (xcelenergy.com).

A conversation with Lanitra Barringer, the co-founder and executive director of the College Success Initiative (collegesuccessama.org), which grew out of a college bus tour for economically disadvantaged students. Lanitra talks with Jason Boyett about reluctantly moving to Amarillo in 6th grade, about her own educational journey, and about the value of helping local students pursue some form of education after high school. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Stephanie Tucker, the general manager and owner of two of Amarillo's professional sports franchises. She runs the Amarillo Venom—the local indoor football team—and is launching the brand-new US Arena Soccer League as owner of FC Amarillo. Stephanie and host Jason Boyett talk about the business of sports, her failures as a track athlete and farmer, and why so many pros want to play in Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Ray Wilson, who dropped out of high school and worked for Domino's Pizza before building a successful local IT business (CatManDu). And then Ray stepped away from the business. Today he owns and operates High Fidelity Records on Sixth Street. He and host Jason Boyett discuss Ray's winding path from high school dropout to CEO to selling vintage vinyl—and how he found happiness in the process. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Amy Henderson, a commercial loan officer with Amarillo National Bank who specializes in small business. An Air Force veteran, Amy grew up in Wisconsin but decided to raise her family in Amarillo. She and host Jason Boyett discuss the local climate for small businesses, her career at ANB, her prestigious position on Governor Abbott's Commission for Women, and why it's hard to be a hockey mom in the Texas Panhandle. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online.

A conversation with Stevi Larson of Sharing Hope Ministry (sharinghopeministry.org). After years of addiction to heroin, Stevi found herself in the state prison system. During this time, she got in touch with Sharing Hope. That connection brought Stevi to Amarillo following her release. She spent time at Patsy’s Place Transitional Home, beat her addiction and turned her life around. Stevi tells her story in this episode, which is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Travis Tidmore, a local attorney and one of the co-owners of Yellow City Comic Con (yellowcitycon.com), the largest annual fandom convention in the Texas Panhandle. With host Jason Boyett, Travis shares about his unique officeless law practice, the robust local "nerd culture," and why the celebrity guests who attend Yellow City Comic Con always want to come back to Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Colin Cummings, one of the founders and co-owners of the new Six Car Pub & Brewery (sixcarpub.com) in downtown Amarillo. A U.S. Army veteran who lived in Oregon and Alaska before returning to his hometown, Colin is that rare combination of entrepreneur and free spirit. He is as passionate about bike commuting as he is revitalizing downtown, and in the process has become one of the city's most thoughtful public advocates. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).

A conversation with Julio Salazar, a local college student and a "Dreamer"—a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). He works full-time, is pursuing a degree, and wants to invest his talents in this community. But Julio is one of 700,000 illegal immigrants in danger of deportation because of decisions their parents made. Julio tells their story—and his story—and explains why he loves Amarillo so much. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online.

A conversation with Patrick Miller, a local educator who was, at 25, the youngest person ever elected to the Amarillo College Board of Regents. Also a board member of the local chapter of the NAACP, Patrick joins host Jason Boyett to discuss how and why he got into local politics, his work with refugees at Whittier and Travis, and the huge role Amarillo College plays in the local economy. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com) and Amarillo National Bank (anb.com).

A conversation with John Petty, who left an engineering career in the 1990s to open The Bagel Place (bagelplace.net), now an extremely popular breakfast and lunch eatery. With host Jason Boyett, John talks about his dramatic career shift, how he introduced Amarillo to bagels in the first place, and how The Bagel Place actually benefited when a national bagel chain showed up. (The chain barely lasted a year.) This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com) and Amarillo National Bank (anb.com).

A conversation with Alex Hunt, the director of the Center for the Study of the American West (CSAW) at West Texas A&M University. A student of Panhandle history, Dr. Hunt is fascinated by Amarillo's connection with the West and the American frontier. We discuss everything from ranching and local hiking trails to how Amarillo's refugee population today compares to the original pioneers in the 1800s. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com) and Amarillo National Bank (anb.com).

A conversation with Amber Morgan, the creative young entrepreneur behind the Mani-Camper (themanicamper.com), an Amarillo-based mobile nail art studio that has been getting attention across the U.S. Like many young creatives, Amber moved away from Amarillo following high school. But after beginning to build a career in New York City, she came back home—and that's when things really started rolling. This episode is sponsored by ROI Online (roionline.com).