ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP | Thursday April 23rd

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP | Thursday April 23 | 630p-8p

Pat Hickman | CEO, Happy State Bank

At.... the Chase Building 9th Floor Conf. Room | Appetizers provided

Please RSVP HERE by Friday April 17th.

There is no cost or donation required, but you can donate here to help cover costs and save toward our local micro-loan project fund, for a tax-deductible investment.

Notes From Brad Martin's Forum on local Economy...

• Amarillo construction is up - i.e. the airport contract had one bidder because all other builders were busy
• Sales tax is up 6.3 %
• Amarillo has planned for growth and it's paying off. AEDC has been the major player in this planning.
• In 1968 the air force base left along with all their spending - those were ugly days for Amarillo
• In 1985 all our industries were down at the same time - ugly days again
• Since 1990 things got amazing - it didn't take a genius to grow a business
• Primary industries vs Consumable Industries. Primary Ind. imports money; Consumable industry consumes within it's own local economy
• The bucket analogy - the bucket has money in it, but the bucket has a hole in it. The hole is caused by recurring pmt's to outside entities like non-local ins premiums, mortgages, taxes, etc.
• The AEDC has been recruiting businesses to Amarillo since 1989 and is obsessed with the question: Who is Amarillo good for/ who is good for Amarillo? They can't/don't go after everybody. AEDC targets include: Manufacturing, aviation, business and financial services, food technology, transportation.
• What is a primary industry looking for? Land, welcoming environment, building, available employees, access to raw materials and transportation, quality of life, educational institutions, training programs , wind energy tech program
• The CenterPoint, north of town, not many people know about it or it's local impact - Ben E Keith, Pacific Cheese...have operations there
• It's all about incentive - there is tons of competition for primary industries through tax abatements, state incentives, city incentives. These are not giveaways, they are not investments or capitalization, they are incentives and offer strong returns.
• Infrastructure issues - getting water and sewer and power to people is expensive
• As a community we have to overcome the"anti-everything people" - secrecy is not about deception or hiding because AEDC simply doesn't always know all the issues due to dealing with site consultants instead of the companies directly - the companies are the ones who hide the info because of competition issues, etc
• AEDC is proud of Bell, Hilmar, Pacific, Blue Cross Blue Shield, WT downtown, and more. These have been tremendous results to the area.
• AEDC puts on the enterprise challenge - i.e. Air-ups - a companty that makes inflatable barriors for paint gun facilities was a past winner.
• Bill Fruth - a consultant AEDC uses - google for more info
• In summary, there is no doubt a National Economic Crisis. Recessions happen. But Amarillo is doing great relative to the rest of the nation/ world. There are some pockets in our economy hurting, but we are strong on the whole.
• A little humore: Brad said he know some folks who watched so much fox news that when they moved their TV you could see the fox logo burned into the screen. Be careful how much negative info you listen to. There are lots of opportunities.

The January Forum...

Economic Development: Planning to Survive a Bad Economy

....With Brad Martin | Chairman, Amarillo Economic Development Corp.

January 15 | 630p | Chase Building 9th Floor Conf. Room | Appetizers by Leal's

Brad will present information and insight as well as facilitate discussion on how Amarillo can be pro-active in minimizing the effects of a growing national financial crisis; why this is a critical part our City's long-term economic health-growth; and how we can all learn from and contribute in the process.

Please RSVP HERE by January 12th. There is no cost but we have a recommended membership donation.

November 6th -- From At-Risk to Taking Risks

The November Forum:

On Education: From At-Risk Kids to Young Amarillo Entrepreneurs

...with Mark D. Williams | Thurs Nov 6 | 6:30-8:30 PM | 9th Fl Conf Rm | Chase Tower

Best Selling Author; Teacher at North Heights Alternative School, AISD

Mark is one of best teachers I've heard of or met. He's also an highly successful author who devotes most of his time to the next generation, as an AISD teacher at North Heights Alternative School - he doesn't need the money, he just wants to change the world. The best part is that he's doing it: one student, one class, one project, one day at a time.

Mark asks great questions and offers awesome insights. He's fun to listen to, and he's planning to bring some young friends who have started their own businesses - assuming they can take off an evening from studying or working!

Please register HERE If you've registered for a past event skip filling in the info and just reply to this email with RSVP in the subject line so we'll know how much food to provide. Leals will be catering.

Also, we're making the $75 donation for membership optional for the time being, but in order to provide these programs we ask that you or your company please sponsor these events with this minimum recommended donation. You can donate HERE for your tax-deductible investment.

Why this topic?

As many of you may not know, education and workforce quality in our area, on the whole, have been trending down, while unwanted pregnancies, drug use and trafficking, gang activity, and delinquency have been trending up. YET, there are some very bright spots in some of Amarillo's growing social darkness. These "bright spots" include, but are not limited to, young student entrepreneurs like Chris "tuna" Saucedo who is the manager for a new coffee shop at N. Hughes and Amarillo Blvd called Paparazzi or Roy Gonzalez, an 18 year old who runs El Manantial - awesome food there by the way.

At this forum we will also roll out the beginnings of a new project called the SJ107 Search which is being structured as a collaboration between WTAMU, Expio Foundation, and some other pending partnerships.

Be there for a great night and prepare to be challenged!

Enter the Discussion!

Join us at...

Leal's Mexican Restaurant

Thursday | October 9 | 8:30 – 10:00 pm | Come at 8 for Free Drinks and Appetizers with music by Andy Chase

State Representative David Swinford will be our special guest this month to present and discuss:

Wind Energy: How to Get In the Game

You must be on the guest list to attend. Click here to register.

Appetizers, drinks, and, most importantly, the inspiring and connecting experience of hanging out with people who want to see things happen in and through our city, will be provided for you for no membership dues, this month only, for the October inaugural forum.

The Forums after October will be the first Thursday night of each month at 9pm, and will be for members only. We will post a schedule after the October 9th forum.

Enter the discussion and make a difference!