Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Hayden Baca, an IT specialist and the owner of UnSavvy Strategy, a company that provides one-on-one technology assistance for senior adults. After 10-year career providing customer support for tech corporations, including Apple and AT&T, Baca returned to Amarillo to launch her small business. She tells host Jason Boyett why Amarillo was the perfect place to introduce this unique concept. This episode is sponsored by Blue Handle Publishing and TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with chef Ronnie Granger, the owner of Sunday's Kitchen, a downtown cajun and creole restaurant. Granger isn't from here and didn't always dream of opening a restaurant, but something special happened after he arrived in Amarillo. With vulnerability and gratitude, he tells host Jason Boyett how Sunday's Kitchen started, how he weathered the pandemic, and why a city far from the Gulf Coast has become his home. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, the WT Enterprise Center and TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Vimal "Vic" Ragha, a local hotelier who owns and operates several hotels and motels along I-40. HIs family-owned Ragha Group currently oversees four properties in the city, with three more in the planning process. Ragha shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up in a motel, his return to the family business, and why Amarillo has such a robust hospitality industry (Hint: I-40). He also reveals how he and his staff weathered the pandemic. This episode is sponsored by the TEXAS Outdoor Musical and Wieck Realty.

A conversation with Karen Talley, who just retired after a long career with Christian Relief Fund, which was founded in Amarillo 50 years ago by her father, Baxter Loe. Talley was the last Loe family member still working for this humanitarian organization, helping oversee operations in more than 20 countries worldwide. She shares with host Jason Boyett the inspiring story of how CRF began and the work it continues to do while based in Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and the WT Enterprise Center.

A conversation with Chris Podzemny, a local cyclist and trail-builder working with the Fairly Foundation and Six Pack Outdoors. Podzemny and his volunteers have carved dozens of miles of mountain-biking, running and hiking trails in the area, from Palo Duro Canyon to Dalhart. He tells host Jason Boyett about the trail-building process, why cities like Amarillo and Borger value his skills, and why he's so excited about the trails he's building at the Rick Klein Complex in east Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Brick & Elm magazine.

A conversation with Michele McAffrey, a local magazine publisher who has partnered with host Jason Boyett to launch Brick & Elm, a new print magazine celebrating Amarillo. With the first issue releasing in May, McAffrey tells Jason how she transitioned from a cosmetics industry career into a publishing career, how she built and guided a previous magazine, and how she and Jason ended up in a position to start something new. This episode is sponsored by Pesttex and the WT Enterprise Center.

A conversation with Michael Haning, who runs DISCO, Inc. as his day job and, on the side, is one of the founders of Amarillo Acton Academy. His unique resume gives this episode a broad set of topics, as Haning tells host Jason Boyett about bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to the industrial trades and rethinking the ways we prepare kids for their career paths. Also: What was it like to launch a new private school model during a pandemic? This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and SKP Creative.

A conversation with Melanie Eggleston, a massage therapist for 24 Hours in the Canyon Cancer Survivorship Center and a death doula. Melanie arrived in this area more than a decade ago from Chicago. She tells host Jason Boyett about the slow process of finding her place in the Panhandle and how her ongoing work with cancer patients evolved into a new career as an end-of-life doula—a profound and unique caregiving role in which she supports individuals who have terminal illnesses. This episode is sponsored by Terra Accounting and Wieck Realty.

A conversation with Aloni Ndihokubwayo, the young entrepreneur behind the Amarillo-based F8TH Industry clothing company. A recent high school graduate, his family is originally from Burundi and Aloni first arrived in the U.S. with refugee status from Tanzania. With host Jason Boyett, he shares about experiencing culture shock in Texas, why so many refugees are driven to succeed, and how the "melting pot" of Palo Duro High School propelled him to pursue big dreams today. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries.

A conversation with Jon Revett, a local artist, tenured professor and director of the art program at WTAMU. Besides being a talented artist whose art has been shown nationally, Revett is an expert on Robert Smithson's Amarillo Ramp, a world-famous work of land art that is practically unknown by locals. With host Jason Boyett, Revett shares about his career path, the unique Amarillo art scene, and his connection to the complicated legacy of Stanley Marsh. This episode is sponsored by Terra Accounting and Shemen Dental.