Event aims to shed light on national and local trends shaping the area’s economy

AMARILLO, TX, December 6, 2018 - The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (Amarillo EDC) announced today their plans to host the organization’s inaugural State of the Economy event to be held on January 31, 2019, at 7:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The event will provide a brief update on Amarillo’s economy while national economic leaders will discuss how macroeconomic issues affect the growth of the community. 

Headlining the event will be keynote speaker, Scott Nations. Nations is the President and Chief Investment Officer of NationsShares and bestselling author. Nations is a regular contributor on CNBC where he discusses markets, current economic events, and the outlook of various financial vehicles. 

“As an organization, we are very excited to bring this event to our community,” stated Reagan Hales, Vice President for Marketing and Communications for the Amarillo EDC. “The health of our area’s economy shapes the lives of every area Panhandle resident. This event will help us all understand the trajectory of our community and how local and national level issues are shaping our future. This discussion isn’t just for the business community. It is for everyone that makes a financial decision in their household.” 

In addition to Nations, the event will feature speakers Tony DeLisi and Dane Stangler. 

Tony DeLisi is Avalanche Consulting’s Vice President where he focuses on economic development strategies. DeLisi led the 2017 Align Amarillo strategic plan, which outlined a comprehensive economic strategy to be shared between the City of Amarillo and the Amarillo EDC.

Dane Stangler is the Chief Policy Officer with Startup Genome. In this role, Stangler focuses on data assessment and policy analysis for entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

The event will also feature a panel discussion moderated by Karen Welch of Panhandle PBS.

The event will focus on how large-scale national and international economic issues shape current and future prosperity in Amarillo. Further, the event will discuss how business owners can best position themselves for growth in the current economic environment through workforce development, ecosystem alignment, and policy considerations. This event is free but attendees must register to enter.

As we visit with many businesses, it becomes clear that a prominent challenge facing employers is the opportunity to engage with local students in a way that offers the greatest impression with minimal amount of sacrifice in work productivity. This is why the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) highlighted Junior Achievement of the High Plains in our first “Build Your Talent Toolbox” event. Junior Achievement (JA) helps employers bridge this gap and provides staff an opportunity to interact with local students.

Amarillo City Council Approves Incentives for Local Business Expansion

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) Board of Directors announced today their support in the expansion of Amarillo-area business Asset Protection Unit.  Over the next five years, the project will create more than 125 jobs in the Amarillo area, adding $5M in additional payroll.  

Asset Protection Unit, LLC, a leading provider of data mining and overpayment recovery for insurance and related industries, will create more than 125 jobs in the Amarillo area over the next five years. The positions will support the business unit's ability to support new insurance carriers.  

"We are thrilled to support growing businesses in the Amarillo-area," stated AEDC Board Chairwoman Laura Street. "As a Board, we enjoy investing in the growth of area companies that have and will continue to give back to the community. These projects highlight the on-going growth in Amarillo and the AEDC's focus on expansion and retention."  

Interim President and CEO Doug Nelson stated, "Anytime the organization can invest in successful local businesses that are growing, we consider that a win." 

The AEDC's support of the two expansions is the first step toward final approval of financial incentives for the two projects. The Amarillo City Council will consider the two projects at an upcoming Council meeting on December 4, 2018. Incentives may only be awarded upon final approval by City Council.  

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (Amarillo EDC) is the primary economic development engine of the Amarillo community, responsible for industry growth and job creation through business attraction and retention initiatives.  The mission of the Amarillo EDC is to attract businesses to Amarillo which offer highly skilled, highly-paid positions; to expand and retain existing local businesses in Amarillo, and to foster a business environment conducive to entrepreneurship.

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) Board of Directors today formally appointed Doug Nelson as the company’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Nelson succeeds Barry Albrecht, the company’s prior President and CEO, who announced his resignation on November 6, 2018.

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation’s (AEDC) board of directors and its president and CEO, Barry Albrecht, have mutually agreed to separate so that Mr. Albrecht can spend more time with his ailing parents.

You’re only as strong as your team. And a company is only as strong as its workforce. We know businesses, cities, educators, non-profits and everyone in between is constantly looking for the right talent who will stick around and be assets for their organization. But it is tough! With low unemployment, labor participation and new generations entering the workforce, the challenges of recruiting, retaining and engaging employees can be daunting and harmful to a business.

The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (EDC) today announced the reinvestment of funding originally awarded to the Fairly Group in an agreement reached in 2017. The agreement provided Fairly Group funds to allow for the expansion of high-quality jobs at its Amarillo headquarters. In the past year, the agreement has produced $27,000 for the company.

The Metro-Amarillo economy recognized an accelerated rate of growth in 2018, surging to 2.8%. In a report, released today by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) and prepared by Mark Snead, President of RegionTrack, data describes that the reported growth rate outpaces the national average of 1.6% for the same twelve-month period.

Lloyd Brown, CEO of Integrated Advantage Group and co-founder of Smart Chemical Services, is the newest member of the Amarillo EDC’s Board of Directors. He was a member of the Amarillo JCs, president of the Amarillo Club, and currently serves on the church board at Pinnacle Community Church.