At the beginning of 2017, the Amarillo EDC committed to increasing and improving our communications. After all, Amarillo has an incredible story. We needed to do a better job of telling it – both on a local and a national level.

So how did we execute this commitment, and did it bring any tangible outcomes?

It was an honor for me to have been invited to attend the Inc. 5000 Conference in Palm Springs, CA, to represent Amarillo College and Amarillo.

It's exciting and humbling to join a team of community and business leaders from the Panhandle that is so focused on the vision of growing Amarillo and bringing companies and jobs to the Panhandle region.

This past August, Inc. Magazine released its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, highlighting the fastest-growing businesses in the nation.

Among those was Smart Chemical Services, a local business that provides chemical and operational solutions for drilling, oil field production, water, and more for the oil and gas industry.

As part of the partnership with Amarillo EDC and area community partners, Inc. Magazine has created a page on its website to highlight the entrepreneurial and growth potential of Amarillo.

Corporate and educational institutions in Amarillo,Texas, announced Friday night that they will be partnering with Inc. Magazine in a two-year campaign to highlight the city as a destination for entrepreneurs and growth-oriented companies.

The Amarillo EDC and the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center is sending eight local entrepreneurs to represent our thriving business community at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio in October. Each of the attendees has offered to contribute a blog about their experiences as an entrepreneur working in the Texas Panhandle. This is a guest post by Jacob Breeden, owner of Process Art House.

I have always been a devotee of pursuing experiences. From my earliest years and through today, I have sought out opportunities to explore life from new and challenging perspectives. It has not always led me down the best of paths, but in my failures I find I learn the more profound lessons.

The Amarillo EDC and the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center is sending eight local entrepreneurs to represent our thriving business community at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio in October. Each of the attendees has offered to contribute a blog about their experiences as an entrepreneur working in the Texas Panhandle. This is a guest post by Sammi Gallagher,‎ Project Director at ROI Online, an internet marketing agency.

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Sammi Gallagher, Project Director at ROI Online, a nationally recognized internet marketing agency right here in Amarillo, Texas. I moved from Grand Blanc, Michigan, to Texas in 2011 and my only regret is not getting here sooner!

The Amarillo EDC and the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center is sending eight local entrepreneurs to represent our thriving business community at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio in October. Each of the attendees has offered to contribute a blog about their experiences as an entrepreneur working in the Texas Panhandle. This is a guest post by Kyla Frye,‎ Marketing Communications Director - ‎West Texas A&M University Enterprise Center.

Growing up in Amarillo, there was always a stigma about staying here upon graduation or returning after college. Maybe every town goes through this, but I felt that it was said too often and continues to resonate in the minds of Amarillo’s youth.

The Amarillo EDC and the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center is sending eight local entrepreneurs to represent our thriving business community at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio in October. Each of the attendees has offered to contribute a blog about their experiences as an entrepreneur working in the Texas Panhandle. This is a guest post by Kim May, President of Nobox Creative.

The Amarillo EDC and the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center is sending eight local entrepreneurs to represent our thriving business community at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio in October. Each of the attendees has offered to contribute a blog about their experiences as an entrepreneur working in the Texas Panhandle. This is a guest post by Alejandro Magallanes, President of Spirit Solz & EasyMath App.

If I were to ask you, the reader, to describe yourself, how would you start?

Male or female? An entrepreneur or an employee? A professional? A parent? Passionate? Quiet?

Now let’s make things interesting. If I were to ask your friends to describe you, how would they start?