Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Jenny Inzerillo, HPPR music director and host of High Plains Morning, weekdays from 9am to noon. Jenny arrived here from Chicago and St. Louis, which brings her a unique perspective as a former outsider who has become a passionate insider. With host Jason Boyett, she talks about public radio, the local music scene, and why the Texas Panhandle has gotten under her skin. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative (skpcreative.com) and Cara Hendricks/Edward Jones (806-358-8346). 

A conversation with Koben Puckett, a local cowboy and Canyon resident who suffered a spinal cord injury while competing in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. The 2008 injury left him a quadriplegic. Now he's a paraplegic and making enormous strides in his recovery. With host Jason Boyett, Koben discusses his career, stem-cell therapy and the invitational bull-riding event bearing his name. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and Six Car. Grab BeerFest tickets at bit.ly/amarillobeerfest.

A conversation with Rachael Edwards (rachaeledwardswithpaint.com), a longtime Amarillo artist known for a diverse body of work, including her annual Back Alley Gallery shows and the enormous mural at Six Car Pub & Brewery. With host Jason Boyett, Rachel describes her upbringing as the daughter of two jazz musicians, how she has built an art career in a constantly shifting world, and how the idea for her next Back Alley Gallery (June 29) came about. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty (wieckrealty.com

A conversation with Jeff Wyrick, a production planner at Caviness Beef Packers and the founder of Shakehands Pong, a local table tennis circuit with an incredible story. With host Jason Boyett, Jeff discusses his wide-ranging career—which has included two stints at Hastings—as well as the Shakehands origin story and the importance of creating community among adults. This episode is sponsored by Dr. Eddy Sauer (shemendental.com), SKP Creative (skpcreative.com) and Sidecar Photo Booth (sidecarphotobooth.c

A conversation with Maria Garcia, program director for Uniting Parents, a Coalition of Health Services (cohs.net) program for parents of children with disabilities. Maria is the daughter of first-generation migrant workers and was the first of her family to attend college. With host Jason Boyett, she discusses her upbringing and why it's so important to connect parents in the special needs community. This episode is sponsored by Cara Hendricks/Edward Jones (806-358-8346), Jimmy John's and the Mani-Camper.

A conversation with Justin Howe, a local entrepreneur and the owner of Texas Tea in Amarillo. After the success of this iced tea concept, Howe has turned Texas Tea into a franchise model called HTeaO (hteao.com), with locations from Texas to Florida. With host Jason Boyett, he details his entrepreneurial journey from aviation to construction to tea, and how Amarillo's community DNA became an integral part of his business model. This episode is sponsored by the WT Enterprise Center (wtenterprisecenter.com

A conversation with Ryan Parnell, director of the 24 Hours in the Canyon Cancer Survivorship Center (24survivorship.org), which offers free programs and services for adults during and after cancer treatment. The center began with the nationally recognized 24 Hours in the Canyon event (24hoursinthecanyon.org). With Jason Boyett, Ryan explains the origins of 24 Hours and the vital role the center plays in the Panhandle. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty, Six Car Pub & Brewery, and Sidecar Photo Boot

A conversation with Lisa Blake, Executive Director of Leadership Amarillo & Canyon (leadershipamarillo.org). Lisa took the helm of this nonprofit leadership development program several years ago. Then in 2016, she spent a year as a member of Amarillo's City Council. With host Jason Boyett, Lisa reveals the challenges of city government and what her behind-the-scenes access has taught her about Amarillo. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, Dr. Eddy Sauer of Shemen Dental and Sidecar Photo Booth. 

A conversation with Hayden Pedigo in front of a live audience. Hayden is an experimental guitarist who ran for City Council this most recent election cycle. He got younger citizens interested in local politics and gained plenty of outside attention in the process. With host Jason Boyett, Hayden explains the absurdist origins of his campaign and how it quickly became serious, then reveals what's coming next for him. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and Sidecar Photo Booth (sidecarphotobooth.co). 

A conversation with Doshon Johnson, who founded a nonprofit working to build new apartment homes in the North Heights—the first new development in that community in decades. With host Jason Boyett, Doshon talks about growing up in poverty and how a stint in prison changed his life. Today Doshon strives to bring change and growth to one of the city's most historic and neglected neighborhoods. This episode is sponsored by Cara Hendricks/Edward Jones (806-358-8346). Get live show tickets at bit.ly/heylive.

A conversation with Katrena (Kat) Volden, head coach of the Bomb City Bombshells, Amarillo's local roller derby team. When she's not competing, she works with kids with special needs. With host Jason Boyett, Kat talks about roller derby's history in Amarillo, dispels misconceptions about this full-contact sport, and shares how her childhood at the local skating rinks turned into a grown-up passion. This episode is sponsored by Six Car Pub & Brewery. Get May 10th live show tickets at bitly.com/heylive.

A conversation with Salad Dualle, a former medical doctor in Somalia and now the owner of a local trucking company based in Amarillo. Salad came to the United States several years ago to find opportunity and escape threats on his life from jihadist group Al-Shabaab. He speaks to host Jason Boyett about the immigrant experience in Amarillo, detailing how West Texas and Somalia are similar and why Salad chose to raise his family here. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty (wieckrealty.com).

A conversation with Danny Melius of Nuke City Veg (nuke-cityveg.com), a multi-location commercial farm operating in the Amarillo city limits. A former Hastings programmer, Danny transitioned from IT to urban farming after the retail chain shut down in 2016. Danny tells host Jason Boyett about his punk background, forced career reinvention, and unique ongoing partnership with Square Mile Community Development (square-mile.org) in San Jacinto. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's (jimmyjohns.com).

A conversation with Deanna Hurt, the creative entrepreneur behind The Ruffled Cup (theruffledcup.com). Deanna moved to this area to attend WTAMU, then launched the city's first cupcake-only bakery in 2010. With host Jason Boyett, she tells how she got started, explains how Amarillo customers are different from Lubbock customers, and introduces a new venture: Biscuits. This episode is sponsored by Cara Hendricks/Edward Jones (806-358-8346) and SKP Creative (skpcreative.com).

A conversation with Roman Leal, who is the owner and founder of Evocation Coffee (evocationcoffee.com) with his wife, Amy. The couple created their business when they were teenagers and have built it into a thriving enterprise—and now they're stepping away. With host Jason Boyett, Roman tells the Evocation story and reveals what's next for him personally and for the business. This episode is sponsored by WT Enterprise Center (wtenterprisecenter.com). Support the podcast via Patreon.com/heyamarillo.