This week's business news includes top tank, FSBW United Way fundraising, AC Summit

Amarillo was Top 12 Finalist in 2023 Tank of the Year Contest

A water storage tank in Amarillo was among the top 12 finalists selected during the 2023 Tank of the Year competition sponsored by Tnemec Company, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance coatings. Situated in the Route 66 Historic District, this tank showcases the iconic Route 66 symbol as its logo. The tank will also appear in Tnemec’s annual water tank calendar alongside the other top finalists.

“Overall, our team at Tnemec was blown away not only by the number of entries in this year’s Tank of the Year contest but also by all of the innovative and creative designs in this year’s pool of candidate tanks,” explained Brian Cheshire, Director of the Water Tank Market. “The tanks in this year’s contest highlighted the hometown pride and overall ingenuity from many towns all across the United States and Canada.”

Other water tanks among the top 12 finalists for 2023 are in Bryan, Ohio; Artesia, New Mexico; Dunedin, Florida; Florence, South Carolina; Hugo, Oklahoma; Lake Worth Beach, Florida; Lexington, South Carolina; Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin; Tell City, Indiana; Volga, South Dakota; and Clinton, Tennessee.

Over 320 water tanks were nominated with a record of over 46,000 online “People’s Choice” votes cast this year from across the U.S. and Canada. Each year, the Tank of the Year winner is selected by a panel of water tank enthusiasts based on criteria such as artistic value, the significance of the tank to the community, and challenges encountered during the project.

“Since 2006, Tnemec has been recognizing municipalities for their aesthetic, creative, and innovative uses of our high-performance coatings on water storage tank projects,” Cheshire added. “This year’s finalists represent several different types of water tanks in various shapes and sizes, all of them impressive for one reason or another.”

This year’s winning Tank of the Year and People’s Choice award winner is in Bryan, Ohio, a tank displaying multiple 65-foot-tall Dum-Dums representing Spangler Candy Company’s most popular lollipop flavors. The Tank of the Year will be featured as the month of January in Tnemec’s 2023 water tank calendar. All finalists and nominees will be included in the following months of the calendar.

For more information on Tank of the Year and to request a 2024 Tank of the Year calendar, visit tankoftheyear.com.

FirstBank Southwest joins forces with United Way to raise funds

FirstBank Southwest (FBSW) is participating in the United Way’s Workplace Giving program. When a FBSW employee donates via payroll deduction at the “Fair Share” level, which is one hour of pay per month, they receive an Earned Time Off (ETO) day, according to a news release. For 2024, 42% of FBSW Amarillo employees pledged funds to United Way of Amarillo & Canyon, and have raised a total of $34,355.60, exceeding the goal of $30,000. This is an annual increase of $7,929.69 from 2023. As a result, FirstBank Southwest President and CEO, Andy Marshall, has generously agreed to take pies in the face – all for a good cause.

FBSW will be hosting an event at 2 p.m. Oct. 31 at the FirstBank Southwest Operations Center, 7433 Golden Pond Pl. in Amarillo. The centerpiece of the event will be the "Pie the CEO" activity, where attendees will have the opportunity to bid on the chance to pie Mr. Marshall directly in the face. The top two bidders will get the honor of delivering the pies. In addition, three others who win the raffle will also get to deliver pies.

Proceeds from the "Pie the CEO" event will directly benefit the United Way of Amarillo and Canyon, "an organization that works tirelessly to improve the lives of those in need within our local community," the release states.

"We are thrilled to partner with United Way for this unique and entertaining fundraiser," said Andy Marshall, President and CEO of FirstBank Southwest. "We believe in the power of giving back, and we're ready to go the extra mile – or take a pie or two or five to the face – to support the important work that United Way does in our community.”

For more on FBSW, visit their social pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter or visit their webpage at: www.fbsw.com.

AC’s Employer Summit to recognize outstanding workforce partners

Amarillo College, which is ranked the top College in the nation by the Aspen Institute, will host an Employer Summit to honor the contributions area businesses have made over the past year in support of work-based initiatives for AC students in the STEM, Business, Childcare, Education and Creative Arts fields.

The event will be held 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30 in the College Union Building on the Washington Street Campus. AC’s first such summit was conducted last May and focused on industries aligned with the College’s technical education programs.

Lunch will be served, attendees will be recognized, and students and faculty will describe their work-based experiences. Additionally, some area business leaders will participate in the summit’s panel discussion about trends in industry and what abilities and attributes employers deem most appealing in entry-level applicants.

“Our local business community and the members of our Business and Leadership Councils have been indispensable partners in our mission to prepare our students for success in an ever-evolving workforce,” Ryan Francis, AC’s Perkins Activity Coordinator, said. “Our Employer Summit serves as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional contributions of our esteemed workforce partners, as well as facilitate meaningful conversations to help shape the future of our education and industry collaborations.”

Golden Spread Electric Cooperative and others sponsor 2023 WISE Conference

Registration is now open for the 2023 WISE (Women in Science Endeavors) Conference to be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at AmTech Career Academy in Amarillo.

WISE is a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) conference hosted each year for girls in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades, and includes hands-on activities led by female presenters in STEM fields. WISE is dedicated to encouraging middle school girls to pursue math and science-related careers.

Golden Spread Electric Cooperative has been an active supporter of WISE since 2010. This involvement demonstrates the Cooperative’s “Concern for Community,” one of The Seven Cooperative Principles that guide Golden Spread.

“Encouraging STEM in early education plays a key role in the enthusiasm and pursuit of STEM fields,” said Kari Hollandsworth, Golden Spread CEO and WISE Committee Treasurer. “The WISE Conference is a great way to foster that enthusiasm, and Golden Spread is proud to be a sponsor.”

Once called “Expanding Your Horizons,” WISE has been around since 1989 with one goal – to positively impact the career choice of middle school girls by engaging them with fun, STEM-related activities.

“The theme for this year’s conference is ‘STEM Rocks’ with a shirt design that will remind you of the 90s,” said Stacy Sanning, P.E., Golden Spread Corporate Strategy Manager and WISE committee chair. “This program is one of a kind and has been successful due to STEM professionals, student volunteers, community support and a great planning committee.”

The conference is organized and supported by Xcel Energy, Bell Textron, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, Amarillo Independent School District, West Texas A&M University School of Engineering and Computer Science and Mathematics, AmTech Career Academy, Altura Engineering and Design, GROW – Women in Non-Traditional Roles Positive Effect, Pantex and Phillips 66.

The registration deadline for the 2023 WISE conference was Oct. 27. Conference registration is $15 (non refundable) per participant, which includes a light breakfast, three STEM activities/sessions, lunch, a t-shirt and a souvenir bag.

For questions about scholarships or registration, call 806-318-8426 or email wiseamarillo@gmail.com. Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, Inc., is a consumer-owned public utility organized in 1984 to provide electric service for rural distribution cooperative Members located in the Panhandle, South Plains and Edwards Plateau regions of Texas, the Panhandle of Oklahoma, Southwest Kansas and Southeast Colorado. Golden Spread is headquartered in Amarillo and delivers competitive energy solutions to its 16 Member Cooperatives through wind and solar resources and state-of-the-art power plants in Texas near Abernathy and Denver City.

Unity In The Community festival seeking sponsorships

This year's 5th annual Unity In The Community, a two-day festival at Hodgetown, is scheduled for Nov. 10-11.

"We want to get a head start in offering you the opportunity to partner with us as we expect to double in attendance and host a major headline Christian artist!" the announcement notes. "Unity In The Community is a great opportunity to make business connects with the great people of Amarillo while tearing down walls of division and building up a sense of family and love! Please contact Josh at (806) 690-8532 or Javier at (806) 477-9771 if interested in serving, donating or just being a part! God bless Amarillo!"

Companies contributing will be included on their banner and T-shirt as well as a shout out at the event, or "come set up a booth and bring your merch or products."

Sponsorships include bronze level for $500, silver for $1000, gold for $1500 and diamond for $2,500 or more. All proceeds after event costs are covered will be going to the Bethesda Outreach Center and Wesley Community Center.

Texas Corn Producers Board to hold biennial elections and referendum; voting opens Nov. 1

LUBBOCK – The Texas Corn Producers Board will hold elections in three of its five voting regions to elect five board members where current members' seats are expiring. Additionally, TCPB is holding a statewide referendum on its checkoff amounts. The TCPB referendum and its elections conducted by voting regions will be held from Nov. 1 until Nov. 15, 2023.

There are two seats open for election in Voting Region One, which consists of Carson, Dallam, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Roberts, Sherman and Wheeler counties.

There are two seats open for election in Voting Region Three and one seat open for election in Voting Region Four.

Voters will be voting for qualified candidates who have sought nomination within the respective TCPB voting regions where elections are to occur. In Voting Region One, Mark Howard of Hartley County and Austin Sage of Dallam County have been nominated for the two available seats. The nominees for the two Voting Region Three seats are Todd Kimbrell of Hill County and Aaron Martinka of Milam County. The Voting Region Four seat nominee is Milton Charles Ring, Jr. of San Patricio County. Voters may also vote for board members by "writing in" the name of any eligible persons.

TCPB is also conducting a referendum on statewide increased checkoff amounts for corn and silage in conjunction with the biennial election. Eligible voters across the state will decide to increase the assessment to $0.148 per ton of silage and $0.02 per bushel of corn, which is produced and sold in Texas, would be collected and submitted to TCPB, effective June 1, 2024.

Corn producers eligible to vote in the referendum are any persons in the state engaged in the business of producing corn or causing corn to be produced for commercial purposes, including the owner of a farm on which corn is produced and the owner’s tenant or sharecropper. To vote in director elections, eligible corn producers must reside within a county located in the voting region they wish to vote.

The elections and referendum will be held by mail ballot. Election and referendum ballots containing the director nominations of all persons who have validly filed will be available Nov. 1, 2023, at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices or by writing TCPB.

For a ballot to be valid, it must be mailed to the TCPB, 4205 N. Interstate 27, Lubbock, Texas 79403, with a postmark date of no later than Nov. 15, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area business news and developments for Oct. 29, 2023