business images high ground of texas: 2008-09

Keeping Meat on the TableCattle and hog production remains prime here

Lining Up for Juice Transmission firms scramble to deliver even more power

Cattle and hog production remains prime here

Hello, High TechWelcome mat rolls out to attract entrepreneurs

BUSINESSTM

SPONSORED BY THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS | 2008-09

OF THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS

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OF THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS

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On the Cover PHOTO BY BRIAN McCORD

Amarillo National Bank Plaza II

OVERVIEW 15

BUSINESS ALMANAC 19

BUSINESS CLIMATE

No End in Sight 24The boom continues for the oil and agriculture industries across the region.

Heyday for The High Ground 27

TRANSPORTATION

Pathways to Progress 28Infrastructure improvements enhance businesses’ accessibility to rural areas.

Connecting the Hot Spots 31

EDUCATION

Catering to the Business Community 32Higher education is attuned to the needs of business in The High Ground.

High Ground Major Colleges and Universities 34

On the Fast Track to Careers 35

Foundation of Knowledge 35

HEALTH

Searching for Solutions 36Texas Tech’s researchers seek to ensure continual improvements to health care.

Big Spring Opens BigHearts to Veterans 39

Small-Town Comfort, Big-City Amenities 41

QUALITY OF LIFE

The Canyon, Sand Dunes and More 52Nature has been kind to The High Ground, providing scenic destinations from mild to wild.

Historic Theaters Stage a Comeback 55

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H I G H G R O U N D I M A G E S H I G H G R O U N D . C O M 5

BUSINESS

contents

FIND YOUR FUTURE BUSINESS LOCATION.

Give us a call or send us an e-mail!

Pampa Economic Development Corporation(806) 665-0800 • [email protected]

Y

AT THE CENTER OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

Pampa, future wind

capital of the world

Texas Sized Business Opportunities:

Wind, gas and coal power

Diversified agriculture Dairies/feed lots Swine genetics

Oil, gas and chemicalproduction

Support manufacturing

Quality of life

Rail and interstate access

Clean air and water

Great recreation

Creative incentives

This magazine is printed entirely or in part on recycled paper containing 10% post-consumer waste.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE

ENERGY

Towering Achievements 56When it comes to satisfying the nation’s energy appetite, the answer may be blowin’ in the wind.

Lining Up for Juice 59

Help Wanted 60

Powering Up with Natural Gas, Coal 61

TECHNOLOGY

Hello, High Tech 62Technological advances are redefi ning The High Ground, where entrepreneurs fi nd fertile soil.

MANUFACTURING

Making It in Business 64The region boasts a burgeoning, diverse manufacturing sector.

Vacuums to Pet Food 65

AGRICULTURE

Land of Cotton 66Peanuts, wheat and other crops also

thrive in this semiarid region.

BEEF & PORK INDUSTRIES

Keeping Meat on the Table 70The High Ground of Texas can certainly “steak”

much of its reputation on the cattle industry.

DAIRY INDUSTRY

Plenty of Milk and Cheese 72New dairies and more cows mean ancillary businesses also are fl ourishing.

Texas Twang Meets European Accents 75

PORTFOLIO 43

PHOTO ESSAY 47

ECONOMIC PROFILE 77

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: BIG SPRING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.

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BUSINESS

OF THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS2008-09 EDITION, VOLUME 3

C U S TO M M A G A Z I N E M E D I A

MANAGING EDITOR MAURICE FLIESS

COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS

ASSOCIATE EDITORS LISA BATTLES, SARAH B. GILLIAM

ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER MATT BIGELOW

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT JESSY YANCEY

STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SHARON H. FITZGERALD,

LEANNE LIBBY, JOE MORRIS, JESSICA MOZO, GARY

PERILLOUX, AMY STUMPFL

DATABASE PROJECT MANAGER YANCEY TURTURICE

DATA MANAGER RANETTA SMITH

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER CHARLES FITZGIBBON

INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER COLIN WRIGHT

SALES SUPPORT MANAGER SARA SARTIN

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN MCCORD

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF ADKINS,

TODD BENNETT, ANTONY BOSHIER, IAN CURCIO,

J. KYLE KEENER, JESSE KNISH

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ANNE WHITLOW

CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN

PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER

PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGERS MELISSA HOOVER, KATIE MIDDENDORF, JILL WYATT

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER,

KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLIAMS

GRAPHIC DESIGN JESSICA BRAGONIER,

ERICA HINES, ALISON HUNTER, JANINE MARYLAND,

AMY NELSON, MARCUS SNYDER, CANDICE SWEET

WEB PROJECT MANAGERS ANDY HARTLEY, YAMEL RUIZ

WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULZ

COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN TWILA ALLEN

AD TRAFFIC MARCIA BANASIK, SARAH MILLER,

PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY

CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN

SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER

SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN

SR. V.P./OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER

V.P./SALES HERB HARPER

V.P./SALES TODD POTTER

V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER

V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART

V.P/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TEREE CARUTHERS

MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS BILL McMEEKIN

MANAGING EDITOR/COMMUNITY KIM MADLOM

MANAGING EDITOR/CUSTOM KIM NEWSOM

MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL SUSAN CHAPPELL

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO

CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY

ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY,

RICHIE FITZPATRICK, DIANA GUZMAN,

MARIA MCFARLAND, LISA OWENS

RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP

COMMUNITY PROMOTION DIRECTOR CINDY COMPERRY

DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH

IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR MATT LOCKE

IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE

SALES/MARKETING COORDINATOR RACHEL MATHEIS

SALES COORDINATOR JENNIFER ALEXANDER

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/SALES SUPPORT KRISTY DUNCAN

OFFICE MANAGER SHELLY GRISSOM

RECEPTIONIST LINDA BISHOP

Business Images of The High Ground of Texas is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through The High Ground of Texas. For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at [email protected].

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:The High Ground of Texas401 N. 3rd St., Suite 4 • P.O. Box 716 • Stratford, TX 79084Phone: (806) 366-7510 • Fax: (806) 366-7511E-mail: [email protected]

VISIT BUSINESS IMAGES OF THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS ONLINE AT IMAGESHIGHGROUND.COM

©Copyright 2008 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

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10 I M A G E S H I G H G R O U N D . C O M H I G H G R O U N D

Borger’s About Business!

From the discovery of oil and its Boomtown beginning in the early 1920’s right up to today, Borger has always been a good place to

live and do business. If you are considering relocating your business, take a look at Borger. You’ll find a business-friendly

environment and a relaxing, slow-paced way of life, removed from the hectic lifestyle of the city, but close to city shopping

and entertainment when you want to get away.

You’ll also discover:

• A great place to raise your family, with high-quality public education, professional medical facilities as well as Frank Phillips College, an accredited

Texas State Junior College

• A diverse economy that includes oil production and refining, agriculture and manufacturing

• Generous incentive packages and financial assistance for new and relocating businesses

• Excellent transportation infrastructure,

with nearby rail and interstate access

• Abundant land and skilled labor

• 45 minutes from Amarillo International Airport

• Low real estate costs

Borger has always been about blue skies, wide open spaces, oil wells and cowboys, but Borger IS About Business!

Two Recent Success Stories

Look at Borger and look no further!

For more information, cal l , write or have a look at our website : www.borger.com

“I moved my business here from California. I found much lower taxes, less stringent regulatory control, inexpensive

real estate and a city government that has really worked with me to help my business go. When I combine

my greatly improved margin with the laid back lifestyle and lowered blood pressure, making

the decision to move here was easy.”

Mike KegleyPresident, Morgan Metal Finishing

300 West Sixth Street • P.O. Box 1157Borger, Texas 79008-1157

TEL 806 • 677 • 1704FAX 806 • 677 • 1705

“My business is in Bridgeport, Texas. I needed another location to expand production and be closer to my

customers. The Borger Economic Development Corporation provided a location that fi t my

requirements and my budget perfectly. This location was exactly what I was looking for.

The BEDC made it happen for me ”

Madison ScottOwner, Sglass

Aviation metal fi nishing

Fiberglass manufacturing

Dan Redd, CEO

Looking for ways to save money on gas and help the environment? The EPA

wants to share some smart driving tips that could give you more miles per

gallon of gas and reduce air pollution. Tips like making sure your tires are

properly infl ated and replacing your air fi lter regularly. And where possible,

accelerate and brake slowly. Be aware of your speed ... did you know that

for every 5 miles you go over 65 mph, you’re spending about 20 cents more

per gallon of gas? If you’re shopping for a new car, choose the cleanest, most

effi cient vehicle that meets your needs. If we each adopt just one of these tips,

we’d get more miles for our money and it would be a little easier to smell the

fl owers. For more tips and to compare cleaner, more effi cient vehicles, visit

www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.

Save Money. Smell the Flowers.

LIVE LINKSHot links allow users to quickly link to other sites

for additional information, and an ad index allows you to easily locate local advertisers in the magazine.

SEARCH AND YOU SHALL FINDAn easy-to-use search function allows you to fi nd specifi c articles or browse content by subject.

A VIRTUAL TOOLBELTTools allow you to customize the look and function of the magazine on your desktop as well as print individual pages or save the magazine for offl ine reading.

MORE OF THE SAMEAnd that’s a good thing. Inside, you’ll fi nd the same award-winning photography and compelling content as in the printed magazine.

SHARE WITH A FRIENDE-mail individual stories using the pop-up text window.

Virtual Magazine

Turn the pages of our



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EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AWAITHigh Ground pursues target industries

From the Panhandle region in the north through

the South Plains and on down to the Permian

Basin, The High Ground of Texas offers exceptional

business opportunities and an outstanding quality

of life.

In all, the three sections span more than 60

counties and contain a population of 1.2 million

people, including a workforce of about 550,000.

Promoting economic growth in this region,

where elevations typically exceed 3,000 feet, is

The High Ground of Texas, a nonprofit marketing

organization that in 2008 is celebrating 20 years

of service. Its members include economic

development corporations, cities, counties,

chambers of commerce, cooperatives, educational

institutions, industry associations, utilities and

workforce organizations.

Municipalities of all sizes are aggressive and

actively involved in the pursuit of economic growth.

Target industries include alternative energy, beef

processing, biotechnology, dairy, distribution, food

processing, manufacturing and value-added

agricultural products.

For more information, contact:

The High Ground of Texas401 N. 3rd St., Suite 4P.O. Box 716Stratford, TX 79084(806) 366-7510Fax: (806) 366-7511E-mail: [email protected]

The High Ground of Texas


overview

Litt lefi eld Economic Development Corporation(806) 385-1573 • www.litt lefi eldtexas.org

“We maintain our corporate offi ces

in Litt lefi eld, Texas because of the

good life we enjoy in a small town with

a unique spirit and pride in tradition.”

– Roger Lowe, Sr., owner

Litt lefield ... where BIG things happen.

Quality education: Pre-K through college

Low tax rate, zero bonded indebtedness

Most important assets: Students, teachers & parents

75-bed general acute care hospital

Rural health clinic staff ed by fi ve family practice physicians

24-hour physician-staff ed ER

Business big & small thrives in Litt lefi eld

Business management coaching through the Sirolli Institute

Resources & incentives match your business needs

Lamb County Agricultural Statistics

2007 estimated agricultural income: $338 million, including cott on, corn, wheat & other crop products

2007 estimated milk income: $42 million+

2007 estimated feed beef income: $68 million+

Access to major transportation corridors

Centrally located for rail shipping

Access to major medical facilities just 30 minutes away

Two major highways intersect Litt lefi eld

1. Strategic LocationFrom the East Coast to the West Coast, from

Mexico to California, The High Ground region is

in the middle of the action. We’ve got a superior

transportation infrastructure – everything except a

port – that will take care of your distribution needs.

2. Quality of LifeWhether you enjoy the amenities of city life or

the tranquility of rural living, The High Ground

has everything that makes an excellent standard

of living: outstanding educational institutions,

top-notch medical facilities, retail stores, affordable

housing, recreational opportunities and friendly

neighbors. Museums, symphonies, children’s art

programs, sports events and live theater can be

found in the smallest of cities to the metro areas.

3. Lower Costs Enjoy all of the services needed to make your

business a success, without the high costs. Want

a cost comparison? It’s yours for the asking.

4. Excellent Work EthicThe folks in The High Ground take pride in their work

– just ask employers like Affiliated Foods, American

Cotton Growers, Anon Refinery, Bell Helicopter,

Coca-Cola, Owens Corning, Western Builders and

many others. Whether in need of skilled or unskilled

workers, you can count on a labor pool that

appreciates putting in a good day’s work.

5. High Educational Standards From kindergarten to doctoral programs,

educational opportunities in The High Ground are

limitless. High-school-to-work and high-school-to-

college programs enhance students’ career

prospects. Sixteen colleges and universities

provide a tremendous array of educational choices

for young people and adults alike.

6. Diverse EconomyThe High Ground may be known for its beautiful

rolling plains and panoramic vistas, but the region

is home to a diverse economy with components

that include agriculture, alternative energy,

aviation, corporate headquarters, distribution

centers, food processing, manufacturing,

petroleum, refineries and much, much more.

7. Favorable Business ClimateThe region’s economic development corporations,

chambers of commerce, cities, counties, trade

associations and utility companies all stand ready

to help you expand your business and be

successful here.

8. CollaborationA long-standing code of conduct in The High

Ground is: Help your neighbor. The attitude of

“What’s good for one is good for all” continues to

breed successful ventures. When you choose to do

business and/or live in a High Ground city, expect a

“package deal” – a friendly region that will support

your needs.

9. Boundless SpiritInfused with what is sometimes called “pioneer

spirit,” we are independent folks who know how

to get things done. We like our sunsets and

our horses grazing on a beautiful afternoon,

but our region is at the forefront of technology,

and our businesses are highly competitive in the

global marketplace.

10. Opportunity If there is one word to define what The High

Ground is all about, it is opportunity – opportunitity

as far as the eye can see. Everything you need in a

location is found in The High Ground. It’s what we

call “A 51st State of Mind.”

TOP 10 REASONS TO DO BUSINESS IN THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS

The cowboy, such as this sculpture at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, remains a durable symbol here.

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overview

Workforce Solutions Permian Basin is here to meet employer needs.

• Customized recruitment• Employer/employee workshops• Computerized job training• Outplacement services• Task analysis & job restructuring• On-the-job training• Existing worker training

• Skills development fund• Local/statewide labor market info• Occupational wage figures• Tax incentives• Customized training• Many more services

Regardless of your business needs, Workforce Solutions Permian Basin is here for you.

P.O. Box 61947 • 2911 LaForce Blvd.Midland, TX 79711-1947(432) 563-5239 • (877) 563-2580Fax: (432) 561-8785 • www.workforcepb.org

Your business is our business.

GO, BUFFS, GONow that’s a big buffalo.

A monumental sculpture of a buffalo and calf

called The Original Texans is part of a new

pedestrian mall at West Texas A&M University

in Canyon.

Sculptor Doug Scott of Taos, N.M., created the

impressive statue – 4 feet wide, 8 feet high and

12 feet long – from a brown marble slab. It was

unveiled during the 2006 homecoming at West

Texas A&M, where the sports teams are known

as the Buffaloes.

Speaking of art, Georgia O’Keeffe was once

a faculty member at the school.

MOUNTING SUCCESSSaddle up and head over to Amarillo, a place that knows

about quarter horses and cutting horses.

The city is home to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. The spacious building

reopened in 2007 after extensive renovations.

In February 2008, Amarillo served as the host city for the National Cutting Horse Association

World Finals.

WELD DONEIt is math, English, history and acetylene torches

for some students at Tulia High School in

Swisher County.

A metal arts program trains potential welders,

and many of its students have fared well in

welding contests.

In class, students make such things as stock

trailers, outdoor grills and truck beds.

Graduates are heavily recruited because

welders are in great demand these days in

a variety of industries.


business almanac


Food for ThoughtOutstanding Health Care Systems Ochiltree General Hospital and Clinic: Trauma Four Rating; Fabulous State-of-the-Art Assisted Living CenterExceptional Education OpportunitiesGreat Schools plus a New College: Frank Phillips College, Allen Campus Low Crime RateAffordable Cost of LivingWide Open SpacesRegional Trade Center Super Retail and Service Related Businesses – We’re Loaded Strategically LocatedCentral North American Energy Corridor – U.S. Highway 83 (Perryton is Located Halfway between Canada and Mexico – The Only U.S. Highway that Connects Canada to Mexico – It’s a Straight Shot).

Central North American Trade and

Energy Corridor

PERRYTON, TEXAS

P.O. Box 849Perryton, TX 79070(806) 435-4014www.perrytoncdc.com

HOMES ON THE RANGEHere’s something you can’t see anywhere else

in the 21st century.

Forty-seven historic structures plucked from

ranches and settlements across Texas form the

basis of the National Ranching Heritage Center

in Lubbock. They include houses

of many styles and materials, a one-room

school, smokehouse, blacksmith shop,

bunkhouse, commissary, stable, barn and train

depot – plus windmills, corrals and shipping

pens – from the 1780s through the 1930s.

ONE STANDS TALL, ONE LEANSBe sure to keep at least one eye on the road when driving on Interstate 40 past Groom,east of Amarillo. The city boasts two vertical landmarks that never cease to amaze.

Rising from a farm field is the second-tallest cross in the Western Hemisphere. Erected in 1995, it stands 19 stories tall. About 100 welders in Pampa fabricated the white cross in sections; they were then trucked to Groom for assembly on site. The structure, sponsored by Cross Ministries, is visible from a distance of up to 40 miles.

Nearby is the leaning water tower, built that way as a tourist attraction at what was once a truck stop.

WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?No, it’s not Zorro.

The Texas Tech University Masked Rider is a

student dressed entirely in black – mask, shirt,

trousers, cape and bolero hat – who sits astride

a black quarter horse. He leads the Red Raiders

football team onto the field before each home

game in Lubbock as well as most away games.

Texas Tech calls the Masked Rider perhaps

the most recognizable collegiate mascot

in the country. The galloping tradition dates

back to the 1954 Gator Bowl when the Red

Raiders played Auburn.

SEE VIDEO ONLINETravel back in time by visiting the grounds

of the National Ranching Heritage Center.


business almanac

Explore its stunning landscapes, cultural offerings, food and fun.

See its downtowns, neighborhoods, parks and attractions.

Experience the history, hotspots and local happenings.

Now Showing in our Video Gallery

Sit back and enjoy a preview of High Ground amenities.

The High Ground is rated L for Livability.


REEL WORLD LOCATIONSMove over, Hollywood.

The High Ground has had its share of bright lights, with scenes

from several motion pictures filmed in the region. The list includes

Leap of Faith starring Steve Martin, Hud with Paul Newman and

Castaway featuring Tom Hanks.

In addition, Caroline Frick, founder of the Texas Archive of the

Moving Image, says many movies were filmed in West Texas

from the 1930s to the 1950s. Perhaps more than 50 low-budget,

25-minute, black-and-white films featured local folks depicting

life in rural West Texas. The movies were produced by

independent filmmaker Melton Barker, and Frick is seeking

to add some of them to the archive’s collection.

CALLING ALL DRUIDSIs this England or West Texas?

Monolith Place on the campus of the University

of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa

features a replica of Stonehenge. It was

constructed in 2004 of locally quarried

limestone slabs weighing 10 tons each.

The imposing monument is the width

of the original but only 70 percent as high.

TexaStone of Garden City donated the stones. LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONTwo presidents named George slept here.

George H.W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush,

lived and worked in the Midland/Odessa area.

Homes that the two presidents occupied are

still standing.

The restored George H.W. Bush family home

currently sits on the grounds of the Presidential

Museum in Odessa. The elder Bush and his family

rented the simple structure for $75 a month from

September 1948 until April 1949, and it was moved

in 2004 to the museum on the campus of

University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

The same museum also owns a house on Golf

Course Road in Midland that was owned and

occupied by George W. and Laura Bush from 1978

until 1985. Also in Midland is the George W. Bush

Childhood Home on Ohio Avenue, where the two

future presidents and future first lady Barbara

Bush lived from 1951-55.

The homes are open to the public.

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business almanac

The boom goes on for the oil and ag industries across the region

In January 2008, the “NBC Nightly News” told the story of how “black gold,” or oil – also known as Texas

tea – is fueling the “Texas boomtown” of Andrews, which until a few years ago was in decline. But Don Teague’s report could have featured other towns in the

oil-rich Permian Basin within a couple hours’ drive of Midland/Odessa, as well as some in the Texas Panhandle.

In fact, the economy is robust up and down the expansive High Ground territory, from Amarillo and smaller communities in the Panhandle down

through the ranches and farms of the South Plains near Lubbock.

“In Andrews and the southern High Ground, the economy is hot – the oil and gas industries are going crazy, and we’re experiencing huge growth that overflows into other areas,” says Wesley Burnett, director of the Andrews Economic Development Corp. “Our housing industry is going strong, our business park is being developed and we’re experiencing capital influx in our area that other parts of the country just aren’t seeing. It’s an exciting time.”

LOOKING FOR LABORLongtimers in the region remind that

the economy hasn’t always been so dynamic. “Oil and gas is typically a boom and bust economy, and four years ago oil was only $20 a barrel or less,” Burnett says. “Now it’s up to $120 – a phenomenal increase. It makes our workforce stretched, but that’s a great problem to have.”

Andrews and other High Ground

No End

A Holiday Inn Express in Andrews is one of many new hotels being built to meet demand that has resulted from the boom in the Permian Basin oilfields.

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business climate

in Sightcommunities are working hard to recruit workers to meet demand. Andrews added 500 new residents in less than two years and is getting new schools, hotels and businesses as a result.

“We need workers, and these are good-paying jobs,” Burnett says. “You can make great money out on the oilfields.”

In Monahans, southeast of Odessa, ground will be broken later in 2008 on a new Holiday Inn Express and a Comfort Inn, and a new Best Western opened a year and a half ago. Five new buildings are under construction in the Monahans Industrial Park, and two restaurants and a truck stop are ready to open.

“We’re a hub for drilling activity, so we’ve had several drilling companies set up shop here,” says Morse Haynes, director of the Monahans Economic Development Corp. “Four oil companies have put in new branches here in the past year. There are plenty of jobs, local shops and grocery stores are as busy as

can be, and motels are staying full all nights of the week. Everybody’s saying this will continue for at least another five to eight years.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHTThe Panhandle city of Perryton,

known as the “Wheatheart of the Nation,” is experiencing similar growth, thanks to the booming agriculture industry. Local farmers raise wheat, cotton and corn. In addition, the area is home to major feedlots and a large hog operation, Texas Farm LLC, that produces up to 680,000 hogs annually.

Texas Farm is “our largest employer, and they’re very creative in their recruitment of employees,” says Sheryl Hardy, director of the Perryton Economic Development Corp. “We also have quite a few dairy individuals. Clients from Denmark and Holland have purchased land and intend to build dairies here.” (See stories, pages 70, 75.)

In 2004, Perryton completed a $1 million Main Street Enhancement

Project that included the installation of brick sidewalks, new streetlights, ornamental trees, park benches, a visitor center and improvements to 38 storefronts.

“Even though we’re a small commu-nity, we’re considered a regional trade center,” Hardy says. “We’re seeing a lot of commuters traveling to work here, and unemployment hovers around 2 percent. Anybody who wants to work is working.”

The same can be said for pretty much everywhere in The High Ground.

“I’m a born optimist,” Hardy says, “but we have such a good infrastructure of retail, service, oil and gas, and agriculture, that the future looks great.”

In his report for NBC, correspondent Teague noted that the Texas oil industry is known for “big booms and even bigger busts,” but he added that “with skyrocketing global demand, no one here expects this boom to bust anytime soon.” – Jessica Mozo


Fueled by growth in the energy and dairy industries, The High Ground’s economy is hot. Dave Quinn, director of economic development for the city of

Levelland and chairman of The High Ground organization, offers his perspective on economic trends in the region.

QWhat distinguishes The High Ground for companies thinking about relocating from

another part of the country?

AIt’s our central location and the fact that we have a lot of land available. We’re not crowded like some of the

major metropolitan areas. Right now there’s a lot of synergy for companies in energy, petroleum and renewable fuels. We take an aggressive approach to building business, and we work with companies to ensure their success.

QWhat types of businesses are a good fit for The High Ground?

AWe have lower utility rates than a lot of the areas of Texas and the country, so if you’re a big energy consumer, The

High Ground is great. Aviation, the petroleum industry, heavy manufacturing – those things that take a lot of space have good reason to come here. Biolife sciences also are well suited for our region.

QWhat kind of growth are you seeing in The High Ground due to the boom in the

oil and dairy industries?

AWe’re seeing a lot of manufacturing companies fill the need for tanks, trailers, pumps and anything else related

to the petroleum industry. We’re seeing a lot of growth from all aspects of the oil industry – production, well servicing and exploration.

As dairies have clustered here, we’re seeing more cheese and value-added agricultural products. Service companies like veterinarians and chemical suppliers are coming, too. People are finding they can locate here and not only service the dairies located in The High Ground, but they’re a day’s drive from other regions that are heavy with dairies.

QWhat attracted you and your family here?

AWe’re so passionate about living here because of the attitude of the people. We stick together. We have a

“can-do” attitude. We find ways to make things happen so we can move forward and help our communities grow.

People are able to come here and connect. We’re all looking for somewhere to belong, and when you come into Levelland or any of The High Ground communities, you can find that connection through church, service organizations or

volunteer organizations. You start to see the impact one person can have not only on your community but also on the county, the region and beyond.

QWhat are the advantages to working in The High Ground region?

AThe cost of living is lower here, and there’s something to be said about the quality of life. If I make a dollar in a

major metroplex, what’s it worth if I have to spend an hour driving to and from work? My friends call at 6:30 in the evening, and we’re finishing up dinner and heading out the door with the kids to play baseball while they’re still stuck in traffic. I can get to my kids’ school programs because I’m five minutes away and then get back to work. It’s those special moments you wouldn’t be able to have in a larger metro area.

For young professionals, there’s a lot of opportunity here to move very quickly to the next step. They can move up a lot quicker than in a metro area with tons of competition and a lot of people vying for the same job.

QHow promising does the future look for The High Ground’s economy?

AThere could not be a better time for The High Ground, from the south where you have petroleum and heavy

manufacturing to the north where you’ve got aviation, wind energy and ethanol. These industries are only going to see growth. Energy consumption is up worldwide, so there’s a lot of opportunity on the horizon for individuals and companies to come into that market. Agriculture is very important and will continue to be, with ethanol eating up a lot of the cornstalks.

From an economic standpoint, the synergy continues to build like a huge snowball that keeps turning over. Things are really good in The High Ground. – Jessica Mozo

Levelland’s Dave Quinn promotes all of The High Ground.

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Heyday for The High GroundLIKE A SNOWBALL, THE REGION’S ECONOMY GROWS AS IT ROLLS ALONG


business climate

Infrastructure improvements enhance business accessibility to rural areas

Pathways Progressto


A t Moore County Airport near Dumas, general aviation pilots prize the affordable self-

service fuel and the courtesy vehicles that cart them two miles down U.S. 87 to K-BOB’s Steakhouse.

Imagine, then, how vital the airport becomes if you work for a $90-billion-a-year oil company and frequently fly into the Texas Panhandle to monitor the progress of nearly 500 people processing 170,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

That’s a snapshot of management for San Antonio-based Valero Energy Corp., which now f lies Gulfstream jets to Amarillo, then drives an hour to the company’s McKee refinery north of Dumas. Though smaller Gulfstreams can land in Dumas, larger Gulfstream 550 and 650 aircraft like Valero’s need a bit longer take-off distance than the airport’s 5,466-foot main runway provides.

By 2010, Brandon Cox looks forward to welcoming Valero executives on the tarmac at Moore County Airport, already a permanent base for 15 planes.

“We’re going to widen and extend the main runway up to 6,000 feet or possibly longer,” says Cox, the general manager. “Valero’s a big reason why we’re doing it: They even pitched in a half-million dollars themselves for this project. It’s a good economic development tool.”

With construction scheduled to start by the end of 2008, the $6 million project will elevate the Dumas airport’s status.

“When we put a group together from the headquarters, we’ll f ly out on the corporate plane (to the McKee refinery),” Valero spokesman Bill Day says. “This runway expansion will give us more f lexibility to do that and could really increase the number of visits.”

The airport also provides a vital link to the land, with a pair of crop dusters

LUBBOCK PRESTON SMITH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Flights daily – about 60Airlines – American Eagle, Continental Express, SouthwestAnnual boardings – 565,000

MIDLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTFlights daily – about 60Airlines – American Eagle, Continental Express, Southwest, New Mexico AirlinesAnnual boardings – 474,000

RICK HUSBAND AMARILLO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Flights daily – about 60Airlines – American Eagle, Continental Express, Southwest, Great Lakes AviationAnnual boardings – 447,000

Taking flight COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE IN THE HIGH GROUND

It’s a familiar sight across The High Ground’s territory: A Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train passes in front of a grain elevator – in this case in the Panhandle.

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Connecting the Hot SpotsHIGHWAY CORRIDORS KEEP THE HIGH GROUND IN HIGH GEAR

Michael Reeves knows better than most that

neither Rome nor its roads were built in a day. His

Ports-to-Plains Trade Corridor Coalition – a decade-

old group uniting businesses, cities and chambers of

commerce – seeks a superhighway from Canada to

Mexico. A core 775 miles from Laredo to Denver via

Midland/Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo might take

two decades to build, but the advocacy is working.

“The funding for this project doubled … in the six

years after our organization was founded,” says

Reeves, president of the Lubbock-based group.

Texas has $40 million in corridor four-lane work

under construction, with an additional $275 million

earmarked for expansions and $458 million tagged

for bypasses through 2014.

A widened corridor is critical to commerce, he says.

“We’re more the agriculture and energy heartland

of the U.S., and trade is so important for us.”

Ports-to-Plains includes I-27 from Lubbock to

Amarillo, where it intersects with east-west I-40.

These interstates plus I-20 create a distribution

nexus that’s increasingly attractive to companies like

American Tire Distributors Inc. In 2007, ATD opened

an 81,000-square-foot distribution center in Amarillo,

serving 400 dealers in five states.

“When we made a decision to expand in Amarillo,

one of the key benefits [we considered was] the

frequency of our delivery to our customers,” says

Ron Sinclair, ATD’s senior vice president of marketing.

Lubbock scored a coup in 2003 with the opening of

the world’s largest fire sprinkler manufacturing and

distribution facility. Built by Tyco Fire Products LP

for about $20 million, the I-27 facility sprawls over

235,000 square feet of space.

Also in Lubbock, O’Reilly Automotive Inc. will open

a 200,000-square-foot distribution center in 2009.

“This stuff just keeps building on itself,” Reeves says.

– Gary Perilloux

serving corn, cotton and grain farms from March to the first fall freeze.

KEEPING TABS ON CATTLE, CHEESE

The same agricultural link animates Dalhart Municipal Airport, Texas’ north-ernmost aviation center about 40 miles northwest of Dumas.

While corporate aircraft from Colorado visit the JBS Swift meatpacking plant north of Dumas, officials from Minne-apolis-based Cargill Inc. f ly to Dalhart to monitor cattle feedlots.

Two agricultural spray companies f ly from Dalhart, which is home to three dozen planes, and the rise of regional dairy farms parallels a $190 million investment by California-based Hilmar Cheese. With its 2007 opening, Hilmar’s Dalhart plant began churning out more than 2 million pounds of cheese weekly.

During the plant’s development, “we

had planes that brought employees in on Monday and took them home on Friday,” says Dalhart City Manager Greg Duggan, who has overseen $13 million worth of airport improvements in the past several years. “We get quite a bit of jet traffic and cross-country traffic that stops here. We’re almost exactly in the center of the United States – and for fueling, that works out good.”

In recent years, landowners from as far as Florida, Arizona and Maryland have avoided capital gains tax liability by accumulating hundreds of thousands of Panhandle ranch acres, Duggan adds. They, too, frequent Dalhart Municipal Airport.

COMMERCIAL AIRPORTS, RAILWAYS

As for commercial airline service, air-ports in Amarillo, Lubbock and Midland offer dozens of flights daily with direct

service to such hubs as Dallas, Denver, Houston and Las Vegas for 1.5 million outbound passengers a year.

Rounding out off-road assets in The High Ground, Permian Basin Railways completed a $4 million track upgrade from Lubbock to Levelland in 2008 to allow freight shipments to a new ethanol plant in Levelland. Permian Basin owns the wedge-shaped, 107-mile West Texas & Lubbock Railway that fans out from Lubbock to New Mexico on upper and lower legs. It also operates the 104-mile Texas-New Mexico Railroad from Monahans west of Odessa to Lovington, N.M.

The short-line railroads connect to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, giving them access and the potential in today’s energy boom to double their business regionally by 2010, says Ed Ellis, president of parent company Iowa Pacific Holdings. – Gary Perilloux

A network of interstate highways and other arterial roads have created a distribution nexus that companies appreciate.

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Large and small campuses prepare students for demands of the workplace

Businessto the

Community

Left: Amarillo College offers training tailored for employers. PHOTO BY BRIAN McCORD Right: In addition to its campus in Canyon (pictured), West Texas A&M University will be offering classes at its new Center in Amarillo in the 2008-09 academic year. J

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H igher education is attuned to the needs of business in The High Ground.

Sixteen colleges and universities in the region offer everything from certif icate programs for specif ic industries to graduate-school degrees.

The largest public universities – Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin – continue to enroll record or near-record numbers of students, about 28,000, 7,500 and 3,500, respectively. Smaller campuses are booming as well, both in terms of serving as feeder institutions to the larger schools and also for their degree and certificate programs.

West Texas A&M in Canyon is in the process of opening the Center in Amarillo, its first presence in the city since the early 1960s.

“Half of our students and workforce come from there, so beginning in fall 2008 we’ll be offering some courses in that market,” says Joe Wyatt, media

relations specialist, with the initial course offerings limited to the upper-level business curriculum.

“What we’re looking at is work that’s closely associated with a master’s degree in business, or an M.B.A.,” Wyatt says. “Amarillo College is already there, and what we’re doing won’t be cutting into their offerings. We hope to eventually create a partnership to increase both our enrollments.”

TAILORED FOR EMPLOYERS’ NEEDS

There’s plenty happening at Amarillo College, too. The college offers multiple education and training programs that can be tailored to be as broad or narrow as the employer requires, says Damaris Schlong, dean of workforce & economic development.

“Our programs reinforce the fact that we are the community’s college,” Schlong says. “Our employers have real needs, and Amarillo College does everything possible to listen and


education

Texas Tech University’s main campus in Lubbock occupies more than 1,800 acres. With about 28,000 students, TTU is the region’s largest center of higher education.

Amarillo College (other campuses

in Hereford, Dumas); www.actx.edu

Clarendon College (other campuses in

Pampa, Childress); www.clarendoncollege.edu

Frank Phillips College (Borger; other campus

in Perryton); www.fpctx.edu

Howard College (Big Spring;

other campuses in Lamesa, San Angelo);

www.howardcollege.edu

Lubbock Christian University; www.lcu.edu

Midland College; www.midland.edu

Odessa College; www.odessa.edu

South Plains College

(Levelland; other campuses in Lubbock, Reese,

Plainview); www.southplainscollege.edu

Texas State Technical College (Sweetwater);

www.westtexas.tstc.edu

Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy

(Amarillo); www.ttuhsc.edu/sop

Texas Tech University (Lubbock); www.ttu.edu

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

(Lubbock; other campuses in Amarillo, El Paso,

Permian Basin); www.ttuhsc.edu

University of Texas of the Permian Basin

(Odessa); www.utpb.edu

Wayland Baptist University (Plainview; other

campuses in Amarillo, Lubbock); www.wbu.edu

West Texas A&M University (Canyon);

www.wtamu.edu

Western Texas College (Snyder); www.wtc.edu

High Ground Major Colleges and Universities

respond to their needs.”Advisory and planning committees

keep the campus rooted in the business community, she adds, furthering coop-eration at all levels.

“We try very hard to get employers to help us get the new programs off the ground with in-kind support,” Schlong says. “We try to focus on sustainability rather than a program that will die with the next north wind, but we cannot be shy about taking a calculated risk. If we don’t, someone else will.”

FROM PILOTS TO WELDERS Another example is Midland College’s

pilot training program. “We had a partnership where we handled the ground training and someone else handled the pilot training, and that fell apart in 2004,” says Curt Pervier, dean of technical studies at Midland. “We had had our aviation maintenance program since the early 1990s. Eventually the whole [pilot training program] came back to us.”

The college initially leased aircraft and later purchased six planes to build

its own fleet. Midland’s graduates feed into Mesa Airlines’ staffing program, beginning as co-pilots.

“We’ve had pretty steady growth in all the aviation programs, and we’re looking to expand,” Pervier says. “Now we’re looking at avionics, so we may purchase a f light simulator to do some additional, top-off training here. If we do that, we’d look into feeding our graduates into another couple of airlines.”

At Frank Phillips College in Borger, the Warren Chisum Welding and Safety Center is set to open in summer 2009. The 15,000-square-foot facility will feature classroom and lab space for a number of welding and welding-tech programs, says Dr. Herb Swender, president.

“We’ll be offering pipeline welding, production welding, welding fabrication and assembly, and using all of the various steels and aluminums that are used on sites in the area,” he says. “People around here are bringing in welders from out of state, even from overseas. Less than six years ago we had single-digit participation in our program, and now we’re running 160, 170 students every week. There’s a huge demand for this, and there’s a lot of gratitude to the college for stepping up and doing it.”

– Joe Morris

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education

On the Fast Track to CareersSCHOOL DISTRICTS OFFER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AN ARRAY OF PRACTICAL COURSES

Foundation of Knowledge

With a steady supply of workers needed for The High Ground’s

expanding businesses, some public school districts are offering

fast-track opportunities for high school students to get an early

start in labor-hungry fields.

A prime example is the Odessa-based Ector County Independent

School District, which opened its career center in the early 1990s and

recently completed a top-to-bottom overhaul of its academic offerings.

“It was organized around a career-cluster concept and was almost an

independent campus,” says Ian Roark, director of career and technical

education. “The students were full-time enrollees and weren’t a part of

the two high schools. We had declining enrollment (at the career center),

even as the business and economic leaders wanted to see more students

there.” In 2007-08, enrollment was 396 full-time students.

To combat the problem, school officials worked with area colleges to

create updated and additional fields of study, such as health sciences

and technical careers, while at the same time integrating the center’s

students into regular high school life. The students now attend one of

the county’s two high schools and are shuttled to the career center for

technical courses.

The center also now will weigh the credits for some upper-level classes

at the advanced-placement level, while also qualifying some for national

certificates.

Students have responded positively to the changes. “Our student

requests for the first cycle, which begins during the 2008-09 school year,

have been overwhelming,” numbering more than 2,000, Roark says.

Other career-oriented programs in The High Ground include the

Lubbock Independent School District’s ongoing work with South Plains

College at the Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center.

– Joe Morris

Learning about table

etiquette and hearing a

Holocaust survivor’s stories may

not sound like schoolwork, but

it’s part of the overall education

for children in the Panhandle

city of Stratford.

With an eye toward giving

students a broader view of the

world outside of textbooks and

chalkboards, the Stratford ISD

Education Foundation works

to identify people, places and

programs of interest, then

connect them with some or

all of the district’s students.

The original idea was to

replicate the success of the

local community foundation,

but it has evolved into much

more, says B.A. Donelson,

president. “Since we began

in 2002, we’ve raised about

$320,000,” he says. “Our goal

is to do projects that reach the

most children.”

Examples include having

Perryton author John Erickson

tell grade school students about

his series of Hank the Cowdog

books to collaborating with the

Globe-News Center for the

Performing Arts in Amarillo on

a Spanish-language concert for

more than 800 young people.

On a lesser scale, a high

school speech class was treated

to a traveling production of

the musical Hairspray, and 11

younger students in a special

reading class were taken to

Barnes & Noble to buy a book

and then were given a lesson in

sit-down etiquette before being

treated to a fancy lunch.

“Our goal is to get them

as close to all the arts as we

can and to expose them to

something they maybe didn’t

even know existed,” Donelson

says. “We’ve done some

marvelous things, and we hope

to keep broadening what we’re

able to do.” – Joe Morris

High school students in Ector County have many career-oriented academic opportunities, such as learning the ins and outs of the plant-nursery business.


Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center encompasses five different schools. Right: Dr. John C. Baldwin, president

Texas Tech’s researchers seek to ensure continual improvements to health care

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is known for its strong medical school and its programs in nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy and other

health-related fields. Not to be overlooked is the Lubbock-based center’s burgeoning research component.

“It’s a common misconception that our mission is easily divisible,” says Dr. John C. Baldwin, TTUHSC president. “Our three principal missions – research, patient care and teaching – are inextricably linked.”

Research, Baldwin notes, plays a vital role in ensuring that health care continually improves.

“It’s a very important responsibility to be meaningfully involved in research and make sure health care keeps getting better,” he says. “It’s also important to have a high level of (National Institutes of Health) funding; it’s always the gold standard people look at.”

Biomedical research includes scientists working solely in the lab as well as research that, in industry lingo, goes from bench to bedside.

“We conduct this research in ethically, carefully controlled ways to see if what we’ve found is better than what’s been done before,” Baldwin says.

LURING THE BEST AND BRIGHTESTDr. Douglas Stocco, TTUHSC executive vice president for

research, discovered and characterized a protein that is critical in controlling the synthesis of all of the steroid hormones in the body. Stocco’s groundbreaking research has since been used in hundreds of biomedical studies.

Stocco says Baldwin’s goal of increasing the center’s research capacity has the potential to strengthen not only the

SolutionsSearching

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health

Friona

2009 Cheeseburger festival and cook-off: July 18, 2009

Friona Economic Development Corporation621 Main St. • Friona, TX 79035 • (806) 250-3491 • Fax: (806) 250-2348 • [email protected] • www.frionachamber.com

Modern medical facilitiesAward-winning school systemStrong community spiritFriendly peoplePleasant year-round climateLong-time leader in grain and cattle productionFast growing dairy industryHome of Cargill Meat Solutions and Hi-Pro Feeds

Friona

Big Spring Opens Big Hearts to VeteransVA MEDICAL CENTER OFFERS HEALING FOR MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT

Military veterans living in and

around Big Spring have access to

specialized medical services right in

their backyard, thanks to the West

Texas VA Health Care System.

The system, anchored by the

VA Medical Center in Big Spring,

serves a 54,000-square-mile

region and nearly 60,000 people,

including 19,000 in Big Spring. In

recent years, the center has

assisted about 900 veterans who

served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Last year the average age of

our veterans dropped,” says Iva

Jo Hanslik, community relations

coordinator. “Most of our veterans

are now under 65.”

The center’s medical care

includes ophthalmology,

outpatient surgery, rehabilitation

and mental health services.

“We have a wonderful work-

therapy program,” Hanslik says.

“We work with the community to

place veterans and get them back

in an employment setting.”

A $20 million program of

expansion and renovation will bring

upgrades to the nearly 60-year-old More than 900 veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have been treated here.

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center’s research department but also the organization as a whole.

“The medical school has done a good job of teaching students and taking care of patients in the community,” Stocco says. “We also want to be more scholarly to be able to compete for the best and the brightest.”

Increasing the center’s research program will involve a combination of recruitment and supporting existing faculty.

“We want to increase the infrastructure and tools [faculty members] have,” Stocco says. “And when we have the chance to replace people, we go after certain types – proven scientists who can bring viable, new, ambitious programs to the institution.”

A former colleague of Baldwin’s at Harvard, for example, brought $1.5 million in funded research to TTUHSC’s El Paso campus. An oncology group from the University of Southern California is bringing $1 million in funding, plus opportunities to apply for state funding.

Growing the research program, Stocco says, is beneficial to the center, the medical community and the local economy. “These are smart people who make good salaries and have a penchant for the good things in life, like the arts,” he says.

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY

One reason for the center’s overall success, Dr. Baldwin says, is its close link to the community. He notes that 55 percent of the area’s indigent care is provided by the Health Sciences Center.

Community outreach is a priority. Faculty members mentor high school and college students. The center invites local citizens to a community medical school program, which runs during the academic year and gives a lay version of the medical school curriculum.

“It’s a good way of bonding with the com-munity,” Baldwin says. – Leanne Libby

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center encompasses the schools of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, allied health sciences and biomedical sciences. The main campus is in Lubbock, with other campuses in Amarillo, Permian Basin and El Paso.

The center received nearly $15 million in research funding in fi scal year 2007.

Fact Check

facility that dominates the Big

Spring landscape. The improve-

ments call for expanded outpatient

care as well as a 40-bed unit to

accommodate veterans battling

substance abuse. Groundbreaking

is scheduled for October 2008.

Terry Wegman, executive

director of Big Spring Economic

Development Corp., says the

center brings traffic that boosts

the local economy, particularly the

hotel and restaurant sectors. The

upcoming construction work will

provide an additional economic

infusion, Wegman says.

With 510 employees, the center

is not the area’s largest employer

in terms of jobs, Hanslik says, but it

does have the highest payroll.

Moreover, about 300 volunteers

provide valuable staff and patient

support, she says, adding that the

center always needs volunteers

willing to donate time and good

cheer. “Providing care for veterans

is the most rewarding experience

you could ask for. It’s an honor to

be able to give back, even if it’s

just a little bit.” – Leanne Libby


health

MONAHANSDiversity at its best

Rail Spur Access

Industrial Park

Ward County Golf Course

Sandhills State Park MHS Stadium

Sands Art Center

r s

Ind

SanA t

dustrial rk

IndPa

The Hub of Drilling Activity in the Permian Basin

Butterfield Festival

Monahans Economic Development Corporation

Morse Haynes • Executive Director303 S. Allen Ave. • P.O. Box 61 • Monahans, TX 79756(432) 943-2062 • [email protected] • www.monahans.org

Roy Hurd Memorial Airport

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Dunagan Visitor CenterP.O. Box 1738

Monahans, TX 79756(432) 943-2092

Rates & Reservations:(512) 389-8900

Information Only:(800) 792-1112

[email protected]

Section House Rental

Campgrounds

Picnic & Play

Small-Town Comfort, Big-City AmenitiesRURAL AREAS ENJOY STATE-OF-THE-ART CARE

When it comes to health care,

rural communities in The High

Ground are starting to look like

their big-city cousins.

In Lamesa, the new, $14 million,

70,000-square-foot Medical Arts

Hospital is scheduled to open by

the end of 2008.

“As construction has progressed,

the excitement has grown

exponentially,” says Melissa

Matlock, the hospital’s director

of community relations. “This is

a wonderful reward for our staff

and our community.”

The new building, Matlock says,

will reflect the new era in hospital

equipment.

“The surgical suites, for example,

were designed from the ground up

to accommodate the latest and

greatest in technology,” she says.

“They are extra large, and we

looked to the surgeons to tell us

what they needed. Our lab and

X-ray areas are also much larger.”

Matlock says the decision to

build the hospital coincided with a

construction boom in the area – a

true boost for the local economy.

“Health care in our town is largely

a community service,” Matlock says.

“We want to have the best quality

so we can take care of our own.”

Smaller projects are having a big

impact in rural areas as well.

In Muleshoe, Park View Nursing

Care Center is becoming the first

nursing home in Texas to offer

in-house dialysis service.

The colonial-style building,

which is part of the Muleshoe Area

Hospital District, was built in 2002

and houses 58 residents. Park View

Nursing Care Center is supported

by four local physicians and offers

services such as in-house physical

therapy.

Administrator Sandy

Sandlin says an independ-

ent vendor has leased

space at Park View

and will be administering the

dialysis program.

Sandlin estimates that 25 Bailey

County residents currently travel

to Lubbock three times a week for

dialysis treatments. He previously

had turned away two dialysis-

dependent potential residents

after discussing with them and

their families the wear and tear

of a 12-hour day to make that trip.

He is optimistic that these two

individuals now will choose to

live at Park View.

“There’s a great need in these

rural areas for people to have

dialysis services,” Sandlin says.

“I get calls nearly every other

day, with people asking how

[the construction is] going.”

Meanwhile, medical centers in

The High Ground’s largest cities –

Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland and

Odessa – continue their commitment

to providing top-quality care.

In Odessa, for example, Medical

Center Hospital is embarking on

a $10.7 million renovation and

expansion project for its operating

rooms. And the Odessa Heart

Institute has a new Philips Brilliance

64-slice CT scanner that provides

a highly detailed picture of the

cardiovascular system. Odessa

Regional Medical Center also

offers 64-slice CT imaging.

– Leanne Libby

Philips Brilliance 64-slice CT scanner


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Sophisticated Cities Enhance Region

W ith its gorgeous sunsets and wide-open spaces, The High

Ground region seems to embody the very essence of the Old West. But look closer and you’ll discover a collection of modern cities, each with a distinct charm and downtown skyline.

Amarillo grew up around the agri-culture and energy industries, but today it boasts a well-balanced economy featuring manufacturing, health care and customer service. The city also offers a mix of cultural amenities, such as the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, the Lone Star Ballet and the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra.

“Amarillo also is home to two famous museums – the Panhandle Plains

Historical Museum and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum,” says Lorie Vincent, executive director of The High Ground of Texas organization. “The cowboy mystique is still there, but there’s a lot more to do in terms of arts and entertainment.”

As the birthplace of legendary singer Buddy Holly, Lubbock also is known for its contributions to the arts.

“Lubbock is a major focal point for music, with the Buddy Holly Center bringing in a lot of visitors,” Vincent says. “But beyond this unique legacy, Lubbock continues to host great live music, thanks to Texas Tech University and the Spirit Arena.”

Traditionally known for its oil and

gas industries, Midland and Odessa have taken on a more cosmopolitan feel, offering a blend of culture, history and recreation.

“There’s a lot of history here with the Bush family, and visitors can complete a driving tour or visit [George W. Bush ’s] chi ldhood homes. Both communities also are home to great arts venues and various cultural events and festivals.”

Overall, Vincent says, “I think people are pleasantly surprised by what they find here. We have wonderful cultural amenities, along with major shopping, medical centers and more. Each city is different and sophisticated in its own way.”

High rises penetrate The High Ground in the central cities of Amarillo (pictured), Lubbock, Midland and Odessa. PHOTO BY BRIAN MCCORD


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Milking Community Service

W hat started as a simple social gathering has evolved into

a dynamic service organization. Established in March 2006, the group known as Panhandle Dairy Women of Hereford works to promote the dairy industry through education and community service.

“One of the local dairy women had the idea to get everyone together just so we could get to know one another,” explains Leslie Heida, whose husband is a fourth-generation dairy farmer. “We quickly decided to create a more formal organization to promote the dairy industry.”

Heida says the Panhandle Dairy

Women’s primary focus is on educa-tion, adding that the group frequently donates dairy products such as milk and ice cream to other organizations.

“We work closely with the YMCA, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the United Way,” she says. “It’s very important to us to give back to the community.”

Dairy MAX – a nonprofit trade organization representing dairy pro-ducers in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas – provides the Panhandle Dairy Women with product literature to distribute locally, Heida says.

“Dairy MAX is a big help to us, enabling us to get the latest informa-

tion out there. We provide nutritional information to local kids and were recently able to help the high school get a new milk vending machine.”

One of the group’s biggest projects is Hereford Dairy Day, an annual event that celebrates the local indus-try as well as National Dairy Month in June.

“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s all free to the public,” Heida says. “We have games and activities for the kids, plus we give away a lot of dairy products. And through sponsorships and donations, we are able to give back to the community. It’s our way of saying thank you.”

There’s Zeal for a Meal at Leal’sW hen you eat at one of Leal’s Mexican Restaurants,

you’re doing more than enjoying a tasty meal – you’re honoring a family tradition.

It all started with Jesse and Irma Leal, newlyweds living and saving for their first home in Muleshoe. But as they settled into the community, they recognized a need for

Fajitas and margaritas are among the specialities at Leal’s.

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traditional Mexican food sparked by the influx of “braceros” – Mexican citizens brought here to work the local farms.

In 1957, the enterprising young couple decided to use their savings to open a small tortilla factory rather than buy a house. Soon they expanded to offer home-style favorites such as huevos rancheros and tamales, and later they opened a full restaurant to meet the growing demand for their recipes.

“The farmers would drop off their workers to grab a bite to eat while they waited out in the truck,” says son Victor Leal. “My father would bring a plate out to them, and, of course, they loved it. Before you know it, the farmers started bringing their wives along to try this new food. At that time, most people didn’t know anything about Mexican food, so I feel like our family really helped educate the local population.”

Today, the Leal name is synonymous with outstanding Mexican food and great customer service. The company operates four restaurants in Texas (including Muleshoe, Amarillo and Plainview in The High Ground) and two in New Mexico, as well as the original tortilla factory and a thriving retail business – all managed by Leal family members.

“We grew up with it,” says Victor Leal, who in his adult life has served as mayor of Muleshoe. “Some of my earliest memories are of delivering tortillas with my dad or working behind the counter with my mom. All six of us kids are involved in some way or another, and we are proud of what we’ve accomplished. We just celebrated our 51st anniversary in May (2008), and we continue to grow.”

Various kinds of Leal’s salsa and tortilla chips can be ordered from www.lealsmexicanfoods.com.


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SHAMROCK, TEXAS

PHOTO BY MARK TREW

SHAMROCK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • (806) 256-2501SHAMROCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • (806) 256-2516

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Pioneer west museum “The tallest watertower in texas”

Satisfying an Appetite for Education

J ane Cook may work in a kitchen every day, but the longtime teacher

insists that the sweetest part of her job is not the cookies – it’s the students. Cook has worked in the Career and Technology Education for Students with Disabilities program at both Levelland Middle and High schools for 25 years and says she never grows tired of helping young people succeed.

“I just love these kids,” she says. “When they learn something, it’s more of a triumph than with regular students. The ‘Aha!’ moment is bigger for them. They’re so enthusiastic, so happy to be here.”

Cook divides her time between the two schools, training students in food production, management and services.

“The class is set up like a regular restaurant, with the same kinds of equipment. We teach food preparation but also social skills. And as the kids learn how things are prepared, it reinforces their reading, math and science skills.”

The program offers a variety of catering services as well as special orders.

“Teachers can order their lunches from us, and we have catered meals for all of the schools in the Levelland district. We also do a lot of baking. One nearby school ordered 70 dozen cookies for Valentine’s Day. We probably bake about 10,000 cookies each year. These kiddos stay very busy.”

Best of all, students are able to earn a high school diploma and enter the work force with marketable skills.

“A lot of our students go on to work with Great Western Dining Service at South Plains College as well as McDonald’s restaurants,” Cook says. “I’m so proud of what they’re able to do.”

The Career and Technology Education for Students with Disabilities program at two Levelland schools teaches food

preparation as well as social skills.

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It’s no secret that Texas boasts a wide range of tourist attractions. But for a

real slice of Americana, you can’t beat the legendary Route 66.

“As Americans, I think we take Route 66 for granted,” says Linda Drake, manager of the Oldham Chamber of Commerce. “But people come from all over the world to drive, walk and bike the road and get a taste of what America is all about.”

Motorcycle and classic car tours are extremely popular. Drake says a group of Norwegians ship their classic cars to the United States just to drive Route 66 and take in the unusual attractions along the way.

“The Midpoint Café and Gift Shop in Adrian is a popular stop,” she says. “There’s a sign declaring this the official midpoint of Route 66, with 1,139 miles to either Los Angeles or Chicago. It’s a great photo opportunity. The café is

wonderful, and the specialty of the house is ‘ugly crust’ pie.”

Other sights along the 178-mile stretch across the Texas Panhandle include the leaning water tower and 19-story-tall cross, both in Groom (see story, page 21), and the Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean, featuring the world’s largest collection of barbed wire. In Shamrock, visitors can check out the art deco Tower Station and Café – home of the former U-Drop Inn.

“We have some beautifully restored filling stations that have been converted to restaurants, gift shops and museums,” Drake says. “In the past few years, we’re seeing a lot of growth, and people are starting to take more of an interest in preserving this history. But along with the history, I think people also get a sense of what America is all about. The food, the people – it’s all part of the journey.” – Stories by Amy Stumpfl

Get Your Kicks on the Texas Panhandle

The Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean is one of the unusual attractions on Route 66.

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BIG SKY, BIG HEART

Big Spring,Texas

Settling for Nothing LessHISTORIC HOTEL GETS A MAKEOVER

S p e c i a l A d v e r t i s i n g S e c t i o n

Elvis Presley and Lawrence Welk stayed there, and so did President Herbert Hoover.

The Settles Hotel, which opened in 1930, is a 15-story landmark that is still considered one of the most famous his-toric buildings in West Texas. But like so many older buildings in downtowns throughout the United States, it had fallen into disrepair over the years.

In fact, the Settles Hotel has been vacant since the early 1980s.

Enter Brint and Kristopher Ryan. The businessmen brothers purchased the hotel in 2006 from the city of Big Spring, founded the Settles Hotel Development Co., and are currently drawing up blue-prints to completely resurrect it.

“Brint and I were born in nearby Luther and have wanted to invest in our hometown area for quite awhile,” Kristopher Ryan says. “Brint owns the largest state and local tax consulting firm in North America and wants to give back. So we are.”

What the brothers are doing is in the planning stages right now, but they hope to have the hotel reconstruction project started in late 2008. The entire restoration is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

“We envision retail spaces on the first and second floors and are also consid-ering amenities like a fitness center, restaurant and conference center,” Ryan says. “The ballroom and lobby will also

be restored according to the original architectural plans from the late 1920s. It is our goal to eventually nominate the Settles Hotel for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.”

As for f loors three through 15, Ryan says they will all be hotel suites – no apartments. The 15th floor will feature one large penthouse.

“These will all be large suites with perhaps full kitchens in each, or at least a bar area,” he says. “All rooms will have plasma TVs, and the interiors will look like $300 to $400 rooms found in Dallas. But the Settles Hotel won’t charge any-where near those prices.”

The brothers have also hired a top hotel consultant who has worked on

BROTHERS RESTORE HISTORIC

The Settles Hotel, a 15-story landmark in Big Spring, is being refurbished by native sons Brint and Kristopher Ryan.

Settling for Nothing LessSETTLES HOTEL

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Breezing Into TownNEW WINDMILLS ARE SURE TO ELECTRIFY HOWARD COUNTY

Here is a wind-wind situation for Howard County and Big Spring.Five different developers have planned construction projects to

install 300 alternative energy windmills on various private properties in the area. Once construction is completed in 2009, the 300 windmills will be able to supply electricity to 90,000 homes.

“The electricity generated by the wind turbines fl ows into the ERCOT electrical distribution grid and supplies energy to West Texas, as well as metropolitan areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth,” says Terry Wegman, executive director of the Big Spring Economic Development Corp. “With 300 windmills, this is one of the larger wind energy developments in West Texas.”

Wegman says wind energy only accounts for 1 percent of all energy produced nationwide, but the Texas Legislature wants the state to increase its own renewable energy to 10 percent by 2012.

“Wind energy will really begin to grow as part of the overall mix of electrical production in Texas,” he says. “In Howard County, it has already begun.”

To erect the windmills, the developers are leasing private land from ranchers and farmers. Besides annual lease payments, the ranchers and farmers will also receive royalty percentages from the electricity sold.

From an economic standpoint, the fi ve projects represent an investment of $650 million to $700 million in Howard County.

“School districts will benefi t from this investment,” Wegman says. “Plus, the city of Big Spring is benefi ting because the hundreds of people working on these projects are living in town and spending money at our gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. While parts of the United States are experiencing a slumping economy, that’s not true here in West Texas – and much of the reason is because of energy.”

Alternative energy windmills are making an impact in Howard County.

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similar landmark renovation projects in New York, Las Vegas and Miami.

“It is a very complicated endeavor and, because of the age of our building, we must get approval for any improvements from the Texas Historical Commission in Austin,” Ryan says. “A lot of the work will involve demolishing and rebuilding walls on floors three through 15, and the commission must monitor everything.”

Ryan says the entire project is

expected to cost between $17 million and $18 million.

“We certainly won’t make any money on this – it is simply a labor of love for our hometown,” Ryan says. “We want to help turn Big Spring into a major West Texas destination and believe it is possible. I hope this project inspires other downtown building owners to reinvest in their older properties, too.”

“Brint and I were born in nearby

Luther and have wanted to invest in our hometown area

for quite awhile.”

Kristopher Ryan

Settles Hotel

Development Co.

This special section was created for the Big Spring Economic Development Corp. by

Journal Communications Inc.

C U S TO M M A G A Z I N E M E D I A

For more information, contact:Big Spring Economic Development Corp.

215 W. Third St. • Big Spring, TX 79720Phone: (432) 264-6032 • Fax: (432) 264-6047

www.bigspringtx.com

©Copyright 2008 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067,

(615) 771-0080.

All rights reserved. No portion of this special advertising section may be reproduced in whole or in part without

written consent.

On the cover: Settles Hotel

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A dventures from mild to wild make Big Spring an interesting place to live – and visit.

“Once the Settles Hotel is renovated downtown, we want our city to truly become a tourism destination for West Texas, and we think that can happen,” says Debbie Wegman, coordinator of the Big Spring Convention & Visitors Bureau. “There is a lot to see and do in Big Spring.”

For starters, there’s golf. The Comanche Trail Golf Course just com-pleted a $2 million upgrade to its 18-hole public facility, and Big Spring Country Club provides another option to res-idents wanting to hit the links.

“We are also trying to make Big Spring a destination for hunters and fishermen, especially with a new hunting lodge called Moss Creek Ranch. The Quahadi Wildlife & Ranch Retreat is also a local hunting destination,” Wegman says. “As for fishing, Moss Creek Lake as well as Comanche Trail Lake in Comanche Trail Park both provide anglers with opportunities for good catches.”

Comanche Trail Park also hosts a

GOLF, MUSIC AND HUNTING ADD TO QUALITY OF LIFE IN BIG SPRING

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Debbye ValVerde says that being a member of the Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce

lends more credibility and respect to a business.“A majority of phone calls we receive are from

people asking if a business is a chamber member,” says ValVerde, executive director of the Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce. “The callers regard the chamber as something similar to the Better Business Bureau. They fi gure that if a company is good enough to be a chamber member, they can be trusted. A lot of people go by that.”

The Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce was established in 1919 and today has 380 members. Besides ValVerde, the staff consists of Nancy Newell and Vicki Stewart.

“Here in Big Spring, people call us for just about everything,” ValVerde says. “We get calls on everything from why isn’t the post offi ce answering the phone, to when is the next arts and crafts show. People are just comfortable calling us.”

ValVerde says some businesses have been members for several generations.

“As family businesses change hands, the new family members remain with the chamber,” ValVerde says. “Examples are Elrod’s Furniture, Harris Lumber & Hardware, Al’s & Son Bar-B-Que, The Harley-Davidson Shop – the oldest Harley store in Texas – and Red Mesa Grill. All have been members for generations.”

ValVerde adds that the chamber also organizes yearly events such as a Community Health Fair, the Leadership Big Spring Program and a Big Spring Ag Expo. Other community volunteers work on the Pops in the Park Symphony Concert on July 3, Festival of Lights Dec. 15 – Dec. 31, Keep Big Springs Beautiful and many more events throughout the community.

“We even organize drives to get people to vote,” she says. “The chamber is truly involved with just about everything in this area. It is not what the chamber can do for me, it is what can the chamber and my investment do for the better of the community.”

A Trusted ResourceBIG SPRING CHAMBER INVOLVED IN MANY ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY LIFE

number of events, including a patriotic concert at its amphitheater every July 3.

“The amphitheater was built in the 1930s and can seat up to 6,000 people,” Wegman says. “It is packed on July 3 with a 6:30 p.m. Pops in the Park show that ends with our symphony playing to a fireworks display.”

Yes, Big Spring is home to its own symphony, making it the smallest city in Texas with a professional orchestra. The Big Spring Symphony Orchestra performs most of its concerts at the Big Spring Municipal Auditorium, which also dates back to the 1930s.

“As for sports, work has begun on a youth sports expansion at Roy Anderson Sports Complex to increase our softball, baseball, soccer and Little League foot-ball offerings,” Wegman says. “Those upgrades will allow Big Spring to attract regional and perhaps state competitions,

which will bring thousands of visitors to our city.”

Wegman points out that Big Spring also has an 18-hole disc golf course, museums, a Vietnam Memorial, an annual dog show, an annual American Indian powwow and the “Funtastic Fourth,” a celebration of the Fourth of July with a full day of music in the Heart of the City Park downtown. There are other celebrations held throughout the year. The Festival of Lights holiday event features 1 million lights and 40-foot-tall poinsettias at Comanche Trail Park.

“Big Spring has a low cost of living, great medical facilities, a nice college, and we welcome retirees,” she says of the city of 25,000 residents. “This is a nice place to live. And being at the cros-sroads of West Texas, the intersection of Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 87, we are a great and easy place to visit, too.”

Golf is just one of the many recreational options available to residents of Big Spring.



Not only does Howard College enjoy a large presence in the Big Spring area, it was recently named among the top 20 fastest-growing community colleges of its

size in the nation.The school’s main campus sits on 120 acres in Big Spring,

and the college’s SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf is also located here. Furthermore, there are satellite campuses in Lamesa and San Angelo.

“We have a multifaceted role in the communities we serve,” says Cindy Smith, director of information for Howard College. “Of course, we offer several traditional certificate and associate’s degree programs, with many of our students going on to earn four-year degrees after completing their time at Howard. In addition, we also have several programs for students wanting to quickly enter the workforce. They can enroll in our Workforce Education Program and study nursing, dental hygiene, agriculture, criminal justice or the oil industry.”

The college also has an extensive non-credit program through continuing education classes and coordinates several workforce training programs for area businesses.

Howard College also offers distance learning and dual credit classes for high school juniors and seniors throughout the service area.

The Howard College Hawk athletic programs have seen their own share of success throughout the years.

“The Howard College Hawks team sports in men’s and

women’s basketball, baseball, softball and rodeo have repre-sented our school well,” Smith says. “We have outstanding athletes and athletic facilities, such as the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum – home of Hawk basketball – Jack Barber Field for baseball, Foundation Field for softball and our own rodeo arena. In addition to these organized sport facilities, we have a football stadium and sand volleyball court on campus to serve students in our intramural sports as well.”

Meanwhile, the college’s SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf is located on the former Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring and has approximately 130 students enrolled each fall. It was founded in 1980 and is one of the only post-secondary institutions in the United States dedicated solely to the pro-vision of education and career training for deaf students.

“We are very proud of our SWCID campus and students,” Smith says. “We have students come to our campus from all over the country to receive their education or career training here in Big Spring, and we are very pleased to be a part of their educational journey.”

The SWCID campus is fully equipped with dormitories, a recreation center, classroom space and excellent lab facilities to accommodate its students.

“Howard College continues to see record growth,” Smith says. “We like it like that and want to continue to grow and evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of the communities we serve – all 13,000 square miles of them.”

WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION, BIG SPRING HAS IT COVERED

Howard College has been named among the top 20 fastest-growing community colleges of its size in the nation.

HigherAlways Aiming



Big Spring is big on health care – the Texas town boasts three different medical facilities.

At Scenic Mountain Medical Center, the 150-bed hospital admits 3,400 patients each year, while its emergency department annually sees 14,000 people. Over the past three years, SMMC has added nine new physicians.

In 2008, the hospital expanded its services to include lithotripsy treatment and a sleep lab. A recent upgrade to its magnetic resonance imaging equipment allows physicians to examine a patient’s blood vessels in order to quickly and precisely diagnose health problems. A Level IV Trauma Center designation, f irst earned in 2005, certif ies that the Emergency Department at Scenic Mountain provides the equipment and resources to care for patients with traumatic injuries.

“This designation was given after SMMC voluntarily underwent the intensive survey process by the Texas Department of State Health Services to demonstrate its commitment to high-quality trauma care for the residents of Howard County and the surrounding

area,” says George N. Parsley, CEO of Scenic Mountain Medical Center. “We will continue to work to set new standards of excellence in providing emergency care.”

SMMC has a staff of more than 300 employees and an annual payroll of $17 million, and it is involved in several community nonprofit efforts.

“The hospital spends about $1 million annually on capital equipment upgrades to keep abreast of the ever-changing technology available in the marketplace,” Parsley says. “We are creating a great place for people to work, physicians to practice medicine and, most impor tantly, for patients to receive great care.”

Meanwhile, two other hospitals in town are just as dedicated to providing quality care to patients.

Big Spring State Hospital, which is known for its innovative methods in treating mental illness, is a 200-bed psychiatric facility that serves 58 counties in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle. It was founded in 1938 and is the largest employer in Howard County with a staff of 600, including doctors, nurses and

social workers.And the West Texas Veterans

Administration Health Care System, commonly referred to as the VA hospital, welcomes approximately 19,000 patients each year to its 25-bed facility in Big Spring. The hospital only treats veterans, and its service area spans 47 counties in West Texas and Lea County, N.M.

“Our main campus is Big Spring, but we also have veterans’ outpatient clinics in Abilene, San Angelo, Odessa, Fort Stockton, Stamford and Hobbs, N.M.,” says Iva Jo Hanslik, community relations coordinator for the West Texas Veterans Administration Health Care System. “The area we serve is actually larger than 33 of the U.S. states.”

Besides extensive outpatient ambula-tory care, the VA hospital also performs several hundred eye surgeries each year at its Big Spring site.

“Our ophthalmology department actu ally provides the training for all the ophthalmology residents at Texas Tech University,” Hanslik says. “We do a lot here at this hospital so that our veterans receive the absolute best care we can provide them.”

Big Spring’s Scenic Mountain Medical Center continues to expand its health services to residents of West Texas.

The Picture of Health

THREE TOP HOSPITALS TAKE CARE OF RESIDENTS



T he ALON USA Big Spring Refinery is not like the world’s other oil refineries.

For starters, it’s located inland rather than on the coast, and it’s the last operating refinery of any kind in the central part of the Permian Basin. ALON is also a major player in Big Spring’s economy.

The facility produces 70,000 barrels of fuel products a day and has 170 employees, many of whom have been with the refinery for more than 20 years.

“The history of the Big Spring Refinery is woven into the very fabric of the Howard County community,” says Jeff Morris, president and CEO of ALON USA. “Generations of local residents have

worked at the plant, and their contribu-tions to the refining industry, as well as to the city, are as important today as they were when it began operating.”

The Big Spring site was constructed in 1928 by Joshua Cosden, then expanded during World War II and again in the 1950s and 1960s. It was purchased by American Petrofina in 1963, expanded again in the 1980s and was finally bought by ALON USA in 2000.

The refinery transforms crude oil into gasoline, low sulfur diesel, asphalt, solvents and emulsions, and supplies these products to customers throughout West Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico and southern Oklahoma. Many of its fuel customers are FINA and

ALON USA is an active corporate citizen in Big Spring. The oil refinery donates money to local charities, sponsors sports programs and helps local schools.

Fueling the ALON USA REFINERY PLAYS A BIG ROLE

IN THE BIG SPRING COMMUNITY

Economy7-Eleven gas stations.

“In the 2006 Solomon Reports, the Big Spring Refinery was rated No. 1 in maintenance and operational reliability compared to other refineries of its size,” Morris says. “Presently, nearly 1,500 people are working around the clock to rebuild the refinery following a February 2008 explosion with the goal of returning it to its previous No. 1 status.”

The company also strives to be a good corporate citizen with annual contri-butions to local charities such as United Way, Christmas in April, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk and the Multiple Sclerosis Walk. The Big Spring Refinery also sponsors Little League and softball programs, college sporting events and memberships for youngsters at the YMCA.

“To celebrate the refinery’s 75th anniversary [in 2003], we purchased 75 computers for a Big Spring Independent School District computer learning lab,” Morris says. “We also sponsor and under-write many major events in Big Spring, such as the Big Spring Area Chamber of Commerce Health Fair.”

In addition, the refinery is, and has been for decades, the largest taxpayer to Howard County and the Big Spring ISD.

“The bottom line is that we annually produce 4 million tons of fuel products and asphalt intended for the Southwestern United States,” Morris says. “We have also received many awards and honors and are very active in our community.”

– Stories by Kevin Litwin



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photo essay


Horses are among the animals

that call Palo Duro Canyon home.

An old wagon at Rusty Spur

Outpost stands as a reminder of

the means of transportation that

brought people and supplies to

the canyon area before the

invention of the automobile.


Bus photo essay copy Bus

photo essay copy Bus photo

essay copy

Rocky outcrops intermingled with

extensive vegetation have

delighted visitors since the state

park opened on July 4, 1934.

It’s beautiful, but beware of

touching a prickly thistle that

shoots up from the earth.


photo essay


Views are spectacular from the

occasional home perched on the

rim of Palo Duro Canyon.

Rusty Spur Outpost is a

circa-1870 Old West town

overlooking the canyon.

A new, adobe-style housing

development called Sunday

Canyon blends in well with

the natural surroundings.


A road along the floor of the canyon gives

motorists and cyclists an up-close-and-personal

encounter with scenery plus access to trailheads.

Perhaps the most familiar face for canyon visitors

is that of state park fee taker Jim Couzzourt.

THESE 2 PHOTOS AREN’T VERY APPEALING, SEE EMAIL FOR IDEAS ON

ALTERNATIVES


photo essay

Sand DunesDiverse landscapes make for gorgeous getaways around the region

The Canyon,

More


Whitetail deer are frequently sighted and occasionally hunted in some of the parklands in The High Ground region. Left: It’s slow going on the dunes in Monahans Sandhills State Park, which rise as high as 70 feet. PHOTO BY JESSE KNISH

Nature has been kind to The High Ground of Texas, providing scenic adventure destinations from mild to wild for the throngs of people who visit each year.

And visit, they do. For reasons made apparent by the preceding photo essay,

Palo Duro Canyon State Park attracts about 350,000 annual visitors who camp, hike, mountain bike and bird watch. “We are nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Texas,” says Randy Ferris, superintendent of the 26,275-acre state park. “Palo Duro is the second-largest canyon in the United States.”

Motorists in the Armstrong and Randall counties portion of the park can drive along the canyon’s f loor, which is as deep as 800 feet. “They certainly can’t do that in the Grand Canyon,” Ferris notes.

Nature lovers also can view up to 40 types of mammals and dozens of bird species. “In addition, the park features a number of wild plants and trees such as prickly pear cactus, honey mesquite, juniper and yucca,” Ferris says.

SAND DUNES FAR FROM ANY SEAAnother interesting state park in The High Ground region

is Monahans Sandhills, which is home to six miles of sand dunes. About 65,000 people annually visit the 3,840-acre park in Ward and Winkler counties to camp and hike as well as surf down the 70-foot-high dunes.

“We are open seven days a week throughout the entire year, and our busiest times are March through May when the weather is warm but not terribly hot,” says Glen Korth, Monahans Sandhills State Park manager. “Then from June through August, we have a drop-off simply because the surface temperature of the sand gets up to 140 degrees during

the day. However, by September the visitors start returning.”Korth says Monahans Sandhills attracts many guests who

stop by to spend the evening, then head into nearby national parks the next day. “We are considered the gateway to Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Big Bend National Park,” he says. “People who visit us are true outdoor enthusiasts.”

LAKES AND WETLANDS Other popular High Ground destinations include Buffalo

Springs Lake in Lubbock County, Lake Allen Henry in Garza County, the 5,809-acre Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in Bailey County and the 50,000-acre Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Hutchinson County.

“We have a 10,000-acre reservoir with bass, trout, catfish, crappie and walleye, while hunters can go after whitetail deer, mule deer, turkey, ducks and quail,” says Rozanna Pfeiffer, chief of interpretation for Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. “We have no entrance fee at the gate, and it doesn’t cost anything to camp. The only fee we have is for launching boats into the lake.”

The recreation area also is home to Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, which dates back 12,000 years to when people mined the f lint to make arrowheads, tools and weapons. The old excavation sites at Alibates can be accessed only by ranger-guided hikes.

“Lake Meredith itself seems to primarily serve our local community, while the flint quarries seem to be more popular with traveling tourists,” Pfeiffer says. “Both are in the same recreation area yet attract completely different clientele. We are lucky to have both sites.” – Kevin Litwin

ST

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quality of life

Renovated buildings bring entertainment back to communities’ downtowns

It had become a real mess. The Cactus Theater in Lubbock – an old B-movie house built in 1938 – closed

in 1957. Afterward, the interior was basically gutted, and the building was rented out for storage.

However, all that changed in 1994 when 25 local investors signed onto a 20-year bank note to redo the entire interior and exterior.

“It was my brainchild to renovate the Cactus, and I’ve since bought most of the stock back – only five people are involved with the theater today,” says primary owner Don Caldwell.

He has long been involved in the music recording industry and had wanted a place in Lubbock where he could showcase West Texas talent.

“So now, every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year features concerts at the Cactus Theater,” Caldwell says. “The theater has also helped to rejuvenate what is called the Depot Entertainment District of downtown Lubbock. It’s exciting stuff.”

The excitement level also has risen at other renovated theaters in The High Ground of Texas region. For example, the upgraded Palace Theatre in Canadian brings f irst-run motion pictures to a community that otherwise might not have access to them.

At the La Rita Performing Arts Theatre in Dalhart, the downtown venue hosts a wide variety of theatrical and musical productions throughout the year, featuring both amateur and professional performers.

Meanwhile, the Gem Theatre in Claude, which dates from 1915, received a massive renovation in 1993 to upgrade the historic building to its present, impressive condition.

“The Armstrong County Museum

purchased the Gem in 1993 after the building had been closed for many years, and we immediately started renovations because they certainly were needed,” says Roy Rutherford, director of programs for the Gem Theatre. “Now it is a beautiful facility. In fact, the interior woodwork actually looks prettier today than what was originally installed.”

Although the Gem originally was a movie theater, Rutherford says the Armstrong County Museum decided to change the focus.

“The city of Claude is too close to Amarillo to compete with the big theater chains there, so we decided to have live stage shows at the Gem,” he says. “Our 190-seat theater now hosts a variety of musical acts during 20 to 30 weekends each year. Like its name says, the Gem has become a true gem again in this community.”

– Kevin Litwin

Stage a Comeback

Step right up to the checkerboard box office at the Palace Theatre in Canadian. Top: Marshall Allen Bailey leads a live radio show at the Gem Theatre in Claude.

PH

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Historic Theaters


quality of life

Wind turbines continue to sprout on The High

Ground’s hills and plains Achieve

Towering


Wind turbines are becoming as common as jackrabbits from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin. PHOTO BY BRIAN M C CORD

When it comes to satisfying the nation’s ever-growing appetite for energy, the answer may indeed be blowin’ in the wind.

Harnessing wind to provide power isn’t a new idea, but advances in technology have made wind energy a much more viable option, and wide-open West Texas is a perfect spot for wind farms. Indeed, wind power’s time has definitely come, says Greg Wortham, executive director of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium.

“Four of the largest projects in the United States are here in The High Ground (see Scorecard), and it’s growing across the state,” says Wortham, who is also mayor of Sweetwater.

An ongoing goal of wind proponents is to make sure businesses and the public know they’re not advocating this energy source as a replacement for, but rather as a supplement to, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Nationally, wind energy currently generates only about 1 percent of the nation’s electricity, but a federal government report released in May 2008 said it is growing rapidly and could produce as much as 20 percent by 2030.

“They can exist together,” Wortham says.

IN TOWN AND COUNTRYThe High Ground is home to more than half of the

operating wind turbines in the United States. They can be found atop hills or on the plains, on undeveloped rural land and in cities.

Invenergy Wind, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy LLC, is set to launch operations in October 2008 at its McAdoo Energy Center in Dickens County. The wind farm will consist of 100 General Electric wind turbines, producing 150 megawatts of electricity. It will be sold to the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) wholesale market. The towers stand 265 feet tall and support 115-foot fan blades.

The project has been a company favorite from the outset, says Heather Otten, director of business development. “This is really one of the best markets for wind, and we can get the power on the grid and sell it very quickly, making the operation very liquid,” Otten says. “Plus, we’ve just had the best time working with everybody out in the area.”

So pleased is the company, in fact, that Otten says were it not for a tapped-out transmission system, the company would be doing more. “We’ve submitted 800 megawatts for approval into the ERCOT process, so if we had the transmission we’d build it,” she says.

Meanwhile, oilman T. Boone Pickens is building what likely will be the world’s largest wind farm in the Panhandle.

A few non-energy businesses also are erecting towers to provide some of their energy needs. One example is cottonseed miller PYCO Industries Inc., which has begun installation of

Scorecard

1Texas’ ranking nationally in wind energy capacity added in 2007

1,618megawatts of wind energy capacity added in Texas in 2007, for a total of 4,446

1Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center’s ranking nationally in wind energy capacity among individual projects

736megawatts of wind energy capacity at Horse Hollow

4Number of Texas wind farms in the top 5 nationally, also including Sweetwater (585 megawatts), Capricorn Ridge (364) and Buffalo Gap (353)

Source: American Wind Energy Association

ments


energy


10 wind turbines on its Lubbock site. The $16 million project is expected to generate 10 megawatts of electricity.

PYCO is the city’s second-largest energy consumer, and the company expects to see a 40 percent reduction in its energy costs once the wind turbines are operational.

GUNG-HO FOR DEVELOPMENTWhile it won’t release specifics just yet, ongoing research at

the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock could soon add even more power-production capability to the area.

“Reese Technology Center has several research projects under way that aim to improve our existing energy resources – and some that could change the face of the renewable-energy industry,” says Todd Reno, director of business development.

That kind of gung-ho attitude is music to an economic development official’s ears, says Ken Becker, executive director of the Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development.

“There is plenty of wind business to go around, and we promote the business of wind,” Becker says. “It’s a quick-moving business that locates in certain regions for a reason. We are currently focusing on the service side of the wind development, as we are in the center of 2,000 megawatts-plus

of turbines in a concentrated area.”A current challenge, Becker says, is integrating this

successful new player into the local business scene. “Employees are leaving local jobs for the wind-related business,” he says. “We must find a way to blend the new industry with the existing.” – Joe Morris

Lining Up for JuiceTRANSMISSION FIRMS SCRAMBLE TO HANDLE NEW POWER SOURCES

With wind, coal, gas and hybrid

energy coming online, and more in

the works, power carriers

throughout The High Ground are

finalizing plans to increase their

transmission capacity.

No fewer than four major

transmission projects are slated for

the next five years along Xcel

Energy’s lines. “We’ll be upgrading

several transmission and

substation segments in the Texas

North project, which will increase

reliability and reduce congestion,”

says Dale Williams, director of

community service and economic

development. “That one will

involve about 213 miles of

transmission upgrades.

“The second will be the

Seminole Interchange, which will

be to accommodate the new

generator station Lee Power is

building in Hobbs (N.M.). That

project also will provide additional

transmission capacity to connect

with Golden Spread Electric

Cooperative’s Mustang Station.”

Xcel’s other projects include a

35-mile, 230-kilovolt line in the

Seven Rivers-Pecos-Potash area,

and the State Line Grave project,

which will be a new interchange

near the border with Oklahoma.

The upgrades and expansions

are good news for Golden Spread,

which is working with the power

producers and others to help plan

the area’s future transmission and

power grid, says Bob Bryant,

president and general manager.

“There’s so much transmission

that needs to be built,” Bryant

says. “For example, there is more

wind generation and more planned

than can flow out of the west

ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council

of Texas) zone. The same situation

exists in other areas, and we’re

going to need more transmission if

we’re going to maintain reliability

and be able to harvest the wind

potential in these areas.”

In July 2008, Texas state officials

gave preliminary approval to a

$4.9 billion wind-power project

that would add a massive system

of transmission lines to help move

electricity generated along the

windy patches of West Texas to

power-hungry metropolitan areas

such as Austin. If the plan wins final

approval, it will be the country’s

largest investment in clean and

renewable power.

– Joe Morris

PYCO Industries in Lubbock is making its own wind power.

Power lines connect dots to the grid.

JE

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MC

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energy

Energy-industry boom leads to low regional unemployment

Record demand for oil and gas, coupled with several high-profile projects in the energy sector, has led to a job seeker’s paradise throughout The High Ground.

Unemployment in Midland is tracking around 2.8 percent, while in Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo it’s averaging a bit higher than 3 percent. That’s about half of the national average, and the employment situation is likely to remain bright for the foreseeable future, says Kirk Edwards, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association.

“The energy industry is doing its best to keep people employed right now, and that’s causing a lot of stress on other industries to keep up the pace,” says Edwards, who also is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank’s El Paso branch. “I think everyone’s done their best to diversify away from oil, but with oil working really well now, and diversification also working well, it’s created a perfect storm for employees.”

Major producers are making news with high starting salaries and signing bonuses, but Edwards notes that it may well be easier for smaller producers to find top-quality employees.

“The bigger companies have set payrolls based on formulas and percentages,” he says. “Independents can roll out a project, hire people and complete it. Once they’ve sold out, then they can build a new team, start a new project and go from there. Because they’re doing things project by project, they can pay better – and they are taking employees from the majors.”

The energy sector’s hiring bonanza has filtered into other areas of the region’s employment picture, with even low-end service jobs commanding well over minimum wage these days.

“Any cashier at any sandwich shop is making $8 an hour, and if you can run any kind of equipment in an oilfield, pass a drug test and show up for work, you’re going to make at least $20 an hour,” Edwards says.

He adds that some new energy-related projects are creating “hundreds of jobs … that are going to be fairly long term, so this is going to be going on for quite a while. We’re going to need a lot of manpower.”

– Joe Morris

Help Wanted

Installations such as the PSEG Texas electric-generation plant in Ector County are running at full tilt. PHOTO BY BRIAN McCORD


Powering Up With Natural Gas, CoalNEW PLANTS WILL SEND MORE ELECTRICITY TO THE GRID

The $3 billion Trailblazer

project could begin coming out

of the ground in late 2009 and

go operational in 2014, says

Helen Manroe, Tenaska’s manager

of business development, who

notes that the 1,919-acre site met

some extremely difficult criteria.

“We needed rail, because the

coal will be brought in –

preferably two lines,” Manroe

says. “We needed water, access

to high-voltage transmission lines

and, in our case, to be fairly close

to the Permian Basin because

that’s where we’re going to sell

the carbon dioxide for enhanced

oil recovery.” – Joe Morris

A new power plant or refinery

is a costly proposition, but given

the way land in The High

Ground is being snapped up by

energy generators, the region

will remain a hub of activity for

years to come.

A prime example is Odessa,

which took a hit when the

Department of Energy stalled the

$1.8 billion FutureGen coal-

gasification project in January

2008. Within a few weeks,

discussions had begun regarding

another major energy-generating

installation in the area.

“Summit Power is the project

developer for the proposed

Texas Clean Energy Project,”

says Gary Vest, Odessa

Chamber of Commerce director

of economic development.

“Odessa has a 600-acre site

west of the city where Summit

is proposing a 500-megawatt

Integrated Gasification

Combined Cycle clean-coal

power plant with 60 percent

carbon capture.”

Summit would join other

major players including

Navasota Energy Partners LP,

which is developing the $200

million Quail Run Energy Center,

an 825-megawatt, natural-gas-

fired facility in Odessa, and

Tenaska Inc., which has

proposed the Trailblazer Energy

Center, a 765-megawatt facility

near Sweetwater that would

capture 85 to 90 percent of

carbon dioxide released during

its high-tech coal-pulverizing

process, then resell that gas to

oil and gas producers.

Quail Run has been operating

since June 2007, with a second

phase subsequently completed

and a third planned to begin

within two years, according to

Navasota Energy.


energy

The welcome mat is out for technology entrepreneurs

Hello, High Tech


From a composite material to protect America’s soldiers to tiny illumination chips and critical cell-phone software,

technological advances are redefining The High Ground, where entrepreneurs find fertile soil.

“This is a great business climate,” says Ed Rose, president and chief executive officer of Falcon International. When the time came to establish a production facility for his business, based in Huntsville, Ala., Rose chose Odessa, where he grew up. He left 22 years ago to join the U.S. Air Force.

Rose’s military experience is the reason he surmised that a sturdy yet lightweight material the company was using to encase asbestos held promise as armor. He was proved right. Bullets are def lected by the f iberglass-reinforced plastic, now marketed as Falcon Protective Coating, and the company has landed military contracts to outfit Humvees, helicopters and other equipment.

“Our primary mission is to protect the war fighters out there. It’s our responsibility to give them the best equipment that we possibly can,” Rose says. “People are very patriotic out here, and they’ve all rallied to the cause.”

Falcon received $1.7 million in incentives over five years from the Odessa Development Corp. and another $850,000 from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. Rose says the support “made it very attractive for us to move,” adding that he anticipates having 60 employees on the payroll by the end of 2008. Falcon’s corrosion-resistant coating also has applications for infrastructure such as storage tanks and bridges. Moreover, its high-technology water-jet cutter, used to craft the ballistic panels, “can make anything from f langes for oil wells to tweezers for surgery,” Rose says, noting the company’s growth potential.

R&D IN NANOPHOTONICSA $2 million grant from the Emerging

Technology Fund also helped lure two highly renowned researchers to Texas Tech University. Another $2 million from the university and $5.35 million from AT&T to establish two endowed chairs for the husband-and-wife team sealed the deal.

In 2008, Drs. Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin moved their research endeavors from Kansas State University to Lubbock, where they are continuing their work in nanophotonics – the study of light at the tiniest of scales.

The couple also brought with them the

entrepreneurial enterprise they founded, III-N Technology Inc., to help move their research from the laboratory to the marketplace. “We have been doing this kind of nanophotonic research for many years. In the beginning, it was more laboratory curiosity. But as we go along, we actually make devices, which we have found are very practical,” Lin says. One innovation may someday replace the residential light bulb, while another may allow computer use without a screen by projecting the image on a wall, a windshield or even eyeglass lenses.

PINPOINTING 911 CALLERSIn fact, Texas Tech has emerged a hub of

technology-related activity, and Michael Powers, an owner and the president of GBSD Technologies Inc., says his company’s software gurus feed off their interactions with engineering and computer faculty. He anticipates the same kind of intellectual cross-pollination in the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock.

GBSD-developed technology allows cell-phone carriers to pinpoint the location of a cell phone. The obvious application is a 911 call when the caller doesn’t know the location or is unable to communicate. “We actually have four levels of technology that we use, based on what the carrier wants to spend,” Powers says.

The company is doing more business overseas than domestically, he says, although the newest customer is the New York City subway system.

– Sharon H. Fitzgerald

REESE TECHNOLOGY CENTER

Location: Lubbock

Size: 2,500 acres

Former use: Reese Air Force Base (closed in 1997)

Infrastructure: fi ber-optic cable; 45 Mb wireless network; high-performance computing center

Educational partnerships: Texas Tech University, South Plains College

Tenants: currently 17

Plans: additional laboratories and offi ces plus retail and restaurants

Web site: www.reesecenter.com

Fact Check

Technology entrepreneurs are finding that West Texas has just the right climate for R&D.Left: High tech is transforming The High Ground.


technology

Region boasts a healthy mix of traditional and innovative manufacturers

T he High Ground’s economy has long been known for its oil and agricultural underpinnings.

But the region also boasts a burgeoning, d iverse ma nu fac t u r i ng sec tor, producing everything from aircraft engines to telemetry cable systems.

Amarillo Gear Co., which originated as a welding and machine shop in 1917, is now a leading producer of right-angle gear drives for agricultural irrigation and cooling tower systems. A member of The Marmon Group of companies, Amarillo Gear employs approximately 180 workers and maintains operations in both Amaril lo and Monterrey, Mexico. A subsidiary, Amarillo Wind Machine Co., manufactures machines used to protect orchards and vineyards from frost.

“We’re well diversified,” says Clay Barbee, sales manager for Amarillo Gear. “Our gear drives can be used for many applications – from agriculture to oil refineries to utilities.

“This is really where the irrigation industry started, so it’s a natural location for us,” he adds. “Amarillo is centrally located and close to key

agricultural and irrigation states such as Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska and Mississippi. It’s a good distribution point, with convenient access to interstates and rail.” Barbee says exports represent roughly 35 percent of the company’s business, with products shipping to 48 countries worldwide.

Besides location, he cites the region’s labor force as an important asset. “The workforce is quite stable, with an excellent work ethic,” he says.

TAKING OFF FROM MIDLAND AND ELSEWHERE

Buddy Sipes agrees, pointing to labor as a major advantage to operating in the region. As chairman of Trace Engines LP, which builds high-performance aircraft engines in Midland, Sipes has firsthand experience with the area’s aviation capabilities.

Trace Engines worked closely with Midland College’s Aviation Department to recruit top mechanics when the company opened in 2006.

“We had over 200 applications for two positions,” Sipes says. “We were really impressed and surprised by the

An employee at Amarillo Gear Co. operates a spiral bevel machine.

Making Itin Business


manufacturing

In business since 1917, Amarillo Gear makes a variety of products such as these spiral gears. Its customers include agricultural companies, oil refineries and utilities.

Vacuums to Pet FoodDIVERSE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED HERE

A sampling of The High

Ground’s manufacturing sector:

Best Made Designs LLC,

Monahans – nylon field gear for

military and hunting purposes;

www.bestmadedesigns.com

American Cotton

Growers, Littlefield –

denim; www.pcca.com

Weyerhaeuser Co.,

Amarillo – container board;

www.weyerhaeuser.com

Kirby Co., Andrews – vacuum

cleaners; www.kirby.com

SOS from Texas, Shamrock

– organic cotton apparel;

www.sosfromtexas.com

Herring Tank Co.,

Perryton – metal tanks;

www.herringtank.com

Ludlum Measurements Inc.,

Sweetwater – radiation testing

equipment; www.ludlums.com

The Cocoa Co. Ltd.,

Friona – cocoa mixes;

www.mcmcocoacompany.com

Susie’s South Forty

Confections Inc.,

Midland – gourmet candy;

www.susiessouthforty.com

Aloha Fiberglass Pools,

Plainview – swimming pools

and spa shells;

www.alohafiberglasspools.com

Tejas Industries,

Hereford, Friona, Stratford

and Amarillo – pet food;

www.tejasindustries.com

SOS from Texas in Shamrock makes apparel from organic cotton.

response. Midland College has an aircraft maintenance department as well as a pilot training program (see story, page 32), so the workforce is extremely well qualified.

“We have a first-class airport here that not only supports commercial aviation but also is interested in promoting manufacturing,” he says. “And the investment dollars are here – that’s important for new business.”

Other traditional manufacturers include Towner Manufacturing LLC, which produces custom machine parts along with high-grade f irearms in Lubbock.

The region also is home to innovative manufacturers such as Midland’s Steward Cable Inc., which produces telemetry cable systems, leader wire and connectors for the geophysical industry, and Milex Corp. of Pampa, which makes a natural plastic resin used in biodegradable packaging, pet toys and more.

RELOCATING FROM CALIFORNIA

For Mike Kegley, it all comes down to The High Ground’s pro-business attitude. Kegley opened Morgan Metal Finishing in 2008 after relocating to Borger from Southern California. The company, which anodizes aluminum parts for the aerospace and medical industries, expects to employ up to 40 workers before the end of the year.

“It’s just a different world out here – there’s not as much stress, the people are nice and it’s business friendly,” says Kegley, who operates the business with wife Nancy, daughter Jenna and son-in-law Charlie Morgan. “Local leaders have bent over backward to assist us, and the employees’ attitudes are different, too. The work ethic is great.”

Kegley also points to the region’s affordable costs of doing business. “In California, we spent about $2,000 a month for gas. Here it’s more like $200.” – Amy Stumpfl

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Land ofCotton


Sammy Means was a busy man in 2007. The general manager of Ropes Farmers Co-op Gin in

Ropesville saw 99,224 bales of cotton pass through the processing gin.

“It was the second-largest year for cotton bales in our history, and we’ve been around since 1957,” Means says. “Up until about four years ago, our average was 40,000 bales. Now we’re putting out close to 100,000 bales a year.”

Means says the reason for higher production is simple: Cotton plants have been improved genetically so that they yield more and better fiber.

“In the last few years, growers have been producing as good a quality of cotton here in West Texas as anyone in the world,” he says. “Honestly, West

Texas at one time grew some of the worst cotton around. But now when mills from overseas want great cotton, they come to West Texas.”

Cotton grows best where humidity is low and there isn’t much precipitation, which are the exact conditions of West Texas.

“About half the cotton grown in the United States is grown in Texas, and about 60 percent of Texas’ crop is grown in The High Ground,” Means says. “Those are impressive numbers.”

PROCESSING BILLIONS OF PEANUTS

Other crops around the region also are doing well. For instance, the area accounts for 545 million pounds of peanut production each year, about 78

A tractor is used to plant seed in the fertile soil between the cities of Levelland and Lubbock. Left: Irrigation equipment

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ScorecardTEXAS AGRICULTURE, BY THE NUMBERS:

2National ranking in overall agriculture production

1National ranking in production of cotton and hay

2National ranking in production of sorghum and peanuts

5National ranking in production of wheat

229,000number of farms

129,500,000acres of farmland

22,714,000acres planted

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Peanuts, wheat and other cropsalso thrive in this semiarid region


agriculture

Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Texas

Rooted in progress and positioned for the future

Hereford Economic Development Corporation

701 North Main St. • P.O. Box 1266 • Hereford, TX 79045

Sheila Quirk, Executive Director • [email protected]

Call (806) 364-0613 today or visit www.herefordedc.com

HerefordFire Department

HerefordAquatic Center

One of Hereford’s 10 new dairies

New packing plant opened in 2005

Heref

701 N

John Pitman Golf Course

Panda EnergyEthanol Site

HerefordMunicipal Airport

An agricultural leader in the Panhandle of TexasAAAn agricultural leader in the PPPanhandle of TTTexas

Hereford is in the center of the western Texas Panhandle, 45 miles southwest of Amarillo.

Qualified workforce is supported by outstanding public and private schools. Community college local campus opened in the fall of 2005. West Texas A&M University is 30 miles to the east, and Texas Tech University is 90 miles to the south.

Major highways intersect in Hereford, with U.S. Highway 385 going north and south, and U.S. Highway 60 going east and west. The BNSF mainline railroad runs through the city of Hereford. Major international airport in Amarillo.

Hunting, golfing, swimming and rodeos all available locally. Water sports and snow skiing close by.

Progressive, growing and “great neighbors.”

Location

Education

Transportation

Recreation

Community

percent of the Texas total.“It’s because of the low humidity, and

the soil is very good for our product,” says Jesus “Chuy” Garrocho, operations manager for the Peanut Corporation of America’s Plainview Plant. “Plus, we don’t have trouble with af latoxin that peanut growers have on the East Coast and the Southeast United States.”

Af latoxin is produced by certain mold strains. Because it becomes a toxic carcinogen at elevated levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows only 15 parts per billion in peanuts, Garrocho says.

“We don’t have trouble with aflatoxin because of our low rainfall and low humidity,” he says. “That’s a big reason why the Peanut Corporation of America, which is based in Virginia, decided to set up a plant in Plainview.”

The recently opened Plainview facility, with a 110-member workforce, handles peanuts that already have been removed from the shells.

“First we blanch the peanuts, which means that we take the skin off,” Garrocho says. “Then we oil roast, dry roast, granulate or offer some f lavors such as hot-and-spicy peanuts as well as jalapeño peanuts. Our plant is planning on adding peanut butter production in late 2008 or 2009.”

NATIONAL ADVOCATE FOR WHEAT

Other crops that do well in The High Ground include soybeans, hay, guar beans and wheat.

“In Texas, 80 percent of the wheat is grown in The High Ground because wheat is a very drought-tolerant plant, and West Texas is quite dry,” says David Cleavinger, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers and the owner of a 4,500-acre farm in Deaf Smith County. “We actually grow a hard red winter wheat in West Texas that is made into products such as tortillas and pita bread.”

Cleavinger says the National Association of Wheat Growers is currently working with scientists, millers and bakers to come up with biotech wheat that will produce higher yields in even drier conditions.

“We want wheat advancements to mirror the technology currently seen in cotton, corn and soybeans,” he says. “Cotton, corn and soybeans can now grow in drying conditions and use fewer herbicides, which results in less expense to the growers. That’s what we eventually want for wheat.”

Even so, irrigation remains important for certain crops in the semiarid High Ground region, beneath which water flows in aquifers. – Kevin Litwin

Ropes Farmers Co-Op Gin in Ropesville is now ginning nearly 100,000 bales a year. The gin’s general manager credits genetic improvements for the higher crop yields.

BR

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MC

CO

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SEE VIDEO ONLINESee how cotton is ginned at the

Ropes Farmers Co-op Gin in Ropesville

at imageshighground.com.


Keeping Meat on the Table

Production of cattle and hogs remains prime at ranches and farms here


A cattle transport truck rests on the side of a highway south of Lubbock. Left: Cattle graze in a pasture near Amarillo.

The High Ground of Texas can certainly “steak” much of its reputation on the cattle industry.

Approximately 30 percent of Texas cattle and calves sent to slaughter each year come from the region, and ranchers cite several reasons why these animals thrive so well in this locale.

“We have a good climate,” says Jim Waterfield, a rancher in the Panhandle and former president of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. “Our cattle don’t die in the summer due to oppressive heat and humidity, and they are comfortable in the winter so that ranchers can continue to grow them big without any problem.”

Waterfield also points out that West Texas hasn’t become urbanized like so many parts of the United States, which means there is ample land for grazing.

“I’m about 100 miles from Amarillo and then 50 miles from the next-largest city, so there is quite a bit of open range out here,” he says. “In Canadian where I live, there isn’t much farming. It’s mainly a grassy area where cattle can graze during the summer before they are moved into the feed yards.”

NO MUD, NO FUSSThe overall economic impact of

the cattle industry in The High Ground exceeds $20 billion annually, with an estimated 25,000 jobs related to the cattle-feeding business.

“I run a 20,000-head feed yard and sell to all the major meatpackers, so my cattle products are shipped all over the world,” says Walter Lasley, owner of Walter Lasley and Sons

Inc. near another Panhandle town, Stratford. “I agree that the first advantage we have here in the cattle business is the climate, which is ideal for the performance of cattle.”

Lasley says the paucity of rain in West Texas also is good for ranchers. “Rain leads to mud, and cattle won’t eat as much or perform as well in muddy conditions,” he says. “Our

business is all about fat animals, and fat animals don’t like mud or heat. In the north Corn Belt, they have a slogan that by July 4 you either sell them or you smell them. We don’t have that problem here.”

Lasley adds that the several meatpacking plants in The High Ground work closely with the ranchers. “With current diesel and gasoline prices so high, ranchers and truckers don’t have nearly the freight costs in this region because the packing plants aren’t too far away,” he says. “That’s a nice advantage.”

HIGH GROUND HOGSNot just the cattle industry is

doing well in the Panhandle. So is the pork industry. For example, Texas Farm LLC in Perryton, with 32,500 sows capable of producing 680,000 market animals annually, is one of the major pork producers not only in the state but also in the nation.

“They are virtually the same as [us cattle ranchers] when it comes to wanting to raise the fattest animals for market,” Waterfield says of the hog farmers. “The old saying certainly holds true around here when talking about cattle and hogs: They grow ’em big in Texas, and they grow ’em really big in West Texas.” – Kevin Litwin

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ScorecardHERE’S THE BEEF – AND THE PORK, TOO

1Texas’ rank nationally in sales of cattle and calves

$8.1 billion proceeds from Texas sales of cattle and calves in 2007

13.8 millionTexas’ population of cattle and calves

1.2 millionTexas’ population of hogs and pigs


beef & pork industries

Plenty of

Dairy cows are becoming increasingly numerous as more dairies begin operations. As of February 2008, the Panhandle was home to 166,000 cows and 85 dairies. One estimate projects those numbers will reach 214,000 and 113 by 2010. PHOTO BY JEFF ADKINS

Milk&kk Cheese


Prosperity flows from Panhandle dairies and cheese-makers to a vast area

Twenty years ago, dairy farms in the Panhandle were few and far between. Though long regarded as a top beef-

producing region, the area remained largely undiscovered by folks in the business of milking cows.

Whether escaping urban encroachment, unfavorable weather conditions or some other limitation, herds of dairymen from all over the world now are finding their way to The High Ground’s wide-open spaces.

John Cowan, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen, cites several factors for the surge: “It’s already a good agricultural area. The higher elevation and less humid climate are beneficial for cow comfort and animal health, which make for better efficiencies. One of the paramount reasons is that the infrastructure is all in place for growing and obtaining feed. Land prices are attractive. And ag people attract ag people.”

The numbers certainly bear that out. Cowan says there were 34 dairies and 35,500 cows in the Panhandle in 2002, when the dairy boom was gaining momentum. By February 2008, those numbers had swelled to 85 dairies and 166,000 cows. Cowan estimates that by 2010, the region will be home to 113 dairies and 214,000 cows.

JOBS CREATED AT CHEESE PLANTS

The influx of dairies also has brought related industries.

Hilmar Cheese Co., operator of a California plant that is the largest single-site cheese manufacturing facility in the world, opened its second location in Dalhart in October 2007. It makes cheddar, colby and Monterey Jack cheeses in 40-pound blocks that are sold to cut-

and-wrap wholesalers.“Our decision to expand to Dalhart was

based on several key factors, including Texas’ positive business climate, reliable regulatory environment and an up-and-coming local dairy industry,” says David Ahlem, site manager.

The 200,000-square-foot Hilmar facility ultimately will employ about 350 people, and in August 2008 the company announced a Phase II expansion that will double the size of the plant. Economic development experts project an additional 1,600 jobs in the milk-production operations that supply the plant.

“Beyond the direct impact from Hilmar Cheese Co. jobs, purchases and taxes, there are many other related businesses that contribute to the local economy, including the dairy farms and agricultural-related industries,” Ahlem says. “Banking, hospitality, services and most any business in the area have likely been affected in some way.”

One study predicts an eventual economic impact exceeding $2 billion from Hilmar’s ripple effect.

In nearby Amarillo, Pacific Cheese Co. is putting the f inishing touches on its 93,000-square-foot plant, which is scheduled to begin production Oct. 1, 2008. The company wi l l cut and package blocks of Hilmar cheese, and it will launch a Texas original – Lone Star Cheese.

Pacif ic Cheese will create more than 100 jobs. But a c c o r d i n g t o Richard R. “Buzz”

HILMAR CHEESE CO., BY THE NUMBERS:

450,000 gallons of milk received daily

60,000 cows that supply the milk

80 trucks that deliver the milk, 6,000 gallons at a time

12 minutes required to empty one of the 6,000-gallon tankers

3 million pounds of cheese produced weekly

more than 500,000 pounds of cheese to be produced daily at Phase I full capacity in 2014

Scorecard


dairy industry

Muleshoe Economic Development Corp. • (806) 272-7455 • www.city-of-muleshoe.com

MULESHOE, TEXAS

Where progress comes easily

Center of the Dairy Country

“Proactive describes Muleshoe the best. I was looking at various places to locate my business so I could diversify and I found what I was looking for right here. They’re outside-the-box thinkers in this town and that is a little unusual for its size.” – Tom Landry, L&L Pallet Supply, Inc.

entet r of h i Countryrr

Texas Twang Meets European Accents IMMIGRANTS LURED TO HIGH GROUND FOR DAIRY AND CHEESE WORK

It’s a long way from the

Netherlands to The High Ground,

and Harry DeWit crossed the

Atlantic Ocean and traveled a long

road through Canada, California

and central Texas to reach it.

DeWit and his wife, Margret,

own High Plains Dairy, a successful

4,400-cow operation in Parmer

County near Friona.

Significantly, some fellow

countrymen have been drawn

to West Texas in pursuit of the

dairy life.

“There’s a good handful of us

Dutchmen,” DeWit says, with just

a hint of an accent. “And we have

a couple (dairy farmers) from

Denmark.”

Local developers would like to

see more. “A group of us went to

Denmark to meet with some dairy

people and talk to them about

coming into the region,” says

Richard R. “Buzz” David, president

and CEO of the Amarillo Economic

Development Corp. “We are

actively recruiting dairy people

from Denmark.”

The Netherlands and Denmark

both rank among the top exporters

of cheese, so it’s only natural that

dairy folks from both countries

would recognize that the

Panhandle – with its available

space, reasonable land prices,

favorable climate, established

infrastructure and ready feed

supply – is ripe for their milk

and cheese expertise.

Years ahead of his time,

Dutchman Ben Mesman

established one of the region’s

original dairies, Mesman Dairy

Farms Inc. in Farwell. Now in his

late 70s, Mesman still makes his

cheese the way they did in the old

country. And you can’t buy it until

he says it’s ready. – Carol Cowan

David, president and chief executive officer of the Amarillo Economic Development Corp., that’s not all. “More importantly, it helps us develop the food-technology-industry cluster that we want to see more of in this area,” he says. “The cheese industry is in growth mode, big-time.”

VET CLINICS, SCHOOLS EXPANDOther High Ground cities and counties also are benefiting

from the dairy industry’s remarkable growth.“We’ve gone from virtually no milk producers in the

county 10 years ago to, as of March 2008, Deaf Smith County being the third-largest milk producer in the state,” says Mike Schueler, president of the Hereford Economic Development Corp.

“Everything from retail to farm prices, farm equipment and sprinkler companies are all booming,” Schueler says. “[Hereford] went from a stagnant housing market to vibrant housing construction going on. For a town of 15,000, you just don’t often see that.”

The Muleshoe Animal Clinic has added seven large-animal veterinarians in the last six years, Dr. Steve Kennedy says. “Our practice services about 50 dairies,” compared with one when he arrived in Muleshoe two decades ago. “Now, 80 to 85 percent of our business is dairy,” Kennedy says.

Muleshoe schools also are getting a boost. In 2006, the community voted by a two-to-one ratio in favor of a $25 million bond issue for school construction. Muleshoe Independent School District Superintendent Gene Sheets could be speaking for the entire Panhandle when he says, “This is an exciting time.” – Carol Cowan

Dutch and Danish dairy farmers bring milk and cheese expertise to Texas.

Pacific Cheese Co.’s 93,000-square-foot processing plant in Amarillo will cut and package blocks of Hilmar cheese.


dairy industry

Commercial Business Financing

Dairy design and steel by Prime Metal Buildings and Design. Photo: ©2006 Paul Chaplo

Texas Panhandle Regional Development Corporation

P.O. Box 9257Amarillo, Texas 79105

(806) 331-6172 • www.tprdc.com

Caprock Business Finance CorporationP.O. Box 3730 Freedom StationLubbock, Texas 79452

(806) 762-8721 • www.caprock504.org

SBA 504 – The money that makes America work

Long-term Fixed RatesSmall Down PaymentNew ConstructionExisting BuildingsEquipment Financing

Offi cial host of the High Ground of Texas 2006 Spring Conference

Lubbock owned and operated5310 Englewood • Lubbock, TX 79424 • www.arborinnandsuites.com

For reservations: (866) 644-2319 • (806) 722-2726


ECONOMIC PROFILE

BUSINESS CLIMATEThe High Ground of Texas is involved in the recruitment and expansion

of several target markets that are a good fit for the region’s economy.

The current target markets include manufacturing, alternative energy,

food processing, value-added agricultural products, customer service

centers and the growing dairy industry.

TOTAL REGIONAL POPULATION

2000 Census, 1,174,829

2007 estimate, 1,204,715

2012 projection, 1,214,513

MAJOR MSA POPULATION CENTERS

Lubbock, 267,211

Amarillo, 242,240

Abilene, 159,343

Odessa, 129,570

Midland, 126,408

TOTAL LABOR FORCE

2000 Census, 538,663

2007 estimate, 554,228

2012 projection, 606,908

Blue-collar occupations, 44.5%

White-collar occupations, 55.5%

THE HIGH GROUND OF TEXAS TARGET INDUSTRIES

Alternative & renewable energy

(wind, solar, biofuels & ethanol)

Ancillary opportunities

to existing businesses

Aviation

Biotechnology

Customer service centers

Dairies

Distribution

Food processing

Manufacturing

Metal fabrication/welding

Oil & gas/petroleum

Plastics/packaging

Value-added agriculture

A SAMPLE OF REGIONAL EMPLOYERS

Affiliated Foods

Alon Inc.

ASARCO Inc.

AT&T Wireless

Azteca Corn Milling

Backyard Adventures

Basic Energy Services

Bell Helicopter

Ben E Keith Distribution

BWXT Pantex LLC

Cactus Feeders

Cargill Meat Solutions

Conoco Phillips

Convergys Corp.

Dawson Geophysical

Excel

Family Dollar Distribution

Halliburton Services

Hilmar Cheese

Hollman Cos.

Key Energy

Owens Corning Fiberglass

Plains Cotton Cooperative

Saulsbury Co.

Telvista Inc.

Texas Farm

Tyco Fire Protection

Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.

Valero

Wal-Mart Distribution

Warren Industries

2008 HIGH GROUND MEMBERSHIP

FOUNDATION MEMBERSAmarillo Economic Development

Corp., www.amarilloedc.com

Golden Spread Electric Co-op.

Inc., www.gsec.coop

Odessa Development Corp.,

www.odessatex.com

Xcel Energy, www.xcelenergy.com

PLATINUM MEMBERSMidland Development Corp.,

www.midlandtexasedc.com

BRONZE MEMBERAtmos Energy Corp.,

www.atmosenergy.com

COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTSPanhandle Regional

Planning Commission,

www.theprpc.org

South Plains Association of

Governments, www.spag.org

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Andrews Economic

Development Corp.,

www.andrewsedc.com

Aspermont Economic

Development Corp.,

www.aspermonttexas.com

Moore Development for Big

Spring, www.bigspringtx.com

Booker Economic Development

Corp., www.bookertexas.org

Borger Economic Development

Corp., www.borger.com

Brownfield Industrial

Development Corp.,

www.ci.brownfield.tx.us

Canadian-Hemphill County

Economic Development,

www.canadiantx.com

Canyon Economic Development

Corp., www.canyonedc.com

Childress Economic

Development Corp.,

www.childresstexas.com

Claude Chamber of Commerce,

www.armstrong

countymuseum.com

Crosbyton Chamber

of Commerce,

www.crosbytoncofc.com

Dalhart Economic Development

Corp., www.dalhart.org

Dimmitt Chamber of Commerce,

www.dimmittchamber.com

Dumas Economic Development

Corp., www.dumasedc.org

Friona Economic Development

Corp., www.frionachamber.com

Fritch at Lake Meredith,

www.cityoffritch.com

Gruver Community

Development Corp.,

www.gruvertexas.com


Amarillo College www.actx.edu

Amarillo Economic Development Corporation www.amarilloedc.com

Andrews Economic Development Corporation www.andrewsedc.com

Arbor Inn & Suites www.arborinnandsuites.com

Ashmore Inn & Suites www.ashmoresuites-amarillo.com

Atmos Energy www.atmosenergy.com

Bell Helicopter www.bellhelicopter.com

Borger Economic Development Corporation www.borger.com

City of Canyon, Texas www.canyonedc.com

City of Plainview, Texas www.ci.plainview.tx.us

Dumas Economic Development Corporation www.dumasedc.org

First Ag Credit www.agmoney.com

Friona Economic Development Corporation www.frionachamber.com

Golden Spread Electric Cooperative Inc. www.gsec.coop

Hereford Economic Development Corporation www.herefordedc.com

High Ground of Texas www.highground.org

High Mesa Homes www.highmesahomes.com

Lamesa Economic Development Corporation www.ci.lamesa.tx.us

Levelland Economic Development Corporation www.golevelland.com

Littlefi eld Economic Development Corporation www.littlefi eldtexas.org

Midland Development Corporation www.midlandtexasedc.org

Monahans Chamber of Commerce www.monahans.org

Monahans Economic Development Corporation www.monahans.org

Moore Development for Big Springswww.bigspringtx.com

Muleshoe Economic Development Corporation www.city-of-muleshoe.com

Pampa Economic Development Corporation www.pampaedc.com

Perryton Community Development Corporation http://cdc.perryton.com

Ports-to-Plains www.portstoplains.com

Shamrock Texas www.shamrocktx.net

Texas Panhandle Regional Development Corporation www.tprdc.com

Wolfforth, Texas www.wolfforthedc.org

Workforce Solutions Permian Basinwww.workforcepb.org

Workforce Solutions South Plains www.spworksource.org

Visit Our AdvertisersGood for business. Good for people.

The Dumas Business Park provides a Texas-sized opportunity for success. Go to www.dumasedc.org to learn more.

P.O. Box 5951015 N. MaddoxDumas, TX 79029(806) 934-3332www.dumasedc.org

©2002 American Cancer Society, Inc.

questions answers

8 0 0 . A C S . 2 3 4 5 / c a n c e r . o r g


FOR MORE INFORMATION

The High Ground of Texas

401 N. 3rd St., Suite 4

P.O. Box 716

Stratford, TX 79084

Phone: (806) 366-7510

Fax: (806) 366-7511

E-mail: [email protected]

www.highground.org

City of Hale Center,

www.angelfire.com/tx3/

halecenter/index.html

Hereford Economic

Development Corp.,

www.herefordtx.org/HEDC

Lamesa Economic Development

Corp., www.growlamesa.com

Levelland Economic

Development Corp.,

www.golevelland.com

Littlefield Economic

Development Corp.,

www.littlefieldtexas.org

City of Lorenzo,

www.cityoflorenzo.org

Mitchell County Board of


www.mitchellcountyeconomic

development.org

Monahans Economic

Development Corp.,

www.monahans.org

Muleshoe Economic

Development Corp.,

www.city-of-muleshoe.com

Pampa Economic Development

Corp., www.pampaedc.com

Perryton Community

Development Corp.,

www.perrytoncdc.com

City of Plains

City of Plainview/Plainview Hale

County Industrial Foundation,

www.phcif.org

Reese Technology Center,

www.reesecenter.com

Seminole Economic

Development Corp.,

www.seminoleedc.org

Shamrock Economic

Development Corp.,

www.shamrocktx.net

Sherman County

Development Committee,

www.shermancountytx.org

Slaton Economic Development

Corp., www.slatontexas.org

Spearman Economic

Development Corp.,

www.spearman.org

Sundown Economic

Development Corp.

Sweetwater Enterprise for


www.sweetwatertexas.net

City of Tulia,

www.tuliachamber.com

City of Wellington,

www.wellingtontx.com

City of Wheeler,

www.wheelertexas.com

Wolfforth Economic

Development Corp.,

www.wolfforthedc.org

COUNTY MEMBERSBailey County,

www.co.bailey.tx.us

Cochran County,

www.co.cochran.tx.us

Cottle County,

www.paducahtx.com

Dallam County Industrial

Development Corp.,

www.dallam.org

Hockley County,

www.co.hockley.tx.us

Ochiltree County,

www.co.ochiltree.tx.us

Oldham County,

www.oldhamcofc.org

Wheeler County,

www.wheelertexas.com

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSAmarillo Area Foundation,

www.amarilloareafoundation.org

Amarillo College, www.actx.edu

American Electric Power,

www.aep.com

Bailey County Electric

Cooperative Association,

www.bcecoop.com

Greenbelt Electric

Cooperative Inc.,

www.greenbeltelectric.coop

Northwest Texas SBDC,

www.nwtsbdc.org

Oncor Electric Delivery,

www.locationtexas.com

WorkForce Solutions Panhandle

www.wspanhandle.com

Permian Basin Regional Planning

Commission, www.pbrpc.org

SOURCES:

www.highground.org,

U.S. Census Bureau

Rita Blanca Electric Cooperative

Inc., www.RBEC.org

South Plains College,

www.southplainscollege.edu

Swisher Electric Cooperative

Inc., www.swisherelectric.org

Texas Cattle Feeders

Association, www.tcfa.org

Windstream,

www.windstream.com

WorkForce Solutions South

Plains, www.spworksource.org

WTAMU Enterprise Network,

www.IncubationWorks.com

West Texas A&M University,

www.wtamu.edu

XIT Communications/XIT

Wireless/XITv, www.xit.net


economic profile

business images high ground of texas: 2008-09

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