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First United Bank promotes Ethan Douglass to Vice President
Plains Bancorp, Inc., holding company for First United Bank, announced this week the promotion of Ethan Douglass to Vice President. Douglass serves as a Commercial Lending Officer for First United Bank, officing in its Amarillo Tradewind Banking Center.
Douglass has 11 years of experience in the banking industry, eight of which have been with First United Bank. He is a 2013 graduate of West Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance. Douglass serves on the Board of Directors for The Bridge and as a Junior Achievement Volunteer in Amarillo.
First United Bank, a subsidiary of Plains Bancorp, Inc., reports total assets of more than $2 billion and currently operates 17 banking center offices in 13 West Texas markets and has more than 250 employees. Visit the bank online for more information at www.FirstUnited.BANK.
QuikTrip opens first travel center in Amarillo; 2nd location under construction
QuikTrip (QT), one of the nation’s leading convenience and gasoline retailers, announced the opening this week of its first location in Amarillo, located along I-40 near the Eastern St. exit.
The company said this location will create approximately two dozen new local jobs. All interested applicants should apply online at www.quiktrip.com/store-jobs/.
As a travel center, the Amarillo location features larger lots and more spacious store design than a traditional QT, with room to service 20 cars for gas and five diesel bays for trucks. QT said the Amarillo location at 5150 I-40 E is its 257th in Texas, and an additional location is scheduled to open in Amarillo this spring at 7410 Bell St.
“We are excited to continue expanding our presence in Texas by bringing QuikTrip’s signature brand of quality and efficient service to Amarillo,” said QuikTrip Corporate Communications Manager Aisha Jefferson in a news release. “Our travel center model will offer a safe, clean, and friendly stop for the many travelers driving through the Texas Panhandle on I-40.”
The Amarillo location will offer a full-service QT Kitchen with fresh, made-to-order meals, as well as fresh food delivered daily through its bakeries and commissaries. Amarillo customers can enjoy coffee, QTea, grab-and-go food options and more. QT Kitchens customer favorites include warm, soft pretzels, extra-large pizzas, custom breakfast tacos, hardwood smoked BBQ sandwiches, cold brew coffee and frozen treats like QT’s QuikShake.
Since its founding in 1958, QT has grown its footprint to more than 1,000 stores across 17 states andemploys over 31,000 people. The company is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. For more about QT, visit www.quiktrip.com.
Atmos Energy donates $2 million to help customers stay warm this winter
Atmos Energy is donating $2 million to energy assistance agencies across the eight states it serves to help customers stay warm and safe this winter.
The company said it will distribute these funds in partnership with various assistance agencies and nonprofit organizations, providing relief for Atmos Energy customers who need help paying their natural gas bills, past-due debt, deposits, and service charges.
“The goal of these dollars is to support our neighbors in need,” said Michael Gonzales, Atmos Energy manager of public affairs. “We realize it takes significant resources to support the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans, and families experiencing financial hardship with the funds they need to enjoy reliable and affordable natural gas throughout the year. Partnering with a variety of energy assistance programs allows us the opportunity to provide our communities immediate and easy access to funding.”
Customers may locate an energy assistance agency by visiting atmosenergy.com/assistance/ or calling 211. Atmos Energy encourages customers needing solutions to keep up with their monthly natural gas expenses to contact Atmos Energy’s customer service team at 888-286-6700 or visit the account center at Atmos Energy Account Center.
Xcel Energy provides options for paying winter bills as cold weather drives up electricity use
Xcel Energy is reminding customers that cold weather can often lead to higher energy bills as area residents use more electricity to warm their homes and businesses. Customers who are concerned they might fall behind on payments are encouraged to apply for energy assistance or establish pay arrangements.
“Xcel Energy’s Texas and New Mexico customers have benefitted from reliable electric service as a string of winter weather events in recent weeks gripped the region in arctic cold,” said Adrian J. Rodriguez, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “But higher use of electricity to stay warm can drive up winter bills, and we want to remind our customers to contact us if they need assistance.”
The company’s automated phone system offers pay arrangement options that allow customers to divide their balance into installments to be paid over time. These plans vary according to individual circumstances, but most are from three to six months. Customers wishing to discuss pay arrangement options with Xcel Energy Contact Center agents can call (800) 895-4999 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Xcel Energy can also connect customers with community resources that will assist them in making billing payments. In 2022, 19,180 customers in Texas and New Mexico received more than $14.7 million in assistance for their energy bills. Information on state-specific energy assistance programs is available at xcelenergy.com/energyassistance.
Additionally, Xcel Energy provides information on saving energy and money through improved efficiency at xcelenergy.com on the Programs & Rebates page. Efficiency services for residential customers is provided by approved energy efficiency contractors operating in the area that make efficiency improvements at little to no cost. Customers access these services by contacting the firms listed on the Energy Efficiency Services page at xcelenergy.com.
Details on additional residential energy-saving programs and offers can be found at xcelenergy.com.
Credent Wealth Management named 2023 Top RIA Firm by Forbes Magazine
Forbes Magazine named Credent Wealth Management one of America’s Top RIA Firms of 2023. Of the 23,100 registered investment advisors invited to participate in the survey, Credent is in the top 0.6%, according to a news release.
A prestigious and competitive industry award curated by Shook Research, the Top RIA Firm ranking focuses on quality and includes a thorough application and interview process. Steve Swicegood, Wealth Manager and partner in Credent’s Amarillo office, recognizes what this honor means to him. “This award comes, in large part, from the efforts of our clients,” Swicegood says. “They are hardworking, spend less than they make, and value the advice we provide.”
Swicegood has worked in the industry for almost 50 years. To be considered for this ranking, he and the rest of the Credent team must abide by high standards of care in compliance, fees, process, culture, and more.
Credent’s Chief Executive Officer, David Hefty, notes how the firm’s transparency impacts clients. “We have no commissions and no hidden fees,” Hefty says. “There are no ‘gotchas’ in anything we do in a fee-only relationship.”
For more information about how Shook Research selects the Top Registered Investment Advisors, visit Methodology: America’s Top RIA Firms 2023 (forbes.com).
Premier Truck Group moves into new dealership space in Amarillo
Premier Truck Group, an international medium and heavy-duty commercial truck dealership group, announced this week the relocation of its Amarillo dealership into a new state-of-the-art facility.
The new facility, located at 7580 E Interstate 40, is less than half a mile from the previous dealership location. The new, custom-built 115,000 sq. foot dealership offers service, parts and new and pre-owned vehicles sales, as well as collision repair services in the West Texas market area for heavy-duty and medium duty trucks, buses and motorhome chassis produced by Daimler Trucks North America (“DTNA”). The dealership also offers parts and service for other makes of commercial vehicles.
The new facility increases the dealership’s ability to service customers by offering 30 service bays, four Express Assessment bays, two quick-lube bays, 16 collision center bays with leading frame alignment and frame correction equipment and chassis dynamometers. The Dealership also offers RV parking with 30/50 Amp electrical outlets, as well as improved customer and employee amenities.
Premier Truck Group President Ron Long said, “Our new Amarillo facility is significantly more customer focused than our previous facility that had been in operation since 1985. This new facility has been designed with efficiency in mind so that we can maximize customer uptime by returning their trucks to service quickly. It starts in our dedicated Express Assessment bays so our customers’ needs are quickly assessed without disconnecting their trailers. Our larger, air-conditioned service shop allows us to repair more trucks each shift. We have also increased our in-stock parts inventory to increase the speed of repairs, and our new collision center lets us handle everything from small collisions to major wrecks. While we service their vehicles, our customers experience a best-in-class customer lounge with a variety of food and drink options, entertainment, quiet areas, and shower facilities.”
Commercial vehicle and parts brands sold and/or serviced at this location include Freightliner, Western Star, Freightliner Custom Chassis, Thomas Built Buses, Detroit, Alliance Truck Parts and all-makes trucks. In addition to servicing customers in the West Texas market, Premier Truck Group of Amarillo will also support long-haul trucks traveling coast to coast. For additional information about Premier Truck Group, visit www.premiertruck.com.
New travel planning website, TexasGlampingResorts.com opens
For many years, TexasCampgrounds.com has been the “go to” travel planning resource for camping and RV trips in Texas, a news release says. Now there’s another one, TexasGlampingResorts.com, which highlights campgrounds and resorts that offer unique glamping accommodations, from furnished covered wagons, yurts, tipis and safari tents to fully furnished cabins, cottages and vintage RVs.
“Park operators in Texas have been making big investments in more sophisticated glamping accommodations, so we thought it would be helpful to create a new website to help consumers quickly find these unique resorts,” said Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which hosts TexasGlampingResorts.com as well as TexasCampgrounds.com.
TexasGlampingResorts.com has a search function that enables consumers to find glamping resorts by type of accommodation and city. The website also allows glamping parks to post up to 10 photos with their listing, which gives consumers a great idea of what they have to offer.
Based in Crowley, the Texas Association of Campground Owners is the trade association that represents campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the Lone Star State. For more information or to book your next trip, visit TexasCampgrounds.com and TexasGlampingResorts.com.
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