Blog

Aug 30, 2023

Amarillo area business news and developments for Aug. 27, 2023

The second annual National Cinema Day takes place Sunday, Aug. 27, and Cinergy Dine-In Cinemas will be participating at all its locations. On Sunday, moviegoers will enjoy $4 movie tickets at their

The second annual National Cinema Day takes place Sunday, Aug. 27, and Cinergy Dine-In Cinemas will be participating at all its locations.

On Sunday, moviegoers will enjoy $4 movie tickets at their local Cinergy for all movies, in all formats, during all showtimes. Cinergy’s guests will also receive a special discounted price of $4 on small popcorn and fountain drinks, all day. For more information on Cinergy, visit https://www.cinergy.com/amarillo .

Diversified Industrial Services Company (DISCO) has been honored by Health Rosetta at the inaugural “Rosie Awards” presentation in Chicago with a national award for health plan excellence and stewardship.

Fifty employers or unions with memberships ranging from 27 to 300,000 were honored by more than 700 healthcare and benefits professionals, industry experts, and thought leaders who gathered at the Chicago Navy Pier, for the Health Rosetta Conference, on Aug. 7-9 to discuss strategies for delivering better care at a lower cost while improving patient outcomes, a news release says.

As part of its comprehensive healthcare program, DISCO is a proud partner with High Plains Health Plan (www.hphealthplan.com), renowned for its innovative approach to healthcare with offerings such as $0 deductibles and copays for thousands of healthcare services, including $0 generic medication. This partnership has allowed DISCO to maximize the value and efficiency of healthcare for its employees. High Plains Health Plan has been skillfully developed and managed by Butler Benefits & Consulting, located in Amarillo. Known for their dedicated focus on improving access to affordable healthcare for companies and their employees, Butler Benefits & Consulting's expertise has been instrumental in achieving this success.

To learn more about DISCO’s Rosie Award-winning health plan, contact High Plains Health Plan at [email protected]

The 2023 Rosie Award winners were chosen from plans nominated by benefit advisors, solution providers, or clinical leaders from around the country. Winners were chosen based on multiple criteria, including the “Health Rosetta Dividend”, which refers to money previously wasted on healthcare that can be reinvested back into the organization or community to improve wellbeing, such as free primary care services, pay increases, $0 medications, new job creation, or other tangible improvements that have a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of their workforce, dependents, and communities.

Xcel Energy is offering discounts on energy-efficient LED bulbs as well as an easy way to locate where to get them through the new Bulb Finder webpage.

Customers enter their ZIP code to find stores located nearby that offer LED bulbs at discounted prices as low as 8 cents per bulb in New Mexico and 16 cents in Texas, according to a news release.

“Swapping out old incandescent bulbs with LEDs is the cheapest and easiest way to save energy and money at home,” said Sherryl Volkert, lighting program manager. “And now you can locate them easily by using the website tool, locating a local hardware store or big box retailer, and look for the Xcel Energy sticker. It’s never been easier to get started on energy efficiency at home.”

LEDs are the new nationwide standard since it is now illegal to manufacture and sell most traditional incandescent and halogen light bulbs. An Energy Star LED bulb saves about $55 in electricity costs over its lifetime and lasts at least 13 years. Energy Star LEDs are independently certified to deliver efficiency and performance.

Customers can download the helpful LED bulb guide that will help determine which shape, size, and color temperature to buy to replicate the old bulbs being replaced. The higher the output in watts or lumens, the brighter the bulb will be. Xcel Energy discounts can be found at many retailers including Ace Hardware, Dollar Tree, Goodwill, Habitat ReStore, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club and Walmart. The discounts are funded by Xcel Energy’s Demand Side Management program, created to help customers save energy and money through a variety of programs and services.

Xcel Energy provides discounts of up to $3 per bulb at participating stores in Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and South Dakota. Bonus discounts of over 90% are available in select areas. Find discounted bulbs at xcelenergy.com/LightingDeals.

Maverick Fitness Holdings, owner of 35 Orangetheory® Fitness studios in North Texas, along with Orangetheory Fitness studios across the state of Texas and Louisiana, hosted Special Olympics athletes during an exclusive 90-minute class at their studios in July and raised more than $55,000 for Special Olympics.

According to a news release, Maverick Fitness began this initiative in 2020 to keep Special Olympic athletes in North Texas active during the Pandemic. The initiative has now grown into an inclusion movement with Orangetheory Fitness statewide in Texas and Louisiana to include Special Olympic athletes as honorary members for the day.

Maverick Fitness studios raised $29,045 and donated an additional $5,000 through their OrangeLove program for a total donation of $34,045 for Special Olympics.

"Every year now we are more and more excited about the partnership with Orangetheory Fitness as it expands to more studios, more communities and more athletes across the state. This is the inclusion revolution that we hope for in our movement and Orangetheory gets it, starting with Maverick Fitness in DFW. We want to see this partnership grow, not only in Texas, but across the country for years to come," says Tim Martin, CEO/President, Special Olympics Texas.

For more information on Orangetheory® Fitness, studio locations and membership packages, please visit OrangetheoryFitness.com. Follow Orangetheory Fitness on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

The Northeast Texas Panhandle Beef Conference will be hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service on Sept. 7 at the Wolf Creek Heritage Museum in Lipscomb. The program will begin at 1:30 p.m. Registration is $10 and payable at the door.

“After several years of drought and selling off some or all of their livestock, area ranchers need to prepare for rebuilding their herds,” said J.R. Sprague, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Lipscomb County in a news release. “Our speakers will talk about the best time to restock as well as the options for purchasing new females.”

Topics and speakers will include When to Restock After the Drought, Jason Smith, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, Amarillo; Buying Replacements: Cows or Heifers? Smith; Economics of Buying Replacement Cows or Heifers, DeDe Jones, AgriLife Extension risk management specialist, Amarillo; Raising Replacement Heifers, Smith; and Economics of Raising Replacement Heifers, Jones.

For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension county offices in Lipscomb, 806-862-4601; Hemphill, 806-323-9114; Hansford, 806-659-4130; Ochiltree, 806-435-4501; or Roberts, 806-868-3191.