WTEC Looks for Feedback from Area Food Truck Owners

Contact: Brian Enevoldsen, 806-651-8500, brian@wtenterprisecenter.com

Copy by Adam Jiwa, 806-651-8503, adam@wtenterprisecenter.com

AMARILLO, Texas — Mobile restauranteurs are invited to serve up some feedback at the WT Enterprise Center’s first Food Truck Owner Meet-Up.

The event will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 16 at the WTEC, 2300 N. Western St. in Amarillo.

The event is open for all food truck owners, who may RSVP for the event at tiny.cc/FoodTruckMeetUp.

At the catered meet-up, business owners will be offered a tour of WT Enterprise Center facilities and asked to provide responses for ideas to provide services to them.

“Often food truck owners have to prep their products in the confines of the mobile kitchen,” said Adam Jiwa, marketing manager/coach for the WT Enterprise Center. “We have kitchen facilities that can be utilized by owners so that they can continue to produce safe, quality food products for their customers.”

The WT Enterprise Center facilitates two certified commercial kitchens which serves as food production space for Change Nutrition, Sweet Jeans Pantry, Mitch E’s, Sweet Revenge Mustard, Hope Springs Gourmet Crackers, and Amarillo Enterprize Challenge winner Skip’s Salsa, which now supplies supermarkets including United Supermarkets, HEB, and many Wal-Mart locations across the Texas Panhandle.

“The City of Amarillo has nearly 200 permitted food trucks on file, and we would love to hear how we can help support them,” said Brian Enevoldsen, WTEC managing director. “Whether they are prepping for a big catering event or just for the day in the truck, we want to gain their insight into what needs they have and how we might meet them.”

Until now, the WTEC commercial kitchens have operated solely for state licensed food manufacturers. Based upon the need within the community for a commissary, the kitchens will now serve a much broader entrepreneur base and aim to make it possible to comply with all city health ordinances. The WTEC desires to provide support and opportunity for all entrepreneurs to pursue their business.

“The Texas Panhandle does not have a kitchen commissary for food truck vendors to store dry goods, wash pots and pans, dispose of used vegetable or cooking oil, or perform kitchen prep in a food safe environment,” Jiwa said. “This event will allow us to listen and learn more about local food truck vendors and their needs so they can continue growing their business.

WTEC is a department of WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and works side-by-side with America’s SBDC at WTAMU in supporting economic development throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WTEC provides Panhandle entrepreneurs business coaching, access to facilities, access to capital, and various other trainings and programs to assist them in growing companies with strong leadership. WTEC also aims to provide opportunities for college of business students to intern in local businesses showing them first-hand the hard work and dedication entrepreneurs must have to be successful.  

WT is committed to serving the region and well beyond with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who are empowered to lead others. Partnering and retaining community businesses to improve the quality of life in the Panhandle and beyond is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised about $110 million.

About WT Enterprise Center

Since 2001, the WT Enterprise Center has been providing local entrepreneurs with access to certified business coaches, industry expert specialists, top-notch facilities, and high-level programs. Business owners gain the support system, knowledge, ideas, and even resources needed to take their business to the next level. As an entrepreneur support organization in the Texas Panhandle, helping business owners build strong, profitable companies that contribute to a thriving economic community is a primary focus. To learn more about the WT Enterprise Center, visit wtenterprisecenter.com or contact info@wtenterprisecenter.com or 806-374-9777.

About the WTAMU Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business

The Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business is accredited at both the undergraduate and graduate level by the AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which is the highest accrediting body for business colleges in the world. The Computer Information Systems (CIS) program in the Engler College of Business is accredited by ABET in the area of computing accreditation. Fewer than 40 business schools hold both AACSB and ABET accreditation. ABET accreditation is the highest standard for computing proof that a collegiate program has met standards essential to produce graduates ready to enter the critical fields of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. The COB has reach national accolades with programs ranked in the top 50 Best Online MBA by eight different national programs including U.S. News & World Report and Fortune. Recently the COB was recognized as #19 Best Online MBA Program by The Princeton Review and #24 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News & World Report. To find out more about the Engler College of Business, visit wtamu.edu/cob or call 806-651-2530.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—