The Amarillo Economic Development Council elected Elliot McKinney as chair Tuesday, Aug. 12, wrapping a week of changes that saw the Amarillo City Council appoint Brian Bruckner to the board on Aug. 8 following the July 15 resignation of former chair Alex Fairly.
McKinney, a co-founder and partner of Llano Construction and former business partner of Fairly through the healthcare network company OccuNet, was nominated by board member Randy Burkett and seconded by Dean Crump. The vote was 4-0 in favor.
“I obviously will miss having Mr. Fairly as the chair. I thought he did an excellent job and appreciate his leadership there,” Mayor Cole Stanley said. “I think Elliot McKinney can step right into that role. He has excellent business acumen, and I believe in that team coming together. With all of the successes they’re looking at over the next couple of years, I think they’ll take off running and be knocking targets down left and right.”
Bruckner, appointed to the board during a special city council meeting on Aug. 8, received unanimous support from the council. He serves as president of Bruckner’s Truck & Equipment, a Mack and Volvo truck dealership founded in Amarillo in 1932 by his grandfather, B.M. “Bennie” Bruckner Sr. Under his leadership, the business has expanded to dozens of locations across the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, including the first Mack dealership in Texas to receive electric vehicle certification.
Budget and CEO search
The AEDC board reviewed its proposed fiscal 2025-26 budget, projecting $3.24 million in operations revenue from sales tax collections and $210,000 in interest income.
Major expenses include $1.32 million for salaries and benefits, $700,000 for marketing and business development, and $260,000 in professional fees — including the cost of a CEO search. Other expenses cover rent, utilities and insurance.
Board members voted to send out a request for proposals for a permanent president/CEO to a targeted group of 10–15 firms, with an Aug. 29 response deadline. The RFP will seek both traditional economic development candidates and non-traditional applicants with deal-making or leadership experience from other sectors. It will go to firms the AEDC has previously worked with, along with select others identified through staff research, but not the “big five” global executive search firms. Proposals will be reviewed and narrowed to one choice or a short list of finalists for interviews at a later meeting.
Project funding and agreements
The projects budget totals $23.76 million from sales tax revenue, with $14.8 million earmarked for company incentive agreements. Other allocations include workforce training grants, infrastructure improvements and bond payments. Members also discussed membership payments to organizations such as Ports-to-Plains and the Texas Economic Development Council.
The board approved Project No. 25-07-05, a Texas Workforce Commission High Demand Job Training Grant matching program. The $150,000 AEDC match will support vocational programs in five local school districts.
Members also approved Amendment No. 2 to the purchase and sale agreement with Endries Enterprises LLC. The agreement covers the sale of 19.96 acres for a planned 100,000-square-foot cold storage facility, with the AEDC covering about $100,000 in road and utility extensions. The purchase price is $550,000, with clawback provisions included.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Elliot McKinney named chair as Amarillo EDC shifts leadership
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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