Dirk van Reenen

05/20/24 • 56 min

A conversation with Dirk van Reenen, the founder of Merus Adventure Park in the Texas Panhandle. Born and raised in South Africa, Dirk moved to Texas during his teen years. While attending WTAMU, he became the owner/manager of the former Lifts West ski shop at Western Plaza, launched Caprock Auctions in Amarillo, and worked in real estate before moving away in 2014. He tells host Jason Boyett about his Amarillo career, his subsequent move to the Houston area—followed by a stint in Columbia, Maryland— and his return to the Texas Panhandle. At Merus, now the largest private outdoor adventure park in Texas, Dirk provides family-friendly activities and access to Palo Duro Canyon separate from the state park. This episode is supported by Amarillo Habitat for Humanity, Wieck Realty, Wolflin Square and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

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Dr. Vanessa Fiaud

A conversation with Vanessa Fiaud, Ph.D., an associate professor of sports and exercise science at the WTAMU College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Fiaud was born in France, where she studied business law, and continued her education in Oklahoma and Texas. She arrived in the Texas Panhandle and at WT in 2009, and tells host Jason Boyett about her work on sports biomechanics, as well as her recent approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to serve as an official volunteer at this year's Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Paris. This episode is supported by The Amarillo Tribune, The Shops at Wolflin Square, and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

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Kashion Smith

A conversation with Kashion Smith, the executive director of the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau. After several years in the hotel industry—including a stint as wedding specialist at the old Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo—Smith has spent the past decade with the CVB. She took over leadership of that organization in 2020. In this role, she is responsible for promoting and supporting tourism, conventions and events in Amarillo. The CVB “sells” Amarillo as a destination for people who don’t live here. Smith shares with host Jason Boyett about her former hotel career in Taos and Amarillo, how the CVB works to bring conventions to Amarillo, and what unique local characteristics are helping Amarillo compete with larger cities like San Antonio. This episode is supported by La-Z-Boy Furniture Stores, Wolflin Square and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.