(Community Matters) I’m alive, just crazy busy week. Thursday nights ADL Torch of Liberty dinner was inspiring – just being in the room with much less meeting Prof Elie Weisel . . .
Thursday and Friday to Midland for KXWT meetings (which went exceedingly well by the way). Since our Saturday breakfast cancelled, Frank Schubert and I decided to spend 13 hours in Marfa. On our way to dinner with Julie, Fran and Thomas Kellein. Then back to Midland early in the morning back to Austin so can do Ballet Austin’s The Light Saturday night and the Nobelity Project’s Artist and Fimmakers Dinner on Sunday.
Community Matters 
Good job Eugene! You’ve done so much for the Big Bend area that I thought you might help get the word out:
I was at an event at the Hub of Human Innovation in El Paso the other day, when the regional director for the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center at UTEP, Hilario Gamez, introduced himself. He said TMAC would be happy to come down to start helping manufacturers in this area. And not only would TMAC not charge for this service, but there are grants available for small boutique manufacturers their office can help with.
I told Hilario about my lame attempts using Facebook and email to tell people about a Lean Manufacturing workshop given by manufacturing specialist, Benito Flores (http://tmac.utep.edu/benitobio.htm), at UTEP in February. But I wasn’t doing something right, because I was the only self employed person in the workshop…. and probably the only one over 25.
I know for a fact there are area businesses who need help, and some Marfa up and comers who will. I’ve learned the hard way over the years, it’s always best to start help for a business before you need it.
Adrian Madrigal, from the El Paso SBA office, who is also very involved with the Hub, told me he’d be coming through our area April 11 – 13th. I connected him with Hilario, so now, with any luck, TMAC will be sending someone with Adrian as well.
I was hoping you, or one of your readers, might pass along contact info for Adrian, Hilario and Benito. Besides through email, Hilario Gamez (hilario.gamez@tmac.org) and Benito Flores (benitof@utep.edu) can be reached at the TMAC office at: 915/747-6272. I don’t have Adian Madrigal’s phone number at hand, and I’m about to get on the road to head to RISE Austin, but his email address is: adrian.madrigal@sba.gov.
Like all Americans, these offices are hungry to bring back the glory days of American manufacturing, and very anxious to help the “99%”. 🙂
Thanks for all you and Steven do for our middle of nowhere slice of heaven. I shake my head and laugh when I read about all the great things going on in Marfa (and now Odessa/Midland). Keep up the good work!