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Howdy Partners!
Welcome to the Council Connection, the official newsletter of the Wyoming Business Council.
Autumn has arrived -- and as leaves change color and temperatures get colder, the Business Council continues to seek opportunities to foster economic growth in Wyoming. This edition includes the results of the quarterly Board meeting; upcoming conferences and workshops; a policy change regarding revenue recapture funds; and the Wyoming Small Business Development Center.
As always, we look forward to your feedback. Beginning with this October issue, the Council Connection will be published quarterly.
Until next time,
Your friends at the Wyoming Business Council
Contact us at
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What's New?
Wyoming Business Council Board of Directors Meeting
The Wyoming Business Council Board's regular meeting was held Sept. 14-15 in Cody, Wyo., where the Board heard updates from the Business & Industry Division, Agribusiness Division, the State Energy Office, the Wyoming Economic Development Association (WEDA), and the Business Council's partners from the Business Resource Network including the Research Products Center and the Wyoming Women's Business Center.
The Business Council made a final recommendation for the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) to approve an $860,625 Business Committed grant for the city of Cheyenne for pedestrian and streetscape infrastructure improvements allowing for the expansion of Western EcoSystems Technology Inc. The proposed grant funds will be part of a larger project to complete the remodeling and new construction of an existing building owned by Dinco Development LLC.
For more information about these projects, visit the Wyoming Business Council website or call 307-777-2800. |
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Upcoming Events
Oct. 11-14 Wyoming Business Leadership Institute 2011 Summit Series - Marketing & Leadership Training in Laramie, Wyo. More information
Oct. 12-14 AgriFuture Conference in Laramie, Wyo. Contact Cindy Garretson-Weibel at 307-777-6589 for more information.
Oct. 17-20 "Get that Grant: Grant Writing from Conception to Completion" workshop in Cheyenne, Wyo. Contact Jo Ferguson at 307-777-5812 for more information.
Nov. 9-10 IMN's Data Center Forum in Los Angeles, Calif. "Financing, Investing & Real Estate Development for Data Centers." More information
Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012 - Risk Management Marketing Strategies Workshops in Big Horn Basin and Southeastern Wyoming. College credit available. Contact Donn Randall at 307-777-6578 for more information. |
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Wyoming First Program
The Wyoming First Program assists Wyoming companies with the identification and promotion of their Wyoming-Made products and services. To learn more about this program or to become a member, visit Wyoming First.
PROFILE OF THE MONTH:
KD Creations
Located in Casper, Wyo., KD Creations creates beautiful custom-made jewelry. Designers Debbie Jenkins and Kristie Brown
 | Falcon earrings in
precious metal clay and
fine silver |
work with quality materials such as precious metal clay, sterling silver and natural stones. Their jewelry is hand stamped using individual design stamping tools so no two are exactly alike. KD Creations can be found at various art festivals throughout the year in Wyoming and in the Rocky Mountain region. Visit their website at Longwinger Studios |
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Business Resource Network
The Wyoming Business Council's Resource Network partners provide assistance for Wyoming businesses. For more information visit the Wyoming Business Council's Resource Partner page.
PARTNER OF THE MONTH:
Wyoming Small Business Development Center
The Wyoming Small Business Development Center offers direct consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Expertise:
- Accounting Systems
- Business Plan Review
- Financial Health Checkup
- Government Contracting
- International Trade
- Loan Application Review
- Legal Review
- Management & HR
- Marketing Assistance
- Website Development...and much more.
For more information about the Wyoming Small Business Development Center call 307-766-3505 or go to the Wyoming Entrepreneur website.
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Main Street/Rural Development News
The Main Street Program provides Wyoming communities with opportunities to revitalize historic downtown districts.
The Wyoming Rural Development Council assists rural communities in Wyoming on such issues as land use, community development and leadership development.
More information
Main Street Advisory Board Meeting
The fall Main Street Advisory Board meeting will be held Oct. 3-4 in Rawlins, Wyo., at the Rainbow Te-ton Entrepreneur Center. The agenda includes the annual report to the legislature, budget, Historic Architecture Assistance Fund and Technical Assistance, planning the 2012 Pre-trip and the National Main Street Conference.
Other Meetings
Oct. 25 Burns Priority-Setting Meeting -- the follow-up to their latest Community Assessment.
Nov. 2-3 Wyoming Rural Development Council Fall Board Meeting at Ucross outside Buffalo, Wyo.
Contact Britta Fuller at 307-777-5271 for more information about meetings.
Mary Randolph Western Planner of the Year
 | | Mary Randolph, state coordinator of the Wyoming Main Street Program |
State coordinator of the Wyoming Main Street Program, Mary Randolph was recently awarded Western Planner of the Year by Western Planning Resources, Inc., an organization that provides community resources and a network for community planners around the West. Randolph was chosen because of her efforts to improve and increase the planning capacity of communities around Wyoming through her work with the Wyoming Main Street Program. She developed the Wyoming Rural Development Council Community Assessment program which has been used by 90 Wyoming communities and out-of-state communities to achieve their planning goals. Watch video |
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Investment Ready Communities
The Wyoming Business Council helps communities build infrastructure needed for economic development and provides community development resources so Wyoming towns, cities and counties may become "business ready." More information
IRC NEWS:
Revenue Recapture Plan for BRC Projects
The Business Ready Communities (BRC) staff has recently amended its internal policy regarding the use of revenue recaptured funds to be applied toward operations and maintenance costs.
The intent of the revamped protocol is to ensure the BRC funding allocated to a project will continue to remain in the community to foster further economic development efforts. Eligible uses for recaptured loans include:
- Revolving Loan Fund
- Facade Improvements
- Downtown Development & Beautification
- Training & Seminars
- Marketing
- Matching Funds for Future Grants
- Public Infrastructure Improvements
- Economic Development Studies
As a result of the change, up to 50 percent of recaptured revenue funding can be used for economic development operation and maintenance expenses. More information |
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Energy News
The Wyoming Business Council administers the State Energy Office funded through the U.S. Department of Energy. The office works to expand opportunities for alternative or renewable energy use in Wyoming. More information
Feasibility of Siting Coal Gasification and Synfuels Plants Report Released
The Wyoming Business Council and State Energy Office recently released the "Feasibility of Siting Coal Gasification and Synfuels Plants in Wyoming" report. This study is an extensive and highly technical report that creates feasibility models for coal gasification and natural gas conversion plants in Wyoming and discusses the potential economic viability of those projects. This five-year project was a collaborative effort among the Wyoming Business Council, Idaho National Labs, University of Wyoming, and Wyoming Geological Survey. The Business Council and partners will discuss the results of the report during the Gasification Technologies Conference in San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 10-12, 2011. The executive summary of the report is available upon request to the State Energy Office by calling 307-777-2824. |
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Agribusiness News
The Agribusiness Division assists farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses in developing and expanding domestic and international markets for agriculture products, adding value to livestock and crop products, and providing agribusiness development assistance and leadership development opportunities. More information
AgriFuture 2011
The Wyoming Business Council and Wyoming Rural Development Council will host the 2nd Annual AgriFuture Conference in Laramie, Wyo., Oct. 12-14 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The conference is designed for producers, processors, policy makers and students. Dr. Lowell Catlett will address how to ensure a bright future for American agriculture. Other speakers include Kevin Edberg, U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, and Dallas Tonsager, the USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development. For more information contact Cindy Garretson-Weibel at 307-777-6589 or visit the AgriFuture 2011 event website. |
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Regional Offices
The Wyoming Business Council has seven regional directors that live and work in their regions. They help businesses, local governments and organizations overcome their development challenges.
Field Operations Division
The Field Operations Division consists of seven regional directors and a project specialist. Each regional director has a strong background in economic and community development. They help businesses, local governments and organizations with such things as planning, accessing capital, marketing, project development and implementation and accessing state and federal programs. The project specialist assists the regional directors and their clients in a variety of ways, including research and grant review and reporting. The regional directors have a vast array of resources they work with and bring to the table on projects. One tip: Involve your regional director sooner rather than later and they can often save you time, money and headaches. Contact your regional director at the Business Council website.
East Central - Kim Rightmer (307) 577-6012
Northeast - Dave Spencer (307) 689-1320
Northwest - Leah Bruscino (307) 754-5785
South Central - Pat Robbins (307) 382-3163
Southeast - Tom Johnson (307) 766-5357
Southwest - Elaina Zempel (307) 877-2203
West Central - Roger Bower (307) 857-1155
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Thank you for reading this edition of the Council Connection. Please send us your feedback. Contact us at info.wbc@wyo.gov |
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