Cynthia Cloud speaks at the August Chamber Luncheon

The Chamber hosted another successful monthly luncheon on August 12^th at the beautiful Old West Museum. Our guest speaker, Cynthia Cloud, Wyoming State Auditor, gave an update on the current economic status of Wyoming as well as the nation.
Even in these stressful economic times, Wyoming is still able to prosper. Although the nation's credit rating has been downgraded to AA by Standard & Poor's credit agency, our state's S&P rating is still AAA. Wyoming's unemployment rate is at 5.8% compared to a national rate of 9.1%. The outlook for the energy industry in Wyoming is very strong and we have had revenue from our sales taxes increase this year. This, along with other fiscally conservative decisions made by our elected officials, has allowed Wyoming investments to grow to over $14 billion this year and has helped fund our education system and the building of new schools all over the state. The University of Wyoming was ranked 10^th in the nation for affordability while 2 of those top 10 were military based schools that have no tuition. Wyoming's financial security has allowed us to invest in funding our cities' and towns' infrastructures. Our thriving communities have well funded business parks, highways, emergency services, and community projects as well as education programs. In order to continue this trend, Wyoming elected officials and lobbyists spend much of their time supporting fiscally responsible business regulations. An example of this would be a strongly backed amendment that would repeal a 3% withholding tax law that has been extremely unpopular with the business community. The law requires federal, state, and local governments to withhold 3% of payments on business invoices, Medicare payments, and some grants. The withheld funds will then be allocated toward the company or individual's federal tax liability. This requirement was signed into law in 2006 but has not yet gone into effect due to the massive amount of pushback it has received. It is currently slated to go into effect January 1, 2013 but Wyoming officials and the US Chamber of Commerce are fighting to keep that from happening.

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet Bash is scheduled for August 27, 2011 at Little America Hotel and Convention Center.
  This year's theme is Boots and Bling so guys dust off your cowboy boots and ladies bring out your best bling!

Click on the above invitation to register for the event!

We would like to thank all of our event sponsors!

Platinum Sponsor

Noble Energy

Gold Sponsors 

Chesapeake Energy

Simon Contractors

Silver Sponsors 

Cheyenne Light Fuel & Power

 FCI Constructors, Inc

Great Lakes Airlines

Holiday Inn

McGee, Hearne, & Paiz, LLP

Sierra Trading Post

Western Vista Federal Credit Union

Reception Sponsors

Deselms Fine Art & Custom Framing

Pioneer Printing & Stationary Company, Inc

First National Bank of Wyoming

Red Carpet Openings

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Committee has several upcoming Red Carpet Openings to welcome new businesses to the Chamber.

This morning, we are hosting a Red Carpet for Summit Home Health Care.

Summit Home Health Care has been locally owned and operated by Kathy Klein, R.N.,B.S.N. since 2003. They love taking care of people and understand how important the comforts of one's home can be in times of illness. Summit also understands the growing need for home based health care with the increasing costs associated with hospitals and nursing homes. It is their goal to bring you the care that you need, whether you are aged, needing personal care services, recently released from the hospital, or needing therapy. Summit serves Albany and Laramie County and offers services in surrounding communities. If you or a loved one need in-home health care support, they look forward to caring for you.

At Summit, they guarantee that you will be treated with the warmth and compassion of family.

"At Summit, our clients are our family!"

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce
Cheyenne Young Professionals is hosting a golf tournament on Friday, September 9th at the Airport Golf Course. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate! If you are interested in sponsoring or participating in this event, please contact the Chamber.

Cheyenne Young Professionals is part of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce. The organization makes Cheyenne a more vibrant place to live and work by channeling the collective strength of our young professionals to incite positive changes. CYP paves the path of our future leaders by providing an atmosphere that encourages professional development, social networking, and opportunities for greater community involvment.

Chamber Watching Defense Triggers in Budget Deal

The Chamber's Wrangler Group is currently monitoring and weighing in on defense cuts that could impact our community.  The Budget Control Act of 2011 (the big debt deal recently passed) will result in a cut to $525 billion in 2012 compared to the $530 billion currently budgeted for fiscal year 2011.  If the joint bill is not enacted the trigger provision in the bill would cut the defense budget to $472 billion.  The reality is that if the trigger is enacted defense will be cut to the lowest level since 2007 (adjusted for inflation) and hold it on or near that level for the next 8 years.  Contingency plans for these cuts are where the Chamber's input is important.  We believe that the missions that FE Warren and the Wyoming Guard execute are of vital importance to our nation's strong defense and must be maintained.  Certainly all areas of defense must take some cuts, however, missions like ICBMs that have already been financially challenged in recent years should not bear the brunt of the cuts.  Additionally missions like C130 crews that have been on an active pace for deployments must have adequate funding if they are to continue their excellence of operation.

The nuclear mission was promised up to $200 billion dollars for Nuclear Modernization after the START treaty and now according to Congressional Quarterly, that money is at risk.  Senator Jon Kyl, the Senate Minority Whip from Arizona and a longtime proponent of a robust nuclear arsenal, is one of the members one the Joint Select Committee for Debt Reduction so there is a proponent of the military and of the Nuclear mission on the committee that will be making the decisions.

The Chamber committees that work on these issues will continue to make sure that our delegation knows that we need to trim our national debt for business to succeed but we also clearly report to them that the military being downgraded from lack of funding is not the place to start.  We continue to believe in and advocate for a balanced national budget that supports a strong and modernized military.  The achievement of both of these goals is possible.  Thanks to the work of volunteers here at the chamber, we will continue to carry the common sense message of prudent financial policies and a strong defense to our elected officials and to elected officials around the country.

 Article by Dale Steenbergen

President and CEO

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce

Opportunity awaits at the GE Small Business Supplier Symposium. The event will be held Wednesday, August 24 from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm at the Ramkota Best Western in Casper. If your business sells machining/fabrication services, composites, raw materials, shop supplies, fasteners, engineering services, controls, or tools, you cannot afford to miss this free event. GE executives will discuss opportunities for Wyoming suppliers to provide direct or sub-tier materials to General Electric's supply chain. You will learn about what products GE purchases, how to do business with GE, and what qualifications are necessary. A post-event study quote with GE sourcing personnel is also planned for those suppliers that GE feels match capacity, capability, and overall industry needs. This is your opportunity to meet the GE Sourcing Team and develop potential business relationships. One-on-one meetings will be scheduled during the afternoon to help position your company as a potential supplier.

This event is free of charge, but pre-registration is required. To register go to: https://www.regonline.com/Wyoming_GE.  

This event is brought to you by Wyoming Entrepreneur, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Manufacturing Works, and the Wyoming Business Council. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are possible. Contact the Wyoming Entrepreneur Procurement Technical Assistance Center at (307) 921-8499 to obtain further information.