Volume 1 Issue 3                                                                                                                                     January 2010

 

Save The Date!

February, 18th 2010

LEDC will be hosting its Partners in Progress kick-off event from 5:30 to 7:30
at the Laramie Technology Building.  Call us to register and for more details!

 

 

LEDC Revolving Loan Fund

LEDC is seeking applications from local businesses who would like to take advantage of our Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). This is an excellent opportunity to secure very reasonable financing for expansion, relocation, and new projects. The LEDC RLF program controls approximately $90,000 and we currently have about $67,000 available for new loans. To date, we have had 16 local businesses take advantage of our RLF with 3 organizations still utilizing the program.

In cooperation with local financial institutions, all loans are evaluated on the basis of business credit and real estate finance principles including collateral and the firmness of the project. In addition to the credit analysis, the LEDC Financial Tools Committee will evaluate the applications on job creation, expansion of the economic base, and potential increase of tax revenues. Interest rates are equivalent to the current rates associated with Wyoming Business Council loans. All applications must be submitted through a financial institution.

Contact LEDC today at 742-2212 for more information about the RLF.

The Laramie Economic Development Corporation Revolving Loan Fund was created to help stimulate economic growth in the community. LEDC secured funding and assistance from the federal government, the State of Wyoming, Pacific Power & Light and US West to establish the existing LEDC Revolving Loan Fund Program.

 

LEDC January Client Report

As always, we encourage you to contact us for more information about our activities. A review of a couple of clients we've been working with this January:

0506DKRW - A coal gasification and liquefaction facility that is pending the outcome of an Environmental Impact Statement. This $2.7 billion facility would be built in Carbon County and create about 2400 jobs during the construction phase and 450 long-term jobs for the life of the plant.

0209BOIS - Originally reported in the November 2009 Newsletter. This client specifically required dedicated rail, which is a real concern for Laramie. With the uncertain future of the rail spurs pending the location of the Clark Street/Harney Street viaduct, Laramie cannot guarantee the dedicated usage of those spurs. Therefore, this client has decided to relocate its facility in Cheyenne, creating approximately 50 new jobs for that community.

0110WEDA - A call center that provides information to the public regarding health and human services, disasters, and volunteerism opportunities. We submitted a proposal and if successful, this organization should create about 5 full-time jobs.

DeltaNu - Located in Laramie, WY, DeltaNu is the pioneer and global leader in small footprint and Raman spectrometers. This growing company is looking for mechanical, EE, and software engineers to join their team. For more information on DeltaNu see www.deltanu.com and for details about employment opportunities call 1-866-301-6328.

Click here for all of the "Hot" clients as of 1/20/09

In the meantime, please remember the best leads for Laramie come from existing businesses and residents.  Please note: all of LEDC's clients are kept confidential unless they specify otherwise.

 

Partner Recognition

"At Snowy Range Graphics we invest all of our artistic abilities in every project," responded Michael Vann Gray, owner of Snowy Range Graphics, when asked about his business. "Every company has a unique aspect, which we build on to help them find the right image. A company logo, brochure, newsletter or website should not only help reflect the company's image but also make it stronger."

Snowy Range Graphics LLC, a Laramie, Wyoming based web and graphic design firm, focuses on custom website solutions and corporate branding design. The company works with many talented people from the local community, like website developer Samuel Trautman and graphic designer Badi Mibiuba. Snowy Range Graphics also has database specialists, text writers, and photographers that are brought on for larger or more specialized projects.

Snowy Range Graphics has been working on many projects within Laramie and the surrounding communities, including extensive work with LEDC to design property maps and promotional ads. This past November, Mike worked with Bryce Tugwell of Fusestudios Media Consulting to launch LEDC's new website. In addition to developing many of LEDC's new marketing materials, Snowy Range Graphics has been working on the new Albany County Tourism Visitor Guide that will be printed next month and has developed the following websites:

• Greenriver Main Street website - click here
• Converse County Tourism Board website - click here
• Cathedral Home for Children website - click here
• James Rietsma Construction website - click here

Snowy Range Graphics is also a good corporate citizen and contributes a lot to the Laramie community. The organization has donated its time over the past year to help several worthy causes improve their marketing efforts. It designed the poster and signs for Always A Cowboy, the quarterly newsletter for Laramie Hospice, the poster for Downtown Laramie Business Association's Beer-fest, the post cards for the State High School United Way Blood Drive, and the poster for Centennial Library.

For more information about Snowy Range Graphics please call Mike at 307.760.5865 or visit their website.

 

Laramie Community Assessment Available Now

The Laramie Community Assessment, undertaken by the Wyoming Rural Development Council, is now available.  Over a three-day period in early November the Resource Team toured Laramie and spoke with over 170 people across 14 different listening sessions: agriculture, real estate, religious groups, health care, industries/utilities, economic development-retail and business, city/county government, social services and non-profits, school administration, educators, banking and financial, law enforcement and emergency medical services, youth and seniors. In addition, the group received several written responses.

Each participant was asked to respond to three questions designed to begin communication and discussion, and to serve as a basis for developing the action plan. The three questions were:

• What do you think are the major problems and challenges in Laramie?
• What do you think are the major strengths and assets in Laramie?
• What projects would you like to see implemented in 2, 5, 10, or 20 years in Laramie?

Upon completion of the interviews, the team met to compare notes and share comments. Each team member would then carefully analyze the information that was gathered, synthesize what they heard with their knowledge of programs and resources, prepare their notes and suggestions, and then forward these items to be combined into WRDC's final report.

The oral report was presented to Laramie on November 5, 2009, and many citizens who participated were in attendance.

Click here to download a copy of the Laramie Community Assessment.

 

Save the Snowy Range Ski Area!

The Snowy Range Ski Area, which has operated just outside of Laramie for over 50 years, is in need of a buyer. Snowy Range is currently owned by First National Bank, however, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that regulates all national banks, would like First National to sell this asset.

First National Bank is looking for an interested party willing to continue the strong tradition at Snowy Range. This is the nearest ski area to Cheyenne, Ft. Collins, and western Nebraska and it had an estimated 27,200 visitors during the 2008-2009 season. Not only has it operated for over 50 years, it has an experienced management team already in place with over 20 years experience and about 100 full and part-time employees.

The ski area consists of about 250 acres of skiing terrain, of which about 94.5 acres is developed into 27 named ski trails. The 748-foot vertical drop is serviced by 4 fixed-grip aerial lifts and 1 serve lift.

Snow making operations cover about 22 acres. The airless snow making system withdraws water directly from Nash Fork Creek and pumps it to equipment via underground piping. There are a total of 7 airless guns and Snowy Range is permitted to take 600 gallons/minute from the creek. The grooming fleet is comprised of 3 resort-owned Kassbohrer tractors with a full complement of implements. Assuming an average of 25 acres/tractor, the fleet can groom the entire 94.5 acres in less than 8 hours without interfering with the skiing public.

There are four buildings on the property - a 32,000 sqft. day lodge with a 2,660 sqft. deck, the 7,168 sqft. ski school, the 6,916 ski patrol building, and a 10,000 sqft. maintenance center.

The sale price for the Snowy Range Ski Area is $2,500,000. First National Bank maintains that it will finance up to $1,500,000 with $1,000,000 down. Interested parties should contact Tyson Cartwright with First National Bank at tcartwright@fnbwyo.com or (307) 721-1114.

For photos and more information visit www.snowyrangeski.com