Volume 3  Issue 1                                                                                                                              January 2012

Well Worth Protecting                                                       (Request for Action)

Laramie is fortunate it has a readily available natural resource that other cities in Wyoming spend many millions of dollars to acquire. We're referring to pure water; the fresh rainwater and snowmelt that flow east from the Laramie Range toward town through the Casper Aquifer. Because this water courses through a thick layer of highly permeable fractured sandstone, drinking water from the aquifer is so pure that the only pretreatment required is additional traces of chlorine and fluoride.

In normal years, the Casper Aquifer provides the City of Laramie with 60% of its drinking water. That percentage can increase up to 100% in years of severe drought. In addition, approximately 500 rural homes in Albany County depend on private wells from the aquifer.

Beside drinking water, the Casper Aquifer provides a panoramic view of nature's wide open spaces complete with adventuresome recreational opportunities. Both prospective and existing businesses view this abundant source of pristine water as an attractive resource and a geographic benefit.

The Casper Aquifer is truly a magnificent natural resource in Laramie's back yard, but it needs to be preserved and protected. Experts caution that this aquifer is extraordinarily vulnerable to contamination, because it is directly exposed at the surface and is heavily fractured and faulted. Without continuing special care and attention to the development of this land, contaminants could move quickly from the surface to drinking water supply wells.

The Wyoming Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee and the Governor's Office are currently discussing a proposal to purchase a large portion of the aquifer recharge area east of Laramie. This proposal is our opportunity to protect and preserve. Although details of the proposal are still under development, the concept is for the state to purchase this land for the specific purpose of aquifer protection, while also preserving this open space for public and recreational access.

LEDC considers a contamination-free aquifer a highly valued and significant feature that helps retain and attract community and environmentally-friendly businesses to Laramie. We encourage all concurring citizens of Laramie and Albany County to contact members of the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC) and ask them to support the Casper Aquifer land purchase proposal.

Gary Crum, LEDC's Board Chair, is specifically asking the Laramie business community to get actively involved in supporting this worthy enterprise. He is asking business representatives to copy LEDC on any written communication directed to the JAC that requests support for the purchase proposal.

The following is contact information for Wyoming Senators and Representatives on the 2011-2012 Joint Appropriations Committee: 

SENATORS                                 REPRESENTATIVES                       REPRESENTATIVES

Phil Nicholas, Chairman          Rosie Berger, Chairman             Bryan Pedersen
Laramie                                        Big Horn                                           Cheyenne
Work: 307-742-7140                    Home: 307-672-7600                       Cell:307-630-1618
nicholas@wyolegal.com              rberger@wyoming.com                   bpedersen@wyoming.com

John Hastert                               Amy Edmonds                             William "Jeb" Steward
Green River                                  Cheyenne                                        Encampment
Home: 307-871-1001                    Cell: 307-214-8126                         Cell: 307-329-6116
jhastert2@wyoming.com             aedmonds@wyoming.com              jebsteward@union-tel.com

Curt Meier                                  Ken Esquibel                                Sue Wallis
LaGrange                                      Cheyenne                                       Recluse
Work: 307-834-2344                     Cell: 307-630-6096                         Cell: 307-680-8515
cmeier@wyoming.com                 kesquibel@wyoming.com              sue.wallis52@gmail.com

R. Ray Peterson                        Steve Harshman
Cowley                                        Casper
Home: 307-548-6405                   Cell: 307-262-8075
rpeterson@wyoming.com           sharshman@wyoming.com

Michael Von Flatern
Gillette
Cell: 307-680-4744
mvonflatern@wyoming.com

JAC members can also be contacted using the following mailing address:

Wyoming Joint Appropriations Committee
Wyoming Legislature
213 State Capitol, Room 204
Cheyenne, WY 82002

Help Laramie preserve this amazing natural resource for you, your family and for future generations.

 

Partner Recognition

LCCC – Albany County Campus               

During a keynote address he made at last month's Wyoming Association of Community College Trustee Summit, Governor Matt Mead commended the state's community colleges for the important roles they play in fortifying Wyoming's economy, quality of life and ability to react to the needs of business.           

We asked Dr. Lynn Stalnaker, Dean of Laramie County Community College's Albany County Campus, for his insight into the ways LCCC fulfills these roles in Laramie. Dr. Stalnaker has accumulated over twenty years of career experience in the field of education.

Dr. Lynn Stalnaker

Stalnaker indicated the first thing we should realize is that the Albany County Campus of LCCC serves a large target market of people interested in advancing their education and skill development. He remarked, "After I arrived at LCCC in 2006, it didn't take long to recognize that this facility would soon be maxed out. We currently have approximately 800 full-time students with an additional 200 part-time students. Within the past 5 years, our enrollment has grown 82%. We are very pleased with this growth. Faculty and staff at the Albany County Campus are mission driven focusing on making all our students as successful as possible."

What's the cause of this surge in enrollment? Stalnaker explains, "Probably most significant is that over 20% of our enrollment is made up of UW students, who are coming to LCCC to take classes for any number of reasons. In many cases, students will enter the university and decide they would be more successful in their transition from high school to higher education in classrooms with a smaller number of students and more personalized instruction. In other cases, students matriculate from high school, but are not academically prepared to do college work, or students may realize they would like to explore certificate programs. In each of these cases, the Albany County Campus helps them get up to speed. We have been very successful in how we partner with students as shown by the amazing growth of our campus. As a result, however, we need more space for many of our core programs, such as English and Math."

In a recent master planning process conducted by LCCC, Stalnaker stated, "Consultants recommended the Albany County Campus should double to triple its current size to effectively respond to student needs for education in our county." With such strong community need for more classes, the Albany County Campus has responded through innovative partnerships and collaborations. LCCC Albany County Campus is currently conducting almost a dozen classes on UW premises. Stalnaker said, "Tom Buchanan (University of Wyoming President) has been a strong partner with LCCC, and we have created a great positive relationship where we mutually focus on how we can work together to best serve students. "We've been able to develop other helpful relationships as well," adds Stalnaker. "For example, LCCC's Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program is quite popular. As a result, some of our classes are conducted at the Laramie Care Center. We partner with Ivinson Memorial Hospital facilities as well. This is a mutually beneficial partnership that works around student needs for more science courses in chemistry, biology and anatomy."

"In addition," Stalnaker notes, "we have a close relationship with WyoTech. LCCC has been offering GED preparation and testing for WyoTech. A typical GED graduating class consists of 35-50 people, and normally a number of those students are referred to LCCC through WyoTech."

Dr. Stalnaker's professional interests are rooted in community service. He is a member of Ivinson Hospital Community Relations Board, involved with a variety of special issue committees from the University of Wyoming to the John P. Ellbogen Foundation and a board member on the Laramie Economic Development Corporation. He is also a board Member in the SNAPIT Partnership, a Laramie area organization committed to identifying and solving common technology workforce issues. According to Stalnaker, "Laramie has a constant need for training and retraining. Albany County Campus can help by developing niche technical programs. When businesses locate or expand operations in Albany County, it can create the need for new skills, which our quality instructors can provide. Many times, people seek training to improve their chances for advancement or for other career opportunities. Because LCCC is so student focused, we do a lot of listening and interacting with our students. They're generally not shy about letting us know what kind of courses they would like to see or what changes we need to make."

In summary, our conversation with Lynn Stalnaker was quite convincing. LCCC is playing a vigorous role in shaping the economy and quality of life in Laramie. Even though the Albany County Campus facilities appear to be dealing with capacity issues; ingenuity, creativity, and a willingness to collaborate among LCCC's counterparts, have permitted this institution to effectively serve the training and educational needs of our citizens.

For more information about LCCC, Albany County Campus, visit lccc.wy.edu/albanycountycampus or call 307.721.5138.

LEDC January Client Report

Click Here for information pertaining to current "Hot-Active" client prospects. Please keep in mind that LEDC keeps all identifying information relating to its clients as confidential, unless LEDC is specifically instructed otherwise by the client.

Our best Laramie leads typically come through references from existing businesses and residents. So, feel free to contact us if you have potential leads. Remember, you could earn up to $10,000 in a cash reward for an information tip that leads to the location of a quality business in the City of Laramie and/or Albany County. Let us know if you would like more information regarding "LEDC's LEADS Reward program or have questions regarding LEDC's commercial properties.

High Plains Economic Development District Hires New Executive Director

High Plains Economic Development District (HPEDD) is a regional group that was formed to assist the local governments of Albany, Goshen, Laramie, and Platte County to plan and develop new regional economic development programs and project initiatives. HPEDD aids in the assistance of identifying funding sources and tracking projects to their completion that will benefit the southeastern region of Wyoming.

Representatives of HPEDD include commissioners from each of the four counties and economic development professionals from each of the areas. Commissioner Jerry Kennedy is the representative for Albany County and Gaye Stockman, CEO of Laramie Economic Development Corporation, is the economic development representative for our area.

HPEDD's funding is secured through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to continue to fund this organization. This has enabled High Plains Economic Development District to hire Karen Guidice of Chugwater as their new Executive Director.

Ms. Guidice has an extensive experience with the Wyoming Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers (WAMCAT). She was elected President of WAMCAT in 2009. In 2010, Guidice received the Linda Hewitt Memorial Community Development Award by Wyoming Economic Development Association (WEDA) for her continued dedication to economic development.

Gaye Stockman, CEO of Laramie Economic Development Corporation commented, "Karen's experience and knowledge will really bring the regional efforts together, where we can focus on regional projects that we have in common for the betterment of the Southeastern Wyoming region."

The new Executive Director will work in each of the four counties which will enable her to get to know the needs of each area in addition to getting to know the people in each area.

For more information regarding High Plains Economic Development District visit highplainsedd.org

 

Wyoming Tops State Economic Index

A December 23, 2011 Wyoming Business Report article, reported that Wyoming, South Dakota and Michigan outperformed the rest of the nation in the third quarter of 2011 according to a Bloomberg measure of economic health. The Bloomberg index uses data on employment, real estate, tax collections and share prices to chart the trajectory of regional economies.

Wyoming, the biggest coal producer and home of the third-largest natural gas reserve, was the top performer, lifted by higher home prices, a drop in mortgage delinquencies and a jump in tax collections.

e-2-e Meeting Reminder

e-2-e Laramie
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
5:30PM-7:30PM
Hilton Garden Inn – 2229 Grand Avenue, Laramie

"Silicon Valley to Wyoming: A Hi-Tech Entrepreneur's Journey"
Presented by: Gene Watson

After receiving his degree in economics and a stint in the U.S. Army as a radar officer during the Korean War, Gene Watson began his career in technology in 1955 with Varian Associates, a pioneering hi-tech company in what is now known as "Silicon Valley". Subsequently, over the past 45 years, Watson has been a member of the founding group of seven technology-based start-up ventures.

With two University of Wyoming faculty members, Gene co-founded DeltaNu, a Laramie-based scientific instrument manufacturer. He currently consults to the University of Wyoming Office of Research & Economic Development, where he directs the Wyoming Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (WSSI).

Hot hors d'oeuvres and a hosted bar will be provided.

LEDC has several free registration tickets available, while the supply lasts. Call Joe Somodi at 307-742-2212.

Please Click to RSVP.

GRO-Biz Conference & Idea Expo – For Your Planning

February 22-23, 2012
Hilton Garden Inn
Laramie, Wyoming

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, Governor Matt Mead
and the 2012 GRO-Biz Conference & Idea Expo Planning Committee
invite small businesses in Wyoming and nearby states to this annual event.

STRENGTHEN AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Click Here for registration details...

LEDC is a Friends of Business Sponsor

Thanks to Our Investors

With gratitude to our investors who renewed their pledges in the month of January 2012:

• Laramie Regional Airport
• Mountain Cement Company
• One West Real Estate
• Patel Enterprises Inc.
• Rocky Mountain Reclamation