NEWSLETTER MAY 2012

Volume 3 Issue 5                                                                                                                                     May 2012

New and Renewing Directors Approved by LEDC Board

LEDC's Board of Directors approved the renewal of five current and four new candidates for three year terms to the LEDC Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2012. During its April 10, 2010 Board Meeting, the following nomination slate was approved and then referred to Partners in Progress members for final authorization:

Renewing Seats
Bob Davis                           Real Estate Broker
Butch Keadle                     Insurance Unlimited
Ray McElwee                     Groathouse Construction, Inc.
Mike Peck                           First Interstate Bank
Roger Strube                     DOWL-HKM

New Directors
Bill Hiser                            Brown & Hiser, LLC
Kelso Kelly                        First National Bank
Fred Ockers                      Albany County Tourism Board
Rolf Peterson                   Mader, Tschacher, Peterson & Co., LLC

LEDC congratulates each of these individuals and sincerely appreciates their willingness to help guide the affairs of the organization. As Directors, they will be expected to attend monthly Board Meetings and to vote knowingly on matters affecting LEDC and our Laramie community. Directors are also expected to serve on at least one LEDC Committee; contribute to the committee's respective programs and initiatives; and to fully participate in raising funds for LEDC.

Retiring Directors include:

• Don Collins, Western Research Institute
• Dan Furphy, First National Bank
• Karen Saunders, The Mortgage Source
• Calvin Young, Young Appraisals

We thank them for their years of dedicated service to LEDC and our community.

 

During the May 8, 2012 Board Meeting, a 2012-2013 slate of Officers were presented to full LEDC Board of Directors for final approval at its June 12, 2012 Board Meeting. The slate of Officers presented was as follows:

Chair: Megan Goetz, Pence and MacMillan, LLC
Vice Chair: Dave Coffey, Coffey Engineering & Surveying, LLC
Secretary: Roy Schmett, Mountain West Farm Bureau Insurance
Treasurer: Ray McElwee, Groathouse Construction, Inc.
Immediate Past Chair: Gary Crum, Wyoming State Bank

The Executive Board is typically structured through an ascending progression of chairs, or offices. For example, upon final approval, Gary Crum, Wyoming State Bank, current 2011-2012 Chair, would replace Butch Keadle, Insurance Unlimited, as Immediate Past Chair on July 1, the beginning of the new 2012-2013 term. Similarly, Megan Goetz, Pence and MacMillan, LLC, current 2011-2012 Vice Chair, would in turn replace Gary Crum as Chair on July 1, 2012.

Over the years, the Executive Board has contributed greatly to leadership and support needed to sustain LEDC as it strives for balanced growth and economic well-being in the City of Laramie and Albany County. Our current Executive Board has conscientiously continued this tradition.

We look forward to our new fiscal year with optimism and conviction.

 

Dan Furphy Honored as Director Emeritus

On April 10, 2012, Dan Furphy joined an esteemed group of community leaders who have served and supported the mission of the Laramie Economic Development Corporation in an outstanding manner. Dan was bestowed the honor of becoming LEDC Director Emeritus.

In commenting on Dan's achievement, Mark Mader, LEDC Historian, said, "Dan has been an excellent board member for many years. His commitment to Laramie and his 'over-the-top' dedication to this community's beautification initiatives have set standards worthy of everyone's appreciation."

Dan was elected to the LEDC Board on two occasions; once in 1990 and again in 2001. He contributed to the corporation for these past 11 years, while serving on the Executive Board from 2004-2008. Dan was Chair for the organization during the 2006-2007 program year.

Dan Furphy co-founded the Laramie Beautification Committee, a community coalition committed to identifying and implementing beautification projects in Laramie. He remains a Co-Chair of this committee, which for many years has benefited economic development and enhanced the quality of life in the City of Laramie and Albany County.

Congratulations Dan on this very well deserved honor.

 

Joseph E. Sharkey -- 2012 LEDC Annual Dinner Speaker

ALL ABOARD!.....for LEDC's 2012 Annual Dinner being held on Thursday, May 24, 2012, starting at 5:30 PM. There are still tickets available, so click here for information on getting yours.

This year we have a familiar face as our Keynote Speaker. Joe Sharkey, Site Selector for the 2010 Verizon Project, will be speaking on the subject of fiber optic routing and connectivity in the Laramie area. His presentation is titled "Fiber Primer: So Much But So Little Access!"

Joe Sharkey, TMNG Vice President and Principal, is a telecommunications and data center Industry consulting expert. He has both domestic and international experience, including the technical systems and physical facilities of telephone company switching centers, telecom & data center collocation "hotels", enterprise data centers and most recently cloud computing architecture, facilities design and site selection. Projects for which Joe held responsibilities include the State of Wyoming Data Center Infrastructure Assessment, Verizon's Cloud Computing Data Center initiative for five (5) Mega Data Centers and over 30 other major switching sites and data centers. He has managed the design, cost estimating, engineering and building of over 4,000 miles of underground and aerial fiber optic cable systems.

In addition to data center site selection, Joe's knowledge and experience underscore expertise in communication requirements, fiber optic cable design, cost and construction estimating, as well as site and community marketing materials that are needed for data center recruitment.

2012 Annual Dinner Special Drawing -- Bronco Tickets!

Once again this year, McCarty Motors Honda - Nissan is donating two Denver Broncos Pre-Season Tickets for a special drawing at our Annual Dinner on May 24.

The tickets are for seats 4 rows up from the field in the West stands on the goal line. You'll be able to see all the Bronco players, coaches and cheerleaders up close coming out of their locker rooms.

Thanks to McCarty Motors for these tickets that are sure to provide Bronco fans with a fun-filled day.

2012 Business Awards Voting Deadline – May 21st

Partners in Progress have just a few days left to exercise their privilege to vote for the Business Award nominees of their choice. Below are the names of businesses and individuals that have been nominated for the various categories of 2012 Business Awards. Please vote for one (1) name in each category and forward your choices to LEDC by Monday, May 21, 2012. Simply email your choices to ledc@laramiewy.org or fax them to (307) 742-8200. You may also drop by our offices at 2523 E. Garfield Street, Suite B, Laramie, Wyoming with a listing of your choices.

2012 Business of the Year Award – Organizations that have conducted business for at least two (2) years; contributed time and resources to our community; experienced favorable business health in terms of number of employees, increased sales, and general financial condition; and demonstrated entrepreneurial skills through innovation.

Candidates

• Big Hollow Food Corp
• Coffey Engineering & Surveying, LLC
• Groathouse Construction, Inc.
• Laramie GM Auto Center
• Medicine Bow Technologies
• The Mortgage Source
• Triple C, The A&E Group
• WEST, Inc. (Western EcoSystems Technology Inc.)

2012 Business Person of the Year – Individuals who have been in business more than five (5) years; consistently demonstrated a high level of community involvement through participation in civic, community, and LEDC oriented projects and activities; significantly contributed to the economic health of our community though investment, benevolent support and participation in economic development programs; demonstrated strong managerial skills in dealing with changing economic conditions; and maintained an active role for employees, peers, and citizens of Laramie.

Candidates

• Dave Coffey, Coffey Engineering & Surveying, LLC
• Denise Deem, The Music Box
• Megan Goetz, Pence and MacMillan, LLC
• Grant Lindstrom, UW College of Business
• Rajeev Patel, Comfort Inn
• David Potter, Triple C, The A&E Group
• Heidi Schutterle, Mountain Valley Properties

2012 Survival of the Fittest – Special category that recognizes a developing or existing business that has managed to maintain excellence in service and market position even through times of adversity.

Candidates

• Martindales's Western Store
• The Music Box
• Turtle Rock Café
• Tiger Tree Land Management

Awards will be presented during the 2012 LEDC Annual Dinner
May 24, 2012 at the Hilton Garden Inn

WRI and Shell Team to Boost Processing Efficiencies

Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., and Western Research Institute (WRI) have entered into a three-year, $1.12 million applied research and development program to advance WRI technologies for characterizing asphaltene components in heavy oil.

"Asphaltenes have been called the 'cholesterol of heavy oil,'" says John Schabron, WRI Chief Scientific Advisor. "They can cause deposits, erosion and fouling during production, pipeline transport and refinery processing," he says. WRI has patented the new Asphaltene Determinator, an automated technique that rapidly identifies and separates the asphaltenic components of oil into subfractions to improve heavy oil properties and market value.

The University of Wyoming Research Corp. doing business as WRI is a nonprofit research and technology development organization that works with commercial, government, and university research partners to develop energy technologies such as clean coal, valued-added coal conversion, power plant emissions control, hydrogen and heavy oil technologies, and new methods to characterize and extend the life of asphalt highway materials.

"We are pleased and proud to embark on this important work with a global industry leader like Shell" says WRI Vice President for Transportation Technology Jean-Pascal Planche. "This is a research success story that started in the laboratory and is moving into commercial use."

WRI's technologies provide insights that can help improve production and processing efficiencies, which in turn can maximize the output of marketable petroleum product. "This should help our partner, Shell, meet some of its long-term strategic goals," Planche says.

Shell is a worldwide provider of innovative energy technologies, catalysts, research and development expertise, and business and operational consulting services to the oil and gas, petrochemical production, and other processing industries.

 

LEDC May 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.

Crile Carvey Consulting Seeks Software Engineer

If you are smart, creative, motivated and flexible, the people at CCC/webOING are interested in meeting you! Click here to see a description of the opportunity they have to offer.

 

Altitude Chophouse & Brewery Receives 2012 BBB Torch Award

Congratulations to Altitude Chophouse and Brewery for its selection as winner of the 2012 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Business Ethics. Each year, recipients of this award are honored for excellence in ethical practices, as well as for their high standards in relationships with customers, suppliers, and other company stakeholders. These are companies that typically demonstrate honesty and integrity in marketing and advertising and readily display a willingness to give back to the community.

Altitude recently was distinguished with the 2012 Torch Award at a Loveland, CO celebration attended by more than 450 business representatives.

For the second year in a row, a Laramie-based business was recognized with this honor. Last year, Trihydro Corporation was selected for the prestigious business ethics award.

 Laramie High School Students – Best Prepared for College in Wyoming

The U.S. News and World Report evaluated 22,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia according to state proficiency standards. Assessments included how well students are prepared for college, as well as factors such as math and reading proficiency. The results showed Laramie High School ranked #1 among all 84 Wyoming High Schools for college readiness.

LHS received a silver medal and a national ranking of number 914, placing it in the top 5% of public high schools. Kudos on this excellent  achievement!

Wyoming Economic Outlook Ranks Fourth in Nation

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead recently referred to a new Rich States, Poor States report published by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that ranked Wyoming fourth in the nation for overall economic outlook. In addition to the ALEC ranking, Mead cited a number of other honors the state has received, including ranking among the top five for least business failures; the best tax climate in the country; and receiving a AAA credit rating, which is the highest rating available.

The Governor said, "It's nice to have some good news as we continue to look at declining natural-gas prices." Those falling prices have contributed to the state looking at budget cutbacks of 8% in most areas.

Thanks to Our Investors

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

• Animal Health Center, LLC
• Century 21 Real Estate Center, Inc.
• DOWL HKM
• Eike Real Estate
• First National Bank of Wyoming
• Groathouse Construction, Inc
• Jonatkim Enterprises
• Nicholas & Tangeman, LLC
• Mountain View Medical Park
• Ockers, Fred and Debi
• Orrison Distributing, LTD
• Spine & Injury Clinic of Laramie, PC