Issuu

2021

JANUARY

NEWSLETTER

Photo by Kelsey Ball January 2021 newsletter.indd 1

12/28/2020 8:08:36 AM

POINTS TO PONDER

From the Executive Director

appy New Year!

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

As we enter the new year, I’m delighted to announce Jonathan Tonkowich, the members of the Chamber Board’s new Executive President Committee: Jonathan Tonkowich of Wyoming Catholic College Wyoming Catholic College will serve as Board President, Eric Andrews of Fagnant, Lewis & Brinda will be Vice President/President Elect, John Ferrelli Eric Andrews, Vice President of SageWest Health Care will serve as Treasurer, and Michelle Fagnant, Lewis & Brinda P.C. Mazur of Elevate Rehab will stay on as Past President. I also offer my sincere thanks to outgoing board member John Ferilli, Joanne Slingerland of Central Wyoming College. While Joanne Treasurer will no longer be on the Chamber board, we look forward to SageWest Healthcare continuing to work with her as we highlight in the coming months the good things happening at CWC, especially the BOARD OF DIRECTORS leadership role the college has taken in promoting and Michelle Mazur, growing Fremont County’s active local food economy. Past President The Chamber launched into 2020 seeking to transform Elevate Rehab our benefits to better align them around you, our members. Of course, the entire world was transformed in ways no Ann Espinosa one anticipated, and it looks like many changes are here Home Source Realty Inc. to stay, notably the shift away from regular business travel Inter Mountain Builders toward virtual meetings and remote working arrangements. Through our partnership with the Wind River Visitors Dave Fehringer Council and available CARES Act funding, the Chamber has WH Smith & Associates, Inc. responded to this need by acquiring two video conferencing devices for our ACFCU Conference Room, which soon will Suzanne Norris become a fully functioning Zoom Room. (How’s that for a Wyoming Life Resource Center Christmas present!) We believe this new technology will be a tremendous benefit to our members. We will share details Rick Bestul once the devices are installed and fully operational. NAPA Auto Parts Finally, although 2020 is behind us and 2021 is here, the James Whiting aforementioned societal changes are not. The Chamber staff longs for the days when we can all gather together again to Whiting Law PC make new connections, develop relationships, and help our businesses and community grow. In the meanwhile, we will Chris VonHoltum continue to seek out ways to help you and keep you informed Central Bank & Trust and aware of the local and state issues affecting your ability to do business. We are only a phone call, email, or short stroll away. Most especially now, don’t be a stranger! PROFESSIONAL STAFF Owen Sweeney Executive Director

Carol King Associate Director

Owen Sweeney Executive Director Lander Chamber of Commerce

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Building a more positive workplace culture Building a positive workplace culture results in happier employees, which in turn, increases your production rates. Basically, a happy workplace is good for everyone. The question is, how can you create a positive, supporting workplace culture quickly. Check out these tips to get started. Design an Open Floor Plan Having a large, open floor plan lets your employees communicate with each other easily. This creates stronger team bonds and work friendships — and that alone can make your employees happy. While work shouldn’t be all about socializing, it is an important part of making your employees happy, and happier employees get more work done. Look for New Hires That Fit In To create a positive work culture, your employees need to get along. So it’s important for hiring managers to look for qualities in job applicants that would help them fit in at your company. For example, if most of your employees are the more casual, chatty type, you don’t want to hire someone who seems tightly wound. If you did, he or she would have a hard time working with and building relationships with your current employees. It might take you a bit longer to find someone to fill a job that will be a good fit, but finding someone who “gets” your company’s culture is worth the wait. Be Approachable You might tell your employees that you have an open-door policy, but do you really make them feel comfortable approaching you? Take a few minutes each day to interact with your employees. Listen to

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their ideas, and help them solve problems they’re having. When you show genuine interest in your employees, they know that you care about them and appreciate the work they do — and they’ll be a lot more comfortable entering your office to have a chat when needed. Also, say “hi” to people you pass in the hallways and smile frequently — it’s important for the boss to lead the way and small gestures like this show your employees that you’re happy and they should be too. Have Some Fun Don’t be afraid to let loose once in awhile. It’s good to have some fun with your employees. It shows them that you’re just a regular person, not someone who’s powerful and scary. Host company-wide events such as a family picnic or an office holiday party. You can also host teambuilding events for each team. Simply choose fun activities that require team members to work together such as a trip to the nearest escape room facility.

BUSINESS GROWTH

Cult of Personality

Recognize Accomplishments Set reachable goals for your employees each month an give recognition awards to employees who meet or exceed their goals. Alternatively, start an Employee of the Month program and let your employees nominate their co-workers for the award. Also, when an employee reaches a small milestone, be sure to let them know that they did a great job. Creating a positive work environment doesn’t have to be difficult. The key to success is getting your employees to bond and interact with each other and ensure they feel valued and supported.

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SHOP LOCAL January 2021 newsletter.indd 4

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EVERY 1ST & 3RD MONDAY Shoshoni Local Foods Market 5-7pm, Shoshoni Fire Hall, 104 E. 2nd St. THIRD THURSDAY Foot Care Clinic, 8-noon, Lander Senior Center

Country art exhibit, Pioneer Museum, 1443 W Main 1 First Day Hike at Sinks Canyon State Park 1-3 pm, meet at Popo Agie Campground parking lot

1 First Day Hike at South Pass City State Historic EVERY SATURDAY Site Park 11am-1pm, meet Winter Local Foods Market at the SPC Dance Hall 1-3 pm, Lander VFW, 11 Tweed Lane 7 St. John’s Cancer Care series on nutrition noonRiverton Local Foods 12:30, online Market 9-11 am, 1010 Fairgrounds Drive 2-30 Guided Bighorn Sheep Tour National Bighorn Sheep 1-31 Audubon Art Show, Center, Dubois Lander Art Center 8-10 Women’s 5-Shot 1-31 Native Americans of Rabbit & Coyote Hunt Jan. 8 Wyoming’s Wind River

calcutta & social 6 pm, Jan. 9 hunt & banquet 7:30 am, Jan. 10 mentor hunt 9 am, Shoshoni Fire Hall 16 Winter car show & antique snowmobile display Fremont Center, 1010 Fairgrounds Dr., Riverton 15-17 Midvale Ice Fishing Derby Ocean Lake

CALENDAR

January Calendar of Events

22-24 Ice Fishing Derby at Boysen Reservoir weigh-ins begin Jan. 22, 8 am and end Jan. 24 noon 28 St. John’s Cancer Care series on nutrition noon12:30, online

THINK LANDER SHOP LOCAL

MORE MONEY CIRCULATES BACK INTO LOCAL HANDS HEN YOU SHOP CLOSE TO HOME AS OPPOSED TO ONLINE.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOBS

WHERE YOU SPEND MATTERS January 2021 newsletter.indd 5

12/28/2020 8:08:39 AM

POST COVID FINANCES

Post COVID-19 financial management by Bruce Morse, SBDC Regional Director The COVID-19 pandemic that has descended on the entire world has shed a bright light on the need for paying attention to the financial side of a business. Those businesses that had a reserve established to cover operating expenses have been better equipped to handle the unexpected closures or severely reduced customer traffic through their business. While paying close attention to the business’ financial picture is always important, this pandemic has highlighted this necessity. Understanding where the business stands at present lends to better decisions about where to go in the future or where to make quick decisions to survive the unexpected. Cash Flow Management Cash flow management can be challenging during the best of times — especially for highly seasonal businesses — and many business owners don’t understand the difference between profits and cash flow. Cash flow is managed on the Balance Sheet, not the Profit & Loss (P&L) statement which we are generally more familiar with. Cash can be tied up in things that don’t show up on a P&L statement. For instance, cash can be buried in accounts receivable, inventory, purchase of fixed assets, or loan principal payments to name a few of the most likely culprits. Owner draws also do not show up on the P&L but pull cash out of the business. While both profit and cash flow are important over the long term, improper cash

flow management will likely cause problems sooner. Cash Reserves There is an old adage that a business should strive to have three to six months of cash in reserve for the unexpected or for investment if an opportunity should arise on short notice. While that sounds good, I find that rarely are people able to accomplish it. However, those that did sacrifice some things initially in order to build that reserve found themselves in a much better position to weather the unexpected results of the current pandemic, closures, and customer fear of being out and about. Being in business carries some inherent risk, but minimizing that potential exposure can help you sleep better at night. Help is Available To further assist Wyoming small businesses, the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is putting together a number of training opportunities to help you cope with the current scenario, plan your future business model, and be better prepared for whatever challenge comes next. This will include financial management strategies to help you in the post-COVID-19 world. Visit WyomingSBDC.org to see the upcoming list of opportunities we are offering. Of course, we are also available to visit one-on-one to help you with your specific questions and strategy. All Wyoming SBDC Network services are offered confidentially and at no cost to Wyoming entrepreneurs.

About the Wyoming SBDC Network: The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2018 alone, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 111 new businesses, create or save 1,402 jobs and bring a capital impact of more than $10 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council. Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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12/28/2020 8:08:40 AM

KAIROS COMMUNICATIONS/COUNTY 10 Kairos Communications, LLC is a local media company founded in 2019. That same year Kairos became the owner of County 10. In early 2020 Kairos acquired local digital marketing firm Atmosphere Marketing to expand services for small businesses around the region under the County 10 umbrella. County 10 is laser focused on providing products and services that connect our community through County10.com where more than 1.3 million news pages are viewed each month (yes, really!) For Fremont County businesses County 10 offers innovative digital marketing and advertising that is otherwise unavailable locally. From simple advertising to robust marketing campaigns to website creation and search engine optimization, County 10 is dedicated to supporting and growing small local businesses.

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to our new members!

MAIN STREET DANCE Main Street Dance has two locations, 592 Main St., Suite G, Lander, and a studio in Riverton. They offer classes for adults, exploring all styles of dance for conditioning, strength building and flexibility. No previous experience is required! Age categories for the kids start at 3 years old and go up. New classes are offered on a regular basis. Please check out the schedule on their Facebook page and contact Main Street Dance with your registration as class sizes are limited. Dance is therapy and it is much needed in the world we are living in now! Call 856-9550, 851-6220 today to fill your spot!

LOR FOUNDATION The LOR Foundation works with individuals and organizations to enhance quality of life in rural communities in the Mountain West. Our name shares our values: livability, opportunity, and responsibility. Since we began working with Lander in earnest in April, weâ€™ve supported more than 25 projects that have run the gamut from building an online farmers market, repairing veteransâ€™ homes, and promoting local commerce (Keep It Local Lander). We are looking for ways to help our community grapple with problems, so if you have an idea for how to improve life in Lander, contact program officer Michelle Escudero (michelle@lorfoundation.org, 307-349-2654) or visit our website: lorfoundation.org.

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12/28/2020 8:08:41 AM

Clarkâ€™s Landscaping Brian Clark PO Box 1204, Lander DOWL PO Box 1655, Lander Fremont Broadcasting/ KOVE-KDLY Joe Kenney 1530 Main St., Lander Fremont Toyota Matt Reed, general manager 103 Fremont Way, Lander Frontier Home Health & Hospice Shelley Gonzales 230 N. 1st St., Lander

J&S Enterprises, LLC Sky & Jan Phifer PO Box 1333, Lander LOR Foundation Michelle Escudero, Program Officer 360 Main St., Lander

Shirts & More Dan & Ryan Carey 1720 Main St., Ste C, Lander Smith Creek Pet Resort Francine & Scott Lewis 116 Chittim Road, Lander USDA Forest Service Steve Schacht, District Ranger 333 E. Main St., Lander

Lozier, Alyssa Edward Jones 175 S. 5th St., Lander

Wahl Electric Scott & Amy Wahl PO Box 1535, Lander

Mountain Dental 345 Garfield, Lander

Whiting Law PC James Whiting 277 Main, Suite 3, Lander

New York Life Beau Wendling 592 Main St., Ste B, Lander Rocky Mountain Power Mike Morrissey, WY Regional Business Manager 2840 E. Yellowstone Hwy, Casper

Wyoming Windows & Cabinets, Chris & Karlene Moore, 3011 US Hwy 287, Lander WELCOME NEW MEMBER! Kairos Communications LLC dba County 10 Will Hill, owner 2255 Brunton Court, Ste A, Riverton

RENEWING MEMBERS

Bonneville Builders Jerod & Joni Gould PO Box 552, Lander

JX Investments Jim Sorenson, Lander

RENEWING MEMBERS

Black Hills Energy Michael Howe, Community Affairs Manager 1044 S. Railroad, Riverton