2019
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
INTRODUCTION
From the Executive Director
W
hat a delight it was during my first month on the job to welcome four new members to the Chamber! As is longstanding tradition, Alpha Recreation Center (ARC), Benessere Clinic, Maverick RV Park, and Wings & Wheels each were welcomed by Chamber staff and board members, as well as our friends, the Lander Ambassadors, in a ceremony here at the Chamber and Visitors Center. You can learn more about these businesses and what they can provide for you on page four. It’s also been invigorating to get out from behind my desk to begin visiting face-to-face with you in your places of business. Listening to our members and cultivating strong relationships with you is vital as we determine together how the Chamber can better align our benefits around the issues that matter most to you. Keep an eye on your inbox or an ear to your voicemail for a request from me to come pay you a visit! As the Christmas season approaches, the Chamber once again will be encouraging consumers to Shop Local and to Think Lander First! Now in its 10th year, Small Business Saturday is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in an effort to bring together communities in support of their favorite small businesses. Why should you as a local small business participate? Because 96% of consumers said shopping on Small Business Saturday makes them want to shop locally all year long. Why should you as a local consumer be interested? Multiple studies show that small businesses reinvest in the local economy at more than twice the rate that large chains do. What’s more, thriving small businesses provide jobs not only for local residents but also other local businesses who perform support tasks or provide raw materials and resources. This bolsters local networks that can promote further economic growth and provide more people the opportunity to make a living right here in Lander!
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Susan Weideman, President Lander Vision Center
Michelle Mazur, Vice-Pres. Elevate Rehab
Joanne Slingerland, Treasurer Central Wyoming College
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mika Baker, Past President Central Bank and Trust
Ann Espinosa Home Source Realty Inc. Inter Mountain Builders
Dave Fehringer WH Smith & Associates, Inc.
Suzanne Norris Wyoming Life Resource Center
Jonathan Tonkowich Wyoming Catholic College
Rick Bestul NAPA Auto Parts
Eric Andrews Fagnant, Lewis, Brinda P.C.
James Whiting Whiting Law PC
PROFESSIONAL STAFF Owen Sweeney Executive Director
Carol King Associate Director
Kelsey Ball
Owen Sweeney Executive Director Lander Chamber of Commerce
Operations Assistant
November Business After Hours will be hosted by
HOUSEHOLDER PROPERTIES
r
September Business After Hours hosted by Teton Therapy
October Business After Hours hosted by Holiday Inn Express & Suites
2019-20 Schedule Nov. 21 Householder Properties Dec. 19 Wyoming Catholic College Jan. 16 Lander Bodyworks
Feb 20 Central Bank & Trust March 19 Lander Golf Course April 16 Ron’s Flooring May 21 Westward Heights Care Center
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS BUSINESS AFTER
CALENDAR
BUSINESS November Calendar ofAFTER Events EVERY MONDAY Book sale at the Book Nook, 4-7 pm, Carnegie Room, Lander Library EVERY SATURDAY Lander Valley Farmers Market, 1-3 pm, VFW, on the west end of Main St.
2 Wind River Wine & Art, 5-9 pm, Lander Community Center 2 Fall Festival, 10am-2pm, Lander Children’s Museum 3 Daylight Savings Time ends
Book sale at the Book Nook, 4-7 pm, Carnegie Room, Lander Library or upstairs in Bank of the West
5 Creative Writing Workshop, 6:30-7:30 pm, Central Wyoming College Lander
FIRST WEDNESDAY Brain Injury Support Group 5-6 pm, Soldier’s House of Fremont County, Riverton
6 Google Basics, 6-9 pm, Central Wyoming College Lander
THIRD THURSDAY Soup & Support: Caregiver Support Group, 11am-12:30 pm, Frontier Home Health & Hospice
1 First Friday My Store Belles & Beaus, open until 9 pm, 258 Main St. 1 First Friday: Art & Live Music, 5-9 pm, The Middle Fork 1 Special Anniversary “Women’s Suffrage” art show opening reception, 6-8 pm, Lander Art Center 2 Denim & Diamonds Presented By Help for Health Hospice, 6-8 pm, St. Margaret’s Gym, Riverton
9 Madama Butterfly Opera, 11am-2:15 pm, Lander Library Carnegie Room 13 Google Medium, 6-9 pm, Central Wyoming College Lander 14 “What’s the Deal About J.B. Okie,” 6:30-8 pm, Riverton Museum 14-16 A Christmas Carol, 7 pm, Central Wyoming College Main Stage, Riverton 15 Alchemy 4th Anniversary Celebration, 5-8 pm, Alchemy 17 A Christmas Carol, 2 pm, Central Wyoming College Main Stage, Riverton
16 Fremont Symphony Orchestra performs Brahms, 7-9 pm, LVHS multi-purpose room 20 Google Advanced, 6-9 pm, Central Wyoming College Lander 21 Business After Hours, 5:30-7:30 pm, Householder Properties 23 Akhnaten Opera, 11am2:30 pm, Lander Library Carnegie Room 24 LCCA presents Carlene Carter, 3-5 pm, LVHS auditorium 28 Happy Thanksgiving 30 Small Business Saturday, Shop Lander First!
Director Kasi Peil, Glen Keller, Carie Keller 150 Baldwin Creek Road, Lander The Alpha Recreation Center was created with the mission of providing affordable recreational opportunities for kids, youth, and adults in a safe environment and build a sense of community. Our recreation options include but are not limited too: a giant indoor treehouse, a bouncy house, playville, gymnasium, cardio equipment, table games, and a coffee bar! Future plans for an indoor selfbelay climbing wall are currently underway and we hope to open this feature in the Spring.
Benessere Clinic
Lisa Lowham and Suzanne Lilygren , 195 Capitol St. Benessere is wellness. Our focus is age management and aesthetics that includes bio-identical hormone optimization in the setting of a healthy lifestyle including exercise, diet and looking your best. Benessere is not anti-aging. Getting older is inevitable. But how you age is in your control. Our focus is living better our whole life. In addition to looking younger, it is being physically and physiologically vibrant, motivated, functional, happy, and strong.
Maverick RV Park
Polly Jones, 1104 N 2nd St. Maverick RV Park is the closest campground to downtown Lander. It is located close to public fishing, the golf course, Shoshone Rose Casino, Sinks Canyon State Park, and much more!! We have laundry, showers, plenty of shade trees and free wifi for our guests. If you need a spot for the night, a week, or several months, we can accommodate. The Maverick RV Park is under the management of Polly Jones and owned by Scott & Pam Ross.
Wings & Wheels
Chris Eleanor Chase Wings & Wheels is a high quality airshow, fly-in, and car show featuring top notch aerobatic performers and classic rides. New coordinator Chris Eleanor Chase aims to continue to grow the event to appeal to more people than ever and bring visitors from Fremont County and beyond. Held at Lander’s Hunt Field, this is Fremont County’s premier air and auto event. Keep your eye on the sky: you will see astounding air shows followed by a car show with an impressive collection of muscle cars and vintage vehicles.
NEW MEMBER WELCOME NEW MEMBER WELCOME
Alpha Recreation Center (ARC)
THINK LANDER FIRST
C
oming this November, back by popular demand, the Lander Chamber will be handing out “Think Lander First, Shop Local� buttons to local businesses. This initiative will encourage residents to keep their hard earned dollars local this holiday season. The shop local button campaign will begin on Small Business Saturday, November 30, and run through the holiday season. Remember to wear your button and support our local merchants this holiday season!
by Bruce Morse, Regional Director Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network School is back in session and fall is officially here, so why not take some time to give your business a make-over before the holiday season arrives? Start outside, and look at your business the way customers do. Your windows and window displays should be used to get people’s attention — those walking by, and in some cases, those driving by. Make sure people can see the display by having it well lit, especially if people tend to see it at night. Also, wash the glass, vacuum up the dead flies and remove faded items (that Wyoming sun fades inventory quickly!). Avoid using your doors and windows (prime display space) for advertising all the local fundraisers, high school team schedules, and so on. It’s great to support those activities, just do it at a separate location (bulletin board, etc.) within the store. What about your signage? Can it be seen by those walking by your store? Blade signs that are perpendicular to the building, or hang from the awning, are more effective at this than a sign positioned flat against the building 15 feet off the sidewalk. Sandwich boards can work too, if your community allows them. Once they are in the door, the space should smell good. Not overpowering, but pleasant. Soft, appropriate music can also help. You want to create a welcoming, enjoyable ambiance. How about a fresh coat of paint? Use small signs near the merchandise to help customers find what they are looking for. If you can do this in a fun way to make them smile, even better. Consider using large format photography to help highlight various lines. Lean on your suppliers for this as many have some large posters they will give you if you simply ask. Remember, your merchandise should be displayed from the knees to about 6 inches over the customer’s head. They don’t want to, and usually won’t, bend over to get items off the floor or they simply won’t see them. Now, the two biggest ways to improve sales. Most stores don’t have enough light. People won’t buy it if they can’t see it. Replace burnt out bulbs. If possible, use track lighting to light up the merchandise, not the wall or the floor. And finally, get your customers to touch the product. They are much more likely to buy it if they pick it up and look at it, smell it, feel it and fall in love with it. 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.
SPRUCE IT UP!
Spruce Up Your Retail Space
Fremont County Pioneer Museum Randy Wise, museum curator, 1443 Main St., Lander Good Place, The Marla Lemm, 155 Main St., Lander Herrmann Global Inc. Florian Herrmann, owner, 259 Main St., Apt 201, Lander Holiday Inn Express & Suites Krista Lobera, manager, 1002 11th St., Lander Hudson, Nancy & Dave 425 Baldwin Creek Road, Lander
Union Wireless 850 N. Highway 414, Mountain View
Lander Community Concert Association PO Box 647, Lander
Westward Heights Care Center Natalie Korell, Administrator 150 Caring Way, Lander
Lander Library Friends Association Ray Charles, president, 451 N. 2nd St., Lander Rodney’s Collision & Custom Center Rodney & Leona Rohn 330 Mortimore Lane, Lander Scott Robeson Custom Woodworking & Fine Cabinetry 17 Shadow Brook Lane, Lander Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions George Hunker PO Box 524, Lander
Wyoming Community Gas Natalie Flood 315 W. 27th St., Cheyenne
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! Atmosphere Marketing Dallin & Caitee Cooper 2255 Brunton Ct., Ste A, Riverton Dentures & Dental Care of Lander, LLC Dr. Susan Baker 933 Main St., #3, Lander
RENEWING MEMBERS
Family Chiropractic Vince Irene, 8135 Hwy 789, Lander
Labyrinth Productions Chris Amend 514 Northridge Dr., Riverton
RENEWING MEMBERS
Blackwelder, Gary 61 Red Canyon Road, Lander
St. John’s Health - Lander 175 N. 1st St., Lander
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid LANDER, WY PERMIT NO. 78
This issue of the chamber newsletter is printed by Western Printing