Chamber November 2021 Newsletter

2021

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

Thank you, CATALYST Level Members!

Photo by Rose Vowles

POINTS TO PONDER

From the Executive Director

O

ver the past year, the Lander Chamber has made a determined effort to increase promotion of our member businesses and organizations to Lander and Fremont County. Are you taking advantage of all the promotional tools and benefits your Chamber membership provides?

SEO-enhanced Listing on LanderChamber.org The Chamber’s website is designed with robust search engine optimization (SEO) functionality to propel our members’ listings to the top of Google’s and other search engines’s results pages. You can populate your listing with text, images, and videos as well as links to your website and social media accounts. The more helpful information you provide, the better your chances of improving your ranking. In fact, some members’ Chamber listings rank higher than their own websites!

Post Your Sales, Promotions, Events, and Job Listings Not only do these get highlighted on the Chamber’s website, we also push these out each week to our more than 1,000 email newsletter subscribers and to our thousands of followers on social media.

Be a Guest on the LanderBiz Show Each week, County 10’s Charene Herrera and I welcome a Lander Chamber member to join us at the mic to provide insights that only a local expert can give. It’s a fun and free-wheeling conversation designed specifically to help you get out the word about your business or organization and position yourself as a voice of authority in your given field. Your appearance will be promoted as a standalone story on the County 10 news stream and Facebook page as well as the Chamber’s blog and social media channels.

Tag Us On Social Media - Help Us Help You! An easy way to broaden your reach on social media is to tag the Chamber in your posts and comments. The Chamber’s Facebook account has more than 4,200 followers, and our connections with other Facebook groups here in Lander and across Fremont County and the entire state multiply your reach and put more eyeballs on your posts.

Submit a Guest Post to the Chamber’s Blog The Chamber’s blog provides news updates, posts on business topics, and spotlights of our members. Would you like to share your expertise?

Submit a blog post for consideration, and we’ll post and share!

Place a Flyer in Our Monthly Newsletter There’s no school like old school. Hard copy flyers in the newsletter remain one of our most popular tools to promote your business or organization.

Owen Sweeney Executive Director Lander Chamber of Commerce

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Jon Tonkowich President Wyoming Catholic College

Eric Andrews Vice President Fagnant, Lewis & Brinda P.C.

Michelle Mazur Past President Elevate Rehab

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Espinosa Home Source Realty, Inter Mountain Builders

Dave Fehringer Fremont Engineering & Surveying

Rick Bestul NAPA Auto Parts

James Whiting Whiting Law PC

Chris VonHoltum Central Bank & Trust

Alyssa Lozier Edward Jones

PROFESSIONAL STAFF Owen Sweeney Executive Director

Carol King Associate Director

Carlos Solis Membership Development Intern

November 18, 1005 11th St., Lander

2021-22 Schedule

December 16 Teton Therapy

January 20 State Farm Insurance Agency

February 17 Messenger Girls

March 17 Hayden Outdoors

April 21 Ron’s Flooring

May 19 Lander Golf Course

October Business After Hours hosted by Elevate Rehab, Chase Real Estate Management, Farmers Insurance/Wurth Agency, Western Wyoming Medical

Business After Hours is an excellent opportunity to showcase your business, make new connections with fellow businesses, and develop new relationships with potential customers. Everyone is invited to attend!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Business After Hours!

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome, New Members!

America’s Premiere Chinese Medicine Clinic is relocating to Lander!

YAO Company/YAO Clinic truly bring the old world of Chinese and Asian culture and tradition into the hands of the modern day American in a most authentic and genuinely caring way. YAO presents Asian healthy living in ways that even the backcountry cowboy/ rancher can accept. And they’re not just talking putting needles in and taking herbs. For this reason, they are known by many as America’s Premiere Chinese Medicine Clinic.

Founded over twenty years ago by Dr. Daniel Hudson, DAOM, LAc., YAO Clinic has graced Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood for that entire time and in its present location for roughly 13 years. Dr. Daniel’s vision of bringing the beauty of all he has experienced in China in its chaotic glory and organized it in a way that every American can not only approach but from which they can glean wisdom is expressed at YAO. And it’s not always “ooooo…ahhhh” wisdom that instantaneously turns you into an enlightened being. It can be more like… “Wow that herb really worked” or “Wow, never thought of my lifestyle like that”…or “Gee I can’t believe how quick my pain went away.”

YAO, roughly translated means medicine. Medicine or YAO is what is applied to bring balance in Chinese Medicine. YAO strives to bring medicine to you in the way they handle your phone call, the cup of tea they brew for you, the care they take in setting aside your herbs to await your after hours arrival and the way they have organized our prices to fit as best we can a variety of pocket books. YAO is medicine laced with an ethical and moral code that extends beyond the simple transfer of a physical medicine. It is the essence behind the medicine given. It is the qi underlying how they do everything.

Dr. Daniel’s wife, Margaret Jacobson, (pictured) has been living in Lander for more than a year overseeing construction and preparing for the move to Lander. Corporate headquarters is presently located at 360 Morgan Lane. You can reach Margaret at 307-777-7825 and margaret@yaocompany.com.

Justin Hegwer Farm Bureau is the national leader for farm and ranch insurance, priding itself on providing its services through local agents. The Mountain West Farm Bureau company was founded in Wyoming in August 1948, followed by Montana a decade later.

Farm Bureau offers more than just farm and ranch insurance options. They offer coverage for all clients both rural and inside the big cities: from renters insurance to large scale commercial and liability.

Farm Bureau Financial Services handles a large variety of financial options based on the needs and wants of the client. Options range from life insurance to wealth management, including annuities, retirement, long term care and investments.

Local agent Justin Hegwer (pictured) is a native of Craig, Colorado and has a background in the ranching and oil and gas industries.

He’s also owned a few small businesses. Visit Justin’s office at 1630 West Main Street in Lander, for more information. You can also learn more about Justin on the September 17th edition of the Lander Biz Show, available County 10’s podcast page: you’ll be happy to know that, if you need to insure a Ferrari F40, Justin’s your man!

EVERY TUESDAY Book Nook at Lander Library 1-5 pm

3 Miseducation of Thanksgiving Riverton Museum, 6-7 pm

6 Lander Community Concert Lander Valley High School auditorium, 7 pm

EVERY THURSDAY Parkinson’s Support Group, Lander Senior Center 2-3 pm

4 Holiday Open House Dubois Museum, 11-2

11 WY SBDC webinar “Merchandising for the Holidays” online, 10-11 am

Fremont Co. Roller Derby open skate, recruitment, Fremont Center @ fairgrounds, Riverton, 6-9 pm Kiwanis Club, noon, Mamaw’s Kitchen @ Inn at Lander (formerly Summit) THIRD THURSDAY Foot Care Clinic, 8-noon, Lander Senior Center EVERY FRIDAY Book Nook at Lander Library noon-4 pm EVERY SATURDAY Improv Acoustic Music Jams Lander Art Center 10 a.m.-noon

5 Art of Home Native American Art Show opening 11 Social Emotional reception Lander Art Center, Learning 332-5508 for 4-6 pm details, 6 pm 5 Lander Pie Mile Lander Valley High School track, noon-1pm

CALENDAR

November Events

18 Business After Hours Atlantic City Federal Credit Union, 5:30-7 pm

5-6 Festival of the Arts Craft Fair Lander Community Center, Fri. 5-9 pm, Sat. 9-3 6-30 Hurrah for the Cowboy, Men of the Open Range Exhibit Pioneer Museum, M-F 9-5 6-30 Art of Home Native American Art Show art exhibit Lander Art Center

Did you work in Fremont County in uranium reclamation or the mill between May 1988 and September 1990?

Do you have a U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Medical Benefits Identification Card?

If so, Four Corners Health Care can assist you in receiving monetary compensation and medical benefits, including free in-home health care services. Four Corners is a family-based company whose roots run deep within the mining industry.

By combining a well-trained and experienced staff with the compassion that can only come from their first hand experience, Four Corners has set the industry standard for treating these special patients.

Four Corners is here to help you or a family member in need. Call Cameron Cook (pictured) today at 307-840-9188.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

U.S. Steel opened the Atlantic City Iron Ore Mine in the fall of 1962. The mine produced taconite pellets, which were shipped via rail to the Salt Lake City area, where they were fed into a blast furnace to make steel. These pellets were used both nationally and internationally.

In January of 1964, Homer Starr, Don Archambault, Karl Bunnell, Don Green, Maxine Matson, Harold Smith and Vic Smith gathered and became the Charter Members of Atlantic City Federal Credit (ACFCU). Each of these individuals purchased a $5 share to meet the National Credit Union Administration requirement to form a credit union.

As the Atlantic City Iron Mine grew — becoming the second largest employer behind government workers in Fremont County — so did the credit union’s membership. ACFCU became the place for steelworkers in need of payroll deduction, savings, and loans. One way the credit union orchestrated new members was by coordinating transportation for workers to and from Lander and the iron mine.

This is just one of the ways the credit union worked to help it’s communities.

In the early 1980s, U.S. Steel announced plans to close the Atlantic City Iron Ore Mine. The company’s plan was to move shipping iron ore pellets from Minnesota to Utah, calling it an “economic necessity.”

The mine closed on April 1, 1984. This would cause great hardships for Lander and for the members of ACFCU. The credit union knew its members were good

people who paid their bills and the credit union provided aid by offering reduced loan payments during this challenging time. The credit union is proud that no loans were lost during this period of hardship by working with our members.

After the mine closed, ACFCU lost its primary sponsor. The credit union picked up several smaller Select Employer Groups (SEG’s) throughout Fremont County for credit union membership. In the early 1990’s the NCUA expanded ACFCU’s membership to anyone who lives or works in Fremont County, Wyoming. Currently ACFCU has offices in Lander, Riverton, and Shoshoni. As of today, we proudly serve nearly 11,000 individuals, businesses, and nonprofits in our communities.

Throughout the pandemic, again ACFCU was there for our members and communities. ACFCU looked for ways to help its members who were financially impacted by the pandemic. We offered refinancing options, extensions, payment flexibility, emergency loans, forbearance assistance and loan modifications to members with existing loans. This flexibility relieved an enormous pressure from our membership when they needed it the most.

For ACFCU members who have small businesses and were negatively impacted by COVID-19, we participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) passed by Congress. We processed 115 PPP loans for a total of $2.4 million. These loans helped to keep businesses opened, jobs available and our vibrant main streets that make our communities so special.

We are proud of who we are and where we come from. We have a 60 year history of being there for our members and communities when they need us the most. People helping people.

Acuhealth Acupuncture Clinic Paul & Carrie Guschewsky 15 Shrine Club Road, Lander

Labyrinth Productions Chris Amend, 514 Northridge Dr, Riverton

Atlantic City Federal Credit Union Lander Bodyworks Studio Brian Rohrbacher, President Amy McDonald 1005 11th St., Lander 485 N 4th St, Lander Blue Cross Blue Shield Lori Morrow, District Manager 325 W Main St., Riverton Comtronix Bruce Kopperud 800 W Collins Dr, Casper DAPCPA Riverton Carmen Milbury 320 S Federal Blvd, Riverton Edward Jones, Lonnie Bull 175 S. 5th St., Lander Edward Jones, John Shade 824 Main St., Lander Family Chiropractic Vince Irene 8135 Hwy 789, Lander

Lander Dental Group Dr.s Chris Peterson & Eric Sheridan 799 S. 2nd St., Lander

Rodney’s Collision & Custom Center Rodney & Leona Rohn 330 Mortimore Lane, Lander Scott Robeson Custom Woodworkig & Fine Cabinetry 366 Main St., Lander

Lander Old Timers Rodeo Association PO Box 632, Lander

Sweetwater Food & Beverage Ron Hansen 8116 Hwy 789, Lander

Lander Vision Center Mikel Weideman, OD 556 Main St., Lander

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

Lander Workforce Center Deanna Crofts, area manager 1295 12th St, Lander

Wyoming Community Gas, Natalie Flood, Senior Business Development Manager, Cheyenne

Maven Outdoor Equipment Co. Mike Lilygren, Cade Maestes, Brendon Weaver 160 S. 4th St., Lander

Wyoming Windows & Cabinets Chris & Karlene Moore 3011 Hwy 287, Lander

Fremont County School District #1 Oxbow Restaurant Dave Barker, Superintendent Yvonne Patterson 863 Sweetwater, Lander 170 E. Main St., Lander The Good Place Marla Lemm 155 Main St., Lander

Rocky Mountain Pre-Mix Concrete Brad Hulme 51 Lower North Fork Road, Lander

Plains Tire 1175 N. Federal, Riverton

Porter’s Mountain View Supply Kairos Communications / County Leo Kosirog 10 750 E. Sunset Dr., Riverton Will Hill 2255 Brunton Court, Ste A, Riverton

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! Fremont Engineering & Surveying Dave Fehringer 64 Coal Mine Road, Lander Wind River Home Oxygen Kirsten Brown 1510 Main St., Lander

Book Your Next Meeting at the Chamber!

Looking for a brighter, roomier, more professional and technologically advanced place to host a meeting? The Chamber’s got you covered!

Full Zoom Room Functionality Our two DTEN video conferencing boards provide our members with a simplified professional meeting experience. The dual setup provides a multi-touch video display alongside a digital whiteboard that allows live on-screen annotation of documents and content sharing.

Contact Us to Reserve Your Meeting Today!

You don’t need a Zoom account to take advantage of this benefit. Chamber members can use our Zoom Room license to host meetings with unlimited minutes for up to 100 participants. Member-only rental pricing makes this an affordable benefit for your business.

RENEWING MEMBERS

Thank You, Renewing Members!

Convener Investors

___________________________________ Collaborator Investors

RENEWING MEMBERS

__________________________________

NEWSLETTER SPONSORS

Catalyst Investors

Special thanks to Western Printing for printing the monthly newsletter.

Lonnie Bull

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid LANDER, WY PERMIT NO. 78

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