The Wyoming Council For Women announced the winner of its second annual Woman Entrepreneur Award.
This year Ariane Jimison, the owner of Pizza Carrello in Gillette received the honor. Pizza Carrello is a wood-fired pizza restaurant that features house-made dough and sauce. Jimison started the business as a food cart in 2011 and opened the brick-and-mortar location in 2016.
The award seeks to recognize women business owners and their contributions to the community.
Chair of the Wyoming Council for Women Jennifer Wilmetti said while all of the nominees were exceptional, Jimison stood out.
"She really has the spirit of the award. She started out with a food truck and then built it up to a restaurant. And it's a restaurant that's well-loved in the community. And she has done a lot of community service," Wilmetti said.
Jimison said she is grateful to receive the award.
"This is really awesome because it means that people have noticed we are trying to do something really special in our restaurant," she said. "We've gotten a couple of awards in the past year-there's not a better word than I can think of than validating."
Jimison said women might not believe they are capable of being in charge. She said she hopes this shows women and others that they are capable of running a successful business.
"I'm hoping this award just bolsters more confidence in people who want to get something started and feel like they can't because they are a woman or minority even," Jimison said.
She will be honored at the Wyoming Working Together conference in Gillette this week.
The Wyoming Council for Women is a governor-appointed group that focuses on women's issues in the state.
