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BEYOND THE RANGE Podcast™

Beyond the Range
Beyond the Range

BEYOND THE RANGE is a podcast produced and hosted by Marko Ruble. This is part of a series of independently produced podcasts partnering with Wyoming Public Media in distribution.

Season 1: Economic Diversification in Action: The good, the bad, the lovely

Beyond the Range Podcast is a series dedicated to exploring the topic of economic diversification in Wyoming. Through short-form and long-form interviews, the podcast aims to gather insights from entrepreneurs, artists, academics, personalities, community organizers, politicians, professionals, and technologists on the topic. Our guests have 20 minutes to share their thoughts, insights, and recommendations on the future of economic diversification in the state.


BTR Season Wrap-Up: The Good, The Bad, and The Lovely

Beyond the Range Season Wrapup.mp4

Episode 11:

Season 1 of Beyond the Range has taken listeners on a journey across Wyoming, exploring the complexities of economic diversification in the Cowboy State. Through conversations with thought leaders from various fields, the season uncovered key themes shaping Wyoming’s future:

  1. Wyoming’s identity as the “land of high altitudes and low multitudes” is as much about its unique experience as it is about its geography.
  2. The state’s distinct cultural identity remains a powerful force in its development.
  3. Retaining young people is critical to ensuring a vibrant, sustainable economy.
  4. Wyoming must reconcile its evolving identity—are we the Equality State, the Mineral State, or the Cowboy State?

As the season concludes, Beyond the Range offers a bold perspective: Wyoming is not limited by these labels. Instead, it is the Abundance State—a place rich in potential, opportunity, and community spirit. Join us as we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next chapter of Wyoming’s story.


Bennett Sondeno
Bennett Sondeno, Executive Director Wyoming National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Episode 10: Cowboy Cannabis? Reforming Marijuana Laws in Wyoming

Beyond the Range - Bennett Sondeno (1).mp3

Well, that’s about it for 2024. So…as 2024 closes in on 2025 we’re going to leave you with some food for thought on a very controversial subject in Wyoming: Marijuana.

Love it or hate it the subject of Marijuana (Cannabis) is a big one. Is decriminalization of the plant going to help or hurt our state’s economy? To date 38 of 50 states have legalized Marijuana for medical use and 24 states for recreational use. Currently Montana and Colorado have legalized it for medical and recreational use and South Dakota and Utah have legalized it for medical use. Can Cannabis help diversify our economy? Our guest sure thinks so. Join us for Bennett’s story.

Happy Holiday’s all. We hope the season finds you well and 2025 brings you good fortune as we work hard to bring you more great stories along the path to Economic Diversification in Wyoming!


Sally Bernhiser
Sally Bernhiser

Episode 9: Career Development in the Country

Sally Bernhiser, Bighorn County School District Career Coordinator

November is here and we’re continuing to explore efforts underway to stem the brain drain in Wyoming. Keeping kids in the Equality State presents unique challenges to educators and economic developers alike. Sally Bernhiser is on the ground in Bighorn County connecting high school students to professionals and mentors so they can build solid foundations for their future careers; as well as, deep connections to the communities they grow. One student. One idea. One passion at a time.


Episode 8: The Collaboratory: Engaging the Future of Wyoming

Beyond the Range Allison Lewis.mp4

In this episode of Beyond the Range, we visit Livingston Elementary School in Park County School District 6 to explore a cutting-edge educational initiative designed to inspire the next generation of innovators. Principal Allison Lewis joins us to discuss the creation and impact of the Collaboratory, a dedicated maker space and creativity lab where students engage in hands-on learning across science, technology, engineering, and arts. Principal Lewis shares insights into how the Collaboratory fosters creativity and critical thinking, preparing students for a rapidly changing world, and how it has become an integral part of the school’s curriculum and community.


Andy Quick
Andy Quick

Andy Quick, the owner of Gradient Mountain Sports

Beyond the Range Episode 7: Passion Powered Business - The Story of Gradient Mountain Sports

Beyond the Range Andy Quick.mp4

Join us as we bid farewell to summer and embrace the cooler months as we sit down with Andy Quick, the owner of Gradient Mountain Sports. Andy will share his journey from growing up in Park County to his deep passion for outdoor adventures and river sports. Discover how he started his business, founded the legendary Wildwest River Fest, and became a beloved figure in the outdoor sports community of NW Wyoming. Why does outdoor recreation matter to Wyoming’s Economic Diversification? Join us and find out!


Gary Trauner
Gary Trauner

Beyond the Range - Episode 6 - Healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems

Gary Trauner Former Executive Director of Silicon Couloir

Beyond the Range-Gary Trauner.mp4

The incomparable Gary Trauner: Entrepreneur, Advocate, Thought Leader, Candidate. Sit with us as Gary guides us through the first principles and workings of building and maintaining a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem. Hint: It takes application of what Gary’s termed the Three Sector Structure Theory.

Truth be told this is the first episode we recorded for the Beyond the Range Podcast. We visited Gary at the Silicon Couloir Co-work space in Jackson before our little podcast found a great home at Wyoming Public Media. We’d like to thank Gary and Silicon Couloir as well as Grady and the gang at Wyoming Public Media. Get set for more great stories and insights from Beyond the Range as summer grows into fall and fall nestles into winter!


Dustin Neal
Dustin Neal

Beyond the Range - Episode 5 Branding Wyoming Part 2

Dustin Neal…Wyoming native, UW grad, creative. Dustin is a Partner and Principal Creative at the Bark Firm in Casper. What is the difference between Branding and Marketing? How does an entrepreneur, small business, organization or difference maker introduce their ideas and innovations to the world? How does Branding factor into Wyoming’s economic diversification equation? How can we keep young people in Wyoming? These questions and more are answered in this episode of the Beyond the Range podcast. So saddle up partner as we tell the story of a Wyoming born creative helping businesses and organizations of all sizes shape the future and grow the Wyoming brand worldwide!

BTR Ep 5 Dustin Neal .mp4


Amber Pollock

Beyond the Range - Episode 4 - Amber Pollock

BTR Ep 4 Amber Pollock.mp4

Let's kick off summer with a nice economic diversification cocktail featuring Amber Pollock, founder and owner of Backwards Distilling in Casper. She takes us on her journey from her childhood in Casper to launching her company and growing her brand. Amber also addresses her involvement in Engage Wyoming (https://www.engagewyoming.org/) and ENDOW (https://www.endowyo.biz/). So sit back, relax and let your ideas and inspiration flow! Happy Summer 2024 Wyoming!


Cathy Holman
Cathy Holman

Beyond the Range Podcast episode 3: Branding Wyoming Part 1: Cathy Holman

Beyond the Range-Cathy Holman.mp4

Cathy Holman is a media personality, blogger, Wyoming influencer, founder, and principal creative with PrairieWifeInHeels.com. In this episode, Cathy walks us through the first principles small business owners, startup founders, and the rest of us Wyoming folks can do to create a successful brand in Wyoming. Branding is all about being authentic and living in Wyoming is often an exercise in authenticity. Cathy shares her story of growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moving to Wyoming with dreams of marrying a cowboy- which came true by way of a chance meeting at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Five kids later and a successful career in media she's found her home on the range and a formula for success we can all learn from living in the land of high altitudes and low multitudes Wyoming.


Dr. Jason Shogren

Breaking the Boom and Bust Cycle - Episode 2 W/ Dr. Jason Shogren

Beyond the Range - J Shogren.mp4

In episode 2 we sit down and chat with Dr. Jason Shogren to teach us about economics and economic diversification in the 21st century. Dr. Shogren is the Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management at the University of Wyoming, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and groovy musician.

Wyoming’s path to economic diversification will involve moving away from a wide-scale reliance on revenues derived from energy based mineral extraction to the reliance on more diversified sources of revenue. The make up of our economy and perhaps our landscapes will no doubt change and Dr. Shogren helps us understand what are the trade-offs we must consider?.. Wyoming residents cherish wide open spaces and off-the-beaten path lifestyles but economic diversification could bring more people into our state. How do we strike a balance and still strike it rich? How do we break the boom and bust economy? Dr. Shogren defines the questions Wyoming will need to be asking as we navigate towards a future of economic diversification.


Rebecca Burns

Beyond the Range Episode 1: Rebecca Burns

Our first episode: Rebecca Burns, Executive Director of the Powell Economic Partnership - Pathways to Prosperity in Ag Country

Beyond the Range Podcast is a series dedicated to exploring the topic of economic diversification in Wyoming. Through short-form and long-form interviews, the podcast aims to gather insights from entrepreneurs, artists, academics, personalities, community organizers, politicians, professionals, and technologists on the topic. Our guests have 20 minutes to share their thoughts, insights, and recommendations on the future of economic diversification in the state.

Beyond the Range Podcast aims to make the topic accessible and interesting while providing impactful solutions and human-driven inspiration. The ultimate goal is to help our audience understand and visualize the path to economic diversification and engage in discussions on the topic. If a barley farmer in Lovell and a UW economics professor in Laramie can both understand and visualize the path to economic diversification; and they both have fun thinking and talking about the issues and solutions we present, we’ve done our job.

Season 1: Economic Diversification in Action: The good, the bad, the lovely

Producers


Marko Ruble (Host)

Marko is an entrepreneur, artist and father living in Cody, Wy. He is the founder of yerguides.io a company building blockchain solutions for remote workers. He also founded WHAT Fest, a music and arts festival bringing the arts to rural Wyoming since 2003.


Will Ross (Engineer)

Will is an artist, producer, and father living in Cody. He is a partner at Western AF Media specializing in live audio and video recording. Western AF Media is a multi-media production company documenting modern Western Americana music artists and experiences.