businesses

Ten finalists in the Fisher Innovation Launchpad entrepreneurship competition presented their business ideas on October 24 at the University of Wyoming (UW) Student Union.

The Sheridan Start-Up Challenge has announced five finalists.

The Wyoming Council For Women announced the winner of its second annual Woman Entrepreneur Award.

The Buffalo Downtown Association has announced it will be closing its doors.

Wyoming is ranked 42nd in the nation for growth of women-owned businesses since 2007, with a 22 percent increase in that time. That’s compared to a 58 percent increase of women-owned businesses nationwide. But Wyoming still ranks in the top ten for women’s businesses that employ large numbers of people.

The Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming Committee or ENDOW presented a 20-year plan to the legislature’s Joint Revenue, Business and Economic Development Committee and generally got good support. 

Sheridan has attracted a firearms manufacturer that is expected to provide between 70 and 90 jobs.  Weatherby Inc. announced Tuesday that it will relocate its manufacturing operations to Sheridan after over 70 years in California. 

Weatherby said it is coming to Sheridan because of its available workforce and Wyoming’s business-friendly environment. Sheridan City Administrator Mark Collins said the community is the site of a number of manufacturing companies, and he thinks that helped attract their business.

Northwest College in Powell hosted the first Wyoming Agriculture Diversification Summit this week. The two-day conference invited agriculture business leaders from around the country to present innovative ideas to state producers and business sponsors.

David Stover, the owner of a consulting firm on innovation and strategy, said the key to innovation is to understand what assets and competencies already exist. He said two assets stand out in Wyoming, including access to water.

Laramie County voters decided Tuesday which projects to fund through a sixth-penny sales tax. Of the seven items on the ballot, only two failed.

Among the projects was a proposal to build a new municipal court building and expand the county courthouse. That ballot item passed within such a narrow margin that it triggered a recount. County residents also green-lighted a jail expansion and a new, multi-purpose event facility.

The Wyoming Senate passed a bill Wednesday to require internet retailers like Amazon to collect sales tax on sales to Wyoming residents. 

Only three Senators opposed the bill. Lander Senator Cale Case said he thinks the smooth passage of the bill has to do with creating a more level playing field between local and online retailers.

For a little shop like the Bill Store an energy boom can be a blessing. Nothing is better for a small business than lots of customers with cash to burn. But when wells close and energy workers head out of town the businesses that remain have to figure out how to survive.

Verne Waldner bought the Conoco Service Station in Wamsutter Wyoming back in 1973. There wasn’t much to the town then, and there still isn’t. Wamsutter sits off Interstate 80 and has a current population of just under 500.