Withers: Wyomingites need more opportunities for degrees

By Kim Withers

Editor's Note

The following is the second in a series of eight guest op-eds from leaders of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative…

Successful communities do two very important things.

First, they create a quality of life and sense of place where people want to live. Second, they develop those individuals into a quality workforce and engaged citizenry.

These two goals are at the core of the recently released Forward Greater Cheyenne plan and its eight strategies. I have the pleasure of serving as the strategy coordinator for the plan’s third category, titled LCCC Expansion: Applied Baccalaureate Degrees.

When it comes to workforce here in Laramie County, we have incredible strengths, but also some frightening facts. The community has a strong, middle-skills educated workforce. Not surprising, with LCCC in our backyard. Cheyenne ranks 14th out of 382 metropolitan statistical areas in regard to the percent of the adult population with an associate degree.

However, Cheyenne slides to the bottom, ranking 236th out of 382 for bachelor’s degree attainment. And it’s getting worse. The percentage of our adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher actually declined between 2011 and 2016 in Laramie.


To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Chen: Get ready to see downtown transformation

By JJ Chen

Editor's Note:The following is the first in a series of eight guest op-eds from leaders of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative.

It is an honor to coordinate the acceleration and revitalization of downtown Cheyenne. I am on a quest to promote downtown as an incrementally more amazing place.

Cheyenne’s history is enviable, and our glory days of the past shine a bright path for our future, as well. Downtown Cheyenne is the historic core – and therefore heart – of the City of Cheyenne.

As the heart of the city, downtown Cheyenne’s purpose is to inspire and keep all of Cheyenne alive! It does this by instilling faith, hope and trust, not only in its permanent citizens, but also its many visitors.

We are at the crossroads of deciding what future we want for ourselves. Some desire preserving the feel of a quiet small town, while others foresee the inevitability of measured and tempered growth.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Forward Greater Cheyenne launches community improvement plan

By Chrissy Suttles, Wyoming Tribune Eagle

CHEYENNE – A new association re-imagines Cheyenne as a competitive hub for young professionals – home to a thriving downtown district and new educational opportunities.

Members of Forward Greater Cheyenne, a partnership among local economic development organizations and government officials, revealed plans to meet these goals Thursday.

Priorities include downtown revitalization, Greenway development and Laramie County Community College expansion.

As proposed, many of the projects would rely on city, county or LCCC funds for completion.

Forward Greater Cheyenne was established last year to enhance Laramie County’s Front Range influence. The group hired Atlanta-based Market Street Services to develop community assessments, economic profiles and realistic implementation strategies.

Now, a board of directors, alongside eight community strategy coordinators, will oversee the project’s implementation. 

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Forward Greater Cheyenne Launches Plan for the Future

By Joy Greenwald

Forward Greater Cheyenne has launched a plan to help make the area a more prosperous and vibrant place to live, work and do business.

Community leaders on Thursday unveiled an implementation plan detailing eight strategic initiatives designed to help Greater Cheyenne achieve its vision for the future and provide greater opportunities for generations to come.

The initiatives consist of:

• Downtown Revitalization
• Greenway Transformation
• LCCC Expansion
• Cheyenne Center for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
• Business Retention, Expansion, and Attraction
• Community Beautification
• Pride, Engagement, and Attachment
• Regional Assets and Infrastructure

"Representatives from the private sector, the public sector, our community colleges, the city, the county, our state leaders, have met over the year to collectively develop a forward-thinking plan," said Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Forward Greater Cheyenne launches community improvement plan

By Chrissy Suttles, Wyoming Tribune Eagle

CHEYENNE – A new association re-imagines Cheyenne as a competitive hub for young professionals – home to a thriving downtown district and new educational opportunities.

Members of Forward Greater Cheyenne, a partnership among local economic development organizations and government officials, revealed plans to meet these goals Thursday.

Priorities include downtown revitalization, Greenway development and Laramie County Community College expansion.

As proposed, many of the projects would rely on city, county or LCCC funds for completion.

Forward Greater Cheyenne was established last year to enhance Laramie County’s Front Range influence. The group hired Atlanta-based Market Street Services to develop community assessments, economic profiles and realistic implementation strategies.

Now, a board of directors, alongside eight community strategy coordinators, will oversee the project’s implementation.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Community unites in Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative

By Mike Williams and Brian Heithoff

While Greater Cheyenne has many positives going for us, we can do better, making our area a more prosperous and vibrant place to live, work and do business.

That is why community leaders joined together in December 2017 to form Forward Greater Cheyenne, a strategic planning process that has involved more than 2,400 people. The effort was funded by various community stakeholders: Laramie County Economic Development Joint Powers Board, Downtown Development Authority, Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Cheyenne LEADS, Visit Cheyenne and many other independent businesses.

The Forward Greater Cheyenne effort has allowed us to unite as a community like never before. People from various backgrounds have brought their expertise to the table, setting aside their differences to develop a consensus vision for the future.

We see Greater Cheyenne as an inviting and exciting community that works together to cultivate engagement and attachment. Our legacy as a cultural anchor of the Western frontier and our emergence as an economic and entrepreneurial engine of the Front Range reflect our identity as a community of pioneers.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Forwarding Greater Cheyenne With Data Driven Actions

Forward Greater Cheyenne announced its community and economic strategies and implementation plan during the Launch event Thursday, January 17th.

Concerned about the future of the Greater Cheyenne area, community leaders formed Forward Greater Cheyenne and embarked upon a strategic planning process to help make the area a more prosperous and vibrant place to live, work, and do business.

To develop a comprehensive plan, Forward Greater Cheyenne Committee hired Atlanta-based Market Street Services to conduct a community assessment to take into account the wants and needs of Greater Cheyenne’s residents, workers, and employers, as well as to develop an Economic and Workforce Profile to provide detailed analysis of the area’s economic and workforce composition. The entire process included input from over 2,400 people in the community.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Community assessment of Halifax County: To grow, go bold

By Ashley Hodge

With bold action, Matt DeVeau, project manager of Market Street Services, feels like anything is possible for Halifax County.

This was part of the message he delivered to the dozens who came out to the community meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center Innovation Center.

The chamber of commerce hired the Atlanta-based consulting firm to provide guidance to a steering committee of local leaders working on a growth strategy for the county.

The community meeting was part of a six-phase research and strategic planning process. Previously 1,579 community members participated in an online survey to reveal challenges, weaknesses and strengths of this county.

Interviews with local leaders and focus groups also were held, and DeVeau on Wednesday evening revealed some of the findings from the research.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Education, quality of life gains will set Halifax’s future

By Tom McLaughlin
News & Record

Halifax County is hardly alone among rural communities in the economic uncertainties it faces, but “bold action” will be required if the county is to avoid further stagnation and decline, a consultant told civic and business leaders Wednesday at the SVHEC.

Matt DeVeau with Market Street Services, a nationally-recognized economic development advisory firm, presented the findings of a “community assessment” that is envisioned as the first step in a turnaround plan for the county. The Atlanta-based consultancy was hired by the Chamber of Commerce to provide guidance to a steering committee of local leaders working on a growth strategy for Halifax.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.