When do all of the magicians arrive?

By Chad Willett 

Editor’s note: The following is the last in a series of eight guest op-eds from leaders of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative that have been published each Tuesday in the WTE since Jan. 22.

Public drinking, gambling and prostitution; shootings, stabbings and thefts. Does this sound like Cheyenne? Nah, not today, but it certainly was how things were around here in the 1800s.

Populated by characters that will be revered for generations, this city rose out of the ground as one of those shady “Hell on Wheels” railroad towns. There’s a mystique and unapologetic truth to those roots.

But what about the other story that's often overlooked? The story in which Cheyenne appeared so fast, we were dubbed the “Magic City of the Plains”? The story of a rough and rowdy city that, over time, gradually shifted its shape into a social and cultural hub for the area?

That’s the story I dig: The story of the everyday magicians who bettered our community because they were motivated to make a better life for themselves and others.

Back in the day, people viewed Cheyenne, Wyoming, as this magical place to go for entertainment, opportunity and the chance at a better life.

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

Group seeking volunteers to help beautify Cheyenne

By Kirsten Malm

Editor's Note

The following is the sixth in a series of eight guest op-eds from leaders of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative. Subsequent pieces will appear here each Tuesday.

Imagine you are in a city that has more than four museums, 37 miles of paved bike path, an estimated 400 art installations in parks and throughout the city, an increasing number of 100-plus concerts a year, and farmers markets in the summer and winter.

No, this is not Fort Collins, Colorado. This is our great city, Cheyenne, Wyoming!

The Beautification Committee set forth by Forward Greater Cheyenne aims to develop, promote and set in motion strategic programs to make Cheyenne a place where we are all proud to live and work. Through these initiatives, we ultimately hope to bring our community together, enhance Cheyenne’s image, and strengthen resident awareness and engagement in community initiatives.

Our plan is to further encourage collaboration and coordination between organizations involved with community improvement. Our committee will focus on the following strategic initiatives:

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

Community must invest in infrastructure

By Tighe Fagan

Editor’s note: The following is the fifth in a series of eight guest op-eds from leaders of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative. Subsequent pieces will appear here each Tuesday.

The term infrastructure is a rather open-ended concept, depending on context. According to the Market Street Implementation Plan, which serves as the strategic vision for Forward Greater Cheyenne, infrastructure is narrowed to the following: transportation, housing, military and government, and broadband.

A cornerstone of the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative is to leverage what we now have as regional assets and what we can improve in these four aspects in the years to come.

Greater Cheyenne has been a transportation hub, dating back to 1867 during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad that passes through Cheyenne, and it will continue to be. Rail, coupled with the intersection of Interstates 25 and 80, make our community a linchpin in the movement of people and goods throughout the United States.

We must continue to capitalize on this unique geographic opportunity. There are currently several projects in flight. Front Range Passenger Rail is one such project. This is an effort to alleviate congestion along I-25 and provide for an alternative to automobile transportation. It would also provide improved access to workforce throughout the region for our businesses. This initiative will also have the added benefit of providing easy access to Denver International Airport.

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

Ames: Strong community keeps, attracts new businesses

By Brendan Ames

Generally speaking, communities that are thriving are intentional, collaborative and well-resourced.

The Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative is the cornerstone to ensure the future success of our community. Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction (“BRE”) is one of eight key initiatives identified by Forward Greater Cheyenne aimed to be a driving force of that future success.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush … or so the saying goes. How does this relate to BRE? Various studies have illustrated that the expansion of existing businesses within a community represents between 60 percent and 90 percent of a region’s job creation. The future success of our community is directly related to ensuring we champion the businesses that already call the greater Cheyenne area home.

Our community is very engaged and supportive when it comes to creating a network of people that we can connect with. Businesses trust the strong ecosystem currently in place and rely on each other in our community to be successful.

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

Weinstein: Enhancing city’s economic future

By Sam Weinstein

Small businesses are the foundation of our national and regional economies and, in fact, make up about 60 percent of Wyoming’s private sector workforce.

Recognizing this, the Forward Greater Cheyenne initiative sought to assist this effort on a local level with the Cheyenne Center for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (C2E2). The C2E2 will be the catalyst for small-business growth in our community.

The initial research phase, completed by Market Street Services, revealed that Cheyenne’s entrepreneurial support system is underdeveloped. The Cheyenne community has a breadth of knowledge, support and data available to assist entrepreneurs in starting a business, and for small business owners to attain growth. However, this information lacks cohesion, and the goal of our board is to bring all the information to one location – virtual at first, then a physical brick-and-mortar spot in years to come.

Our aggressive four-part strategy, specified by the Forward Greater Cheyenne plan, includes the following pieces:

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

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.

CHEYENNE AND LARAMIE COUNTY COMMUNITY INPUT WANTED

By Doug Randall

Residents of the greater Cheyenne area are being asked for their input on the community by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.

The process of getting feedback started last week with meetings with focus groups and a steering committee meeting. Market Street Services of Atlanta has been hired to do research for a Community and Economic Development Strategy that will be developed using survey results.

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