Chamber of Commerce NEWSLETTER96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.… ·...

NEWSLETTER

Chamber of Commerce

Volume 22 Issue 3 March 2016

YOUR BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

1155 W. Flaming Gorge Way Green River, WY 82935

307-875-5711 FL-GORGE www.grchamber.com

Published monthly to serve members in business

and community needs

Staci Ann’s Café Ribbon Cutting On Wednesday, March 9th

5:00pm 95 E Railroad Ave

Green River, WY 82935

Ribbon Cuttings

GR Chamber

2015 Annual

Report Insi

de!

Peak Performance Sports Medicine

On Thursday, April 7th Open House 4:00-6:00 pm

Ribbon Cutting 5:30 pm 140 Commerce Dr.

Green River, WY 82935 YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE

CHAMBER IN WELCOMING EACH BUSINESS TO THE COMMUNITY

Red Carpet Award— “Promoting the Community”

Lacey Hart with the Arctic Circle won January’s Red Carpet award.

Lacey was nominated by Janet Maez..

Janet had this to say about Lacy, “I lost my credit card and Lacey

found it and returned it. Honesty is rare these days. Thank you so

much Lacey!”

Lacey was presented a $25 Gift Certificate, Red Carpet Pin, as well

as other advertisement.

Pictured Above: Amber Zmolek, Chamber Board Member, pre-

sents Lacey Hart with the Red Carpet Award

~ Green River Chamber Newsletter ~ March 2016

Board of Directors: Tom Arnold, Arnold Family Chiropractic Center ~ President & Hole in the Wall Gang President Angela Shutran, US Bank ~ Vice President Misty Springer, City of Green River ~ 1st Vice President Jeremy Gibson, Trona Valley FCU ~ Treasurer Joanna Nara-Kloepper, BLM ~ Secretary Jason Bartlett, Solvay Curg Murray, Gorge Rock Products Kelli Lennon, Green River Import Plus, Hitching Post Restaurant & Saloon Allan Wilson, City Council Liaison

Tammy Vaught, Radio Network Linda Martin, SWC School District #2 Amber Zmolek, Farm Bureau Financial Services Dan Perusich, WWCC Ken Johnson, White Mountain Lumber Staff: -Rebecca Eusek, Executive Director -Lisa Herrera, Finance and Membership Manager -Kyla Magrath, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist

Chamber Mission Statement: The Green River Chamber of Commerce is committed to enhancing the community through advocacy

and partnership between businesses and community leaders.

Chamber Board

of Directors

and Staff

Don’t tell me you got nothing to do!

Information Distributed STARTED

January 2016 Year to Date

Relocation Packets 12 1 2

Vacation Packets 3 3

Convention Packets 50 250

Wyoming Pins 0 0

City of Green River Pins 100 100

Gift Certificates 18 18

Dollar Amount $2,297.13 $2,297.13

Brochure Racks 420 420

Chamber Kiosk 295 295

Walk Ins 821 821

Web Site Hits 66,263 66,263

Web Site Sessions 1,855 1,855

E-Mails 689 689

New Facebook Likes 14 14

Sales Tax Disbursements–December 2015

County $1,964,573

Green River $898,674

Rock Springs $1,709,514

Lodging Tax Sweetwater County –December 2015

County $5,954

Green River $8,859

Rock Springs $71,659

Labor Force

Employment Sweetwater County

December 2015 21,423

November 2015 21,766


Unemployment Sweetwater County

December 2015 1,145

November 2015 1,122

December 2014 913

Statewide Employment

December 2015 287,081

November 2015 291,720

December 2014 291,927

Statewide Unemployment


November 2015 13,441


Bowls of caring will be held March 17th from 4:30-7 pm. This event is a fundraiser for the YWCA of

Sweetwater County.

2nd annual Boy Scout and Muley Fanatic Founda-tion Benefit Breakfast, March 17th at the Rock

Springs Holiday Inn 6:30-8:00 am.

Distributed Information

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

March/April

March 2016 ~ Green River Chamber Newsletter ~

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

GR City Council Meeting, 7pm

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)

Sweetwater Ranch Sorting Club, 6pm

(EC)

Wind River Riders Dressage Club, 6pm

(EC)

Hotdoggers 4H Meeting, 7pm (EC)

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

Government Affairs, 8am VC

Sweetwater Ranch Sort Jackpots, 8am

(EC)

Muley Fanatic Foundation Banquet,

4pm (EC)

Sweetwater Ranch Sort Jackpots, 8 am

(EC)

Team Roping Jack-pot, 12 pm (EC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)

Ride em high, 6 pm (EC)

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

GR Chamber Board Meeting, 7:30am

(VC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)

Sweetwater Ranch Sorting, 6pm (EC)

Staci Ann’s Café

Ribbon cutting, 6 pm

Indoor Arena

Closed , 2pm (EC)

4H Horse Development

Meeting, 6pm (EC)


Southwest Wyoming

BMX, 6pm (EC)

Up in Arms Gun Show, 3pm (EC)

Southwest Wyoming

BMX, 1pm (EC)

USA West Square Dancing, 8am (EC)

Up in Arms Gun Show,9am (EC)

Southwest Wyoming

BMX, 9am(EC)

Up in Arms Gun Show,9am (EC)

Ride em high, 6 pm

(EC)

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)


Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Lunch and Learn

12 pm

Bowls of caring, 4:30pm (EC)

Wind River Riders

Dressage Club, 6pm (EC)

Guild Mortgage Ribbon cutting

6:30pm

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

Spring series barrel racing, 8 am (EC)

R & R Rodeo, 6 pm

(EC)

Rocky Mountain MMA, 6 pm (EC)


Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Hotdoggers 4H

Meeting, 7pm (EC)

Arena Cross Race

(EC)

Arena Cross Race

(EC)

Arena Cross Race

(EC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Wind River Riders

Dressage Club, 6pm (EC)

Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

Sweetwater Ranch Sort Jackpots, 8am

(EC)

Ducks Unlimited, 6 pm (EC)

Sweetwater Ranch Sort Jackpots, 8 am

(EC)

Team Roping Jack-pot, 12 pm (EC)

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Team Roping, 6pm

(EC)

GR Chamber Board Meeting, 7:30am

(VC)

GR City Council Meeting, 7pm

Roller Derby

Practice, 5pm (EC)


Sweetwater Pool

Shootout (EC)

Sweetwater Pool

Shootout (EC)


Sweetwater Pool

Shootout (EC)

Team Roping, 6pm (EC)

Sweetwater Pool

Shootout (EC)


R & R Rodeo, 6 pm

(EC)


2015 turned out to be a banner year for the Green River Chamber of Commerce.

We ended 2015 with a 5% increase in members. Over the past 2 years Chamber Membership has increased by 11%. We also increased our re-tention rate this year which is up to 93% and 8% above the

national average. These numbers speak to the value of the chamber’s programs and our mission to continue to meet the needs of our members. The Chamber is commit-ted to enhancing the community through advocacy and partnerships between busi-nesses and community leaders. One of the chambers top 5 core goals is to

create a strong local economy. Our gift certificate program kept over $299,000 local this year! That is a 30% increase over last year. The Chamber

hosted the Sweetwater County Leadership Program in its 16th year. This program is a partnership with the Rock

Springs Chamber and WWCC.

The Chambers website is now responsive meaning the entire site can be viewed from an

electronic device. With the revision of our website we saw a 16% increase in views. Our social media presence also increased. A goal for 2016 is to

continue to increase our social media presence making sure we are using the platform to promote Green River businesses and events. The second core goal is promoting the com-

munity. The chamber hosted the annual Sweetwater County Photo Contest and printed post cards for visitors to be able to send all over the world. So far we have had great response from this new program. The River Festival, our annual fundraiser, continues to grow with an average of 34% of attendees coming from out of county.

Overall participation exceeded 4,000 participants from all over Wyoming, 27 different States and Canada.

Once again, the Chamber sold out of shrimp boil tickets, cooking over 900 pounds of shrimp. Over 150 people competed in the Run with the Horses Marathon which is a slight increase over

2014. We saw a 20% increase in beer sales as well! We have exciting things planned for the 2016 River Festival including new promo-tional ideas and increased advertising spending for the marathon to help grow the event. We also distributed 59 vacation packets and

we assembled 1,230 convention packets. We distributed over 30,000 brochures which was an 18% increase. Walk in traffic

through the visitor center remained consistent with 17,500 walk-ins. We sold over $45,000 in tickets for various events throughout

Sweetwater County. During the 4th year of the NHSFR the Chamber partnered with Green River URA/Main Street and we gave away over 50 fishing poles dur-

ing the 2015 NHSFR shooting competition that took place in Green River. This program pro-moted the tourism aspects of Green River and encour-aged participants to stay longer.

2015 Snap Shot

Assisted visitors from 48 states

including Hawaii and Alaska and 17 coun-

tries from Australia to Switzerland.

2015 Annual Report


Through the efforts of our hardworking 3 fulltime staff, 13 board members and our volunteers we were able to

meet many goals this year as we continue to serve our community and Chamber members.

Our third core goal is providing networking opportunities. Lunch and Learn

saw a 21% increase in overall attendance which is attributed to the

location, professionalism, and topics. We hosted 11 ribbon cuttings and 8 after hours.

We also hosted an email marketing training and we recently began a business roundta-

ble program.

Our fourth core goal is representing the interests of business to government. We have

continued to host quarterly meetings with the trona industry and other local partners.

We also host an annual legislative town hall where business have the opportunity to

speak to local Sweetwater county legislators. The chamber director also sits on the

Wyoming Travel Industry Coalition board as well as the Wyoming State Chamber of

Commerce Board.

Our fifth core goal is strengthening member relations. This year we installed a state of

the art digital sign board. Over $80,000 in grants and sponsorship

money was raised to complete this project. The sign has been a great

success for recruiting members. We have had over 40 businesses advertise on the sign.

The Red Carpet customer service program had 65 nominees this year. This year we

have 27 people from Green River going on the annual chamber trip on a Rhine River

Cruise which is our largest num-

ber of participants yet! The

chamber also partnered with the

City and the Mine Rescue Teams

of Sweetwater County to host the

first national mine rescue day in

Green River. It was a tremendous turnout and we are looking forward to help-

ing with that event in 2016. Each year the chamber presents citizen volunteer

awards and the winners for 2015 were Randy Walker and Dennis Freeman,

Distinguished Citizens of the Year and Brian Taylor, Chamber Volunteer of

the Year.

We would like to take some time to highlight our goals for 2016 and let you

know what to expect. We have recently begun a business roundtable program

in partnership with Green River URA/Main Street and the SBDC. This pro-

gram is designed to benefit the needs of our members by providing hour long trainings centered around different topics every month.

Topics will be chosen from the results of surveys that are sent out via email and at the chamber luncheons. If you have a topic sug-

gestion, please feel free to call us anytime. We want to make sure we are fulfilling your needs and communication is the key to en-

suring your needs are being met.

In 2016 we will also be completing synchronist surveys. These

surveys help the Chamber understand the business climate in

Green River and can help us pinpoint trends in the community.

We can use this information to better represent your needs and

interests and build a better business climate. We will be com-

pleting these surveys throughout the year.

Green River will also be hosting the 2016 Fall State Chamber

of Commerce Conference on Oct. 5th through the 7th. It was a

competitive bid and we are ecstatic that Green River was

awarded the bid. We are looking forward to showing off all

that Green River has to offer. Thank you to all of our mem-

bers, volunteers, and community partners!

2015 Green River Chamber Board of Directors

2015 Annual Report

Sweetwater County Concert Association Membership Packs 2015-2016 Concert Season Membership is available. Adults are $45, Seniors 65+ are $35, Students in HS and under are $25, a fam-ily 2A and 1+child is $110. A season membership will get you into all four concerts. Cash and check will be accepted. 2nd Annual Boy Scout and Muley Fanatic Foundation Benefit Breakfast Thursday, March 17th at the Rock Springs Holiday Inn. 6:30– 8:00 am. Breakfast burrito bar and silent auction. $25 individual or $200 table of 8. Cash, check and credit cards will be accepted.

New Members—Welcome!

Guild Mortgage 541 E. Flaming Gorge Way Unit E Green River, WY 82935 P: (307) 371-2361 Www.guildmortgage.com Hours: 9-5 with after hours and weekend appointments by request Guild Mortgage is dedicated to making your housing dreams come true! Equal Housing Lender Peak Performance Sports Medicine 140 Commerce Dr Green River, WY 82935 (307) 875–8492 Outpatient physical therapy Staci Ann’s Café 95 E. Railroad Ave Green River, WY 82935 307-922-8670 Family Style Restaurant.

J.R. Simplot Company

515 S. Hwy 430

Rock Springs, WY 82901

307-382-1400

Manufacturer of Nitrogen based fertilizer

Tickets for Sale


February Renewals—Thank you!

Business Years

Mobilitat 17 Advance America 5 Green River Basin FCU 19 Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County 29 Broken Arrow Field Service 10 Castle Rock Hospital District 28 First American Title Insurance 28 Coca- Cola Bottling Co. 29 Prevention Management of Wyoming 3 Marine Corps. League #1406 4 The Office Shop 8 Smith’s Food and Drug 20 Rock Springs Sweetwater Co. Airport 7 Mi Casita 5 Sweetwater County Museum 25 United Way of Southwest Wyoming 29 Solvay 29 United Site Services 15 Western Wyoming Community College 29 Inberg-Miller Engineers (IME) 21 Cowboys Against Cancer 16 Castle Cleaning Company 3 Western Wyoming Beverage 29 Sweetwater County Democrat Party 18 Sweetwater County Library System 26 Rock Springs Chamber 24 Eagle Uniform & Supply 14 The Office Products Dealer 4 Northern Title Company of Wyoming 11 YWCA of Sweetwater County 29 Green River URA/Main Street Agency 4 Sweetwater One Foundation 3 Exxon Mobil Corp. 29 Brenda Roosa/Mary Kay Cosmetics 2 Wild Card Towing 9 Gorge Rock Products 15 Amber Zmolek/Farm Bureau Financial 2 Boy Scouts of America/WY Trails Dist. 5 McDonalds 17 Sweetwater County Prevention 6 Sweetwater County Community Nursing 2 Wind River Hotel & Casino 4 Hampton Inn & Suites – Green River 10 Family Dynamics Counseling 11 Lucerne Valley Marina 29 Red Desert Roundup Rodeo 20 The American Legion Post 28 3 Wyoming Dept. of Workforce Services 9 American Cancer Society 12 Rocky Mountain Service Bureau 29 Oak Tree Inn 18 Penny’s Diner 18 UESI/Rock Springs 13 Taco Time 25 Wyoming Wireless 2 Arctic Circle 29 HydraFab 4 Sweetwater Co. Board of Realtors 3 Century Link 25 Hospice of Sweetwater County 2 Keamas Quilts 11

THANK YOU TO OUR RENEWING MEMBERS!


Thank you Blair!

Distinguished Citizen Award

2016 Distinguished Citizens Award Promoting the Community Do you know someone that is absolutely pas-sionate about Green River? Do you know someone that continually volunteers, supports and is behind the scenes working for the better-ment of our town? Those people need to be

recognized! The Green River Chamber would like to make sure these individuals are recognized and we are looking for nominations. The Chamber is looking for the “Distinguished Citizen Award”. Persons qualifying for this nomination must be a resident of Green River and have demonstrated a long history of civic involvement to the community and or the Chamber. You are encouraged to elaborate on the candidate’s background. News articles, testimonials, etc. will help the committee arrive at an informed decision. A few of the previous winners of the “Distinguished Citizen Award” are Carl Morck, Regina Clark, Bill Thompson, Al Harris, Pat Robbins, Al Carollo, Vicky Roth, Marsha Tynsky, Mike Frink, Tom McIntosh, Judy Graham, Gaye Winter, Bill Hoyt, Randy Walker, and Dennis Freeman . These winners are not eligible for nominations. To nominate an individual please write a letter and send it to 1155 W. Flaming Gorge Way or email [email protected];Attention Distinguished Citizen Award Committee. Include other letters of support, newspaper clippings and any other information that will help the Committee in making their decision. Please submit nominations to the Green River Chamber of Commerce by March 21st, 2016. Contact the Chamber with any questions at 307-875-5711 or [email protected].

The Green River Chamber Board of Directors and Staff want to thank Blair Graham for his time spent on the Board of Directors. Blair recently an-nounced his resignation from the Chamber board. Blair was the owner of the Krazy Moose in Green River for many years. He served on the Green River Chamber Board of Directors since 2013. Blair served on the Governmental Affairs Committee also served on the River Festival Committee. Blair was instrumen-tal in helping organize the shrimp boil. He helped place the food order and plan the logistics in-volved with feeding 900 people. Blair has been an invaluable member to the Chamber as well as to the entire community. His volunteerism and hard working attitude will certainly be missed.

mailto:[email protected]




~Green River Chamber Newsletter~ March 2016

STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

GREEN RIVER, WY

PERMIT #44

Green River Chamber of Commerce 1155 W Flaming Gorge Way Green River, WY 82935

Join us for our March Luncheon held on Wednesday the 16th at noon at the Hampton Inn in Green River. The Hampton Inn will be catering, please RSVP by Monday, March 14th by 10:00 AM. We will hear from Steve Perry with Aspen Mountain Medical Center. Marine Corps League #1406 will also present. At February’s Luncheon, We heard from Melinda Baas with YWCA. There was also a live ChamberMaster Training where you were be able to ask questions and learn how to manage all your information through our Website. February’s Lunch and Learn winners will be announced in our April Newsletter, so keep an eye out! We do ask that you RSVP for each Luncheon to the Green River Chamber at 307-875-5711 or email [email protected] or [email protected] by Tuesday, March 14th by 10:00 AM. You may also RSVP directly from our Website at www.grchamber.com/pages/LunchLearn. If you know by Tuesday, March 15th that you will not be able to attend, please let us know and you will not be invoiced. Lunch will be $12 for members and $15 for non-members. We would like to thank everyone who attended our February Lunch & Learn!

Lunch and Learn - “Providing Networking Opportunities” THE HAMPTON INN

Picture Above: Melinda Baas with the YWCA

and Kelli Lennon with the Green River Chamber

Board.

Northern Title Company would like to THANK

SWEETWATER COUNTY for their business over the last 10 years. Please join us March 4, 2016

from 3-5 pm to Celebrate our 10 year anniversary.

2620 Commercial Way, Ste 101

Rock Springs, WY 82901 (pictured from left to right) Marianne Emden, Lorie Rivera, Mindy France, Penny Pizzie, Susan Icazu-riaga, Lisa Nye, Andrea Potter and Trudi Wells

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