Wyoming Business: Cheyenne may revive ‘Progress & Prosperity’ drive

CHEYENNE — Cheyenne’s four-year economic-development initiative called “Progress & Prosperity … The Next Dimension” proved so successful that community leaders are looking at a possible sequel.

The community’s $1.7 million investment more than paid for itself with creation of more than 1,100 new primary jobs, an additional annual payroll of $27.6 million, and a $142 million capital investment in Cheyenne.

“By all measures, this campaign, thanks to the vision and the dollar commitment from all the investors, has been a huge, unqualified success,´ said Tom Stuckey, president of Cheyenne’s Wells Fargo Bank and co-chair of the campaign. “It’s the No. 1 economic-development initiative in Wyoming, second to none.”

Most of the money raised during the four-year campaign paid for infrastructure development in the Cheyenne Business Parkway, work-force development and community development projects.

Co-Chair Rick Kaysen said P&P’s leadership has asked the National Community Development Services Organization to conduct a feasibility study “to measure the merits of the possibility of another campaign similar to Progress and Prosperity.”

Kaysen and Stuckey said it would be premature to speculate on what kinds of needs or opportunities might be identified for a second campaign, but both told investors they think some kind of follow-up may be in order.

“If success can breed success, we’ll keep on breeding success,´ said Kaysen, who heads Xcel Energy in Cheyenne. “Try to imagine where we would have been without Progress and Prosperity and now try to imagine where we might be in the next five years. If we can imagine, then we can envision, and if we can envision, then we can do it.”

Freudenthal to be governor

CHEYENNE — Outgoing Gov. Jim Geringer says “Wyoming is on the right track” after eight years of his leadership, but look for incoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal to take some different paths toward helping the state’s economy grow.

Freudenthal, a Democrat who ran a folksy, grassroots campaign based on improving Wyoming’s economy over the long term, overcame a 2-1 Republican advantage in registered voters to defeat Republican Eli Bebout of Riverton. Freudenthal’s victory ends eight years of Republican control of the Governor’s Office.

The new governor was critical of many of Geringer’s approaches during his campaign. Freudenthal outlined an ambitious program to use a portion of Permanent Mineral Trust Fund interest to invest in local government infrastructure to pave the way for a growing economy.

Geringer, prevented by term limits from seeking a third term, made his eighth appearance before the Wyoming Taxpayers Association shortly before the November elections and said the state’s economy and state government’s fiscal picture are outpacing most other states.

Speaking before the election, Geringer predicted the next governor would have “at least a year’s breathing spell” before looking at major changes in state fiscal policy.

“All I can say is, whoever’s going to follow me, don’t mess it up,” he joked.

Freudenthal has strong views about the governor’s role in making policy, having served as a top aide to Democratic Gov. Ed Herschler and a top adviser to Democratic Gov. Mike Sullivan. The former U.S. attorney served on the state’s Economic Development and Stabilization Board when it was the state’s primary economic-development ag-ency. The EDSB preceded the Wyoming Department of Commerce, which became the Wyoming Business Council.

The new governor supports the Business Council, but he has indicated a willingness to consider transferring its tourism promotion duties back to a separate agency like the old Wyoming Travel Commission.

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