An Open Letter to the Wyoming Legislature:
We have been closely following the actions of the Joint Appropriations Committee regarding its opposition to funding the Wyoming Business Council (WBC).
We are deeply concerned that the committee is moving too hastily to dismantle a critical asset to Wyoming’s economy and future businesses. The WBC provides vital services to both existing and prospective businesses, while supporting broad-based economic development that benefits communities across our state.
We understand the concern that government should not “pick winners and losers.”
However, this criticism does not accurately reflect the WBC’s role. The WBC does not favor specific companies; it serves as an engine for any Wyoming business that chooses to utilize its programs.
There is also a misconception that the WBC focuses solely on attracting new businesses. While recruitment is part of its mission, the WBC offers an extensive range of services to existing Wyoming businesses.
As a company that has directly benefited from these services, we strongly oppose the elimination of this organization.
The WBC provides resources that would otherwise be inaccessible to small and growing businesses due to cost and required expertise.
Big Lost Meadery, for example, has used WBC support to develop an export program into Southeast Asia. This program has been essential to our growth, increased our credibility in domestic markets, and allowed us to expand significantly.
It has also enabled us to help other Wyoming businesses build export capacity of their own.
The WBC helps businesses improve operations, increase profitability, access new markets, support local startups, and strengthen their ability to create jobs and expand the tax base.
Many of the financial metrics cited by the Committee fail to capture the full scope of these benefits to individual communities and the state as a whole.
Additionally, the WBC serves as a conduit for substantial federal funding. Without an entity to apply for, administer, and manage these programs, Wyoming would forfeit access to these dollars entirely.
These funds are used to grow Wyoming businesses at no direct cost to Wyoming taxpayers.
We recognize that the energy industry is a cornerstone of Wyoming’s economy, and rightly so.
However, the energy sector itself relies on the WBC and on a diverse economy to attract and retain a skilled workforce. Employees need housing, hospitality, infrastructure, technology, and quality-of-life amenities.
Economic diversification does not weaken the energy industry — it strengthens it.
Prosperity does not come from a single “silver bullet” company, but from a network of small businesses and industries working together. The WBC is the vanguard of this effort and we cannot afford to lose it.
We strongly urge you not to pursue defunding the Wyoming Business Council. Wyoming’s future is bright, but we must let the seeds of prosperity grow.
The WBC is more than a budget line item—it helps build the Wyoming we want for ourselves and our children. While economic challenges are real, dismantling the tools that help us recover and thrive will only set us further back.
Sincerely,
Sam Clikeman and Bob Hewitt-Gaffney
Owners
Big Lost Meadery
Gillette, WY
