Wyoming District Office Success Stories

Skip Success Story and go to Left Sub-Menu Links

From Apprentice to Electrical Contractor Darrell Reid is a journeyman electrician working for various area contractors in the oil/gas industry for the last five years. He got his experience assisting other electricians while...

Sierra Trading Post, LLC

In June of 1986, Reno, Nevada, Keith Richardson founded Sierra Trading Post. The company purchased name-brand overstocks and closeouts and passed the savings on to its customers – selling dress, casual and outdoor clothing, footwear,...

Rising From Destruction

Should you meet Mike Ohu, you would know he is a self made man, you can’t help but admire what he has done with the Cheyenne Motel by taking it from rags to riches with the help of an 7(a) Guaranteed Loan from the Small Business...

Recovery Benefits in 504 Loan Helps Medical Office Expand

Jennifer Robison was a 10th grader when she decided to be a chiropractor and was perhaps influenced by her grandfather who was in practice from 1952 until he retired. Jennifer began practicing in 1993 has been in business for 16 years. Looking...

Small Business Owners Grow Using SBA Resources

In August 2002, Anthony Marcil and Summer Henderson jumped into their vehicle and started cross country from Massachusetts. They ended up in Lander, Wyoming, with no job and no place to stay. Using the barter system, they traded services for...

Small Business Owner Uses 7(a) Loan to Purchase Business Property

By the late-1980s, Riverton had suffered a very soft housing market for several years. Many properties were on the market for so long that the unattended yards required renovation once new owners moved in. In spite of continuing poor local...

Small Business Owner Starts Business with 7(a) Loan

Gretchen Saam Anders, D.V.M. had always loved and was around animals and wanted to become a veterinarian, now she is. Dr. Anders attended Northwest College in Powell for two years, the next two years she attended the University of Wyoming, then...

Woman-owned Business Receives 504 Loan, Renovates Business

It was April, 2004 when Iva Carter and her daughter, Tiffany, purchased the Pines Motel in Newcastle. They were living next door to the motel when it went up for sale. Iva saw a great opportunity and since she was not afraid of hard work she was...

Small Business Owner Purchases Business Using SBA Loan

Rosemary Hines and her husband, Doran, purchased an old, rundown dry cleaners August 15, 1986. They had been working in the oil field when the bust came down. The business was for sale, so the Hines decided to take the opportunity and bought the...

Small Business Owner Finds Long-Term Success After Receiving SBA Loan

All Paul Zancanella ever wanted was to become a veterinarian. In 1972 he received a degree in veterinary science and graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 1976. He worked during school for various veterinary clinics, and one...

Small Business Owner Receives 7(a) Loan, Moves into New Building

Dennis Switzer entered the radio business in 1977 when he took his first part-time job with KROE in Sheridan, Wyoming. This turned into a full-time job in 1980, and since then has been on the air. He spent the last 30 years learning how to run a...

Small Business Owner Receives Guidance from SBDC, Purchases Business with 7(a) Loan

Joe and Jo Ann Anderson knew they had people skills, and were searching for a small business that would fit their abilities. Joe’s skills came from his previous job where he traveled as a salesperson living from motel to motel and also...

Small Business Owner Remodels Business with SBA Loan

Just out of high school, Jeff Dorr decided to take a job at Frontier Tire, owned by a friend of the family, never suspecting that one day he would own the business. Jeff learned he really liked working with people and giving service in a...

Small Business Owner Finds Long-term Success after 7(a) Loan

They had no idea they would have one of the top three artistic bronze casting foundries in the US. Monte Paddleford graduated from the University of Wyoming (UW) in 1970 with a B.S.M.E. He and wife, Beverly, a very gifted artist in her own field,...

Woman-owned Business Receives Help from SBDC for Business Plan and Start-up

Being a woman in business was one of the largest obstacles Susan Lankford and her mother, Bernice Balog, had to overcome four years ago when they opened the Dollar Discount in downtown Thermopolis. At first it was quite difficult for Susan and...

Small Business Owner Leverages SBDC Resources to Create Business Plan

Merrie Elsberry’s curiosity about how her employer shred documents led to establishing a document destruction business. Tom and Merrie Elsberry began research at the Small Business Development Center library and put together a business plan in...