Goals & Results of Progress & Prosperity I

Since beginning the Cheyenne Business Park in 1989 the momentum has slowly begun to accelerate, validating the belief that focusing on infrastructure issues does, in fact, result in new businesses and the jobs they bring.

Expanding the efforts through Progress & Prosperity, the Next Generation was a major step for the community and LEADS.

The goals were:

• Raise $910,000 to improve the infrastructure on 250 acres of the Business Park. This strategy eliminated the concern a prospect would have that the schedule, and costs, to build a facility could get delayed in the approval process
• Attract new businesses to those sites that would bring 600 primary new jobs at a minimum of $8.35 per hour
• Generate $10.4 million in payroll from those jobs
• Raise $260,000 for the development of customized training programs when the required skill sets for those new positions are in short supply or missing.
• Raise $130,000 to assist in the identification and development of selected programs to improve our residents quality-of-life

The results of both the campaign and the strategy substantially exceeded everyone’s expectations.

• $1.7 million raised
• 12 new companies recruited into Cheyenne (listed in appendix)
• 1138 new primary jobs created
• 675 secondary jobs made necessary
• Hourly rate of $11.65 per hour, almost 40% higher than planned
• $27.6 million of NEW direct payroll brought into the community
• $100 million of capital invested
• A reference for other major prospects was gained when the Lowes win occurred—enabled by the readiness of the infrastructure and faith in the proposed training