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Chamber won't overlap ‘Forward'

By Anthony McConnell

This document was published online on Monday, December 31, 2007

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With Forward Cody Wyoming taking over local economic development efforts the chamber has dissolved its Cody Economic Development Council.

But the chamber's efforts to grow and retain businesses have not ceased.

A new program called BREE (Business Retention Expansion and Education) started in 2007.

“We don't want to overlap Forward Cody,” said Garrett Growney, who's leading BREE efforts. “Our goal is not to compete with Forward Cody. We want to complement it and benefit existing businesses and chamber members.”

BREE will assist businesses with workforce development and training, help apply for state and federal grants and work toward encouraging development of affordable housing for workers.

“We also will recognize local business efforts with quarterly business awards,” he added. “The successful businesses will become models for the others.”

The group also will work to “even out” Cody's economy.

“We have a busy, busy summer,” Growney says. “But many businesses have trouble making money in the down season.”

Toward improving business in the winter, BREE facilitated a meeting in late September between representatives of the Shoshone Forest and Kenny Gasch of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.

He's been working for several years to obtain a permit to operate commercial guide services on the forest on the upper South Fork, but has hit “bureaucratic road blocks,” he says.

“It has not been an option for certain businesses to utilize the forest,” Growney adds. “We would like to see this opened up to some adventure recreation activities and that's been difficult to achieve.”

Potential activities include guided ice and rock climbing, mountain biking and back country hiking and camping.

The Forest Service conducted a needs analysis and determined there is “some but limited need for (guided) ice climbing and mountain biking,” said Gasch, also a member of the Park County Travel Council.

“I get calls and e-mail all the time from people who want a guide,” he adds.

Those calls come in several times a week from climbers around the world who want to climb here.

Gasch added that providing commercial guide services on the Shoshone Forest would only augment services already offered by JHMG and not be a primary source of income.

“This is not an issue of us versus them,” he adds. “We are working with the forest.”

JHMG was recently awarded a special use permit to operate commercial guide services during the 10th annual Water Fall Ice Festival on the South Fork in February. The permit is only valid during the festival.

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