Wyoming Business

"These are new companies, but you’ve got to start somewhere," said Karen Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Laramie Economic Development Corp. "We’ve done our homework, and we believe these are the real deal."

"We’re ramping up our operations to execute on a fairly substantial set of government contracts," said Don Montgomery, company president.

Workers with basic job skills will be more in demand in Wyoming than those with skills associated with advanced education, according to a state study.

"Dan has fabricated stories since his high school days to garner attention and sympathy from others," Flatness wrote. "But this is the first time that things have gone this far without the truth being found out."

Gillette’s over-55 population grew faster than that of any other small town in America between 2000 and 2004, according to a demographer who also found brisk 55-and-over growth in three other Wyoming towns.

Ask most people what kind of jobs they want to see, and chances are the answer will be high-tech jobs. Ask high-tech companies where they would like to be, and it seems at least some of them are now saying Wyoming.

No such plants have been built in Wyoming, but the state is competing with Montana and other states in the effort to lure some here.

Growth is going to happen in Wyoming, especially given the state’s energy boom. The question is whether communities will guide it or react to it, said the executive director of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute.

"And no one ever built a business or a state by saving every penny and failing to invest in infrastructure and people."

The kiln would replace two aging kilns currently in operation at the plant, boosting production by 60 percent and allowing for cleaner emissions.