During the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce's Leading Change luncheon presented by Blue Federal Credit Union, Josh Dorrell, CEO of the Wyoming Business Council, shared the Council's Strategic Plan.
Josh Dorrell has spent his career in technical sales and leadership roles, solving business problems with technology and developing business innovation processes within large and small organizations.
Dorrell's vision for leading change relates to past work experience. He explained that change in business is not something that happens over night, it is a lengthy process and is necessary for growth. He bridged growing pains in business to growing pains in economic development.
"It seems to happen over night, we point to successes as if they happen over night, but they don't," Dorrell said.
He shared the importance of investing in change. The Business Council's strategic plan for 2020 will help bring change to Wyoming through activating existing businesses, attracting new business, and communicating effectively to businesses.
The Wyoming Business Council's strategic plan is derived from the needs of existing business owners.
"One of the things we want to do, is improve our core industries, and help them remain viable in the future."
He shared that while change is painful and requires hard work, he envisions the Business Council as a resource for expertise, investment, and manpower to help business grow.
"If we can take those core industries, and help them thrive and survive, we can attract new talent and new companies."
Dorrell directly thanked the audience for their hard work and support in developing the community.
"Businesses are what make it work," he said.
He pointed out that the Chamber saw close to a 15% increase in membership during the 2019 Membership Drive last November. He expressed the importance of businesses joining together to help build communities.
"It's hard enough to run a business as it is - but then to participate in something bigger, that's just not caring about yourself. It's caring about your community, it's caring about other people."
Dorrell said that thinking on a larger scale and developing a big picture parallels with economic development as well.
"The work that the Chamber does to get people together, is critically important."
According to Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Dale Steenbergen, "individual members are what make Chambers successful - the organization thrives with the successes and ideas of our businesses. The level of engagement in a Chamber is critical to advancing the Cheyenne community."
Dorrell shared that the work of one community does not outshine the work of another, but rather, we come together to form, "One Wyoming." We all share different strengths.
"We want to develop pockets of excellence and attract businesses we want," Dorrell said.
Wyoming is a great place to live, work, and has some of the toughest, most resilient people in the county.
"I am not deterred by the challenges we face, I am encouraged by them."
Cover photo courtesy of the Wyoming Business Council