Chamber Leader: Cheyenne Needs To Be More Business Friendly

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dale Steenbergen says Cheyenne needs to make it easier to start or locate a business.

He says regulators often seem to lose sight of the fact that new businesses bring money into the community and instead seem to "see your project as work and not necessarily paying back an immediate benefit."

He says economic development is "not found in a rule book somewhere in the dusty corner of a government office" but is instead driven by the "brains and imaginations" of business owners and developers.

He says an attitude change by city bureaucrats that is more oriented towards customer service for prospective business owners would be helpful.

He says people applying for city permits should have a "one-stop" process for getting licenses rather than making people jump through multiple hoops to launch a business.

Steenbergen also says businesses should have someone in place who advocates for them and helps them navigate the process of getting the needed permits to do business.

Steenbergen says both the written regulations governing business and the attitudes of some city regulators are hurting the business climate, especially in downtown Cheyenne.

He says of business proposals for downtown "there is a reason they don't get done," adding "we have to get better" to make the city competitive for potential businesses.

He is asking voters to pay attention to local candidates stands on business-related issues before deciding how to vote on election day.