Wyoming Project Engages Community Support for Entrepreneurship

A pilot program meant to spur entrepreneurship with community involvement is set to begin in Torrington, Wy., in the next two months. A joint venture between the Goshen County School District, Eastern Wyoming College, and Goshen County Economic Development, the project, Planned Approach to Community Entrepreneurship (PACE), is designed to facilitate small businesses and help them achieve higher success rates.

The Torrington economy is largely driven by entrepreneurship; however, the county has the fifth highest business failure rate after one year of operation and second highest after three years, according to a recent article in the Torrington Telegram. Starting and maintaining a business in the city has been a major source of frustration for local business owners, and community leaders are hoping PACE will help alleviate some of the frustration by actively involving residents in the project.

As part of the project, a coalition consisting of about 30-40 people will be formed to represent different sectors of the community and serve as facilitators for challenges and barriers facing small businesses, said Debbie Popp, Associate State Director of Small Business Development Centers. Small businesses face everyday issues such as zoning restrictions and lack of retail space that the coalition could help them with, Popp said.

The model being used for PACE is based largely on that of Ernesto Sirolli’s model for building economies, which he writes about in his book, Ripples From the Zambezi. Sirolli’s strategy teaches communities to form a committed volunteer local board and hire an enterprise facilitator. The facilitator and the board help form teams to advance their ideas. Such a strategy is often seen in big corporations, but rarely in small business, and Sirolli explains that this bottom-up, person-centered model works best and is well understood in communities.

The PACE group is trying to do what Sirolli suggests, Popp said. The state of Wyoming is too big for such an effort, however, and they are focusing specifically on the city of Torrington to intensify their efforts.

To begin, three economic development professionals will be brought in to serve on the committee and go through a three-day training program. Once training is completed, the board will work with coalition members on brainstorming and problem-solving techniques. The City of Torrington has provided $4,000 for the PACE team to help with lodging, food, training and orientation.