Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 192 - 216 of 306
While there have been a number of upgrades to Valley Foods under the direction of General Manager Adam Clarke, the one that many customers were waiting for was an improvement upon the parking lot, which had often been a source of complaint due to the number of potholes. Over the past few weeks, Saratoga has been witness to a completely new parking lot being installed as the old asphalt has been removed and replaced with concrete. "When you have asphalt, you have to chip seal it every other year...
Chia Valdez-Schwartz is the newest face at ERA Frontier Realty, located at 100 S. 1st St. in Saratoga. The realty company announced Valdez-Schwartz as the newest member to their team in a press release on Monday. "Chia is an exceptional professional possessing a caring and colorful personality combining into a perfect addition to our team at ERA Frontier Realty," the press release read. "Chia has been an agent, broker, and owner within the real estate business for over 11 years. She is...
What have you learned today? If you cannot answer that simple question, I suggest that you reflect upon your daily activities, your interactions with people, the challenges you faced and what successes you had. As a business owner, I hope you can understand the importance of continuing education. I don’t necessarily mean a 10-week accounting class—I mean LEARNING. Without growth and education, you will be left behind. Isn’t that we told our kids when they were 16? You don’t have time, you say? You will—when your business slowly loses its compe...
After 25 years of ownership, Michael "Hack" Patterson is taking a step back from the business that bears his name. For a quarter of a century, Hack's Tackle and Outfitters (Hack's Tackle) has been the place to go for residents and visitors alike to get just about anything they need for fishing. This past summer, Hack celebrated 25 years in business, but the experienced guide will admit that it's become a little more than he can handle. "I've created a vicious monster and it's just a hell of a ha...
The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a training for board directors and staff of non-profit boards or municipal boards. Topics included will be: Board Responsibilities, Understanding the Balance Sheet, Fiduciary Duties of Boards, Risk Management, Roberts Rules of Order, and Organizing a Useful Board Meeting. The training will be held on Wednesday, May 29 at 6 pm at the Platte Valley Community Center. The registration fee is $15, which will include dinner. Register by calling the Chamber at 326-8855 or by using the link in...
The Rawlins National Bank (RNB) announced today it will undergo a name change to RNB State Bank as part of a conversion from a national charter to a Wyoming state chartered bank. “Our Board feels that being under state supervision, as opposed to a federal regulator, is a better match for a community bank like RNB,” said Bruce Hellbaum, President and CEO. RNB State Bank is a full service bank that operates regionally with five branches: four branches in Wyoming along with one branch and a Loan Production Office (LPO) in Colorado. Dan Run...
It is now May, and we all know what is going to happen in the next 120 days, right? There will be live music festivals, hiking, rodeos, car shows, picnics, beer gardens, fishing, floating, gardening, jet skis, family reunions, weddings, biking, craft shows and the list goes on. You may know that one of several vital function of this Chamber of Commerce is to promote our members and tourism in the Platte Valley. How do we do that? By placing ads in regional media outlets, putting notices on the electronic marquee, sending packets of maps,...
After nearly six months of feeling like petals in the wind, the Flower Pot has finally found a new place to set down roots. The purchase of the business from longtime owner Connie McGuire by Louis and Kinee Waits on Dec. 29 was just one factor that set in motion a months-long relocation of businesses. With Koyoty Sports in the former home of the Flower Pot and Strongtower Designs right next door, the only storefront in the Valley has planted itself right next to the Grumpy Italian. While the...
At the February Annual Dinner and Meeting, there was an infographic on each of the tables that was a visual representation answering this very question. Just as a tree needs certain things to grow, so does your business. Passive energy comes from sunshine. How a plant uses that energy is key to its growth. A business needs to take resources such as marketing research and venture capital and utilize them in ways to benefit the individual business. Roots are needed to draw up nutrients and water from the soil. Depending on the mineral...
Since opening in May 2013, Strong Tower Designs called the little storefront at 115 W. Bridge Ave. home while owners Ray and Jamie Bernal made use of the space available. One had only to walk through the door to see books, boots, handmade jewelry and countless other items ready for sale in concentrated, but well utilized, spaces. As the Bernals prepare to celebrate six years in business, they are doing so in a storefront with much more space. The "musical chairs" of businesses that began with...
Shop at any of your favorite local business during three weeks in March. Hit a home run with a purchase of $20 or more made between March 11 and March 29 at any Platte Valley Business allows you the opportunity to win one of three great Prizes, The event sponsor, Rawlins National Bank, and the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce (SPVCC) have teamed up to provide Chamber Gift Certificates redeemable only at Chamber Member Businesses. Improve your RBI: the more you shop, the more opportunities you have to win! Just bring your dated...
The process of moving a business can often be an arduous task. When Koyoty Sports and Trophy Room Artistry moved in 2015, it was from just south of Saratoga to Bridge Street. For three years, Warden Patzer and Kathleen Cervin called 104 E. Bridge Ave. home to their business. "We'd been leasing the building and our lease expired in November, so when that lease expired we got to looking around," said Patzer. Fortunately for Patzer and Cervin, the farthest they had to look was right next door to...
The Saratoga Care Center was recently listed in U.S. News and World Report Nursing Home Finder as one of the top nursing homes in Wyoming for 2018-2019. The ranking is based on a data-driven methodology that journalists at the U.S. News and World Report developed to evaluate nursing homes. The U.S. News ratings for nursing homes rely on data from Nursing Home Compare, a program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that determines and enforces nursing...
The last building block in the Economic Development Tiers is “New Business Recruitment”. This gets people really excited when they think about community and economic development. “All of our problems would be solved if we just had a business relocate here and hire 125 people.” “If we had more retail shopping, we could keep people from leaving town.” “We just need to get someone to build a new motel.” These myths have haunted community leaders for decades. In reality, growth comes from within a community. Instead, we need to create an envir...
Byron Barkhurst is already a familiar face in the Valley. The son of Les and Tammy Barkhurst, he helps his parents manage the family ranch and aided in starting Iron Creek Bison Company. Barkhurst also led a successful campaign for the two-year unexpired term on the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC) and has worked for ERA Shepard and Associates and Century 21 Cornerstone Realty in the past. It was these two past ventures that eventually led him to his most recent endeavour. Located...
The Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch (Brush Creek) has opened its doors to guests looking to experience the winter beauty of the Valley opening from Dec. 27, 2018 through Jan. 5, 2019 and then Feb. 14 through March 30. Brush Creek is a world-class retreat located in Carbon County south of Saratoga. It has been selected the number one resort in the U.S. four years in a row by Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Choice Awards and was named the best resort hotel in the Continental U.S. in the 2017...
Over the years, customers of Valley Foods have seen the older model of coolers and freezers slowly get replaced. Beginning with the freezers and moving onto the dairy section, the final coolers have recently been replaced. The open-face coolers that have been in the meat department for years were removed in November and replaced with newer coolers similar to those seen around the rest of the store. "I was going to do the meat first because I felt that they needed the most upgrading, to make that...
Thursday the Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce drew the last numbers for the reverse drawing. Member Services Manager Sierra Martinez drew numbers from the basket as Chamber Director Stacy Crimmins kept track of the winners. The first winner, picked at number 50, was Matt Hayes who won a $50 gift certificate. Other $50 winners were Barb Rangitsch (100), Tracy Avery-Peters (150) and Laurie Box (who won $50 twice on the number 200 and 250 picks). The 299th pick was Val Larshied who won...
The last economic development block in the third layer is ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOPMENT. This is similar to the adjacent block, Existing Business Development, but focuses on start-ups, new ventures and development of innovative products and services. At one time or another, most of us would have been considered an entrepreneur--your first lemonade stand, babysitting or mowing lawns. The skills you learn when you are young stay with you your entire life: time management, customer service, financial planning, imagination and problem solving to name a...
A familiar face to the Valley and the Saratoga Museum is returning as director. Kimberly Givens, who was employed as director from 2012 to 2014, was rehired by the Saratoga Museum Board of Directors following the departure of the previous director shortly before the end of the regular season. According to a press release from the board of directors, Givens first came to the Valley from Phoenix, Ariz. during a visit in 2007 and decided to stay. The former, and new, director realized she had a...
When the Grumpy Italian Eatery first opened at 113 W. Bridge Ave. in Saratoga, owner Steve Deorio knew that to make his business last he would have to carve out a spot for himself in a community that sported multiple restaurants. One of the things knew he could do was focus on consistency. "When we started off, our business plan consisted of one word and that was consistency. Consistency with our hours, consistency with our service and consistency with our food," said Deorio. "A year later,...
Since starting her business five years ago, Marie Christen, owners of Sweet Marie’s Bakeshop, has filled special orders for the holidays. During Thanksgiving, the Valley baker does pies, but Christmas becomes something else entirely. “For Christmas, usually people have their own tradition. Whether it’s rugelach I’m making, or pies, or a cake for somebody, it varies,” said Christen. “We do, basically, everything and if I don’t know how to do it, I’ll look it up and figure it out and see if I ca...
Scott and Michelle McIlvaine wanted to help out the American Legion, specifically with Tyler Pickett Park. To that end, the McIlvaines purchased 85 trees and 35 wreaths worth $3,500. After paying that bill, all the profits will go to the American Legion. The pair will be selling those trees in Veterans Park which is located downtown between Lollypops and Studio T. Already, several community members have purchased trees or wreaths and donated a little extra to the cause. Of this, Michelle said....
"The biggest difference between a bank and a credit union is we are member owned," Jeanne Stapleton, vice president branch manager for Meridian Trust Federal Credit Union said. She has been at this branch in Carbon County for four years, but has been working for credit unions for years. As Stapleton said, credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that those who have accounts in the credit union are members and owners. The members elect their board of directors in a one...