Shedding a curse

Local business owner and philanthropist Laura Morrow calls it the "Susan Lucci curse." Lucci, who was a regular on the soap opera "All My Children" from 1970 to 2011, had been nominated for an Emmy 19 times before finally winning in 1999. Morrow herself has been nominated for awards, but had not won.

"The running joke is, I'm nominated for business of the year," said Morrow. "I think I've been nominated the past four or five years through the (Saratoga/Platte Valley) Chamber of Commerce. Someone always beats me out."

For Morrow, the curse is now broken. While she has been double nominated for the 2018 Wyoming Women of Influence, one for Lifetime Achievement and the other for Business and Business Service, she was also recently awarded the 2018 Business Person of the Year by the Carbon County Board of Realtors, which brings with it another nomination: 2018 Business Person of the Year for the Wyoming Board of Realtors.

"It was even an honor just to even be nominated for anything," Morrow said, "and for people to recognize what I've done. In Wyoming in general, not just in Saratoga."

Before moving to Saratoga in 1997, Morrow owned and operated Laura M Designs in Cheyenne from 1976 to 1989. When she first came to the Platte Valley, Morrow admits she had no intentions of making this home.

"When I moved here 21 years ago, my intention wasn't to make this home. I figured I'd be here for a while, I didn't know how long. Saratoga embraces people with their generosity," said Morrow.

Over the years, Morrow went from owning Laura M's Boutique to purchasing the former home of Blackhawk Gallery and turning it into Laura M Backroom and Laura M Gallery. She also revived the Festival of the Arts, which just completed its third year, and established a Farmer's Market. Her other accomplishments have included spearheading fundraisers to aid local families.

Morrow helped raise money for Garry Wood, a Saratoga native who recently battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as for Eden Deorio, whose home village was severely damaged in a typhoon nearly 10 years ago. For a time, the local business woman also aided an orphanage in Mexico which is now on firm financial ground.

"I try to fill a void where somebody isn't stepping up in the community," Morrow said.

Morrow will find out if she won either nomination from the Wyoming Women of Influence at a dinner on Aug. 16 at Little America in Cheyenne and will receive her award from 2018 Carbon County Business Person of the Year at the Wyoming Realtors Convention from Sept. 11-14 at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper.