Considering cabinet mfg. move to SW Wyoming (Cheyenne, Casper: sales, real estate)

[thayerwood_bob]

Hello,
We own a custom cabinet manufacturing business and I am considering selling here in SE Kansas and moving to SW Wyoming and starting a new business.

Looking to be in a town of approx. 3-8,000 ppl. with a good workforce and incentives from the city to move or start a business.

Also would need commercial building of approx. 20-30k sq. ft.

Would need to be a progressive community. One that is growing or close to towns that are growing as we sell our products through a dealer network.

Why do I want to sell a good business and move? you ask. I'm tired of the scenery here and want to be closer to the mountains and higher elevations with less humidity and cooler summers.

Thanks for all imput.

[sunsprit]

IMO, you've set up unrealistic expectations about SW Wyoming's business climate:

1) size of SW WY town ... limits you to essentially the I-80 corridor, where Evanston or Rock Springs are significantly larger than what you specify. Kemmerer or Pinedale would fit, or if you consider the Star Valley as a "town", you'd have the population base, but it would be made up from a number of much smaller town entities fairly close together.

2) city incentives to move; this becomes a public planning process. Of the towns of the size you're seeking, I don't recall any of them having made tax or infrastructure accomodations to attract or retain businesses. This is something more typical of Cheyenne or Casper, which have the tax base to make such offers, but neither of them fit your SW Wyoming location or town profile.

3) Progressive? other than the boom town cycles in the extractive industries, the SW WY economies are primarily based in tourism, ranching, or farming. My contacts in Rawlins tell me that their oil patch economy is way off, with the resulting closure of many businesses. The regional tourist biz is way off this year according to my contacts in sales trips to those areas ... some by as much as 40% down. Ranching and farming this year is under a pinch from the drought this year, so that will show it's long term effects fairly soon. It's not unusual this year to see ranchers having to feed their herds since the beginning of the summer because their pastures have long been depleted. Visiting with some ranchers at the State Fair this last week, most are talking about taking most of their herds, if not all, to the sale barn because they're broke ... some are now thinking that they won't get enough money at the sale barn now to be able to get back into the cattle business when the drought breaks. Several were talking about having to get an "off the ranch" job to survive at all, and believe that this is the year that they'll be out of the ranching business as their primary source of income. When (and if) they can get back into the cattle business, it won't be on a scale that they can make a living at, it will be a hobby business.

4) An existing suitable commercial building may or may not be available to lease in these smaller towns. That's a lot of square footage which needs heavy power and a controlled environment, not a utility building that was used for storage of farm products or equipment. What you're essentially seeking is a former manufacturing building that is no longer needed by another manufacturer; WY simply doesn't have a history of manufacturing in the small towns in the region so a building like you want is a very rare commodity. You'll need to contact the commercial real estate agents throughout the region.

As always, my advice is to come visit the towns of interest to you for a prospective family location and then work out the logistics as possible there for your manufacturing business. The towns will appreciate the jobs opportunity ... but keep in mind that the oil patch companies are your competitors for quality workers in this region.

For example, I've recently been through a number of small towns throughout WY where they are having exceptional difficulty retaining workers because they can head to the 'patch for much higher wages ... mid $20's/hour, with benefits and lots of overtime. Even if it means leaving home for weeks at a time, the income opportunity far outstrips what is available nearby and it's worth the sacrifice to many. I call upon automotive repair shops in the region, and it's amazing to see how many shops in WY have been decimated down to the owner and his family to operate ... shops that would normally have 3-4-5 employees are down to the owner now doing all the mechanical work and his wife running the front side of the business. So, my question to you: does your business support comparable wages to compete with the oil patch for folk with the skill levels you need to operate?

Additionally, I note that the independent long-term local building/construction oriented retail businesses and manufacturing in this region has been dying out in the past few years. I'm seeing furniture and appliance retailers shutting their doors in Cheyenne and Casper, and manufacturers such as Jeld-Wen (windows) closing down their manufacturing plant in Cheyenne. If you are depending upon regional business to support your cabinetry business, you may want to look at the sales projections for this marketplace; if you are looking at your existing dealer network, what about shipping costs for raw materials in and finished goods out the door to your dealers?

[Wyomama2]

Coming from Kansas I think you're in for a shock about the cost of a building that size here in Rock Springs or Evanston for that matter. Why have you chosen this area of Wyoming?

[Happy in Wyoming]

Evanston would be a great spot. There are many Utahans who yearn for lower taxes and the Salt Lake market is massive. Hire your help and sell your product in Utah while you enjoy Wyoming 's weather and business climate.

As the signs say when entering Evanston,

"Welcome to Evanston
Fresh air, freedom, and fun."

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by thayerwood_bob

Hello,
We own a custom cabinet manufacturing business and I am considering selling here in SE Kansas and moving to SW Wyoming and starting a new business.

Looking to be in a town of approx. 3-8,000 ppl. with a good workforce and incentives from the city to move or start a business.

Also would need commercial building of approx. 20-30k sq. ft.

Would need to be a progressive community. One that is growing or close to towns that are growing as we sell our products through a dealer network.

Why do I want to sell a good business and move? you ask. I'm tired of the scenery here and want to be closer to the mountains and higher elevations with less humidity and cooler summers.

Thanks for all imput.

Southwest Wyoming is pretty isolated. There are not too many towns here and very few with the population size you mention. Rock Springs is the biggest at around 20,000 and while you might get some business here, the only towns nearby are Green River (11,000), Farson (500), Wamsutter (less than 1,000), Rawlins (8,000), and Evanston (12,000). With the exception of Green River these towns are spaced quite a ways apart. The scenery in these towns is not the postcard mountain scenery but high desert. I think it's a rugged beauty but it's not for everyone. I wouldn't say any of these towns are really growing that much. If you want a more scenic town close to this region check out Pinedale. It's very pretty but it is less than 2,000 people. If you can establish enough business you may be able to clients from Jackson which is a very wealthy town. Having never been to Star Valley I can't say much about that area but it might be one to consider for the same reason as Pinedale.