Silicon Couloir Welcomes Director of Entrepreneurship

Silicon Couloir (SC) is pleased to welcome Brittney Ziebell as Director of Entrepreneurship effective May 18th. Ziebell joins a growing staff and group of volunteers working to support entrepreneurs in the Teton region. Ziebell will serve as the primary point of contact for interaction with entrepreneurs, ventures, mentors, and other volunteers in SC programs, and will oversee the operations of Teton Entrepreneurs & Mentoring Service (TEAMS) and Silicon Couloir’s Angel Group. 

“We are excited to be bringing someone of Brittney’s caliber on board, along with her experience in nonprofit leadership and organization,” says Gary Trauner, Executive Director. “As a nascent entrepreneur herself, Brittney has experienced firsthand the difference external support can make to those seeking to build something new. We’d also like to thank Will Stabler for his years of service and essential contribution to taking Silicon Couloir from an idea to an integral part of the Teton Region community.”

Originally from New Hampshire, Ziebell grew up alpine ski racing in the White Mountains. After graduating from Colby College where she was a NCAA Division 1 ski racer, she moved west, and she's called Jackson her home for over six years. Since 2016, Ziebell worked at the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club as Marketing & Events Manager and Development Director. She helped the JHSC raise funds through their many community events and through various campaigns in support of their mission of building champions in sport and life through winter sports. An entrepreneur herself, Brittney also runs an art business, and co-produced an award-winning short documentary, Latitude, in 2020. Since dabbling in screenwriting and narration, Brittney has begun assisting businesses with storytelling campaigns that go beyond the product or service. 

"I'm thrilled to join the Silicon Couloir team, and to help bolster entrepreneurship opportunities in our community that serve the middle-class," says Ziebell.

Ziebell follows outgoing staff member Will Stabler who has been instrumental in growing TEAMS. Stabler recently relocated and is pursuing professional opportunities in his new home. “I've truly enjoyed working to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem in one of the most cherished parts of the world,” states Stabler. “Thank you to the founders, mentors, investors, and community members who contribute such valuable time and energy to our programming. Brittney is a longstanding member of our community and will bring great perspective and nonprofit experience to our team.”

May News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

May 2, 2022,  5 - 7 pm @The Rose

Please register below 

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly networking event. You never know...

We are pleased to welcome you back to in-person Chance Meetings at The Rose (50 W Broadway in Jackson). Join us from 5-7 pm on Monday, May 2nd for Speed Networking. Designed to accelerate business contacts through 3-minute introductions and conversations, speed networking is lively, fun, and will expand your community and connections. So, bring your business cards, a pen, and paper, and be ready to meet new friends in the Silicon Couloir ecosystem. Please register below.
THANK YOU TO THE ROSE FOR HOSTING CHANCE MEETINGS!

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

ORCHESTRA PROVISIONS GETS A BOOST FROM
SILICON COULOIR

Kate Stoddard, Founder and CEO of Orchestra Provisions, is working to create solutions to global hunger. Silicon Couloir is supporting Kate's work with our Pitch Day and TEAMS programs. In this short video Kate recounts how Pitch Day and TEAMS has accelerated her company's growth. See more entrepreneur stories in our 2021 Annual Report.

APRIL VISIONARY VENTURES: REALIZE YOUR DREAM WITH START-UP SUCCESS

Over the past nine years, Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet have taught and coached more than 300 students. 13 more students joined that fortunate group with our spring offering of Start-Up Success: Fundamentals. In our April edition of Visionary Ventures, Sandy and Liza discuss their motivation to teach and the new heights students achieve with the foundation the course provides.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

MIA SHARE IS HIRING

Mia Share, 2021 Pitch Day Panelist and Audience Choice award winner, is hiring for a range of positions with competitive salaries, benefits & equity! Join a 10-person growing, dynamic and well-funded FinTech startup based right here in the Tetons. Mia Share connects students with trade and technical schools to the future of fair education payments. Products include income share agreements, payment plans, other custom payment solutions & career services. Mia Share is focused on high-value education and improving people's lives. Make sure to text Josh (Founder) when you apply or if you have questions: 307 203 7202.

APPLY HERE

HIGHPOINT CIDER DOUBLES PRODUCTION 

Highpoint Cider recently expanded its storage and production capacity by splitting a unit with Sego skis to store kegs and cans, acquiring another full 1500 square foot unit next to the taproom for final product storage, and adding 2 80 barrel fermentation tanks to double monthly production capacity. Alex & Andrew are also excited to announce that Highpoint Cider has brought on a full-time assistant cider maker, and will be available in Yellowstone National Park and Utah in the coming weeks!

Stop in for a fresh pint of cider at 7565 Lupine Ln in Victor. And mark your calendar for our June Chance Meetings at the same location, which along with Franco Snowshapes and Sego Skis, constitutes the Victor Makers Space.

If you want to learn more about Highpoint Cider's origins and how Silicon Couloir has supported the Perex brothers with our TEAMS program, watch this video.

GIVE'R TO EXPAND TO VICTOR AND CREATE NEW JOBS

After a decade in business in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Give'r will expand its operations to Victor, Idaho. Give’r has purchased a building in Victor that will allow for increased production and fulfillment of online sales. The new building is considered an expansion not a replacement, of Give’r Headquarters in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The expansion is planned to bring up to 50 well-paying jobs to Teton Valley by 2023.

Give’r was launched in 2012 by current CEO Bubba Albrecht and friends Carly Platt and Jed Mickle. Upon Platt’s and Mickle’s departures, Albrecht embraced being in the trenches before launching Give’rs record-breaking Kickstarter campaigns. Since then, Give’r has grown to over 25 employees and continues to release new products.

The expansion to Victor is a significant step towards the ambitious goals set by Albrecht and co-owner Bill Watkins to make Give’r a household name connected with longevity, inspiration, and creativity.

A participant in the inaugural Start-Up Intensive class and one of Silicon Couloir's first TEAMS program companies, we've been proud to support Bubba and his crew along the way.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

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Realize your dream with Start-Up Success

April Visionary Ventures: Realize your dream with Start-Up Success

By Rebecca Reimers

Success comes in many forms. Over the past nine years, Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet have taught and coached more than 300 students. Some have gone on to found multimillion-dollar businesses, but it’s seeing people transform their lives and overcome great adversity that are the most memorable for these two mentors.

“We’ve had students who have had significant trauma in their lives,” Sandy said. “Knowing that background, to see how they have really leaned into their vulnerability, taken control of their lives, and have built a sustainable business through that process is really inspiring.”

Liza, a co-founder of Silicon Couloir, also finds great satisfaction in teaching: “My deeper vision in life is to help people find their abundance and business is the language and lens through which I like to do that. I love helping people channel their passion into something they can make a living on.”

Start-Up Success: Fundamentals, Silicon Couloir’s annual five-week intensive business program, will be offered again starting this Friday, April 22, and there’s still time to join the class. Offered over two weekends and five Wednesday evenings, the course is structured to accommodate those with an existing job.

Students come to the course in different stages of their business. Some have an established venture they’re looking to optimize or reboot; others have five ideas on the back of a napkin. All are welcome. The frameworks and processes taught “are something students can take with them for the rest of their lives, whether it’s for this business, the next business, or an existing career,” Sandy said.

Participants will learn the key concepts in business, marketing and financials. But this is no ordinary how-to class. What Liza and Sandy aim to do is help students harness their passion and vision and channel them into a unique values-based business.

“In the Tetons region we get so many founders who are passionate about the world — not just about making money — so we get so many heartfelt businesses here,” Liza said. “When you give someone the permission to dream in a supportive environment the results are amazing.”

Spring, a quiet season for most in our area, is an ideal time to lay the groundwork.

“We provide a framework and roadmap for somebody who has the vision, dream and idea ... to have the foundations and structures to know the key steps so it’s not so overwhelming to begin,” Sandy said. “In our fast-paced culture the majority of new businesses fail because people haven’t taken the reflective time to make sure that the ground is ready for the roots to grow deep and the plant to be strong.”

The two instructors bring complementary backgrounds that “together bring wholeness,” said Sandy, whose expertise is in branding and marketing. Liza, a registered investment advisor, brings skills in finance, strategy and business development.

Complementary skills are a theme of SUS content. Students will develop and practice an “Elevator Pitch” that succinctly gives voice and resonance to their vision. Students also hear from outside speakers like Steve Sullivan of Stio to help students see real world application of the principles.

However, internal processing and reflection are also a vital part of the curriculum. Underlying outward success is “an internal awareness of the resilience and perseverance needed to keep going and love the vision more than they’re afraid of failure,” Sandy said. When you have a business idea and are testing it to determine if it will succeed in the marketplace, “a lot of openness, vulnerability, and in many ways courageous humility are needed.”

The class provides a supportive space where students can play, explore, practice and brainstorm together. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, especially in the beginning. Joining a group of peers can have remarkable advantages, and many cohorts form a community that persists long after the class ends.

“We’ve seen over time that there are great bonds that form,” Liza said. “Being able to find a tribe of people who are pushing forward to bring a vision to life is often really necessary for an entrepreneur to realize their dream.”

If you’re ready to take the journey and become your own boss, visit SiliconCouloir.com/start-up to apply.

April News

MONTHLY VIRTUAL CHANCE MEETINGS 

April 4, 2022,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

Theme: Authentic & low-cost approaches to user acquisition with social media & community

If you're looking for practical and affordable ways to grow your business with both social media and in-person community tactics, you won't want to miss this Chance Meetings. Our power-house participants will share strategies and ideas that have proven to be successful. Panelists include Nikki Bogopolskaya, Gesche Haas, Caitlin Iseler, and Kelli Jones. Our moderator will be Annie Morita. This remarkable group will bring clarity and purpose to what can be an overwhelming aspect of marketing and branding for new and emerging entrepreneurs.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Nikki Bogopolskaya is a brand partnerships lead at TikTok, she previously led creator and brand partnerships at influencer marketing agency Social Studies and worked with brands at global tech companies such as Foursquare and Match. She is also an angel investor and advisor to companies in the health, wealth and community space. When not on the internet, she teaches yoga and megaformer, and enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, traveling and live performance. She lives in East Jackson with her husband and two crazy Mini Australian Shepherds.

Gesche Haas is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor, and advisor who is the CEO and Founder of Dreamers & Doers, a high-impact community and agile PR team amplifying extraordinary entrepreneurial women. Dreamers & Doers has built a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem of over 34,000 women globally. Gesche has won several awards including 'Forbes Next 1000', 'VOTY 100 Community Builder' by BlogHer, 'Empowered Woman of the Year', 'The Buildies Profitability Award' by Calm Company Fund, 'Best Remote CEO' by RemoteRated, and others. Gesche is currently also a Venture Partner at Republic supporting diverse founders seeking funding. Prior to founding Dreamers & Doers, Gesche held senior positions at several venture-backed startups in roles covering growth, strategy, finance, operations and business development. She also spent five years as an investor at a healthcare-focused hedge fund (~$3bn AUM, SAC spin-off). Gesche is half German, half Chinese-Malaysian, and was born in Africa.

Kelli Jones founded Noso Patches in 2015 after she hopped a barbed wire fence hiking in Wyoming and snagged her brand-new $400 Patagonia Fitz Roy down parka. The only thing she could find to repair it was a piece of duct tape but didn’t like the way it looked.  Gear made with synthetic fabric rips all the time, and she – had a lot of tears in her clothes so she sourced materials online to cut into hearts and star patches.  In the tram line at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, people kept asking about them.  In August 2016, Noso Patches successfully launched on Indiegogo.  Featured in Outside Magazine, Wired and Forbes, Noso Patches are now carried in over 600 specialty stores in over 10 countries and they offer a robust custom program.

Caitlin Iseler is the Founder and CEO of happyly, a wellness company partnering with corporations to provide an employee benefit supporting the work from anywhere employee experience. Prior to starting happyly, Caitlin spent 15 years in executive search in the software space, most recently with Korn Ferry. Caitlin is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a Master's in Information Technology Management and was a member of the 2004 Women's Lacrosse National Championship team. She and her husband, Thomas, and their daughter, Hanah, moved to Jackson 5 years ago and love the outdoors.

Annie Morita is currently consulting for Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE. Most recently, Annie was the Chief Operating Officer at Koji. Before COVID-19, Annie was an executive with Apple, Inc. She was the business lead for the Internet Software & Services Division in Greater China. Prior to Apple, Annie served as the head of global interactive for DreamWorks Animation. Prior to this role, Annie served as the lead business executive for Oriental DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation's first-ever joint venture in China with the goal of creating the leading family entertainment company in China. A marketing and new media veteran, Annie has held top leadership positions at Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Electronic Arts where she was a founding member of EA Mobile and supported efforts for the company’s acquisition of Jamdat Entertainment. Annie began her career with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., as an assignment editor with CNN International before moving to Hong Kong as the head of marketing for Turner International Far East Ltd., launching both CNN International and TNT & Cartoon Network to 32 countries in the region.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Note: We're currently working to secure a venue for in-person Chance Meetings and hope this will be the last virtual meeting.

NEWS AND NOTES

THERE'S STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR START-UP SUCCESS

What are you doing this off-season? Take the opportunity to build or grow a thriving company. Silicon Couloir is offering Start-Up Success: Fundamentals, our 5-week business intensive program again this spring with world-class instructors Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet. Don't miss this opportunity to gain business skills, strategies, and tools with a community of your peers. Our 2022 cohort is a wonderful and talented group that will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the course. We want YOU to be a part of it!

APPLY NOW

MARCH VISIONARY VENTURES: FINANCING OPTIONS OFFER DIFFERENT RISKS AND REWARDS

Deciding how to finance your business is a big decision. Read about the various options and pros and cons of each in our March Visionary Ventures column published monthly in the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

THE COWORK SPACE GROWS TO MEET DEMAND

Silicon Couloir is pleased to announce that The Cowork Space has expanded to meet growing demand. The Cowork Space (CWS), located in downtown Jackson at 140 East Broadway, serves as a central hub for entrepreneurs. By providing affordable workspace in a clean, bright environment, with reliable internet, conference space, and networking opportunities, The CWS is an inspiring space that encourages inspiring work. In an environment of rising rents, The CWS plays an essential role in our ecosystem. 

Silicon Couloir acquired The CSW in 2018. Membership has grown consistently every year since. Over 2021, 329 users benefited from The CWS, a 30% increase from 2020. 60% of these were either monthly members or dedicated desk members. The expansion is in the same building and consists of two private offices, as well as a large designated desk area for 10 members. Improvements in the original space include two phone booths/ focus rooms and one micro office. If you are interested in becoming a Cowork Space member please email michael@siliconcouloir.com.

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEE 

We are pleased to announce that Salim Mitha is our newest Silicon Couloir Trustee. Welcome, Salim, and thank you for your generous commitment to support entrepreneurship in the Teton region.

Salim Mitha enjoys helping startups grow, and now gets to do this every day as a media, entertainment, gaming & sports investor at Powerhouse Capital, a sector-focused Los Angeles based venture capital firm.

Most recently Salim was a Partner at Evolution Media, the growth venture capital firm that invested in partnership TPG Growth and Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Prior to being an investor, he spent a few cycles as an entrepreneur where he launched three startups, helped them grow, and guided them all to successful exits (and all three continue to thrive to this day).

Salim's past tech experience derives from running Yahoo! Search & Social Search across Europe, and from startup e-commerce marketplace company Wahanda (Treatwell) which was acquired by Recruit of Japan, owners of indeed.com and Glassdoor.

WOMEN IN WYOMING FEATURES MARNIE PETERSON

The most recent chapter of Lindsay Linton's Women in Wyoming: Portraits and Interviews of Women Who Shape the West features Marnie Peterson, Chief Scientific Officer of Perfectus Biomend Group. The mission of Women in Wyoming is to tell the inspiring stories of contemporary Wyoming women through art and media, celebrating their achievements, power, and learned wisdom.

Marnie is a participant in our TEAMS mentoring program. "Silicon Couloir has been such a huge part of my business and overall success," says Marnie. "I think Lindsay's project is amazing and I'm honored to be a part of it." Portrait by Lindsay Linton.

WOMEN IN WYOMING

HONORING SILICON COULOIR'S
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Silicon Couloir is pleased to announce Ginny Hutchinson as our 2021 Volunteer of the Year. Ginny served as a board member from 2016 to 2021 and spent countless hours advising on marketing efforts and bolstering our Trustee Circle. Ginny was instrumental in guiding the organization through the pandemic turbulence of 2019 and 2020, helping to find new ways to assist our entrepreneurial community. Ginny and her husband John Kanengieter continue to support Silicon Couloir as Trustees.

 NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR
OF THE YEAR

The Wyoming Council for Women is thrilled to announce the opening of nominations for 2022 Wyoming Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. If you or someone you know is a woman entrepreneur, please consider filling out the nomination by clicking the button below.

“The impact of female entrepreneurs across the state of Wyoming is tremendous,” said Jennifer Wilmetti, Chair of the Wyoming Council for Women. “Starting and maintaining a small business requires tremendous courage and a belief in self that the Wyoming Council for Women celebrates. We encourage women entrepreneurs, as well as their families, friends, and colleagues, to submit a nomination so we can recognize and celebrate the amazing Wyoming women helping to drive our local economies. ”

NOMINATIONS OPEN

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

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Financing options offer different risks and rewards

By Rebecca Reimers and Will Stabler

Financing is a critical component of any business, and there are many paths to raise capital. In this week’s column we are going to look at the various options for financing both small and growth businesses.

Before deciding how to raise capital, it’s important to identify your long-term goals, as different forms of financing provide different opportunities for your business. If you’re looking to scale your business, you might choose an aggressive tactic that will grow the company faster. If you have a small business or are a solo entrepreneur, you likely want to grow more slowly and maintain full ownership.

First, we’ll look at bootstrapping: funding your business with your own money alongside revenues. Bootstrapping requires quick customer acquisition to finance the continued growth of your business. The upside is founders aren’t beholden to investors or debt payments and can set their own vision and priorities. Drawbacks are slower growth than with a capital infusion and, potentially, a more limited ceiling for your revenues. Crowdfunding uses a reward- based system that reduces risk for the entrepreneur. Imagine an apparel business that wants to try out a new item isn’t certain it will be a hit. The business is faced with a large minimum investment in inventory. With rewards-based crowdfunding, supporters of the brand commit to prepay for the product. If enough supporters join the effort, the capital minimum is met and the company makes the order with the funds. This model typically does not dilute ownership in your company. Crowdfunding campaigns can give access to early adopters of your product or service, and these customers can be ambassadors or beta testers. Crowdfunding platforms do charge fees, and the initial setup can require significant time.

Equity crowdfunding — selling pieces of your company to a large number of people — is an option, too. This avenue is more complex and requires the help of a business lawyer.

Grants for private businesses are often available for specific product types or underrepresented entrepreneur groups. Grants are a great way to raise nondilutive funds, meaning that they do not dilute the company ownership. Grants are often aimed at funding the development of new technologies and can be awarded by both government institutions and private foundations.

Conventional business loans from banks and lending institutions are widely available, and there are several debt products that you can use to finance your business, from a line of credit, to equipment financing, to term loans and more. The U.S. Small Business Administration and other government agencies may offer the most attractive low-interest loans, so entrepreneurs should evaluate each type of loan by the same standards.

With a loan, you don’t have to give up company ownership, and the range of products can be tailored to your needs. Financing can happen quickly, but loans must be paid back, and late payments can be costly. Some lending institutions will require collateral in the form of personal assets, which can bring added risk.

Angel investors are wealthy individuals who invest their own money in a startup in exchange for a portion of company ownership. In addition to providing a capital infusion without legal stipulations on spending, angels can be advisors to help grow your company. Keep in mind you may dilute your ownership stake further if you continue to raise money through angels or venture capital. If you have many angels, they may have conflicting advice and priorities, and managing them all may be onerous.

Raising venture capital is a significant endeavor that can bring large amounts of capital to your business in exchange for relatively large slices of your business’s ownership. VC firms pool funds and have employees that make and support investments. Larger amounts of capital allow companies to hire employees and secure long-term partnerships and agreements. VC firms become a strategic partner, making introductions to advisors, employers, customers and other investors. Nearly all private companies valued at $1 billion or more have raised money from VC firms.

But VC funding is hard to acquire. Firms will want to see strong growth potential in a large market, as they need to see a path for a return on their investment. You will forfeit a large percentage of your ownership by raising VC money, and consequently, a percentage of your business’s profits. Lastly, most VC firms demand that they have some level of operational control, like placing certain members of your board of directors and veto power over certain decisions.

The means of choosing to raise capital is a big decision for entrepreneurs, and Silicon Couloir has various programs that can help guide the planning and strategy at all stages. Start-Up Success, which will be offered in April, provides a foundation and helps to identify your goals. Our expert TEAMS mentors give guidance to determine the best form of financing. Our annual Pitch Day competition awards prize money and helps entrepreneurs hone their pitch to angels and VCs alike. Finally, our Angel Group connects entrepreneurs to local investors.

March News

MONTHLY VIRTUAL CHANCE MEETINGS 

March 7, 2022,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below or Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

Silicon Couloir exists to serve the Teton regional community by aligning entrepreneurship with community vision to promote a diverse economy and a healthy environment for current and future generations. We offer a full range of values-based founding-to-funding programs for entrepreneurs from education to mentoring.

At our March Chance Meetings, want to hear from YOU, our ecosystem members, about what we can do to improve our offerings. Please join us at our Monday, March 7th Virtual Chance Meetings, for small breakout groups to garner your insight and feedback. Small groups will also serve as an opportunity to make new connections with other attendees.

NEWS AND NOTES

If you are ready to build a successful start-up, we can help! Silicon Couloir is offering Start-Up Success, our 5-week business intensive program again this spring with world-class instructors Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet. Don't miss this opportunity to gain business skills, strategies, and tools with a community of your peers. Early bird pricing is available until March 15th!

APPLY NOW

FEBRUARY VISIONARY VENTURES: START-UP SUCCESS GIVES JULIET A PUSH TOWARD GROWTH

Our most recent Visionary Ventures column follows Heather Smith's experience as a first-time entrepreneur who recently negotiated an exit for her business, Juliet. Heather benefited from a range of Silicon Couloir programs including Start-Up Success, which will be offered again this spring. If you're thinking about starting your own venture, or want to hear first-hand how Silicon Couloir's range of programs can support you, this is a must-read.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

We are pleased to announce two new Silicon Couloir Trustees. Welcome and thank you for your generous commitment to support entrepreneurship in the
Teton region.

Gary Scheier is a co-founder and managing partner at 11.2 Ventures. 11.2 is a Venture Builder Studio established in July 2020 focused on building “in-house” artificial intelligence-based companies. Gary is also cofounder and managing partner of Trivium Group LLC, a venture capital fund of funds, providing investors with exposure to early-stage, mid-stage and late-stage venture opportunities. Prior to 11.2, Gary was a managing partner at K8 Ventures, a venture builder studio purchased by 11.2 Ventures in July 2020. Previously, Gary was CEO of Social Qnect, a mobile application development company focusing on building Q&A native mobile applications for affinity groups that was sold to Founder Equity Fund in 2013. In 2001 Gary co-founded QuietAgent Inc., a software development company focusing on social recruitment solutions for enterprise clients through its subsidiary, Findly Talent. In 2012 Findly Talent was sold to the Symphony Technology Group, a large private equity firm headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. From 1997 to 2002 Gary was VP of Business Development and later President of Telecom Wireless Solutions, an Atlanta-based company providing engineering services to the wireless telecommunications industry. From 1991 to 1997 Mr. Scheier was a partner at Weiss, Peck & Greer and co-founder of its Quantitative Equity Division where he managed over $2 billion.

For 30 years, Ben Davis has sponsored SME’s in their respective fields to launch operating platforms, or “Sponsored Alpha.” These startup platforms generate proprietary deal flow and technologies, which Ben typically commercializes with strategic partners. Current platforms include CapStream Group (capstreamgroup,.com), Midnight Venture Partners (midnightvp.com), Advanced Mill Solutions (advancedmills.com), Halide Holdings (halideholdings.com), and Allegiance Mobile Health (allmh.com). He previously founded, built, and sold businesses in wireless telecommunications, clean energy, and oilfield services, and maintains legacy investments in industrial tech and other businesses, including bulk terminals, biomaterials, and analytical labs. He served as General Chairman and remains on the Host Committee of the PGA’s Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin and also serves on Baylor University’s Leadership Council and Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board. He is married to a landscape artist (juliedavistudio.com) and has 3 daughters, the eldest of which married in Jackson last August. Ben is reachable via LinkedIn or at bdavis@capstreamgroup.com.

gBETA APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 15TH

Apply by March 15 for gBETA Cheyenne's Spring 2022 cohort! gBETA is a program of nationally ranked startup accelerator, gener8tor. gBETA Cheyenne is a seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with Wyoming roots. Each program is capped at five startup teams and requires no fees and no equity. Participants benefit from a localized program in addition to a nationwide network of mentors, experts, and potential investors. Sign up to meet the director, Baylie, and ask questions here.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

Start-Up Success gives Juliet a push toward growth

February Visionary Ventures: Start-Up Success gives Juliet a push toward growth

By Will Stabler

“I would’ve done anything to get here,” said Heather Smith, referring to her move to Jackson in 2017.

The civil rights attorney had visited the valley several times for work and knew that “there’s an energy in Jackson and a really strong sense of belonging. I was at an important juncture in life as a single parent, wanting a strong friendfamily. I knew Jackson had this really special community.”

By day Heather works in civil rights. Upon her move to Jackson she found a desk in The Cowork Space, where she still manages a regional team of a dozen professionals who advocate and litigate on behalf of individuals and underrepresented populations. While she takes particular pride in defending women’s reproductive rights, she “wanted to be on the front of some proactive change, something unapologetically rooted in feminism and power for women. I’ve always wanted a diverse and varied experience in life, trying new things and building new projects.” Conversations at Silicon Couloir’s coworking space had her thinking: “What else do I want to do?”

A single mother, Heather often encountered shame and stigma in her pregnancy journey, navigating personal questions about why and how. As a consumer she found pregnancy and fertility products that missed the mark. Later, as an entrepreneur in the space, marketing her own business, she was dismayed to see male CEOs running “pink wash” women’s health companies.

“They see it as a market opportunity,” she said. “I see it as that but also more, as a way to be seen and heard.”

After a conversation with a fellow entrepreneur, Heather enrolled in Start-Up Success: Fundamentals, a Silicon Couloir program that teaches the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Devoting her nights and weekends to shaping an idea, Heather eventually incorporated her business, Juliet, in June 2020. Juliet sells pregnancy and fertility products to meet women where they are; to provide a community to women on the margins of infertility.

The Start-Up Success course grounded Heather in business fundamentals, but “I also learned so much about values and how you show up.” Heather iterated her idea quite a bit, and Juliet’s values now align quite closely with Heather’s personal priorities: to empower women by providing the tools and community to navigate their own fertility journey.

Timing was fortuitous here, as Heather started the entrepreneurship program just as the United States entered stay-at-home orders in spring 2020.

“Starting Juliet during the pandemic gave me a creative outlet, something to control when everything in the world was out of whack,” she said. “It didn’t feel like work.”

Heather built the fundamentals of her business and applied to Silicon Couloir’s Pitch Day 2020. There she won the Bob Arndt Community Caretaker Award and a spot in Silicon Couloir’s TEAMS mentoring program. She’d already come a long way for a nights-and-weekends business, on top of caring for her family.

By that point she’d hired help with content and website design, completed her product testing and held a small amount of inventory. She was building her online brand, testing posts on social media, trying to find what hit home with her nascent community. In January 2021, something clicked, and “it was like wildfire.” Though she’d already sold some products, Heather was planning a full launch of her marketing campaign and associated inventory orders for March. All of a sudden, she was facing a big surge in demand. The “success was so exciting but so challenging,” she said.

Because the orders came before she had arranged distribution, Heather handled them herself. Picture her amid a residential move, with product everywhere, packing orders in her packed-up apartment: “Is this what success really looks like?”

Heather was energized, and she used her new revenue to invest in content and purchase additional inventory for Juliet. By summer she’d established steady growth in monthly sales, an important metric to startups. But she was still balancing her full-time work and her nighttime work with Juliet, all while raising a young child during the pandemic.

Heather had strong connections with the leaders of The Body Agency, a women’s health company rooted in values similar to Juliet’s. While Heather had funded Juliet herself — “bootstrapped,” in startup jargon — The Body Agency was capital funded and could spend to develop products to prolong the customer journey and support women throughout their lives. Conversations began toward the end of last year, and Heather finalized the sale of her business just last month.

“It landed with a company that has the same values that I share personally and also the values that are embedded within Juliet,” she said. “There was definitely a level of relief to see it land somewhere that was going to continue that mission.”

When asked about her plans for future startup endeavors, Heather doesn’t hesitate: “One hundred percent I would do it again. The amount of growth and stretch that happens in building a business is itself a reason to say yes.”

While she kicks around ideas with friends and colleagues, for now she’s focused on her ultimate goal in life: “Raising a really badass daughter.”

February News

VIRTUAL MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

February 7, 2022,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

Theme: Wyoming Economic Transition— Strategy or
Whack-a-Mole with Dave Dodson

At this juncture, most everyone—from citizens to policymakers— knows that Wyoming can’t survive off coal and natural gas royalties. The stakes are high for the state and our county. Wyoming in particular has an aging population, an underfunded pension plan, and weakening infrastructure.

We need creative ideas and forward-thinking solutions. Join us for Virtual Chance Meetings on Monday, February 7th from 5-6 pm for an in-depth discussion on Wyoming's Economic Transition with David Dodson. Dave will discuss the state’s current situation and a blueprint for how to rebuild the state’s economic base.
 

David Dodson has been active for thirty-five years in the formation of new businesses. Prior to entering the Stanford GSB, Dodson worked at McKinsey & Company, where he worked for clients in oil field services, gas pipelines, liquefied natural gas, and offshore drilling. Between 1990 and 2004, Dodson operated as CEO or Executive Chairman of five companies, including co-founding Wind River Environmental, the largest specialty trucking company of its kind; ADAP, Inc., an auto parts retailer that was eventually sold to Auto Zone; Smith Alarm Systems, Inc.; Paragon Systems, Inc.; and Worldbridge Broadband Services Inc, which was eventually sold to C-Corp. Dodson has been an active mentor and investor in over seventy-five early stage companies, and has been on the board of directors of over a dozen companies, including Asurion, LLC, an insurance company with over 20,000 employees operating in 14 countries.

In 2018, out of concern for the state of our country, Dodson ran for the U.S. Senate in his home state of Wyoming. He is a frequent columnist for The Boston Globe and Casper Star-Tribune, and a regular guest commentator with CNBC and Fox Business News.

David Dodson is a faculty member at Stanford Graduate School of Business), and teaches strategic management within the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Mr. Dodson is a graduate of Stanford University (Economics ’83, MBA ’87).
 

NEWS AND NOTES

SILICON COULOIR IS HIRING! 

Position Title: Director of Entrepreneurship

Join the Teton region’s new economy & help support our thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Director of Entrepreneurship will manage and support Silicon Couloir programs and participants in our ecosystem. 

Qualifications: This FT position requires a bachelor’s degree & a min of 3-5 yrs. relevant experience in non-profits, business &/or w/ growth companies. Must be a team player, tech-savvy, & possess excellent oral & written communication skills. Silicon Couloir provides competitive pay, benefits & dynamic work environment.

To Apply: Submit resume & cover letter to hello@siliconcouloir.com by 2/7.
 

FULL JOB DESCRIPTION

JANUARY VISIONARY VENTURES: ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL

Why should you support Silicon Couloir and our mission to empower entrepreneurship in the Teton region? Our January Visionary Ventures column published in The Jackson Hole News & Guide makes the case.

"A successful private sector that provides meaningful, well-paying jobs with benefits can lift community members and alleviate, to some extent, the public sector’s social program burden. A vibrant and successful private sector can similarly reduce the demand for certain nonprofit services, allowing charitable organizations to do more and have a greater impact with their resources."

READ THE FULL COLUMN HERE

START-UP SUCCESS TO BE OFFERED THIS SPRING

Develop Your Frameworks for a Thriving Venture

Learn, Connect, Collaborate, Succeed.

We're proud to announce that our world-class 5-week intensive business educational program Start-Up Success will be offered again this spring, and will be taught by highly experienced instructors Sandy Hessler and Liza Millet.

Dates: 
Weekend of 4/15 - 4/17
Wednesdays: 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18
Weekend of 5/20 - 5-22

Hours:
Weekends Fri: 5 pm - 8pm, Sat: 9 am - 4 pm, Sun: 9 am-12:30 pm
Wednesdays: 5:30 pm-8 pm

The application period will open on February 14th. More details to follow. Please email rebecca@siliconcouloir.com if you are interested in creating a thriving venture.

SC PARTNERS WITH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TO OFFER OFFICE HOURS

If you're a nonprofit leader seeking objective and confidential, guidance on finance, creating sustainable revenue streams, organizational structure and management, board/staff relations, or fundraising, we can help. Silicon Couloir and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole are teaming up to offer office hours with Gary Trauner, Silicon Couloir ED, on Feb. 16th and 17th for nonprofit leaders.

SIGN UP NOW

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

We're thrilled to announce that long-time Trustee Dave Brown has stepped up to become a Super Trustee. And we're honored to welcome three new Trustees to our ecosystem: Chuck Davis, Leslie Schrock, and Evan Skorpen.

Trustees provide a runway for Silicon Couloir programs with a generous multi-year commitment and are the foundation of funding for our important work. We could not be more grateful.

Dave Brown is a private equity and venture investor with twenty years of experience in range of sectors including software, business services, financial services, clean tech, social media, mobile software services, storage, wireless towers and cable. Generalist business background with strengths in strategy, finance, operations, marketing and governance.

Dave is focused on working with founders and management teams to turn great ideas into successful growing businesses.

After working in advertising with clients like (RED), Leslie Schrock joined the founding team of Rock Health, a globally-known startup accelerator that became a venture fund with over 100 portfolio companies and partners like the Mayo Clinic. Leslie also co-founded Bitty Foods, a food startup introducing sustainable protein sources, and is on the Advisory Council at the University of Texas College of Communication. When not writing, Leslie spends time with startups improving the way we live.

Chuck Davis has served in his position as CEO & Chairman of Prodege since May 2014, after initially joining as Chairman in 2013. Chuck brings more than 20 years of leadership and strategic experience to his position managing a cutting-edge marketing and consumer insights platform that leverages its global audience of reward program members to power its business solutions. These innovative offerings enable leading brands and agencies to gather insights and market to their target audiences. As prior CEO & Chairman of Fandango and CEO of Shopzilla.com, Chuck successfully guided both brands to major market sales to Comcast Corporation and E.W. Scripps Co., respectively. He’s further held positions at Walt Disney, TV Guide, and Sports Illustrated.

Evan is a Principal at Lead Edge Capital and heads our public market activities. Prior to joining Evan worked as an Associate at ValueAct Capital, a long-only hedge fund in San Francisco. Before that he worked at Hellman & Friedman and Bain & Company. Evan graduated from Williams College with a double major in Math and Economics.

JULIET AQUIRED BY THE BODY AGENCY

Juliet, Pitch Day 2020 Community Caretaker award winner and TEAMS member, was recently acquired by The Body Agency. Congratulations to Founder and CEO Heather Smith. Heather will join the board of The Body Agency.

MIA SHARE REPORTS CONTINUED GROWTH

Mia Share, Pitch Day 2021 Panelist Choice award winner, recently published exciting company growth and development with new positions and plans to open an office in downtown Jackson on April 1st.

Hiring: We currently have six openings: Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Partnership Manager, Partnership Associate (Sales), Customer Service Representative, and Executive Assistant. Email info@miashare.com to apply.

Recent metrics: 

• 59x growth 2021 vs. 2020 in payments processed.

• $12.5mm total notional on the platform.

• 2021 6x notional originated vs 2020 notional originated.

• 2021 5x applications vs. 2020 applications.

BE DELIBERATE WITH YOUR FINANCES

Need help with financial planning and budgeting for your business? Deliberate Dollars is offering a NEW, 3-week course in February—Small Business Cashflow. Offered virtually on 2/8, 2/15, & 2/22 5-7:30pm MT.

Many people have a small business, passion project, side hustle or are an independent contractor but don’t know how much money they are personally making. Deliberate Dollars’ Small Business Cashflow course will teach you financial systems to ensure that your business is serving you, paying you, paying your taxes and your cashflow can be easily summarized! Let’s make sure your business is working for you while you do what you love!

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

An Entrepreneur for Entrepreneurs

USING STARTUP KNOW HOW TO HELP OTHERS

From JHStyle Magazine Winter/Spring 2021-2022

WORDS Molly Absalon I IMAGE David Bowers

Gary Trauner thinks part of what makes Jackson, Jackson, is its incredible ecosystem. Not just the natural ecosystem - the public lands and wildlife for which the Tetons are famous - but also its ecosystem of talented and accomplished people. These people, he believes, are the ones who can help Jackson become more ecologically, economically, and culturally sustainable.

Gary helps foster such individuals through his work as the executive director of Silicon Couloir, a nonprofit business incubator that pro­ vides programs that support entrepreneurs in the Tetons.

"Most people who move here have a high-risk tolerance," Gary says. "A lot of the people we work with had gotten to the point where they are get­ ting older, or they want a less-extreme lifestyle and more stability in their lives so are looking to move into a new career. They are willing to transfer that risk tolerance into building some­ thing. What a lot of them don't have is a back­ ground in business. That's where we come in."

Silicon Couloir offers several programs for entrepreneurs that range from a boot camp on business fundamentals and mentorships to networking events and help securing financing. They're also well known for their signature event, Pitch Day, which Gary says is "like the show 'Shark Tank,' Teton style." All these programs are great, but what excites Gary the most is Silicon Couloir's values and how they affect the businesses they foster.

"I'm a do-gooder," he says. "I really want to make a difference. Silicon Couloir is committed to its values. They matter. I have no interest in supporting people who don't hold those values."

These values are centered around Silicon Couloir's three guiding principles: Access-for-All to provide everyone with resources and support; Founding-to-Funding programming for entrepreneurs wher­ ever they are in their journey; and, most importantly, the triple bot­tom line of Profit. People. Planet. They work with businesses that are committed to being a positive part of the Teton region and provide well-paying, meaningful jobs.

"Every business wants to be financially successful," Gary says. "But we're not just about helping people get wealthy. We also want to give back to the community."

Gary says he grew up in a family where the dinner table conversa­tion flowed around current events and politics, so he's always been engaged in what's going on in the world. But it took a family tragedy for him to step out of his business-oriented path. After losing a brother to brain cancer, Gary decided to run for political office - his "macro" attempt to make a difference. In 2006, he lost the race for Wyoming's lone U.S. House of Representatives seat to seven-time incumbent Barbara Cubin by just over 1,000 votes or less than a percentage point. It was Cubin's closest call ever.

After two. more unsuccessful runs, Gary shifted his focus closer to home. He started two successful businesses in Teton County (after starting other businesses elsewhere), served as the chair of his local water and sewer district, acted as the chief operating officer for St. John's Health, served as the chair of the school district, and was the first paid executive director of Jack­son Hole Lacrosse.

When Silicon Couloir decided to hire its first full-time executive director, Gary was the perfect fit - a businessman and entrepreneur with a long and storied career. Many of the people he works with are not much different than Gary himself; people who dream of follow­ing their passion and making their mark on the economic and cultural ecosystem of Jackson.

All for one, one for all — that’s not just a cliche

January Visionary Ventures: All for one, one for all — that’s not just a cliche

By Gary Trauner, Silicon Couloir ED

For those not familiar with Silicon Couloir, it is a nonprofit that focuses on entrepreneurship in the Teton region and sometimes beyond. That means it is a charitable organization that supports the private sector.

To many this might prompt what seems like a logical question: Why do we need a charitable service organization to support profit-seeking ventures? Today’s column seeks to answer that.

If you know me, you’ve likely heard me talk about the three main influential sectors of any community: the public sector, the nonprofit sector and the private sector. Let’s delve into the characteristics of each. The public sector is what we know as government. This sector obviously has a significant impact on our community and on our lives. Nonetheless, this sector has several characteristics that tend to make it more reactive than proactive in dealing with community issues and concerns.

First, public sector leadership is generally elected, which can, and often does, result in differing priorities and philosophies after every election cycle. Simply put, this makes continuity difficult to achieve. Second, in many ways, the bureaucracy of the public sector purposefully makes significant and major change more difficult — what we may gain in stability we may lose in adaptability. Third, as a generality that absolutely comes with exceptions, elected officials want to stay in office, and therefore tend to be hesitant to get ahead of the curve. The result of these characteristics? Change tends to come slowly through the public sector.

The nonprofit sector serves a vital function. It generally fills the gap where there is a perceived community need not being adequately addressed by public or private sectors. Community members may see a need for social support services, arts programming or environmental protection. If they don’t believe their specific interest is being dealt with, they may form a nonprofit to alleviate their concerns.

That leaves the private sector. As the proverbial 800-pound gorilla on the block, the desires and actions of the private sector interact with, and significantly impact, the other two sectors of our community. The private sector is the foundation of our entire economy and influences public policy through exerting its influence and financial clout on comp plans, zoning and development approval. All one needs to do is look at ubiquitous private sector sponsorship of charitable organizations here to gauge the symbiotic relationship between those two sectors.

To me the challenge is thus very clear: How can you ensure the private sector succeeds while channeling a portion of its resources in the direction of a sustainable, thriving community?

A successful private sector that provides meaningful, well-paying jobs with benefits can lift community members and alleviate, to some extent, the public sector’s social program burden. A vibrant and successful private sector can similarly reduce the demand for certain nonprofit services, allowing charitable organizations to do more and have a greater impact with their resources.

It takes all three sectors working together to meet our region’s vision and needs. Helping the private sector use its financial and intellectual clout to sustain the local community while taking some of the burden off of the public and nonprofit sectors is a win-win for everyone: individuals, government, nonprofits and, perhaps most importantly, our region as a whole.

The private sector can do well (financially) by doing good (communally) and do good by doing well.

Many of you have neighbors who have been able to stay in our region because Silicon Couloir helped them get where they are, put down roots, and fully engage in their community. Incubating one of the engines of our local economy is what we do, and it is why a nonprofit that supports the private sector makes sense.

January News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

January 10, 2021,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Theme: Affordable Housing Opportunities in the Teton Region

Housing in the Teton region has become more and more challenging to secure over the years, and recent demographic changes have resulted in less inventory, increased prices, and greater disparity of wealth. In November 2021 the median listing home price in Jackson, WY was $2.4M up 38.6% year-over-year according to realtor.com. For many essential workers and young entrepreneurs, the only option for homeownership (and in some cases, for secure rentals) is through one of several affordable housing programs in our community.

If you're in need of affordable housing or want to support the effort, please join us for presentations from local affordable housing experts on Monday, January 10th from 5-6 pm. Panelists include Anne Cresswell, Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust Executive Director; April Norton, Jackson/Teton County Housing Department Director; Kris Greenville, Teton Habitat Executive Director; and Shawn Hill, Teton County, ID Joint Housing Authority Board. David Stubbs, long-time Jackson resident, and affordable housing homeowner will moderate. 

Anne Cresswell has served as the Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust for nearly 19 years. The Community Housing Trust is a non-profit affordable housing developer dedicated to the creation of quality, truly affordable housing to retain our essential workforce. During Anne’s tenure she has overseen the development of 118 homes; an additional 70 units are in the pipeline. As the cost to construct affordable housing has increased over time, Anne has worked to develop a variety of financial and legal instruments to enable the development of affordable housing and facilitate partnerships with some of Teton County’s most essential employers. 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the Community Housing Trust. During this time, more than 563 people have been served; in the last two years alone, the CHT has provided stable, affordable housing for 112 people.

In 2016, April Norton joined the Jackson/Teton County Housing Department as its first director, focusing on partnerships to create affordable housing in the Jackson Hole area. Since being hired, her team has partnered on eight public-private partnership developments that represent 241 new permanently deed restricted homes, including two partnerships with the Housing Trust and two partnerships with Teton Habitat. These public-private partnership projects represent $37,000,000 in public funds and over $95,000,000 in private investment.

Kris Greenville was named Executive Director of Teton Habitat in September of 2019. Previously, he worked as Operations Manager for NOLS, the job that brought him to Wyoming from the San Francisco Bay Area.  Kris was Vice President of the Pacific Pension and Investment Institute from 2007 – 2017.  He has also held management roles with the American Red Cross and the YMCA.  

Shawn W. Hill is the Executive Director of Future West and serves on the Teton County, ID Joint Housing Authority Board. He has 20 years of planning, conservation, and affordable housing consulting experience in the Northern Rockies. Prior to Future West, he served as the Executive Director of Valley Advocates for Responsible Development (VARD), a 501(c)(3) organization advocating for responsible land use planning in the Teton Valley of Idaho and Wyoming. Shawn has 9 years of experience in the public sector working as a planner for Summit County, Utah and the Town of Jackson, Wyoming. As a private consultant, he has been involved in various planning and housing projects in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. Shawn holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming and a B.A. in Urban Planning from the University of Utah. He is on the Teton County, Idaho Joint Housing Authority Commission and serves on the editorial board of Western Planner.

David Stubbs is a contract photographer, cinematographer and filmmaker based in Jackson, Wyoming. He came to the valley for a photojournalist job at the Jackson Hole News and Guide shortly after college in 1999. He and his wife Bille, a district teacher in the dual immersion program, have lived in a Housing Trust home since 2008 rasing two daughters who are now nine and 13-years-old.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Blessings… & Challenges

To everyone in the Greater Tetons Region –
Here we are at the beginning of a New Year, with its myriad of possibilities and choices we can make for a better future.

We are blessed that we live in such a wonderful place, full of natural beauty and wonder. Blessed to have family, friends and fellow community members with whom to share our experiences (good and, sometimes…not-so-good). And blessed to live in a true community where we care about each other and all the attributes that make this area so special.
And yet, we are faced with what I believe are abnormal challenges both large and small. Two, in particular, stand out.

The first, of course, is the ongoing pandemic. We are two years in to uncharted territory, with seemingly no end in sight. A microscopic virus has caused sickness, death and, unbelievably, magnified rifts in our society and local community. Rifts that may be difficult to mend.

The second challenge is the rapid change in the fabric of our region. COVID has accelerated demographic and class trends in the Tetons region at a furious pace. Housing for workers is becoming unattainable, traffic is more snarled than ever and our status as the most unequal county in the country by income has worsened at warp speed. All of these issues threaten the fabric of what I’ll call the “Jackson ethos” – work hard, play hard and mix/mingle regardless of class or income status.

We are being tested as never before. The three main sectors in any community – public, private and non-profit – must work together to solve seemingly intractable issues. I believe we must seek bold solutions to big problems. While this is not a time for the faint of heart, it is a time for us to remember who we are and why we are here.

So, we at Silicon Couloir welcome 2022, with its blessings and challenges. We will work to achieve our mission of “aligning entrepreneurship with community vision to promote a diverse economy and healthy environment for current and future generations” as well as our vision of maintaining a thriving middle class in our region. Together, we can achieve most anything if we listen, learn and pull as one.

Yours in service,

Gary Trauner

DECEMBER VISIONARY VENTURES: BUSINESS CAN BE A PART OF THE MENTAL HEALTH SOLUTION

Silicon Couloir recently hosted a Chance Meeting focused on making mental health a workplace priority with the aim of looking at practical creative tools and benefits available to support entrepreneurs, business owners and staff. Our expert panelists included Matt Murphy, CEO of Marvell Technology, a leader in innovative programs to promote employee wellness and work-life balance; Abigail Ridgway, managing director of FSG Consultants; and Deidre Ashley, executive director of the Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center. Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Anna Olson, who has also devoted enormous time and energy to this problem, also joined in the conversation. (The recording is available at SiliconCouloir.com/virtual-meetings.)

Given the importance of the topic, and the resulting insights, we devoted our December column to the subject.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

UTILITARIAN WINTER POP-UP IS UNDERWAY

Purchase new designs from Bentley Wederski, Founder and CEO of UTILITARIAN, at the winter pop-up until March 26th.

UTILITARIAN connects modern construction with minimal design to offer a collection of timeless clothing and accessories embracing the intersection of gender inclusion and equity.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

Share

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Businesses can be part of the mental health solution

December Visionary Ventures: Businesses can be part of the mental health solution

Visionary Ventures / By Rebecca Reimers

Holiday season in the mountains conjures up images of tranquility, contentment and celebration. Those of us who live in this region know that these postcard scenes are often just that, and the reality can be a daily struggle.

The stage for increased mental health problems has been set nationally, but locally there are extenuating factors at play. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of depression and anxiety increased three to four times from 2019 to 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Wyoming in particular has dismal statistics that outpace the national average and, sadly, has the highest suicide rate in the nation.

Add to this the burden of a resort town with enormous economic disparity and housing insecurity, both accelerated and exacerbated by the pandemic. Viewed through these multiple lenses, it’s easy to understand why we are in a mental health crisis in the Teton region.

Silicon Couloir recently hosted a Chance Meeting focused on making mental health a workplace priority with the aim of looking at practical creative tools and benefits available to support entrepreneurs, business owners and staff. Our expert panelists included Matt Murphy, CEO of Marvell Technology, a leader in innovative programs to promote employee wellness and work-life balance; Abigail Ridgway, managing director of FSG Consultants; and Deidre Ashley, executive director of the Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center. Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Anna Olson, who has also devoted enormous time and energy to this problem, also joined in the conversation. (The recording is available at SiliconCouloir.com/virtual-meetings.) Given the importance, we will share some of the insights here.

A recent community survey of health care providers and residents conducted by FSG Consulting revealed that poor mental health days have doubled since 2018. From a business perspective the result is lost productivity and creativity.

Furthermore, nearly half of those surveyed considered leaving the area in the past year due to housing instability, lack of stable employment or insufficient income.

“We’re seeing people who haven’t struggled before,” Ashley said. “The constant uncertainty and changing environment of COVID has resulted in PTSD symptoms for many.” All signs point to higher employee turnover and more failed businesses if these trends continue.

Nearly half of those surveyed locally feel lonely, excluded or isolated. What if, Ridgway proposed, the workplace served as a solution by providing connectivity and support. Our panelists shared proven suggestions to realize this vision. One vital solution is to provide benefits for mental health and remove the stigma of using them.

“I talk about [mental health] to the company,” Murphy said. “This is like a physical illness and it’s got to be treated with dignity.”

Pre-COVID, studies from the World Health Organization showed that every $1 spent on mental health resulted in a $4 return in improved health and productivity. In other words, it’s money well spent.

Benefits aren’t limited to insurance. You can provide wellness days or an individual fund for activities of choice that provide joy and satisfaction for employees, as exists for Counseling Center staff.

At Marvell, Murphy implemented long weekend company “shutdowns” to give its nearly 7,000 employees an intrusion-free break. He also engages outside counseling and coaching services from Modern Health, an online support service. He counseled employers to include family members in offerings via multiple communication channels so everyone is aware of offerings.

Perhaps one silver lining of COVID is bringing this conversation to light.

“As a community we [at the Counseling Center] made it OK for people to say they are not OK and provide resources,” Ashley said. The counseling center offers a range of counseling services for individuals and families using a variety of nationally renowned therapies with trained professionals.

Olson relayed that mental health is now a priority on the state level. Wyoming workforce training grants may soon be available to assist with mental health needs, rather than just traditional job training. The chamber is launching Jackson Hole Happenings, a program for area newcomers designed to orient workers to local resources and a “community approach to connection,” Olson said. Additional resources are linked to on the Silicon Couloir webpage noted above.

“We need to get really creative about the way we approach this. ... and be proactive rather than reactive and make opportunities for connection,” Ashley said. “That is mental health.”

December News

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MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

December 6, 2021,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Theme: Making Mental Health a Workplace Priority 

The first collaborative assessment of mental health and substance use in Jackson Hole revealed a community struggling with a myriad of challenges. The report, drafted by FSG consultants, comprises a year of research and includes interviews with community leaders, workshops with a 19-organization steering committee, and a survey of more than 1,000 residents. 

The pandemic has exacerbated the difficulties of living in our isolated mountain towns. COVID has, for many, rapidly changed the nature of work requiring constant adaptation and added stress. Trends that made the Teton region a difficult place to call home have accelerated. The survey revealed that nearly half of those surveyed considered leaving the area in the past year due to housing instability, lack of stable employment, or insufficient income. 

Please join us on Monday, December 6th from 5-6 p.m. for a discussion on making mental health a priority in the workplace. We will look at creative tools and benefits available to support entrepreneurs and staff, suggestions for self-care, and the various resources available in our area. 

Our expert panelists include Matt Murphy, CEO of Marvell Technology, a leader in innovative programs to promote employee wellness and work-life balance, Abigail Ridgway, Managing Director of FSG, and Deidre Ashley, Executive Director of Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center. Don't miss this important and timely conversation. 

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

ANNIE MORITA JOINS THE SILICON COULOIR BOARD

We are pleased to announce the addition of Annie Morita to the Silicon Couloir board. Annie has a wealth of executive leadership from across the globe. Currently, Annie is the Chief Operating Officer at Koji.

Annie was an executive with Apple, Inc., as the business lead for the Internet Software & Services Division in Greater China, focusing on the App Store, and Apple Media Products (Apple Music, TV, iTunes, and Podcasts). She joined Apple in January 2017 and was based in Shanghai through July 2019. She finished her assignment with Apple in late 2019.

Prior to Apple, Annie served as the head of global interactive for DreamWorks Animation. She led the company’s efforts for gaming across all platforms, as well as new business development and production for virtual reality and augmented reality.

Prior to this role, Annie served as the lead business executive for Oriental DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation's first-ever joint venture in China with the goal of creating the leading family entertainment company in China. Annie worked on the creation of the joint venture and eventually moved to Shanghai to set up operations and launch the new company. She joined DreamWorks Animation in 2009 as part of the online team, with responsibilities for the company’s worldwide production and management of interactive virtual worlds for kids and companion online and social products.

NOVEMBER VISIONARY VENTURES:
 NAUGHTY FRUIT GROWS FROM LOCAL ROOTS

This month's News and Guide column features Teton Valley entrepreneur Juan Morales, Founder and CEO of Naughty Fruit. Juan is committed to family, community, sustainability, and growing his company. “People can taste the love,“ explains Juan. “No matter what their culture, language, or background is, people want to be part of something local.”

Juan envisions a larger facility in Teton Valley and a team of full-time employees. It’s a big step with the need for considerable planning and investment. To get there, Juan is returning to his Silicon Couloir roots. He has applied to TEAMS, Silicon Couloir’s free business mentoring program, and has his eye on Pitch Day 2022.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

FRANCO SNOWSHAPES EXPANDS TO SKIS

Franco Snowshapes is proud to present Tailored Skis to our line-up of one of a kind shapes. Collin Schauerman, formerly of Parlor Skis in Boston, brings with him a background in Architecture Design/Build and a lengthy history of ski making. Matching the Franco aesthetic with cutting edge technology like Carbon Fiber/Kevlar blends, poured urethane sidewalls, Titanal and other aerospace-grade composites, Collin’s aim is to take custom skis from merely pieces of functional art to performance-focused tools befitting of a ski born in the Tetons.

MIA SHARE IS HIRING

Pitch Day 2020 award winner, Mia Share, is hiring for 7 new positions. Join an innovative team and develop income-based payment tech for trade & technical schools across the country and beyond. Expect exceptional co-workers and a fast-paced working environment. Strong benefits & remote flexibility. Learn more and apply by following this link.

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

We are pleased to announce the addition of four new Silicon Couloir Trustees to our remarkable and talented community. Welcome and thank you for your generous commitment to support entrepreneurship in the Teton region.

With over 30 years executive experience in finance, investments & philanthropy, George M. James is Chief Investment Officer & Principal of Glasshouse Capital, a family investment vehicle with interests across global markets. He & his wife are founders of the George & Karen James Family Foundation.

Founded with colleagues from Morgan Stanley, Mr. James was Co-CIO of Old Lane LP, a $4.5 billion multi-strategy hedge fund sold to Citigroup in 2008. He was appointed Vice Chairman, Citi Alternative Investments & member of the Citigroup Management Committee. His partner Vikram Pandit was named CEO & the senior leadership team invited to oversee Citigroup’s alternative investment platform globally.

George M. James worked with Morgan Stanley for 24 years & was Managing Director for 14 years, joining the corporation upon graduating with an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. While working in NYC, Tokyo & London, George facilitated Morgan Stanley’s entry into diverse Fixed Income businesses worldwide & was founding co-head of the Global Derivative Products Group.

Lauri Corliss had a long career in business – banking, real estate, and development – and entered the wine business in Washington State in 1999 with her husband Michael.

She brings skills that few people in this industry can claim, but which are essential to building a lasting legacy. Lauri acquired her wine knowledge over many years of traveling to acquire wines at auction, where she came to understand the whole spectrum of quality and attention to detail in winemaking. She and Michael now own and operate 4 wineries and 7 estate vineyards, Lauri’s focus is on the sales and marketing aspects of the business.

Michael Corliss is the founder and shareholder of Pacific Trust Company. Michael has over 40 years of experience owning and operating unique business assets and privately held operating companies. He founded Investco in 1983, which today manages over $2 billion in real estate assets on behalf of the Corliss family and its partners. In 1985, he acquired The Truss Company & Building Supply, which manufactures roof trusses in Washington, Oregon, and California. He also owns farming, winery, and vineyard operations.

Phil Hartl is a Managing Director in Private Wealth Management at Merrill within Bank of America. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 2000, Phil was a Vice President in the Private Client Services Group at Goldman Sachs. He is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor® professional, and has been trained at the Money, Meaning, and Choices Institute in San Francisco.

Phil earned his Ph.D. at the University of California at San Diego in Cellular and Molecular Biology.  His postdoctoral work was conducted at the University of California at San Francisco, where he was a Fellow of the Cancer Research Institute.  His graduate and postdoctoral works have been published in several journals including:  Science, The Journal of Cellular Biology and the Journal of Clinical Investigation.  Phil earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and his M.A. in Plant Biology from Binghamton University in New York.

THANK YOU TO DEPARTING BOARD MEMBER
GINNY HUTCHINSON

Following six years of dedication and service on the Silicon Couloir board of directors, Ginny Hutchinson is stepping down to focus on travel and family. Ginny has spent countless hours in support of our local entrepreneurs. Thank you, Ginny, for your vision, leadership, and unflagging positivity. Ginny and her husband, John Kanengieter, will continue serving as Trustees.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

November Visionary Ventures: Roots give Naughty Fruit a path to growth

Juan Morales doesn’t do things by halves. Whether it’s starting a family business, supporting his local community, enacting sustainable business practices or nurturing Naughty Fruit, his growing dried-fruit snack company, Juan gives it 110%. Naughty Fruit, based in Teton Valley, Idaho, and inspired by his Mexican family heritage, combines a blend of unique spices, such as dried chili and lemon, and uses dehydrating techniques that allow the fruit to retain nutrientdense qualities. The result is a taste experience that sets the product apart in a crowded snack food space and “gives people a little zing in their life,” explains Juan.

Family is central to Juan’s life and values. The middle of five children, he took on the role of helping to support his parents, who had “busted their butts” to provide prospects for their children. Years of agricultural labor left his father with chronic back pain and limited his work options. In the face of difficulties, Juan saw an oppo r tuni ty for his first entrepreneurial venture and a solution for his parents: Rosa’s Tamales. The tamales are a local favorite at summer markets, and connoisseurs have learned to arrive early before they sell out. The Morales all have a role in the business, from cooking to preparing to selling. The community connection and bridging of cultures became an inspiration for Juan and instilled the value of fresh ingredients and buying local whenever possible.

In 2013 Start-Up Intensive, a 10-week entrepreneur boot camp offered by Silicon

Couloir and Central Wyoming College, graduated its first cohort, and Juan was part of it. Building on his success with the tamale business, Juan knew he could apply his passion for connecting with people through food to a more scalable enterprise. In 2017 he launched Naughty Fruit. Since that time the venture has grown tremendously through direct website sales, local partnerships with Yellowstone National Park and Ecotours, and has even landed shelf space in Whole Foods.

Sustainability and community are central to Naughty Fruit and are reflected in both the process and product. Packaging is biodegradable; processing is all-natural. Pears and apples are sourced from Idaho, and waste is minimized by sending fruit scraps to feed chickens at a Tetonia farm.

“People can taste the love,“ said Juan. “No matter what their culture, language or background, people want to be part of something local.”

So enthusiastic is he about his fellow Teton Valley food producers, Juan has created and marketed a gourmet gift box of local consumables that complement his fruit: Cheeses, jams and chocolate all made by his friends and neighbors. It’s just one of the ways Juan gives back.

With two businesses for Juan to run, Naughty Fruit has been, up until now, a part-time venture, and he is truly a solopreneur — sourcing, preparing, packaging and shipping product all on his own. Eager to take the next steps to grow the business, Juan applied to Trailmix this fall and was chosen from hundreds of applicants as one of seven finalists. Based in Boise, Idaho, Trailmix is a pitch competition that features all consumable products and awards cash prizes. Much like Silicon Couloir’s Pitch Day, Trailmix provides coaching with business experts to hone a pitch for a panel of judges. Juan didn’t win the competition, but what he gained was far more valuable: confidence, confirmation and a vision.

“I learned so much about myself. I don’t have a business degree, so I’ve been gaining skills as I go. The opportunity to dive into my finances, develop my pitch and plan a path for growth was incredible,” Juan said. “I’m going full time with Naughty Fruit in 2022 with the goal of expanding nationally.”

Juan envisions a larger facility in Teton Valley and a team of full-time employees. It’s a big step with the need for considerable planning and investment. Juan is returning to his Silicon Couloir roots to get there. He has applied to TEAMS, Silicon Couloir’s free business mentoring program, and has his eye on Pitch Day 2022.

“My product has been proven,” Juan said. “I’m ready to move forward. I’m all in.”

Visionary Ventures prints once a month. Rebecca Reimers works for Silicon Couloir. Reach her at rebecca@siliconcouloir.com.

Juan Morales is determined to take Naughty Fruit to the next level.

“My product has been proven.

I’m ready to move forward.

I’m all in.”

— Juan Morales

November News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

November 1, 2021,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Theme: Mini-Pitches from Engaged Entrepreneurs

An elevator speech is "a short description of an idea, product or company that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. This description typically explains who the thing is for, what it does, why it is needed, and how it will get done." Join us on Monday, November 1st from 5-6 pm to hear our version of the elevator speech, the "mini-pitch". Four of our local companies: All Hands Craft Cocktails, Allfalfa, Avant Delivery, and YogaLyte will present their "what, why and how" to the audience, followed by Q&A. Please come support these entrepreneurs and learn how to perfect your own "mini-pitch." 
 

Caroline Fabacher, Founder and CEO of All Hands Craft Cocktails: "bar strength" cocktails in the convenience of an adventure proof can.

Brad Walsh, Founder and CEO of Allfalfa: offering 100% live learning, for the good of your mind, body, and soul.

Sam Schwartz, Founder and CEO of Avant Delivery: eliminating single-use cups and take out containers by focusing on customer convenience.

Dani Perry, Co-Founder of YogaLyte: Thirst for Balance. Simple, Natural & Effective.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

RIDE FORCE AWARDED DREAMERS & DOERS MEMBERSHIP

Pitch Day finalist, Ride Force, was recently chosen for a first-of-its-kind award, a one-year membership to Dreamers & Doers which is a powerful combination of high-impact community and PR hype machine amplifying extraordinary entrepreneurial women founded by Gesche Haas.

"I can’t thank Gesche enough for this amazing opportunity and award. I’m so honored to be a part of such an inspiring and supportive community," says Ride Force Founder & CEO Taylor-Ann Smith.

ANGEL GROUP BEST PRACTICES TO SUPPORT LOCALS

Gary Trauner, Silicon Couloir's Executive Director, sat down with Hall Martin of TEN Capital Network to discuss best practices for Angel Groups to support their local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

LISTEN NOW

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

We are pleased to announce a new group of Silicon Couloir Trustees. Welcome and thank you for your generous commitment to support entrepreneurship in the
Teton region.

Eric Ellenbogen has spent more than 30 years running entertainment businesses, including holding senior management roles as President of Broadway Video Entertainment (the TV and film production and distribution company founded by Lorne Michaels); President of Golden Books Family Entertainment; and President and CEO of Marvel Enterprises before its acquisition by Disney. With the backing of private equity, he co-founded Classic Media in 2000, which became one of the largest private owners of branded kids’ and family entertainment and was acquired by DreamWorks Animation (DWA) in 2012. At DWA, Mr. Ellenbogen became Co-Head of DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks International Television and was largely responsible for the company’s entry into the television business. Following DWA’s sale to NBCUniversal, Ellenbogen became Co-President of Classic Media, which was restarted as a business unit of NBCUniversal. Mr. Ellenbogen was a board director of Golden Books and Marvel, then both public companies, and is a Trustee of the Public Theater in New York City among other civic involvements. He is a graduate of Harvard College and holds an MBA from UCLA.

Christine Kwak is a founding Principal and President of Aris Real Estate Ventures (ARIS), KL Realty (KLR), and American Opportunity Zone Advisors (AOZA). Ms. Kwak is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the companies’ activities, including fund investments, investment management, and strategic planning. Ms. Kwak leads sourcing, underwriting and executing on the investments, as well as managing the on-going liquidity, profitability, and capital structure of its investments. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, Ms. Kwak has worked with multi-property types with specialization in multifamily, office and industrial. Her experience has ranged from acquisition and debt originations of more than $4.0 billion of acquisition and disposition transactions
and $2.0 billion of financings. Prior to co-founding ARIS and KLR with Dr. Peter Linneman, Ms. Kwak was a Managing Director of the Shorenstein Company in San Francisco responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and closing capital transactions in the Western United States. Prior to Shorenstein, Ms. Kwak was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in New York in the Investment Banking Group, an Associate with Boston Financial, and a Senior Consultant with Ernst & Young/Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Practice leading teams on due diligence and restructuring of non-performing real estate for the RTC and various banks and insurance companies.

Ms. Kwak graduated from University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in Architecture and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Kwak serves as a full member of the Urban Land Institute (IOPC council member since 2006), prior board member of NAIOP (San Francisco chapter) and prior advisory member of the California Alumni Association Finance Committee at UC Berkeley.

Dominic Ramos-Ruiz is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Community Development and Impact Investing team. On this team, Dominic has been focused on identifying and scaling market-based solutions to systemic challenges faced by low-and-moderate-income communities. Prior to joining the New York Fed, Dominic was the Director of Healthy Buildings at GreenGen, a global sustainability consultancy, and a Senior Policy Advisor to the International WELL Building Institute (IWB), a public-benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health through building technology and design. Before GreenGen and IWBI, Dominic worked in real estate development for Weitzman Associates and Lane4 Property Group, and earlier, as a fellow for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dominic is a graduate of Kansas State University, where he earned a master’s degree in regional and community planning. He serves as Vice Chair of the Urban Land Institute’s National Public-Private Partnerships Council and as Executive Co-Chair of ULI New York’s Young Leaders Group.

He’s a member of the Public Theater’s Young Partner Board and the MoMA Contemporary Arts Council, as well as ACE Mentor through which he mentors high school students interested in architecture, construction, and engineering. Dominic was recognized by Crain's New York Business in July 2020 as a Rising Star in Real Estate.

Eric Samay is a retired sales management executive turned angel investor and mentor. During his sales career in data-driven marketing, Eric helped transform early-stage companies into attractive acquisition targets for the likes of Oracle, Sallie Mae and Kroger. He has deep vertical expertise in consumer packaged goods, technology, telecommunications, media and entertainment, and an ease at navigating both start-up and Fortune 500 organizations.

Eric is also an accomplished real estate investor and portfolio manager, and has brought this "side hustle" into the forefront since his corporate retirement in 2019.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

October News

MONTHLY CHANCE MEETINGS 

October 4, 2021,  5 - 6 pm via Zoom

Please register below for Zoom link

Sometimes all you need is the right connection and a little inspiration. Well, what are you waiting for? Find both at our free monthly virtual networking event. You never know...

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

Theme: Best Legal Practices for Start-Ups

Founders are visionary big-picture thinkers with a passion or dream to pursue. Establishing the necessary legal framework for their business is often overlooked or delayed to the detriment of the company. When launching a start-up, it's essential to get the legal framework right from the start. Entrepreneurs need to ensure that their product or service is protected, that they are operating with the correct structure, and that the needed contracts and licenses are in place.

Join us and a panel of experts on Monday, October 4th from 5-6 pm for an in-depth discussion on best legal practices for start-ups. We'll cover laws around company structure, investment, intellectual property, and taxation. 

Panelists include attorneys Matt Confer, Bill Ewing, and Jim O'Brien. 

Matt Confer serves as CEO and General Counsel to a single-family office based in Jackson, Wyoming while continuing to represent a few legacy investment funds. Previously, Matt founded RPK3 Law to serve as legal counsel for clients in all corporate areas from inception to exit as well as advising lenders and investors in due diligence, transactional structuring, documenting, negotiating and closing of secured debt and equity financing transactions.

Prior to founding RPK3 Law, Matt was an attorney at the Jackson, Wyoming office of Long Reimer Winegar LLP (LRW LLP) focusing on corporate transactions and estate planning. Prior to joining LRW LLP, Matt worked in senior finance roles for emerging technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area where he specialized in long-term financial planning raising significant amounts of debt and equity.

In addition to his role as attorney, Matt is the founder of WyomingWINs, an intrastate equity crowdfunding portal and serves as a director of over 20 corporations located throughout the United States primarily in the commercial real estate development and management and quick service restaurant industries.

Bill Ewing, Partner at Burns and Thorburg, LLP, advises and represents clients in a wide range of transactions with a particular focus on the energy industry. With over 25 years of experience, Bill understands the art of the deal and knows what it takes to close important transactions successfully in the most tax-advantageous manner — all while maximizing his client’s opportunity for success. 

Co-chair of the firm’s Renewable Energy group, Bill represents clients in the energy industry in a variety of transactions, including partnership investments, sale/leaseback transactions, financings, acquisitions and sales of energy related assets. He also has a broad range of tax credit experience involving production and investment tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and other energy-related projects, as well as in new markets and affordable housing tax credit transactions. 

With significant knowledge of corporate, partnership, international and leasing transactions, Bill’s experience includes mergers, acquisitions and dispositions of business enterprises, spin-offs, complex partnership investments, and structuring for a number of U.S. inbound and outbound transactions. He also assists clients with tax audits and controversies. 

James Patrick O'Brien is a partner resident in the Chicago office of Baker McKenzie, and chairs the firm's Global Projects Practice Group, which consists of over 250 lawyers who work on large energy, mining and infrastructure projects and financings.

Mr. O'Brien serves as counsel in major project and infrastructure transactions such as renewable energy projects. On behalf of project sponsors, investors and lenders, Mr. O'Brien has led the counsel team moving complex projects through development, financial closing and operation.

From 2007 to 2012, Mr. O'Brien served as General Counsel of Oncor Electric, the largest transmission and distribution utility in Texas, with over 3.5 million customers. During his time as General Counsel, the utility deployed the largest automated meter program in the United States, with over $600 million of investment.

REGISTER FOR CHANCE MEETINGS

NEWS AND NOTES

SEPTEMBER VISIONARY VENTURES: COACHES ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS

"The Tetons region is filled with people willing to risk it all in the arena," explains author Gary Trauner. "But they cannot do it alone. Finding and cultivating mentors or coaches — not usually something entrepreneurs put at the top of their list — can be the difference between failure and the “triumph of high achievement.”

Read more about the importance of coaching and mentoring and learn about how Silicon Couloir can help with both our Pitch Day and TEAMS programs.

READ THE COLUMN HERE

GIVE'R IS HIRING! 

Give'r, one of our star ecosystem companies, is hiring! Looking for an awesome job where you have fun at work and have the flexibility to keep the fun going outside of work?! Give'r is looking for eager, driven people to add to the magic in both our Production and Fulfillment Zones. Part-Time and Full-Time opportunities are available, with extra incentive for people who can keep the engine humming during nights and weekends. We want to work with you to create a flexible schedule so you can work hard and play hard! More info and applications on the Give'r Careers Page.

VERTICAL HARVEST PARTNERS WITH AVANT DELIVERY

Vertical Harvest Farms has partnered with Avant Delivery to bring you their 6-week Fall Farm Share 2021 with 100% reusable packaging.

Order online by October 1st and it will sell out fast! Farm Share runs October 8 - November 12th.

ORDER FARM SHARE

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE WY GLOBAL
TECH SUMMIT

Wyoming Global Tech Summit will be held on October 7th in Jackson, WY at the Arts Center. The Wyoming Global Technology Summit is hosted by the Jackson Hole Technology Partnership. The purpose of the JHTP is to identify cutting-edge technologies relevant to rural populations and accelerate their accessibility to promote quality of life and job creation locally, regionally, and globally. The 2020 Summit featured government leaders, high-tech entrepreneurs, financiers, and futurists on the topics of angel investing, agriculture technology, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, economic empowerment, quantum computing, venture capital, and digital healthcare technology. This event helps energize solutions to old challenges by leveraging new technologies to produce quantifiable outcomes for rural populations. The 8th annual event will expand upon the conversations ignited over the last several years and will not disappoint. Updated speaker information will be posted to this event and on the Jackson Hole Technology Partnership website.

REGISTER HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS
TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

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Jackson gender-neutral clothing line to launch first collection

By Carlyann Edwards

Bentley Wederski is using his childhood trauma as fuel to ignite cultural change. Wederski faced constant bullying for dressing in neon colors when he was growing up in Wyoming.

Fast-forward a decade, the 24-year-old fashion designer created Utilitarian, a gender-neutral clothing brand with the mission to lay the bricks for a more equitable path for all genders. The inaugural line is expected to launch in mid-October.

Gender-neutral fashion isn’t a new concept, but it has rapidly grown over the last few years. According to a study conducted by the Innovation Group, 78% of Gen Z consumers agree that gender is not as important as an identity marker as it once used to be.

“There’s so much inequity,” Wederski said. “Men can only wear this. Women can only wear that.

“If you take those basic roles away and we just starting wearing what we want to wear, I think these gaps can be bridged and societal wounds can be mended,” he said. “I truly believe that can happen.”

Fall 2021 line to be released

All products are designed by Wederski, with pieces ranging from boots and sneakers to cross-body bags and matching leather pant and shirt sets. He’s been independently running the LLC since October 2020 and has been working on the startup full-time since May. The brand’s price point is described as “accessible luxury,” which means a pair of boots cost anywhere from $380 to $580.

Wederski describes the style of his wear as “modern construction with minimal design.” The brand aims to offer a collection of timeless clothing and accessories that embrace the intersection of gender inclusion and equity. While the fall 2021 launch will take place online, Wederski hopes to open a pop-up shop and eventually a brick-and-mortar store, either in Jackson or New York.

The line focuses on footwear in particular, where there aren’t many options for consumers. Wederski claims that Utilitarian likely offers the biggest selection of gender-neutral footwear of any brand.

Although Wederski is Utilitarian’s only full-time employee, he attributes much of his success thus far to consultants, mentors and incubation programs. Locally he benefited from Wyoming’s Small Business Development Center and Silicon Couloir, Jackson’s entrepreneurial hub.

Wederski was one of six entrepreneurs out of nearly 30 applicants selected to participate in Pitch Day, which took place last week. Even though he didn’t win the competition, he said mentorship that Silicon Couloir provided has been vital in his business planning and development. Wederski described coaching sessions with former CFOs and marketing experts who live here.

“There is an insane amount of knowledge and experience present,” he said. “If you’re part of the Silicon Couloir community, you pretty much get access to all of that.”

The Utilitarian designer

At a young age Wederski knew that fashion was a crucial part of his identity. He remembers being bullied for wearing bright, colorful pants in seventh grade at Riverton Middle School and was even advised by the superintendent to stop wearing them.

“I got the s--t bullied out of me,” he said. “I was given the labels girly, fruity, flamboyant, faggot. You name it, I got it.”

Wederski spent most his childhood wanting to leave Wyoming and move to a big city. In 2016 he was accepted to study fashion business management at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, which was recently ranked as the top college for fashion-related degrees by CEOWORLD magazine.

Before founding Utilitarian he worked at fashion brands The Row and Anthropologie, which inspired some of the concepts used in his designs. Up until May he worked at apparel retailer Nest in Wilson a community that he attributes as one of his primary support systems in the area.

A shift toward genderless fashion

The fashion industry is quickly embracing gender neutrality, which has exploded over the past few years. The same Innovation Group Study found 56% of Gen Z respondents know someone personally who uses gender-neutral pronouns and 56% also said they already shop for clothing outside of their gender.

Outside of clothing, California could soon force large department stores to display some child products in gender-neutral ways after its state legislature passed a bill earlier this month aimed at getting rid of traditional pink and blue marketing schemes for items like toys and toothbrushes.

Wederski has experienced his own personal frustrations while shopping: “I was forced to choose between men’s and women’s sections. You’re confined to the merchandise mix and the size range that the retailer deems appropriate for your gender,” he said. “Fashion plays a big part because it is a direct mirror to the culture and the age that we’re in.”

Future of the brand

Wederski hopes Utilitarian will become one of the largest gender-neutral apparel brands in the market and one of the largest retailers in the fashion industry. He’d like to spotlight minorities in Wyoming through his business, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community and eventually establish a foundation to support youth interested in the arts in rural areas.

“My goal is that one day we can get to a place where young boys in Riverton, Wyoming, who want to wear colorful pants can do so without having to fear the labels, scrutiny or bullying,” he said.

Coaches are essential to success in the startup world

September Visionary Ventures: Coaches are essential to success in the startup world

By Gary Trauner

As I write this, six finalists are hard at work preparing for Silicon Couloir’s Pitch Day, and an integral part of their preparation has been intensely focused coaching sessions.

Most people think of entrepreneurship — starting and running one’s own business or venture — through a somewhat romanticized lens. Yes, intellectually they may know it takes long hours and hard work, but it seems the Hollywood view is of employees shooting Nerf hoops from a beanbag chair while somehow magically growing a business that makes millions.

The truth is much different than most who’ve never been entrepreneurs will ever know.

Entrepreneurship is not just hard work, long hours and daily stress over everything from finances to staffing to operations. It also tends to be an incredibly lonely undertaking by those willing to risk it all for their vision.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena ... who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Those words, while delivered by Roosevelt in the context of “Citizenship in a Republic,” apply just as well to entrepreneurship. Striving against odds to succeed, all while usually toiling in relative anonymity and bearing the burden mostly alone.

A quick parallel story: I’ve been both an entrepreneur (with success and failure — welcome to that world) and I’ve run for elected office at the federal level (sadly, at least for me, unsuccessfully).

In my first political campaign I ended up wide awake in bed at 3 in the morning on election night, behind by a mere few hundred votes out of several hundred thousand. With my spouse sleeping beside me I spent time on the phone with campaign staff, D.C. lawyers and D.C .officials working to figure out what we should do next. As I listened in — mostly silent — a realization suddenly hit me: The true burden of that campaign was on me alone as the candidate. Not my family or friends or staff. Winning or losing was mine to own, and, as I now advise future candidates, make sure when you’re sitting in bed on election night you’ve run the race you want to run and done the things you want to do. No regrets.

My experience in entrepreneurship, while not quite so dramatic, follows a similar theme. When all is said and done, it is the entrepreneur on whom the burden of

success or failure rests. Not staff or vendors or consultants or board members. Difficult decisions fall on the entrepreneur: when and how to raise money, how to grow, who to hire, when to cut back or lay people off (if necessary). The entrepreneur must live with his or her decisions in perpetuity.

And that’s where mentoring and coaching come into play. Successful entrepreneurs almost universally find someone or several people who help guide them along their journey.

The best and most effective coaches, or mentors, generally have several traits in common: (1) As expected, they likely had prior success in business or in starting a venture; (2) they have a desire to help others follow their path to success and are not looking for compensation or public visibility; and (3) the truly good mentors take the time to understand their mentee’s values, business model and ultimate goals before providing relevant advice and guidance.

Mentorship can take many forms. Silicon Couloir has followed a successful model in which each entrepreneur in the TEAMS program is assigned three mentor.” Regular meetings are scheduled to discuss ongoing and new issues encountered by the entrepreneur. Critical in this model is that while the mentors make suggestions and problem- solve with the entrepreneur, it’s the entrepreneur who must do the work. Another key aspect of Silicon Couloir’s mentoring model is what I’ll call the “next go-round” concept. Unfortunately, most startups don’t succeed. So while mentors focus on coaching for the immediate venture, they are also working to impart expertise and experience to better prepare the entrepreneur for future efforts should the current one fail. Entrepreneurship is a unique undertaking, and TEAMS aims to increase the odds of success, both now and in the future.

The Tetons region is filled with people willing to risk it all in the arena. But they cannot do it alone. Finding and cultivating mentors or coaches — not usually something entrepreneurs put at the top of their list — can be the difference between failure and the “triumph of high achievement.” Gary Trauner is the executive director of Silicon Couloir. Visionary Ventures runs once per month. Contact him at gary@siliconcouloir.com.

PITCH DAY IS NEXT WEEK—REGISTER NOW!

PITCH DAY IS NEXT WEEK—REGISTER NOW! 

Tuesday, September 14th, 2021,  5 - 8 pm  MST

Don't miss Silicon Couloir’s 10th Annual Pitch Day, our signature event of the year. “Shark Tank, Teton style,” Pitch Day features local entrepreneurs showcasing their businesses. Cash prizes will be awarded in a number of categories. Pitch Day will be held at the Center for the Arts on Tuesday, September 14th from 5 - 8 pm MDT. 

The safety and health of our community are our highest priority. Therefore, due to the recent surge in Covid cases, we have limited in-person attendance, which is now closed. We do hope you will attend virtually. A livestream link will be sent to all following submission of the registration form linked from the button below.
 
Pitch Day stars a select group of innovative and creative companies developing in the Teton region. This event supports local entrepreneurs by allowing them to hone their pitch and share their business to a wide audience.  

Presenting entrepreneurs have had several coaching sessions with a team of successful and experienced business experts leading up to the main event. Coaching is a critical feature of the program, as it helps entrepreneurs hone their delivery and synthesize the information that is most likely to interest the audience.  

Pitch Day is a celebration of the highly successful entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Teton region. We hope to inspire audience members and others in our community to dream up or begin their own entrepreneurial journey.
 

DETAILS & REGISTRATION

Scott Fitzgerald pitched for Buddy Pegs Media in 2019.

HELP SUPPORT A HEALTHY ECONOMY THROUGH
OLD BILL'S FUN RUN

Silicon Couloir offers a wide range of cost-free programs from founding to funding for our dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem. Please help us continue our work and leverage your gift with a match by donating through Old Bill's. The giving period is now open until 5 pm on Friday, September 17th.

GIVE NOW

VISIONARY VENTURES

The August edition of Visionary Ventures, our monthly News & Guide column, explores the challenges of owning a business that relies on local workers in our current housing crisis through the experience of Jeff Rice, former owner of Jackson Whole Grocer.

Notes author Will Stabler, "(Rice) urges local leaders to dream bigger and make more bold and ambitious initiatives, even if they may be unpopular with some constituents. He would like to encourage approval of more housing projects even if they don’t fit neatly into the Comprehensive Plan."

READ THE FULL COLUMN HERE

WELCOME TO NEW TRUSTEES

Silicon Couloir Trustees are a bold group of thinkers and doers who provide support for our mission. Please help us welcome new Trustees Mark Ladd and Dave Anderson. We're grateful for their generous gift to our entrepreneurial community.

Mark J. Ladd has over 25 years of experience leading design and technical innovation for large multi-national architectural/engineering/ construction/ real estate and emerging services companies. Mark is an investor, entrepreneur, and a seasoned professional adept at developing sophisticated solutions for the virtual and built environments with a proficiency in merging disparate technologies and personnel into team and customer service-centered business units. 

Mark is the Managing Director of Malex Enterprises which is focused on early-stage ventures, real estate investment, and equities portfolio. In addition, Mark is a Venture Partner at New Stack Ventures involved in deal flow, assessing new opportunities, and working with portfolio companies in their technical and marketing roadmaps. Mark is also a Board Member/ Shareholder of Artory, a blockchain based registry that tracks provenance for art and collectibles. Mark is also a mentor to aspiring real estate and construction technology start-ups at Moderne Ventures and previously at Elmspring Accelerator.

Mark was also the Founder/ CEO of LyteShot, the first immersive augmented reality (AR) gaming platform that leverages the cloud, connected mobile and IoT devices and AR smartglasses for unique interactive gaming experiences anywhere.

Mark received his Master’s in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with a concentration in Digital Media where he received multiple awards for his design portfolio projects. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Medieval History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dave Anderson is a lifelong resident of the Tetons Region. Recently retired as a practicing ophthalmologist in Idaho Falls after 37 years, Dave enjoys all the adventure that the region has to offer: from ski racing on Rendezvous Mountain before the Tram was built to hiking in the Tetons. Dave’s goal is to provide the space, training, and support for consumers to transform into entrepreneurs.

NOSO PATCHES IS HIRING! 

Noso Patches is hiring a Director of Operations. Put your talent to work for a remarkable company that makes environmental and social change through extending the life of clothing by using next-generation hi-tech do-it-yourself patches.

JOB DESCRIPTION HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT SILICON COULOIR

HAVE NEWS TO SHARE?

As always, please feel free to send news of your company's press, events, successes, and milestones to Gary@siliconcouloir.com and we'll do our best to feature them in our newsletters!

ARE YOU A COMMUNITY CARETAKER?

Silicon Couloir strengthens our Teton regional community by empowering the entrepreneurial ecosystem. More than just business development, we believe in enriching our community character and enhancing our mountain town culture. Help us support business pioneers in the Tetons by becoming a community caretaker!

To offer your time or talent, please email us at Gary@siliconcouloir.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR SILICON COULOIR SPONSORS

Jeff Rice an advocate for workers

August Visionary Ventures: Jeff Rice an advocate for workers

By Will Stabler

One day in 2010, Jeff Rice, owner of Jackson Whole Grocer, realized that the Rocky Mountain regional president of Whole Foods Market, along with several others from his management team, were sitting at his store’s juice bar in the Powderhorn Plaza. Whole Foods was scouting the Jackson market and it became clear over the coming couple of years that Whole Foods wanted to be in Jackson.

Shortly afterward they made an offer to buy the store and Jeff turned them down. Many years later in 2019, when Kmart announced it was closing and Lucky’s Market had recently pulled out of the market, Jeff was faced with the prospect that another grocer could enter using either of those spaces. What was the fate of the old Kmart and Lucky’s spaces — would a Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or other national or specialty grocer appear? Jeff had already navigated through Lucky’s entry into the Jackson market and there was a rumor that Smith’s was eyeing the Kmart space for a second store. Another player was something Jeff kept a watchful eye on.

Jeff was comfortable dealing with such a prospect. In fact, Jeff thought he would run Whole Grocer for decades until only recently; “I’d have been happy to run this business for another decade or more,” he said recently via video call.

An entrepreneur most of his adult life, Jeff had been involved in various start-ups including a locally based pharmacy benefits management company in the mid-1990s and a regional internet service provider in the late ’90s. Back in the early ’90s, during Jeff’s first few years in Jackson, he sold lift tickets at Jackson Hole Ski Corp and was in sales for Sysco Intermountain. Tragedy struck his young family in 2005 when he abruptly and unexpectedly lost his wife, Wendy, to a heart arrhythmia disease. He was a single parent of two baby boys for five years thereafter. He then married his current wife, Darcy, reengaged his career life and acquired Whole Grocer from the Arndt family. Jeff and Darcy were drawn to a local community-oriented business and had a love of natural food.

Eleven years later Jeff is proud of what he accomplished at Jackson Whole Grocer. In the face of Whole Foods’ offer to buy the business in 2012, he and his team doubled down by relocating and expanding the store. In 2014 it moved to the current location of Whole Foods and was expanded from 14,000 square feet at the old location to 40,000 square feet at its current location.

More important to Jeff were Whole Grocer’s contributions to the community. Jackson Whole Grocer fostered philanthropic partnerships with organizations like Systems of Care, an affinity group of 35 local health and human services organizations. Further, Whole Grocer contributed many tons of food to Hole Food Rescue and supported organizations like Slow Food in the Tetons.

Jeff commented that “pursuing the company’s mission of creating and sharing the JWG experience…was the really good stuff that came from my time at JWG. It was always a joy to see the community come together through food. It was a pleasure to watch the community in the aisles chatting, or customers engaging with employees while finding something or as they tried a sample of something new.”

The team — 140 strong when the sale finalized in February — is what Jeff holds most dear from his years at the helm of Whole Grocer.

“Our team truly made the magic happen and I will always be grateful for each of them and cherish our chapters spent together,” he said.

In recent years Jeff watched with great concern as stress and anxiety grew among his team at all levels of the company.

“While labor challenges across the country are certainly a current trend, the lack and cost of housing here is at the foundation of the systemic stress and anxiety in our community,” Jeff said. “There are a lot of people suffering as they try to make it here.”

From a business perspective, such dynamics are creating an increasingly unsustainable environment. Housing shortages lead to higher labor costs. While Jeff feels employees in Jackson need and deserve higher wages, high labor costs, even despite high sales volumes, don’t blend well with a business in the low-margin grocery industry. Jeff said that “a tipping point was realized when even higher paying leadership and management positions — directors of accounting, HR, IT, and marketing — were being affected by housing issues.”

Long before the business was sold, Whole Grocer’s accounting and HR offices had gone dark and such operations were outsourced. Such folks are finding it difficult to make it in Jackson. That in turn is resulting in a material shortage of qualified professionals.

The situation was “compromising fundamental operations within the company,” so when the Whole Foods opportunity came along Jeff made the decision to take it. But first he explored any alternative available to keep the business locally owned. He did deep dives into the possibilities of an employee-owned company and opportunities to sell locally. Despite spending substantial time, effort and money on these options they did not prove viable. So after ensuring all qualified team members would be offered job opportunities after the transition, Jeff concluded that the best alternative was to sell Jackson Whole Grocer to Whole Foods Market.

Jeff is contemplative now. As a 30-year community member and businessman, he’s troubled by current dynamics in Jackson. He points to the sale of Whole Grocer, the closing of The Bootlegger, the recent announcement of Jackson Cycle and Saw closing, and many businesses cutting back their operating hours, etc., as foreshadowing: “Unfortunately, in the coming years we’re going to see more of this — business owners and the workforce can’t run full-tilt and carry the shortfalls on a sustained basis.”

He urges local leaders to dream bigger and make more bold and ambitious initiatives, even if they may be unpopular with some constituents. He would like to encourage approval of more housing projects even if they don’t fit neatly into the Comprehensive Plan.

“Let’s not let perfect get in the way of good. There is a healthy balance that can be struck here ... as an avid outdoorsman, skier, fisherman and climber, I’m all for conserving and keeping this place beautiful and healthy, but we’ve got to put people first.”

Silicon Couloir supports entrepreneurs in the hope they can create something like Jeff did: one of the biggest employers in Teton County, driven by strong core values and with many year-round, well-paying jobs.

If we are at a point that both front-line employees and higher-paid leaders and management-level folks cannot make it here, who is going to be left and what’s the point?

Again, Jeff urges local leadership to take big, bold, decisive action that will advance progressive development regulations, housing proposals, alternative tax measures, transportation initiatives, etc. — all of which are aimed at bettering the lives of the people that make up the fabric of the community.

I, for one, agree with him.

“There are a lot of people suffering as they try to make it here.” — Jeff Rice former whole grocer owner

Visionary Ventures prints once a month. Will Stabler is operations manager for Silicon Couloir. Reach him at will@siliconcouloir.com.