Sweetwater County Startups Win Seed Funding in Final UW IMPACT 307 Competition

Local programming from the University of Wyoming's IMPACT 307 for Sweetwater County, including the Sweetwater County Start-Up Challenge and annual business bootcamps, ended July 31 due to the expiration of a federal Economic Development Administration grant. However, the local programming concluded with a strong finish.

Recently, the 2024 Sweetwater County Seed Fund Round was held, with winners from the 2023 Sweetwater County Start-Up Challenge and the 2022 Sweetwater County Innovation Launchpad invited to compete for additional seed funding in the new competition.

Rick Lee, of the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce, and Chad Banks, of the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, did fundraising. The program, including Lean Launchpad business counseling for finalists, was run by Monica Patten, of IMPACT 307.

The winners are:

-- First place went to High Desert Technology LLC. Founded by Cody and Brittany Gray, it is a startup technology company specializing in safety and reliability for the recreational and automotive industry.

-- Second place went to Wyoming Apparatus, founded by Justin Hood in 2020 as an avenue for small fire departments to maintain older equipment. Learn more at www.wyomingapparatus.com.

-- Third place went to Meridical Health Solutions. It was founded by Amanda Finch, who is a board-certified holistic health care practitioner and certified functional nutrition counselor, certified personal trainer and functional nutrition specialist. For more information, click here.

Other companies that competed in the Sweetwater County Seed Fund Round included:

-- Black Gold Jelly Co., founded by Jenefer Tynsky, uses locally sourced fruits and vegetables to create healthy, delicious syrups and sauces.

-- GM Valley Processing, started by Glen and Mindy Reddon, is a custom meats processing facility in Farson. Born and raised in Wyoming, the couple strive to close the gap in their area for domestic meat processing.

-- Mr. Joe's Hot Sauce, founded by Jean Joseph, provides a Caribbean-style hot sauce that brings a balance of heat and flavor.

-- Wild Sage Market is increasing access to locally produced foods and other healthy products by opening a community-owned grocery store. Founders include Laurie Carollo, James Chavez, Stacey Dolinar, Megan McComas, Chelsie Naylor, Pete Rust, Aaron Slaton and Nick Walrath.

Local donations for this year's competition, totaling more than $24,000, were provided by RSNB Bank, Dominion Energy, Industrial Services Inc., State Bank, Simplot, William H. Smith and Associates, Commerce Bank, All West Communications, First Bank, GRoWYO and Copier & Supply Co. Additionally, the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency collected community donations for the seed fund at these locations: Mack & Co., Wyoming Freight Co., Red White Buffalo, Daily Knead, Coal Train Coffee Depot and Sidekicks Book-Bar.

Judges for the 2024 Sweetwater County Seed Fund Round were Ryan Brandt, branch manager of State Bank; Ozzie Hay, vice president of RSNB Bank; Jeff Killpack, branch manager of First Bank of Wyoming; Lee; and Taylor Siemers, loan officer with State Bank.

The startup challenges and business bootcamps could not have been such a success over the past three years without the efforts of many dedicated volunteers and sponsors, according to organizers.

Community partners were recognized by IMPACT 307 earlier this year for their efforts throughout the program since its inception in 2022:

-- Start-Up Community Minded Small Business of the Year: Daily Knead and Red White Buffalo.

-- Start-Up Community Minded Bank of the Year: State Bank and RSNB Bank.

-- Start-Up Community Minded Corporation of the Year: Dominion Energy and Simplot.

-- Start-Up Community Minded Small to Medium Enterprise of the Year: Industrial Services Inc.

-- Start-Up Community Minded Educator of the Year: Melissa Atkinson, from Green River High School.

-- Start-Up Community Minded Partners of the Year: Banks and Lee.

To view recordings of the past competitions, go to the "Erik Hamm" YouTube channel to see the "Video Pro of Wyoming" recordings. The 2022 Sweetwater County Innovation Launchpad and the 2023 Sweetwater County Start-Up Challenge are both available for viewing.

For more information about IMPACT 307's programming in Sweetwater County, call Patten at (307) 466-3963.