JAN
LCCC’s Business Studio helps state to meet economic challenges
Alexis Garrett, owner of Cheyenne-based company Alexis Drake, a boutique leather handbag and accessories store, knows starting a business is hard.
“As far as the support from the community and our friends in the business community, they’ve cheered me on, which has been very, very kind, because business is hard, and just learning how to navigate the challenges you face and how to deal with them on an ongoing basis — there’s never not a challenge,” Alexis said.
Through a decade of developing her small business, Alexis has learned the value of mentorship, guidance and support. For her, the launch of the Business Studio @ Laramie County Community College could be a pivotal moment for the region’s economy.
With its opening in January, the Business Studio @ LCCC offers personalized support
and resources to help entrepreneurs and small business owners in Laramie and Albany
counties launch and grow their ventures. Located on LCCC’s Cheyenne campus, the studio
provides tailored services, mentorship and access to advanced equipment for product
development, testing and prototyping through partnerships with the Concept Forge, LCCC’s high-level makerspace, and the Advanced Manufacturing & Material Center.
“Our team will provide people with connections to customized support and resources, along with access to highly advanced equipment that can be used for prototyping, marketing and development,” said Tonya Hacker, Outreach and Workforce Development dean. “We’re here to support people every step of the way — from their first spark of an idea to launching their business and continuing to grow and thrive.”
Entrepreneurs often have great ideas, but turning those ideas into reality comes with its challenges. With the right guidance and support to navigate the uncertainties of starting and growing a business, Alexis said the Business Studio has the potential to make a transformative difference for ambitious go-getters in Southeast Wyoming.
“The hardest part about being a business owner is knowing who to turn to for advice or answers to your questions,” she said. “The idea of actually talking to somebody, being connected with someone and having that follow-up — that’s huge.”
Strengthening Wyoming’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by addressing challenges faced by small businesses and startups is a priority for the college, said LCCC President Dr. Joe Schaffer. The college’s Business Studio, he said, offers structured support and resources to drive long-term success.
“We believe strongly that our state benefits from growing and adding jobs, especially through business recruitment and expansion,” Joe said. “One of the cornerstones of what we do at the college is preparing people to take jobs that contribute to businesses and support their own social mobility. But we also need to start shifting our focus — it’s not just about creating job seekers; it’s about creating job creators.”
The Business Studio @ LCCC is part of a broader effort to reshape Wyoming’s economic landscape through innovation and collaboration. At the heart of this push is the Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP), an initiative that brings together higher education institutions, industries and workforce programs across the state. By fostering entrepreneurship and supporting small business development, WIP provides a framework for initiatives like the Business Studio to help local entrepreneurs turn ideas into realities, fueling economic growth and diversification.
“When looking at WIP, we collaborate with higher education, local industries and businesses, K-12 partners, and workforce development — I really think the Business Studio hits all of those marks,” said Lauren Schoenfeld, Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) executive director and senior policy advisor to Gov. Mark Gordon.
Entrepreneurship in Wyoming often begins with individuals who don’t even see themselves as entrepreneurs, yet they drive much of the state’s economy, Lauren said. The Business Studio’s broad approach, from supporting students to helping established business owners grow, reflects the vital role of innovation in diversifying Wyoming’s economy and creating opportunities to retain young talent. Lauren said she sees the initiative as a model for statewide collaboration, one that can fill gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthen partnerships across the state.
“I think it's really important that we diversify Wyoming so we’re not just relying on the core industries we’ve known for so long,” she said. “Introducing new ideas and business opportunities and giving people the tools they need to explore and run with them, can help us keep more young people in the state. We lose so many after they graduate or earn certificates and degrees, but this gives them more opportunities to stay, start businesses, make a great living and be part of our community.”
Alexis knows first-hand how working with collaborators at LCCC and across the business
landscape can make a transformative change for entrepreneurs. The Concept Forge team
helped Alexis refine her production process, creating tools that improved efficiency
and precision while enabling her business to solve critical manufacturing challenges.
This partnership not only optimized her operations but also inspired her to explore
and improve other processes. Spaces like the Concept Forge and AMMC, she said, foster
innovation by providing tools, support and expertise that might otherwise be out of
reach for small businesses, strengthening the local entrepreneurial ecosystem in the
process.
“The Concept Forge and AMMC broaden the parameters of what’s possible, opening doors to innovation we never imagined,” Alexis said. “As a business owner, you’re always solving challenges, and having access to tools and expertise like those at LCCC makes a world of difference.”
Petrina Peart, a private chef in Cheyenne operating under her LLC, Gaiya's Harvest, said her micro-business encountered its own hurdles in development, demonstrating that enterprises of all scales can benefit from support and guidance.
Like many entrepreneurs, Petrina took a passion from her private life — she loved cooking among friends during her time in the U.S. Air Force — and turned it into a business. The scale, however, left her outside the typical requirements for small business grants and loans. As part of the Business Studio’s advisory council. Petrina said she hopes to provide the kind of guidance to business owners that helped her navigate to success.
“Your business or idea doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s — it might seem crazy at first, but it can work with persistence,” she said. “One of the hardest parts of being a solo entrepreneur is feeling isolated, but having a place like the Business Studio can make all the difference.”
Whatever the scale of a business or its needs, collaborative opportunities offered through the Business Studio are designed to benefit not just entrepreneurs but also mentors, consultants and donors, said Lindsey Stutheit, LCCC’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation director. By connecting new or young businesses with individuals who have already navigated similar paths, the Business Studio strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem, ensuring long-term success for small businesses in Southeast Wyoming.
“One of the biggest indicators that a new business will be successful is whether or not they have a support group,” Lindsey said. “When we connect new or young businesses with individuals that have been down that path, their ability to navigate challenges and persist through difficult stages goes up exponentially. We are committed to utilizing this strategy to grow the businesses in Southeast Wyoming and increase their chances of being a long-term success.”
That success, Joe said, is deeply tied to Wyoming’s broader economic sustainability. Through WIP, he said Wyoming is aligning key institutions to help do that work. By fostering entrepreneurship and cultivating talent, WIP helps Wyoming build the workforce needed to drive local businesses and compete economically on a broader scale. The Business Studio, he hopes, will be a big part of that equation.
“We know we continue to be successful as a state, and really, any region that wants to compete economically is going to have to think about its talent, and we have to have people that can fill the needs for our companies in the future,” Joe said.
The Business Studio @ LCCC is seeking mentors, consultants, and donors to support the next generation of businesses. Whether you want to start a business, grow one or help others, you can visit the website at lccc.wy.edu/BusinessStudio or call 307-778-1142 . More information about the AMMC and Concept Forge is available at lccc.wy.edu/manufacturing. Go to wip.wyo.gov for more information about the Wyoming Innovation Partnership.