Powell Mayor John Wetzel was selected to be the new business counselor for 307 IMPACT as the organization expands its operations into the Big Horn Basin.
IMPACT 307 conducts a number of challenge programs to help startups in Wyoming get off the ground. According to its website, IMPACT 307 has assisted in the launch of 173 companies across its three incubators in Sheridan, Casper, and Cheyenne.
“I think it’s an incredible program,” Wetzel said, adding that In the coming weeks, he’ll be looking at what the program has done in other counties and determining how it will best work in this area.
Wetzel spent a large portion of his career as the general manager of the Buyer’s Guide, a weekly advertising circular that recently shut down operations. Besides serving as mayor, Wetzel has held various leadership roles in Park County. All that combined
experience, Wetzel said, is why he pursued the position.
“It seemed like the perfect fit,” Wetzel said.
In his new role as business counselor, he will be providing business advisory services to innovative, growth-oriented entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses in the Park County and Big Horn Basin areas of Wyoming. He will also help launch a startup business plan pitch competition, which is scheduled to begin in 2023. It will offer seed capital to winning entrepreneurs.
IMPACT 307 is a unit of the University of Wyoming’s Office of Research and Economic Development. The organization bills itself as having a leading role in the development of the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. It helps to foster economic diversification and additional career opportunities for Wyoming residents.
Wetzel’s first day was Monday.