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WTBC History
The not-for-profit incubator is located in Laramie, existing as a part of the University of Wyoming. This key partnership seeks to keep college graduates in the area by creating new high tech opportunities in the Laramie area. Other important affiliates are the Wyoming Business Council, the City of Laramie, and the Laramie Economic Development Corporation.
In 1996 the idea of the WTBC to the University Of Wyoming Board Of Trustees. After this initial meeting the approval was given to do a feasibility study. During this study the University of Wyoming Research and Technology Center went and visited other tech centers and seen the need to build an incubator in the state of Wyoming. For an initial assessment of the project, the Laramie Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) secured a $25,000 grant in 1997, and the assessment was successfully completed the following year.
In 1998 an alliance was formed with the University of Wyoming and the Laramie Economic Development Center. Both of these organizations fully support the conception of the WTBC and recommended to form a not-for-profit organization. After further research in 2000 the University of Wyoming gave the authority to establish the WTBC. Later in 2000 the Trustees approved the use of the land, and University of Wyoming, the City of Laramie, and the LEDC form a 501 (c)(3). During this year the Wyoming Business Council teamed up to helps raise the funds to start the first phase of the project and contributed $1.6 million to the WTBC building.
2001 WTBC Board of Directors
In 2001 Governor Geringer in his State of the State speech, fully supported construction of an incubator in Laramie. During the 2001 fiscal year the state Legislative General Session recommended a supplemental budget authorizing $250k to fund a Level II feasibility study to construct a business incubator and appointed a legislative interim committee. After this the Board of Directors was formed for the WTBC, and the planning team was formed.
In early 2002 Governor Geringer proposed funding construction of the WTBC with state funds to be matched. That year the legislature considers the request, but did not fund project. However, the legislature considered and funded the WTBC with $5.3 million. The WTBC needed to still raise another $3.2 million by 2005 for the WTBC project. During 2004 two grants were written to the HUD and the EDA. This Federal funding was essential. With the assistance from late U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, Senator Mike Enzi, and Rep. Barbara Cubin, UW secured seed funding from the federal government, through a $1 million appropriation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a $1.6 million competitive grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority.
The project funding requirements were fully achieved with a key $1.6 million private donation from UW alumni and Casper philanthropists Mick and Susie McMurry. Nearly nine years of hard work and planning from UW Vice President of Research and Development, Bill Gern; former UW President, Phillip DuBois; and former Wyoming Governor, Jim Geringer the WTBC came to a realization. On July 21, 2005 the construction on the WTBC began.
The project culminated when the building opened in August 2006 and was formally dedicated in October 2006.
Currently, the WTBC houses ten technology-related businesses. The 30,000 square-foot building features office, laboratory, and manufacturing space, along with a state-of-the-art data center to meet the needs of the high-tech business sector.
