John Lee

Can you please share with us a little about your background and what inspired you to start your business in Wyoming?

I grew up in Dubois, WY and always knew I wanted to attend the University of Wyoming. After working hard throughout high school, I was fortunate enough to receive the John L. Kemmerer Jr. Scholarship and earned my degree in Marketing with a minor in Mathematics. From there, I pursued my master’s and enrolled in the MBA program with a focus on Energy Management. Along the way, I met my now business partner and we both knew we shared a passion for starting and growing a Wyoming business.

The journey began during our outdoor leadership program in the Winds. We were sitting in the mountains around 11,000 ft, reflecting on our future careers and decided to start journaling ideas for businesses we could start. Fast forward several months, we entered and placed in the John P. Ellbogen Entrepreneurship Competition and also won the Casper Startup Challenge. This helped us position ourselves to move to Casper in January 2018 and commit ourselves full time to starting our company, Disa Technologies.

What year did you graduate and what did you get your degree in?

I received my undergraduate degree in 2015 in Marketing with a minor in Mathematics. After that I received my MBA with an Energy Management focus in December 2016.

Why did you decide to get your MBA here after you completed your undergraduate degree at UW?

I love Wyoming and I love the University of Wyoming. With scholarship opportunities, the strong MBA program, and my passion to pursue a master’s degree, I knew the University of Wyoming was the right fit for me. I had several friends complete the program ahead of me and they spoke highly of the faculty and curriculum.

Tell me a bit about your experience attending the UW College of Business. What resources did you take advantage of?

The UW College of Business was an amazing experience. For one, it is where I met my wife. The campus and building are amazing, and I enjoyed getting to know several of my professors very well. There were countless resources I took advantage of. One was how friendly and open the professors were to meet outside of class. This created close relationships with several and they are now advisors to our startup company and helped us on the management level in the beginning when we first began. The Johnson Career Center was also a great resource. From resume review to job and interview prep, I found this service very beneficial.

The MBA program had countless experiences that were extremely valuable. In the program we had the opportunity to complete a weeklong outdoor leadership school, travel to Germany to study international business, and work with industry on a summer project to complete meaningful work on projects the business was able to use for high level decision making.

What opportunities do you take advantage of as an alum? How do you stay connected?

Fortunately, during my MBA, I earned a graduate assistantship position with the UW Alumni Association. Part of my time in this position I worked to setup the first MBA alumni annual reunion. This was rewarding as I was able to create a stronger MBA alumni network which hopefully will benefit future students and future alums. Furthermore, I was able to assist with the Cowboy-to-Cowboy connections, where the association connects current students with Alums in the field of their interest. I found this program to be extremely valuable as it gives students a real life look at their future career and allows them to seek perspectives from those similar to themselves with common goals.

I now stay connected by volunteering and supporting our local network in Casper, WY. I try to attend local events and connect with current and potential UW students any chance I get. Another rewarding experience has been employing UW interns and ultimately hiring UW graduates at our company.

What advice would you give to young professionals who are looking for jobs in Wyoming?

The Wyoming network and community is extremely strong. Whether you want to start your own company or find a traditional job, leverage the UW network and resources and the Wyoming community will be extremely welcoming. From my experience, Wyoming wants to give back- especially to UW graduates. I suggest researching the leadership at prospective companies and most likely someone will be a UW alum that you can connect with.

What does a day in your life at DISA look like?

We started Disa in January 2018 and it was just my business partner and myself. Eventually we hired our first employee and the three of us worked to grow Disa for several years. Now, 5 years later, we have eight full time employees and dozens of consultants/contractors, several of which are UW graduates. This year, we were fortunate to rent our first shop/offices and move the team together in one location.

We now have over 20 active commercial opportunities and a large treatability study with US EPA. As a startup, I wear many different hats and use countless skills I learned during my MBA and time at UW. In one day, I will do accounting, HR, investor relations, business development, and lead our staff. My MBA truly set me up to pursue this venture and leverage my network and skills from my studies.

What are some of your favorite things about Wyoming?

On a personal level, the sense of community. It is a great place to raise a family and my wife and I had our first child in September 2021. The people here are extremely friendly and supportive and always help any way they can. Also, I love the outdoors! My favorite hobby is snowmobiling so any weekend I have free I am in the mountains.

On a professional level, Wyoming is a very friendly state for business. From the University to the Wyoming Business Council, to the State Legislature, we have received tremendous support for our company. Also, Wyoming’s favorable tax laws are great for business.

Does your organization have a code of ethics or a set of guiding principles that it uses for decision-making – and if so, can you share it with us?

Our company follows the main principle of “leave it better than you found it” and we follow many principles from “The Code of the West”. A few I personally try to follow and encourage at Disa are –

• Take pride in your work.
• Always finish what you start.
• Be tough, but fair.
• When you make a promise, keep it.

There are two Daniels Fund Ethic Principles that directly relate to our company as well. First, the principle of Integrity. At Disa we believe we should always act with honesty in all situations. As members of the community, role models for Wyoming startups, and starting a new innovative and patented process, integrity is important to our team. Also, the principle of Viability. At Disa, we strive for our solutions to create long-term value for the industry and communities we are looking to better.

Our ethics class also adopted the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles as their classroom code of conduct and are working to integrate the principles into their classroom culture. Tell me a little about the culture of your organization and how you go about developing a culture of “doing the right thing”.

The culture of our organization is very transparent and honest. We are a small team and rely on each other 100% of the time. Much of our work is technical in nature and the results must be accurate. We trust each other to do the right thing and work our hardest to ensure success. I believe these principles are foundational to Wyoming as a whole and we work to represent Wyoming in all we do.

How do you encourage ethical behavior among your DISA staff?

We encourage ethical behavior by practicing ethical behavior as leaders. At Disa, we all hold each other accountable and have a very transparent working culture. If someone sees something wrong, we have policies in place to immediately stop work and fix the issue. We also encourage each other to hold each other to the highest standards of ethics and always do the right thing.

On those occasions when integrity issues do arise, how do you hold your employees accountable?

Fortunately, we have not had any serious issues. Typically, our employees are great at preventing issues and holding each other accountable. At Disa, we give our employees the power and flexibility to make their own decisions and have a pivotal role in the company. By empowering them and supporting them, we hope this helps prevent integrity issues. Everyone at Disa believes in the long-term goal and realizes their part in working towards the dream

What ethical dilemmas have your run into while working in the industry?

No ethical dilemmas yet, but one dilemma we constantly run into is status quo bias. The mining industry is very slow moving and traditional in the sense equipment hasn’t changed in 50+ years. We have to work hard to ensure companies see the value add of our new technology while not overpromising our capabilities.

Regarding your community, how do you give back and why is making a difference important to you?

One area I am passionate about giving back is with other startups. Working on Disa for five years has given me a deep respect for anyone with a small business. If I am able to support a small business, mentor a startup or present to a local group I am always happy to give back as so many people have done for me. Also, I enjoy being active in my local church and boards throughout the community.

What makes Casper and Natrona County a great place to live?

Casper is great due to its central location. The town has a wonderful downtown area, a mountain for recreation and is centrally located my wife and I can travel very easily to nearby communities or take a flight from Casper’s airport. Like I mentioned above, the people in Casper are fantastic and we have built lifelong friendships in the area. Casper is also very industrial allowing us to complete all business activities necessary for our company. Everyone here is more than willing to help a startup and often will loan us items, do things at cost, or offer us items for free in hopes they can help our business get off the ground.

In closing, is there a final piece of advice you would like to share with Wyoming business alumni?

I would encourage Wyoming business alumni to get connected to current students and local startups any way possible. The network and support are extremely valuable. Our company is where it is today due to the supportive nature of our community, state, and University. I owe a big thank you to everyone from Wyoming and all the ways I have received support. I hope to continue giving back anyway I can!