Press Room ::

For Immediate Release:
April 8, 2008

For more information contact:
Tom Lacock
Senior Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
Wyoming Business Council
Office: 307.777.2834

Davies joins staff of Wyoming Business Council

CHEYENNE – Molly Davies has joined the staff of the Wyoming Business Council as the Business Ready Communities Program Manager. She holds the position formerly held by Shawn Reese, who was promoted to Investment Ready Communities Division Director in December.

Davies will head up the Business Ready Communities Grant & Loan Program, which helps cities, towns, counties and Joint Powers Boards pay for infrastructure such as water, sewer, streets, telecommunications, airports, rights of way, land, spec buildings, or amenities within a business park, industrial park, industrial site or business district or other appropriate physical projects in support of primary economic development.

Davies brings with her a wealth of community development experience, including two years as the community and economic development director for Mendota, IL. While in Mendota, Davies participated in business attraction, recruitment, retention as well as marketing and community planning. She also helped the community develop its Main Street Program.

While in Illinois, she also consulted the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs helping to develop the Midwest Community Development Institute, a comprehensive professional training program in community and economic development designed for development professionals, community leaders, and elected officials.

“I’ve always wanted to move out West and it seemed like there were a lot of development projects out here to work on,” said Davies. “I’ve been very impressed by the Wyoming Business Council and the way they work with communities to successfully see the projects through.”

Davies received a Bachelors Degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from the University of Missouri and a Masters in Economics from Western Illinois University in Macomb. She served with the Peace Corps in Romania in the Carpathian Mountains where she worked on community development from 2001-2003.

“Molly will add a fresh perspective to the Business Ready Community Program,” said Reese. “Her economic development experience , especially with small towns, will add value to our own economic development efforts here in Wyoming.”

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

- 30 -