FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 1, 2006
Eugene (Gene) Watson, Program Manager
Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative
Phone: 307.742.7162, 307.760.0456 cell

Valerie L. Spanos, President
Mountain Meadow Wool Co. Inc.
Phone: 307.620.5061

Wyoming women receive grant to turn wool into wealth;
Goal is Zero Emissions for Wyoming’s new Wool Processing Facility

BUFFALO, WY – Mountain Meadow Wool Company, Inc. received a $296,000 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its proposal to create a wool processing facility in Wyoming.

Mountain Meadow Wool Company, Inc. is a small wool marketing company, based in Buffalo, Wyoming. Over the next two years, the company hopes to build a processing mill in the state.
“A processing facility in the state will allow Wyoming wool producers to establish a value-added product, and will provide for the beginnings of a wool textile sector,” said Valerie L. Spanos, president of the Mountain Meadow Wool Company.

Although Wyoming ranks second in the nation in wool production, no commercial scouring facility exists in this region. “Unfortunately, the wool is shipped out of state before processing, meaning that Wyoming ranchers cannot benefit from their superior product,” Spanos said.

Spanos explained that Wyoming wool is of a higher quality than wool from many other areas of the U.S., and is generally cleaner before processing. This is due to the state’s dry climate, which results in a fleece with less dirt and sand than those from sheep in more humid areas. Wyoming’s yearling wool is “fine” grade, measuring 19.8 to 23.0 microns in thickness making it suitable for apparel.

“Unfortunately, Wyoming’s high quality wool is usually blended with wool from all over the country, resulting in a United States wool supply that is considered to be a medium to medium-fine grade,” said Spanos.

Spanos said the establishment of the facility will test the “proof of concept” regarding the ability of producers, small business owners and the community to profit both economically and socially from a local mill.

Additionally, recent advancements in effluent treatment will allow the company to use as a revenue source many of the by-products, which were formerly considered pollutants. The potassium salts from the sweat of the sheep will become fertilizer, the wool grease will be refined into lanolin, the mud and manure will become compost and the water will be recycled.

Valerie Spanos and Karen Hostetler are the principal investigators for the project. Other team members include Dr. Bob Stobart of the University of Wyoming’s Wool Lab and Mountain States Lamb Cooperative. The Wyoming Business Council, Manufacturing-Works, and Andar, the preferred supplier of advanced natural fiber technology, will also assist the project.

Mountain Meadow Wool Company received a SBIR Phase 0 grant, which helped the company pursue its grant applications to the USDA. The SBIR Phase 0 program is a project of the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI). The WSSI initiative is funded by the Wyoming Business Council and gives out $120,000 in Phase 0 grants each year. More recently, the company completed an $80,000 USDA-SBIR Phase I feasibility study exploring the potential benefits and costs of building a processing mill in Wyoming.

Gene Watson, program manager for the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative, said that Mountain Meadow Wool Company is a great example of how Wyoming innovations can find federal funding for development. He encouraged interested Wyoming technology innovators to attend the “SBIR/STTR Where Innovation Focuses Technology” conference in Casper on Sept. 13. Businesses will have an opportunity to meet with federal agency representatives during the conference, increasing the possibility of receiving contracts and grants. For more information and to register, go to www.uwyo.edu/sbir/SWIFTconfinfo.html or call Kelly toll free at 866.703.3280. There is no charge for this event.

About the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI): WSSI stands for the Wyoming Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Initiative. The Wyoming Business Council along with the University of Wyoming helps fund WSSI. The federal SBIR and STTR programs provide more than $2 billion annually in Research and Development (R&D) grants and contracts to qualified small businesses. Eleven federal agencies are required by law to provide these funds by setting aside 2.5 percent of their annual extra-mural R&D budgets for use exclusively by U.S. small businesses for new product R&D. Hence, these programs provide a unique source of start-up and seed capital for small businesses to develop new innovative product concepts. For more information, go to www.uwyo.edu/sbir/SWIFTconfinfo.html.

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.

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