Annual Community Awards

Celebrating the Lander Business Community

Each winter, the Lander Chamber of Commerce hosts our Community Awards Luncheon. A celebration of the Lander business community and the individuals within it, the luncheon is an annual opportunity to come together in one place to recognize in a public way the efforts of the men and women who put so much time and effort into building their businesses, creating jobs for Fremont County’s residents, supporting the community, and in general making Lander a great place to live, work, and play.

In 2021, due to lingering uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, the Chamber chose not to host an in-person luncheon and instead produced a series of videos to celebrate the winners far and wide. We anticipate similar video series will become a regular part of the annual celebration that will center around the much loved Community Awards Luncheon. We are grateful to Mr. Brad Christensen for his excellent work filming and producing these videos!

2021 Winners

Anchor Award: Oxbow Family Restaurant
Yvonne Patterson has owned and operated the Oxbow Family Restaurant for 27 years, taking it over from the McOmie family who ran it as The Commons. As the Oxbow’s name makes plain, Yvonne stresses the “family” in family restaurant, noting that her staff and customers are very dear to her, considering them to be part of her family. Many of her employees have been with her for the entire 27 years! She is most proud of her employees and this “very special community” for its loyalty and dedication. “I owe it all to my employees and the community for my continued success.”

Beautification Award: Hayden Outdoors
Owner/Partner Bill Vacek explains that the inspiration for the beautiful renovation of 206 Main Street was to take the building back to the 1800s (when it was originally built) while adding some modern touches. “We wanted it to have that old hometown feel so when someone came in it was like a flashback to the ‘20s.” The bronze elk sculpture that adorns the facade was sculpted by wildlife artist and sculptor Jody Kroeger and cast by Eagle Bronze Foundry. Bill plans to host an upcoming Business After Hours to showcase the building to the public.

Rookie of the Year Award: Lander Labs
Annie Cook founded Lander Labs to fill a gap in the scientific industry. There weren’t any private specialized DNA laboratories in Wyoming and only a handful of woman owned labs in the U.S. She had hoped to start a forensic DNA lab, but COVID persuaded her to initially focus her DNA knowledge in a clinical rather than forensic setting. Lander Labs has brought specialized science to community members at an affordable price, while also inspiring young people to enjoy science through lab tours and experiments. Annie is grateful to her team for sticking with her through the tough times and the “icky and sticky.”

Spirit of Lander Award: Kendall Hayford
Kendall is community involvement personified. He volunteers for the Lander Economic Development Association, Museum of the American West, Lander Ambassadors, Rotary, Lander United, Lander Presents, Boy Scouts of America, and is Co-Founder of The Great Lander Treasure Hunt. During COVID, Kendall, as Lander Branch President of Wyoming Community Bank, served as the key community leader assisting businesses obtain emergency CARES Act funding and selflessly training other financial institutions to process PPP and Wyoming Business Council emergency financial programs.

Lifetime Contribution Award: Andy Gramlich
Andy came to Lander as the temporary (90 days) CEO of the hospital in the fall of 1990. The people and the lifestyle were just right, and he is still working for Lander 31 years later. Andy has been the chair or a member of LEADER, LEDA, the Lander Community Foundation, the Assisted Living Task Force, member of a local bank advisory board, and currently is a board member of the Wyoming Economic Development Association. He is a certified flight instructor, drone instructor, swim official, and soccer referee. You may also know him if you are in the bike club or participate in the Senior Olympics (bike racing and triathlon).

Past Chamber Board President: Michelle Mazur
Michelle established Elevate Rehab in 2013 as Fremont County’s first private, therapist-owned specialty practice focusing on dysfunction and disorders specific to the upper extremity. Now treating the entire body including the spine and lower extremities, Elevate’s team is made up of highly trained Occupational Therapists (OT) and Physical Therapists (PT), including the only Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) in Lander Valley and the Dubois area. Michelle has been a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors since 2015 and took over its leadership in the midst of COVID. We’re grateful to Michelle for guiding the Chamber through a difficult time with grace and poise.

2021 Sponsors

PREFFERED MEDIA PARTNER

GOLD LEVEL SPONSOR

SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS

BRONZE LEVEL SPONSORS

Previous Years’ Lander Community Award Winners

Lifetime Contribution

for longstanding commitment to the community

Andy Gramlich ’21

Bill Sniffin ’20

Doug Anesi ’19

Joe Kenney ’18

Marlene Young ’17

Mick Wolf ’16

Chuck Faulkner ’15

Don Reynolds ’14

Del McOmie ’13

Dr. Brent Bills ’12

Maggie Appleby ’11

John the Fireman ’08

Mabel Blakely ’07

Dave & May Raynolds ’06

Jack King ’05

Hugh Jones ’04

B.T. McManus ’03