Information about Wyoming’s employers is a valuable commodity. Job seekers want to know which employers might need the skills they have to offer. Education and training providers need to know what job skills employers need today and what they are likely to need tomorrow. Organizations engaged in economic development can benefit from linking information about firms with common interests by creating such products as A Directory of Manufacturers. Other organizations can provide firms considering their town for relocation information on what other firms are already in the area.

In this publication we present selected information about Wyoming’s largest private firms. Authorization to publish each firm’s name, primary business locations and industry affiliation was obtained through a mail survey conducted between April 17, 1998 and June 23, 1998. The purpose of the survey was to contact firm representatives authorized to approve publication of information that, under Wyoming Employment Security Law W.S. 27-3-603, is deemed confidential. Based on telephone conversations with employers during the survey process, it is apparent that many more firms would have provided the Department with permission to publish their names if individuals authorized to release this information were locally available. It seems likely that medium and smaller size firms would have an employer representative on the premises who can waive confidentiality and permit publication should further surveys be conducted.

The names and locations of the largest employers in each industry and statewide were obtained from Unemployment Insurance employer tax records. Employer tax records are used extensively for statistical purposes by Research & Planning to describe employment and earnings in the state. The records contain such information as the number of employees, the employer's payroll and the primary business or industry classification of the firm. Because employer records are used for the administration of the Unemployment Insurance program and for statistical purposes, these records are edited for correctness and currency. Statistical presentation of employment and earnings can be found in several reports published by the Wyoming Department of Employment, Office of Research & Planning.

One purpose of this publication is to pilot the idea of the usefulness of a larger publication encompassing all firms within the State. If there proves to be a large demand for this type of information, we will produce a similar publication listing all Wyoming firms by industry and possibly the number of employees. The amount of information contained in future publications will depend on the response from employers. Many firms are reluctant to allow publication of actual employment numbers. However, ranking the firms by the number of employees may be possible.

For this pilot publication, the Unemployment Insurance employer tax records of June 1997 were used to select the potential employers. The firms having the greatest number of employees as of June 1997 in each industry and statewide were selected. The employers were contacted by mail.

The letter (see Appendix A) mailed to the candidates during the third week of April 1998 asked whether or not the firm's name, industry and location could be used in the publication. A second letter (see Appendix B) was mailed during the first part of May 1998 to firms not responding to the first request. Telephone calls soliciting participation were placed to a few of the larger firms who had not responded to either request.

The total number of firms contacted as possible employers was 269. Of the 269 candidates, 217 responded, resulting in an 81 percent response rate. Of the responses, 176 (81%) gave permission to publish the firm's information. Because the second request letter responded to employer's questions raised in the first mailing, future surveys will offer a similar explanation of the importance of the information and the manner in which it will be used. By offering more background on the survey and its purpose, the response rate as well as the number of firms allowing the publication of their information should increase.

This publication contains a brief description of the industries followed by the tables listing the firms within each industry. Only the firms granting permission to publish their data are listed. Therefore, the tables will not contain an equal number of firms. The name and location of the firms are listed in alphabetical order under their industry heading in order to maintain confidentially. The Table, " Wyoming's Largest Employers Statewide," is a listing of the largest firms in Wyoming overall. These firms also appear under their appropriate industry headings.

In order to improve knowledge about Wyoming as a place to bring a company or even a family, people need to be made aware of the job opportunities available in Wyoming. The Employment Resources Division provides many valuable tools, such as local Employment Resource Centers that can be used to answer questions about the availability of jobs and the availability of people to work in those jobs.

This publication is designed to assist local Employment Resource Centers in the area of matching employees to firms in which they show interest. It is also designed to give firms an opportunity to see what other firms are involved in similar operations. Firms interested in relocating to Wyoming can use the publication to judge the level of competition and compatibility and the level of support other firms might provide. The Research & Planning Section of the Wyoming Department of Employment constantly receives requests for information about employers. Until now, these requests could not be addressed. Conducting this survey and publishing the data has filled a need for valuable information on Wyoming's employers.

Since this is a pilot publication, the Employment Resources Division encourages readers to submit suggestions on how to improve the publication. If you have any comments or questions regarding this publication, please contact Research & Planning:

Department of Employment Employment Resources Division Research & Planning 246 South Center, 2nd Floor PO Box 2760 Casper, WY 82601 Phone: (307) 473-3807 Fax: (307) 473-3834

Research & Planning has a variety of other publications on Wyoming's employment and wages (see Appendix D). You may obtain copies of this and other publications by contacting Research & Planning at the above address. For your convenience, most of the publications can be found on the Research & Planning Internet site.

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