Steenbergen: Make Cheyenne Frontier Days Visitors Feel Welcome

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dale Steenbergen says Cheyenne Frontier Days "is a grand thing' for Cheyenne, and says it's important to make those visiting Cheyenne feel welcome.

Steenbergen made the comments on the ''Weekend In Wyoming" program last Saturday. In the interview, he said the annual event kicks in roughly $35 million to the local economy, adding that those dollars ''turn over two or three times."

He added that, unlike people who move to Cheyenne, CFD visitors don't cost money on water and sewer services and similar expenses associated with people who live here. He said that while obvious beneficiaries of the money spent include travel-related businesses, other enterprises, such as stores selling western wear, also benefit.

But beyond the purely financial impact, Steenbergen said the ability to successfully host such a large-scale event year after year enhances the city's image. Including the image with business owners and companies that may be interested in locating here.

Finally, he said it has the added impact of celebrating and enhancing Wyoming's cowboy heritage, which he says is important from a cultural standpoint. You can hear the entire interview with Steenbergan in the audio file below.