The Board of Directors for the Cheyenne-Laramie County Corporation for Economic Development (LEADS) recently welcomed three new board members.

At the Cheyenne LEADS annual membership meeting and banquet, Doug Finch of Commercial Flooring, Brad Graham of The Property Exchange, and Sharon Keizer of Keizer Quality Homes were elected to three-year terms on the LEADS Board. They replace Tim Crilly of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wyoming, Ed Murray of Murray Properties, and Paul Smith of Best Western Hitching Post Inn whose terms expired in 2005. In addition, Rob Marwick Marketing President at the Bank of the West, has been appointed by Bank of the West as Board representative.

Doug Finch, owner of Commercial Flooring, Inc. is a native of Cheyenne and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Wyoming. He entered corporate accounting in telecommunications, and subsequently started his own companies which include Finch Enterprises, Commercial Flooring, Inc., Commercial Flooring of Laramie, Finch Properties, LLC and F & C Holdings, LLC.

Finch has been a Stockholder and Director of Cheyenne State Bank since its origination. Doug is also a member of the LCCC Construction Technology Advisory Committee.

Brad Graham is a Real Estate Broker for the Property Exchange. Graham presently holds a Wyoming Real Estate Brokers license, which he received in 1980, and a Wyoming Real Estate sales license, which was received in 1976. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

Graham serves on the Governance and Accountability Committee for Cheyenne’s Progress and Prosperity, as well as on the City of Cheyenne Board of Adjustments.
Sharon Keizer, owner of Keizer Quality Homes, Inc., was born and raised in Cheyenne. Sharon and her husband Dale currently own and operate Keizer, Inc. and Keizer Land Company. She is primarily responsible for the management, financing, and marketing portion of the business.

Keizer has earned her Graduate Builders Institute certification and has been involved for many years as a past Director of the South Eastern Wyoming Builders and the Wyoming State Builders Association. Keizer became a licensed real estate broker in 1982 and is also past President and Director of the Cheyenne Multiple Listing Association. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the LCCC Foundation and the UMC Foundation.

Rob Marwick, is the new Market President for Bank of the West in Cheyenne, replacing Kevin Paintner on the LEADS board. Marwick comes to Cheyenne from Riverton, WY where he also held the title of Market President at the Bank of the West/Community First National Bank from 2003 to 2005. He is originally from Minnesota where he worked until 2003. He has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.

Marwick has served on the board of multiple economic development organizations. These include IDEA, Inc. in Riverton; the Economic Development Committee – International Falls Chamber of Commerce in International Falls, Minnesota; the Economic and Community Development Committee – The Initiative Fund in Owatonna, Minnesota; the Development Corporation of Austin in Austin, Minnesota; as well as the Virginia Area Development Association.

Cheyenne LEADS Board welcomed the new board members and elected board officers, expressing their excitement for the upcoming board year.

The LEADS Board of Directors is comprised of community leaders from varied industries and professional organizations county-wide including banking, healthcare, lodging, energy, manufacturing, education, economic development, insurance, communications, moving & storage, abstract & title, educational loans, property sales, contracting, fast-food restaurants, catalog sales, media and law.

Primarily member-funded, Cheyenne LEADS is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1987 with the purpose of positioning Cheyenne and Laramie County as a location of choice for new and expanding businesses.

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