Guest blog by Wendy Lopez, LEG’23
In 1885, my great-great-grandfather, with his wife and children, left Minnesota for the great territory of Wyoming. After a tough journey, they settled on Sage Creek, in the northwestern part of Wyoming, not far from what would become the town of Cody, only about 50 miles from Yellowstone National Park. His son later became somewhat well-known for his skills as a big-game hunter and outfitter, guiding many trips into some of the most remote spots in the country, including the famed Thorofare.
I grew up as a fifth-generation Wyomingite in the town of Cody, not very far from where my family first settled. I was raised on stories and lore of packtrips, ranching, good times, hard times, and pride for what it meant to have deep roots in the land and in the state. I attended the University of Wyoming, and then moved to Cheyenne where I have lived with my husband and raised our son. Both of my brothers still live in Cody and share the same sense of pride that I have. Between the three of us, we have seven children. But, here is the twist – only one of those seven still lives in the state.
Wyoming’s low population and lack of economic diversity make it difficult to retain our youth. The rate of out-migration of young adults is the highest in the country. It’s also difficult to attract new business and knowhow. While there is an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, wide open spaces, and a very favorable tax-climate, it’s not enough to stimulate growth in Wyoming.
Taking the LEG class this last ten weeks has been an eye-opening experience for me and given me a framework of how to look at Wyoming’s growth problem from a whole new perspective. One of my biggest takeaways is not just looking at our lack of diversification, but our lack of economic complexity. Ricardo’s scrabble theory was, to me, one of the most valuable tools gained during the class. Thinking about what letters we have as a state, what words we can make from those letters, where to get more letters, and even where the best place is to put those letters, is a fascinating way to think about complexity and how to build up that complexity.
Another valuable takeaway from the course has been learning about the PDIA process as well as binding constraints. As our team continues to work on our various growth problems, the PDIA process is a methodology that can be used in all sorts of contexts. I found it especially helpful in thinking though my particular growth problem of the lack of large developable industrial sites around the state that would allow us to increasing manufacturing capacity. Identifying the binding constraints of this problem, such as utility capacity, and the easy entry points, such as increasing local capacity by better educating them on what their sites can do, has helped me see where there is potential to attract business as well as grow knowhow in certain areas of the state.
As I continue to work at convening local economic developers and officials in communities, it’s important for me to remember that including them in this process builds legitimacy for the program and helps create an awareness that partnerships are necessary for success. Authority must be built not just from the top, but also from the most bottom levels of government. The iterative approach really allows this to happen. As you work to achieve incremental goals on a problem, taking the time to check in with those involved and continuing to gain legitimacy will keep the processes rolling on a positive trajectory.
One other thing I will keep drawing from is ways to crawl the design space. Looking at best practices, latent possibilities and positive deviants are a great way to not limit yourself when thinking about solutions that not only might work but will also get the job done. Oftentimes we are already doing great things. We just have to stretch a bit and grow our capabilities!
To conclude, I will never be a true pioneer like my ancestors were, trekking across the country in a covered wagon and settling in a place few others had ever been. I will never be known for daring hunting escapades or guiding famous trips into remote wilderness areas. But, in my position with the Wyoming Business Council, I would like to be a thought pioneer. Someone willing to take risks, learn something new and look at things from a different perspective that might not always be the popular idea. Someone who cares enough about the future of our state to try to make a difference.
I’m not sure my son will every move back to Wyoming. But if he ever does, I want it to be a great place to raise a family, a place where he can connect with his deep roots, and a place he can be proud of and find opportunities in. The LEG course has shown me a course of action I can take to try to make this happen. My Wyoming pride runs deep. I want to see my state succeed now and into the future, so other generations can continue to have that same sense of pride and sense of place.
This is a blog series written by the alumni of the Leading Economic Growth Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. 72 Participants successfully completed this 10-week online course in May 2023. These are their learning journey stories.