GREATER CHEYENNE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
“ As a Chamber President I have grown to appreciate the skill it takes to run a wide variety of businesses .”
A message from
Your CEO
DALE STEENBERGEN , GREATER CHEYENNE CHABMER OF COMMERCE CEO / PRESIDENT
A real cowboy can throw a “ houlihan ” or “ hooley-han ” depending on what part of the country you are from . A houlihan is a way to rope nervous stock , especially horses , in one motion . It is definitely an art as much as a skill . This technique takes more than a little practice to master it . I learned to throw a houlihan in order to catch young horses in the breaking pen . You must travel far and wide to find folks who have kept up with this art form , but when you find someone who is proficient at it you can be confident that you have met a true cowboy .
Cowboys are a great part of the Cheyenne tradition and while you might see a lot of folks wearing boots and hats you don ’ t see or meet a lot of cowboys even in a quintessential cowboy town like Cheyenne . What sorts the cowboys from the chaff , so to speak , is not what they wear but what they know how to do . It ’ s the knowledge and skill of throwing a houlihan or knowing not to tie a horse up by its reins or even being able to know when a cow needs help calving that creates the divide . When I think about it , what divides a true cowboy from a city slicker applies to a lot more than caring for cows . Knowledge and practice are important . Even though we have many folks in this “ age of Google ” who are self-proclaimed experts when it comes down to producing results they are a little lacking .
As a Chamber President I have grown to appreciate the skill it takes to run a wide variety of businesses . Dry cleaners , roofers , attorneys , retailers and many other business segments learn the tricks of their trade and the great ones learn how to throw the proverbial houlihan . These are the folks that excel at their task , who are exceptional at their life ’ s work and who are proud to share the skill with customers . Often , I find that these folks are also the survivors . The folks who weather the storm and continue to ply their trade
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