County program helps business ideas come to life

For years, Ben VomBaur was unable to make his dream of having a year-round youth club wrestling facility a reality. His luck would change when his wife told him about a program offered by the Weld County Department of Planning Services that could turn VomBaur’s vision into a full-fledged business.

Thanks to the foresight of the Weld County Board of Commissioners, the Small Business Incentive Program was established in 2014 with the goal of giving $500,000 to small businesses located in unincorporated parts of the county to help with permitting costs. VomBaur, who didn’t approach the Planning Department for help until 2020, is thankful for this program; without it, Bear Cave Wrestling would still be run out of various high school gyms.

“Permits and fees to start a small business had always prevented me from building a facility for years,” VomBaur said. “The Small Business Incentive Program was a game changer because it saved us enough money to build what we wanted and needed to become one of the top club wrestling programs in the country.”

Tom Parko, Weld County Planning Services Director and facilitator of the Small Business Incentive Program, is proud the county champions small businesses.

“This program’s goal is to truly support the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses,” Parko said. “Helping them save money related to land use, building permit and impact fees is enormously helpful as capital assets go directly into the business, not fees. I’m happy this program continues to be successful, and we encourage more small businesses located in unincorporated Weld County to take advantage of it.”

Weld County is comprised of 2,415,796 acres of unincorporated land. Parko appreciates that not all businesses benefitting from this program have to be located in a commercial or industrial zone. In fact, a lot of the small businesses supported by the Small Business Incentive Program are located in the agricultural zone. One such business is Dairy Tech Inc.

Rick Dumm, owner of Dairy Tech Inc., first heard about the program through Planning Services staff. Dairy Tech Inc. is located in the Windsor/Severance area and has been since 1999. Searching for a way to grow his business into a new facility that could take on more staff, he applied for program funds to help him achieve his goal in 2019.

“New building project designs are expensive, not to mention contracting more than a dozen engineers specializing in soils, sewer, building design and more. It cost us $250,000,” Dumm said. “This program saved us a significant amount of money — $30,000 to be exact. The process was very straightforward, and it incentivized us to stay in Weld County — well worth the minimal application and consulting efforts on my business’s part.”

With the money saved, Dairy Tech Inc. — a maker of colostrum, a type of milk given to calves to help protect against disease — has been able to expand in both staff and facilities, enabling Dumm to continue nurturing the more than 24 million calves already fed by Dairy Tech’s products.

Located near Greeley, Bear Cave Wrestling was awarded $11,967 to build a facility to be used year-round by youth wrestlers ages six to high school. The facility allows for a better training space that can house more youth — something that wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of the Small Business Incentive Program.

“Without the Small Business Incentive Program, this facility wouldn’t exist to help youth develop character through wrestling and chase their dreams,” VomBaur exclaimed, noting that 15 club members received wrestling scholarships in 2021 and the club is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. “Through Bear Cave Wrestling, we’re able to positively impact youth, and we’re thankful to the program for helping us make that impact.”

We heard your call for historical tidbits, so we’ve dusted off the history website (and our records) to bring you an interesting historical nugget.

Starting where it all began, did you know that Weld County’s seat was moved five times within the first 16 years of the county’s existence? Greeley was the final seat chosen in 1877. Learn more about the history of this great county by visiting the Weld County History website. Find stories detailing education, entertainment, businesses, transportation and much more – there’s something for everyone to discover.

During a severe weather event, weather spotters play a critical role in providing information the National Weather Service (NWS) uses to add depth to the watches and warnings it issues.

In the next issue of County Roots, learn how an upcoming weather spotter training course can help residents be prepared for spring and summer weather events while providing them the knowledge needed to become certified weather spotters.