Cobblestone Inn & Suites Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony in Pine Bluffs

After eight years of collaboration and hard work, Cobblestone Inn & Suites broke ground this week at the corner of Parson Street and W. 7th Street in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.

The Mayor of Pine Bluffs, Alan Curtis, shared the project has been a grassroots effort and that community involvement has played a significant role in driving it forward. The project is a joint venture between public and private investments.

According to Brian Wogernese, CEO of Cobblestone Hotels, this will be Cobblestone’s third Wyoming location and there is a possibility of expansion within the region.

Despite recent economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Worgernese shared he is very optimistic about the timing of this groundbreaking and predicts it will help launch the community forward.

“To me, this is a sign it is time to come out of this. The hotel will open at a good time and get back into business next year to accommodate the traveling public,” added Worgernese.

Mayor Curtis said the addition of a new hotel will attract outside businesses and services to the town. This will help stimulate the economy and encourage traffic to the area.

Dominic Bravo, President & CEO of Visit Cheyenne, said that Cheyenne views Pine Bluffs as gateway to Laramie County, especially traveling from the east. There are many tourism amenities there – from Pine Bluffs Distilling to the Texas Trail Museum.

Bravo shared, “We are fortunate that Laramie County is located at a crossroads between 1-25 and 1-80. We experienced a lot of business travel, even during the COVID-19 outbreak. While visitation to Laramie County has decreased, this groundbreaking is evidence that there is a demand for hotels, now and in the future.”

President & CEO of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Dale Steenbergen, also said that it was positive to see economic growth in Laramie County.

“There is a tremendous amount of business travel to Cheyenne that hotels take advantage of. The Cobblestone in Pine Bluffs helps show that business travel is going to return strong enough that it encourages capital investment in our community,” he said.

Steenbergen shared that the alternative energy industry is growing on the eastern side of the County and the Air Force’s missile upgrade project (GBSD) is also on the way.

“These both create a demand for hotel rooms. Right now, this groundbreaking says a lot about how businesses will view Laramie County as an excellent place to make money and do business in the future.”

Tim Shefchik, the hotel developer, said that the hotel could be complete by the end of 2020 or early 2021.