Local business receives Spirit of Wyoming award

Robby and Deanna Skillman and their three boys have received the Spirit of Wyoming award for the commitment and perseverance shown to not only their downtown restaurant, Bob’s Diner and Bakery, but also to the community it serves amid a very challenging year.

Amy Lee, state director of the Small Business Association, and Devan Costa-Cargill, the northwest regional director of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network, presented the award to the family during a brief ceremony Thursday night.

Among those joining then were Casey Sorensen, president of the Bank of Greybull who helped the Skillmans with the financing of their business, and Greybull Mayor Myles Foley along with a small group of supporters.

The timing of the presentation coincided with National Small Business Week, which was May 4-10. Lee called it “a wonderful time to acknowledge the contributions of entrepreneurs and small businesses to the American economy and our community,” adding that awards were being handed out across the state and nation.

The Spirit of Wyoming award is unique, however.  For one, it’s a state level award, meaning the only ones to receive it this year are the Skillmans.  The purpose of the award, Lee said, is to celebrate a small business that demonstrates measurable growth, an increase in sales, innovation and execution and vision, as well as a willingness to give back to their communities.

“One of the things that really stood out to me were the professional and personal hurdles they were going through,” said Costa-Cargill, who nominated the Skillmans for the award. “They continued to show the community so much grit.  The thing about grit is, it’s not easily defined. It’s so much more than emotion and feeling, but you can’t completely describe it through action.  It’s a combination.

“What you maybe don’t see is the compassion behind it and how much effort it takes to keep pushing through.  Thank you (Skillman family) for teaching us what it means to have grit.”

Sorenson has had a front-row seat to the Skillman family’s journey.  He admitted Thursday that he was skeptical when the Skillmans approached him several years ago, saying they wanted to open a small family diner.

“I warned them, saying ‘You know, you’d be married to that diner if you buy it and run it,’ and that they’d be surprised by how much time they would spend there.  They just said. ‘We know. We know what we’re doing. We’ve been there, done that.

“What surprises me the most, looking back on it now, is not only are they here all the time, but their family runs the thing, they run multiple businesses and they continue to strive through adversity to give back to their community. They’ve done a hell of a job.” 

Robby Skillman credited his family and the community, saying, “Without them, this doesn’t happen.” 

He added, “We love Greybull. We went through the hardest time of our lives with Ayden having his heart transplant. Through it all, people just showed up, wondering what they could do ...  washing dishes, waiting tables, whatever we needed. A lot of money was given to help us with our bills, too. 

“So this community is like family to us. We hope we can give back enough to show how much we appreciate it.”