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How Frontier Flame Turned a Family Recipe into a Thriving Glendo Restaurant

January 21, 2026

In the heart of Glendo, Wyoming, a culinary dream fueled by family and a dash of green chili was realized from the shared vision of Michelle Belt, her mother Zenda Lange, and her sister Ashley Durand. Frontier Flame opened its doors in April 2024.

“My mom has always wanted her own restaurant,” Michelle explains. “She has been a chef for over 30 years. She has managed many restaurants around Wyoming and Colorado and in March 2024 she was asked by one of the local business owners if she wanted to lease their restaurant. She was so excited! She asked my sister and I if we would like to be a part of this new business. We agreed and my mom signed the contract with them.”

Soon after, Frontier Flame relocated. “The owner of Kim’s Place asked us if we would be interested in buying her restaurant,” Michelle says. “We knew buying our own place would be better for us in the long run. So, we bought the restaurant.”

Initially, navigating the seasonal rhythms of a tourist town presented its challenges. “Trying to decide what the best business hours would be with a small staff has been a challenge,” Michelle says. Through trial and error, Frontier Flame has found their rhythm. Each member of the team brings unique skills to the table: Zenda’s renowned culinary expertise, Ashley’s seasoned bartending skills, and Michelle’s diverse background and entrepreneurial drive.

Before Frontier Flame, Michelle Belt had aspirations of business ownership. Seeking more information about the process, she met with Steen Stovall at the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network. “Steen was extremely helpful! He helped me with market research for a laundromat, writing a business plan, and gave me information about business licenses,” Michelle recalls.

The Wyoming SBDC Network came back into the picture for the family’s new restaurant and proved to be a beneficial resource for the business. “From information on LLC’s to social media advice, the services and resources provided by the SBDC has been a blessing! The market research was a big help.” Michelle says of her work with Steen and the SBDC team. “There is a comfort in knowing that if I am having trouble solving a problem, that they will be there to help me solve it.”

Frontier Flame has received great reviews, and they plan to expand their business soon using the business’ secret ingredient: Zenda’s legendary homemade green chili. “My mom Zenda has developed an excellent green chili recipe over the years. We have plans to ‘can’ it and sell it in stores,” Michelle shares.

Michelle also envisions Frontier Flame expanding to multiple locations and diversifying her own entrepreneurial portfolio with other businesses. As for advice to other entrepreneurs, she emphasizes the importance of having a strong team. “You can be the hardest working person, but you can’t do it all.

Learn more about Frontier Flame here.

Learn more about Wyoming SBDC Network here.

Census Bureau Releases New Data About Characteristics of Employer and Nonemployer Business Owners

December 24, 2025

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data about the sex, race, ethnicity, veteran status and other characteristics of U.S. business owners. For the first time, the release also includes estimates of employer firms by owner characteristics, industry sector and congressional district.

The data come from two sources: the Annual Business Survey (ABS), which covers employer businesses (those with paid employees), and the Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics (NES-D), which covers nonemployer businesses (those without paid employees). Together, they provide the most complete picture yet of U.S. business owner demographics.

Highlights (2024 ABS, covering reference year 2023, and 2023 NES-D)

In 2023, there were 36.4 million U.S. employer and nonemployer businesses, with $50.0 trillion in receipts.
Women owned 14.2 million of all U.S. businesses, with $2.8 trillion in receipts.
Veterans owned 1.6 million of all U.S businesses, with $1.0 trillion in receipts.

Employer Businesses (2024 ABS)

According to the 2024 ABS, which covers reference year 2023, there were approximately 5.9 million U.S. employer firms — 1.4 million (22.9%) were owned by women and 261,000 (4.4%) by veterans.

This release also includes demographic data by urban and rural classification, employment size, receipt size, and each firm’s number of years in business:

White-owned firms made up 80.6% (4.8 million) of employer businesses, with receipts of $17.0 trillion.
Asian-owned firms accounted for 11.5% (685,000) of employer businesses, with receipts of $1.2 trillion.
Hispanic-owned firms accounted for 8.4% (496,000) of employer businesses and had $730.3 billion in receipts.
Black or African American-owned firms accounted for 3.4% (201,000) of employer businesses, with receipts of $249.0 billion.
American Indian or Alaska Native-owned firms accounted for 0.9% (55,000) of employer businesses, with $70.8 billion in receipts.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms accounted for 0.2% (9,000) of employer businesses, with $13.1 billion in receipts.

The ABS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) and conducted jointly with the Census Bureau. It measures research and development for microbusinesses, innovation and technology, and provides annual data on select economic and demographic characteristics of businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race and veteran status. The NCSES is set to release more data on research and development and innovation in the coming months.

Nonemployer Businesses (2023 NES-D)

According to the new 2023 NES-D there were 30.4 million U.S. nonemployer businesses, with $1.8 trillion in receipts. Women owned 12.9 million (42.3%) of them and had $423.1 billion in receipts, and veteran-owned firms made up about 1.4 million (4.5%) of nonemployer businesses, with $65.7 billion in receipts.

Other highlights:

In 2023, White-owned firms made up 73.6% (22.4 million) of nonemployer businesses, with receipts of $1.3 trillion.
Hispanic-owned firms accounted for 17.5% (5.3 million) of nonemployer businesses and had $244.2 billion in receipts.
Black or African American-owned firms accounted for 14.4% (4.4 million) of nonemployer businesses, with receipts of $128.7 billion.
Asian-owned firms accounted for 9.2% (2.8 million) of nonemployer businesses, with receipts of $163.6 billion.
American Indian or Alaska Native-owned firms accounted for 1.2% (378,000) of nonemployer businesses, with $15.5 billion in receipts.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms accounted for 0.3% (102,000) of nonemployer businesses, with $4.4 billion in receipts.

This release also includes business owners’ urban and rural classification, receipt size of firm, and legal form of organization (e.g., sole proprietorships and partnerships).

The NES-D is an annual series that uses existing administrative records and decennial census data to link business owners’ demographic characteristics to the universe of nonemployer businesses.

The nonemployer universe is comprised of businesses with annual receipts of at least $1,000 that file federal income tax. For more information on the methods used to assign demographic characteristics to nonemployer businesses, refer to the NES-D methodology.

Chef Sunflower Cooks Up Success with SBDC Support

December 10, 2025

Temple University SBDC – Chef Shon Emanuel, affectionately known as Chef Sunflower, is a self-taught vegan chef with a passion for creating plant-based proteins that are simple, nutritious, and delicious. Operating from her family’s restaurant in West Philadelphia, she developed “Thaw-Heat-and-Eat” vegan offerings to make healthy eating more accessible.

Shondia’s entrepreneurial journey began when her family restaurant saw increased demand for health options during the pandemic, but she noticed their food suppliers only offered vegan burgers and nuggets. Determined to meet their customer’s demand at her family’s high standards, Chef Sunflower decided to focus on plant-based food innovation.

At one point, structural issues with their building forced the family to close their restaurant, leaving Shondia searching for a way to keep her culinary dreams alive. While the restaurant was closed, she dove into a completely new venture: consumer packaged goods. Without prior business experience, she faced obstacles in creating a business plan, getting her production processed properly licensed, securing funding, and crafting a compelling pitch to attract investment.

In May 2024, Shon reached out to the Temple University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for help. She worked closely with consultant Isabel Krome to refine her vision. Over the summer, the SBDC guided her in completing a business plan and preparing for Drexel University’s B Smart program, where participants develop financial projections and pitches. Shondia practiced her pitch with SBDC consultants and gained critical insights into presenting her business idea confidently and effectively.

“Working with the Temple SBDC has been an incredible experience. I was perfectly matched with my advisor, who has been instrumental in guiding me through the challenges of launching a new food business venture.”

Chef Sunflower, Founder, BTW, It’s Vegan

With SBDC support, Chef Sunflower achieved key milestones, including completing her business plan and perfecting her pitch. Her hard work paid off at the B Smart pitch day, where she secured a $5,000 grant from Citizens Bank. This funding has positioned her to officially launch her business in January 2025, turning her dream into reality.

Chef Sunflower’s resilience and determination, combined with the Temple University SBDC’s resources and expertise, have set heron a path to success. Her story is an inspiring example of overcoming adversity, leveraging community resources, and building abusiness that not only supports her but promotes healthy eating in her community.

Learn more about BTW, It’s Vegan on their website and Instagram.

To learn more about Pennsylvania SBDC, visit: https://www.pasbdc.org/

Hand In Hand Secures Nearly $3M Grant to Expand Childcare Access Across Lewis County

December 3, 2025

Jenniffer Bleakley and her Hand In Hand Early Childhood Center applied for a NYS Office of Children and Family Services state grant, which was awarded to expand her childcare center. After receiving the grant award, it was rescinded and taken back after a technicality. At this time, she and her team had already started planning her business expansion and were working towards offering more childcare to Lewis County residents.

SBDCs Team Up with PREDICTif Solutions to Bring AI Funding Directly to Entrepreneurs

November 19, 2025

PREDICTif Solutions and Peak SBDC Host Successful Pitch Competition at Goat Patch Brewery

Colorado Springs, CO – November 7, 2025 – Through an outstanding partnership with Brandon Eldridge and Nichole Rotte of the Peak Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Colorado Springs, PREDICTif Solutions hosted an exciting Pitch Competition on November 6 at Goat Patch Brewery, a proud veteran-owned establishment.

The event featured a highly competitive lineup of innovative companies, each showcasing exceptional ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. The judges’ scores were so close that the competition came within a single point of a four-way tie—ultimately resulting in a tie for first place.

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