Out of work in Michigan? Wyoming wants you.

Benson is hoping that once the county is able to lure more skilled workers for the high-paying energy-related jobs, their "trailing spouses" will follow, and hopefully fill some of the many service and part-time positions. Sharon, for instance, has already bought a day-care center in Wright, which serves 51 kids.

She's enjoying her work, especially since it keeps her with 4-year-old Zeb Jr. and 3-year-old Jacob.

But the main change for the better has been for her husband. Back in Michigan, Zeb was doing welding on water heaters, bored by the monotonous work and making some $30,000 to $40,000 a year. Now, he works at P&H MinePro Services, repairing and building the massive coal mining equipment. The only thing that keeps him from overtime is the need to spend time with his family, and he loves the work – even when it means 14-hour nighttime shifts.

"I call my friends and ask how their job is, and then say, 'Oh, I worked on the world's largest electric shovel last night,' " he says, grinning. "It's not hard to make six figures here if you don't mind working."

He remembers an ethanol plant back in Michigan that got 10,000 applications for 35 jobs. Here, he jokes, "you've got 35 people applying for the 10,000 jobs."

Still, despite his best efforts, none of his friends have followed him. And even Benson admits it can be an uphill struggle to get people to leave their extended families to come to an area they may never have heard of.

When she and officials in several other counties first realized what a labor shortage they had, they tried recruiting from Texas and the Gulf states, encouraging those displaced by hurricane Katrina to move to Wyoming.

"It was late fall, and they'd call and ask about the weather and all but hang up on you," she remembers.

Michigan, with its own tough winters and outdoorsman culture, has been a better fit, but it's still a challenge. Also, the area's employers don't want just any workers – they need heavy equipment operators, electricians, welders, mechanics, and other skilled laborers.

The growing population, though, is creating some need for a few other professions too. Richard Andriaens, Gillette's chief of police, moved here from Royal Oak, Mich., nearly two years ago. Budget cuts forced him to take an early retirement from the police department there, and as he scanned Michigan for police chief openings, he happened across an advertisement for Gillette, Campbell County's largest town.

"I thought, if we're going to move an hour, why not 20 hours?" he remembers. Since then, he's brought three more Michiganders to the department, and is going back on another recruiting trip in November.

The lack of shopping has been a bit tough for his wife, but mostly he says it's been a welcome change.

"I used to commute to work with half the number of people in this entire state," he says. His oldest son shot his first antelope and mule deer a few weeks ago, and his other three kids have all adapted quickly. "The best kept secret out here is the weather," he laughs.

As with the Goodriches, Chief Andriaens says the hardest part has been being away from family, but he's never looked back.

"I'm from a blue-collar family, and the blue-collar orientation makes you set strong roots," he says. "But if you have even a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, then the opportunities here are just incredible."

Page: 1 | 2