IDEA Inc. Board of Directors

From left to right

Gary Klentz

Carter Napier

Lee Heermann

Alan Moore

Kevin Kershisnik
Jon Gunnison

Dennis Hechart

Not pictured: George Piplica

CLIFFORD ALAN MOORE, CPA, -  President

President of Riverton Economic and Community Development Association and Idea, Inc. since 1996.  Graduate of University of Wyoming with a degree in accounting in 1969.  Alan has been in public accounting for his entire career.  His CPA certificate was granted in 1972, and he purchased his father’s CPA firm in 1977.  He is the managing partner of Clifford H. Moore and Company. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Wyoming Society of CPAs.  Alan has received awards for his economic and community development efforts including the Riverton Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the year for 1999, Chamber Service award for 2000, and the Community Service award of 2001.  In 2002 he received the Small Business Administration Accounting Advocate for Wyoming’s region.  In 2006 Alan was awarded a Friend of Manufacturing  recognition by Wyoming’s Manufacturing Works organization.  Alan is 60 and has been married for 36 years to Teri-Anne, his business partner.

DENNIS HECKART – Vice President

Dennis grew up in Riverton and attended the University of Wyoming - receiving a BS in Business Administration.  He has spent 25 years in banking, 2 years as Executive Director of the Riverton Chamber of Commerce and 10 years as co-owner (with his wife, Elaine) of The Print Shop. 

He served on the CWC Board of Directors for four years in the mid 80's.  He is a member of Kiwanis and in 2000-01 served as the Governor of the Rocky Mountain District - 120 clubs and 4200 members.  He is also on the Board of Wind River Development, an economic development group that owns the Pertech building in Riverton.

Dennis was elected to the Fremont County Commission in November of 2006.  Among his committee assignments is being the liaison to the Help for Health group - sponsoring organization of the new Hospice Home in Riverton.

LEE HEERMANN – Secretary/Treasurer

Graduate of Riverton High School, Class of 1965

U.S Navy 1965 thru 1968

Central Wyoming College: 1968 to 1970

University of Wyoming:      1970 to 1972, BS in Psychology

Retired from the State of Wyoming, Department of Workforce Services as area manager from 1972 to 2003.  Experience included human resources, labor laws, unemployment insurance, grant applications and budget administration, personnel management and participation in countless Boards, Committees and other community activities.

Past president of RECDA, Board member of Riverton Senior Center from 1998 to 2004, and Board member in IDEA from 1988 to present.

Recent awards include:  Outstanding Alumunus award from CWC in 2000, CWC Distinguished Service award in 2003, Wyoming State Leadership Conference Business Person of the Year award in 1997 and Riverton Chamber of Commerce Community Service award in 2001. 

Jon Gunnison

Graduated 1972 – Hugh C. Williams High School with a New York Regents Scholarship

Graduated 1976 – Middlebury College, Middlebury VT with a BA in Geography; Thesis Topic: Economic Development – St. Lawrence County, NY.

Employed 1976 – 1983 Watertown Chrysler – Plymouth, Watertown, NY. Fleet & Leasing manager 76-78, Sales Manager 79-80, General Manager 81-83

Employed 1984 – 85 Burns Chevrolet/Chrysler Gaffney, SC (Service Manager

Founded Riverton Chrysler in 1986 with wife / Business partner Joan Marie

Founded Gunner's Automotive Center with Joan after Chrysler bankruptcy asset seizure in 2009

Past President, Current Member Riverton Chamber of Commerce

Past President of the Riverton Rotary Club

Chairman of the Foundation Finance Committee – Riverton Rotary Club

Past President of the Riverton REACH Foundation Club

Past President of the Riverton Depot Foundation

Past Wyoming Representative Denver Outstate Chrysler Jeep Dealer Advertising Association

First Interstate Bank Advisory Director

Riverton Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year 2003

George Piplica

George Piplica grew up in Lander, Wyoming.  George is married to Susie and has three children.  He moved to Riverton in 1984, where he owned Fremont Vending & Amusement.  In 1996, he sold the vending business and began his real estate career with Century 21.  Later, in 2000, he became a broker and opened Home Source Realty, Inc., which is the largest transaction real estate office in Fremont County.  Current involvement in various community organizations include:  Fremont County Board of Realtors, First Interstate Bank Advisory Board, IDEA Inc. Board, and Riverton Sertoma Board. 

Gary Klentz

Graduate of Cody High School, Class of 1969

Central Wyoming College 1986 -1991

      Mid-Management: Associate of Applied Arts

      Administration: Associate of Arts

BTI Rail Car Repair – General Manager June 2007 - Present

D and G Construction, Inc. – President 2003 – 2007

Fixter Construction Co., Inc. – Office Manager 1990 – 2003

Smith Food and Drug – Key Carrier 1986 - 1990

Woodward’s IGA – Store Manager 1976 – 1986

Cody Gas Company – Welder

Division of Coastal State Gas Corp. 1971 – 1976

Steven Weaver

Steven M. Weaver became the city administrator for the City of Riverton in August 2011.  He received his Master in Public Administration from Boise State University and his Bachelor in Science degree from Brigham Young University.  Steven has
worked as the City Manager of Carlton, Oregon for seven years and Assistant to the City Manager in Coalinga, CA for five years.  While in Coalinga, Steven taught as an Adjunct Faculty in Political Science.  Steven has served on several boards including the Carlton Business Association, Oregon City/County Management Association, Water Committee for the League of Oregon Cities, Coalinga Citizens Institute, and Coordinated Resource Management Planning (CRMP) group.  Steven is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).   Steven is married to Marielle and they have four boys: Adam, Benjamin, Andrew and Jared.  Steven enjoys fishing, singing, and doing things with his family. 

Kevin Kershisnik

MBA - University of Wyoming

BS Mechanical Engineering - University of Illinois

BS General Engineering/Physics - Loras College

Registered Professional Engineer – State of Wyoming

Kevin is the President and CEO of Pertech Resources Inc. a privately held U.S. corporation specializing in designing, developing, manufacturing, and selling printing and imaging solutions for banking, money order, point-of-sale, lottery, gaming, and multiple niche markets.  Kevin orchestrated the formation of Pertech Resources Inc. by coordinating and implementing an aggressive buy-out with the assistance of multiple economic development entities.  Kevin has been with the company for the past 13 years and has over 20 years of engineering and management experience in the aerospace, medical, and financial industries.  He received the 2005 entrepreneur award for central Wyoming, 40 under forty award in 2005, and several other achievement awards associated with business and economic development.    

Phil Christopherson – Executive Director

MBA – University of Wyoming

BS. Electrical (Computer) Engineering – University of Wyoming

Phil is a Wyoming native and has lived in the state most of his life.  After graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Computer Engineering Phil worked for Boeing in Seattle, Washington, on several different military and commercial airplane projects.  He has also work for and earned a Masters degree in Business from UW.  Phil has always been very active in the community.  While living in Washington, he helped organize a committee to incorporate his local area into a city and after a successful effort was elected to the first city council.  In 1999 Phil and his family moved home to Wyoming.  Phil was offered a position with the University of Wyoming’s Manufacturing Extension Center in Riverton as a Field Engineer managing the local office.  In this position Phil has been very involved with local and statewide economic development efforts.  He works closely with manufacturers around the state providing Lean Manufacturing training.  In June of 2004 Manufacturing-Works contracted with IDEA Inc, (The economic development organization for Riverton) to fill the position of Economic Development Director for Riverton.  As the Economic development Director Phil has written several grants and managed several ED and construction projects for local manufacturers to provide added infrastructure and new facilities.