The 2026 WES Convention was held at the Ramada in Sheridan, and the weather was exceptionally good. The attendance was high with 348 registrants, and a great time was had by all. WES teamed up with ACEC and ASCE this year, with 38 registrants for ACEC courses and 51 registrants for ASCE courses. The venue was also packed with 29 exhibitors. Golf balls affixed with WES logo were provided as registration gifts, providing a reminder for all to participate in the 2nd Annual WES Golf Tournament in August of 2026.
2026/2027 WES Board
Garrett Zimmer, P.E. – President
Lyle Casciato, P.L.S. – Vice President
Jackie Alexander, P.E., P.G. – Secretary/Treasurer
Jeff Young, P.E. – Past President
On-Demand Session Recordings
We know that with multiple courses running at once, it’s impossible to be in two rooms at the same time. To ensure you get the most out of your registration, all session recordings from the 2026 Convention are now available via our CVent platform.
- Access recordings of any technical sessions or keynote presentations you were unable to attend in person.
- Watching these recordings is an excellent way to gain additional PDH / CE credits throughout the year to help meet your licensing requirements.
You can log in to the CVent attendee portal using the credentials from your registration to start watching today!
Membership Dues
While we celebrate our successes, we must also address the financial health of the Society. For several years, our fixed operating costs have outpaced our dues revenue, requiring us to bridge the gap using our investment funds.
To ensure WES remains a sustainable, self-supporting organization, the membership moved, voted, and approved a one-time updated dues rate of $225. This new rate will take effect during the 2027 Casper Convention registration cycle.
Why $225?
We want every member to understand the "why" behind this decision. Our current annual fixed operating costs total $45,400, see the table breakdown below. By taking our total dues-paying members numbers of ~210 and dividing our total fixed cost, we end up around $217/member. A motion was made by membership during the annual business meeting, and was subsequently voted and moved, to increase dues to $225 for one year, at which time the one-time increase would expire and a new dues recommendation would be presented by the Finance Committee.
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Expense Category
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Annual Cost
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Executive Director
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$26,400
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Organization Management Software
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$13,800
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Website Hosting
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$4,700
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Office Supplies
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$500
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Total Fixed Costs
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$45,400
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What the Board is Doing to Lower Costs
The Board is actively working to lower our overhead so that we can return to a lower dues rate in the future. We are currently reviewing our software and convention packages to consolidate into a single, modern platform. Our goal is to significantly reduce the $18,500 currently spent on software and website hosting while improving your user experience.
The number of members who have paid dues at least once between 2022-2025 is approximately 348. This makes us optimistic that we can increase the number of regular dues paying members. Dividing the annual fixed operating costs by 348 would allow dues of $130 to cover these same annual operating expenses (fixed costs); and even lower as we work to decrease overhead costs!
We are also reaching out to all disciplines of our engineering community to grow our membership beyond our regular, or occasional, attendees. Our state is full of fantastic and knowledgeable engineers, and we want to highlight the benefits that becoming a member of WES provides. From PDH / CE credits to networking, from giving back to our students to socializing, we feel as though WES is a society worth participation and we aim to grow our membership!
Save the Dates
- 2nd Annual WES Scholarship Golf Tournament
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- When: August 7th, 2026
- Where: Douglas Wyoming Community Golf Course
- Why: 100% of proceeds support the WES Scholarship Fund.
- 107th Annual WES Convention
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- When: February 3–5, 2027
- Where: Casper, WY
Thank you for your understanding and your continued dedication to the Wyoming engineering community.
Best regards,
Garrett Zimmer, P.E.
President, Wyoming Engineering Society