Five years. That’s how long it had been since Katie and I moved to Colorado, and shamefully, how long it had taken us to make the mere 2½-hour drive north to visit one of my favorite IMD professors, Corey Billington, in Laramie, Wyoming. I blame COVID, then having a second baby, but really there’s no excuse for letting geography keep us from one of those deeply valued relationships that transcends the classroom.
From Swiss Alps to Wyoming Plains
Corey was one of my favorite professors during my 2008 IMD MBA, and, like John Bennett from my previous post, he’s evolved from beloved professor to dear friend and DexMat investor-advisor who also happens to enjoy excellent wine. For family reasons, Corey moved from Switzerland to Wyoming several years ago, where he now teaches Entrepreneurship and Supply Chain at the University of Wyoming’s College of Business in Laramie—bringing his wealth of experience from IBM, HP, and startups to the Mountain West.
Even across the distance, we’ve maintained our professional collaboration. I’ve been fortunate to engage Corey as a supply chain advisor for DexMat, where his expertise has been invaluable as we scale our advanced materials production. Additionally, I’ve had the privilege of guest lecturing in his entrepreneurship course, sharing lessons from my experience raising over $100M across nine ventures with the next generation of Wyoming entrepreneurs. These remote touchpoints have kept our relationship alive, but nothing replaces the magic of face-to-face connection.
It was actually Corey’s dog, Acacia, who first caused Katie and me to fall in love with the Bernese Mountain Dog breed, which ultimately led to us adopting our beloved Genève many years later. Though Acacia is no longer with us, Corey and his partner, Katherine, now have Ollie, a sweet Welsh Springer Spaniel who was incredibly patient with our kids—and seemed to particularly appreciate how much food two small children can drop during meals!
Wyoming Really Is Small
As we drove north from Boulder after our 4th of July race, I was struck by just how sparsely populated Wyoming truly is. With a total state population of just 590,169 people, Wyoming is indeed the least populous state in the nation. Laramie itself has only about 32,638 residents, making it the 4th largest city in a state where over half the cities have fewer than 500 people.
The drive was refreshingly easy—plenty of EV chargers along the way, though unnecessary for such a short trip. The change of scenery from Colorado’s Front Range to Wyoming’s high plains was exactly what we needed.
A Weekend of Home Cooking and Friendship
Friday afternoon brought us straight into Laramie’s 4th of July celebration, with the downtown park bustling with vendors and activities. His kids all grown up now, Corey and Katherine have become empty nesters—though I suspect they’d forgotten just how much entropy two small children can bring to a peaceful household!
Corey, who is an excellent chef, took charge of Friday dinner, treating us to one of many incredible home-cooked meals of the weekend. Saturday saw Katherine handling breakfast and lunch duties with equal skill, while Corey once again worked his culinary magic for dinner. Between meals, we explored a nearby school playground and enjoyed a tour of downtown Laramie, including the University of Wyoming campus where Corey teaches. I succeeded in throwing a pine cone into Rexy’s mouth, which means I’m assured an “A” on my next exam . . . whenever that will be! Corey treated us to another sumptuous dinner, and great wine was enjoyed by all—except the kids, of course!
It has probably been since before we had children that we’d enjoyed so many consecutive home-cooked meals, which was an incredible treat in itself. Sunday morning brought another fantastic Katherine breakfast before we made our way back to Colorado.
Lessons in Long-Term Relationships
This quick trip reinforced something I’ve learned throughout my entrepreneurial journey: the relationships you build along the way are what you carry from one adventure to the next. Whether it’s former professors turned advisors, or longtime friends who become investors (or vice versa!), these connections form the foundation of everything we do.
Corey embodies the kind of long-game thinking I’ve written about before—someone who brings both academic rigor and real-world experience to every conversation. His transition from the corporate world to academia to now supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs in Wyoming’s emerging ecosystem reflects the kind of purposeful deployment of time – the one thing we can never raise more of – that inspires me.
Passing away the late evening hours sharing learnings about AI-augmented leadership (one of his areas of research) transported me back to the very beginning of our relationship. It was glorious. Restorative. And the food, wine, and company didn’t hurt either!
Looking to reconnect with long-distance relationships in your network? Consider a weekend road trip—sometimes the most meaningful experiences are closer than you think.