Employee Benefits · Sheridan and Buffalo

Employee Benefits in Sheridan and Buffalo, Wyoming

Sheridan · Buffalo · Ranchester · Dayton — and the rest of Sheridan and Johnson Counties.

Group health and employee benefits for employers across Sheridan and Johnson counties. Multiple carriers compared, networks checked against the hospitals your people actually use, and one named team that stays with you through the year.

Compensation varies by carrier and placement structure; any client-paid broker or service fee is disclosed before you move forward.

Tell us a little about your situation and we’ll help you figure out what fits.

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Sheridan and Buffalo

Benefits built around Sheridan and Johnson counties

Sheridan County added jobs faster than almost anywhere in Wyoming last year, and Johnson County counts its economy in acres as much as in payroll. Two counties, two shapes. This is the local ground we cover before either one goes out for quote.

Construction is where Sheridan County grew

Sheridan County carried 14,881 covered jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 380 on the year — one of only seven Wyoming counties that added employment. Construction led it, rising to 1,746 from 1,425, a gain of 320 jobs or 22.5%. Construction of buildings alone added 191 jobs, up 39.6%, and specialty trade contractors added 93.

Retail holds 1,790, private health care and social assistance 1,403, accommodation and food service 1,321, manufacturing 952 and professional and technical services 819 at $1,938 a week. The county’s average covered wage rose $103 to $1,246. A payroll that adds field crews at that rate is a payroll where waiting periods, measurement periods and the full-time definition matter, so we set the eligibility rules against your actual hiring pattern.

Two hospitals and a VA campus

Sheridan Memorial Hospital is an 88-bed county hospital that the Wyoming Department of Health designates an Area Trauma Hospital at full status, and the hospital says more than 700 people work there. Its service lines include the Welch Cancer Center, the Spine Center of the Bighorns, cardiology, orthopedics, the Watt Dialysis Center, behavioral health and the Sheridan Green House long-term care community. The Sheridan County Commission approved an affiliation and services agreement with Billings Clinic on March 3, 2026, and a Wyoming nonprofit corporation named Sheridan Health was formed to carry it.

The Sheridan VA Medical Center has operated on a 298-acre campus on Fort Road since April 1922, anchors VA care at nine Wyoming locations, and serves more than 12,500 Veterans a year; federal hospital employment in the county ran 664 covered jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025. In Buffalo, Johnson County Healthcare Center is a 25-bed critical access hospital with the 44-bed Amie Holt Care Center on the same campus and a clinic in Kaycee two days a week. Three very different systems, and we verify each one against a plan before recommending it.

Sheridan builds things

Weatherby moved its headquarters and manufacturing to Yellowtail Drive in Sheridan; the Wyoming Business Council said at the time the move was expected to create 70 to 90 jobs and more than $5 million annually in payroll within five years, into a 100,000 square-foot building leased on a 20-year term. Vacutech, on Hi Tech Drive, says it employs nearly 200 teammates. Kennon Products has been in Sheridan since 1989, is employee-owned through an ESOP, and moved into a 40,000 square-foot facility in July 2021.

EMIT Technologies runs more than 170,000 square feet of manufacturing space across two facilities on North Main, and L&H Industrial keeps a 33,000 square-foot machining and repair shop on Commercial Avenue. Sheridan College and its Johnson County campus in Buffalo reported 3,543 credit students and 305 staff in fall 2024, and the college’s machine tool program was named by Weatherby as a deciding factor in the move. That base puts skilled hourly and salaried employees on the same census, and plan design follows the census.

Johnson County counts differently

Johnson County carried 3,312 covered jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025. On the private side, accommodation and food service leads at 349, then retail at 309, construction at 245 and mining at 199 at $1,959 a week. Local government adds 779 and the county’s average covered wage was $1,107.

Covered payroll only tells part of the story here. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 402 farms in Johnson County working 2,034,098 acres — an average of 5,060 acres each — with 797 producers, 95% of farms family-owned and $54.8 million in products sold, 88% of it livestock. Add the summer calendar, with the Sheridan WYO Rodeo running July 6 to 12 in 2026, Longmire Days in Buffalo July 16 to 19, and Bighorn National Forest campgrounds generally opening late May into June, and you have two counties that need different plan shapes. We build each one on its own numbers.

Sheridan · Buffalo · Ranchester · Dayton · Big Horn · Story · Clearmont · Kaycee

Sources: Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, fourth quarter 2025, Tables 21 and 14 — Sheridan and Johnson counties; Wyoming Department of Health trauma center designations; Sheridan Memorial Hospital; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Sheridan VA Medical Center; Johnson County Healthcare Center 2026 Community Health Needs Assessment; Wyoming Business Council; Vacutech; Kennon Products; EMIT Technologies; L&H Industrial; Northern Wyoming Community College District student characteristics 2024-25; USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, Johnson County profile; Sheridan WYO Rodeo; Longmire Days; USDA Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest — all read September 6 and 7, 2026.

Busy small business owner desk with computer, books, and glasses
THE HIDDEN BENEFITS WORKLOAD

If no one owns the benefits work,
it becomes your work.

Renewals
Census updates
Carrier follow-ups
Plan decisions
Employee questions
Compliance reminders

No clear owner equals more work for you.

~100–200 hours/year
estimated benefits related time your team may have to manage alone

Illustrative estimate only. Actual time varies by employer size, plan complexity, carrier activity, renewal timing, service usage, and internal responsibilities. Not a quote, savings claim, rebate, compliance guarantee, or legal advice.

Business Benefits Method™

9-Step Path

A defined repeatable path organized into three phases.
We map the timeline, decision gates, owners,
And next steps before renewal work starts.
Diagnose and design phase imagery
1
Phase 1
Diagnose & Design

See where you stand and where you’re going.

  • 1
    Needs Analysis
    We review your current setup, business priorities, renewal timing, and benefits goals.
  • 2
    Sourcing Options
    We review available carrier and plan paths to identify the options worth a closer look.
  • 3
    3–5 Year Benefits Roadmap
    We build a clear direction for where your benefits program can go next.
You walk away with

A clear view of your current benefits setup, key priorities, and a practical 3–5 year direction.

Deliver and implement phase imagery
2
Phase 2
Deliver & Implement

Build it and get it live.

  • 4
    Discovery Review
    We walk through the findings, options, tradeoffs, and recommended next step.
  • 5
    Onboarding & Implementation
    We coordinate setup details, carrier requirements, and implementation steps.
  • 6
    Strategic Plan Fulfillment
    We support communications, deadlines, and plan rollout so the process keeps moving.
You walk away with

A selected benefits path, organized implementation steps, and clearer plan education for your team.

Support and renew phase imagery
3
Phase 3
Support & Renew

Year-round advocacy and next-year prep.

  • 7
    Benefits Utilization
    We help your team understand how to use the benefits program more effectively.
  • 8
    Year-Round Advocacy
    We help handle questions, changes, service issues, and next-step guidance throughout the year.
  • 9
    Renewal Analysis — 90 Days Out
    We begin renewal review early so decisions are not forced at the last minute.
You walk away with

Year-round support, cleaner records, and renewal prep started before deadline pressure builds.

One kickoff call. Clear deliverables.

One kickoff call. Clear deliverables.

Carrier partnerships

Independent Agent — Multiple Carriers

WY · ID · MT · CO · CA · TX

Independent Wyoming insurance brokerage · Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Membership Committee · Government Committee · SHRM member

More Options

Access to multiple carriers means more plan designs and network choices.

Unbiased Guidance

How we’re paid is disclosed in writing up front — recommendations are based on fit.

Ongoing Support

Year-round service and renewal strategy — not just during open enrollment.

Across the state

Supporting Wyoming Employers in Every Sector

Different industries·Different team sizes·One clear path to better benefits

Sheridan and Buffalo · Sheridan and Johnson Counties · and employers across Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, California and Texas.

Employer benefits by area: All employer benefits · Star Valley · Teton Valley, ID · Cody & Powell · Rock Springs & Green River · Lander & Riverton · Casper · Cheyenne · Gillette · Sheridan & Buffalo · Idaho Falls, ID
By industry: Hospitality & Tourism · Construction & Trades · Professional Services

Builders & trades

  • Field teams
  • Project-based
  • Seasonal

Resort &
lodging

  • Seasonal staff
  • Multi-location
  • High turnover

Engineering & pro services

  • Small firms
  • Technical teams
  • Knowledge workers

Local retail

  • Single location
  • Multi-location
  • Hourly teams

Food &
beverage

  • Kitchen teams
  • Front of house
  • Variable hours

Nonprofits

  • Mission-driven
  • Small teams
  • Limited budgets

One team, one clear path, every renewal.

Heather Huhn, licensed independent insurance agent, Huhn Insurance, Jackson Hole
Licensed
Independent Agent
Co-owner, Agent
WYIDMTCOCATX
  • Wyoming-anchored
  • Independent brokerage
  • Leading the operating path on every renewal
Read Heather’s full bio →
Artemus Huhn, co-owner, Huhn Insurance, Jackson Hole
Growth
Operations
Artemus Huhn
Co-owner, Operations
  • Leads strategic partnerships
  • Drives automation priorities
  • Builds and improves operating systems
Read Artemus’s full bio →
Common questions

What Sheridan and Buffalo employers ask.

Yes. Huhn Insurance is licensed in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, California and Texas, so Sheridan and Johnson County employers are inside our normal service area. We run reviews and renewals by phone and video, and we meet in person when a group wants that.

It depends on the carrier and the specific plan, and both are among the first things we verify. We are also tracking the Billings Clinic affiliation approved for Sheridan Memorial in 2026, because affiliations can change network options.

Often yes, and the structure matters more than the headcount. Seasonal and variable-hour staff bring measurement periods and eligibility rules into play. Where a traditional group plan does not fit, an HRA arrangement frequently does.

Smaller than most owners assume. Wyoming small-group rules generally start at one enrolled employee besides the owner, though carrier participation and contribution requirements vary. We look at both a group plan and an HRA before telling you which is better.

Depending on the plan, we may be paid by the insurance carrier, by a client-paid fee, or by a mix of both. How we are paid is disclosed in writing up front, and if there is a fee paid by you we explain it before you move forward. Recommendations are based on fit.

Review your setup and decide the next step.

Book an Employer Benefits Review

Engage now or revisit at your next renewal.