Wyoming Council for Women Announces 2024 Jan Torres Woman Entrepreneur Award Recipient

CHEYENNE, WY –The Wyoming Council for Women announced today that Bev Lliteras, owner of the Strawberry Patch Quilt Shop in Newcastle, will be the 2024 recipient of the Jan Torres Woman Entrepreneur of the year award.

“Wyoming women continue to lead and fuel the Cowboy State economy, and we were overwhelmed again this year by the impressive number of successful female entrepreneurs nominated for this award,” said Wyoming Council for Women (WCW) Board Chair Natalia Duncan Macker. “We are excited to celebrate Bev Lliteras as the recipient of the 2024 Jan Torres Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for her outstanding contribution to our Wyoming communities. Her passion, creativity and dedication to serving others represent the best of Wyoming woman entrepreneurs.”

Bev Lliteras joins a distinguished cohort of women entrepreneurs celebrated for their innovation and dedication to Wyoming’s economic landscape. The award ceremony honoring Lliteras is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Sept. 6 at her Strawberry Patch Quilt Shop at 210 West Main Street in Newcastle, WY. Members of the public and media are welcome to attend.

The Jan Torres Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes woman-owned businesses in Wyoming and is designed to increase the attention to, and recognition of, the contribution female entrepreneurs make to Wyoming’s economy. It is named in honor of former WCW board member Jan Torres, who was instrumental in creating and expanding this award. This year the council received several impressive nominations of successful woman entrepreneurs across the state.

As you enter the Strawberry Patch Quilt Shop in Newcastle, Wyoming, you may notice many unique decorations displayed throughout the shop, one of which is the very first bolt purchased by Lliteras. The title of this bolt is “Wish you were here,” a homage to her late husband, John Lliteras, who unexpectedly passed away in an accident only one month after Lliteras’ retirement from nearly 30 years of teaching. This tragic event served as the catalyst for her business venture as she made the decision to come out of retirement and start a new adventure, opening the Quilt Shop in 2014 with the support of her daughter, Robbie.

Although Lliteras’ daughter agreed to join her on the adventure, the uncertainty of business ownership loomed. Lliteras recalls early conversations with her daughter, “We vowed to stop the pursuit if at any point we were told, no. Well, we were never told no.” While she has put her heart and soul into building this “beginning-to-end” quilt shop, Lliteras credits the ten years of success to the unwavering support of her daughter, smiling as she shares her favorite quote, “It was always you and me, babe.”

Fortunately, the Quilt Shop came to fruition and has since become a staple in the community, serving as a sense of home for some, a creative outlet for others, and a sense of comfort and healing for veterans through the “Quilts of Valor” program, which are handcrafted by local teens through the town’s after school program. The Quilt Shop also serves as a source of economic development for the town as hundreds of people from all over the state, and out-of-state, travel to Newcastle to visit the dynamic mother-daughter duo’s destination business each year. The duo travels all across Wyoming and South Dakota to support quilt conventions and participate in both the Wyoming Quilt Shop Hop and Black Hills Quilt Shop Hop, which requires them to design a pattern for a block that members can come and purchase. “We sell hundreds of pattern blocks each year due to my mom’s creativity,” shared Robbie, Lliteras’ daughter.

For inquiries regarding the award, please contact the WCW Chair, Natalia Duncan Macker, at natalia.macker@wyoboards.gov.