A group of Russian contractors will visit Casper later this month to learn about U.S. construction methods.

The Casper Rotary and Kiwanis clubs have teamed up to bring 11 Russian contractors, plus a program facilitator and interpreter, to town from Sept. 14 to Sept. 30.

The visitors hail from such cities as Moscow, Volgograd, Omsk and Rostov-on-Don. They head up companies with fewer than 100 employees.

This will be the third such visit in recent years by Russian contractors.

Liz Becher, a Casper Rotary Club member who is planning site visits for the group, said Russian contractors in the past have been interested in such topics as landscaping, architectural techniques, engineering, school construction and multi-family building projects.

"One of their favorite visits is to go out to Wyoming Machinery," Becher said. They also visited Home Depot to look at building materials and tools.

"It's just a wonderful exchange with a very gracious group of participants," she said.

Ed Brennan, a Kiwanis member and chairman of the International Committee, said not everything will be strictly business.

In the past, the delegates wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park, and so a trip was arranged rather hastily. This time, Yellowstone was included on the schedule.

The exchange is made possible through the San Francisco-based Center for Citizens Initiatives' Productivity Enhancement Program.

The nonprofit center has been dedicated to supporting political and economic reforms in Russia for the past 25 years.

"Today its Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) is the organization's chief vehicle for assisting Russia's efforts to build a viable market economy," the center's Web site says.

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@casperstartribune.net, or call 307-266-0574.