NBDC 2023 Annual Report

DEAR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS,

Now is an exciting time at the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), and we are thrilled to share our 2023 annual report with you. NBDC has been a cornerstone in the economic development community in Nebraska for almost 50 years, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility and pride in leading NBDC into the next phase of its story.

In 1977, Nebraska became one of the first states to pioneer the concept of allowing the public to tap into university expertise and resources to fuel business development at no cost. The result was NBDC. Our organization has called the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Business Administration our home since the very beginning, and this partnership has been instrumental to serving thousands of business owners over the years. It has helped lead the way to form additional partnerships and satellite offices at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Wayne State College, and Chadron State College, allowing us to extend our reach to even more Nebraskans.

This past year, NBDC consultants have had the privilege of reaching every corner of the state, making a significant impact on business owners and entrepreneurs at various stages—helping them start, grow, and transition. Our four programs, the Nebraska Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Nebraska APEX Accelerator, SourceLink Nebraska, and Innovation & Technology, have played a crucial role in empowering Nebraskans and fostering economic development.

The most rewarding aspect of our work was the opportunity to serve 2,017 clients this year, each with a unique and inspiring story of resilience and hard work. It is truly an honor to stand alongside these business owners, witnessing their dedication to building and sustaining their companies.

OUR PARTNERS

In the following pages, you will find stories and data that showcase the impact of each of our programs. Additionally, we are proud to feature the outstanding businesses that earned recognition as our 2023 business and resource partner award winners. These stories highlight the diverse and impressive array of businesses that make up the fabric of Nebraska’s economic landscape.

We are so grateful for the support of our clients, partners, and community. Additionally, the services of NBDC are not possible without the support of our funders: the University of Nebraska, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other federal, state, and private organizations.

Thank you for being a part of the Nebraska Business Development Center’s story, and here’s to a future filled with even more growth, innovation, and success.

Michelle Trawick, Ph.D.

John Becker Dean, UNO College of Business Administration

Dan Curran NBDC Executive Director

$623.3

NBDC’s Economic IMPACT

2,017 CLIENTS SERVED

$298,385,915

180 JOBS CREATED OR SAVED

$850,000

IMPACT BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

DISTRICT ONE 458 clients served

DISTRICT TWO 841 clients served

DISTRICT THREE 555 clients served

NBDC CLIENTS

NBDC consultants provide no-cost support in every corner of Nebraska. This map represents business owners and entrepreneurs who received services from one of our direct-to-client programs including the Nebraska Small Business Development Center, Nebraska APEX Accelerator, and Innovation & Technology programs.

SourceLink Nebraska, launched in 2021, has quickly become the go-to platform connecting Nebraska’s entrepreneurs and business owners to the right resources at the right time. In 2023, use of the SourceLink Nebraska platform continued to

7,928 VISITS

BY THE NUMBERS

1,021

to the SourceLink Nebraska website

RESOURCE PARTNER EVENTS and trainings listed on the calendar

133,318 ONLINE REFERRALS using The Resource Navigator®

PERSONAL ACTION PLAN

A Personal Action Plan is a list of resources curated by a SourceLink Nebraska Network Navigator based on an entrepreneur or business owner’s needs.

THE RESOURCE NAVIGATOR ®

The Resource Navigator® is a self-service online database connecting business owners to local organizations supporting small business development.

389 PERSONAL ACTION PLANS delivered individualized assistance

6,046 DIRECT REFERRALS to partner organizations

OUR TEAM

BENJAMIN BENTON SBDC | WAYNE

LOREN KUCERA SBDC | WAYNE/NORFOLK

ODEE INGERSOLL SBDC | KEARNEY

TONY SCHULTZ SBDC | STATE DIRECTOR

MEGHANN BURESH APEX ACCELERATOR | NORFOLK

QUENTIN FARLEY APEX ACCELERATOR | LINCOLN

VERONICA DOGA APEX ACCELERATOR | DIRECTOR

SCOTT ASMUS SOURCELINK NEBRASKA | DIRECTOR

CRAIG BOESCH SBDC | LINCOLN

CHUCK BECK APEX ACCELERATOR | KEARNEY

JERRY PARRIOTT BUSINESS MANAGER

DANIEL KUCHAR APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

JOSH NICHOL-CADDY INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY | DIRECTOR

HAROLD SARGUS APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

PATRICK GUINOTTE APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

DAN CURRAN NBDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

KELLY JEFFERSON MINTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

BRANDI O’MALLEY SOURCELINK NEBRASKA | OMAHA

ALEXANDER COON SBDC | SCOTTSBLUFF

MORAINE DAVIS-MAGNUSON SBDC | NORTH PLATTE

CARLOS GARZÓN APEX ACCELERATOR | BILINGUAL CONSULTANT

COLLEEN LOGES BUSINESS SUPPORT SPECIALIST

ALAN MARTINEZ SBDC | BILINGUAL CONSULTANT

CHRISTOPHER MCCARTHY SBDC | CHADRON

KILEY PHELPS SBDC | OMAHA

JENNIFER WITTROCK SBDC | CHADRON

Our PROGRAMS

NBDC is a platform of four programs that help businesses start, grow, and develop. Three of our programs provide directto-client service, while one is a connecting program.

Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

NBDC SBDC is a resource for small business creation and expansion. The SBDC program offers confidential consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to start and grow their enterprises or to transition companies to the next generation of ownership.

APEX Accelerator

The Nebraska APEX Accelerator provides government procurement training, consulting, and solicitation support throughout the state. Consultants help Nebraska businesses identify and pursue federal, state, and local government contracting opportunities.

Key Services:

Business development support including business plan guidance, market research, and growth plan development

Key Services:

• Assist with completing required registrations, applying for certifications to access set-asides, and understanding forms, regulations, and specifications

Financial planning and analysis to develop financial projections, conduct cash flow analysis, and compare financials to industry standards

Assistance with funding such as loan packaging and identifying potential non-bank sources of financing

Export consulting to assess business export readiness and explore potential foreign markets

Business valuation and exit planning to transition a business to the next generation of ownership

• Research the market: identify agencies that have purchased similar products or services, analyze volume purchased, prices paid, past award winners, and locate subcontracting and teaming opportunities

• Support businesses through the proposal and bid process

• Provide resources including BidMatch automatic opportunity searches, workshops and webinars, and networking opportunities with peers, primes, and contracting officers

Consultations available in Spanish

• Consultations available in Spanish

Key Services:

Technology

NBDC helps clients obtain funding for commercialization through federal SBIR/STTR grants and other funding opportunities. Consultants help entrepreneurs and researchers guide their innovations and new products from prototyping to success in the marketplace.

Program assistance including support to apply for, or administer a grant from, America’s Seed Fund SBIR/ STTR programs

Assessment of business models, discussion of patent options, support for federal registration, project management for grant writing, and support for application submission

Individual assistance from certified consultants who offer quality and confidential consulting services at no

Key Services:

Business trainings with topics including SBIR information, intellectual property and patents, SBIR/ STTR proposal preparation, and taking ideas from

Networking opportunities with industry experts, potential partners, and other innovative entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and form collaborations

SourceLink Nebraska

SourceLink Nebraska is a one-stop shop for connecting entrepreneurs and business owners to the state’s wealth of resources. SourceLink Nebraska does not replace any existing resources, but increases strategic access, efficiency, and coordination across Nebraska’s economic and community development ecosystem. Simply put, SourceLink Nebraska provides connection to the right resource at the right time.

A dynamic web directory of more than 500 resource partners offering a broad range of expertise on topics such as business plans, government contracting, networking, loans, and more

Statewide calendar listing hundreds of business development events, trainings, and networking

A Personal Action Plan – a curated list of resources and a warm introduction to the organizations that can help

Business guides that provide information about startup, growth, business transition, and capital stages

A library of business training videos covering topics including business basics, legal issues, cybersecurity, and

Patty’s Childcare Centers Fill a GROWING NEED

Gloria Patricia Avalos has taken a home-based daycare business and grown it into two locations with a third expected to open by mid-2024, earning her and her company, Patty’s Childcare Center Inc., the honor of being selected as the 2023 Champion of Small Business from NBDC.

Avalos began her business in 2016, caring for 10 children in her home. It didn’t take long for her to realize the growing demand for reliable, quality child care, and she set out on a mission to help fulfill that need.

NBDC CHAMPION OF SMALL BUSINESS

“Gloria knew how hard-working people were facing the impact of this daycare shortage and how it was putting them at risk of losing their jobs,” says Consultant Alan Martinez, who serves businesses through the Nebraska Small Business Development Center program of the NBDC. “This is why she embarked on a journey to create a solution.”

of several bilingual consultants at the NBDC. He, with the help of others, helped Avalos develop a business plan and financial projections, technical assistance, and insight into benchmarking and marketing strategies.

“Gloria also joined the Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) program, which is facilitated by different resource partners including the NBDC,” Martinez says. “The program offers access to educational presentations and individualized technical assistance. She obtained a thorough review of her financial projections, ensuring she could pursue her expansion plans with confidence and foresight.”

Alejandra Lopez, operations manager for Patty’s Childcare Centers, says Avalos had to overcome many challenges to open her first center. “She was a mother who was trying to save money and had limited assets,” Lopez says. “The Nebraska Enterprise Fund gave her the opportunity to open her first childcare center.”

While the mother of five knew how to care for children, Avalos was unfamiliar with the requirements of beginning and running a business. Undeterred by challenges, Avalos, who is bilingual in Spanish and English and whose business serves Spanish-speaking families, worked with Martinez, one

In 2018, Avalos launched Patty’s Childcare Center in Papillion, a facility with a capacity for 100 children.

The success of her first childcare center motivated her to expand, and in May 2019, Avalos opened a second childcare center, also with space for 100 children, along South 13th Street in Omaha.

Owner Gloria Avalos (middle) with staff members Alejandra Lopez (left) and Sindy Mateo (right)

She will open a third childcare center in a separate building beside the South 13th Street location in May or June 2024. This center will be open 24 hours, seven days a week, have the space for 200 children and will create more than 60 jobs, in addition to the 40 people she currently employs.

“This is a growing community with many businesses and industries that have overnight shifts,” Avalos says. “People want to take these jobs but have very few choices for daycare during those hours.”

Through a desire to expand her services, Avalos and several of her team members have received training in the Pyramid Model through the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. The Pyramid Model is a framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social and emotional development. Avalos says her goals include offering parenting classes and becoming certified to work with autistic children.

America’s SBDC, which operates in every state, is the largest matching grant-funded program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The Nebraska SBDC program provides confidential consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to start and grow their enterprises or to transition companies to the next generation of ownership. Most of these services are available at no cost.

“The NBDC’s bilingual consultants enable us to serve additional Nebraskans and underserved communities for small business development,” says Tony Schultz, State Director of the Nebraska SBDC.

“Gloria knew hard-working people were facing the impact of this daycare shortage...she embarked on a journey to create a solution.”

“Anytime we can connect to entrepreneurs to support their business creation or expansion, it creates a ripple effect in the communities, resulting in job creation and wealth building.”

Schultz says the program helps entrepreneurs and small business owners in several ways, from the development of business plans, to creating a three-year financial projection model, to market research that includes benchmarking financials as compared to peers.

Through workshops, community outreach, and events such as the annual Latino Small Business Conference each summer, the NBDC and its consultants are raising awareness and easing access to those resources, Schultz says.

Avalos’ dedication to the community extends to a real estate company she owns, GPA Properties, LLC, and its support in developing the South Omaha Global Market, a community development project that will serve as an incubator for local entrepreneurs.

Martinez lauds Avalos for her persistence, dedication to the community, and her vision. “She is a testament to hard work and the successful pursuit of a dream,” he says.

Avalos says she is happy with the services she has received from the NBDC, “and to be able to do it all in Spanish.” She says being named Champion of Small Business is an honor, “and recognition of coming so far in such a small amount of time.”

Staff member Brenda Hernandez and her daughter

NEBRASKA

Javier Trujillo Villa remembers the day in 2020 when he opened the doors to his first Javi’s Tacos in a former pizza restaurant near 180th and Q Streets. He remembers the first customer walking in – and he remembers how anxious he felt.

“I really struggled with that first batch of rice, trying to be sure it was perfect,” he recalls. “Then, one of my employees asked, ‘So, what do we put on the tacos?’ I said, ‘Whatever the customer wants.’”

His answer has proven to be a recipe for success, as only four years later, Villa is the owner of three Javi’s Tacos restaurants, three catering trucks, and his most recent additions, the Time to Rise and Shine breakfast and lunch restaurant, Frosty Mug sports bar and Helados Locos, which serves Mexican ice cream made in South Omaha. This year, he will open his upscale El Milagro (the Miracle) restaurant, boosting his total number of employees to 125.

Every step of his rapid and impressive business journey, Villa has relied upon the guidance of the Nebraska Business Development Center’s SBDC program. Tony Schultz, State Director of the Nebraska SBDC and Kiley Phelps, Omaha Center Director of Nebraska SBDC have partnered with him along the way.

With the Nebraska SBDC, IT’S ONE-ON-ONE, Not One-and-Done

“The NBDC is a lot like me,” Villa says. “They provide quality customer service. No matter what I need, they are always accurate and honest. And that honesty is very important. Opportunity may knock, but sometimes it’s not the right fit. You can have vision, but if it’s not right for you, you can lose thousands.”

The Nebraska SBDC program works with entrepreneurs and business owners statewide to help overcome the challenges of starting a new company or expanding.

“Building relationships is a big part of my job,” Kucera says.

Loren Kucera, Center Director of Nebraska SBDC at the NBDC office in Wayne, has been with the NBDC 30 years. He says in that time he has forged lasting business relationships with his clients – many who he still assists today.

Those relationships are rooted in Kucera’s knowledge and experience, as well as his people skills. “A good consultant needs to listen and talk, but mostly listen,” he says. “You need to listen to the client and to the people they will be dealing with. The lenders, economic development people, service providers, chamber of commerce people, government representatives – every few months we get together to exchange ideas. But mostly, we listen to each other. That’s how you learn new ways to do things.”

Two clients Kucera listened to over the years were Donna and Alan Franklin. Alan had been an assistant manager at the Omaha Country Club. The couple moved to Norfolk when Alan became general manager at the Norfolk Country Club, and they fell in love with the area. In 1997, they pursued their dream and opened Bailey’s Bistro restaurant in the Norfolk Country Inn and operated it for more than 12 years. “Alan loved to cook, and I ran the front of the restaurant,” Donna recalls.

They opened Franklin’s in 2012 and quickly built a loyal following. Alan’s death in 2013, followed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, were difficult times for Donna. Two years ago, she turned to Meredith “Mere” Evert, with whom she had worked at Bailey’s and Franklin’s for more than 20 years, and offered to sell the business.

for ideas. “We are here for the entire life of a business, from ideation to exit strategies,” she says. “I have clients who are Ph.D.s and experts in their fields, but have never taken a business class in their life. We have the business perspective they need.”

When the lease ran out on their space in the hotel, the couple decided to open Franklin’s Bistro and sought Kucera’s advice and guidance. “After my banker told us ‘no,’ another banker hooked us up with Loren,” Donna says. “He helped us tremendously. He made it seem easy, and I know it wasn’t. We saw the paperwork.”

Evert had taken a managerial role after Alan’s death and was very interested in buying Franklin’s. She and her husband, Chad, consulted with Kucera, whom she also had known for years, on a business plan and financial projections that resulted in the purchase of the restaurant in November 2021. “Loren is very personable and helpful,” Evert says. “His advice is honest, and that really matters.”

Phelps, who continues to work with Villa on his expanding roster of businesses, says relationships with knowledgeable SBDC consultants give owners a valuable sounding board

Villa says the community has been very supportive of each of his ventures. “From Omaha Food Lovers on Facebook, to resources like the NBDC, it’s been an amazing journey so far,” he says. “The key is to know how to use your connections and to listen to your customers.”

Especially when it comes to tacos, he says. And what does Villa like on his tacos? “I say a taco should have no more than three toppings,” he replies, chuckling. “And one of them has to be cilantro.”

Donna Meyers Frank and Meredith Evert

Prescription Pyro Sparks Second Company Whose Mission is WILDFIRE PREVENTION

The proven need for wildfire suppression and prevention services offered by Prescription Pyro, LLC, is prompting founder and owner Bob Harrold of Broken Bow to launch a second company dedicated to prevention through the removal of woody encroachment.

billions of dollars through woody encroachment, and people are finally coming to realize the impact,” he says.

Harrold’s success with Prescription Pyro and the mission of his new company, Prairie Fire Forestry, LLC have earned him the honor of being named Government Contractor of the Year for 2023 by the Nebraska Business Development Center.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Sandhills of Nebraska is the most intact prairie region in the world but is facing widespread losses from woody encroachment. “As valued grazing lands, these working grasslands are the backbone of the U.S. beef industry, but more than 419,000 tons of range production was lost in Nebraska to woody encroachment in 2019,” the USDA reports. “Nearly 8 million acres of Nebraska’s most intact grasslands are estimated to be at risk from woody encroachment.”

“Bob’s story is one of heartache, hard work, and as he puts it, ‘trying to get better every day,’” says Chuck Beck, consultant with the Nebraska APEX Accelerator program of the NBDC. “Bob has, in a very real way, been tempered by fire – it has strengthened who he is as a person and as a business owner.”

Harrold says woody encroachment, in particular the spread of the eastern red cedar, is threatening vital grasslands in Nebraska and throughout the Great Plains, extending from Texas to Montana. “We’re losing

Through the Nebraska Great Plains Grassland Initiative, and with funding from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the effort to reduce woody encroachment is gaining speed. While Prescription Pyro will remain dedicated to fire suppression, Harrold says his new company, Prairie Fire Forestry, will concentrate on removing and reducing woody encroachment. Harrold says he hopes to secure even more government contracts through his second company, while at the same time creating jobs and adding equipment.

Bob Harrold, owner of Prescription Pyro, LLC

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

The resources available through the Nebraska APEX Accelerator program assist Harrold and hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs in navigating the maze of regulations and processes associated with government contracting, says Veronica Doga, program director of the Nebraska APEX Accelerator.

– and that decision also influenced his career path. He earned his GED and was working seven days a week at up to three different jobs, while also volunteering with area youth sports programs.

“APEX Accelerator consultants are trained and certified professionals who live and breathe government contracting every day,” Doga says. “They can assist a business with questions in any stage of the government contracting process, starting with ‘who buys what we sell?’ and ending with ‘how can we stay compliant with our contract clauses?’ The best part is that our services are free to Nebraska businesses.”

Harrold’s story is truly one of recovery that dates back to his youth and a tragic vehicle accident on May 11, 1994. His best friend was the driver and was not wearing a seat belt. He was thrown from the vehicle and died at age 20. Harrold was

For Harrold, the event was his “rock bottom.” Supported by family and friends, he says he checked into an addiction treatment and recovery center four days after the accident and has been sober ever since. He was told “to find a way to give back to the community.” That advice has guided Harrold through nearly three decades of sobriety and a life where he gives back to the community and encourages others through training and business mentorship.

In January 1997, Harrold joined the volunteer fire department because his father had friends who were volunteer firefighters

In 2010, Harrold purchased a used pickup truck and started to build the company that would evolve into Prescription Pyro. His initial services included custom burn and cedar tree removal for private landowners, and some contracting for the state of Nebraska. Prescription Pyro grew from a sole proprietorship with that one used truck to a successful federal contracting service with two wildland brush trucks and a team of seasonal employees.

“I’ve always believed that there’s a purpose for everyone and everything. Now I’m starting to realize my purpose.”

as involved as the business needs us to be,” she says. “In our experience, businesses that involve us more in their government contracting journey, attend our training, and participate in the Meet the Buyers government contracting conference, are well prepared and conditioned to understand what it takes to tackle government contracting the right way.”

Since late 2021, Harrold has worked with Beck and the NBDC as he continues to pursue and secure U.S. Forest Service and other federal, state, and local contracts.

Doga says creating lasting relationships with clients is not unusual for APEX Accelerator consultants. “We can be

Harrold says recognition as Government Contractor of the Year is an honor he shares with his team. “I couldn’t do all this by myself,” he says. “Broken Bow is an amazing place; especially the people and the work ethic here. I am very thankful for this community, and thankful for my parents and employees, past and present. Without the best employees, I could not have built a great company.”

He adds that through his faith, “I’ve always believed that there’s a purpose for everyone and everything. Now I’m starting to realize my purpose.”

Harrold is working on starting a second business, Prairie Fire Forestry NEBRASKA

Nebraska APEX Accelerator Program Puts Government Opportunities FRONT AND CENTER

If it has anything to do with ink on paper, Gene Walter and his Big Red Printing, Inc. locations in Norfolk and Columbus can do the job.

But when it came to inking contracts with government agencies, Walter needed help. Like hundreds of Nebraska business owners every year, he reached out to the Nebraska APEX Accelerator program of the Nebraska Business Development Center.

Big Red Printing was established in Norfolk in 1985 and incorporated in 1991. Although Walter says it’s a common misconception, the “Big Red” in the name doesn’t refer to the University of Nebraska athletic programs, although he is a true Cornhusker fan. “The gentleman who originally owned the company printed an Apple II computer newsletter for high schools nationwide,” Walter explains. “It was called the Big Red Apple Club. So we kept that part of the name for the business. It was kind of a natural.”

Walter worked as a manager at the printing company, and later took over as president in 1987, with Mark Malmberg as vice president. In 1998, Big Red Printing purchased the Art Printery in Columbus.

Walter and Big Red Printing have been a client of the NBDC since 2009. Most recently, he has worked with Nebraska APEX Accelerator Consultant Meghann Buresh to complete and renew his System for Awards Management (SAM) registration for government contracting, and to develop a BidMatch profile to receive notifications of government opportunities.

He says the APEX Accelerator services have led to contracts with Platte and Madison County entities, area school districts, the State of Nebraska, and the Black Hills Parks & Forests Association.

“Government websites are not the easiest to navigate,” he says. “Meghann is familiar with the questions a typical business owner cannot answer.”

Joanna Sena, Gene Walter, and Caleb Priebe

APEX ACCELERATOR SERVICES INCLUDE, BUT

 Confidential individual counseling sessions at no cost

 Assistance with registering on vendor websites such as SAM.gov and city government portals

 Services for electronically matching bids with opportunities

 Interpretation of government solicitations

 Aid in researching government contracts

 Assistance with contract preparation

 Cybersecurity compliance assistance

 Guidance on General Services Administration (GSA) federal supply schedules

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), there are several factors that can help yield success for small businesses seeking government contracting:

• The government prefers to work with established, reliable businesses. This means a track record of delivering quality goods and services on time and within budget.

• It can take time and significant resources to win your first government contract.

• Also, it could take up to two years to start making a return on your investment. Have a strong cash flow and maintain a diverse list of private-sector clients to help offset any potential initial losses.

• Being e-commerce savvy is very important in government contracting. For example, to work with the Department of Defense, a business must be able to invoice and receive payments electronically.

ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

 Support in locating bidding partners

 Identification of potential teaming and joint venture partners for contracts

 Strategies for marketing to government entities and prime contractors

 Effective response strategies to solicitations

 Assistance in obtaining federal set-aside certifications

 Guidance on federal accounting and invoicing procedures

 Research strategies for accessing federal, state, and local government markets.

The Nebraska APEX Accelerator consultants are experts at knowing which resources and processes will help potential government contractors have the best chance at success, says Veronica Doga, program director of the Nebraska APEX Accelerator. “There are strategies like subcontracting, teaming, joint venturing, or utilizing the Mentor-Protégé programs to help small businesses compete,” Doga says. “Our APEX Accelerator consultants provide that direction.”

Originally the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), the program transitioned from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs in fall 2022 and was renamed the APEX Accelerators. There are nearly 100 APEX Accelerators across the U.S., each one designed to “strengthen the defense industrial base by accelerating innovation, fostering ingenuity, and establishing resilient and diverse supply chains.”

Buresh, consultant at the NBDC office in Norfolk, says APEX Accelerator clients and their businesses represent a diverse mix of products, services, experiences, and goals. “APEX

Accelerator consultants are like project managers,” she says. “We are an extra set of eyes and ears for your business when it comes to anything related to government contracting. If we don’t know the answer, we have many resources we can tap into to find the answer.”

Quentin Farley, APEX Accelerator consultant at the NBDC office in Lincoln, says the Nebraska APEX Accelerator program held 72 events in 2023, each one an opportunity for education, training, and networking with government agencies and prime contractors. The annual Meet the Buyers Conference, for example, brings together a dozen or more state and federal agencies that hopeful government contractors can meet with in person.

Farley says the NBDC has also built an archive of recorded webinars, along with access to a subscriber-based national training resource, that APEX Accelerator clients may utilize at no cost to them.

“Staying on top of the information is a big part of the battle,” he says. “We save our clients time, ease the frustrations, and guide them through the processes quicker and with more confidence.”

Meghann Buresh Quentin Farley

BLUESTEM BIOSCIENCES’ RENEWABLE CHEMICALS

Aim to Benefit the Environment, Ag Industry

Bluestem Biosciences Founders Tyler Autera, Jared Wenger, and Billy Hagstrom

Bluestem Biosciences, Inc. is a renewable chemicals company focused on leveraging agriculture feedstocks and existing energy infrastructure through leading-edge synthetic biology to positively impact the environment, expand agricultural economies and domestic supply chains, and build a more sustainable, biobased chemical future for the United States.

“I can’t imagine this level of support system anywhere else.”

Headquartered in Omaha with employees working remotely in other states, Bluestem Biosciences is the Nebraska Business Development Center 2023 Innovation Business of the Year.

Founded in 2022 by CEO Billy Hagstrom, COO Tyler Autera, and CSO Jared Wenger, Ph.D., Bluestem Biosciences is leveraging digital biology to facilitate the discovery of biomanufacturing methods for the sustainable production of decarbonized bio-chemicals.

Put simply, Bluestem Biosciences seeks to manufacture chemicals from microorganisms, not oil. Creating bio-based replacements to petroleum-derived products such as acrylics, nylon, and plastics will expand opportunities in the agriculture industry and impact the environment by reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 75 percent or more, the company says.

Hagstrom says Bluestem Biosciences chose the Midwest to build the company by taking advantage of the region’s agricultural foundation, its existing infrastructure and workforce, and the potential for public and private partnerships. “Ultimately, the bioeconomy is inexorably linked with agriculture,” he says. “Bluestem is committed to agriculture.”

Bluestem Biosciences intends to use the region’s ethanol infrastructure to produce bio-based replacements to petrochemical derivatives. The same agricultural feedstocks serve as inputs to Bluestem Biosciences’ anaerobic (without the presence of oxygen) fermentation system, which the company has genetically programmed to maximize bioproduction.

Hagstrom says Nebraska is ideally situated to become a hub for biomanufacturing. Currently, the state has approximately 18,000 jobs in the industry, from scientists to soil testers, according to Bio Nebraska, a local trade group. Cargill’s campus in Blair, which includes Germany-based Evonik and Danish-owned Novozymes, is the nation’s largest bioprocessing campus.

In its first year of operation, Bluestem Biosciences announced a pre-seed financing round of $5 million, obtaining investment from Zero Infinity Partners, Navigator CO2 Ventures, Invest Nebraska, and angel investor Robert Sali. In September 2023, Agile BioFoundry (ABF), which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), announced the selection of Bluestem Biosciences as one of five external collaborations to receive a portion of a $3 million award to conduct research and development needed to accelerate the U.S. biomanufacturing sector.

In February, the company announced the filing of 24 patent applications protecting its anaerobic chemical platform, “with a combined total addressable market over $100 billion.”

Josh Nichol-Caddy, Director of the NBDC Innovation & Technology Program, says his team first met with Bluestem Biosciences’ leadership in the summer of 2022. At that time, program consultants shared details of the various grant programs available from Nebraska’s Department of Economic

Development, and recommended applying for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 0 grant as well as Academic Research and Development funding.

Nichol-Caddy says the funding opportunities became more of a reality for the company once it hired Cameron Rylance, a former research fellow at the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), as Bluestem Biosciences’ Director of Government Affairs and Sustainability. Rylance worked closely with NBDC consultants to apply for USDA SBIR Phase I funding in the fall of 2022. “Although that application was not funded, they were under serious consideration and received meaningful feedback and encouragement to resubmit the following year,” Nichol-Caddy says.

While waiting for USDA’s SBIR submission window to reopen, Rylance applied the USDA feedback to a Department of Energy SBIR Phase I submission. Bluestem Biosciences received a notice of award in June 2023.

Hagstrom says the availability of resources such as the NBDC distinguishes the Midwest from support services elsewhere in the country. “The fact that I can pick up the phone and call Josh and his team is amazing,” he says. “I can’t imagine this level of support system anywhere else. In any company’s early stage, you’re looking for guidance and validation. Josh and his team gave us that and more.”

Bluestem Biosciences is eager to move forward in its efforts to decarbonize the chemical industry, Hagstrom says.

“Our technology has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical industry, and to provide a sustainable solution for the bioproduction of chemicals,” he says. “Through our recent patent application and accomplishments to date, Bluestem and our growing team are well-positioned to transform infrastructure, beginning in the Midwest.”

Innovation and Technology Program Connects

ENTREPRENEURS WITH OPPORTUNITIES

Adam Peters is no stranger to hard work or acting upon an idea. In fifth grade, he planted a strawberry patch and waited patiently for the plants to mature. The following year, he saw the fruits of his labors – in the form of $50 in strawberry sales.

Fast forward to today. Peters is still developing ideas through his company, Veritas Ventures, which he says was “birthed out of a desire to venture into innovations that are true to the land, particularly in agricultural, construction, and metal manufacturing.” His website, truetotheland.com, illustrates his commitment.

Peters’ current ventures include a unique, efficient, custom flatbed design for pickup trucks. He’s also working on a rod post driver prototype, a wheel chock design, a rod post puller, a twist on the handyman jack, and utilizing newer lumber technologies with prairie cedars.

Clearly, Peters has ideas. As witnessed with his strawberry fields, he also has patience. What he’d like to have is funding. That is why Peters, who lives in Grant, and more than 120 other entrepreneurs from across the state and the region gathered in Lincoln to attend the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour 2023.

Held in Nebraska for the first time since 2016, the half-day event showcased non-dilutive technology funding opportunities available through the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR/STTR programs provide more than $4 billion in funding each year to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of federal research funds in small businesses.

Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the road tour stop afforded entrepreneurs and small business owners an opportunity to meet with federal program managers from 11 participating government agencies that offer SBIR/STTR funding, as well as to network with other technology entrepreneurs and state innovation ecosystem members.

Josh Nichol-Caddy, Director of Innovation and Technology at the Nebraska Business Development Center, says the road

tour stop was one of many events and advisory services the NBDC offers researchers, entrepreneurs, and established businesses who have technologies they seek to fund and commercialize. “No matter what grants you are pursuing, it’s always helpful to meet with federal agency representatives face-to-face rather than to pursue them through a series of phone calls or emails,” Nichol-Caddy says.

As part of America’s Seed Fund Road Tour, local Federal and State Technology (FAST) partners including the NBDC coordinate with the SBA Office of Investment and Innovation (SBIR) and SBA Field Offices to host each stop and the programming throughout the day. Federal representatives of the SBIR and STTR funding agencies, as well as other agencies that provide resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses, travel by bus to each stop along the tour.

Nancy Kamei is a Program Development Specialist in the SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation. She says the immediate impact of

Adam Peters

Nancy Kamei

the Nebraska road tour stop was evident in the fact that SBIR grant applications nearly doubled after the event.

“The Road Tour is a wonderful experience, especially for innovators who are new to the SBIR/STTR program because it provides insight into strategies and the beginning of a relationship with government representatives,” she says. “If

She says the NBDC and Nichol-Caddy have helped advance the SBIR program by raising awareness, offering technical advice, reviewing grant proposals and imparting specific tips. She says the road tour’s pre-session is built around an idea from Nichol-Caddy on how to prepare for a one-on-one meeting with a federal representative, and that a video he created on how to develop a quad chart is still being used to educate entrepreneurs around the country. “He’s helping us take this program to the next level,” she says.

you think about the government as an investor in your company, success hinges on finding the right match and building a relationship.”

While competitive, SBIR and STTR funding “is definitely attainable,” Kamei says. “The road tour helps enable Nebraska to get its share.”

Sajda Qureshi, Ph.D., is Professor of Information Systems and Director of the ITD mHealth Lab at the Department of Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis, College of Information Science & Technology at UNO. She is currently working on developing a means of addressing societal equities by offering access to socio-economic resources through a new “mHealthhelp.com” mobile application. She says one goal of the no-cost app is to provide health resources for people in rural and other underserved areas.

Qureshi attended the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour in Lincoln and says she received suggestions on how to proceed to obtain SBIR and other funding. “It was a great experience,” she says. “This funding would give me the opportunity to build the lab I need to further this project. It is an excellent opportunity to translate my research innovations for the benefit of society.”

Peters says he applied for SBIR funding in the fall of 2023 and was very close to being selected to receive the grant he requested. He says he will reapply in the fall of 2024. “If I had not gone to the road tour, I would have been clueless as to how the system works,” he says. “These are very competitive programs, but now I have the confidence that I can put together an application and have a real chance.”

Dr. Sajda Quereshi

The Nebraska Enterprise Fund has been providing capital, training, mentoring, and technical assistance to support entrepreneurs and new businesses for more than 30 years and continues to expand its product offerings and services to small business owners across the state.

In 2023, the Nebraska Enterprise Fund (NEF), headquartered in Oakland, partnered with SourceLink Nebraska to offer nocost training opportunities to urban and rural communities. This collaborative effort, and the valuable services and financing the NEF has offered since 1993, have earned it the inaugural title of SourceLink Nebraska Resource Partner of the Year for 2023.

Nebraska Enterprise Fund FUELS NEW BUSINESSES

The fund and its $20 million in assets serve a wide array of entrepreneurs and small business owners, many of whom are either unable to obtain bank financing or are unable to get enough bank financing to fully fund their needs, says Jim Reiff, the NEF’s executive director since 2013.

“We approve about 75 loans a year for amounts ranging from $1,000 to $150,000,” Reiff says. “Many of our clients can obtain bank loans, but only enough to cover 60 percent to 80 percent of their needs.”

Through Development Services and Financing

In the ongoing effort to provide new services, Reiff says the NEF is rolling out a “quick loan” program that will offer loans of $2,500. “For example, it’s a loan to help with cash flow, or to set up a website or buy a computer,” he says. “As they repay the quick loan, their credit score goes up, and it gives them time to write a business plan that will enable them to secure a larger loan.”

As a statewide microenterprise intermediary and Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the NEF provides critical business development services and financing to micro and small businesses. With a vision for a vibrant small business ecosystem where every entrepreneur has the opportunity to start, grow, and prosper, the fund supports underserved communities by ensuring access to training, technical assistance, and capital.

Specifically, the NEF serves a target market of traditionally disadvantaged small business owners including minorities, low-income individuals, women, and veterans. By empowering these groups with the tools and resources needed to turn their dreams into thriving ventures, the fund fosters both individual success stories and collective economic growth.

Nebraska Enterprise Fund team

SourceLink Nebraska is a statewide program that connects entrepreneurs and business owners to resources that help start, scale, or accelerate businesses. The NBDC is the host for the program.

Since launching in November 2021, SourceLink Nebraska has grown significantly as a resource hub for entrepreneurs and business owners across the state. The program website now showcases more than 950 partner organization resource profiles and provides guides and a training video library tailored to business needs.

SourceLink Nebraska also lists local events for networking and business development. In 2023, SourceLink made 6,046 direct referrals to resource partners, in addition to 133,318 referrals through its search tool, The Resource Navigator®, according to Program Director Scott Asmus. In 2024, SourceLink Nebraska continues to connect entrepreneurs and business owners to the tools, knowledge, and organizations that can support their business journey.

To further economic development, SourceLink Nebraska partnered with the NEF, Cline Williams law firm, and several

other organizations to offer “Building a Business: 2023 Legal Series for Small Business” training sessions.

In the series, attorneys provided legal information relevant to small business owners in a mix of virtual and in-person sessions. Topics included hiring best practices, contracts, staying in business, and recurring B.A.I.L (Banker-AccountantInsurance-Legal) overviews. By making these sessions accessible online and on-site in North Omaha, an Opportunity Zone, the collaboration was able to deliver vital legal guidance to small business owners across Nebraska.

The “2023 Creative Marketing Series” provided information through a collaboration between the NEF, SourceLink Nebraska, Grow Nebraska Foundation, Grow Nebraska Women’s Business Center, SCORE and the NBDC. Offered virtually, the sessions covered core aspects of creative marketing including social media engagement, visual branding, digital advertising, viral content strategies, and leveraging influencers.

“It’s truly a partnership.”

Asmus says these collaborative training sessions “have been instrumental in turning around struggling entrepreneurs, while catalyzing growth for existing businesses ready to take their next step.”

He lauds Reiff for his management of the NEF. “Jim has led the Nebraska Enterprise Fund in opening new satellite offices outside of Omaha to be more accessible to rural entrepreneurs,” Asmus says. “He has also diversified the organization’s funding sources, nearly doubling contributed revenue in just three years. Thanks to Jim’s bold vision and principled approach, the Nebraska Enterprise Fund is now larger, more sustainable, and serves more small businesses than ever.”

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA RESOURCE PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Reiff says he regularly communicates with Asmus and other NBDC program directors, including various NBDC consultants around the state who assist clients with writing business plans and financial projections, as well as consultants with the APEX Accelerator program for government contracting. “We talk with each other to maximize what

Jim Reiff

Sarah Sinnett grew up in Sidney but left and moved to Omaha. Today, with her husband, a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol, she’s back in Sidney – and it’s where she wants to stay. “I love it here,” she says. “But after I moved away, no one ever tried to make it cool to come back. No one ever invited me back.”

Working together through a variety of programs, organizations, and initiatives, Sinnett and others want to change all that.

The effort is a partnership linking the minds and resources of the statewide Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (e3) Initiative, a collaboration between the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Nebraska Community Foundation, NetWork Kansas, and e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; along with SourceLink Nebraska, a statewide program of the Nebraska Business Development Center, and local chambers of commerce and economic development groups.

Launched in 2021, e3 is a community-building experience designed to bolster entrepreneurial ecosystems in Valley County, Holt County, Keith County, Sidney/Cheyenne County, and Red Cloud. Sinnett is a Nebraska Community Foundation board member and serves as the e3 Community Lead for Cheyenne County.

E3 team members

Communities involved with the e3 project are looking toward the future by creating a more diversified, stable economy focused on assets and opportunities. In Cheyenne County, one goal is to create a source for sustainable funding to support entrepreneurs. Another long-term goal is to build a support system for young people who want to start a business.

Sinnett says the work actually began in Sidney in 2017, when Cabela’s was sold to Bass Pro Shops. The Cabela’s headquarters in Sidney closed, eliminating about 2,000 jobs in a community of about 6,500 people. e3

Initiative Aims to

LOCAL ECONOMY ECOSYSTEMS

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA PARTNER FEATURE

Although Sidney lost residents when Cabela’s closed, some, like Sinnett, have returned. Since 2020, Sidney has gained nearly 500 new residents – and hopes to attract more.

“Sidney has a marvelous core of people who love the town and the area,” Sinnett says. “They wanted to stay, and they did so by creating their own businesses.”

She says that since 2017, 101 new businesses have been created, ranging from retail sales and restaurants to boutiques and specialty services.

“We had built some momentum when the Nebraska Community Foundation approached and said the grant from the Kauffman Foundation presented an amazing opportunity,” she says. “We have been on an incredible journey ever since. The e3 initiative gave us the structure and the resources, and SourceLink Nebraska and the NBDC gave us the framework and the tools.”

That momentum continues to build, Sinnett says. In March 2023, Alisha Juelfs was hired as the Entrepreneurial Navigator for Cheyenne County’s e3 group. In less than a year, Juelfs has recorded 100 client interactions. She says some clients don’t know what resources they need, while others aren’t aware of existing resources or how to connect with them.

“I partner with all the existing resources, but because I’m not affiliated with any of them, my informational guidance is unbiased and completely confidential,” Juelfs says. “I get to know my clients and point them in the right direction to who may be best suited to help fill their needs. I see my job as a public service, and it’s very rewarding.”

Sidney. Additionally, there is a plan to hire a technical grant writer to assist budding entrepreneurs, Sinnett says.

The e3 initiative is also working to let young people know that opportunities exist in western Nebraska, and that if they move away for college, they are welcome to return and start their own businesses.

That message was underscored in the fall of 2023 when the Cheyenne County e3 chapter, Nelnet, and Sidney Public Schools launched the first Youth Entrepreneurship Competition at Sidney High School. Sinnett says donations from a local community member and Nelnet, along with curriculum provided by the e2 program, allowed all high school juniors and seniors to participate in the semesterlong class and competition.

In the competition, students were tasked with imagining a business or service and creating a business plan, company financials, and a marketing strategy. At the end of the semester, they pitched their business plans to a panel of

judges. That was followed by a “community trade show” where the students manned booths to present their businesses and attendees voted on their favorites. The first place prize was $5,000 and an Apple MacBook Pro 13, and was awarded to a student whose company offered artificial insemination for cattle.

“It was an energetic, amazing day,” says Sinnett, who coordinated the high school program. “Hundreds of people showed up. It was so successful that now we have employers who are offering to fund it in future years, and our goal is to make it county-wide.”

Brandi O’Malley, SourceLink Nebraska Network Navigator, says she and Juelfs work together to heighten awareness and ensure access to businesses resources in western Nebraska and throughout the state. “Creating entrepreneurial ecosystems is very leading edge,” O’Malley says. “We want to do all we can to support local communities, because supporting local economies ultimately supports the entire state.”

Although e3 was intended to be a three-year project, funding has been provided that will ensure the initiative and Juelfs’ position continue in Cheyenne County and

Youth Entrepreneurship Competition in Sidney

NEBRASKA

DEMOGRAPHICS

16-25

26-35

36-45

46-55

65.1%

of a private company

9.6% Private not-for-profit

6.6% Self-employed in own not incorporated and unpaid family workers

4.2% Self-employed in own incorporated business, professional practice or farm

14.5% Local, state and federal government workers

Self-employed in own not incorporated business

Self-employed in own incorporated business

Other services, except public

NBDC.UNOMAHA.EDU

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