Midlands Business Journal • APRIL 24, 2020 •
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
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Small Business
April 24, 2020
Support takes on many forms, from Payment Protection Plan guidance to virtual events by Michelle Leach
While May’s National Small Business Week is among a myriad of canceled or postponed events, Midlands-area organizations’ support of entrepreneurs persists when the need is great. “What we are hearing at this time from our consultants across the state is that small business owners are frantic, trying to understand and evaluate the resources available to them,” said Nebraska Business Development Center Director Cathy Lang. “There is so much Lang information.” As their consultants know best what businesses want or need, they’re encouraged to share program descriptions, which are posted on the “NBDC Business Resiliency Resources” tab on its website. “NBDC is not the only resource provider,” Lang said. “For some, their best resource may be a banker. For others, their best resource is the NBDC. We wanted to develop a business resource page that had as concise of a description as possible … and we didn’t want to restate [others’] pages.” She emphasized the site’s clear business rather than health focus. Lang recalled prior floods and business-specific resources amid an abundance of community offerings. “How do we think through disruption and resiliency? And how do we make sure that our business is best prepared for when it happens again?” she said, referencing a three-part video series, among assistance available at its resources hub. As a financial partner, SBA Relationship Manager Melissa Glenn said Core Bank has changed almost every aspect of how it does business. “At first, the changes were made in order to protect employees and clients,” she said. “A few short weeks later, we were presented with a huge stimulus bill and have implemented massive processes and functions in order to facilitate funding for the Payment Protection Plan — a program designed to support small businesses through the COVID-19 fight.” As a community bank, Glenn indicated Core Bank is able to make quick decisions
Melissa Glenn, SBA relationship manager at Core Bank. and implement major changes in 48 hours. facing some sort of challenge throughout But Glenn’s main message is “don’t lose this crisis. But I have seen more help, more support, more compassion and understandhope.” “To say this environment is challenging ing for each other than ever before.” Second, keep moving forward — slowis a severe understatement: It is simply unprecedented,” she said. “Everyone is ly or change direction. But don’t stop.
Reaanddit
“Do the next best thing possible, then do the next best thing after that,” Glenn said. “Panic robs so many of us of our potential, but action leads to opportunity.” Use this time to work on the business and be ready to capitalize once the economy bounces back, she said. In early April, Vic Gutman & Associates announced cancelation of the June Omaha Summer Arts Festival; however, OSAF is set to support juried artists and others with a one-day virtual experience June 6, featuring a Gutman gallery for shopping, live-streamed music, food vendor recipes, and craft “how-to” videos. The Omaha Farmers Market is slated for the first weekend of June (versus the traditional May), with extra safety measures and regulations, according to President Vic Gutman. “[OFM] will continue to operate on Saturdays in the Old Market and Sundays in Aksarben Village, although the location in each district may change to accommodate social distancing requirements,” he said.
Reap!
Salute to Small Business — inside APRIL 24, 2020
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
$2.00
VOL. 46 NO. 17
Werner targets dedicated trucks for revenue stability in changing landscape by Richard D. Brown
Overcoming the pandemic hurdle: Peak Performance plans to sprint toward future growth. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40
Leo A Daly’s Klebba builds architecture portfolio around award-winning projects. – Page 4
l nta me ry n o t vir us En Ind
Current environment rife to test lasting sustainable solutions to heal the planet. – Page 22
Omaha-based Werner Enterprises, a publicly-traded truckload company that is among the five largest carriers in the U.S. with $2.5 billion in annual revenues and more than 13,000 employees — 1,700 of them at the global headquarters at 14507 Frontier Road — is finding that a contract-based dedicated trucking approach, which was started in earnest about five years ago, is enabling the firm to more profitably travel the nation’s highways. Werner President/CEO Derek Leathers, a 21-year veteran of the industry who established Werner’s operations in Mexico, said his focus well before the pandemic has been on “quality-first execution and resiliency.” “We are proactively leveraging our talent and technology to quickly and effectively adapt to the changes in the freight market,” he said. “It has involved repositioning Werner over the past several years, increasing our agility and ability to successfully Continued on page 24.
President and CEO Derek Leathers … Growth through contract-based approach is complemented by adaptability to current economic climate. (photo courtesy of Werner Enterprises)
Omaha’s Midwest Regional Health Services enlists EMR cloud platform Canvas Medical by Becky McCarville
When a fortuitous direct mail advertisement from San Francisco-based electronic medical record startup Canvas Medical landed on Dr. Donald Darst’s desk, the owner of Midwest Regional Health Clinic saw a potential answer to one of the leading causes of physician burnout: the amount of time spent documenting patient records in EMRs.
“It’s not only the time spent but also the rigidity of the requirements of how you step through the different fields,” he said, adding that giving full attention to patients while trying to input info into an EMR can often be impractical and distracting, taking away from doctor-patient time in the exam room. While the original purpose of EMRs was to digitize patient reContinued on page 26. Jill Davie, president of TEAM Software.
Organizations pivot to keep teams busy, maintain seamless services by Michelle Leach
Dr. Donald Darst at his practice in the Oakview Medical Building … After losing two physicians due to burnout from time spent filling out electronic medical records, MRHS turns to Canvas Medical, an intuitive, cloud-based EMR platform.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series sharing firsthand experiences from local organizations on how their respective industries are adapting to COVID-19. If Midlands organizations aren’t pivoting to stay afloat or demonstrate value, they’re helping clients pivot amid unprecedented change. In recent weeks, Carolyn Sutton PR has been flooded
with client work — ensuring message platforms maintain trust, positivity, and calm; for example, when a client shifted from linens and bedding to making 20,000-plus masks for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, messaging shifted in kind. It’s messaging that Sutton’s clients are most concerned about — how to navigate on social media and when/ if interacting with media. Her Continued on page 3.