Midlands Business Journal December 27, 2019 Vol. 45 No. 52 issue

Reaanddit Reap!

DECEMBER 27, 2019

THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS

$2.00

VOL. 45 NO. 52

RJN Group focuses on public sector projects with Omaha regional office

THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:

by Richard D. Brown

0 r4 de n U 40 LeRoc seeks to pave a smoother financial path for others. – Page 3

rity cu e rs be Cy

The importance of practicing good password, email management.

– Page 4

a Ye

r

R in

ev

iew

Challenges in 2019 present opportunities for innovation, to improve operations across metro. – Page 22

RJN Group, an employee-owned engineering and field services firm with a focus on water, wastewater and stormwater systems, has opened an office in Omaha that will service first-class and medium-sized cities at a time when aging infrastructure and several rounds of flooding are proving to be troublesome.

Branch Manager Roger M. Helgoth, a native Nebraskan with 46 years of professional engineering experience, said the three Omaha-based employees working out of 10838 Old Mill Road, Suite A, will be targeting the public sector and the assessment and rehabilitation of collection (sewer), conveyance (stormwater), and distribution (water) systems to extend the useful life of underground utilities and facilitate more efficient day to day operation.

“The goal of the Omaha office is to bring our expertise to the region in a way that provides value to public works departments, the citizens, and the environment,” Continued on page 9.

Branch Manager Roger Helgoth … Building Omaha office to serve area’s water engineering needs.

(Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)

BMG joins forces with Lincoln-based firm Strain, Slattery Barkley to gain expertise

by Michelle Leach

With shared roots dating back to 1924, Lincoln-born firms BMG Certified Public Accountants and Strain, Slattery, Barkley & Co., CPAs, P.C. are unified once more, following the announcement of their merger, effective Jan. 1.

“The predecessor to our firm went one way and the predecessor to SSB went another way,” said Partner Todd Blome. “Over the last 10 years or so,

we’ve collaborated on a number of larger client projects and have maintained a great working relationship.”

The aforementioned 1973 split resulted in the two predecessors for both BMG and Strain, Slattery, Barkely: VanBoskirk, Trumble and Associates and Fry, White & Guszak.

In 2006, with the retirement of Partner Art Basso, Blome would change the name to “BMG” to reflect himself Continued on page 8.

From left, President and owner Dian Pickerel, Vice President Sara Downes and VP of Operations Geoff Downes … Higher-educational facilities, corporate clients among bright spots contributing to firm’s investments in new Lincoln and Omaha showrooms.

Office Interiors and Design updates Lincoln showroom, expands its presence in Omaha

by Michelle Leach

Partner Todd Blome … Merger of capital city’s oldest CPA firms reflects heightened expertise, strength in numbers, Omaha expansion.

On the heels of its new Lincoln showroom launch, Office Interiors & Design is poised to open its Omaha showroom in 2020 — brick and mortar investments that accompany personnel investments as the firm continues to build upon its traction in higher education and corporate environments.

“In the last few years, we’ve

added six people,” said Director of Development Melinda Stanton.

“That’s big growth for us.”

Founded in Lincoln in 1995 by a team that included current President Dian Pickerel, the office furniture and furnishings dealership and consultancy firm has locations at 1401 Dahlberg Drive and 1951 St. Marys Avenue in the capital city and Omaha Continued on page 8.

2

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Omaha-based SkyTrack helps clients reap the benefits of aerial mapping and imaging ciate orthomosaic mapping services, which

by Gabby Christensen In the summer of 2015, Joe and Dawn generates a map in real time.

Primarily, SkyTrack serves the construcStock set out to form SkyTrack, a protion industry, howevfessional drone serSkyTrack er, the business has vices business, with also provided services Phone: 402-639-9561 the intent to offer a for real estate, public Founded: 2015 resource that would events, environmental Service: professional drone service for help people run their and roofing industries. the construction, utilities, real estate, public operations more effiRecently, the Stocks event, environmental and roofing industries ciently. have begun breaking Employees: 2 Together, the couinto the local utilities Goal: To target specific clients in construcple combined their industry, as well. tion and utility industry, with plans to enter skillsets, attention “In the beginning, thermography scene and possibly incorpoto detail and backwe really took on anyrate the use of multi-spectrum cameras. grounds in the utility thing and everything, Website: https://skytrackuav.com and geology industry but now we are focusto offer a unique sering on where our strengths are and we are vice to their clients.

The business provides aerial mapping honing in on those industries,” Dawn Stock said. “Joe has institutional knowledge of the construction and utilities industries and I have a background in being able to present the data to the client in a way that they can understand.”

According to the Stocks, one of the major perks of utilizing drone services is the cost and minimal risk involved compared to other options, such as helicopter use.

Since starting the business, they’ve had to abide by the changing Federal Aviation Administration requirements, which has been an obstacle from time to time.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, they’ve worked hard to justify the benefit of choosing their business versus hiring an illegal entity to do it for a fraction of the cost.

600 photos were stitched together to create a high-res, bird's The Stocks are eye map of a job site. (Photo courtesy of SkyTrack) also keeping an eye and imagining, 3D modeling and videog- on drone usage becoming a commodity in raphy. certain markets.

The Stocks said clients especially appre“Some of the markets have morphed into

Owners Joe and Dawn Stock … Growing niche in aerial mapping for both public and private organizations. not requiring very technical people to do the cision agriculture industry.” work,” Dawn Stock said. “This is a trend For the Stocks, offering helpful inforwe’ve been following closely to make sure mation that will allow clients to be more we are staying within a niche that still values successful is very fulfilling. the technical aspect of what we are doing.”

“We work very hard to be flexible in the As time has gone on, the Stocks said way that we implement our technology so the perception of drone usage has changed that it meets the needs of each individual immensely. client,” Dawn Stock said. “We really enjoy “In the beginning, I would say the appli- watching our clients take the information cation of drones to business was comparable we provide and make it useful for their own to when the internet was first coming to mind projects.” and people were a little skeptical and didn’t Midlands Business Journal see the true benefits,” Joe Stock said. “But Established in 1975 now, people aren’t necessarily as fearful Founded by Robert Hoig of what drones can do. People are seeing ADMINISTRATION the benefits of the bird’s eye view and the VP OF OPERATIONS, Andrea “Andee” Hoig variety of applications it can be used for in their business.”

EDITORIAL Moving forward, the Stocks are focused EDITOR & VICE PRESIDENT OF NEWS, on growing their operation while showing Tiffany Brazda clients the true value of their service.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, Savannah Behrends “We’re also thinking about moving into STAFF WRITER, Becky McCarville some thermography,” Joe Stock said. “We’re ADVERTISING looking into multispectrum cameras, too, ADVERTISING CONSULTANT, which would allow us to move into the preJulie Whitehead

OFFICE OFFICE ASSISTANT, Rosemary Gregurich BOOKKEEPING/LEGAL NOTICES, Beth Grube

(402) 330-1760 Zane D. Randall (1925-2006) Co-founder LeAnne M. Iwan (1932-1986) First News Editor

The Midlands Business Journal (ISSN 0194-4525) is published weekly plus one by MBJ Inc. and is available for $2.00 per individual copy or $75 per year. Editorial offices are 1324 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68144. Periodical postage paid at Omaha NE POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Midlands Business Journal, 1324 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68144. All submissions to the Midlands Business Journal become the property of the Midlands Business Journal and will not be returned.

A view of construction of the new Mack Truck dealership.

(Photo courtesy of SkyTrack)

An example of construction in progress imagery. (Photo courtesy of SkyTrack)

Written permission must be obtained from Midlands Business Journal and MBJ, Inc., to post any of our stories or other published materials on a website. Under no circumstances, because of spamming potential and other issues, will permission be granted to transmit our stories by email.

-The Publisher.

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

3

LeRoc seeks to pave a smoother financial path for others

by Dwain Hebda

The staggering student loan and consumer debt load in the U.S. is difficult for many to manage, but even more so for recent immigrants who aren’t well-versed in the trappings of capitalism.

Marco Kpeglo LeRoc understands this problem intimately, insights gained the hard way during his years as an international college student.

“When I got to the U.S. to pursue my education, life threw me some punches in the face,” he said. “As an international student, the financial aspect of the U.S. are different than what it was in West Africa. I was not used to credit cards, how to manage money.

“Back in the day, when I was at Bellevue University, they came and gave me a T-shirt and you signed a credit card.

We thought it was free money, so I just enjoyed it.”

Kpeglo LeRoc was eventually able to get out from under the credit card debt he racked up, but the lesson of that experience affected him deeply.

“I was lucky to have a mentor who started teaching me about principles of financial literacy education,” he said. “All the knowledge that I have acquired now I share with others, because I realized I’m not the only international student with interest in the issue. And one thing that I learned, the best way to learn a skill is to teach others.”

Kpeglo LeRoc felt compelled to write a book on the subject of managing finances, but his relatively limited English at the time presented what he saw as a substantial barrier. That is, until he spoke to an author

at a conference who challenged him to take action.

“Then I went to a conference and I met Stephen Nieves who wrote a book called ‘Live Your Life with No Regrets,’” he said.

“I told him I want to write a book, too. He said why not now and I gave him all the excuses. He told me that doesn’t matter, just go and do it and that’s how I started.”

“Cash in With Your Money: Tools for a Better Financial Life,” Kpeglo LeRoc’s first book, came out of that conversation, to be followed by two more books and dozens of public speaking appearances in the U.S. and abroad. Kpeglo LeRoc also founded the Leadership Africa Summit, which goes beyond personal finance to topics of leadership, entrepreneurship and empowerment.

“The idea of the Leadership Africa Summit is pretty simple,” Kpeglo LeRoc said. “It’s a gathering for young professional African leader entrepreneurs and people who have passion for Africa.

“We live in a community with a lot of Africans and I believe that diversity is something really key. You have to be able to communicate with people from different cultures to understand them, to appreciate their value and to better work with them. We are so proud that the first year, last year, we brought together 250 people. This year we had it in April and brought 450 people, from 15 different cities. We have Caucasians, we have African Americans, we have Africans and it’s amazing to see the room very diverse. People communicate on a professional level and try to understand each other.”

2019

Reserve Your Business Minute Today!

Contact news@mbj.com

Marco Kpeglo LeRoc … Driving financial literacy initiatives as an author as well spearheading leadership conference.

Kpeglo LeRoc said the annual summit no way we can convince them to stay in also works to break down cultural barriers Omaha,” he said. “Omaha is a city that, and therefore retain skilled people from unfortunately, is very divided. But I think other places. by working with people, talking to them, “If we don’t talk to them, if we don’t introducing youth, that will make more understand their issues and values, there’s people stay here.”

Proud Sponsors of the 2019 40 Under 40:

4

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Cybersecurity A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

December 27, 2019

The importance of practicing good password, email management

by Michelle Leach

“Death” and “taxes” were formerly characterized as life’s only certainties. Add “cybersecurity” to that list so, breaches don’t become a costly and devastating certainty.

“From a legal perspective, increased data privacy regulation has swept cybersecurity,” said McGrath North Attorney Stacey Shadden.

“Every client I work with has been impacted — either directly by being subject to new and heightened data privacy laws, including the General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020 — or indirectly from increased pressure by customers or service providers who are flowing down data security and privacy compliance obligations.

It is a battle to prove you are compliant in an ever-changing data privacy landscape.”

Shadden said ransomware and phishing attacks are still abundant.

“As U.S. regulatory pressures continue to mount encouraging Congress to pass a comprehensive, uniform federal data security and privacy bill, you will likely see an increase in these types of attacks,” she said. “Unfortunately for companies with large presences in California, the CCPA creates a privacy right of action for California consumers to bring a claim against companies who face a data breach.”

Shadden emphasized that “no company goes unaffected.”

“If a company has a website and/or otherwise collects personal information from

Arturo Romero, senior security engineer at Scantron Technology Solutions Omaha. individuals, it is impacted in some way by the you must determine your threats, assets and changing regulatory regimes,” she said. “Taking vulnerabilities. Doing so will provide you with a action now to get ahead of the curve and prepar- guiding star to develop a cybersecurity program ing for the yet-to-come additional privacy laws to meet today’s world.”

Unfortunately, he noted, too many busiwill only put any company in a better position.

Many companies have long-since thought that nesses fail to do this until it is too late.

“Don’t let that be you,” Romero said. data security was not something they needed University of to worry about. What Nebraska at Omaha the new regulatory Charles & Margre landscape is teaching Durham Associate all companies is that Professor Robin Gandeveryone is affected.” hi referred to growing In today’s world, interest from governSenior Security Engiment and industry in neer Arturo Romero workforce that speof Scantron Technolcializes in cyberoperogy Solutions Omaha, ations. said one is constantly “These individuals bombarded with cyShadden Kahle have deeper technical bersecurity incidents — from phishing email scams, to ransomware expertise in inter-disciplinary areas of computer infections, to highly sophisticated govern- science, computer engineering and electrical engineering, with extensive opportunities for ment-sponsored attacks.

“As these events continue to increase in fre- hands-on applications via labs and exercises,” quency, and the ingenuity of those attempting to he said. “In addition, cybersecurity is no longer gain our information change, how do we adapt just handled at the perimeter or at the network to this every changing landscape? At Scantron layer. Most organizations are now instituting Technology Solutions, we know that cyberse- security engineering practices and audits earlier curity isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation,” he said. in the system development lifecycle as well as Continued on next page.

“To have a successful cybersecurity program,

Cybersecurity •

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

Cybersecurity insurance is an essential part of business

by Gabby Christensen

Experts across the board agree that implementing a cybersecurity insurance plan is necessary for any size of business.

Dick Coffey, partner at Consortio Group, said cybersecurity continues to be one of the top two concerns for most businesses.

“Cyber coverage is more competitive than last year and coverage expansion continues to evolve as respects the availability of business interruption due to a cyber event,” Coffey said. “There is general agreement that a standalone policy is more acceptable than adding cyber coverage by an endorsement to

a package policy.”

Recently, he noted, an increased demand from some customers requiring cyber coverage be included on a certificates of insurance just like general liability or workers compensation.

“Based on the sophistication of today’s cyber criminal, no business is exempt from a cyber event,” Coffey said. “Be it the theft of a donor base from a nonprofit or an incident where the computer at the manufacturer is hacked and the measurements on the computer are reduced by two inches causing a huge misfit at the end of a production line.

Practicing good password, email management Continued from preceding page.

For a major “wake-up call,” visit https:// continuous monitoring of evolving threats.” haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords. One can Gandhi emphasized the multi-disciplinary securely see a password has been stolen, or if nature of cybersecurity. someone else used the same password and it “Working closely with educational pro- was stolen. grams is going to be essential to recruit and train ITPAC Consulting founder and Managa workforce that can deal with every evolving ing Director Denise Mainquist emphasized cyber threat,” he said. business email compromise and Gandhi also emphasized data encouraged readers to consider: encryption only addresses the threat “What’s the No. 1 way a hacker of recovery of information; it doesn’t would break into a system? By guarantee data availability or protect sending malicious emails and against intelligent deception. compromising employee data and “If we use weak passwords, or all their contacts. So, focusing on reveal our passwords in a phishing reducing the amount of emails attempt, or use insecure technical retained in an organization is huge.” mechanisms to protect encryption “Email was never intended to keys, it becomes very easy to access be a file system, but many people even encrypted data,” he said. use it that way,” she added. “TheyMainquist In the cybersecurity community, often think they have everything Five Nines Director of Engineering Blaine they ever need right in their email. But really, Kahle said “password re-use” has always been it’s not very efficient to search years-worth of a problem. emails.”

“But what we’re seeing more and more Set an email retention period, perhaps is that the hackers don’t have to try and guess one year, informing employees of this so they your password if they already know what it have time to review emails and save what is, because you use the same password every- they want. where,” he said.

“Also, have deleted emails empty every For instance, hackers may access the ubiq- time Outlook is shut down,” Mainquist said. uitous password from forums that aren’t secure. “I had one client that was reluctant to do that Users may opt to create a formula, whereby because employees were using their deleted the same basic eight characters are used as the email folder as a filing system. Really, let go of basis for all passwords. the emails. Save what you need to a network “That’s slightly better than using the same file share and delete everything else in a short password everywhere,” Kahle said. “But we amount of time.” can’t realistically remember dozens or hundreds of passwords.”

Enter password managers.

“LastPass has a free option for people unsure about password managers and who want to get their feet wet first,” he said. “Dashlane also has a free option.”

1Password for Business features a free 1Password Families membership for all employees — as long as they’re with the company.

“When people practice secure password habits at home, they’ll be more secure at work,” he said.

Kahle also suggests using “passphrases” instead of passwords; for instance, “ILoveTheHuskers!” “[Passphrases] are easier for humans to remember and type, and are a good way to construct your super-secure master password when using a password manager,” he said. “Mine follows that format, it’s five random small words chosen from a dictionary, all lowercase with spaces, no special characters or punctuation.

Thus, even though it’s over 25 characters long, I can type it pretty darn fast, and it’s basically immune to brute-force password guessing due to the length.”

Depending on the scope of the event some businesses are unaware they have been hacked until a much later date.”

Jason Quinn, commercial lines broker at Quinn Insurance Inc., said the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act are paving the way toward a more standardized privacy law.

Coffey “This will inherently increase cyber insurance sales; contractual requirements for cyber coverage will become more and more prevalent,” Quinn said.

He said there is a direct correlation between automation/artificial intelligence (AI) and “cyber resiliency,” and being better protected from cyber attacks.

Additionally, Quinn said the average cost of cyber insurance coverage for many

5

industries continues to decline and is quite affordable, while the average cost of an attack and the average lifecycle of a data breach are steadily rising.

Health care often carries some of the heaviest rates, Quinn said, which is due to the vast amount of highly sought-after personal information.

“Simply hiring a third party to store or secure that personal info does not absolve the business of the responsibility to protect their customer’s Quinn information,” he said.

Quinn also said the forensics costs to pay IT experts to find the cause of the breach, and make the necessary repairs and improvements, are staggering hourly rates that can often be the majority of the breach cost.

Currently, Mark Frantz, first vice president of Harry A Koch Co., said the first party coverage and incident response piece of the Continued on next page.

6

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Cybersecurity

Phishing attacks a pervasive and potentially devastating cyber threat

by Dwain Hebda

Although it is not a new tactic, phishing remains one of the most insidious and potentially damaging cyber threat out there, say local technology security experts.

“Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication,” said Puja Kandel, president and owner of CMIT Solutions. “Typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website, which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site.”

Kandel said the tactic is effective because of how the requests are worded, to make them appear trustworthy or familiar.

“The latest twist on this scam is not just limited to username and credentials, there is an example of social engineering techniques being used to deceive users,” she said. “Users are often lured by communications purporting to be from trusted parties such as social websites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators.”

Scammers have proven devastatingly effective in these attacks.

Brian Greidanus, vice president of security services for SecureSky, said not only are incidents of phishing on the rise, but damages have run into the billions.

“The latest twists in phishing are business e-mail compromise, what the FBI called the $26 billion scam,” he said. “BEC is dangerous because BEC attackers use legitimate business e-mail addresses in attempts to defraud customers and partners of the compromised business.

“As an example, BEC attackers have targeted accounts payable and finance employees from manufacturing organizations.

If the attacker accesses an accounts payable account, they can send fake invoices to customers of the company or send notifications to all customers that all future remittance should be sent to a new bank account controlled by the attacker.”

Protecting one’s company from phishing attacks follows tried-and-true security recommendations like using unique passwords and avoiding public Wi-Fi when sharing or accessing sensitive information. Steven Bra-

bec, IT account manager with Lutz Tech, said his firm recommends additional precautions.

“Use judgment when privileged informa-

when they go unreported. By alerting the appropriate IT professionals early on, it’s possible to mitigate the damage by changing

Kandel Greidanus tion is being requested. Your validation process should start with questions that include, ‘Should I be receiving this?’” he said. “Then, instead of opening the attachment, contact your supervisor and get verbal validation as to whether this is something you should have received in the first place.

“Third, bad situations get much worse

Brabec Hannan credentials or tightening spam to prevent these types of attacks in the future. Finally, enable multi-factor authentication on your email account. This requires an additional credential before signing in.”

Such steps are typical of the sound cyber security protocol all companies should have which, combined with the latest security tools,

can be very effective in reducing phishing attacks.

“Tools which look for phishing emails and block them help in limiting the number of fraudulent emails employees receive,” said Michael Hannan, chief security officer for LightEdge Solutions. “The last line of defense for organizations is to implement multi-factor authentication to as many areas as possible.”

But, Hannan said, the only truly effective protocol is the one employees follow consistently.

“Proper employee training is a very important line of defense as your technical defenses will not block 100% of phishing emails,” he said. “Companies should provide regular training on the latest attack trends and how to protect themselves. A computer security policy should focus on procedures and controls that are realistic for employees to follow; if controls or requirements are time-consuming or difficult to follow, employees will go around them which puts the organization at risk.”

Creating an incident response plan is vital for all firms great and small

by David Kubicek

Every company of every size and industry will face a cybersecurity incident at some time during its life, making it vital that all firms create and maintain an incident response (IR) plan.

Michael McCartney, president of Avalon Cyber, said that 77% of organizations don’t have an IR plan in place consistently across their organizaMcCartney tion, 55% don’t test their IR plan regularly, and 75% have difficulty hiring and retaining skilled cybersecurity personnel.

An IR response plan can’t protect everything — know which data is high priority and needs the most protection. The first step in creating an IR plan is to answer a series of questions like what kind of data you have, where it is, and how you are protecting it.

“Identify key stakeholders in the organization that will be part of the incident response team, not by name but by role,” McCartney said.

Williams Hoyme “Understand incident classification and what will trigger these roles to kick in. Determine how you will communicate this information inside the organization and outside, and when you should engage law enforcement and notify customers. Incident management is not linear.

New threats lead to new policies and procedures and will inform each other constantly.”

Justin Williams, cloud security architect at FNTS, recommended that after organizations identify what needs protection and all possible threats, they should review asset management and data classification models and identify who could consider that information valuable. In addition to customer information, expanding the review to intellectual property like source code could help leadership create a plan around the most critical assets.

Williams recommended the involvement of legal personnel for the notification and disclosure process because of potential regulatory impacts. The plan also should cover who is going to manage communication to help control information flow.

Universal timelines do not exist, and some local jurisdictions will have more stringent requirements than others on how soon affected parties must be notified. In the event of breaches involving personally identifiable information (PII), identify in the plan the requirements that could apply to the organization and update it regularly when new requirements become evident.

“The overall size of the organization, as well as industry, will play a role in the complexity of the response plan, but the bulk of the

subject matter is covered the same at a highest level,” Williams said. “A smaller organization may have a single response plan that covers all aspects of their operations. A larger firm might need to break out the plan into operational divisions. Across industries, there are variances in compliance and jurisdictional requirements that may change the complexity around how to respond.”

“Not only is [creating an IR plan] good business practice to reduce risk, but in most cases it may be legally required based on cybersecurity laws,” said Christopher E. Hoyme, a principal at Jackson Lewis. “In Nebraska, if a company Continued on next page.

Cybersecurity insurance

Continued from preceding page. cyber liability insurance has been a main focus with clients.

“Over the past few years, the frequency of ransomware, extortion and social engineering attempts has ramped up significantly,” Frantz said. “These types of attacks are very common in small to medium size businesses. We are looking at carriers who have the resources and capabilities to respond Frantz quickly and comprehensively when the cyber criminals act.”

He said services such as legal advice, IT forensics and crisis management are vital to helping a company recover from these types of attacks.

According to Frantz, the three main components of cyber insurance are first party damage, third party damage, and incident response.

“Another critical coverage that most all cyber carriers offer on a sub limited basis is social engineering,” he said. “We highly recommend this coverage to be part of the cyber or crime policies. Many of the current cyberattacks involve a form of social engineering. The only companies that do not need cyber insurance are those that are not connected to the outside world via a computer in any way or has no electronic or paper records storage.”

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

7

Retailers leverage power of community presented by social media platforms

by Michelle Leach

While community in marketing strategies may bring to mind Twitter followers, Instagram influencers and their ilk, local owners indicated that successful approaches marry “Main Street”-style loyalty-building and tech-based communication.

“Retail marketing strategies diverge significantly between big box and local retailers,” said Phillip Black, who owns and manages The Bookworm with Beth Black.

“Big box retailers are placing bets that big data, omnichannel retail and greater homogenization of their product offerings will be their savior.”

Local independent retailers like The Bookworm, he said, have modernized marketing strategies, but remain steadfast that a long-term key to success: connections among customers and community.

“It’s contrarian to overall retail trends but independent retailers — like our fellow bookstores across the country — are finding success in being classic old-school experiential merchants,” Black said.

For instance, The Bookworm team creates community through author and special events, and rewards loyalty with its frequent buyer program.

“While we rely now more on email, Instagram, and Facebook to keep our customers informed, we still employ traditional outlets like direct mail for our annual holiday catalog,” he said. “Our website sales have also increased tremendously as our website is available 24/7 for customers to browse not only our author events and other event happenings, but to see what’s new and hot, check if a book is in-stock (and hold it for pick-up) or order online for delivery.”

Its collaboration with local bestselling author, Rainbow Rowell, represents the convergence of technology with independent retail.

“We shipped personalized copies of her new book to 49 states and 21 countries on five continents — all of these ordered online at our website, which just a decade ago wouldn’t have been feasible,” Black said.

Owner and founder Michelle Kaiser said The Omaha Bakery tries to go “live” as many times as it can.

“We really try to connect with our customers,” she said. “My philosophy in

Incident response plan Continued from preceding page. or individual collects computerized, privatized information like Social Security numbers, dates of birth, passwords, user names or credit card accounts, that will create in most cases a legal obligation to have a plan in place that protects that information and also addresses the third parties that may have access to it and their contractual obligation to protect it.”

Because the laws have regularly become more restrictive, an IR plan should be reviewed and updated at least annually — or more often depending the industry.

“In terms of legal obligation, [a firm] must have a reasonable plan in place, and reasonableness may be influenced by the company’s size, industry, and how much information is being protected,” Hoyme said. “A large firm with a significant amount of information will have a much more detailed plan than a smaller firm with far less personal information.”

business is to treat people the way you would your family, and to give them more than they expect. Then, you’ve got a customer for life.”

In Kaiser’s case, many of these “live” opportunities are also opportunities to educate; bakeries are not traditionally synonymous with wellness. Yet, Kaiser (and many of her team members) have experienced health transformations on the ketogenic diet.

Her lineup of keto baked goods reflects this.

Kaiser “When I do speaking opportunities, I say, ‘This is what keto did for me and how I lost 108 pounds, and I inspire them,” Kaiser said.

She is looking forward to January’s Keto Summit, and the launch of a local TV baking show and inspirational book with recipes. Partnerships with the likes of the new, neighboring Copps Pizza (on a keto-friendly dough), represent additional products/co-branding.

“I’m one of those business owners where, if I don’t know what to do well, I’ll pay those people who can do it well,” Kaiser said, noting she spent a significant amount of money on marketing that didn’t

work before connecting with her current marketing partner: 316 Strategy Group.

It was 316’s Digital Strategist and owner, Joseph Kenney, who first planted the idea for Kaiser to move her bakery from Fremont to Omaha and rebrand it as The Omaha Bakery.

“It was the best decision I have ever made,” she said.

With digital marketing noted by founder and owner Meghann Schense as the most direct way to reach thousands of eyes, The Grove Juicery + Wellness Schense Café develops a lot of consumer-driving content to grow organically, paired with budgeted media ads that includes Facebook and Instagram.

“Most consumers don’t realize businesses have to pay these companies as well for visibility in searches, map directions, phone calls and reviews,” she said. “We work hard on keeping our lifestyle brand engaging and relatable for our current customers, and to attract and include new audiences as we continue to grow.”

Citing friend, Secret Penguin founder and “brand guru” Dave Nelson, Schense said: “Authenticity and truth are key points in branding and marketing. These

characteristics we hold at a high standard, especially with technology being the biggest driver in revenue, it is important to understand how to communicate your message and tone through a screen without getting lost in translation to the consumer.”

Whether one’s passion is books or bikes, Black said the retailers that do it well, use their stores to create community among patrons.

“It’s much easier to be timely with customers using social media,” he said.

“Before we needed weeks to plan, print, and mail for an event. Now, with digital outlets, we can take advantage of opportunities when we have an unexpected opportunity to host an author, create events that are timely for our customers and partner with local organizations with shorter lead times.”

Schense added that she’s always fascinated by how quickly a customer will come into the shop asking about an item that she just posted about on social media.

“You can see in real-time how fast our content hits our customers’ eyes through these platforms,” she said.

For The Grove, the new year will bring its renewal program to coincide with its wellness month.

“We also have some exciting news we will be announcing after the first of the year leading into spring,” Schense said.

Certificates hold value for working professionals

by Dwain Hebda

Professional certificates are popular continuing educational options for students in the workforce thanks to their relatively low cost and the short time it takes to complete them.

“Working professionals can benefit greatly from a certificate,” said Derek Rayment, public relations manager with Metropolitan Community College. “They don’t take years to complete and are something valuable to add to your résumé. You have a leg up on your competitors when applying for jobs.”

MCC offers more than 100 certificates, both credit and noncredit. On the credit side, popular certificates include business administration, culinary arts, information technology and other high-demand areas. On the noncredit side, MCC has certificate programs in supply chain management, workplace investigations, agile training principles and other unique areas.

“Certificate program hours are beneficial for someone that already has a college degree because they can transfer credits earned during their two-year or four-year degree and apply them to a credit certificate program, lowering the time required to earn one,” Rayment said. “MCC has added many noncredit certificate programs over the years.

“These noncredit certificates can take even less time than credit ones. MCC recently announced a digital marketing certificate program. Developed by Facebook, the program targets the essential skills that businesses look for when searching for digital marketers.”

Richard Larson, University of Ne-

braska at Omaha’s director of graduate recruitment and marketing, said today’s certificate programs deliver a lot of educational bang for the buck.

Rayment Larson “Certificate programs have continued to move toward more flexible delivery options, including online learning,” he said. “There are also new certificates being added every year, offering more specialized topics for those wanting to supplement degrees already completed.”

Some of UNO’s most popular graduate certificate programs include data analytics, government, communication, supply chain management and public/nonprofit management. Some certificate programs can be applied toward a master’s program, eliminating nearly half of the required coursework.

“These are popular options because additional education in these areas offer learning outcomes applicable in many professions and industries,” Larson said.

“Certificates will likely move toward a more collaborative and interdisciplinary approach. If a student takes courses from two or more areas of study, their perspective on problem solving and critical

thinking will be far more advanced than that of their colleagues.”

Some industries are particularly suited for certificate coursework, given their unique education requirements. Education is one such industry, as are many health care fields.

“Nursing assistant is one of our most popular certificate programs,” said Jillian Krumbach, chief student and community engagement officer–professional development with Nebraska Methodist College.

“We have served over 550 students since 2019 and anticipate that number growing to over 600 in 2020.

“The great part about nursing assistant and our other certificate programs is with a small investment in money and time, a person will obtain the skills needed for a new, in-demand career. Our other hot certificate programs include phlebotomy, sterile processing technician, pharmacy technician and medical assistant.”

Krumbach said certificate programs are also a good way to sample a given industry — such as a career in health care — before deciding to commit to the change.

“We find certificate programs are very attractive to individuals looking to change careers but want to start small to ensure it’s the right move,” Krumbach said. “Also, students interested in pursuing a traditional four-year degree in a medical field benefit greatly from the clinical experience and patient care a certificate can bring.

“Let’s not forget that many health systems provide tuition assistance to their employees, so starting in a certificate program can also be a wise financial decision for those set on pursuing a traditional medical degree.”

8

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Office Interiors and Design updates Lincoln showroom, expands presence in Omaha Continued from page 1. respectively.

Pickerel is also joined in the operation by her daughter, Vice President Sara Downes, and son-in-law, Vice President of Operations Geoff Downes.

Office Interiors & Design Phone: 402-484-7500 Address: 1401 Dahlberg Drive, Suite A, Lincoln 68512; 1951 St. Marys Ave., Omaha 68102 Services: office furniture and furnishings dealership, including cost estimating, space planning, furniture solutions, furniture and furnishings selection, reconfiguration, interior finish selection, ergonomic consultation, project management, and warehousing, delivery and installation Founded: 1995 Website: www.oidinc.com

“We do a lot of higher education and a lot of corporate, and we’ve had growth in both of those markets — we don’t see any slowdown,” she said, when asked about the health of the environments they serve.

Recent client and project highlights span the likes of an auto dealership and city department, and real estate firm and public library.

This demand has put the OID team in the position to invest in the likes of its Lincoln showroom near South 14th St. and Yankee Hill Road, formerly located to the north and east near the intersection of South 84th and O streets.

“There is just more space,” Stanton said. “We’re able to show more [product] in the new showroom.”

The location itself, near Wilderness Park and Wilderness Ridge Golf Course, is beneficial.

“There is all this growth happening out in this direction,” Stanton said.

The Omaha showroom, too, is located in an area that has been on the receiving end of significant redevelopment, near Jackson and South 19th streets and in proximity to the Leavenworth Business District.

“We’ve always had a presence in Omaha,” she said. “We have lots of clients in Omaha.”

OID established its physical presence around three years ago. Its existing Omaha

operations are on the first level of the St. Marys Avenue space. The showroom, slated for completion next year, will occupy the top floor.

The firm is embracing “constant change.”

“We’re showing new products — there are lots of new wall products that are coming out and new furniture — and the refresh has been well-received,” Stanton said. “There is a lot more light in the space, and we’re able to spread out more. We have hundreds of manufacturers that we represent, and we’re able to show so many different options.”

New concepts and products are characterized by ergonomics, of which ergonomic consultation is a service offered by OID’s team.

“This includes sit-to-stand desks with monitor arms for your computer screens

for easy user adjustability,” she said.

“While workstations are getting smaller (since there is less paper), companies are providing comfort rooms, such as wellness rooms, small conference spaces and phone booths. So, employees can work at their desk or break off and work in one of the other settings available to them.”

Reconfiguration, project management, space planning, and furniture and furnishings selection represent other services; demand for multifunctional spaces is keen.

“This includes rooms that can be transformed from a conference room where one can do large presentations, to a room where small informal meetings can be held, or small spaces to do heads-down concentration just by the moving the furniture in the space,” Stanton said.

She indicated OID is also bringing the outdoors in, connecting its clients’ teams with nature via live plants and greenery walls that have the added benefit of purifying the air.

As OID is leaving its mark on the built community in eastern Nebraska, its community impact is also felt through its annual partnership with St. Monica’s, which helps women on their journey of recovery and overcoming substance abuse issues.

“We raise money and sponsor two teams for the Amazing Chase,” Stanton said.

Reportedly, teams of four search for secret locations around Lincoln, where they perform “zany challenges.” Funds raised in conjunction with the Amazing Chasers support substance abuse and mental health services for women.

BMG joins forces with Lincoln-based firm Strain, Slattery Barkley to gain expertise Continued from page 1.

— Rachel Ficek and Ed Bates,” Blome said. and fellow Partners Mike McClure and Tom “Both individuals have been successful leadGoeglein, who have since retired. With the ers in SSB and will be successful leaders here retirement of William Fry, Arnold White, and at BMG as well. Additionally, there’s a team Paul Guszak, eventually (in 2001), the “SSB” of seven other CPAs and accountants that brand emerged to reflect leadership William will round out our talent pool coming from Strain, James R. Slattery and Shaun Barkley. SSB to BMG.” “One of the SSB partners and I began When asked about the strengths that chatting a few years ago about a possible BMG brings to the table, Blome alluded to a merger,” he said. “We slowly worked through relatively young and ambitious group. the details and think “With a group of we’ve come up with BMG Certified partners in our 30s a good plan that best Public Accountants and 40s we’re posiserves the SSB clients Phone: 402-483-7781 (Lincoln) tioned to be around and staff.” for a while,” he said.

Address: 211 S. 84th St., Lincoln 68510 In an announce- and 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 100, Oma“Additionally, we’ve ment about the merg- ha 68154 had aggressive straer, Blome is quoted Founded: 1924 by Robert VanBoskirk tegic growth plans as saying: “Following and Calvin B. Remington as VanBoskirk & that made a merger the merger, BMG will Remington in Lincoln feasible.” be one of the larger Website: bmgcpas.com There were many firms in the Lincoln commonalities that market. We believe that a larger organization made the firms a great fit. will allow us to offer a wider array of profes“We used the same tax software, we had sional services, a greater depth of knowledge similar processes for tax and audit, we offered and experience, more opportunities for our similar services, and we had a fairly similar staff, and the ability to continue to provide client base, all which made the transition high quality services to our clients.” easier,” Blome said.

He expanded upon this by saying that, To the many implications, Blome refwith the merger, BMG is getting a full suite erenced the “tricky” business of finding of talented and experienced people. talented, experienced people who are willing “We are merging in two new partners to work in today’s CPA environment.

“With the merger of our groups we’ll have a larger talent pool to service our clients and to take on new engagements,” he said.

Post-merger, Blome anticipates having a 26-member group (at the time of this writing, BMG employed 14 people; SSB employed nine).

“And we’ve got three new staff hired to join us in January,” he said.

In the merger announcement, BMG also spotlighted the notable addition of Omaha’s Jody Decker, a 25-plus-year public accounting veteran specializing in auditing, tax and consulting for individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Then, it was noted that, “Jody plans to split her time between BMG’s Lincoln office and a forthcoming Omaha office.”

“The Omaha office is now open,” Blome said in early December. “Jody has a long history working with clients in the Omaha area.

So, we felt that we needed an Omaha presence to serve them well. Jody will be working out of the Omaha office a couple of days a

week. The office will also be available to other members of our team to use to meet with and provide services to our Omaha clients.”

That office, located at 14301 FNB Parkway, joins its Lincoln location at 211 S. 84th St. “The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive,” Blome said. “SSB was a great firm with great people and their clients have been congratulatory about the merger. We at BMG are looking forward to working with them.”

Outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll have been keeping the team busy, and were characterized as a definite growth area.

“In the late ‘90s, there was a big push for businesses to take their accounting, bookkeeping and payroll in-house,” Blome said. “A lot of this was driven by the easyto-use, off-the-shelf accounting software packages that became popular; however, we’ve seen many business owners realizing that accounting, bookkeeping and payroll is not necessarily what they do best, and they should instead focus on producing and selling widgets and outsource their accounting to a CPA firm.”

Interestingly enough, he said, auditing services are a growth area.

“There are very few CPA firms that are still doing auditing,” he said. “So, we’re seeing a number of new clients in this area.”

Historically, peer reviews have also represented a successful niche.

“All CPA firms offering attest services (auditing, reviews, compilations) are required to undergo a peer review by another CPA firm,” Blome said. “Our firm happens to be one of only four firms in Nebraska that provides peer review services to other CPA firms. We’ve got a great group of CPA firm clients that we enjoy working with.”

Outside of the merged firm’s four walls, all partners and staff are encouraged to take an active part in their communities.

“We’d like to see people involved in areas that they’re passionate about, and not just involved to say they’re on a board or committee,” he said. “Additionally, our firm has been committed to the local Make A Wish chapter. We’ve sponsored a December event each year for the last several years. This year we’re sponsoring the Wheel of Wishes at the Lincoln Scheels Store in December.”

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

9

RJN Group focuses on public sector projects with Omaha regional office Continued from page 1. reduce flow and/or introduce mitigation Helgoth said. “We achieve this through methods. assessing the performance of infrastructure Helgoth said in Omaha — like many for inefficiencies and providing practical cities — wastewater treatment facilities, engineering solutions to restore system piping, and other elements of the infraperformance.” structure that were designed for a 50-year Helgoth said work with local and lifespan are still in use years beyond that regional clients has been ongoing for point. In cities such as Chicago, St. Louis a couple of years and Baltimore some and frequently has RJN Group sewers are 150 or involved the inspec- Phone: 402-677-8169 even 200 years old. tion of wastewater Address: 10838 Old Mill Road, Suite A, Helgoth, a native and sanitary sewers. Omaha 68154 of David City, said Flow meters are in- Services: professional engineering with foRJN Group works stalled for as little cus on specialty field services dealing with with clients to plan as a few months or water, wastewater and stormwater systems repairs or rehabilitafor longer periods Founded: 1975 by Richard J. Nogaj tion of sewer systems — sometimes per- Employees: 3 at Omaha regional office; that will extend the manently. life of equipment. more than 200 companywide “ T h e y h e l p u s One-year goal: Grow client base to merit “Omaha is very understand the flow up to five employees. proactive in attackand infiltration of Industry outlook: Flooding in many part of ing the problem,” rain or groundwa- the country has caused first-class cities to he said, citing the ter,” he said. commitment to a seek specialized help with sewer and water Clients may seek systems. multi-year project help in complying Website: www.RJN.com of separating storm with Federal Emerwater from the sangency Management itary sewer system Agency requirements, sometimes in- in neighborhoods essentially east of 72nd volving the need to inspect thousands Street. of manhole covers in a city as part of an Helgoth and Regional Client Manager evaluation of the overall status of the in- Zach Matyja said that the Wheaton, Illionfrastructure. ois based company has found extending For example, a project in Tulsa had relationships an important key for growth.

RJN Group personnel working with the About 85% of billings are generated by municipality to establish goals that would repeat business.

Subscribe and pay online

FINANCIAL & TAX PLANNING SELF IMPROVEMENT IN THE NEW YEAR WEDDINGS BUSINESS ANNUAL/PREVIEW RETIREMENT & SENIOR ISSUES OMAHA REAL ESTATE BUSINESS PLANNING IN 2014 SPORTS & RECREATION AIR HUB OMAHA VALENTINE’S GIFT GUIDE FINANCING STARTUPS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH INSURANCE PRINTING & GRAPHICS ENGINEERING PROFESSION BUSINESS SUCCESSION & TRANSITIONS WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE HOME TRENDS INVESTMENTS OFFICE SERVICES GUIDE FASHION BANKING IN THE MIDLANDS GUIDE TO COMPANY PICNICS COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE WORKSHOP AG TRENDS IN THE MIDLANDS SAFETY & HEALTH SUMMIT BUSINESS APPEARANCE: INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR TECHNOLOGY SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT HOTELS AND TOURISM LEGAL PROFESSION BIG O! EXCELLENCE AWARDS COUNCIL BLUFFS GROWTH REPORT CELEBRATE CONSTRUCTION MARKETING, ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONS ENERGY & UTILITIES SALUTE TO SMALL BUSINESS COMPANY OUTINGS EDUCATION & CAREER DEVELOPMENT SARPY COUNTY GROWTH REPORT HEALTH & WELLNESS GOING GREEN CONDO LIVING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION & WAREHOUSING ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ACCOUNTING PROFESSION COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE DIRECTORY NONPROFITS WORK RELATED INJURIES EVENT PLANNERS/TRADE SHOWS SENIOR ISSUES HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTIES GUIDE LINCOLN GROWTH REPORT TECHNOLOGY OFFICE DESIGN TRENDS PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE CAREER TRANSITIONS & JOB SEARCH SHOPPING/MALL SPACE DIRECTORY HOME IMPROVEMENT/MAINTENANCE GO GREEN: INDUSTRY & THE ENVIRONMENT NEBRASKA PRODUCTS SHOW LIFE INSURANCE WEB DEVELOPMENT & SOCIAL MEDIA HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTIES GUIDE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS BIG O! SHOW PROGRAM AVIATION IN THE MIDLANDS OMAHA GROWTH REPORT

today at MBJ.com

SAVE TIME, MONEY AND HASSLE WITH AN ANNUAL Midlands

Business Journal

SUBSCRIPTION

Matyja said work can range from oneoff projects such as investigating a pumping station or area of pipes through testing and suggestions regarding solutions to a seven-year project in the Village of Wilmette, Illinois where a significant number of basement backups were being reported during major rainstorms.

In 2011, RJN Group constructed a hydraulic model of the separate sewer system, calibrated the model with flow data collected in 2012, and identified extended — 17 hours at one point — reverse flow conditions or flow backing up into the Wilmette system from MWRD interception connections during large storms.

RJN Group’s role included the performance of of extensive modeling to vet alternatives to handle wet-weather conditions, a simulation of system responses demonstrating reverse-flow potential, while accommodating needs of 1.79 inches of rain an hour.

Hydraulic modeling and analysis

assessment were among the services provided. A site was found for a 5.5 million gallon underground storage tank, and backup prevention measures upstream were designed, as well as a pump out lift station, gravity sewers, odor control, and water line extension for tank maintenance.

Helgoth said RJN Group can investigate and develop plans with cities and within the budget available.

“Every city must absolutely address its infrastructure problems,” Helgoth said. “We’re working with a host of communities that range from small studies of $50,000 to major assessment and rehabilitation design programs.”

Helgoth, a retiree from Kirkham Michael where he spent 17 years in a leadership position, said his long career in engineering has convinced him that the best path to success is “taking on creative, innovative projects and bringing the best solution to the client.”

10

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Health & Business Wellness Preview A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Topics may include:

Topics may include:

Health & Wellness overview • Sports medicine trends Fast growing careers in health care • Employers taking an active role Changing role of tech in the health care industry • Wellness trends

Banking/Finance • Technology • Education/Employment • Health Care Real Estate • Insurance/Employee Benefits/Law • Economic Development Architecture/Engineering/Construction

Issue Date: January 3 • Ad Deadline: December 26

Issue Date: January 3 • Ad Deadline: December 26

FINANCIAL AND Law Firms TAX PLANNING in the Midlands A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

2018 challenges and successes

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Topics may include the following:

Topics may include:

Financial planning in the new year • Next generation Fintech • Student Finances Benefits/insurance • Estate and gift planning

Law Firms in the Midlands • Employment Law • Growing practice areas Technology is constantly changing the way firms operate • The changing workforce

Issue Date: January 10 • Ad Deadline: January 2

Issue Date: January 10 • Ad Deadline: January 2

To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below.

Julie Whitehead - julie@mbj.com • Karla Steele - karla@mbj.com • Joe Misiunas - joe@mbj.com

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

11

Last-minute gift buying: 5 scenarios that will drain your wallet

by Susan Tompor

By this time of the holiday season, shopping is on a 24/7 loop. So if you get a little loopy, well, you might want to step away from the laptop and the credit cards.

“I saw this charge Consumers come through on my PayPal and I was like ‘What did I buy?’” said Angela Anter, 50, who admits she’s been known to shop online after a few cocktails with friends.

What she bought in August was a subscription box at $40 a month for snacks that fit into a Keto-friendly diet. So far, she’s spent SUPER CROSSWORD

Answers on page 12.

about $200 on snacks, rationalizing that she doesn’t need to cancel the service because she gets to try new treats every month. A year’s worth of snacks, though, would mean she’s going to be out $480.

Last Christmas, Anter shopped online to spend about $30 on a necklace with an inspirational message, something like “She believed she could, so she did,” for a young woman on her list.

The problem? Well, shopping when your inhibitions are down means you’re generally not reading the fine print. The necklace, which she ordered in November, didn’t show ON THE EVE

up in time for Christmas. It didn’t arrive until February. She didn’t pay attention to details like the necklace was being shipped out of China.

“I would never have done that had I not been drinking,” she said.

All sorts of things can throw you for a loop when it comes to the last-minute crunch for gift buying. The 50% off sales are flashing across every single screen — the TV, emails, online websites. Can you really afford to miss out on the next big sale?

Retailers say the next big shopping day is the last Saturday before Christmas, which the industry refers to as “Super Saturday.”

Last year, the National Retail Federation had forecast that 134 million people would shop on Super Saturday.

Yes, you can buy too much of a good thing. So here’s a look at what can throw you for a loop and drain your wallet: -Ask yourself: Do I need one in every color?

It’s not quite like signing up for the boxof-the-month. But do you really need gloves in every color?

Maybe you found a nice pair of knit gloves for $20 and so you starting thinking, “Hey maybe I should get one in black, one in red and another in bright yellow.” Maybe you like the feel of a turtleneck that cost $25.

But it’s nothing but an old QVC trick to get you to ‘buy more, save more” and pick up two or three different colors.

Soon you’ve spent $100 buying one turtleneck after another.

-Ask yourself: Do I need it now?

Sometimes, the one name you need to take off the holiday shopping list is your own.

Some shoppers, not naming names, could save enough to cover the winter gas bill by staying away from searching for the right holiday outfit, the perfect shoes, the next half-off deal on anything.

We’re looking at a string of shopping “holidays” — stores that open on Thanksgiving, Black Friday door busters, Cyber Monday deals, Green Monday, Free Shipping Day and on and on. All are really excuses to pick up something for someone — and yourself.

No need to panic. If you miss one of these big sales, you can wait until an item goes on sale again. Big screen TVs? Expect a bunch of sales before Super Bowl Sunday.

-You’ll regret shopping while tipsy Roughly a quarter of Americans admit to shopping under the influence, totaling some 53.4 million people, according to a survey released in March by from Finder.com, a platform for comparing financial products and finding coupon codes.

The annual survey involved 2,000 American adults.

Collectively, according to the survey, Americans spent $39.4 billion after shopping under the influence in the past 12 months, up from last year’s $30.43 billion. The average spent was $736. Many times, people will buy food, clothing, cigarettes, DVDs or gamble.

Some have booked vacations or bought a pet when they were a tad tipsy.

-That wine exchange? It’s a pyramid scheme “If gifting one bottle of wine and receiving dozens in return sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is,” warns the Better Business Bureau.

The BBB is warning consumers that such promotions via social media are pyramid

schemes — where the wine stops flowing once people stop participating in the exchange. And you don’t get your bottles as promised and are out your initial investment.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service notes that scammers are now using social media to promote illegal pyramid schemes.

Tip: Never give your personal information to strangers. Doing so could contribute to identity theft and other scams.

-‘One day only’ means hurry up and spend One-day only sales, some offering 50% off all purchases, only encourage people to hurry up and spend money, according to Terrence Daryl Shulman, founder and director of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding in Franklin.

“They’re upping the ante,” Shulman said.

“You don’t want to miss this,” reads one email for Ann Taylor. “Buy more, save more Flash Sale,” reads another for Chicos.

While signing up for emails can help alert you to discounts, those same emails also create a sense of urgency and may create way too much temptation for someone on a tight budget, Shulman said.

He has said such emails can be “like crack,” and suggests that those facing financial hardships or dealing with compulsive shopping need to unsubscribe to them.

Shulman, who counsels recovering shopaholics and shoplifters, said compulsive shopping is becoming a growing problem for many people.

Many shopaholics are men, as well, buying DVDs, electronics and other items often online, he said.

“Guys have gotten the bug too,” he said.

Sometimes, a shopping addiction crops up after a loss, maybe the loss of a job, a death, or a bad break up. Maybe someone is bored with their job or doesn’t have the energy that they used to have in the past.

They may feel more isolated and welcome a chance to interact by shopping.

“Our computers and our phones are our best friends,” Shulman said. “It’s really pouring gasoline on our addictions.”

One-day and two-day delivery promises can feed a shopping rush, too, and, in some, cases the boxes might arrive before you have second thoughts about the order.

“A lot of people don’t like returning something once they’ve got it,” Shulman said. “They want to get it to you quick before you can change your mind.” ©2019 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

12

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Chicago to Cleveland in 32 minutes? A hyperloop system could make that possible, if technology works.

by Mary Wisniewski

A hyperloop, a high-tech, high-speed transportation system, could take you from Chicago to Cleveland in 32 minutes, or less time than it takes to watch two “Hot in Cleveland” episodes Technology on your phone.

That kind of speed — 10 times faster than a car, more than twice as fast as a plane — could bring an explosion of economic growth, according to a new study.

Building a hyperloop system to carry passengers between Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh could lead to more than 900,000 jobs and $47.6 billion in increased income, according to the Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study being released Monday by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which coordinates regional transportation spending.

“I think it would be a great opportunity for transforming transportation and the way we live and work and play,” said Grace Gallucci, executive director of the Cleveland-based agency. The agency shared the cost of the $1.3 million study with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, or HyperloopTT, a California company interested in developing the route.

The technology is still in development, so the timeline for when the system could be built is still a mystery. It’s hard to get too hyped over something still being tested.

“A service this fast would be exciting, but the obstacles still seem enormous,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a DePaul University transportation expert.

The obstacles include technical challenges, the problem of acquiring right-of-way, and legal and regulatory issues, Schwieterman said.

A hyperloop consists of a passenger pod traveling through a metal tube maintained at a partial vacuum. Magnets cause the pod to move and levitate over the track once it picks up enough speed, explained Dirk Ahlborn, CEO and founder of HyperloopTT. Removing air from the tube eliminates wind resistance and friction, allowing the pods to reach speeds as high as 700 mph while using little energy. Gallucci said that by using solar panels, the system could actually create more power than it uses, and feed it back into the grid.

By removing the air inside the tube, a low-pressure environment is created, similar to what an airplane encounters at high altitudes. “You can go faster with much less energy if you don’t have a lot of resistance,” Ahlborn said.

HyperloopTT is just one of the companies working on the technology — others are Virgin Hyperloop One and entrepreneur Elon Musk’s The Boring Company. Musk proposed building something like a hyperloop between downtown and O’Hare International Airport, but without using a vacuum. Mayor Lori Lightfoot didn’t support the project, and it appears to be dead.

Other hyperloop routes are being considered around the nation and the world, including in Missouri, Colorado, India and the United Arab Emirates.

HyperloopTT is testing the technology in a 320-meter tube in Toulouse, France. It has a passenger capsule that’s 9 feet in diameter and similar to the body of a regional jet airplane, Ahlborn said.

HyperloopTT plans to test the pods, with people inside, in the first half of next year.

Ahlborn plans to be among the first riders, along with Henriette Ardouin, a 101-yearold French woman who remembers how her father doubted airplanes could fly, and who appears in a Hyperloop promotional film.

Ahlborn is confident that the system — which uses existing technology developed by the aerospace industry — will be safe.

The biggest challenge is getting the right regulations in place to allow implementation, he said.

“You can’t build anything unless you have the green light from the government,” said Ahlborn, whose company is working on insurance issues and safety guidelines.

The Ohio study was conducted by Transportation Economics & Management Systems, also known as TEMS, a transportation industry research firm. The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Indiana Toll Road were among the agencies that collaborated on the project.

The study looked at three possible routes between Chicago and Cleveland, and two routes between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Gallucci said the Cleveland-Chicago route is the best in the country for a hyperloop pilot, since it’s less than 400 miles, the land is mostly flat and there is already a lot of car

and plane traffic between the two cities. Both cities have plenty to offer each other, including large research hospitals, symphonies, art museums and universities, said Gallucci, a former Regional Transportation Authority official.

“There’s an opportunity for someone who lives in one city to go to work in another,” Gallucci said.

There’s also a right-of-way available along the Interstate 80/90 Tollway, which would eliminate much of the need for land acquisition, Gallucci said. The proposed Chicago routes range from 315 miles to 337 miles, depending on alignment, and would run mostly along I-80/I-90, the study said.

The trips would range in time from about 32 to 47 minutes, at speeds of 439 to 593 mph.

The project would not require operating subsidies, and could be financed entirely by a private company, the study found. The study imagines a possible build-out period between 2023 and 2028, from initial site work to heavy construction to testing.

A hyperloop system also offers environmental benefits, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 143 million tons over the next 25 years, the study said. Ahlborn said it is easier for people to choose to be “green” if they have a green alternative that costs the same or less than the polluting one.

A flight to Cleveland can cost between $150 and $500, depending on the day and the airline, and take an hour and twenty minutes, not counting time spent at the airport. A car trip would take five to six hours, and cost around $57, including the cost of gas and tolls, according to the tollguru.com web site. Amtrak would take six

SUPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Advertise in MBJ! Contact us to advertise in the Midlands Business Journal or one of our special sections today!

See our upcoming sections on page 10

Contact one of our ad representatives at (402) 330-1760 or email directly using the address below:

Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com Karla Steele - karla@mbj.com

hours and cost $60 to $92, depending on the day.

“It’s great when you find alternatives that are actually better, and use green alternatives to do better business,” Ahlborn said.

The current study does not address where the stations would be, land acquisition or the cost of fares, though Gallucci said the goal is to make them affordable. She said stations, which could be downtown or at airports, would link to public transit.

After the study is released Monday, the results will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation, and there will be a 45-day comment period and peer review.

Next will be an environmental impact study and preliminary engineering.

Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, said he wishes transportation officials were looking at high-speed trains between Cleveland and Chicago, instead of an unproven technology.

“We know the trains work,” Harnish said.

Countries that already have high-speed trains, which run at sustained speeds of 150 mph or more, include England, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and China.

Gallucci said her agency would consider high-speed rail between Cleveland and Chicago if approached by a private sector company. But no such company has come forward, while HyperloopTT has.

“We view Hyperloop as essentially the next generation of that high-speed concept,” Gallucci said. ©2019 Chicago Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Puzzle on page 11.

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

13

Why President Trump’s steel tariff didn’t save US Steel workers from layoffs

by JC Reindl

President Donald Trump told an audience of Pennsylvania union workers last August that his 25% tariff on steel imports was reinvigorating the country’s steel industry, and leading companies such as U.S. Steel to expand.

That upbeat assessEconomy ment is now in question following United States Steel Corp.’s announcement recently that it plans to give layoff notices to take effect later next year to 1,545 workers at its Great Lakes Works production plants, situated in Ecorse, Mich., and River Rouge, Mich., on the Detroit River. The plants serve the auto industry.

Steel industry insiders say the layoffs are one likely result of the dramatic drop in steel prices this year and a current supply glut in the market. Steel prices shot up in the aftermath of Trump’s announcement of tariffs in early 2018, only to collapse once older domestic steel plants restarted production and tariff-exempted foreign steel continued arriving on shore.

“Ultimately the steel tariffs did not do what they were designed to do,” said Chris Olin, a steel analyst with Longbow Research in Independence, Ohio.

Another factor is the Downriver plants’

idling: competition from domestic “minimill” steel plants, which make steel by recycling scrap metal. Great Lakes Works is a vertically integrated steel facility, which makes virgin steel from iron ore and coke.

The minimill process is cheaper and less labor intensive, although the steel it produces is typically not as high a grade. A handful of new minimill plants are expected to open early next decade in Texas Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel said it expects to start idling Great Lakes Works’ iron and steel-making facilities around April 1, and its hot strip mill rolling facility before the end of 2020.

The following areas of Great Lakes Works will continue operating: the pickle line, cold mill, sheet temper mill, continuous galvanizing line, annealing and warehouses.

U.S. Steel said it plans to shift some of the Downriver steel work to its vertically integrated plant in Gary, Indiana. The newly announced layoffs are in addition to the temporarily layoffs of nearly 200 workers announced in August because of “market conditions and recent reductions in customer demand.”

‘Thriving again’ During an Aug. 13 speech in Monaca, Pennsylvania, at a Royal Dutch Shell petrochemical

plant, Trump said that his steel and aluminum tariffs were a big success. The president had the authority to enact the 25% steel and 10% aluminum tariffs on his own, without congressional approval, by citing national security.

“The steel companies are thriving again,” Trump said. “Those steel mills — U.S. Steel and all of them, all of them — they’re expanding all over the place.”

A spokeswoman declined to comment about the layoffs or effect of the Trump tariffs beyond the company’s official announcements.

Higher prices, more production Higher steel prices in the wake of Trump’s tariff announcement in March 2018 soon led to more steel production in the U.S. “Some of the older steel mills that were basically offline restarted,” Olin said.

However, some tariff-exempt steel imports continued to make it into the country, he said, “and demand was not very strong, particularly in the Midwestern markets” for steel.

More: Downriver steel plant warns it will lay off nearly 200 workers More: Moroun company cited again for asbestos dust at Trenton steel plant demolition Those factors led to an oversupplied steel market and collapsing prices through 2019. The

Mercatus who worked at the Treasury Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission, pointed out that the goods covered by the first and second tranches were overwhelmingly capital goods and intermediate goods, both of which primarily affect manufacturers.

The criteria on which requests will be assessed have not changed: Is the good only available from China, would duties on it cause severe economic harm to a U.S. interest, and is the good strategically important or related to the Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” program?

McDaniel said a typical denial would occur in a case where a manufacturer that uses an intermediate good from China says there is no U.S. supplier for the good, and other Asian countries could not provide enough or meet certification requirements. And a denial usually

would mean an increase in manufacturing costs, she said.

“For an intermediate good, there’s more room for harm to the manufacturer,” she said.

McDaniel said there is no reliable way to quantify the impact of the uncertainty on manufacturers, nor whether the tariffs have played a role in the decline in business investment. But the fact that tariffs remain on more than $300 billion of imports from China doesn’t help, nor does the possibility of “snapback” if China fails to fulfill the terms of the agreement.

“I’m not convinced that the China tariffs are over,” she said. ©2019 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Long wait for China tariff exemptions pays off for some

by Mark Bocchetti

The limited scope of the phase one trade deal with China means that the bulk of U.S. tariffs will remain in place for the foreseeable future, leaving U.S. companies hurt by the duties no other choice but to get in line for an exemption if they want to limit the damage.

The record so far shows that it might be worth a shot: on average, importers have a one in three chance of meeting the standard set by the U.S. Trade Representative and getting an exemption or exclusion, according to an analysis by the Mercatus Center at Economy George Mason University.

The Mercatus analysis showed that the line for exclusions is long. Only about 18% of 30,302 exclusion requests in the third round of tariffs on Chinese goods imposed

by President Donald Trump have been decided, leaving some 25,000 still in the pending column.

And the exclusion window for fourth tranche goods, which now pay tariffs of just 7.5 percent, will remain open for requests through Jan. 31.

The first three rounds of tariffs, on goods with an aggregate value of $250 billion, still pay a tariff of 25 percent. The 15% tariff on the fourth tranche, with an approximate goods value of $120 billion, was reduced to 7.5% as a result of the phase one deal.

The USTR has virtually completed work on the first and second tranches of tariffs, which together covered some $50 billion in imports — $34 billion in the first tranche and $16 billion in the second. Mercatus found that 34% of the 10,814 exclusion requests from the first group were approved, while 37% of 2,869 requests in the second won approval.

Tranches three and four of Trump’s China tariffs have a much higher proportion of goods for final consumption, but not enough cases in tranche three have been decided to provide a basis for comparison, McDaniel said. Only about 14% of the 30,302 requests have been decided, with a denial rate so far of 96 percent.

Adjudication has not started for tranche four.

Apple Inc. fared better than most companies, winning exemptions on 10 of 15 requests filed for tranche three, a rate about twice that of other firms.

Christine McDaniel, a trade economist at

price for hot-rolled coil steel, a common benchmark, jumped from about $650 per ton in early 2018 to over $900 per ton in summer 2018, then began free-falling to as low as $500 per ton this fall, according to Longbow Research.

“It was basically an upswing, downswing in pricing,” Olin said. “It feels like now we are entering what would be almost like a recession in terms of industrial market demand. That is really forcing (steel) companies that are highcost producers to make decisions.”

On the same day U.S. Steel announced the coming layoffs, the company said it was cutting its dividend and expects to report its second consecutive quarterly loss.

“We must make deliberate but difficult operational decisions,” U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said in a statement.

A White House representative did not respond to a request for comment about the U.S. Steel layoffs.

In an interview with CNN, Peter Navarro, the White House’s director of the office of trade and manufacturing policy, said the planned idling of Great Lakes Works is a sign of troubles at U.S. Steel — not the fault of tariffs.

“I think the bet (on tariffs) is paying off beautifully,” he told CNN. “We are very bullish on the steel and aluminum industries because of the tariffs. If they weren’t in place, those industries would be in very bad shape right now.”

Many of the affected workers are members of the United Steelworkers. Michael Bolton, the union’s District 2 director, said they are still determining how many workers will be left at the Downriver plants after the layoffs.

“Everyone is surprised when you get a notice like this,” he said.

A DTE Energy subsidiary has two facilities of its own that could be affected by the coming idling of Great Lakes Works: a Zug Island coke plant and a coke battery. Coke is used in blast furnaces for steel production.

A DTE representative said the firm is working with U.S. Steel to understand what the idling will mean for its two plants. ©2019 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nearly 1,600 corporate subsidiaries were profitable, not taxed

by Laura Davison

Nearly 1,600 corporate subsidiaries in the U.S. and elsewhere reported paying no income taxes despite being profitable in 2017, according to data released by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service recently.

Taxes The money-making, tax-saving units collectively accrued refunds or negative tax bills of $20.6 billion in 2017. On top of that, 11,055 groups reported no profits, and an additional 5,586 corporate groups paid an effective tax rate of less than 5%, according to the country-by-country data — a new global effort for governments to share information about corporate taxes collected.

The subsidiaries were based all around the world — not just in the U.S. — and the negative balances didn’t necessarily come in the form of a tax refund, because they were subject to local laws in the countries where they were accrued.

Right to Tax But the numbers set the stage for a fight brewing on the global stage: what country has the right to tax which corporations, and on what profits? That’s something the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, along with nearly 140 countries, is hoping to resolve within the next 12 months.

The negotiations have the potential to up-

end the global corporate tax system, which has traditionally been based on where a company books its profits. However, the digital economy, a highly mobile workforce, and crafty lawyers have created opportunities for companies to find ways to reduce their tax bills by reporting earning much of their income in low-tax countries.

Digital Taxes The OECD tried to stop some of this gamesmanship in 2016, with new standards requiring companies to justify their income by showing they had employees in those countries. The changes also created a requirement for companies to report the income and taxes they paid in each country.

But there’s widespread acknowledgment that wasn’t enough. So countries including France, the U.K. and Canada have introduced new digital taxes on companies, such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, based on where the users are located, rather than where companies base their headquarters or book their earnings.

France’s efforts have drawn the ire of President Donald Trump and a threat to impose tariffs on $2.4 billion in French exports to the U.S. Campaign Issue The OECD negotiations intend to devise a global solution to the problem that will make the

need for these country-specific taxes obsolete. A deal will be difficult but necessary because “the alternative is bleak,” Pascal Saint-Amans, the director of the OECD’s Center for Tax Policy and Administration, said on Friday.

Corporate taxation — or lack thereof — has also become an issue in the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign, with major candidates for the Democratic nomination publicly shaming companies with low tax bills.

“Of my three brothers, one’s a Democrat and two are Republicans,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Thursday at the Democratic debate in Los Angeles. “But you know what unites them?

They’re furious that Amazon reported record profits and paid zero dollars in taxes. Americans are ready to root out corruption and fight back.”

Online retailing giant Amazon Inc. reported no federal income tax liability in 2017 and 2018, according to regulatory filings.

Warren has floated a series of proposals to raise taxes on corporations, including a minimum tax to ensure companies are paying the IRS even if they can use legal tax breaks and deductions to reduce their tax bills.

(With assistance from Isabel Gottlieb.) ©2019 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

14

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES MBJ legal notice instructions The following are some guidelines to consider when posting legal notices with the Midlands Business Journal: 1. Submit a written notice in either Microsoft Word or as a PDF document to Beth Grube at legals@mbj.com, fax to 402-758-9315 or mail: 1324 S. 119th St. Omaha, NE 68144.

For trade names, submit a copy of approved (bar code in upper right hand corner) Application For Registration of Trade Name from the Secretary of State to the same email address. Please include your billing address and the desired duration you’d like your notice to run (trade names run for only one week).

2. You will receive a confirmation and price quote. Legal notices, except for trade names, are charged per line. The flat fee for a trade name is $50.

Payment options are cash or check.

3. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday for a notice to start publishing that Friday.

4. All costs include fees to file the notice with the Secretary of State and/or any appropriate courts.

5. You will receive a paid invoice copy and a courtesy proof of the notice the first week it runs and a copy of the affidavit filed with the courts the last week.

JOSEPH J. SKUDLAREK, Attorney 1055 North 115th Street, Suite 301 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LLC The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is Willa J Collection, LLC. Its designated office is 15606 William Plaza #106, Omaha, NE 68130.

Its purpose is any lawful business. It commenced on October 29, 2019. Its affairs shall be managed by a Member/Manager. Jennifer J Seay, Organizer First publication November 29, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF G & T DRYWALL, INC. Notice is hereby given that the Articles of Incorporation of G & T Drywall, Inc. have been amended and restated in their entirety as follow: Article 1 states the name of the Corporation as G & T Drywall, Inc. Article 2 states the purpose.

Article 3 states the number of shares the Corporation is authorized to issue as 25,000 shares of common stock having a par value of $1.00 per share.

Article 4 states the Registered Office of the Corporation as 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent as Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Article 5 states the Corporation shall have perpetual existence.

Article 6 states the provisions relating to amending the Articles and Bylaws.

Article 7 states the provisions relating to director liability.

The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on November 26, 2019.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 HALEY REAL ESTATE GROUP, LLC 10703 J Street, Suite 101 Omaha, NE 68127 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION FOR LEAGUE COMMISH, LLC A Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State for League Commish, LLC (the “Company”) on December 4, 2019.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127. The name and address for the Company’s registered agent is Carl J. Troia, Jr., 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 HALEY REAL ESTATE GROUP, LLC 10703 J Street, Suite 101 Omaha, NE 68127 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION FOR KEY COMMUNITIES 5, LLC A Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State for Key Communities 5, LLC (the “Company”) on December 4, 2019.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127. The name and address for the Company’s registered agent is Carl J. Troia, Jr., 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is FINNCO MACHINE, LLC. 2. The street address of the initial designated office is 4089 S. 84th St., Suite 191, Omaha, Nebraska, 68127. The registered agent is Thomas J. Finn and the Register Agent's address is 14618 Borman Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68138.

3. The general nature of the Company is precision machining.

4. The Company commenced on December 4, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

5. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by Members, the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as the Members shall determine.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72Nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TACOS Y TACOS, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Tacos Y Tacos, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 5936 Q Street, Omaha, NE 68117. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72Nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SUPERIOR LIQUORS, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Superior Liquors, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 5936 Q Street, Omaha, NE 68117. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72Nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SJK RETAIL, LLC The name of the limited liability company is SJK Retail, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 2219 North 90th Street, Omaha, NE 68134. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 DANIEL R. CARNAHAN, Attorney DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF STADE HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Stade Holdings, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on November 19, 2019. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 12118 S. 213th Avenue, Gretna, Nebraska 68028. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 DANIEL R. CARNAHAN, Attorney DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF STADE REAL ESTATE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Stade Real Estate, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on November 19, 2019. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 12118 S. 213th Avenue, Gretna, Nebraska 68028. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PWC PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that PWC Properties, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 451 South 46th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The limited liability company commenced business on November 27, 2019.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF AZ CAR RENTS, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that AZ CAR RENTS, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent is ANTHONY L. GROSS. The general nature of the business is to operate a general car rental business, to own, operate and perform services of every kind and nature whatsoever, which are not inconsistent with law, which are necessary, suitable, proper, convenient or expedient to the operation of a general car rental business. The authorized capital stock is $10,000.00, consisting of 10,000 shares of stock having a par value of $1.00 each, which stock shall be paid for wholly or partly by cash, by labor, by personal property and by real property. The corporation became a corporate body on October 28, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by a Board of Directors, the number of directors to be provided in the By-Laws, and the officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as shall be designated in the By-Laws.

ANTHONY L. GROSS, Incorporator CATHERINE L. WHITE, Incorporator 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68124 First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019

THOMAS H. PENKE, Attorney 12020 Shamrock Plaza, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE The following described property will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder for cash at the Roskens Room, on the Farnam Street level of the Douglas County City County Building, 1819 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska on the 7th day of January, 2020, at 9:00 o'clock a.m.: The South 34 11/16 Feet of the West 170 Feet of Lot 14 and the North 13 15/16 Feet of the West 170 Feet of Lot 14½, Millard and Caldwell’s Addition to the City of Omaha, as surveyed, platted and recorded in Douglas County, Nebraska.

The highest bidder will deposit with the Trustee on the date of sale the sum of $5,000.00 with the remainder to be received by 5:00 o'clock p.m. on the sale date, at the office of the trustee, 12020 Shamrock Plaza, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska, except that this requirement waived for the beneficiary.

Thomas H. Penke, Trustee 12020 Shamrock Plaza, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 402.330.6860 First publication November 29, 2019, final December 27, 2019 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TINYWORKS, LLC The name of the limited liability company is TinyWorks, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 9850 Nicholas Street #300, Omaha, NE 68114. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), TIMOTHY J SKEEN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 09/16/2019 on Case Number CI19-21044, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $1,800.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 01/27/2020 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 16400 COLLEGE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 16400 College, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 South 15th Street, Suite 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102, and its mailing address is P.O. Box 428, Boys Town, Nebraska 68010. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 SEAN D. MOYLAN, Attorney MOYLAN LAW, LLC 1010 South 120th Street, Suite 320 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ZINC, LLC Notice is hereby given that ZINC, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its initial designated agent Sean D. Moylan and designated office at 1010 South 120th Street, Suite 320, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The purpose for which ZINC, LLC has been established is real estate management, and any and all lawful businesses for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. Perpetual existence commenced on December 9, 2019. Management of the company shall be vested in its Members.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF VIRAL PROPERTIES, LLC The name of the Company is Viral Properties, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 3604 North 165th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: James Kuna, 3604 North 165th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. This limited liability company commenced business on December 10, 2019.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PSG PROPERTIES, LLC The name of the Company is PSG Properties, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2402 North 179th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

This limited liability company commenced business on December 12, 2019.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES SCOTT D. JOCHIM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SGS PROPERTIES, LLC The name of the limited liability company is SGS Properties, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Scott D. Jochim, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SILVER BULL HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Silver Bull Holdings, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 3814 Farnam Street, Suite 201, Omaha, Nebraska 68131. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Thomas H. McLeay, 3814 Farnam Street, Suite 201, Omaha, Nebraska 68131. The limited liability company commenced business on December 2, 2019.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is Hula Lacrosse.

2. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The name and address of the Incorporator is as follows: Alexander J. Wolf, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

5. The Corporation shall have no members.

6. The corporate existence began on November 25, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 TIEDEMAN, LYNCH, KAMPFE, McVAY & RESPELIERS, Attorneys 6910 Pacific Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68106-1045 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Robertson Enterprises, LLC, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with its designated office at 6910 Pacific Street, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The general nature of the business is to engage in any lawful business for which a limited liability company may be organized. The limited liability company was formed on September 10, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by its Members.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MWC HEART, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of MWC Heart, LLC 1. The name of the limited liability company is MWC Heart, LLC 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 14110 Franklin Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Matthew T. Payne, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), BARBARA SIMS You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 08/21/2019 on Case Number CI19-19169, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $5293.20, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 01/20/2020 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Bang, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 9201 N. 156th Street, Bennington, Nebraska 68007. The registered agent of the Company is Blake Banghart, 9201 N. 156th Street, Bennington, Nebraska 68007. The Company was formed on November 27, 2019.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019

MARY E. VANDENACK, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF SONLIT, INC. SONLIT, INC. has been incorporated under the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act. The corporation is a Public Benefit Corporation. The street address of the corporation’s initial registered office is 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118, and the name of the initial registered agent of the corporation at that office is Mary E. Vandenack. The corporation is organized for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes. The corporation commenced on November 22, 2019. The name and street address of the incorporator of the corporation is Mary E. Vandenack, 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118. The corporation will not have members.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HIGHWAY SIGNING EQUIPMENT, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Highway Signing Equipment, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 4343 South 67th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Matt Fatka, 4343 South 67th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117.

The Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on November 27, 2019.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MARY BYRD COUNSELING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Mary Byrd Counseling, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The limited liability company shall provide mental health services. The designated office of the limited liability company is 16023 Lindenwood Circle, Bennington, Nebraska 68007. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The limited liability company commenced business on November 20, 2019.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF NU DRYWALL, INC. Notice is hereby given that the Articles of Incorporation of NU Drywall, Inc. have been amended and restated in their entirety as follow: Article 1 states the name of the Corporation as NU Drywall, Inc. Article 2 states the purpose.

Article 3 states the number of shares the Corporation is authorized to issue as 1,000 shares of voting common stock and 99,000 shares of nonvoting common stock, all having a par value of $.10 per share.

Article 4 states the Registered Office of the Corporation as 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent as Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Article 5 states the Corporation shall have perpetual existence.

Article 6 states the provisions relating to amending the Articles and Bylaws.

Article 7 states the provisions relating to director liability.

The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on November 25, 2019.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is Cemer Foundation.

2. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The name and address of the Incorporator is as follows: Alexander J. Wolf, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

5. The Corporation shall have no members.

6. The corporate existence began on November 25, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 2020 MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 2020 Mortgage Holdings, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The limited liability company commenced business on December 4, 2019.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

15

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF STIRLING ENTERPRISES, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is STIRLING ENTERPRISES, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128.

The designated office is located at 3809 N. 207th Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022.

Ruffin Stirling, Member First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HARP ENTERPRISES, LLC Notice is hereby given that a professional limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is HARP ENTERPRISES, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128.

The designated office is located at 15311 Nebraska Ave, Omaha, NE 68116.

Barb Bettin, Member First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF S & B JEWELRY, LLC Notice is hereby given that a professional limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is S & B JEWELRY, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128.

The designated office is located at 10531 S. 15th Street, #101, Bellevue, Nebraska 68123.

Brad Martin, Member First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LISA HARRIS REALTY, LLC Notice is hereby given that a professional limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is LISA HARRIS REALTY, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 2712 N. 175th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68116.

Lisa J. Harris, Member First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF VP BAR, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that VP Bar, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 8222 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127.

The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF MEET THE NEED SIOUXLAND, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Meet The Need Siouxland, Inc. (the “Corporation”) has been incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation and shall have no members. Its initial registered agent and office is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

The incorporator is M. Thomas Langan, II, 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The corporate existence began on November 21, 2019 when the Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 N O T I C E O F A M E N D M E N T T O T H E A RT I C L E S O F INCORPORATION OF WOODLAND HOMES, INC. Notice is hereby given that the Articles of Incorporation of Woodland Homes, Inc. (the “Corporation”) have been amended: (i) in respect to Article IV, to increase the authorized shares to One Hundred Thousand (100,000) shares, consisting of Ten Thousand (10,000) shares of “Class A Voting Common Stock,” with a par value of $0.01 per share, and Ninety Thousand (90,000) shares of “Class B Nonvoting Common Stock,” with a par value of $0.01 per share; and (ii) in respect to Article V, to delete the same. The Articles of Amendment were dated effective September 6, 2019, and filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on September 30, 2019. In all other respects, the Articles of Incorporation remain unchanged.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

16

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES 9859 South 168th Avenue Omaha, NE 68136 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Limited Liability Company is WANNABEE’S VINTAGE, LLC 2. The address of the designated office of the company is 5036 Lake Street, Omaha, NE 68104.

3. The purpose for which the company is organized is to engage in any and all business which is lawful under the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act of the State of Nebraska.

4. The company commenced its existence on October 21, 2019, and the period of duration of the Company shall be perpetual.

5. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by its Members in accordance with the company’s operating agreement.

Colin Kastrick Andrew C. Sigerson, P.C., L.L.O. First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 SEAN D. MOYLAN, Attorney MOYLAN LAW, LLC 1010 South 120th Street, Suite 320 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF MALLARD REMODELING, INC. Notice is hereby given that MALLARD REMODELING, INC., a Nebraska Corporation, is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its initial designated agent Sean D. Moylan and designated office at 1010 South 120th Street, Suite 320, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The purpose for which MALLARD REMODELING, INC. has been established is to engage in the remodeling business, and any and all lawful businesses for which a corporation may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. Perpetual existence commenced on December 4, 2019.

Management of the company shall be vested in its Board of Directors.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser Texas, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser Texas, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF WOODSONIA-INDIAN CREEK, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Woodsonia-Indian Creek, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The designated office of the Company is 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68118. The registered agent of the Company is Drew Snyder, 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68118.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF QUADTECH PARTNERS GP, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that QuadTech Partners GP, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The designated office address of the Company is 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, NE 68122. The name and address of the registered agent of the Company is Zachary A. Wiegert, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68122.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES 9859 South 168th Avenue Omaha, NE 68136 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION The name of the Corporation is LJS MANAGEMENT, INC. The address of the registered office of the Corporation is 9859 South 168th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68136 and the registered agent of the said Corporation is Andrew C. Sigerson. The Corporation has Ten Thousand (10,000) shares of common stock authorized, each having the par value of $1.00. The Incorporator is Ross M. Berg, 9859 South 168th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68136.

Ross M. Berg, Incorporator First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Traverse Project Solutions, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, has been organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska, with its initial designated office at 6505 S. 149th Ave, Omaha, NE 68137. The initial agent for service of process of the Company is Paul Buss, 6505 S. 149th Ave. Omaha, NE 68137.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of Sun Mesa, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on August 30, 2019, Sun Mesa, LLC was organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, with a designated office at 16216 Hartman Avenue, Omaha, NE 68116. The Company’s initial agent for service of process is Joseph Grimaldi, whose address is 16216 Hartman Avenue, Omaha, NE 68116.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF CUTTING EDGE SURGICAL, INC., NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVE, Cutting Edge Surgical, Inc., filed Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State on November 15, 2019. The corporation is authorized to issue 10 shares of common stock. The Initial Registered Agent and Office is Catherine Grimaldi, 16216 Hartman Avenue, Omaha, NE 68116. The Incorporator is Catherine Grimaldi, 16216 Hartman Avenue, Omaha, NE 68116.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LC NOVA, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that LC NOVA, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office address of the Company is 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, NE 68122. The name and address of the registered agent of the Company is Zachary A. Wiegert, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68122.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 W. ERIC WOOD, Attorney Downing, Alexander & Wood 2800 South 110 Court Omaha NE 68144 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF Boat, Motor, Trailer Sales, Inc. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Boat, Motor, Trailer Sales, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska on December 3, 2019. The Corporation is authorized to issue 1,000 shares of common stock. The registered office is located at 10702 South 144th Street, Omaha NE 68138 and the registered agent is Scott D. Stevens. The general nature of its business is to engage in and do any lawful act concerning any and all lawful business, other than banking or insurance, for which a corporation may be organized under the laws of Nebraska.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 CAMERON M. RIECKE, Attorney LAMSON DUGAN & MURRAY LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF THE ORGANIZATION OF CBAHA, LLC Notice is hereby given of the formation of a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the limited liability company is CBAHA, LLC. The name and address of the registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc, 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The general nature of the business to be investing in Miller Veterinary Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and any or all lawful business. The company commenced existence on November 26, 2019 and shall remain effective until Miller Veterinary Holdings dissolves and liquidates at which time CBAHA, LLC shall dissolve unless unanimous consent by the Members is given to remain in existence in perpetuity. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the Members, as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 GNUSE & GREEN LAW OFFICES, P.C., Attorneys 11311 Chicago Circle Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF BEYOND GOLDEN PRODUCTS, L.L.C. A Nebraska Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given that Beyond Golden Products, L.L.C., a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 9691 Meadow Drive, Omaha, NE 68114. The general nature of its business is to engage in and do any lawful act concerning any and all lawful business for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Certificate of Organization was filed in the office of the Nebraska Secretary of State on November 27, 2019. The Company commenced business thereon and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by the Members.

Rodney G. Gnuse, Organizer First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019 ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP, Attorneys 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Petrovich Team Home Loan, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the company is Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP, 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The name and street and mailing address of the initial registered agent of the company for service of process are Andrew P. Deaver and Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP, 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 6, 2019, final December 20 2019

ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser North Carolina, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser North Carolina, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser Ohio, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser Ohio, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser Illinois, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser Illinois, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser Connecticut, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser Connecticut, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MIDWEST RADIANT HEATERS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Midwest Radiant Heaters, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 663 N. 132nd St, #104, Omaha, Nebraska 68154 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES 9859 South 168th Avenue Omaha, NE 68136 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION The name of the Corporation is LOBO’S MANAGEMENT, INC. The address of the registered office of the Corporation is 9859 South 168th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68136 and the registered agent of the said Corporation is Andrew C. Sigerson. The Corporation has Ten Thousand (10,000) shares of common stock authorized, each having the par value of $1.00. The Incorporator is Ross M. Berg, 9859 South 168th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68136.

Ross M. Berg, Incorporator First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: TONY MOCKOBEE You are hereby notified that on 07/12/19, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI19 15336. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 352.50, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 01/26/20 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA Nebraska.

Edwina Heise #25377 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF RIGHT TO RECLAIM ABANDONED PROPERTY TO: The Estate of David S. Larsen, the Beneficiaries of the Estate of David S. Larsen, John Doe, Jane Doe and Real Names Unknown Address: Camelot Village Apartments, 2506 N. 93rd Court, Apartment #7, Omaha, NE 68134 You are hereby notified, pursuant to the Nebraska Disposition of Personal Property Landlord Tenant Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2301 et. seq., that the personal property that is identified below remained on the premises at the address stated above, after the death of David S. Larsen: 28 comic figurines 44 boxes of comic books 1 -tote of photography equipment 1 Star Wars X-Wing game 2 dominos set 2 poker set 8 boxes of trading cards 4 bookcases of books 1 box of action figures 2 suitcases and travel bag 1 Star Trek attack game 1 coat 3 hoodies 1 oxygen machine 1 computer monitor 1 entertainment center 1 desk 75-100 miscellaneous movies 1 thirteen-inch television 1 paper shredder 2 fans 1 DVD and VCR 1 computer scanner Speakers Headphones 1 laptop 3 swords 1 piggy bank 1 lamp 1 bed 4 boxes of c-pap supplies 30 shirts 1 tool box 1 step stool 1 dresser with miscellaneous clothing The said property may be claimed at the address listed below. The reasonable cost of the storage of the property must be paid before any of the property may be removed or reclaimed.

Because the property is believed to be worth less than two thousand dollars, it may be kept, sold, or destroyed without further notice if you fail to reclaim it on or before January 3, 2019, pursuant to the Nebraska Disposition of Personal Property Landlord Tenant Act. Property may be reclaimed by contacting the landlord/landlord’s property manager at the address or phone number listed below.

Michelle Roberts, Portfolio Manager Elevate Living, 2344 N. 92nd Avenue, Omaha, NE 68134 (402) 393-5214 First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 South 10 Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MIDWEST HEMP TESTING, LLC Designated Office: 1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 Initial Agent/Address For Service: Allan M. Ziebarth/1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CX PILOT LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that CX Pilot LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 2711 South 99th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

The limited liability company commenced business on December 12, 2019.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is WAKIN BACON, LLC. 2. The street address of the initial designated office is 804 North 9th Street, Plattsmouth, NE, 68048. The registered agent is Julia K. Palzer and the Registered Agent's address is 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6, Omaha, NE 68154.

3. The general nature of the Company is a food wagon.

4. The Company commenced on December 12, 2019 and shall have perpetual existence.

5. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by Members, the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as the Members shall determine.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

MARY E. VANDENACK, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF VETERANS VILLA OPERATING LLC Notice is hereby given that VETERANS VILLA OPERATING LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the initial designated office of the company is 17332 Edna Street, Omaha, NE 68136. The agent for service of process for the Company is VW Agents LLC located at 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118-3121.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 CAMERON M. RIECKE, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF J. VINCENT PIETRO, DDS, P.C. Notice is hereby given that a professional corporation has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the corporation is J. Vincent Pietro, DDS, P.C. The corporation is authorized to issue 1,000 shares of common stock. The name and street address of the corporation’s initial registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc., 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The name and address of the incorporator is Dr. J. Vincent Pietro, DDS, 625 N 144th Ave Ste. 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

Dr. J. Vincent Pietro, DDS, Incorporator First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ISLAND WINGS BVI, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Island Wings BVI, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 3322 N. 131st Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68164 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 GROSS & WELCH, P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 2120 South 72 Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF SOUTHPAW INTERPRETING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Southpaw Interpreting, LLC, a Nebraska corporation, was organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on November 20, 2019. Its designated office is located at 4434 Pacific Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68105. Its initial registered agent for service of process is Gerard T. Forgét, III, JD, MBA, LLM (Taxation) with an address at 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1500, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

Gerard T. Forgét, III, JD, MBA, LLM (Taxation), Organizer First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF HHB ENTERPRISES, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is HHB Enterprises, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 100,000 Shares having a par value of $.10 each with 1,000 shares designated as voting common stock and 99,000 shares designated as nonvoting common stock.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 S 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The corporate existence began on December 6, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Michael J. Keblesh, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska 68124.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser New York, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser New York, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Ste. 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 HALEY REAL ESTATE GROUP, LLC 10703 J Street, Suite 101 Omaha, NE 68127 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION FOR MAISON HC5, LLC A Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State for Maison HC5, LLC (the “Company”) on December 4, 2019. The address of the Company’s designated office is 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127. The name and address for the Company’s registered agent is Carl J. Troia, Jr., 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127.

First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019

17

SUMM AVIVA Y. GORDON, ESQ. Gordon Law, LLC Nevada Bar No. 5333 2850 W. Horizon Ridge, Suite 200 Henderson, NV 89052 (702)527-5557 agordon@gordonlawlv.com Attorneys for ROAM Nevada Trust and Home Loan Services, LLC DISTRICT COURT CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA ROAM NEVADA TRUST, a Nevada Trust Company and HOME LOAN SERVICES, LLC, a Nevada Limited Liability Company vs LK OMAHA I, LLC, a Wyoming limited liabilityCompany, EDWIN W. LESLIE, and DOES 1 – 10 Defendants Business Court Requested Plaintiffs, Case No. A-19-799512-B Dept.

No. 13 Exempt from Arbitration - Declaratory Relief Requested SUMMONS NOTICE! YOU HAVE BEEN SUED. THE COURT MAY DECIDE AGAINST YOU WITHOUT YOUR BEING HEARD UNLESS YOU RESPOND WITHIN 20 DAYS. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW. TO THE DEFENDANT(S): A civil Complaint has been filed by the Plaintiff(s) against you for relief set forth in the Complaint.

1. If you intend to defend this lawsuit, within 20 days after this Summons is served on you, exclusive of the day of service, you must do the following: (a) File with the Clerk of this court, whose address is shown below, a formal written response to the Complaint in accordance with the rules of the Court, with the appropriate filing fee. (b) Serve a copy of your response upon the attorney whose name and address is shown above.

2. Unless you respond, your default will be entered upon application of the Plaintiff(s) and failure to so respond will result in a judgment of default against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint, which could result in the taking of money or property or other relief requested in the Complaint.

3. If you intend to seek the advice of an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your response may be filed on time.

4. The State of Nevada, its political subdivisions, agencies, officers, employees, board members, commission members and legislators each have 45 days after service of this Summons within which to file an Answer or other responsive pleading to the Complaint.

STEVEN D. GRIERSON CLERK OF THE COURT Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89155 Aviva Y. Gordon, Esq., 2850 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., Suite 200, Henderson, NV 89052 Attorney for Plaintiff A civil Complaint has been filed by ROAM NEVADA TRUST, a Nevada trust Company and HOME LOAN SERVICES, LLC, a Nevada Limited Liability Company (the “Plaintiff”) against Edwin W. Leslie for Declaratory Relief, Breach of Guaranty, Breach of the Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing and for Alter Ego. The Plaintiff seeks damages in excess of $15,000. Unless Mr. Leslie responds to the Plaintiff’s Complaint, Mr. Leslie’s default will be entered upon application of the Plaintiff, and a judgment of default may be entered against Mr. Leslie for relief requested in the Complaint.

First publication December 13, 2019, final January 3, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MJMM, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MJMM, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The limited liability company shall provide consulting services. The designated office of the limited liability company is 4838 S 236th Circle, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

The limited liability company commenced business on December 13, 2019.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ANDREW J. HUBER, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF SEEDS DANCE PROJECT, INC. Notice is hereby given that a nonprofit corporation has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the corporation is Seeds Dance Project, Inc. The corporation is a public benefit corporation and will not have members. The name and street address of the corporation’s initial registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc., 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, NE 68114. The name and address of the incorporator is LDM Business Services, 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, NE 68114.

LDM Business Services, Incorporator First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 SCOTT D. JOCHIM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MEADOWLARK LEASING, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Meadowlark Leasing, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 436 South 161st Street, Omaha, NE 68118. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Scott D. Jochim, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

18

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RANCH VIEW INVESTMENTS, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Ranch View Investments, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 13838 R Plaza, Omaha, NE 68137. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE ORGANIZATION Please take notice that the Certificate of Organization for Tacos Y Tacos, LLC has been amended to change the name of the limited liability company to Hacienda De Garcia, LLC. First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE ORGANIZATION Please take notice that the Certificate of Organization for Maquina 501, LLC has been amended to change the name of the limited liability company to 4006 S 60th Street, LLC, and the designated office address and registered agent address have been changed to 5936 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE ORGANIZATION Please take notice that the Certificate of Organization for Legado Garcia, LLC has been amended to change the name of the limited liability company to 1510 Galvin Road S, LLC, and the designated office address and registered agent address have been changed to 5936 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF CASTINADO ENTERPRISES, INC. Notice is hereby given that a corporation has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the corporation is CASTINADO ENTERPRISES, INC. The corporation is authorizied to issue 10,000 shares of common stock. The name and street address of the corporation’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara MedberyPrchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128, and its incorporator is Brett Castinado, 5151 N. 150th Street, Lincoln, NE 68037.

Brett Castinado, Incorporator First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 GNUSE & GREEN LAW OFFICES, P.C., Attorneys 11311 Chicago Circle Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF TLC AT HOME, INC. Registered Office: 11311 Chicago Circle, Omaha, Nebraska, 68154 The Corporation shall engage in any lawful business for which a corporation may be formed under the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act. Authorized capital stock is $10,000 to be fully paid and non-assessable on issue. Perpetual existence commenced December 11, 2019, when articles were filed with the Secretary of State. Affairs are to be conducted by the Board of Directors and Officers authorized by the Bylaws and the Board.

Rodney G. Gnuse, Incorporator First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 KATHRYN J. DERR, Attorney BERKSHIRE & BURMEISTER 1301 South 75th Street, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROYAL TERRACE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that ROYAL TERRACE, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the initial designated office of the company is 1301 s 75th Street, Ste. 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered office of the Company is 1301 S 75th St. Ste. 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the agent at such office is Kathryn J. Derr.

The general nature of the business to be transacted by the company is any lawful business which may be carried on by a limited liability company organized under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The company commenced operations on November 19, 2019, and shall have a perpetual duration.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE ORGANIZATION Please take notice that the Certificate of Organization for Guadalupe Acosta, LLC has been amended to change the name of the limited liability company to 5223 Gertrude Street, LLC, and the designated office address and registered agent address have been changed to 5936 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72ND STREET, SUITE 1200 OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68124 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE ORGANIZATION Please take notice that the Certificate of Organization for La Joya, LLC has been amended to change the name of the limited liability company to 4018 S 60th Street, LLC, and the designated office address and registered agent address have been changed to 5936 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68117.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Peyton’s Carpet Creations, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is Peyton’s Carpet Creations, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara MedberyPrchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 21021 Brittany Circle, Elkhorn, NE 68022.

Paul Peyton, Member First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OFAMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION On September 1, 2019, an Amendment to the Certificate of Organization for Heather Hruby MS LMHP LADC, LLC was filed to change the name of the company to Embodied Mind Counseling, LLC. First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 BROWN & WOLFF, P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1925 North 120th Street, One Bennington Place Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF QUANTUM GRETNA, LLC NOTICE is hereby given that Quantum Gretna, LLC is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of its registered office is 1925 North 120th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The purpose of the Company shall be to have such purposes and to engage in such activities with the exception of banking and insurance as may be mutually agreed upon by the Members from time to time, and which are not prohibited by the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The Company commenced on the 12th day of December, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by its Members and/or Managers as set forth in the terms of the company’s Operating Agreement from time to time.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 RUSSELL J. KREIKEMEIER, Attorney KREIKEMEIER LAW OFFICES 126 East Grove Street West Point, Nebraska 68788 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF CORPORATION Notice is hereby given of the Dissolution of Stavas Medical Imaging, Inc., a Nebraska Business Corporation, with its principal place of business in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska. Pursuant to the provisions of the statutes of the State of Nebraska, Stavas Medical Imaging, Inc. has filed Articles of Dissolution with the Secretary of State. The Articles of Dissolution contain the express will of the sole Shareholder to dissolve the Corporation and to wind up the Corporate business. It is hereby agreed to by the sole Shareholder and in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution that the proceeds of any assets of the Corporation shall first be paid in discharge of all Corporate liabilities. Creditors of this Corporation should file their claims with Joseph M. Stavas, c/o Russell J. Kreikemeier; 126 East Grove Street; West Point, Nebraska 68788.

EFFECTIVE the 5th day of November, 2019 Russell J. Kreikemeier First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF EAB PRODUCTIONS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that EAB Productions, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 6810 Underwood Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68132. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

BENJAMIN J. PICK, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF TAW INTERIORS, INC. TAW INTERIORS, INC., a Nebraska corporation (the "Corporation"), has filed Articles of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State with a dissolution date effective December 11, 2019. The terms of the dissolution provide for the payment of liabilities of the Corporation and the distribution of any remaining assets to the Shareholder of the Corporation. Terry A. Whitney, President, will manage the Corporation's affairs and distribute its assets. As of the close of business on December 11, 2019, the Corporation had no liabilities and no assets.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 RUSSELL S. DAUB, Attorney 2800 South 110th Court, Suite 1 Omaha, Nebraska 68144-4818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION FOR KOKAMO, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The name of the Company is KOKAMO, LLC. The address of the registered office is 1515 S. 182nd Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the name of the company’s initial registered agent is PAUL DANIEL KOLKMAN. The Company shall engage in any lawful business for which a Company may be formed under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act. The Company commenced business on December 13, 2019, and its duration shall be perpetual. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by its Members.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ROBERT J. LIKES, Attorney LIKES MEYERSON HATCH LLC 444 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JAL AG, LLC Notice is hereby given that JAL AG, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office and registered office of the Company is 1682 County Road G, Wahoo, Nebraska 68066, and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is John Walker Luedtke.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: ELIZABETH NEAL You are hereby notified that on 07/08/19, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI19 15000. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 352.50, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 02/02/20 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA Nebraska.

Steven J. Morrison #24708 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: JORDAN DOUGLESS You are hereby notified that on 07/16/19, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI19 15622. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 500.00, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 02/02/20 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA Nebraska.

Edwina Heise #25377 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 South 10 Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF POHLMEIER CONCRETE, LLC Designated Office: 1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 Initial Agent/Address For Service: Allan M. Ziebarth/1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 First publication December 13, 2019, final December 27, 2019 ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP, Attorneys 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Five Solas, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the company is 16511 Ehlers Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The name and street and mailing address of the initial registered agent of the company for service of process are Adam Childs, 16511 Ehlers Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68135.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Corporate Name: Satyaysalud, Inc. Registered Agent: Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C., L.L.O. Registered Office: Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C., 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, NE68114 Authorized Number of Shares: 10,000 shares Incorporator: Charles V. Sederstrom, Jr. Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C., 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68114 First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MASTERCRAFT APARTMENTS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Mastercraft Apartments, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 1536 Cuming Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SCM LINCOLN 1601 GP, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SCM Lincoln 1601 GP, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 1303 South 72 Street, Suite 209, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SCM LINCOLN 1601, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SCM Lincoln 1601, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 1303 South 72 Street, Suite 209, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 72ND STREET INVESTMENTS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 72nd Street Investments, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 South 15th Street, Suite 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102, and its mailing address is P.O. Box 428, Boys Town, Nebraska 68010. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 MARKS CLARE & RICHARDS, L.L.C., Attorneys 11605 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 N O T I C E O F A M E N D M E N T S TO T H E A RT I C L E S O F INCORPORATION OF PERINATAL ASSOCIATES, P.C. Notice is hereby given that the Articles of Incorporation of Perinatal Associates, P.C., a Nebraska corporation, have been amended to provide the following: 1) That the aggregate number of shares which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is Eighty Thousand (80,000) shares of common stock at the par value of One Dollar ($1.00) per share, and 2) That the affairs of the corporation shall be conducted by a Board of Directors consisting of not less than three, but not more than eight directors, all of whom shall be shareholders of the corporation.

Andrew W. Robertson, M.D., President First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP, Attorneys 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Cano Complete Cleaning, Inc. has been incorporated under the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act. The street address of the corporation's initial registered office is 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the name of the initial registered agent of the corporation at that office is M. Tyler Johnson. The corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares of Common Stock. The name and street address of the sole incorporator of the corporation are M. Tyler Johnson, 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that ConnectedPlanet, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 3334 S. 104th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent of the Company is Paul W. Ludwick, 3334 S. 104th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Company was formed on December 17, 2019.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ANNA OURADA HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Anna Ourada Holdings, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 15310 Amy Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ADAMS BURKS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Adams Burks, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 5734 North 79th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68134 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), GARRETT LOMELI You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 07/11/2019 on Case Number CI19-15846, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $336.26, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 02/03/2020 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), CRYSTAL J GUERRERO You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 09/10/2019 on Case Number CI19-20735, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $201.40, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 02/03/2020 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), NICHOLE L TROVATO You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 09/17/2019 on Case Number CI19-21045, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $128.62, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 02/03/2020 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication December 20, 2019, final January 3, 2020 BRENT M. KUHN, Attorney 900 South 75th Street, Suite B Omaha, Nebraska 68114 IN THE COUNTY COURT OF DOUGLAS COUNTY, NEBRASKA IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF: JAYSON BRUNO PODERYS, Minor.

ORDER FOR HEARING Case No.: AD 19-278 YOU AND EACH OF YOU are hereby notified that the Petition for Step-Parent Adoption shall be heard by the Honorable Hendrix on the 16th day of January, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., in Courtroom # 330 in County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1701 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68183.

DATED this 19th day of December, 2019.

BY THE COURT: The Honorable MARCENA HENDRIX Judge First publication December 27, 2019, final January 10, 2020

19

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Boss' Pizza and Chicken Name of Applicant: Everest Food Service & Catering L.L.C. Address: 17207 Shirley Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: November 15, 2019 General nature of business: restaurant SARITA RAI Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative December 27, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1877 Estate of MARJORIE H. QUIST, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on 18th day of December, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Intestacy of the Estate of Marjorie H. Quist and that the following surviving daughters were appointed as the Co-Successor Personal Representatives of this Estate: Karen M. Armstrong, 10000 Benton, Lincoln, NE 68527 Susan A. Quist, 5723 East Irish Place, Centennial, CO Amy Lynn Black, 817 North Turner Ave., Hastings, NE 68901 Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before February 27, 2020 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication December 27, 2019, final January 10, 2020 RUSSELL J. KREIKEMEIER, Attorney KREIKEMEIER LAW OFFICES 126 East Grove Street West Point, Nebraska 68788 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: RAMONA & RUTH Name of Applicant: KIM BURKS Address: 13411 BOYD STREET OMAHA NE 68164 Applicant is an Individual If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Date of first use of name in Nebraska: April 1, 2019 General nature of business: Letterpress paper goods KIMBERLY BURKS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative December 27, 2019 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: The Bowling Store and Pro Shop Name of Applicant: Ten Pin LLC. Address: 4870 S 96th St Ste A Omaha NE 68127 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: NEBRASKA Date of first use of name in Nebraska: July 1, 2007 General nature of business: Bowling Pro Shop Richard J Wilkinson Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative December 27, 2019

20

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

UPCOMING

SECTIONS

IN THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JANUARY 3

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BUSINESS PREVIEW JANUARY 10

FINANCIAL & TAX PLANNING

LAW FIRMS IN THE MIDLANDS

To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below.

Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Karla Steele - karla@mbj.com Space and materials deadline is the Friday prior to the publication date.

You may email us your insertion orders directly, or fax them to us at (402) 758-9315. We will acknowledge receiving your instructions.

REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

Briefs…

Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. introduced Ameritas Value Plus Index Universal Life, a death benefit focused indexed universal life policy. Value Plus IUL offers long-term guarantees and the proprietary uncapped BNP Paribas Momentum Multi-Asset 5 index. Key features include: Care4Life Accelerated Death Benefit Rider, a 10-year look-back guarantee of 3% and Lifetime Income Rider.

Shared Hope International released its annual scorecard report where all 50 states are graded on their effectiveness in combating human trafficking. Nebraska raised its grade from a B to A this year for its laws against sex trafficking of children.

Nebraska has made great strides since 2011 when the state received a grade of F. Nebraska is one of only six states to have improved four grades since 2011.

Improvements that led to Nebraska’s improved grade include changes to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ protocol regarding juvenile sex trafficking victims and changes in state law to authorize wiretaps for human trafficking investigations.

Custom club fitter Club Champion opened a new fitting studio located at 10335 Pacific Street in Omaha. The store is accepting fitting appointments. This is Club Champion’s first location in the state of Nebraska. Club Champion fits, sells and builds custom golf clubs using brands like Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, Cobra, Fujikura, Golf Pride and many more.

Heartland B-cycle is increasing prices starting Jan. 1, 2020. The last time the local nonprofit bike share operator increased prices was six years ago. At the time of the last increase, Heartland B-cycle had nine station locations and riders took 1,972 trips. Today, Heartland B-cycle has 72 station locations in both Omaha and Council Bluffs and Heartland B-cycle riders took 2,710 in October. FUN! Passes will increase to $8 from $6. Monthly Memberships will increase to $13 from $10. Annual Memberships will increase to $100 per year from $80. All passes will continue to include unlimited 1-hr trips, but each additional hour will cost $5 instead of $4.

Access Commercial, LLC, an Omaha based, full-service commercial real estate and construction firm, finalized the assemblage of the former Regency Lodge site and Shaker Place, creating 11-acre redevelopment site at I-680 and Pacific Street. The project, called Regency Landing, will be a Class A mixed-use property. The site is separated into four zones with multiple large format office configurations; a high-profile lifestyle hotel; and a retail, restaurant and creative office component. Approximately 66,000 square feet of the east building at Shaker Place will be redeveloped, with complete replacement of lobbies, mechanical systems, elevators, common areas and façade.

Some tenants, including Twisted Cork Bistro, will remain.

Suzan DeCamp of Omaha has been chosen to receive AARP Nebraska’s highest volunteer award. Since 2016, DeCamp has volunteered for AARP in multiple roles while working full-time as

a small business owner. DeCamp serves as the lead volunteer for federal issues on the AARP Nebraska Executive Council and as an AARP advocacy volunteer at the State Capitol. Additionally, she helped organize and co-leads the volunteer AARP West Omaha Area Community Action Team and is active with AARP’s multicultural outreach in the Omaha metro.

During the Kronos 12th Annual Partner Community Workshop in Orlando, Florida, BerganKDV was presented with the 2019 Human Capital Management Partner of the Year award. The award, which is the top award given at the conference, is based on exceptional year-over-year growth, operational excellence and a consistent top 10 ranking within the Kronos network.

Coolgreens is set to bring its signature chef-inspired menu to the Omaha community when it opens two new restaurants in 2020. Located at 8990 West Center in Loveland Center and 3618 S. Farnam St. in the Blackstone District, the restaurants are targeted to open in spring and early summer, respectively. Both the 1,800-squarefoot Loveland Center restaurant and the 2,400-sqaure-foot Blackstone District restaurant plan to hire 35 crewmembers to join its teams in the coming months.

HRAM (Human Resource Association of the Midlands) has earned the 2019 Pinnacle Award from SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) in recognition of its high achievements advancing the profession of human resources.

Created in 1991, the Pinnacle Award is the most prestigious award SHRM state councils and chapters can receive, honoring programs that exceed the standard activities of SHRM affiliates in enhancing HR management. Winning programs received a $1,000 prize given by Paychex Inc., which is the sponsor of this year’s Pinnacle Awards.

The National Association of Plan Advisors announced the 2020 list of Top Retirement Plan Advisors under 40 and BerganKDV Retirement Plan Advisor Josh Rapp is among the 100 advisers named to this national list. Selection for the list is based on applications received from nominees designated by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Those applications are vetted by a blue-ribbon panel of senior adviser industry experts based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data submitted by the nominees, as well as a broker-check review. More than 600 nominations were submitted.

Rapp has more than 15 years of experience in the retirement plan industry.

Nebraska Home Sales is now serving the Lincoln, York, and Omaha markets as the newest member of the Coldwell Banker global franchise network, and the firm will now do business as Coldwell Banker NHS Real Estate. Coldwell Banker NHS Real Estate has 55 independent sales associates and the company is agent owned. Since Brent Robinson and Steve Arens purchased Nebraska Home Sales in 2015 as a Lincoln residential agency, the company has grown from 26 agents to 55 agents and now has a presence in Lincoln, York and Omaha.

The Blackbird Co., a holistic lifestyle brand, announced the launch of a new line Continued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

21

REGIONAL LANDSCAPES Continued from preceding page. of organic CBD face and body butters, oils, lotions, bath salts, and other items ranging from 100mg to 1,250mg CBD strength per product. The current CBD market at $200 million is expected to grow to $22 billion by 2022. Products are available online at www.shopblackbird.co and at The Grove Juicery & Wellness Cafe located at 2401 Farnam Street in Omaha.

NCW-Consumer Education and Promotion presented the Nebraska Cattlewoman of the Year Award to NCW Chair Tricia Grabenstein. Grabenstein has always been a part of beef promotion.

She is involved with the NCW education projects, planning the educational materials used at the Birthing Pavilion at the Nebraska State Fair, along with working on the largest ag classroom in Nebraska. She has also helped with the Nebraska Beef in Schools program over the years.

ACCESSbank , a locally owned full-service bank, will be opening its seventh location in early 2021 in the Aksarben Village neighborhood. The new banking office will be on the corner of 64th and Center streets, where the former Amato’s restaurant once operated. The opening will support ACCESSbank’s continued expansion plans in the Omaha area. The new facility will be a two-story building.

The main floor will feature open and collaborative full-service banking with the latest in technology and conveniences for client/employee engagement. The second floor will house ACCESSbank’s newly formed executive banking team catering to the unique financial needs of its clients.

Health care notes…

Omaha Integrative Care’s Wendy Pecoraro, MSN, APRN, DipACLM, has completed certification as a Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner and has become a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She practices an integrative approach — treating the whole person with lifestyle change before prescription medication.

University of Nebraska Medical Center investigators are seeking participants for two large noninvasive neuroimaging studies funded by the National Institutes of Health to investigate how HIV affects brain activity and cognitive functioning such as memory and mental processing, in people who are living with HIV as compared to those who have not been infected with HIV. The studies are called: “MIND” and “PESCAH.” The Institutional Review Board Nos. are: 403-18-EP and 822-17-EP. RTG Medical, a medical staffing agency, is offering newly assigned health care professionals a pair of Nike shoes designed for health care professionals.

The newly released shoe was designed and tested by Nike specifically for health care professionals who regularly spend 12 hour shifts, or more, on their feet. Besides comfortable, they were also made to be easy to get on and off, simple to clean and with a traction system that allows safe work in all hospital conditions.

Special Olympics International announced earlier this month that Karoly Mirnics, M.D., Ph.D., director of

the Munroe-Meyer Institute, will join the Special Olympics International board of directors. Mirnics is the Hattie B. Munroe Professor of Psychiatry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience at UNMC. He is a leader in innovation and medicine, as is best demonstrated by his vast list of accomplishments.

Education notes…

Metropolitan Community College and Food Bank for the Heartland have created an e-Pantry, a response to help reduce student food insecurity. The service provides MCC students with a supplemental box of nonperishable food items, helping them focus more on coursework.

Students may access the e-Pantry by submitting an online request. Once the request is made, a box of food can be picked up at designated student services locations.

All food items are provided by Food Bank for the Heartland and packaged by MCC volunteers before being distributed. Each e-Pantry box also contains a flyer with information about other available food and community resources.

Midwest Peterbilt Group, headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa, received a $50,000 Iowa Employer Innovation Fund matching grant for its new Midwest Diesel Tech Academy. The state grant helps employers provide post-secondary training and education opportunities for their employees. The training school provides a nine-month, low-cost tuition program for diesel techs beginning in September.

Following graduation in May, successful candidates are employed at one of MPG’s five locations. The curriculum includes class 14 class modules and over 600 hours of paid internships.

NET announced Melissa Cardon from Little Bubbles Preschool in Bellevue as its 2019 Early Learning Champion.

Cardon incorporates hands-on learning techniques, including curriculum-specific learning tools and an outdoor play area, into her center’s learning environment. Cardon is also a Nebraska TEACH scholarship recipient, she is also working on obtaining a bachelor ’s degree in hopes to one-day become a public school teacher.

Metropolitan Community College is offering an Event and Wedding Planning noncredit certificate, giving entrepreneurs and professionals in the hospitality industry an opportunity to add credentials to their résumé. The certificate, offered through MCC Continuing Education, gives students extensive training led by industry professional instructors. Students are required to take four core classes, followed by two electives that vary upon specialization. There are more than a dozen different courses available, including topics such as floral artistry, financial management, creative thinking, logistics, trends, marketing and more.

Activities of nonprofits…

Over 10,000 new books were donated to the Open Door Mission’s Educational Programs for the Homeless and Needy by Midwest International Trade Association members, along with AIT Worldwide Logistics Book Program, who helped gather, store and sort the books. Last year MITA donated 11,500

new books, including books for children, pre-teens and adults. This is the 17th year MITA has joined with the AIT Worldwide Logistics Book Program to donate books to the Open Door Mission’s Educational Programs for the Homeless and Needy.

Cox Communications, The James M. Cox Foundation and Mayor Matt Walsh have opened a Cox Innovation Lab at the Council Bluffs Boys & Girls Club.

Valued at more than $35,000, the Innovation Lab includes laptops, projectors and screens, furniture and software for gaming and coding. Through the suite of programs, kids learn the basics of business software, plus stay safe online and move on to advanced hardware and networking skills.

In the greater Omaha metro area, Cox has provided innovation labs to several Clubs; supports the organization through board engagement and employee volunteerism; and has served for the past two years as presenting sponsor for the Youth of the Year event.

Giving Tuesday 2019, powered by SHARE Omaha, turned out to be a memorable day for local nonprofits in Omaha and Council Bluffs. Opportunities to hear about Giving Tuesday multiplied, from a few hundred thousand in 2018 to upwards of 7 million this year. Fifteen-second commercials and some 200 SHARE Omaha members invited everyone in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area to do some good and be part of Giving Tuesday. SHARE Omaha partners said 432 people volunteered their time on Giving Tuesday at sites across the metro. Another 406 took the first steps to becoming volunteers.

The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation received a special bequest of $5 million dollars from Rick Wenninghoff. Wenninghoff specified that the foundation earmark the money for scholarships for students in the Treynor and Underwood Community School Districts. The gift is the largest bequest in the Foundation’s history. Wenninghoff was educated in the Treynor Community School District. His daughter, Julie, at-

tended the Underwood Community School District. The scholarships will be awarded through the Southwest Iowa Educational Foundation and will be available for the graduating class of 2021.

Arts & events…

Read the book, watch the movie and then join Omaha Public Library for Novel Pictures Book Club. Each month Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Omaha and Omaha Public Library will partner to bring you a book that’s made it to the big screen.

Following the Novel Pictures screening, join Omaha Public Library staff in Alamo’s Liquid Sunshine Taproom for a discussion of that month’s book and movie. Check out a copy of this month’s title, “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott from OPL. Screening of “Little Women” is at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2. Find more details and icketing online.

The Nebraska Humane Society is hosting its Paws and Claws Camp on Jan. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kids aged 6-13 will get a behind-the-scenes look at animal sheltering from a pet’s perspective.

Then they’ll use their creative skills to help get those animals adopted. Meeting critters, learning about their care and then actually caring for them will highlight the day, along with making enrichment items to comfort scared dogs and cats. Session is $70 and each child receives a “Paws and Claws” T-shirt. Each child will be required to bring a sack lunch marked with his or her name.

KANEKO presents its newest Partner Program, What’s Your Story: The Healing Power of Words, where guests are invited to create and explore innovative meanings of health and sickness. What’s Your Story: The Healing Power of Words offers a safe space to discover and write about new meanings of health and disease as it applies to you and the community around you. This workshop meets on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. through 12 p.m., starting Jan. 4, to write. This program is free and open to the public. Space is limited and registration is required.

22

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Year in

Review 2019 Challenges and Successes

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal • December 27, 2019

Challenges in 2019 present opportunities for innovation, to improve operations across metro

by Michelle Leach

Strategies and associated goals may vary considerably, but organizations regardless of industry, product and service, have contributed to the region’s viability in 2019, positioning the metro well for what’s ahead.

“This past year the Greater Omaha Chamber began a collaborative journey with many regional organizations: CODE, our commitment to opportunity, diversity and equity,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “CODE is designed to elevate everyone and charge our community with change. It is our most Brown comprehensive callto-action of its kind to date.”

From a gender perspective, the region’s population is split evenly.

“Ethnically, though, we are 74% white,” he said. “Within 20 years, the gender split will likely be similar, but our non-white community will have grown to more than 50% of our population.”

It’s an exciting change.

“More diversity represents a real competitive advantage for our region,” he said, referencing a focus on “positive, measurable outcomes” and “increased opportunities for all.”

When asked about the Omaha Public Power District’s greatest accomplishments in 2019, President and CEO Tim Burke reasserted their commitment to no general rate increase for five years (established in 2016).

“And, we also developed the budget for 2020 to ensure no general rate

Chris Carlson, managing director at Aureus Group. increase,” he said. “Our employees con- tors approved our Power with Purpose plan tinue to make excellent progress on the to add up to 600 megawatts of utility-scale decommissioning of Fort Calhoun Nuclear solar,” he said. “It includes natural gas Station. With their hard work, toward the backup to meet capacity and regulatory end of 2018, OPPD was able to move requirements. This is a monumental step from the SAFSTOR (safe storage) method in our efforts to add renewable energy, to the faster, more economical approach reduce our carbon footprint and improve known as DECON (deconstruction/decon- the reliability and resiliency of our electric tamination). Under the DECON, OPPD system, while meeting the needs of our and our customer-owners will be saving growing communities.” $200 million long-term.”

The year was not without its challengIts OPPD Community Solar initiative es; in the aftermath of the historic March was so popular, the utility sold out shares floods, OPPD worked closely with local within about 40 days. government and emergency planning agen“In November, OPPD’s board of direc- cies to assist impacted customers, including

Offutt Air Force Base.

“We initiated our business continuity plan to manage, prioritize and execute work,” Burke said. “Our employees worked tirelessly to maintain seamless operations for our customer-owners.”

Notably, the flood created unique operations opportunities.

“In the past several months, we’ve been working to reinforce transmission structures that were not meant to stand in flood waters,” he said. “We have also established a cross-functional team that’s coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to analyze river Burke trends and proactively locate resources to mitigate forecast impacts. This work will help protect our assets to keep our system reliable and resilient.”

Managing Director Chris Carlson noted Aureus Group is “very proud of the highly visible C-suite roles that we fill.”

“However, we are equally proud of every developer, business analyst, project manager, CPA, and bookkeeper who is working day in and day out to complete assigned projects,” she added.

As an extension of its customers and brands, Carlson said their challenges are Aureus Group’s challenges: succession planning, upgrading workforce competencies, diversity and inclusion, and very low unemployment rates.

“Although there are underemployed professionals within the market, the reality is there just isn’t enough talent to fill all of Continued on next page.

Year in Review •

Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 27, 2019 •

23

Construction and real estate industries remained strong in 2019

by David Kubicek

Construction and real estate authorities expect the strong growth in 2019 to continue into the new year.

Construction firms locally and across the country are reporting record revenues for 2019 and strong backlogs heading into 2020.

“There is a lot of progressive energy in the community, and that naturally leads to growth,” Lueder Construction President Greg Key said.

The low cost of money and the worldwide need for data storage have had a positive impact as many large data managers — like Facebook, Google, and Union Pacific — continue to invest in infrastructure in Omaha.

“Multi-family and residential housing continues at a robust pace and that drives the ancillary shopping, gas stations, medical facilities, entertainment complexes, restaurants, auto dealerships, schools and the like,” Key said.

On the flip side, the industry as a whole and especially locally is experiencing a significant shortage of skilled trade workers, which is negatively impacting project timelines and costs.

“The industry has never experienced such a shortage during a time of record demand,” Key said.

Key expects 2020 to be another solid year as work continues on projects currently under way and there continue to be many investment and expansion opportunities.

Eric Rose, managing principal of Cresa, characterized this year as a “fever pitch” pace, which wasn’t significantly different

from 2018.

“Most industry experts expected the cost to borrow to rise one year ago,” he said. “The

agement industry, Seldin Company President and CEO Alicia Stoermer Clark said.

“Locally, we were able to catch up on leas-

Key Rose uncertainty of global trade agreements actually ended up causing rates to decrease fairly significantly, which caused many groups in the real estate industry to attack more deals more aggressively in order to get more capital placed during this economic cycle.”

Rose expects 2020 to be a slower year for acquisitions, mostly because of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming election.

“Many business owners with which we work with that did not execute on deals in 2019 will plan to tighten their belts in 2020 given this uncertainty and will either execute deals in 2021 or push plans to see how policy change works and react to that changing climate,” he said. “The recently signed USMCA trade deal between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada will definitely help companies that stand to benefit there.”

This was a great year in the property man-

Clark Beals ing and stabilize occupancy rates in areas with a high volume of deliveries through 2019,” she said. “This was possibly due to the continued strong job market and economy.”

Renters continue to be drawn to the conveniences of the rental market and stay in renter-occupied units longer before choosing home ownership. Many young, single-occupancy renters increase the overall renter pool in comparison to previous years where

Challenges in 2019 present opportunities for innovation, to improve operations across metro Continued from preceding page. the available roles,” she said.

Partly, Aureus Group has adapted by increasing its marketing budget to equip recruiters with the best tools.

“Our proactive internal and external communication helps prevent breakdowns and increases offer and acceptance rates,” she said. “Embracing social media has also been a fruitful decision.”

As the firm strives to be thought leaders in niche markets, Carlson said it invests time in training and development; for instance, speaking at conferences, hosting and attending user groups, and maintaining membership in professional associations to stay relevant and current with the state of the employment market.

Generally, Carlson said, the firm will realize 17%-plus growth year-over-year.

Communitywide, job growth was up 2% in 2019 compared to 2018 — with the fastest growth occurring in the construction sector, according to the Chamber’s Chief Information Officer, Pete Thompson, who also referenced a 80% increase in the value of commercial construction permits, largely driven by data center projects including the Facebook facility expansion and Google project groundbreaking.

“In a recent survey of Chamber members, 60% of companies said that they expect sales revenue to be up compared to 2018 while another 30% expect revenues to be about the same as last year,” he said.

Members are even more positive about 2020, Thompson said, with about 70% ex-

pecting increases in revenue.

As Senior Vice President, Innovative Services, Anne Brannigan highlighted, the additional value they provided to members through new events and professional development sessions; for instance, the five “Expanding Talent Pools” session to help members look at different audiences to recruit employees from; Propel, a seven-session series to accelerate leadership skills; new business workshops on legal, sales, HR and other operational areas; The Conference on Opportunity, Diversity and Equity; and a leadership and podcast series and https:// readitfor.me, which offers personal development and staff training conversations.

“We successfully advocated for a regional transit system, acceleration of large highway projects, our military base and also successfully held off a number of proposals which would have been very damaging to employers and their employees (including the repeal of the Sub-S/LLC out-of-state income and special capital gains exclusions),” Brannigan said. “We continually market our region internationally to increase business investment and the talent pool; with efforts in 2019 resulting in more than $950 million dollars in capital investment.”

Time and overall “noise” compete for members’ attention, but have also spurred innovation.

“We meet these challenges by looking for ways that offer targeted participation, including more specialized event topics as well as more online options that can be accessed anytime,” she said.

roommate situations were common.

“We’re also seeing previous home owners in their 50s or early 60s re-enter the rental market pre-retirement to allow for ease of maintenance,” Clark said.

Clark expects the strong rental market to continue as the economy continues to reflect low unemployment, increasing wages, and desire for convenience and amenities, all of which support stable rental market performance.

NAI NP Dodge’s business volume is up substantially from 2018, according to Jeff Beals, vice president of marketing and community relations.

“The economy is doing well both nationally and locally, and we are benefitting from that in our local brokerage business,” he said. “The robust construction market in Omaha has had a positive impact on the commercial real estate profession. Omaha is the fastest-growing construction market in the United States at this time. We always like to be cautious, but there is so much business expansion and construction activity mixed with healthy population growth that things look really good for 2020.”

Continued on next page.

24

• DECEMBER 27, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal