JULY 2, 2021
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
$2.00
VOL. 47 NO. 27
TSA Manufacturing takes on equipment acquisitions
THIS WEEK ’S ISSUE:
by Richard D. Brown
Offering pre-loved luxury items, STATUS opens storefront in Aksarben’s InnerRail. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40 Sense of community molds arc of Zeineddine’s career at Midwest Maintenance. – Page 4
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Nonprofit leaders tackle latest challenges, aim to bridge gap between public, private sectors. – Page 6
During the months of the pandemic when TSA Manufacturing saw its orders slump, President Craig Pohlman kept his 40 employees on the payroll in part by making a couple of strategic acquisitions of equipment from competitors leaving the field. The 48-year-old Millard area custom steel products and services firm most recently purchased a 14,000-watt mobile generator and welding unit that is transported on a self-contained trailer to construction sites. “Easily we’ve invested more than $1 million into equipment over the past two years,” Pohlman said, noting that the purchases come at a time when U.S. steel mills are operating at capacity and an industry-wide labor shortage remains a paramount issue. Technology, he said, is enabling work coming out of the 60,000-squarefoot plant and warehouse at 14901 Chandler Rd. to be more efficiently produced with better quality in-house manufacturing that enables TSA Continued on page 23.
President Craig Pohlman made strategic acquisitions in midst of pandemic. (Photo by Roger Humphries)
Gunderson’s evolves to become one of largest independent jewelers in Midwest by Michelle Leach
Family-owned and -operated jewelry businesses haven’t gone the way of the monocle. With the Gunderson family’s presence still firmly planted, the 76-year-old operation rooted in Sioux City, Iowa has grown from a single repair shop to one of the largest independent jewelers in the Midwest. The business now boasts store locations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Fargo, North Dakota, in addition to
Omaha. It was announced earlier this year that Gunderson’s had acquired 136-year-old JB Hudson Jewelers of Minneapolis from the Pohlad Cos. Cody Alwin manages the local store at Village Pointe. “We are one company that is just one family that is spread out,” Alwin said. “I have really good relationships with multiple people in other locations and I know a lot of Continued on page 23. Founder Lindsey Simonds has grown puzzle company with emphasis on unique artwork. (Photo by Monica Sempek)
Wander Puzzle Co. delivers puzzles celebrating femininity and diversity by Gabby Hellbusch
Manager Cody Alwin encompassing homegrown feel for full-service jeweler with stores throughout the upper Midwest and in Nebraska. (Photo by Monica Sempek)
Puzzling, a beloved pastime for centuries, has recently gained new traction during the pandemic, and local business Wander Puzzle Co. aims to bring a modern, colorful twist to the traditional puzzle, owner/founder Lindsey Simmonds said. Based in Omaha, she established the business at the tail end of 2019 and received the first
product in January of 2020, right before lockdowns swept across the globe. Simmonds, an avid puzzler, initially decided to launch the business after running out of puzzle designs that inspired or excited her. “I wanted to create puzzles that bring comfort,” she said. “I work a pretty stressful job in Continued on page 24.
