B2B Omaha - February / March 2019

FEBRUARY · MARCH 2019 | U.S. $3.25

GROWING THE BIG O

CONVENTIONS, EVENTS CREATE LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES

BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY’S

STRATEGIC CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

RETAINING WALL

HOW COMPANIES CAN KEEP EMPLOYEES

RDQLUS

OPPORTUNITY

OMAHAN STEVE GORDON WORKS WITH NIKE

& CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES

02 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

it’s about all of us.

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RITE ROOM

2018

FACES of

OMAHA

OFFIC E // THE GRAN D

CREATIVE creative director Matt Wieczorek

vice president Greg Bruns

senior graphic designer Derek Joy

associate publisher Bill Sitzmann

graphic designer II Mady Besch

operations Tyler Lemke

photographers Katie Anderson Keith Binder Scott Drickey Ariel Fried Heather Hooton Jameson Hooton Sarah Lemke Jeremy Allen Wieczorek

TIFUL

INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS

LEGISLATING HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS

EXECUTIVE publisher Todd Lemke

REVE AL OF

A YEAR LONG

RENO VATIO

N

EDITORIAL executive editor Doug Meigs managing editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman associate editor Tara Spencer editorial interns Dylan Longwell Justine Young contributors Keith Backsen Jason Fox Robert Fraas Beverly Kracher Andrew J. Nelson Lisa Lukecart Sean McCarthy Maggie O’Brien Kara Schweiss Scott Stewart Sarah Wengert Lindsay Wilson INFORMATION advertising information 402-884-2000 subscribe online omahamagazine.com/ subscribe B2B Magazine is published six times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208.

Telephone: 402-884-2000; fax 402-8842001. Subscription rates: $12.95 for 4 issues (one year), $19.95 for 8 issues (two years). Multiple subscriptions at different rates are available. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of B2B Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations.

SALES executive vice president sales & marketing Gil Cohen senior branding specialist Mary Hiatt senior sales executive Gwen Lemke branding specialists Dawn Dennis George Idelman Local Stubs ticketing representative and branding specialist Joshua Peterson digital sales manager Jillian Dunn assistant to the publisher Sandy Matson senior sales coordinator Alicia Hollins account assistants Sophia Galardi Megan Fabry managerial assistant Kendra Hill OPERATIONS distribution manager Mike Brewer

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 03

TABLE OF CONTENTS MAIN FEATURE

GROWING THE BIG O

CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

FEATURES

32

BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH WALMART, DISNEY, AND MORE

40

45

COMPANY PARTIES

MADNESS NO MORE

RETAINING WALL HOW COMPANIES KEEP EMPLOYEES

DEPARTMENTS

06 BIZ + GIVING

14 LEADERS

20 ON THE RISE

10 IN THE OFFICE

16 OmAHA!

22 ROUNDTABLE

FIRESPRING

OMAHA DESIGN CENTER

COLUMNS

MIKE BOJANSKI

RDQLUS CREATIVE

MARCO FLOREANI

OPPORTUNITIES IN 2019 AND A TRIBUTE TO BOB HOIG

48 OMAHA CVB

AMATEUR SPORTS

SPECIAL SECTIONS

26 EVENTS

GROWING THE BIG O

CONVENTIONS, EVENTS CREATE LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES

BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY’S

STRATEGIC CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

SPONSORED CONTENT

30 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES SPONSORED CONTENT

RETAINING WALL

HOW COMPANIES CAN KEEP EMPLOYEES

RDQLUS

OPPORTUNITY

OMAHAN STEVE GORDON WORKS WITH NIKE

& CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES

48 ETHICS

GOOD JOB OR DREAM JOB?

SEAN GLASSMAN

EVENT PLANNING

FEBRUARY · MARCH 2019 | U.S. $3.25

05 FROM THE EDITOR

24 HOW I ROLL

ABOUT THE COVER Sneaker Enthusiast and RDQLUS Creative Owner Steve Gordon holds up the “London Heathrow” shoe from the Nike “Citizen of the Globe” collection, which he created through Nike’s Cultivator program. Story page 16.

04 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 05

OBITUARY: BOB HOIG BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

FAREWELL TO A FRIEND AND MENTOR Hoig added the Lincoln Business Journal to his publications in 1996. In 2002, the company started its 40 Under 40 awards, which have highlighted hundreds of young leaders in the Omaha business community.

Photo provided by Midlands Business Journal

he Omaha publishing community lost one of its leaders on Jan. 7, 2019, when Robert “Bob” Hoig passed away. Several staff members at Omaha Magazine knew Bob professionally.

“I have admired and respected Bob’s work here in Omaha over the last 43 years,” says Omaha Publications Publisher Todd Lemke. “It’s a sad loss for Omaha.”

Lemke echoes the thoughts of many in Omaha’s media community. The Omaha Press Club honored Hoig and daughter Andrea, in their first fatherdaughter Face on the Barroom Floor in 2012. In 2014, Hoig was inducted into the OPC Hall of Fame.

Hoig started the Midlands Business Journal in 1975 with the idea of “telling the stories of area businesses in a fair and interesting way,” according to the publication’s website. He was previously a newspaper reporter, working on investigative reports for publications such as the New York Daily News, the Omaha World-Herald, and United Press International.

Hoig was a friend and mentor to many in the Omaha community, often taking young, talented journalists and helping them start a career.

“This was my first job out of college, and Bob definitely taught me a lot

about the business. I’m very grateful for that,” says Tiffany Brazda, current editor of Midlands Business Journal.

“I think I just wandered in there one day,” says Howard Marcus, a freelancer who held a 31-year career with the Omaha World-Herald. “I truly don’t think he even interviewed me…He hired me right out of school at a time when I needed a job, and he knew it was going to be a temporary thing for me. He called it a ‘port in a storm.’ When I got the job at the Omaha World-Herald, he was actually happy for me.

Working at the Midlands Business Journal was Linda Persigehl’s first job in the Omaha media market.

She worked for the publication as a business writer, advertising sales rep, and freelance writer/editor from 1996 to 2005. Persigehl later worked as an assistant editor (2008-2011) and managing editor (2011-2013) at Omaha Magazine, where she continues to contribute freelance writing.

“There was no greater fan of Omaha than Bob,” Persigehl says. “He loved being able to promote the business community here, and felt that we had as much to offer as any big city. He loved to tout the success of the mom and pop businesses as much as he did the Ameritrades and ConAgras. He was an opinionated guy, and he shared those thoughts openly in his weekly editorials in MBJ.”

FROM THE EDITOR

CAREERS & EVENTS

he new year is a time of reflection and change. That’s why so many people start January 1 saying, “I’m going on a diet,” around Jan. 31 and end up chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

Nick Huff of Hutch was one of the recipients of the 2018 award. “It was extremely humbling to be in the same discussion and group as all those people who were given the award last year. They were from all different backgrounds and expertise.”

The magazine Inc. reported that, in a survey of 2,000 random people, 16 percent of them claimed “Find another job” to be their New Year’s resolution. It was the eighth most popular response. In this issue, we highlight a few ways that people are taking on career opportunities.

Former employees fondly recall Hoig’s kindness. “He was always a gentleman,” Marcus says. “He was always helpful to me, and I am truly grateful to have known him.”

Event planning is projected to be a growing career field over the next few years, so we dedicated a portion of this magazine specifically to event planning.

“He was a proud family man and spent most days working alongside his wife, Martha, his son, Noel, and his sister, Cindy, at MBJ,” Persigehl says. “His daughter, Andrea Hoig, publisher of metroMAGAZINE, was no doubt influenced greatly by her father’s publishing history.”

It is a field I happen to know well. For several years, I ran the Omaha Press Club’s awards show, and I helped with other events, including the 600person Face on the Barroom Floor for Doug and Greg McDermott.

Andrea (“Andee”) had this to say about her father: “[My father] was known in the community as founder and publisher of the Midlands Business Journal and for his many professional and civic accomplishments. He also led an amazing life as an award-winning journalist, successful entrepreneur, champion of small business, world traveler, multi-sport athlete, small aircraft pilot, and beloved husband and father. It was a privilege and an honor to be his daughter.”

Those events, and others, are how I knew publisher Bob Hoig, an OPC member and recipient of several club awards. I, along with several others in this office, were sorry to hear of Bob’s passing in January, and we send our friends at Midlands Business Journal our heartfelt sympathies.

B2B

Daisy Hutzell-Rodman is the managing editor of B2B, a publication of Omaha Magazine, LTD. She can be reached at

B2B

daisy@omahamagazine.com.

06 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

BIZ+GIVING | STORY BY SEAN MCCARTHY | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

B-ING A RESPONSIBLE COMPANY FIRESPRING, NEBRASKA’S FIRST BENEFIT CORPORATION

Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 07

“COMPANIES THAT GET THAT ARE GOING TO THRIVE. COMPANIES THAT DON’T, I THINK ARE GOING TO DIE.” -JAY WILKINSON reative company Firespring started designing websites for businesses just as the internet was crawling out of the academic and military worlds and into the public sphere. Unlike many other website-building companies established in the mid-to-late 1990s, CEO Jay Wilkinson has survived the dot-com bubble burst and myriad economic ups and downs by adjusting Firespring’s business model to include marketing, printing, and consulting.

In 2013, Wilkinson hit a point he defined as his midlife crisis. The company was doing great, but, Wilkinson confessed, “I didn’t feel like we still had our mojo about us.”

Wilkinson consulted his father, Gil. His dad laid it out simply: “All I care about is that my kids and my grandkids are productive and happy citizens in our society,” Wilkinson says his father told him.

The “citizens of society” part rang true for Wilkinson.

A day after his conversation with his father, he approached the leadership team at Firespring with a new goal: to be more engaged with the community.

He had heard about benefit corporations, which are corporations that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, and, he discovered, Nebraska was thinking of allowing benefit corporations.

CONT. PAGE 08

08 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

THE LAW BECAME EFFECTIVE ON JULY 18, 2014—AND FIRESPRING SPRANG TO FILE FOR B CORPORATION STATUS THAT SAME DAY.

FROM PAGE 07

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Legislative Bill 751 was introduced in early 2014.

Wilkinson began the process of becoming a benefit corporation shortly thereafter. In order to attain a benefit corporation certification, a company must first fill out an online assessment form. The nonprofit B Lab out of Wayne, Pennsylvania, is responsible for handling the certification process in the U.S. and administers the B Impact Assessment (BIA), an extensive list of questions that inquire about a company’s commitment to social and environmental issues. The initial assessment can take between four and six hours to complete.

Companies that score at least 80 points of a possible 200 are then asked to submit materials to verify their answers. The questions a company must answer can vary, depending on the type of business, number of employees, and location, says Callie Rojewski, brand campaign manager at B Lab, in an interview conducted via email.

Questions that B Lab asked of Firespring included what percentage of their managers are female, how many employees own stock in the company, and what percentage of their revenue is donated to charity.

Wilkinson says that, although Firespring had fulfilled many of the certification requirements, there were still some elements they noticed they were lacking. Firespring began offering more extensive maternity leave and expanded their vacation policy. Wilkinson says they also paid more attention to the number of women in management positions and on their board of directors.

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Gov. Dave Heineman signed LB751 on April 2, 2014, when Firespring was in the process of applying for benefit corporation status. The law became effective on July 18, 2014—and Firespring sprang to file for benefit corporation status with the state that same day. They also executed their final documents to become a certified benefit corporation through B Lab.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 09

Once a company achieves benefit corporation certification, it pays a yearly fee, ranging from $500 (for companies whose yearly sales are below $150,000) up to $50,000 (for yearly sales exceeding $1 billion). In addition, a company has to be recertified every three years.

Firespring was the first company in Nebraska to earn benefit corporation certification. Since they earned certification, three other Nebraska companies have also earned that honor: Physicians Thrive in Omaha, Assurity in Lincoln, and Daycos Inc. in Norfolk. About 2,600 companies in the world have earned the benefit corporation certification, compared to the nearly 50,000 companies that have taken the BIA. As a benefit corporation, Firespring has enacted a 1, 2, 3 percent rule for their social and environmental engagement: 1 percent of their top-line revenue or profits is given to local nonprofits, 2 percent of their products (such as paper or printing resources) are given away to nonprofits that need assistance, and 3 percent of employee time is spent volunteering.

Employees are given one day a month of paid timeoff leave to volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice, and the company is specifically proud to support Launch Leadership, The St. Baldrick’s Foundation (a nonprofit organization with the aim of raising funds to help find cures for children with cancer), and Nonprofit Hub. Wilkinson believes becoming a benefit corporation will lead to a great return on investment. One reason is because more employees are looking to work for companies that have a strong track record in helping their communities. In Firespring’s case, more than half of the new employees gained during 2018 stated the company’s benefit corporation status was a primary reason why they applied for a job with Firespring.

“Companies that get that are going to thrive.

Companies that don’t, I think are going to die,” Wilkinson says. “People won’t want to work for those businesses.”

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10 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

IN THE OFFICE | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTOS BY THE HOOTONS

OMAHA DESIGN CENTER LIGHTS, CAMERA, COLOR

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 11

hen you can’t get exactly what you want, sometimes you have to create it yourself. For the team behind Omaha Fashion Week, the problem was a space; the solution was creating a 30,000-square-foot event venue.

“It was met out of need. We couldn’t find a good home for Omaha Fashion Week,” founder Nick Hudson explains. “We tried different venues. We tried using tents outdoors.”

Hudson and his wife, Brook—who serves as producer—struggled for eight years to execute the event in spaces that were not quite the right size. Some spaces had policies that limited the environment creatively, others came with visually distracting fixtures or features. Weather was an unpredictable factor when tents were involved.

“Other [event planners] had the same problems,” Hudson says. “I think there was just a gap.”

The Hudsons discussed ideas to solve some of these problems with Greg and Molly Cutchall of Cutchall Management, who eventually became their partners in Omaha Fashion Week and a new endeavor—Omaha Design Center. The facility opened in spring 2016 and now serves as a permanent home for Omaha Fashion Week. It is also a unique, flexible venue for events during the rest of the year.

“We thought, ‘What if we had a building for the fashion and creative community, and when we’re not using it for Fashion Week, have it available for other events?’” Hudson says.

The Design Center features a range of in-demand amenities like free parking, on-site tables and chairs, a professional catering kitchen, and advanced audiovisual capabilities. Its open layout works for single, large events, or can be divided into as many as five functional rooms, Hudson says. “Anything from a group of 50 through a group of 1,000 we can easily accommodate.”

He describes the atmosphere as “industrial chic,” with polished concrete floors, exposed ceilings, and a gray-and-white palette. Chandeliers add a rich touch. From that simple foundation, “people can come in and make it their own, individually… because every event [should] be different.”

CONT. PAGE 12

“WE COULDN’T FIND A GOOD HOME FOR OMAHA FASHION WEEK. WE TRIED DIFFERENT VENUES. WE TRIED USING TENTS OUTDOORS.” -NICK HUDSON

12 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

“WE HAVE A LIGHTING SYSTEM WITH WHICH ALL THE WALLS CHANGE COLOR.” -NICK HUDSON

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

FEBRUARY · MARCH | 13

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM

FROM PAGE 11 Creativity defines Omaha Fashion Week, so it is no surprise that clients are not only allowed, but encouraged to design the space to suit their individual events. Hudson says, “That importance of design has been a big part of the success.”

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“It’s one thing to just have an empty white space but we actually have something which makes it easy for events to [become unique]; we have a lighting system with which all the walls change color,” Hudson explains. “You can choose any color you want with the touch of a button. It’s like a big color wheel with infinite choices. That was something we invented and created ourselves.”

Experienced event concierges guide clients through the details, a service that has been a factor in the venue’s almost immediate popularity, Hudson says. Last year alone, The Design Center booked 150 events, significantly more than the one-perweek originally projected. Six full-time employees and a flexible part-time team are in place to meet the demand.

“Between us, Brook and I have organized something like 2,000 events. Even before The Design Center, we did a lot,” Hudson says. “It’s been really interesting. With our previous experience and this sort of crash course of doing 500 events in three years, we’ve really been working out software and processes to distill some of the ideas and checklists and make events as stress-free as possible.”

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“We’re definitely looking at additional event spaces and events in general. It’s becoming a multifaceted event business,” Hudson says. “I just love how there are so many different occasions that take place here, from weddings to fundraisers to company events.

Often, it’s one of the most significant days of the year for the people planning it, and I love the fact that we get to be part of that.”

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14 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

LEADERS | STORY BY ROBERT FRAASS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

MIKE BOJANSKI BUILDING AN HR COMMUNITY

“MIKE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ORGANIZATIONS HE LENDS HIS TIME TO.” -SARAH SCHULZ

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 15

BOJANSKI IS DEVOTED TO HELPING NEW MEMBERS, ONE OF THE REASONS THE ORGANIZATION BOASTED 177 OF THEM THIS YEAR. eople don’t like feedback; they like attention,” says Mike Bojanski, vice president of Finley Engineering in Omaha. “Attention comes out like this: ‘What are you working on today? Is there anything getting in your way? And how can I help you?’”

It’s a philosophy Bojanski has held throughout his 35-year career in human resources, in which he has communicated with thousands of employees and provided all kinds of motivations for their work lives.

People have been a continual source of challenge and fascination for Bojanski, who was also the 2018 president of the Human Resource Association of the Midlands (HRAM).

The HR life, he says, requires the skills of a behaviorist and the passion to learn what makes people tick.

“It’s cliché, but most people I like, and some I don’t want to be around,” Bojanski says. “I’m interested in both.”

HR professionals make a big mistake when they bind themselves to their offices, becoming the coworkers others dread who only appear when it is time to hand out disciplinary action, firings, and layoffs.

To understand workers and benefit their employers, HR professionals must adapt the philosophy of “management by walking around.”

“You do human resources work by talking to people. Going into their space,” Bojanski says. “If you understand what they understand, then you understand the challenges that management has, that employees have, and you can respond to their issues more quickly.”

He subscribes to “service leadership” as his management style—asking more questions and listening more, not asking others to do tasks you wouldn’t, and removing obstacles so people can more effectively perform their jobs. It is this service leadership that has helped him throughout his career, especially during this past year with HRAM. Building Omaha’s HR Community As a young professional in 1985, Bojanski joined HRAM, the local chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The Omahabased regional chapter boasts more than 1,000 members, making it one of the 15 largest SHRM chapters in the United States.

Sarah Schulz, executive director of HRAM, says Bojanski was great to work with this year. Bojanski’s commitment to serving others was evident, having personally reached out to each member who joined HRAM during his presidential term.

“Mike is passionate about organizations he lends his time to,” she says. “He honestly puts his heart into the projects he leads. He strives to make HRAM a better organization by making sure that the association is serving and advancing the greater Omaha HR community through professional development and networking opportunities.”

The organization acquired 177 new members this year. Bojanski believes new membership is key to building programs that help members, such as booking quality speakers who present topics that lead to certification credits. HRAM has also worked with the Wellness Council of the Midlands, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and the Omaha chapter of the National Safety Council on a series of events common to both human resources and safety industry professionals.

He was head of the membership committee for several years prior to becoming vice president, and also served as head of the college relations committee.

“During his vice presidential term [HRAM presidents are vice-presidents for three years], we had a group of kids form a chapter at Creighton, and he’s been helping them,” Schulz says. “He goes and speaks to UNO frequently. He has gone and talked about recruiting, about benefits.”

Schulz says Bojanski is particularly great at helping young HR professionals learn the “human” portion of human relations that they could not have learned in college.

And Bojanski continues to learn about this “human” portion himself. He says he is among those members who benefit by building “a network of people who are smarter.”

“That’s how I’ve used it. When I have an HR situation, I can say, ‘Hey, has this ever happened to you?’” he says.

Another highlight was having Nebraska named as a 2018 member of the 100% Giving Club of the SHRM Foundation, which annually recognizes the states that give to the foundation from their SHRM state council and all chapters within the state.

HRAM gave around $2,000 this year. One dollar was given for each member, and the remaining $1,000 was donated little by little, through such items as the table flowers being raffled off at the annual meeting.

Just as little things like calling members personally and asking employees how they are have added up to one big career for Bojanski.

Visit hram.org for more information.

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16 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

omAHA! | STORY BY LINDSAY WILSON | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

STEVE GORDON RDQLUS-LY GOOD, RDQLUS-LY GLOBAL

“I THINK IT’S A GREAT PROGRAM. THAT IS A BIG PART OF SNEAKER AND STYLE CULTURE, THE EXPOSURE. THE INTENT OF THE PROGRAM IS TO INTRODUCE NEW FACES THAT TELL STORIES.” -STEVE GORDON

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 17

randing has gotten a little ridiculous.

Specifically, a growing list of organizations, including Nike, have been getting RDQLUS, courtesy of creator Steve Gordon.

When the limited edition Cultivator X Nike “CODES” Capsule Collection became available on Oct. 15, 2018, most sneakerheads might not have guessed that the sleek, globally-inspired set of shoes were designed by a branding specialist and graphic designer based in Omaha.

The exclusive set of three pairs of shoes designed

by Gordon represents years of global travel, networking, and brand development.

Cultivator, an incubator-style startup platform to support creatives who make good use of social media, is the latest iteration of a program on Nike’s campus that has been developing for years.

While celebrity designs have been common in the sneaker market since the mid-1980s, the Cultivator program is changing the marketing game for the social media era. The idea of the program is to tap into a new market of customers interested in supporting the work of local creatives they follow on social media and know in person.

Gordon, owner of RDQLUS Creative, works with several brand and design clientele. He has hosted a live sneaker podcast with a group called Obsessive Sneaker Disorder, and he also co-founded Connoshoer, an app that allowed shoe collectors to share their favorite kicks on social media.

So when Leslie Bradshaw, a friend who works at Nike, invited Gordon to be part of the first class in the Cultivator program, Gordon could not pass up the opportunity. He created his 2012 “Classy Concrete” pack for Nike. The shoes sold with “some success” and, in 2017, he was invited back to the Cultivator program, this time creating the “Citizen of the Globe” pack.

Gordon with the Copenhagen version of his shoe.

CONT. PAGE 18

18 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

“I’M A LIFELONG ATHLETE AND A SNEAKER COLLECTOR, AND EVEN IF IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO BE YOUR FAVORITE BRAND, THEY ARE STILL NIKE—A JUGGERNAUT EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE ATHLETIC REALM.” • • • •

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FROM PAGE 17 He sees the Cultivator project as an asset to both Nike and the designers involved. “I think it’s a great program. That is a big part of sneaker and style culture, the exposure. The intent of the program is to introduce new faces that tell stories,” he says.

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These sneakers were exclusively available for seven days, and Gordon, as designer, earned 10 percent of the sales. Gordon, however, created the project more for the exposure than the money. Named the Codes collection, these sneakers expand on the “Citizen of the Globe” collection and are based around the global airport coding system. Each of the three distinct shoe designs in the collection features a code—CPH for Copenhagen, LHR for London Heathrow, and ARN for Stockholm Arlanda—and symbolizes the city in which the airport resides.

Gordon visited all three airports in summer 2017.

Travel plays a key role in his life. He frequently travels as an entrepreneur and a track coach.

Gordon’s resume includes branding, creative, and design work with HDR, Disney, Microsoft, and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. But having a nationally known sneaker with his name on it is special to him.

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“I’m a lifelong athlete and a sneaker collector, and even if it doesn’t happen to be your favorite brand, they are still Nike—a juggernaut even outside of the athletic realm,” Gordon says. “To have my work and story featured on a pair of shoes is almost beyond words, because it’s a strange type of confluence to have my work, athletics, and personal history all converge in this way.”

Visit rdql.us for more information.

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 19

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20 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

ON THE RISE | STORY BY SARAH WENGERT | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

DEVELOPING ECONOMICS MARCO FLOREANI HELPS PROMOTE OMAHA’S BUSINESS LANDSCAPE “MARCO WAS AN IMPORTANT CATALYST FOR ME AS I WAS STARTING MY BLOCKCHAIN COMPANY IN 2017.”

-KYLE TUT

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 21

OMAHA’S CLUSTER, AND FLOREANI’S WORK WITH THIS CLUSTER, ARE REASONS WHY TWO COMPANIES IN FINANCIAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY THOUGHT OMAHA WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE FOR THEIR SECOND HEADQUARTERS.

arco Floreani is working to raise the profile of the city where he was raised.

“I’ve always loved Omaha, so trying to understand the business community and the resources available is enjoyable,” says Floreani, a graduate of Creighton Prep and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “I’m passionate about working on projects that develop the city.”

Floreani is the senior director of business development at Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. His role is part of the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, a regional coalition through which the Greater Omaha Chamber partners with several area economic councils.

“We’re [communicating with] companies out of market to see if there’s an opportunity for them to grow in Omaha and we’re working with local businesses to help them grow,” Floreani says. “My work focuses on the traded sector, looking at goods and services that are, or have the potential to be, exported out of state.”

Floreani says the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership implements a cluster approach, which means growing clusters of industries or companies that work in tandem.

One such cluster is financial services, which is a traded sector.

“Financial services is a big cluster in Omaha, with all the global banks here, payment processing, insurance, compliance, and regulation, cybersecurity…all of that is part of the financial services cluster,” Floreani says.

He also says Omaha serves as global hub for payment processing, compliance and fraud detection, trading and brokering, insuring value, and investing and funding in value creation. Some of Omaha’s largest corporations—First Data, TD Ameritrade, Paypal, and others—all deal in financial services and are high-performers, globally, in the business of moving capital.

“That’s everything from processing a payment transaction and being part of the payments ecosystem, to ensuring money movement is a secure process,” Floreani says. “The technology now called ‘Fintech’ is a huge part of the cluster, especially as finance becomes more digital. Omaha is primed to continue growing its Fintech portfolio.”

Floreani himself has helped move financial services to this area by creating events to bring like-minded businesspeople together.

“Marco was an important catalyst for me as I was starting my blockchain company in 2017,” says Kyle Tut, co-founder of BlockEra. “At the time, there wasn’t much happening with blockchain in Omaha. Marco’s early vision to ignite conversations around blockchain through his ‘New Kids on the Blockchain’ event gave me the confidence and network to be where I am today.”

Omaha’s cluster, and Floreani’s work with this cluster, are reasons why two companies in financial services technology thought Omaha would be a great place for their second headquarters. Toast is a technology company specializing in systems management for restaurants that will bring around 100 employees to Omaha in the coming year. The company i2c helps financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies with payments through a cloud-based computer system called Agile Processing. They are projected to hire around 300 people by March 2019.

He believes that growing a pro-business community not only allows commerce to thrive, but also enhances culture, services, and lives community-wide.

“A healthy community has prosperity across the board and grows together. It’s the ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ mindset,” says Floreani, adding that a commitment to Omaha’s urban core is crucial for the community’s overall success.

Visit omahachamber.org for more information.

B2B

22 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

ROUNDTABLE | STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

EVENT PLANING CHANGING PLANS FOR A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Mike Mancuso

Vic Gutman

Renee Black

B2B: What does it take to pull off a large-scale event?

Are there consistencies, or is each one unique?

Renee Black: I agree with Vic with the mayor analogy. The event planning industry is hectic.

There are certain tactics that can be used with each event, but they are each unique. The human factor is so strong in events, and that’s always a challenge.

If there’s a plan of the look and feel of the event, then it becomes, how do you make that happen?

The foundation has to be strong, and you have to be nimble.

Mancuso: What makes us unique is that we are bringing people together. Our brand is about connecting people. As the saying goes in show business, it is true for us also: The show goes on.

That means sometimes we have to make changes.

Mike Mancuso: Each event is unique. Taste of Omaha is now, 22 years into it, very different than what it started as. You try to make it fresh, to bring in new attractions. We’ve brought the restaurant community into this event, and the restaurant community continues to evolve. That’s the fun part—new restaurants, new cuisine. The other part is entertainment. We’ve tried to use a lot of local talent and sprinkle in regional/national artists so people can hear songs they enjoy while focusing on Omaha.

Vic Gutman: With any event we do, I personally walk the area and try to visualize how to use the site. How to maximize the architecture? What will the event ultimately look like? How do you see this coming together? How do I want people to feel about, and at, the event? How can we make this a great experience?

How are artists going to get in and out? Where do we place dumpsters, the port-o-johns? It’s like being the mayor of a city in some ways, you have to take care of all the infrastructure of a city. If you don’t have that, the event’s not going to succeed.

B2B: What is challenging about event planning?

Gutman: There’s a lot of burnout. People who tend to come to our company tend to be controloriented. You have to be able to roll with it, and not everyone is able to work with you. I find we get a lot of people in their 20s come to the company, and they get so intense.

Black: That burnout is definitely a challenge. I find that with a lot of people, they say this is their dream job, but they get into it, and if they aren’t able to be flexible, they end up frustrated.

Gutman: There’s also a lot of new twists. I started in 1971 in Ann Arbor. When we hear about shootings in Las Vegas at that country music festival, you hear about trucks barreling into crowds, it’s scary for us. You have to think about security now. The event I started in Ann Arbor has started to work with concrete barriers.

Black: One of our most increased expenses these days is security. When we did the Lead the Change luncheon with Aly Raisman, we had to have security. You wouldn’t think, with a crowd that is 96 percent women, that you would need security, but we did. We have policies in place with regard to Ubering when we are out of town, because we are a company of 16 women.

Mancuso: I know CHI is putting in more security, and we do a lot of events at CHI.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 23

B2B: What major changes have you noticed in your industry?

B2B: What is something people don’t think about with events planning?

Black: Omaha is becoming more cosmopolitan.

Paying for parking has changed. We have a lot more venues now. When we started in 1998, almost every event was held at the Holiday Inn on 72nd Street because that was the only place that could hold 600 people.

Gutman: I think all of us take responsibility for the attendees very seriously. In 2008, we had that storm that came through so quickly at Omaha Summer Arts Festival. The thing I worry about most is, “Is anyone going to get hurt?”

Gutman: In 1975 when I started, the only public event was Santa Lucia Festival in Little Italy. There were no big festivals downtown. Septemberfest came two years later. Then came Shakespeare on the Green. Now, people have to choose what to go to.

Black: Some of the things we do now, people 10 years ago would have thought “Whoa, what is this?”

You can think outside the box now, and it’s OK. Gutman: Look at Maha, which I think they do very well. They are laser-focused. They are after a certain crowd, and they can get it. A lot of these niche events work, they have people that are willing to pay $50 to get into.

Black: You have to be quick on your feet. We do a lot of B2B events, and there is a lot of alcohol consumed. We took a stand about 15 years ago, and we said “There has to be a certain amount of food served if you are having an open bar.” We found we have to be proactive. Now, anytime there is an open bar, we have to serve dessert bars and coffee at the end of the night. At first, the clients often don’t want to spend the money, they think, “people can go to the coffee shop right down the street.” Once you explain the risks of not having it available, they start to understand.

Mancuso: We provide a lot of economic impact.

We have also helped other people create business by the networking they do at our events.

Mancuso: When we first started, the family events were the norm, now you have these breakout events.

Even our events are not what we thought they might be. When we started Balloon and Wine Festival, we thought it would be a 21-and-older event, a romantic night out. We found out year two that it was a family event, and we had to change our format to make it for families.

Black: You have to be solutions-based. We have to be able to suggest something. A lot of it goes back to our vendors and suppliers. Now, technology is important. We do a lot of research on event technology, whether it’s RFID so you can tell if someone is in or out of the meeting, especially if someone has to log a meeting for CEUs, or online ticketing so we can get people in the door faster.

Black: When you increase the offerings it’s more OK to do something for 4,000-6,000 people. I think lots of people see Omaha differently, especially in the last five years.

B2B: That actually leads to my next question. How has social media impacted events management?

Events are good for brand awareness and marketing.

The events are the culmination, not the starting point. We love to be able to talk about our history, we love that consulting role. Some of the clients, we feel bad for, because their plan wasn’t in place, and when that happens, you don’t get that sense of fulfillment.

Mancuso: I think if you keep what you’re doing fresh and current, you’re going to keep going. There is a business side. There’s a lot of risks to doing events. In one particular instance, there was a Taste of Omaha West one year that wasn’t done by us.

There were bills left unpaid. You have to be careful, because situations like this give event planners a bad name. We are so fortunate to we have a great relationship with our suppliers, we have a lot of good people behind us.

Mancuso: Technology is a way of life. We expect everything now. All these expectations of speed. I remember having a mimeograph machine. The speed at which we now communicate—there’s so many more options. We try to bring the best technology to the people. The better relationship we have with them, the better the event. All these techniques help us tailor each event to the customer. It’s a task that was not needed previously.

We’ve implemented programming. We still are big proponents of traditional media because you have to keep reaching out to customers. New media is enticing simply because it’s free. It’s a strategy you have to keep improving on, because it is constantly changing.

Black: We’ve been committed to traditional media.

We had to learn new territory because [social media] was not our forte. We looked into it, and we committed ourselves to three methods: Instagram is for our photos, Twitter is so we can get the news out, and Facebook is because there are so many people on it. It’s a big risk, because it’s immediate, but permanent. Someone is always coming up to us and saying “Hey, can you do this (social media site), too?” But we stick with those three.

Mancuso: People’s time is spent differently. They have 500 channels of TV, they have the internet.

You have to really present events in a way that they want to come. Our audience has been steady. That experience is what’s changed. The expectation is to give people a lot more things to do. We take things Omaha wants and make them bigger.

Black: No matter how good your model is, you have to meet their expectations. We are the opposite. We create what a bigger city would do but Omaha-style.

We are still a safe, clean city. We travel so much that we see a lot of places that are not nearly as great as Omaha.

B2B: When you are in need of an events manager, what qualities do you look for in an employee?

Black: I want a strong work ethic above all else. I want a flexible person who is a problem-solver. I need someone with positive energy and intelligence.

And I want someone who appreciates and cares for other people.

Mancuso: Communication skills, first off. Then, I need someone with good technology skills. They need to be flexible—egos need to be checked at the door. I want someone to be task-oriented, and I want someone who prefers passion over money.

We have made a lot of money in this business, but it comes from having a passion to do the job. This job takes long hours.

Gutman: I look for a passionate, organized, detailoriented person with good verbal and written communication skills. No experience necessary.

B2B

24 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

HOW I ROLL | STORY BY JASON FOX | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

THE BAT-BULL OF WEST OMAHA SEAN GLASSMAN’S LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO

“IT’S SUCH AN EVENT TO DRIVE. IT’S UNIQUE IN SO MANY WAYS AND UNLIKE ANY CAR I’VE EVER DRIVEN. THAT’S WHY I LOVE IT.” -SEAN GLASSMAN ruce Wayne zips a charcoal grey Lamborghini Murciélago through the streets during a scene in The Dark Night racy enough to make anyone’s heart pound.

It certainly did that with Omahan Sean Glassman, who previously saw the car when he, along with the rest of the world, first took notice of the Italian sports car in the 2005 film Batman Begins. The movie franchise started a vehicular love affair for Glassman.

“Murciélago means ‘bat’ in Spanish,” Glassman explains. Although the auto line was not named for the caped crusader. Lamborghini names their cars after famous fighting bulls. The bull Murciélago reportedly received more than 24 stabs during a fight in 1879 and survived.

It was no surprise, when, several years later, Glassman found himself owning a version of the aurally seductive, Italian, V12-powered vehicle. More precisely, he bought a Lamborghini Murciélago LP-640 Roadster in Arancio Atlas (Arancio is Italian for “orange”).

Glassman continued to watch video of Murciélagos outside of the movie theater. “Just seeing that car and then watching videos of it on YouTube. The sound of it…I was just absolutely obsessed with it,” he says.

Glassman, who is creating the company Blue Steel Investments when he’s not patrolling downtown as a nine-year veteran of the Omaha Police Department, acquired the car nearly two years

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 25

ORIGINALLY, THIS LAMBO WAS OWNED

BY ED BOLIAN, VINWIKI CEO AND AN EXOTIC CAR SPECIALIST. ago from a Baltimore-area dentist. Originally, this Lambo was owned by Ed Bolian, VINwiki CEO and an exotic car specialist. This provenance, along with the car’s specifications, persuaded Glassman to pull the trigger after several years of searching.

“I knew it came from good hands and it was well cared for. It was the exact spec that I wanted on the car, and I paid a little bit more because of it,” Glassman revealed. “But I’m totally fine with that.” Though he won’t disclose the final purchase price for the car—one of only 300 or so that exist worldwide—Glassman did attest that the amount was “worth every penny.” Online vehicle sales sites show the vehicle selling for $150,000 and more, with one owner in Washington wanting nearly $500,000 for a rare edition.

Glassman grew up a gearhead and would eventually get into buying and selling cars during the few years he spent in California as a fitness model in the mid-2000s. When he returned to Omaha in 2008, he partnered with a pair of firefighter friends to start their own dealership, SS Rides & Motorsports. His intial steps into exotic car ownership included Dodge Vipers and a Ferrari or two (an F430 currently shares garage space with the Murciélago), but the latest car to steal his heart was the Murciélago.

The car has run well for him to date. Glassman claims he has yet to experience any major problems with his 631-horsepower topless brute, explaining, “These engines are built for racing. They’re built to endure some really intense thrashing and keep running.”

While he’s not afraid to put actual miles on his exotics, Glassman admits the Lamborghini— with its wide girth and slam-bang automated transmission—was never meant to play the part of grocery getter (that duty falls to his pickup truck).

Nonetheless, he appreciates his personal Batmobile.

“It’s such an event to drive,” he enthused. “It’s unique in so many ways and unlike any car I’ve ever driven. That’s why I love it.”

Visit lamborghini.com for more information.

B2B

26 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

EVENT PLANNING STORIES BY KARA SCHWEISS PHOTOS BY KATY ANDERSON AND PROVIDED Events planning is one of the hottest career trends in the U.S. at this time. According to an April 2018 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hiring of meeting, convention, and event planners is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Event planners work with all the details of an event, from renting venues to paying caterers. This sponsored section brings readers stories about a few of the many event planners in the Omaha area.

B2B

FEBRUARY · MARCH | 27

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1415—THE MEETING SPACE ANNE MINTON & LORINDA NORTHRUP After the nonprofit credentialing agency Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer renovated a century-old, two-story building at 1415 Harney Street, the end result was a beautiful office space on the second floor and a top-notch, five-room meeting space on the lower level. The meeting space is ideal for the organization’s regular conferences, with flex areas, state-of-the art equipment and technology including a soundproof studio, and a kitchenette.

This space was only going to be used for half a dozen meetings and events per year, says Anne Minton, BOC’s chief operating officer. The team recognized that the setup would appeal to other organizations and saw a business opportunity. In 2015, BOC opened 1415—The Meeting Space as a full-service conference center.

“1415—The Meeting Space is ideal for professional events including seminars, training, conferences, workshops, team meetings, board meetings, community events, etc.,” Minton says. “Customers can use our space in different ways depending on group size and the need for the event. We can accommodate up to 55 people in the training room, including presenters, tables, and chairs.”

Customers can use individual rooms for smaller group meetings or breakout sessions, or several clients can book individual rooms on the same day.

Minton adds, “We allow the customer to select the caterer of their choice to best match the purpose, theme and style of the event.”

Other features include an online reservation system, complimentary Wi-Fi with a meeting password, and modern furnishings like rolling chairs and tables that enhance the ambiance. Incentive programs are available, including a discount for clients who book three events in 2019 and a “refer-a-friend” program.

1415—The Meeting Space strives to be as turnkey as possible, Minton says. Clients also get the benefit of an experienced event team, including meeting coordinator Lorinda Northrup.

“She is very professional and works well with our customers to make sure they have an excellent experience. And we have several BOC staff members who pitch in and help put out when it is needed,” Minton says. “I’ve been involved in coordinating numerous large-scale events through my work with the BOC.” 1415—The Meeting Space is close enough to downtown hotels to be ideal for conferences with out-of-town attendees, but it also works for local clients, Minton says.

“Many of the large companies in downtown Omaha utilize our space for offsite meetings. It allows them to get out of the office, share uninterrupted time, and gain a fresh perspective,” she says. “An off-site meeting at 1415—The Meeting Space also means a group can enjoy all the benefits of our downtown location. We are within a block of the historic Old Market, boasting many restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues.”

Minton says the young venue has been an immediate success.

“We make sure events are executed with professionalism, attention to detail, and excellent customer service,” she says. “We’ve built our business on word-of-mouth referrals. It is my priority to make sure each event hosted at our space is a positive experience.”

1415 HARNEY ST. OMAHA, NE 68102 402.702.1415 MEETINGSPACEOMAHA.COM

28 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON OMAHA DOWNTOWN KRISTEN BLATTERT As regional director of sales and marketing for a group of Embassy Suites hotels that includes the downtown Omaha location at 10th and Howard streets, Kristen Blattert oversees the planning and execution of events—from corporate functions like conferences and seminars to personal occasions like family gatherings and weddings. Blattert is quick to point out that it takes a lot of conscientious people to execute an event successfully.

“We have a great team here at Embassy Suites. There are so many people behind the scenes, down to the person cleaning the restroom, the person making the beds, and the person behind the check-in experience,” she says. “If we said how many people are engaged in ensuring the success of an event, it’s not the event planner or event team only; it’s an army.”

To that army, any given event is another job well done. To the people attending, it’s a once-in-alifetime experience. Blattert says that even after 15 years in the business, she never forgets that, “It’s

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a monumental moment for them. You don’t get it back.” So every element must be considered from the guest’s perspective.

“Put yourself in the shoes of the clients. Walk through their experience: How does that look, how does that feel, what’s the flow? And if you see a hiccup, be forthcoming and negotiate an alternative,” she says. “If we are able to anticipate what the challenges may or may not be, we’ll ensure the success of the event.”

Corporate events often mean working with a dedicated planner who has relevant experience, but the logistics become much more complex when a nonprofit committee or family is involved.

“Everybody has a different objective; you have to be the mediator to help them find the middle road,” she says. “You have to change your style and your structure to meet the needs of the group so everybody has a voice. You want all parties involved in the event to feel it was a success.”

Blattert graduated from Wayne State College with a social science degree, and her first career was in the field of social services. She says her education in human behavior and early work experience has been useful in helping her become a good event manager.

“It’s a relationship-based process where it’s not driven off numbers and quotes and pricing. If I say, ‘I can do this,’ they’re trusting in me to be able to deliver, like in social work when I said, ‘I am going to take care of this,’” she says. “There’s follow-through.”

Blattert says she’s excited for changes this year. The downtown Embassy Suites is embarking on a major renovation beginning in February and targeted for completion July 1. Some guests will miss the water features and foliage, but the remodel will create more functional communal space, including a full-service lobby lounge with seating for 150 and room for more private functions in the atrium area. A “rustic and refined” decor theme will also complement the hotel’s local vibe.

“The Old Market is a gathering space for people,” she says. “We really are an anchor in the heart of Old Market.”

555 S. 10TH ST. OMAHA, NE 68102 402.346.9000 ATRIUMHOSPITALITY.COM

FEBRUARY · MARCH | 29

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MAGNOLIA HOTELS KINDRA OLSON Planning weddings and events is a fun way to earn a living, but even when she worked front desk and in banquet services at hotels through college, Kindra Olson enjoyed her role in the hospitality industry. “I loved being part of someone’s big day,” she says.

Olson is now director of sales at Magnolia Hotel of Omaha, a position that demands both meticulous organization and creativity to ensure exceptional agenda and timeline development, theme production, menu planning, vendor selection, and setup/tear-down services.

“Whatever level of planning you need, we’ll do. We’ll make sure all of the details are in place,” she says. “My role is to ensure excellence, that the events our team plan are at the level of what’s expected of the Magnolia, and what a four-diamond hotel would produce.”

The boutique luxury hotel was built in 1923 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It features a historical ambience with modern amenities.

“This property is just gorgeous. It has such a beautiful history to it,” Olson says.

“It feels authentic and historical but evokes a timelessness.”

Olson admits a soft spot for weddings, where she spent the early part of her career. “I still get to brainstorm with the wedding planner, Maria Czechut, who is fantastic,” she says. But Olson also pours her heart into every meeting, conference, and gathering that takes place at Magnolia.

“You can always create a memorable experience that meets the goals of the meeting,” she says. “You are only limited by imagination.”

1615 HOWARD ST. OMAHA, NE 68102 402.341.2500 MAGNOLIAHOTELS.COM/OMAHA

DREAM BIG EVENTS AUDRA PACE Dream Big Events is poised for expansion this year, but its owner and creative director, Audra Pace, will continue to provide every client with the benefit of her expertise as she turns their dreams into unforgettable events. The internationally certified wedding and event planner personally handles consultations with clients and develops a customized plan for execution.

The company was born of Pace’s passions of planning, design, and decorating, and her love for her work shows in her attention to the details that make every gathering unique and meaningful.

“I am lucky enough to meet wonderful couples and inspiring professionals each and every day and share incredible experiences with them along the way,” she says.

Dream Big Event’s experienced team creates weddings, private events, and corporate events from meetings for 10 to galas for several hundred.

Pace’s connections to the community’s premier venues and relationships with a spectrum of vendors ensure Dream Big Events can meet the needs—and dreams—of every client.

2017 S. 145TH AVE. OMAHA, NE 68144 402.913.8083 DREAMBIGEVENTS.NET

30 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES STORIES BY KARA SCHWEISS PHOTOS BY KATY ANDERSON AND PROVIDED Late winter is a great time to look for a new employer, or employee. With “find a new job” ranking as a popular New Year’s Eve resolution, and many companies receiving their yearly hiring budgets in the beginning of the year, now is the time to think towards career opportunities.

The following sponsored content highlights a couple of popular places that provide great opportunities.

B2B

SPONSORED CONTENT

TEAM SOFTWARE DAN KERKMAN Software developer Dan Kerkman was not looking for a new job when a former colleague told him about opportunities available at TEAM Software, but before the first interview was over he was all in.

“As soon as I walked into the building I could tell it was different from where I had been working. It was a whole feeling of people working much more collaboratively,” he says. “I could see that it was innovative.”

Nearly eight years later, he’s a lead senior-level developer who mentors and coaches other developers, and his enthusiasm for the company has not waned.

Kerkman has since recruited others in his field and even brought in his wife from a career in the banking industry with its late and weekend hours to a support position that worked better for their young family; she has subsequently been promoted into an implementation position.

TEAM Software, founded 30 years ago, continues to make companies with distributed workforces more productive, competitive, and successful through transformative technology, although technology and channels have changed over the years. Since he started, Kerkman has seen the TEAM nearly triple.

“I feel we do a good job of hiring people who fit the culture. I know that in the interviews I’m in on, we spend quite a bit of time not just looking at people’s technical abilities but talking to them to see if they fit it with our team and core values,” he says. “I hang out outside of work with my coworkers; we get together regularly for fun because we enjoy each other’s company. The teams and people are close and generally have good relationships.”

407 S. 27TH AVE. OMAHA, NE 68131 402.345.5660 TEAMSOFTWARE.COM

FEBRUARY · MARCH | 31

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RTG MEDICAL VERONICA BARRIENTOS There is an ever-present need for nurses and other skilled health care providers, says Veronica Barrientos, the marketing and brand ambassador for RTG Medical. In fact, there is a shortage all over the country. But her company is part of the solution.

“We are a medical staffing agency that places professionals in all 50 states,” Barrientos says.

The company works with professionals in the fields of nursing, radiology, therapy, and laboratory to match them with temporary and permanent positions with employers in a variety of medical facilities.

RTG has grown tremendously, Barrientos says. “The company was formed (as ReadyTech-Go) in a twobedroom apartment at Thomasville Apartments in Omaha 18 years ago. It was literally an idea on the back of a napkin,” she says.

Two years later, the company moved its corporate offices to Fremont. Last year, RTG Medical made the Inc. 5000 list of the country’s fastest-growing companies for the fourth time, after also being named in 2005, 2007, and 2008.

The company is currently located on the second floor of First State Bank, 1005 E. 23rd St. in Fremont, but in response to continued and anticipated growth is beginning construction on a new 52,000-square-foot facility near Highways 275 and 30 at the Gallery 23 East development.

The new national headquarters is slated to open in 2020.

RTG has cultivated relationships with medical facilities all over the country and is always looking for additional medical travelers for 13-week assignments, Barrientos says. In addition to premium pay, benefits include referral bonuses and 401(k) matching, and support is available 24 hours a day. Travelers are connected to a single point of contact, a rarity in the industry.

“This lifestyle campus will reflect our current culture, with amenities to encourage collaboration,” Barrientos says, adding that it’s fitting that a company connected to the health care sector with the tagline “People are our only asset” also promotes wellness and a positive environment.

Employees will enjoy an expanded version of their fitness center (and continued corporate support of employees’ related activities from walk teams to triathlons) and views of a man-made lake with outdoor break and walking areas.

“An average of 25 percent of our recruiters have been with the company 10 years or more,” Barrientos says. “That loyalty is reflective in travelers staying with one recruiter through their assignments.”

The company’s success is also reflected in partnerships that give back to area nonprofits that align with RTG’s values. In 2019, RTG will donate more than $80,000 to its official community partners: Fremont Family YMCA, Nebraska Humane Society, Special Olympics Nebraska, Wreaths Across America (local chapters), and Folds of Honor.

Recruiter positions are also available at RTG’s facility in Fremont. The company seeks motivated self-starters with or without staffing experience.

“One of our recruiters is a former TV newsperson.

Another recruiter came from a job in landscaping,” Barrientos says. “It’s not a culture of micromanagement. We want to hire and train the right people and then get out of the way.”

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32 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

FEATURE | STORY BY ANDREW J. NELSON | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH WALMART, DISNEY, AND OTHER BUSINESSES

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 33

n an era when hundreds of thousands of young people labor under the spectre of crushing student debt, a solution for many may lie on a college campus just south of Omaha.

Over the past two decades, Bellevue University has developed various corporate learning programs as part of its strategic partnerships with local and national businesses.

Essentially, it means Bellevue provides educational programs these companies need. Employees of the corporations enroll in these programs and take the corresponding classes, making them more useful employees to the companies.

In return, the companies fund part or all of their employee’s education, allowing them to graduate with little or no student debt.

For many of these employees, attending college would be difficult without this aid.

“Since college tuition has been really expensive, I kind of didn’t want to do it. But since this opportunity came, I decided, ‘why not?’” says Felicia Gadberry, 29, a Walmart associate and participant in the program.

The students need the education, and with baby boomers retiring at a rapid rate, businesses need the trained workers.

“Right now in the United States we are losing about 10,000 people per day to retirements,” says Jim Nekuda, Bellevue University’s vice president of strategic partnerships. “With that loss in the labor market, it has created a gap in talent because there is not enough people to fill these positions. So organizations have had to get a little more savvy on how to recruit and how to retain these employees.”

The lightening of their financial load is not the only thing that motivates students, Nekuda says. Their next priority tends to be professional development.

Students are looking for employers willing to invest in them.

Jim Nekuda

Bellevue works with some companies to develop specific programs.

For example: to take advantage of the tuition program at Walmart, a student must enroll in either the school’s supply chain, transportation, and logistics management program, or the business leadership and management program.

The already-existing programs were revamped in cooperation with the company to satisfy a need— business managers and leaders who understand the supply chain.

“The learning centers around what is going on at Walmart,” Nekuda says. “They are able to translate what they use in the classroom the very next day on the job.”

Gadberry, a supply chain, transportation, and logistics management student, says that was a big benefit.

“I’m in class with different Walmart employees as well…and they are also talking about their experiences,” she says. “It’s giving me an idea of what other Walmarts are like.”

In other cases, companies will fund their employee’s education without regard to what kind of degree they pursue. Employees at Disney can enroll in any program under their benefits structure.

“Their focus was on, ‘We want this to be a good benefit for our cast members. We want them to get an education. We want to help them,’” Nekuda says.

It was the same with Chipotle, he says. The company knows it will have a difficult time holding onto employees once they graduate. But it wanted to do something to help them as part of its corporate social responsibility mission.

CONT. PAGE 34

34 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

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“They want to educate the workforce no matter where they go,” Nekuda says. “But many [students working for these companies] do stay and they are loyal to the company because that organization invested in them.”

While these efforts could be construed as public relations, most of the conversations between Bellevue and the companies revolve around corporate social responsibility and an educated workforce.

A big benefit to the business is saving money on recruiting. “When they don’t have to spend $5-to$10,000 because someone leaves, they are saving money,” Nekuda says.

Rod Sanders, vice president of talent management at Marco’s Pizza agrees: “If that incentivizes them to stay even a month or two longer, that’s a big benefit to us in this tight labor market.”

Which makes the amount the companies spend on education seem worthwhile. What companies contribute to the education of their employees depends on the company. Some only offer $1,000 per year and others pay for everything. For Walmart associate Gadberry, the company is covering the majority of the cost of her education. She pays $5 per week throughout the semester. Disney pays for all costs associated with an employee’s college degree at Bellevue.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 35

SOME COMPANIES ASK THEIR EMPLOYEES TO STAY FOR A YEAR OR TWO AFTER GRADUATING. OTHERS, LIKE MARCO’S PIZZA, HAVE NO POSTGRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.

66

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The same is true for post-graduation requirements.

Some companies ask their employees to stay for a year or two after graduating. Others, like Marco’s Pizza, have no post-graduation requirements.

YEARS

For the Toledo-based chain, the relationship with Bellevue has the potential to pay off as the rapidly growing company increases its number of corporate employees. And Sanders sees Bellevue as a potential source of training for human resources and other subjects at the undergraduate and graduate level.

“They have a very good reputation,” he says of the university. “It adds a sense of security and comfort, having them as an educational partner.”

These programs aren’t just for undergraduate students. Bellevue’s MBA program has 19 different concentrations, many of which were developed in conjunction with companies such as First Data and PayPal. Other master’s degrees were started through different corporate partnerships.

“They had a need,” Nekuda says. “Most of their workforce already had bachelor’s degrees, but they needed [people with] advanced degrees.”

And for the students, the benefits are more than monetary.

“It’s making me look at my work better,” Gadberry says. “It’s giving me more ideas on how to be a better employee.”

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36 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

FEATURE | STORY BY SCOTT STEWART | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

GROWING THE BIG O CONVENTIONS, LARGE EVENTS, HELP DEFINE PERCEPTION

TOURISM ANNUALLY BRINGS ABOUT 12.3 MILLION VISITORS, WHO SPEND $1.2 BILLION PER YEAR IN THE CITY, ACCORDING TO THE OMAHA CVB. THOSE VISITORS SUSTAIN 17,280 JOBS—ABOUT 1 IN 17 JOBS OVERALL —AND SAVE DOUGLAS COUNTY HOUSEHOLDS EACH AN AVERAGE OF $730 A YEAR IN TAXES.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 37

aniel Schwarzbach knows Omaha is a great destination.

Schwarzbach first visited years ago for a business meeting when the downtown convention center was still called the Qwest Center Omaha.

The president and CEO of the Airborne Public Safety Association in Frederick, Maryland, plans to bring around 1,500 people to Omaha this summer for his organization’s 49th annual convention. He is confident they will enjoy the “great little area” around the CHI Health Center Omaha (NoDo), nearby hotels, and the Old Market. Schwarzbach picked Omaha because of these amenities, and the proximity of Eppley Airfield.

“We’re excited to come to Omaha,” Schwarzbach says.

Conferences and other large events play a vital role in Omaha’s economy, bringing tourists and creating opportunities to grow the city’s reputation—with the ultimate goal of attracting new residents and businesses to the region.

Keith Backsen, executive director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the shortterm value of bringing people to Omaha is money.

Visitors who attend events at the CHI Health Center Omaha frequent Old Market shops and restaurants, helping keep that business district vibrant. The infusion of cash supports businesses and jobs in the community.

Tourism annually brings about 12.3 million visitors, who spend $1.2 billion per year in the city, according to the bureau. Those visitors sustain 17,280 jobs—about 1 in 17 jobs overall—and save Douglas County households each an average of $730 a year in taxes.

On a longer-term basis, conventions and other events help bring people to Omaha to see what the city has to offer. When relocating, people consider places they know or about which there are positive associations—adding economic value to Omaha’s tally of best-in-the-nation accolades.

Keith Backsen

The convention bureau works with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce to target events that match industries where Omaha wants to attract talent and new businesses. David Brown, president and chief executive of the Greater Omaha Chamber, says the organizations brought defense contractors to Omaha for an annual convention on the space industry for several years, around the time that U.S. Space Command was integrated into U.S. Strategic Command, which is housed at Offutt Air Force Base.

Brown also says bringing Omaha to the front of people’s minds is a key for future success.

Conventions and other events help introduce people to everything the city has to offer.

“It is not unusual for people to come here for a convention and it to be the first time they have ever been here,” Brown says. “But it is also not unlikely that those people will find another reason to come back.”

Many of those conventions fly under the radar, says Kayti Manley, director of special events at the Greater Omaha Chamber. The chamber works a few hundred events annually, including many targeting specific industries or interest groups that don’t receive publicity. Smaller events might be held outside of downtown venues, too, such as the La Vista Embassy Suites.

“They have a great impact on our community,” Manley says.

While conferences play a critical role, Omaha’s largest events can draw many more people to the area. The College World Series, for instance, averages more than 338,000 visitors a year and has hosted 9.9 million spectators in its 68 years in Omaha, according to the NCAA. CONT. PAGE 38

38 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

“IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR PEOPLE TO COME HERE FOR A CONVENTION AND IT TO BE THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE EVER BEEN HERE. BUT IT IS ALSO NOT UNLIKELY THAT THOSE PEOPLE WILL FIND ANOTHER REASON TO COME BACK.” -DAVID BROWN FROM PAGE 37 The Olympic swim trials are worth about eight conferences in terms of hotel bookings, Backsen says. While an average conference results in nearly 2,500 hotel rooms being used, the Olympic swim trials result in the use of around 20,000 hotel rooms.

Those large events also draw media attention, bringing Omaha’s brand to a larger audience.

“Those are big image-building events that tell people that Omaha has got something going that other places don’t have,” Brown says. “In this world of tight unemployment and relatively slow population growth, being able to show people that we have the quality of life they may desire is a big deal.”

While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people live in Omaha because of events and other tourism activity, or how many businesses are directly supported by them, it’s clear that they factor into such decisions.

A Californian, for example, might say they live there because of the proximity to the beaches, forests, or mountains—even if they don’t visit them often, Brown says. Omaha residents point to attractions like Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and Joslyn Art Museum, and events like the College World Series, concerts at the CHI Health Center, college hockey games, and Broadway musicals at the Orpheum.

“It’s hard to point a finger at that individual or company that had moved here exclusively because of those great things that we do,” Brown says. “It’s rather the larger picture of us continuing to add to this collection of really good quality-of-life stuff that makes a difference.”

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 39

Brown asks people to imagine what Omaha would be like without amenities attracted by the convention center and other facility improvements in the community. He says surveys of young professionals suggest the city would be a lot less appealing as a place to live.

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“What happens if we can’t check those boxes?”

Brown asks. “What happens if the College World Series hasn’t been here in seven years and we now don’t have any direct correlation to that particular sport? What happens if we didn’t bend over backwards to figure out a way to have the swim trials call this home? What if we just said we are good enough? What would this place look like?”

Even if these events and attractions serve a sliver of the overall population, they contribute to the perception of what it is like to live, work, and play in Omaha.

“None of them have been built because we want to attract tourists,” Brown says. “That’s an ancillary benefit that comes along with it. It has all been built so that we have the opportunity to continue to grow this place—the place we all want to live and have our kids stay here.”

The chamber compares metrics on quality of life and other indicators with other cities viewed as peers and competitors. According to the Chamber, Omaha ranks just behind Austin in large part due to Omaha’s cultural opportunities, health care access, and short commute times. Being neck-and-neck with Austin is impressive, given that the Texas city remains one of the fastest-growing in the country.

Schwarzbach expects members of the Airborne Public Safety Association will be impressed when they visit Omaha this July. He says he has told vendors who ask him “Why Omaha” that there’s a reason why Warren Buffett chooses to live in Omaha, and why the city has a world-class zoo.

“There is a reason why these things are there,” he says. “Omaha is a really cool place.”

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40 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

FEATURE | STORY BY LISA LUKECART | DESIGN BY DEREK JOY

COMPANY PARTIES IN THE MODERN ERA MADNESS NO MORE

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 41

NEWS CREWS OR POLITICIANS MIGHT UNEXPECTEDLY APPEAR. A DEMOCRAT AND A REPUBLICAN COULD SIT AT THE SAME TABLE AND CAUSE FIREWORKS TO ENSUE.

n the fictional world of AMC’s hit television show Mad Men, the parties are a politically incorrect spectacle.

“We have gifts, girls, and games,” office manager Joan Holloway says. Liquor flows until the employees can hardly stand, and the secretary sometimes goes home with someone who is not her husband.

beef sliders and chicken or brie wrapped in puff pastry. The bar regularly serves classic Manhattans and Old-Fashioneds. The Blackstone cheesecake is reported to be the original recipe from the hotel.

Yet the menu and enhanced décor all depend on who is throwing the shindig.

Real companies don’t hold parties like they do on TV—at least not in the 21st century.

“As long as it is legal to be obtained and done in the state of Nebraska, I will jump through the hoops,” Jones says.

“We serve alcohol, but people are not coming to company parties anymore to tie one on,” explains Amee Zetzman, All Makes Office Equipment CFO. All Makes hosted its 100th anniversary party in September.

The Omaha Press Club has kept some of the same clients for 10, even 20, years. Jones calls herself the event planner, dishwasher, bartender…you name it.

It’s all-hands-on-deck to run the ship smoothly. In her 19 years as manager, she has seen it all.

Even in places where two-martini lunches once took place, corporate events have tamed. Out-of-town revelers have likened the Omaha Press Club to a Mad Men set. This is due to the rich décor rather than any rowdy antics. The club has been around since 1971 and is located on the 22nd floor of the First National Bank building at 1620 Dodge St. When Rice University held a celebratory party after the school won its first and only NCAA baseball championship in 2003, the carpet was littered with cigars at the end of the night.

News crews or politicians might unexpectedly appear. A Democrat and a Republican could sit at the same table and cause fireworks to ensue. It is Jones’ job to keep it running smoothly.

Club manager Christine Jones says the club doesn’t do “sorority-style parties” these days. Companies are more aware of the liabilities and tend to tamper down events.

The club’s interior is a lush treat. A redesign in 2008 brought in a warm, inviting charcoal-gray carpet that has mocha-brown swirls. The cream and black furniture complements the immense circular fireplace. The fireplace, topped with a cooper hood, invites people to gather and socialize, and often holds canapés during events. Party-goers snack on

A six-tier cake, stacked like a skyscraper, once collapsed on Jones as she cut into it.

“It’s falling, falling,” people shouted.

White and black buttercream frosting came crashing down on her.

All Makes Office Equipment had a similar issue this past year when most of their frosted chocolate chip cookies were smashed during a car ride to the company’s centennial party.

Mishaps do happen, but throwing a corporate party is all about building memories. And if guests are smiling at the end of the night, the event is considered a success.

CONT. PAGE 42

“IN THIS WORLD, TODAY’S VENDOR COULD BE TOMORROW’S CLIENT. TODAY’S CLIENT COULD BE TOMORROW’S VENDOR. BRINGING THAT AUDIENCE TOGETHER IN ONE AREA FOR ONE EVENT WAS A WAY TO CELEBRATE A MILESTONE, BUT IT ALSO ENDED UP BEING A GREAT MARKETING OPPORTUNITY. WE DIDN’T WANT TO LET THAT OPPORTUNITY SLIP BY.” -KAITLIN BREITAG

42 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

FROM PAGE 41 The Making of a 100-Year-Old Birthday Party All Makes has occupied the same brick building on the same corner of Farnam and 25th streets for its entire 100-year history—although All Makes Typewriter Co. founder Harry A. Ferer probably never conceived his business would one day sell products for video conferencing.

Celebrating100 years of moving business forward

Last fall, All Makes celebrated its centennial anniversary with a soirée celebrating clients, family, and friends. And the furniture and officedesign company knew the perfect spot in which to celebrate.

“People who haven’t been to the building are blown away by the interior,” CEO Jeff Kavich says.

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The party lasted for two hours after the offices closed on Thursday, Sept. 20 (from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.). It was the culmination of a year’s worth of planning, including marketing the event to potential attendees such as clients and vendors.

A small team of Kavich, Zetzman, and director of marketing Kaitlin Breitag planned the entire event, but many others in the office assisted when asked.

“It worked out best that way,” Breitag says of keeping the planning committee small. “We didn’t want to distract people from their day-to-day jobs.”

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The event included roughly 200 guests. Thirdgeneration owner Larry Kavich (now retired) spoke about the company. Acoustic guitarist Rob Hockney and flower bouquets added to the ambience. A variety of hors d’oeuvres—including a miniature “cheese Runza” with red pepper aioli, wild mushroom and parmesan crostini with a hint of truffle flavor, and an Asian fivespiced pork taco with wasabi aioli and cucumber apple pico—were passed to guests so they could easily mingle. Spinach and artichoke dip, grilled beef tenderloin, and marinated vegetables sat at stations. The event also included an open bar, but the happy-hour timeframe minimized the potential for overindulgence.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 43

It was a unique event for All Makes’ unique milestone. On other occasions, if the company entertains, they typically put together smaller parties or lunch events to update clients on the latest office furniture.

“The biggest reason why we threw this party is we wanted to celebrate 100 years of business,” Breitag says. “We also wanted to use it as a way to thank the people who have helped All Makes get to where we are today, especially vendors, manufacturing partners, and our clients.”

MARKETING WHERE IT COUNTS

Community leaders also attended the event and sung the praises of the 100-year-old company.

“We were pleasantly surprised when Mayor Jean Stothert and Greater Omaha Chamber President David Brown accepted our invitation,” Breitag says. “We were happy they could come. They had nice words about the company; it was exactly what we hoped for.”

And while the celebratory atmosphere encouraged new connections, the planning committee remained mindful that this was a work function.

“In this world, today’s vendor could be tomorrow’s client,” Brietag says. “Today’s client could be tomorrow’s vendor. Bringing that audience together in one area for one event was a way to celebrate a milestone, but it also ended up being a great marketing opportunity. We didn’t want to let that opportunity slip by.”

The company also held smaller events in conjunction with their 100-year anniversary, such as a “100 Years, $100,000” campaign. In this giveaway, one nonprofit in each of the four cities with All Makes locations—Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, and Des Moines—won a prize package worth $25,000.

In Omaha, The Autism Center of Nebraska won $25,000 worth of All Makes office furniture, along with a Kyocera CopyStar copier, and a Meeting Owl conferencing solution.

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44 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

Spencer Brookstein

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY · MARCH | 45

FEATURE | STORY BY MAGGIE O’BRIEN | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

RETAINING WALL WHAT CAN COMPANIES DO TO KEEP EMPLOYEES? ood workers are hard to keep. U.S. unemployment rates were remarkably low in 2018. While that is good news for workers, it’s potentially challenging for companies trying to retain their top talent for the long haul.

Competition is fierce. Employees are no longer staying in one spot for years—even decades—just because they earn a decent salary, like what they do, and are comfortable where they are.

Perhaps more than ever, experts say, companies across the country—including those in Omaha— are realizing how imperative employee retention has become in today’s strong job market.

“There’s no loyalty,” says Spencer Brookstein, president of Brookstein and Associates Executive Recruiters. “You don’t go to work for somebody in your 20s and stay there forever. Those days are gone.”

But was this simply a romantic ideal? A 2014 study titled “What Should I Be When I Grow Up? Occupations and Unemployment Over the Life Cycle” notes that, “Young workers enter the labor market not knowing the occupation that they are the most productive in.” This study goes on to note that those younger workers who are most desired traditionally have the highest rates of mobility.

This past summer, the Labor Department released its April 2018 snapshot of the economy, showing the unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2000. At the same time, a younger, tech-savvy workforce continues to emerge, bringing with it a new generation of employees who are demanding more than average salaries, two-week vacations, health care, and retirement benefits.

Because of that, Brookstein says, companies are trying to find creative ways to keep their current employees happy.

“With compensation you’ve got salary,” Brookstein says. “Salary is important, but there’s also benefits, especially medical benefits, and perks. Does the company offer discounts to places in town, gym memberships, an extra week of vacation, or special recognition for something done right?”

Union Pacific, according to a company report, offers child care both in-home and on campus for employees, pet care, tutoring and homework help for employees’ children, elderly care, and housekeeping.

U.P. “draws thriving talent, energizes current employees, and develops them to carry out our mission while leading the transportation industry into the future. Key engagement initiatives revolve around our culture, workplace relationships, employee rewards, job responsibilities, and personal growth opportunities,” the report says.

All Makes, which celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2018, has seen an increase in office-furniture business as younger workers desire open-concept offices, which, interestingly, were popular in the 1960s.

“When it comes to recruiting and retaining talent, pay and benefits play a major role, but so does the work environment, i.e., the furniture and workspaces available,” says Amee Zetzman, AllMakes CFO. “Due to the Great Recession and explosion of the ‘gig economy,’ young adults expect remote, flexible, and collaborative workspaces— similar to what they experienced in college.”

While environment and culture mean a lot to younger employees, how do employers turn these values into their value of retention?

Zetzman says that having employees with passion and treating employees with compassion is a strategy that has helped this century-old company retain a great staff.

“We have people that have been at All Makes for more than 45 years, and that’s inspired by their passion for their jobs and loyalty to the company,” Zetzman says. “We strive to treat our employees like family and encourage honesty and open communication. Our office doors are never closed and we encourage people to come to us directly with issues as well as solutions.”

CONT. PAGE 46

46 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

WHILE ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE MEAN A LOT TO YOUNGER EMPLOYEES, HOW DO EMPLOYERS TURN THESE VALUES INTO THEIR VALUE OF RETENTION?

FROM PAGE 45 “We also make it a priority to give back to the community, and our employees follow that lead,” says All-Makes CEO Jeff Kavich. “We listen to all requests regardless of size or scope, and take suggestions from our employees for what is important to them. Our team members’ personal circumstances influence our giving.”

Brookstein says that while employees leave jobs, they tend to stay in the same industry they start out in, whether that’s accounting, law, medicine, real estate, or another field.

To retain employees, Brookstein says companies should look at what he called “two sides of the coin.”

First, career growth.

“If you look at it from the employee point of view, you’re looking to see if your current company is offering you growth and not stagnation,” Brookstein says. “You’ve heard of the five- or 10-year plan? I say, look at two or three. Does the employee see themselves doing the same job, working for the same boss, the same responsibilities two or three years down the road with no growth possibilities?

Probably not.”

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Second, compensation.

“I’m not talking about people leaving for a dollar more an hour or whatever,” Brookstein says.

“Nobody’s going to make a switch for that, but they will for more.”

Brookstein continues: “So how do I keep people happy at my company? Pay them above market rate. A company paying 10 percent or more above market rate is going to see their employees staying with them longer.”

Another factor is lower and middle managers.

While most people want to do work they love, having a positive relationship with a direct manager can make a world of difference.

While higher salary and better benefits may cost a company some money, turnover is more expensive, Brookstein says.

“Hiring and training costs are exorbitant,” he says.

“If you won’t pay someone an extra $5,000 a year it’s going to cost $20,000 to hire someone new and train them. If your employees leave, you’re going to pay many times over what you could have paid them to stay.”

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48 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 1

OMAHA CVB BY KEITH BACKSEN

OMAHA IS A PRO WHEN IT COMES TO AMATEUR SPORTS nybody who knows anything about Omaha’s sports history knows the name Bob Gibson. One of Omaha’s most notable athletes, Gibson started as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957; everyone expected him to have a future in the National Basketball Association. After all, he was a standout basketball player at Technical High School and later Creighton University. But Gibson’s career changed to baseball when the St. Louis Cardinals offered him a contract. In 1959, he made his Major League Baseball debut.

One of the highlights of Gibson’s pitching career was a recorded 17 strikeouts during Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. Gibson’s success that season sparked fundamental changes in the rules of baseball—sometimes known as the “Gibson Rules.” The MLB lowered the pitcher’s mound by five inches and reduced the strike zone height from the batter’s armpits to his jersey letters. Who would have thought a kid from Omaha would one day have such an impact on the game?

Throughout Omaha’s history, local fans have cheered homegrown athletes like Gibson, NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, NBA player Kyle Korver, and welterweight world champion Terence Crawford as they climbed the sports ladder to become professional athletes. Today, Omaha continues to embrace amateur athletes and their fans as the city hosts events such as the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, NCAA basketball, volleyball tournaments, wrestling tournaments, and the NCAA Men’s College World Series.

The city even embraces the youngest of athletes during events like Slumpbusters, a little league tournament that attracts more than 500 youth baseball teams from across the country. In February each year, Omaha hosts more than 400 high school teams from across the country for the annual President’s Day Volleyball tournament. Youth sporting events use baseball fields, volleyball courts, and sporting facilities throughout the metro area.

These sporting events are fun for young athletes and their families, but are also good for business. When an out-of-state team competes in Omaha, the team, their fans, outof-town media, and officials stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and shop in stores. In fact, recent research revealed a party of three visiting Omaha for a sporting event, on average, stays four days and spends $1,298—that’s more than the average business traveler, or average family of three visiting for a fun weekend, typically spends.

The next time you are sitting in the stands watching a basketball game, cheering at a baseball tournament, or witnessing an amazing swimming performance, keep this in mind— you may be sitting next to a visitor who is helping to boost Omaha’s economy as you both cheer on the next generation of hall-of-famers.

B2B

ETHICS BY BEVERLY KRACHER

GOOD JOB OR DREAM JOB? hen thinking about career opportunities, one situation comes up to me frequently—that is, do I quit a job I just accepted if my dream job comes along? Here is a common scenario:

My answer to this person is: you and your dreams count.

However; this person’s strong ethical lens allows this person to not only recognize self-interest, but also see past it.

An employee worked for a company for 10 years. Then, it restructured and the employee lost his/her job. That employee networked and found a good job. The firm on-boarded said employee, who started working there for three weeks. This employee likes the work and has begun to implement a big project that will take months to complete. The employee’s skills are needed to successfully complete the project, which is essential to their strategic plan. If the company gets this right they will be able to grow their business over the next three years.

Many people want to help make the world a better place and have fun to boot. They are willing to take less money for this. But these values conflict with promise-keeping and the harm created at a good job if an employee leaves after only a few weeks. Hiring and on-boarding a salaried employee is costly, and leaving a team short-handed­—putting their strategic project behind—is perhaps to the long-term detriment of the firm.

Then, a potential boss at the new employee’s dream job calls with an opportunity at a smaller firm that is doing cutting-edge work. The employee likes the ability to use their skills to innovate with a hard-working, fun-loving team, and then turn ideas over to a group of creatives that will bring the best of them to the market.

The company is the kind of firm that is written up in Fast Company. It will make products that allow people in developing cultures to live better lives. The pay is quite a bit less, but the employee can make it work.

Here is the ethical question. Should this employee stay at the job he/she just started? Or is it OK to quit for this dream job? The decision needs to be made quickly.

Ethically speaking, how long does a promise to hold a job last? One day? Three weeks? Should it be commensurate with the amount of time and energy put forth by the firm?

Anyone in the good job versus dream job situation has to come to grips with the values in conflict, keep the context in mind, and recognize that what they do affects themselves as well as others. Anyone with strong ethical decision-making skills recognizes that the solution might not be an either-or.

Wisdom suggests that courageous conversations with all parties will likely result in a solution that honors one’s principles and mitigates harm all the way around.

B2B

Keith Backsen is executive director of the

Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Business

Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Ethics Alliance and the Daugherty Chair in Business Ethics and Society at Creighton University.

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