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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

publisher

executive editor

TODD LEMKE

DOUG MEIGS

vice president

managing editor

GREG BRUNS

B2B, Family Guide, special projects

executive vice president

DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

sales & marketing

GIL COHEN

managing editor Encounter

senior sales executive

ERIC STOAKES

GWEN LEMKE editor-at-large branding specialists

KYLE FISHER MARY HIATT GEORGE IDELMAN JOSHUA PETERSON

TARA SPENCER editorial assistant

LINDSAY WILSON editorial intern

assistant to the publisher

CALLIE OLSON

SANDY MATSON creative director senior sales assistant

BILL SITZMANN

ALICIA SMITH HOLLINS art director account assistant

MATTHEW WIECZOREK

DAWN DENNIS SHERRY LORENCE

senior graphic designer

DEREK JOY operations

TYLER LEMKE

graphic designer

MADY BESCH accounting

HOLLEY GARCIA-CRUZ distribution manager

MIKE BREWER advertising information

402-884-2000 subscribe online

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM/ SUBSCRIBE $12.95 FOR ONE YEAR (FOUR ISSUES)

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B2B Magazine is published four times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: 402-884-2000; fax 402-884-2001.

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.

contributors

SCOTT ANDERSON KEITH BACKSEN RYAN BORCHERS TAMSEN BUTLER JASON FOX KIRBY KAUFMAN BEVERLY KRACHER KARA SCHWEISS CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI ALEX PRIEST KARL SCHAPHORST DOUG SCHURING WENDY TOWNLEY MICHAEL WATKINS SARAH WENGERT SEAN WEIDE contributed photography

ARIEL FRIED SARAH LEMKE KEITH BINDER SCOTT DRICKEY

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

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TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER

24

ATTRACTING AND RETAINING ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS

FEATURES

20

26

ANDREW CONZETT

Meaningful Design Conversations

BIG OMAHA

Designers, Tech Giants Unite

DEPARTMENTS

06 AFTER HOURS 10 BIZ + GIVING 12 IN THE OFFICE

How AIGA Helps Designers Omaha By Design

A House Becomes a Beauty Salon

62

A FAIR DEAL

Omaha's Container Stores

SPECIAL SECTIONS

16 HOW I ROLL 30 OMAHA! 58 LEADERS 68 ON THE RISE

An Oscar Mayer Wienermobile NAGL Manufacturing

34 23 41

THE DESIGN ISSUE PROFILES BUY OMAHA PROFILE Ideal Pure Water

61 67

SALES INSIDER I’m Not A Salesperson

Rachel Halbmaier

THE FIRM DEAL REVIEW Buyer Power Edition

7 3 T R E E S have been reforested due to the printing of this publication. More information at printreleaf.com

Nathan Miller

COLUMNS

05 FROM THE EDITOR 33 BRAND BRIEF Designing Omaha

Design Needs Language Needs Design

57 57

OFFICE FURNITURE Where Do You Work? Everywhere!

OMAHA CVB Building More Than Bridges

PLAYING BIG A Conversation with Nancy Pridal

72

ETHICS Ethical Twists and Turns

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

Thanks Omaha for over 30 Years!

We would also like to thank Omaha for voting our company the Best of B2B™.

05

FROM THE EDITOR

BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

DESIGNING OMAHA

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I’m the first to admit that I’m not the most feminine of women. Yet I have one ritual that falls into the “girly” category—I love polishing my nails. My favorite polish brands cost about $3 to $5 and include a component that is made right here in Omaha.

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NAGL Manufacturing creates the bottle brushes for nearly all major polish brands. Their work includes custom designs for Essie and Christian Louboutin, among others.

Design. It’s all around us, and it’s the theme of this issue.

Did you notice the Wienermobile roll through the Old Market on April 24? This now-classic car features an intriguing design—all based around a hot dog theme.

Omaha is a great place for architects and engineers to live, but many new graduates already knew that.

Oftentimes, UNL and UNO graduates choose the quality of life that can be found here over larger cities and jobs with higher salaries.

Other graduates leave Omaha and return with big ideas. Nate Miller worked in Los Angeles and for a New York City firm. He now runs his own Omaha-based company, Proving Ground.

Check out Fair Deal Marketplace in North Omaha when you have a chance. The new shopping area is home to several micro businesses—and the entire struture was made from shipping containers.

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Omaha is home to a lot of great design.

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

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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AFTER HOURS | BY RYAN BORCHERS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

AIGA: BRINGING INCLUSIVITY TO THE DESIGN COMMUNITY

From left: Cathy Solarana and Amy Markham

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

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If you’re passionate about an activity, you want to seek out others who share your interest. The more niche an activity, the harder it may be for those with a common interest to come together.

Nebraska’s design community, though, has just the organization to meet that challenge.

The American Institute of Graphic Arts calls itself “the profession’s oldest and largest professional membership organization for design,” and it features an active chapter in Nebraska.

“It gives them a platform to come together so they can have a voice as a whole entity,” says Cathy Solarana, 51, AIGA Nebraska’s diversity and inclusion director.

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AIGA Nebraska, Markham says, is all about bringing people in Nebraska’s design community together, putting potential collaborators in touch with one another and providing each other with job opportunities. The organization caters to graphic designers, web designers, user-interface designers, and the like, but AIGA has started connecting with other design professionals such as coders, videographers, architects, and animators.

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“They were the ones that really pushed the idea of being a member of AIGA because being a part of that community is essential to your career as a designer,” she says.

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Amy Markham, 33, is a user-interface designer for Kiewit and the current president of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Nebraska.

She studied graphic design at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and became involved with the organization because her professors stressed its importance.

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This year, many of AIGA Nebraska’s events are focused on helping its community to become more diverse and inclusive. Holding events, Markham says, is one of the local chapter’s hallmarks.

“Since we are an organization that is mostly eventsfocused, the events that we put on kind of create that sense of community,” she says.

“We’re not communicating particularly well if we communicate to only one particular culture or community,” Solarana says.

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“In addition to hosting valuable events and providing design resources, AIGA offers discounts on products, software, and event admission,” Allen says. “Really, though, it’s the intangible things— friendships forged, passions discovered, and changes made—which make AIGA membership so rewarding.”

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Mary Allen, 34, AIGA Nebraska’s director of communications, discovered a passion for design when she made graphics for the Facebook account of the parent-teacher organization at her daughters’ elementary school. Now she’s a full-time graphic design student at Metropolitan Community College.

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“It’s really hard to dislike someone when you are standing in front of them,” Solarana says. She also says that AIGA Nebraska hopes to hold another one in November and to hold two every year going forward.

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Allen recognizes that committing to the organization can be demanding.

“I understand that our membership and potential members are busy people, because I’m a busy person myself,” Allen says. “But something else I have in common with our membership is that we’re passionate people—passionate about design and about serving this community.”

Visit nebraska.aiga.org for more information.

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volume 17 | issue 2

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BIZ + GIVING | BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

OMAHA BY DESIGN BRINGING TOGETHER THE CITY AND ITS NEIGHBORHOODS

“YOU NEED TO HAVE THAT VOICE THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY, DEVELOPERS, ARTISTS, THE PASSIONATE ENVIRONMENTAL PEOPLE” -CONNIE SPELLMAN

Julie Reilly

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

When a new West Omaha Wal-Mart was being proposed in 2000, Connie Spellman remembers, someone questioned the difference between its uninspired, big-box design and a Wal-Mart with gabled parapets, lots of windows, and other visual details seen in Fort Collins, Colorado. An attorney responded that the Colorado community had adopted a set of design standards, sparking a conversation that eventually led to the 2001 establishment of Omaha by Design as an initiative of the Omaha Community Foundation.

“Omaha by Design was founded by three leading business owners in the community: Bruce Lauritzen, Ken Stinson, and John Gottschalk.

They had the foresight to see that Omaha needed this capacity,” says Julie Reilly, who has been Omaha by Design’s executive director since 2015. “Without their leadership we would not have started down the path when we did and the way we did.”

Omaha by Design, now an independent nonprofit, works to improve the physical places in the community, using urban design principles and best practices as tools to address the issues of revitalization, development, environmental sustainability, and mobility while encouraging the creation of engaging and attractive places. Their projects range from the Benson-Ames Alliance, on which Omaha by Design serves as the project manager, to Public Art Omaha’s website and app.

“You need to have that voice that brings together the community, the city, developers, artists, the passionate environmental people,” says Spellman, Omaha by Design’s initial executive director.

“It’s all about collaboration, engagement, and working together.”

In the beginning, it took “faith and patience,” she adds. At the time, there were no urban design professionals in city government.

“We were able to work with the community, and the developers, and everyday citizens, and the city [government] to create an urban design for the entire city,” she says.

That was the easy part.

“We learned you have to change the existing codes to implement the master plan…this is where it became more difficult. But after two years of constant negotiation, especially with the development community, the citizenry, and

the city—who were wonderful—we passed all of the zoning codes and the urban design plan unanimously,” Spellman says.

Zoning code changes ultimately adopted via City Council approval were widespread. For instance, requirements for tree planting on new streets and individual lots became more stringent. A new designation, Area of Civic Importance, was created to allow for special guidelines protecting these designated areas and governing their development, from site layout to landscaping of access roads and parking. Another designation, mixed-zone, made possible walkable neighborhoods that connect to pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use centers at major intersections.

COMING THIS FALL

“We thought we would be lucky if we would see changes in 20 years,” Spellman says. “Well, we started seeing changes in two years.”

Since 2001, Omaha has seen neighborhoods revitalize and business districts resurrect or develop, and the people of the community now not only understand the term “urban design,” they see it firsthand, Reilly says.

“Looking at what Omaha by Design has done over the years, I think the most important thing is contributing to the concepts of urban design and policy, becoming part of the conversation for our city,” she explains. “The actual citizens and residents understand what urban design and policy best practice can bring to making their lives better in Omaha.”

The current membership of the board of directors and advisory committee represents more sectors of the community than ever, Reilly says. As a new nonprofit, “We’re still finding our way to a recipe that will allow our board of directors and our advisory committee to have the best impact for the organization but also be conscious of their volunteer contributions in terms of time and energy,” she explains. “We’re bringing people together from different sectors to discuss issues that are ultimately common between those sectors…We all want a better Omaha, a better greater metro area, a vibrant, livable city for all.

Who wakes up every morning and thinks about the future of Omaha? We do.”

Visit omahabydesign.org for more information.

B2B

Julie Reilly

The

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15+ YEARS OF

LOCAL BUISNESSES RESERVE YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE SPOT TODAY!

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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volume 17 | issue 2

IN THE OFFICE | BY MICHAEL WATKINS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

A HOUSE BECOMES A BEAUTY SALON

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The Grey House Salon near 87th and Center streets is called that because it’s gray in color, and it’s shaped like a house.

In fact, it was someone’s house many years ago.

The remnant layout reveals a kitchen, living quarters, and bathrooms.

The house was converted into a beauty salon more than 20 years ago, and was known as Sheer Madness for decades before being vacated a couple of years ago.

When business partners Carmen Stuckenholtz and Lacey Ward started looking for a place to open their own salon last year, they remembered the large “Sheer Madness” sign they saw numerous times while driving and sought out the midcentury style house.

“Originally, we wanted to call our business ‘Trust Me Boutique,’ but our lawyer discovered that Nebraska law prohibits businesses from having ‘trust’ in their name because it is misleading,” says Stuckenholtz, who worked with Ward for 13 years at another salon before the friends embarked upon becoming business owners together.

There is, indeed, a law from 1924 on the books that states there can be no use of the word “trust” in an LLC. “We remembered the house, and once we saw it and toured the inside, we knew it was what we wanted. It had a crazy vibe that was different from everything else we saw. It wasn’t generic,” Stuckenholz says.

They bought it, and then painted it gray.

“It’s memorable and easy to find. When we tell people how to find us, we can just tell them to look for the gray house.”

Before opening last summer, Stuckenholtz and Ward—along with their husbands and friends— spent two months removing outdated fixtures and décor dating back to the ’80s and ’90s to modernize the salon.

The bulk of the work was strictly cosmetic.

CONT. PAGE 14

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FROM PAGE 13 In addition to painting the outside of the building its distinctive gray color, they pulled up carpet and put in new flooring; replaced the work stations with new, sleek mirrors, sinks, and chairs; gave each room an individual paint color and feel; converted the reception area into a plush, genderneutral environment (they have a large male clientele as well as serve children) with comfortable seating and surroundings; and even found new uses for bathtubs that remained from when it was someone’s house.

“In the bathrooms, my husband covered the bathtubs with plywood and created interesting planters to lighten up the rooms and make them feel more like home and provide some green space,” Ward says. “It’s been a great location for us. We really put both of our personalities in the paint colors, décor, and furnishings. It feels like home.

“We really wanted the interior to have a very comfortable, home-like feel to it, which is one of the biggest reasons we chose this house rather than renting space in a strip mall. Everything we did here, we did ourselves. We wanted this to be an extension of our homes.”

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Both women say owning their own business has been simultaneously rewarding and terrifying.

Despite the uncertainty of being responsible for the livelihoods of themselves as well as three other stylists and a front desk manager, they remain committed to their dream and are excited to enjoy the continued growth of their business past this first year.

“Our first goal is to always do the right thing by and for other people, including ourselves,” says Stuckenholtz, adding that they are planning some sort of celebration July 31 to commemorate their first year of operation.

“When you have people depending upon your business decisions so they have paychecks to support themselves and their families, it makes you evaluate everything very carefully,” she says. “But we are so excited to be running our own business.

It’s something Lacey and I talked about for years, and now we’re living it. It’s a dream come true.”

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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HOW I ROLL | BY SEAN WEIDE | PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED

WHO’D LOVE TO HAVE AN OSCAR MAYER WIENERMOBILE? ASHLEY EISERT’S DREAM JOB—WORKING IN A DREAM MACHINE

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is not your father’s muscle car of the 1960s.

Don’t tell that to Ashley Eisert, a 2016 University of Nebraska-Omaha graduate who relishes her job driving and promoting one of the world’s most famous vehicles.“It really does have a lot of pick-up,” Eisert says as she gets ready for another day on the job as a “Hotdogger.” (Yes, that is her official title.) “It might take a little bit to get from zero to 60, but it does have a lot of power to it. It can definitely haul bun,” she says.

If you get the feeling Eisert savors rolling in the 11-foot-tall, 27-foot-long hot dog, she does.

Since last June, the former Papillion-LaVista South student has been wheeling through 27 states in one of six Wienermobiles as part of the company’s team.

In terms of famous four-wheelers, the Wienermobile ranks right up there with Doc Brown’s DeLorean, the many incarnations of the Batmobile, or—for you old-timers—that whiz-bang of a grand prix car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. All of them gained fame on the silver screen. (What do you mean you didn’t see the Wienermobile in 1992’s Ladybugs starring the late Rodney Dangerfield?)

But has there ever been such a novelty advertising vehicle that can get people to stand up through their sunroof, camera phone in hand, to honk and wave?

This bunderful story could get eaten up fast.

CONT. PAGE 18

SUMMER 2017 |

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

THE CUSTOM-MADE, GRILLED FIBERGLASS DOG SITS ATOP A LIGHTLY-TOASTED FIBERGLASS BUN ON A CONVERTED GM CHEVROLET FOURSPEED/W4 SERIES CHASSIS WITH A V8, 6.0 LITER, 300 HORSEPOWER VORTEC 5700 ENGINE.

FROM PAGE 16 The first Wienermobile dates back to 1936 when Carl Mayer had an advertising idea for his Uncle Oscar: a 13-foot-long hot dog car that would travel through the streets of Chicago, advertising the meat-and-cold-cuts company that Oscar founded in 1883.

General Body Co. of Chicago made the first Wienermobile. Today the cars are constructed

by Prototype Source, a Santa Barbara, Californiabased designer of mobile marketing vehicles.

In 2004, the company started working with

automotive designer Harry Bradley—best known for his Mattel Hot Wheels car designs—to completely produce the custom-made vehicles.

Everything down to the windshield wipers is made special.

So what lies under the 14,050-pound vehicle?

(That’s 140,500 hot dogs, according to Oscar Mayer’s official fact sheet.) The custom-made, grilled fiberglass dog sits atop a lightly-toasted fiberglass bun on a converted GM Chevrolet fourspeed/W4 series chassis with a V8, 6.0 liter, 300 horsepower Vortec 5700 engine.

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Oscar Mayer owns six Wienermobiles Each of the six Wienermobiles features a snazzy interior complete with six ketchup-and-mustardcolored captain seats, a gull-wing door with retractable steps, a removable “bunroof,” carpet featuring a condiment-splattered pattern, and sunny, blue sky ceiling art. There is storage space for thousands of Wiener Whistles, a custom-built, solar-powered stereo with a microphone system on which hotdoggers can speak to people during parades, and a horn that plays the Oscar Mayer jingle in 21 different music genres. Oh, and it runs on unleaded and gets “thousands of smiles per gallon.”

How long does it take to build one of these specialized vehicles that is 18 hot dogs wide?

“Franks for asking!” Prototype Source Owner Dorian Duke did not say.

“From the time we install the fiberglass body on a chassis to installing all the custom electrical, audio, and video, is between 16 and 22 weeks,” Duke says. “We started off with the Wienermobile, and pretty soon people were asking us to make other special product mobiles. We’ve made the Hershey’s “Kissmobile,” the Kellogg’s “Tonymobile,” the Pepperidge Farm “Goldfish,” and quite a few others.

There is even a free Wienermobile app you can download to track the orange-and-yellow monstrosities. According to the product description, you can “relish the opportunity to ketchup with the Wienermobile” and buckle up, “ride shot-bun, pilot the big dog,” and tour the country with hotdoggers.

Yes, automotive enthusiasts, this car is a real wiener.

Visit oscarmayer.com/wienermobile for more information.

B2B

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FEATURE | BY ALEX PRIEST | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

BRINGING MEANINGFUL DESIGN CONVERSATIONS TO OMAHA ANDREW CONZETT AND THE AIGA OMAHA LECTURE SERIES

volume 17 | issue 2

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

Architecture as an intellectual endeavor extends far beyond brick-and-mortar structures. For designer Andrew Conzett, architecture is a form of problem-solving and way to rewrite immediate questions about the built environment through a culturally sensitive lens. Early in his career, he positioned his curiosity at one of Omaha’s most creatively focused firms, developed numerous discipline-blurring projects, and helped curate a robust series of lectures with the Omaha chapter of the American Institute of Architects. This fusion of localized projects and international discourse is one that not only pushes his own practice forward, but also challenges existing norms and perceptions of regional architecture.

Conzett grew up in Omaha. Since a young age, he was inspired by his father, a civil engineer at a large international firm, and his mother, who was consistently involved with social service and nonprofit organizations. As a soon-to-be licensed architect, Conzett is a cocktail of both. He has always been keenly interested in art and landscape, both of which were influential in his childhood years and helped to inform his atypical response to the “I-always-wanted-to-be-an-architect” story ubiquitous amongst peers (many say it was from building with LEGO bricks as a child). During high school, a design competition piqued his interest. This community-focused extracurricular project, which combined multi-disciplinary teamwork and a design-based approach, prompted him to apply to the College of Design at Iowa State University.

While at Iowa State, his intense studio assignments were mixed with conversations and projects with artists and creative thinkers. Working alongside a diversity of artistic studies pushed him to see the multiplicity of architecture. During his final year in the architecture program, one of Conzett’s classmates responded to his non-binary projects by asking, “Do you want to be an installation artist or architect?” Conzett did not know how to respond; however, this prompt of either/or has now become a defining feature of his practice.

While studying, Conzett diversified his architectural coursework with internships at the Omaha Public Library and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, where he interned with artist Sean Ward and curator Hesse McGraw. After graduating in 2010, he moved to Omaha and was soon commissioned to design an office pod installation at the headquarters of Bozell. The project resulted in a spatial intervention that was recognized by the AIA Central States Region’s

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“IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO HEAR PROFESSIONALS TALK ABOUT THEIR DESIGN PROCESS AND WORK,” SAYS EMILY ANDERSEN, OWNER OF DEOLD ANDERSEN ARCHITECTURE. “BUT IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO HAVE LECTURERS COME TO OMAHA THAT ARE TRULY CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS.” Excellence in Design Awards for “Detail Honor and the Interior Design Best of Year Award for Budget Interiors.”

His interests in a diverse range of project types brought him to his current position at Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture in 2011. At the collaborative open studio in north downtown where architects work alongside interior designers, graphic designers, artists, and engineers, Conzett is staying busy outside the office as well.

His CV for research-based and experimental projects is dense. Stepping one foot outside the firm, Conzett has worked collaboratively on award-winning projects with Emerging Terrain, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Council Bluffs Park System, including River’s Edge Park.

Each project allows him to intensely research form, material, and site. They also provide an instant design-to-built-project process that allows ideas to come to fruition faster than with traditional design-bid-build projects, which often take years to complete. These research-based projects also speak to his interest in architecture as built form that has the ability to blur lines between disciplines and methodologies.

For Conzett, “contemporary architecture practice requires thinking about new methods and materials, and thus inspires me to seek out unique project types as a way to expand my knowledge of design and the built environment.”

His most recent endeavor, the AIA Omaha lecture series, conflates his efforts in community activities and intellectual pursuits. Organized in collaboration with Ross Miller and other AIA Omaha members, the 2017 lecture series is a thought-provoking forum for design thinking.

Bringing in award-winning international and national architects, such as Mike Nesbit of Morphosis in Los Angeles and Kai-Uwe Bergmann of Bjarke Ingles Group in Copenhagen, the role of these lectures are two-fold. First, they are an opportunity for professional architects and the

general public to participate in architectural discourse. Secondly, the lectures provide a voice for a range of architectural practices that are advancing disciplinary boundaries.

While the series may seem hyper-niche, the visiting lecturers produce a diverse range of project types. These architects discuss the scholarly and tactile impact of design beyond simply making buildings. As award-winning content creators, the lecturers stimulate the public and challenge architects to aim their work to an elevated level of design excellence.

“It is always good to hear professionals talk about their design process and work,” says Emily Andersen, owner of DeOld Andersen Architecture.

“But it is even more important to have lecturers come to Omaha that are truly challenging assumptions. The lectures bring the potential of a meaningful conversation that allows us to see into the creative process of other design professionals.

And so I really appreciate the work that AIA does, as well as Design Alliance Omaha to help bring that discourse here.”

In all of his work, Conzett is running against the boundaries of the discipline with a keen understanding that traditional definitions of architecture and the built environment deserve to be challenged and pushed forward.

“Opportunities such as professional work with [Alley Poyner], design-build exhibition and installation commissions, and the AIA Omaha lecture series are all ways for me to continue to experiment with and better understand the practice of architecture,” he says.

Visit aiaomaha .org/lecture-series more information.

B2B

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volume 17 | issue 2

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FEATURE | BY CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

DESIGNING AND BUILDING A LIFE IN OMAHA HOW THE MIDLANDS ATTRACTS AND RETAINS ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS

Stephanie Guy, project and resource manager at Alvine Engineering

volume 17 | issue 2

SUMMER 2017 |

omahamagazine.com

Wanted: beautiful minds.

Omaha architectural and engineering firms continue to hang the “help wanted” sign, roll out the welcome mat, and host job fairs, looking to snag that rarest of breeds: an employee who uses both sides of the brain equally, combining the practicality of a physicist and mathematician with the soul of an artist. In other words, young architects and architectural engineers are hot commodities in a leading job market.

Low interest rates and demand for new development (which shows no signs of ebbing) keep employers busy looking for qualified applicants. Where do they find the necessary numbers? Right in their own backyard.

“Certainly the job market in Omaha within architecture and engineering is very, very, very strong,” emphasizes Christopher Johnson, a vice president and managing principal at Leo A Daly, part of the big three of Omaha architecture firms, along with DLR and HDR. “Even when you look locally at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, PKI (Peter Kiewit Institute), or Nebraska-Lincoln, the interns and the graduates are secure in their employment by the holiday season, before they go home for their holiday break. That’s a lot earlier than what we would normally see.”

Top-notch schooling—the College of Architecture and the College of Engineering on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, and the Kiewit Institute and the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction on the university’s Omaha campus— provides Omaha firms with a locally grown crop of well-grounded, technically advanced job candidates who work well with others and possess problem-solving skills.

“In Omaha, we typically hire between 10 and 12 architects and engineers every year,” says Johnson.

In addition, Leo A Daly’s internship program places about four students on the architecture/ interior side and the same number on the engineering side.

How do the salaries compare?

“Entry-level job salaries are competitive in the Omaha market because we have a very competitive spirit among all the private firms here,” Johnson says. “But when you look at the national picture, you might say they look a little lower.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for architects nationally is $76,100.

Omaha’s lower numbers reflect a geographical lower cost of living.

While many graduates take their sheepskin and leave for larger salaries in larger cities like Chicago, Boston, or Dallas, an impressive percentage chooses to stay close to family and friends. Two young professionals who made a conscious decision a decade ago to stay rooted in Nebraska have seen their stars ascend on a local and national level.

Stephanie Guy, project and resource manager at Alvine Engineering in Omaha, and Andrew Yosten, managing engineering principal and director of mechanical engineering of HDR’s architecture practice in Omaha, both found their calling early. In many ways, they mirror each other’s lives.

“My uncle owned a construction company and I enjoyed building things, but I was always pulled toward engineering,” Yosten, 34, says of his teenage years growing up in West Point, Nebraska.

“I happened to stumble across a pamphlet on architectural engineering. None of the other engineering fields really appealed to me until I read that pamphlet.”

Guy comes from a place even smaller than West Point. In fact, Mullen, Nebraska, population 492, is the only town in Hooker County, nestled in the state’s beautiful Sandhills. Like Yosten, she became more interested in how a building functions than in its design.

“When I was a junior or senior in high school, I thought about architecture, but I leaned more towards the math and science rather than the creativity,” says Guy, also 34 and president-elect of the Architectural Engineering Institute. “So I thought engineering would be a natural fit.”

Guy and Yosten earned advanced degrees, two years apart, from Durham on the UNO campus, one of the few schools in the country offering a five-year program combining a bachelor’s and master’s degree in architectural engineering. Each specialized in mechanical engineering, obtaining a breadth of knowledge of a building’s structural aspects, plus its lighting, electrical, heating, cooling, and ventilation areas.

Guy opted to work for a company that focuses strictly on engineering, although she still works closely with architects. Her portfolio with Alvine includes renewable energy projects at Creighton University, renovations at Duchesne Academy in

25

Omaha, a new school of nursing at the University of Michigan, a 50-story residential high-rise and a 50-story Class A office building, both in Chicago.

“There’s something about this Midwestern location and Midwestern work ethic that allows us to be successful,” Guy says. “We’re just a flight away from both coasts. HDR, DLR, and Leo A Daly all started here and are still here, three of the largest architectural and engineering firms in the world, with offices around the globe.”

Yosten, who interned at HDR while in school, felt at home with the company’s global reach from the get-go, especially in the field of health care.

“My mom is a physician assistant in West Point, and my wife is a nurse, so I have a true appreciation for what they do,” Yosten says. “So when I learned how much HDR’s portfolio is geared towards health care, that was a big drive for me to stay here.”

Some of the notable health care projects Yosten’s teams have guided include the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, set to open soon, and a $1.27 billion replacement for Parkland Hospital in Dallas, best known as the hospital where President John F. Kennedy died.

They’re also designing a new tower for Omaha’s Children’s Hospital.

What keeps HDR’s 952 employees in Omaha and Lincoln, Leo A Daly’s 130 local employees, over 50 architectural firms, and more than two dozen engineering firms anchored here? The ability to balance a high-powered job and a personal life in an area that avoids getting caught up in the rat race plays a huge role.

It allows Guy and her husband to raise four daughters, who range from an infant to age 9, while pursuing a career that has garnered her numerous professional awards.

It allows Yosten time to play with his 18-monthold twin boys, who he says are “really ornery and a handful” but the light of his life, along with his wife, Jill.

Development may be booming in Omaha, but sometimes the intangibles prove a greater lure for employees.

B2B

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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BIG OMAHA

FEATURE | BY WENDY TOWNLEY | PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY BIG OMAHA

BRINGING TOGETHER DESIGNERS, TECH GIANTS, STARTUPS, AND INVESTORS

Big Omaha participants try virtual reality goggles at a previous year's event.

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

Rewind to May 8, 2009, and you will find a community of 400-plus graphic designers, entrepreneurs, creatives, developers, small business owners, and even a handful of investors seated in tidy rows at KANEKO in the Old Market. It was a first-of-its-kind conference for Omaha.

Many of these people knew of this event through casual conversations—mostly on Twitter—about a little-known conference coming to town called “Big Omaha.” It was the brainchild and secondborn of friends Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson (the previous year’s Silicon Prairie News being their firstborn). The two recognized a movement and a simmering energy surrounding the local tech community. It was a cadre of women and men who decided start-up and tech success could happen not on the West Coast but in their own backyards.

The inaugural Big Omaha sold out 10 days prior to the conference. The energy it created has sustained these past eight years. The result? Omaha is now a destination for start-ups seeking new ideas, new energy, and even new money in the form of investors.

“Big Omaha provides inspiration for people to start something,” explains Brian Lee of AIM, a notfor-profit organization that promotes technology to empower people, enhance organizations, and create brilliant communities. Lee serves as managing director of Big Omaha and Silicon Prairie News.

Two years ago, Big Omaha and Silicon Prairie News were acquired by AIM. Although the ownership structure has changed, the Big Omaha experience remains true to what Slobotski and Davidson created with the first conference in 2009.

Now the conference welcomes a sold-out audience of 700 attendees with guest speakers in a range of tech- and entrepreneurial-based industries who have crisscrossed the globe. When the speakers take the stage, the majority are candid about their successes and their failures, which they are encouraged to share in engaging, meaningful, transparent, and memorable ways.

“We ask our speakers to address overcoming challenges, which helps our audience find inspiration,” Lee says. “In the Midwest, we appreciate authenticity. Hearing those struggles helps a lot.”

Part of the splash of Big Omaha’s first conference in 2009 was its clever cow branding, developed by Omaha-based Oxide Design Co. The cow visuals have remained, although design duties changed hands in 2015 from Oxide to Grain & Mortar.

Now that Big Omaha is owned and operated by AIM, its goal is to cover costs through sponsorships and ticket sales, Lee says.

The conference continues to be a hot event.

Tickets that cost as much as $599 are scooped up annually by local, national, and even international attendees.

Big Omaha could move to a larger venue, selling more tickets and earning more revenue. But Lee says from his vantage point, the Big Omaha culture isn’t about a bottom line.

“Our goal is not to outgrow KANEKO. We want to preserve the charm and the experience (of Big Omaha) for as long as we can.”

CONT. PAGE 28

“Big Omaha has had a huge impact on our community,” Lee says. “It is part of a larger movement in the past eight years that started with Big Omaha.”

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BIG OMAHA 2017 Big Omaha returned to KANEKO for the ninth consecutive year May 18 and 19. Below is the lineup of speakers.

Joe Ariel, co-founder and CEO of Goldbely Mona Bijoor, managing partner at King Circle Capital and founder of JOOR Christina Brodbeck, founding partner at Rivet Ventures Daniel Burka, design partner at GV, formerly Google Ventures Shirley Chung, chef and owner at Steamers Co. Baldwin Cunningham, vice president of strategy at Brit + Co., co-founder of Partnered Diana Goodwin, founder and CEO of AquaMobile Alex Klein, co-founder and CEO of Kano Computing Brandon Levy, co-founder and CEO of Stitch Labs Mitch Lowe, co-founder of Netflix, CEO of MoviePass Margenette Moore-Roberts, global head of inclusive diversity at Yahoo Nish Nadaraja, former Yelp brand director, partner at Rich Kid Cool Brian Neider, a partner at Lead Edge Capital Vanessa Torrivilla, co-founder and creative director of Goldbely Shandra Woworuntu, founder of Mentari Matt Zeiler, founder and CEO of Clarifai

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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Part of this charm is the togetherness. Everyone who attends Big Omaha hears the same speakers in the same order. Speakers are encouraged to remain the entire two days of the conference, immersing themselves in the experience and networking with Big Omaha ticket-holders. (The pre-party and post-party have become a popular part of the two-day conference.)

Graphic design, architecture, tech innovation, and entrepreneurship ideas abound here. UNL architecture students provided an art installation in 2016, and a guest speaker in 2015 and 2017 was fashion entrepreneur Mona Bijoor, a favorite among the fashion designers and fashionistas in attendance.

The conference’s first row is filled with familiar faces each year. One of them is Megan Hunt of Omaha, who has attended every single Big Omaha since 2009.

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“I remember the incredible momentum that had built up in the Midwest startup community for this event,” Hunt recalls. “The desire we all had for a space to come together, share the work we were doing, and learn from the superstars in our field was palpable. The way that Dusty and Jeff harnessed that energy and built Omaha’s reputation as a hub of entrepreneurship is nothing short of legendary.”

Hunt has owned a web-based bridal design company, a co-working space, and, most recently, a web-based clothing retailer known as Hello Holiday that also boasts a very visual storefront in the heart of Dundee.

“I love going to Big Omaha because, for me, running a business is not just dollars and cents and strategy around growth,” Hunt adds. “It takes a lot of creativity and ingenuity. Big Omaha is my favorite conference because they do understand this so well, emphasizing how interdisciplinary business and technology can be, and welcoming artists, musicians, designers, and writers— people who may normally be in the minority at other conferences.”

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omAHA! | BY SARAH WENGERT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS INSIDE THE OMAHA-BORN NAGL MANUFACTURING COMPANY

volume 17 | issue 2

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

People don’t spend much time contemplating the products made by Omaha’s NAGL Manufacturing Company, but many certainly depend on them.

Consider NAGL’s top product, the humble nail polish brush. When people apply a fresh coat of color to their toenails or fingernails, they typically think about the polish’s hue and brand, but it is rare to stop and consider the origin or merit of the tiny little brush that applies the paint to make one’s digits pop.

Anyone who has used nail polish in the past 80-plus years has almost certainly used a NAGLmade brush. Carl J. Nagl started the company in the mid 1930s in its original location near Johnny’s Cafe in South Omaha.

“We produce [brushes] for all the major nail polish brands,” says Erica McDonald, controller at NAGL. “NAGL used to make a wider variety of cosmetic brushes, but now we primarily do nail polish brushes and anything that might look like a nail polish brush but is used to apply something else.”

NAGL, currently the world’s largest supplier of nail enamel brushes, produces brushes and/or bottles for beloved brands like CoverGirl, OPI, Revlon, Avon, L’oreal, Sally Hansen, Maybelline, and many others.

“Every nail polish brand, really,” McDonald confirms.

While you would not think of a nail polish brush as a product requiring forward thinking, NAGL does their own development, like their flow-through brush, as well as customizing and creating per customer request. It might not happen daily, but they have created brushes for Essie’s gel couture bottle with a twisted design and Christian Louboutin’s striking, stiletto-esque bottle toppers.

“We are happy to accommodate customer-driven changes that allow for their own take on a brush or product,” McDonald says. “Customers come to us with an idea in mind, then we show them what’s possible within their budget and limitations.

We like to give them the flexibility to do whatever they want.”

CONT. PAGE 32

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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“If you’d asked me before I started here, I would’ve guessed that this nail polish bottle, cap, and brush came from China,” McDonald says. “But it comes from Omaha, Nebraska. It’s kind of wild that these everyday products that you rely on to enhance your beauty come from here—much less this residential neighborhood.”

In addition to being made-in-the-USA, the company prides itself on its sustainability practices.

“We distill 100 percent of our acetone and lacquer, and recycle the sludge that remains from distillation. This saves nearly 6,000 gallons of these hazardous substances from going into landfills each year and remains well below EPA requirements,” McDonald says. “We also reduced our waste output by 50 percent, starting in 2014, by implementing a full-facility recycling program.

With a very plastics-heavy operation, it’s very important to protect the health and sustainability of our environment.”

Despite changes in ownership and product lines over the years, McDonald says NAGL remains a workplace that inspires employee loyalty.

McDonald’s predecessor was with NAGL for 35 years, and human resources manager June Jones has worked there since the 1960s.

“It’s neat to work somewhere you’re actually making the product that you’re selling,” McDonald says.

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THE BRAND BRIEF

33

BY JASON FOX

DESIGN NEEDS LANGUAGE NEEDS DESIGN AND OTHER MUSINGS ON “&” In 2009, filmmaker Doug Pray released Art & Copy, a feature-length documentary that, according to IMDb, aimed to reveal “the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time.” Having watched the film on multiple occasions over the years (it pops up periodically on Netflix), I can endorse that description. Even if the names Lee Clow, George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, or Hal Riney (to cite a few) mean nothing to you, their stories of turning insights into ideas and ideas into brand- and pop-culture-defining work should be required viewing for anyone involved in marketing. But of all the interesting nuggets one can glean from this movie, one of the most important is hiding in plain sight in the title. I’m speaking, naturally, of the ampersand.

The phrase “art & copy” is not unique to this film’s title. It’s been applied to the two main components of the creative side of advertising for decades: the art (what you see) and the copy (what you read or hear). It also refers to the duos charged with creating all of those hopefully persuasive messages—the teams of copywriters and art directors that first became standard operating procedure at Doyle, Dane, Bernbach in the 1960s.

The importance of the ampersand lies in its brief, blunt affirmation that it takes both design and language to create an effective ad. It is not “art or copy,” “art over copy,” or “art instead of copy.”

In a piece of work’s final form, the split between art & copy is, of course, rarely 50-50. That’s natural.

Some campaigns rely more on clever wordplay or provocative statements, while others let the

design and art direction carry more weight.

In the industry at large, the fondness for one over the other tends to be cyclical. Some decades see a renaissance of the written word, only to be followed by a resurgence of the visual.

We find ourselves in an image-driven era. Partly due to the cycle described above, and partly due to the rise of mobile platforms and their associated apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever has taken the lead in livestreaming. Which is all well and good up to a point. As long as we don’t forget that ampersand. Enticing visuals without narrative—whether in literal copy/dialogue or in a piece’s underlying narrative structure—tend to lack weight. Their impact is alluring for the moment, but their message is forgotten the moment someone swipes “next,” turns the page, or clicks “skip ad.”

We live in a world where good design is all around us, and great design isn’t difficult to find. Not just in marketing, but also in products, publishing, architecture, and even food. (There’s still plenty of hideous design, by the way, so let us not grow complacent in fighting the proliferation of mediocrity.) But how much of that design is just proverbial lipstick on a pig instead of an indication of substance? Once your eye moves beyond the well-composed, shallow-depth-of-field shot to

the accompanying text, is the message enhanced, the brand uplifted, and your curiosity piqued?

Or do you wonder why it incongruently sounds like a Buzzfeed listicle only less clever? If so, it’s because the design is either dancing alone, or with an oaf of a partner.

It is not enough to merely look good. Because as soon as you, as a brand, open your pretty mouth, you will sound dumb, boring, or indistinguishable from the herd—akin to saying, “just do something” instead of “just do it.” Nor is it enough to merely sound smart (well, aside from radio), as few want to pay initial attention to the visually cluttered or cliché. No. It takes both design & language— rooted in truth, expressed in interesting, relevant ways—to create advertising worthy of its purpose.

No ifs. No buts. Yet always with an &.

B2B

Jason Fox is a freelance creative director and writer. He can be found at jasonfox.net and adsavior.com.

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Design Issue INTRODUCING OMAHA’S ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, AND DESIGNERS

BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

The Greater Omaha Chamber counts 35 architecture firms, 42 firms with engineers, and 29 graphic design firms among its members.

That’s more than 5,000 people in architecture, engineering, and related fields. Graphic design accounts for another 250 employees. In fact, Omaha is home to three of the nation’s 10 largest architecture/engineering firms with HDR, DLR Group, and Leo A Daly.

These creative people have brought us aweinspiring architecture, for example: Henry Doorly Zoo’s Desert Dome, a 13-story structure spanning more than one acre and boasting 1,760 tinted acrylic panels along with over 500,000 pounds of steel. It is known as the world’s largest glazed geodesic dome.

They have completed feats of engineering that include the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a 3,000-foot cable-stayed bridge in an era when the preferred design is a girder bridge.

They have brought us brands such as "We Don’t Coast," an innovative statement that explains why we choose to live in the center of the country and why we are hard-working, authentic, and inspired. The logo for this brand—or perhaps mission statement—is seen throughout town.

Omaha Publications is thankful to have the support of these designers on the following pages. We’re sure you’ll enjoy reading about these Omaha creatives.

SUMMER 2017 |

omahamagazine.com

WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO DESIGN STRONG COMMUNITIES Doug Bisson Community Planning Manager, HDR Doug Bisson gets recognized a lot. He’s led a lot of public meetings.

But when he joined HDR 17 years ago, he didn’t know he’d have a front row seat to some of the most transformative changes in the region.

“In the last two decades, Omaha saw a significant amount of redevelopment, and the economic impact has been huge,” says Bisson, HDR’s community planning manager. “With developments like Midtown Crossing and Aksarben Village, and North Downtown, anchored by TD Ameritrade Park, we’ve seen well over a billion dollars in development. The impacts from these projects reach far. Omaha’s upgrades have created hundreds of new jobs of all kinds.

Gone are the days when we were competing with L.A. and New York to attract the best and the brightest. We’ve become an international community, a great value in and of itself.”

Each of these projects began with a master plan–a collaboration of smart business leaders, residents and developers who come together to capture a vision of what might be. “I’m proud that I played a part in crafting the framework that allowed such a renaissance. That being said, none of the changes would have been possible without engineers and architects.

They are the heroes of strong communities.”

Consider the Omaha of 1917. When HDR’s founder, H.H. Henningson, established his engineering firm in downtown Omaha, he brought the first power lines to many Nebraska towns. His achievements enabled more than late-night reading. Access to power brought a socio-economic sea change for Nebraska residents.

In celebration of our 100th anniversary, we thought it fitting to ask a few of our own architects and engineers to share how they hope their work will strengthen the community we call home.

35

MichaellaWittmann, Director of Sustainability

Teresa Konda, Water/Wastewater Engineer

Mike Hamilton, Design Principal

Fav Project: Making design sustainable

Fav Project: Making water safe

Fav Project: Inspiring tomorrow’s designers

“I started out as an electrical engineer, and I found my passion in making sustainability part of the infrastructure design process.

True sustainable design makes a community strong by protecting the environment while paying for itself.

Changes like that are taking place in Nebraska. At Bellevue University, I’m giving input to faculty creating an outdoor lab that lets students design sustainable systems, like collecting storm water to fill ponds in which algae can be harvested to create biofuels. It’s a beautiful circle.

I’m proud to be a part of that story.

I hope that one day, sustainable infrastructure design will become routine on a global scale. That’s why I serve on the board for the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure in D.C. If I can help write the guidelines, I’m doing my part to bring this vision to life.”

“One of my first projects was MUD’s Platte West drinking water facility. I was lucky–brand new facilities come along maybe once every 30 years. Platte West created a new drinking water supply for our expanding community.

Now I’m working on the opposite end of the spectrum, working on upgrades at the historic MUD Florence water treatment plant.

Our utilities have done a wonderful job of securing water supply and making continuous improvements to our infrastructure.

Availability of water is a key factor in attracting new business, and that’s important for our long-term economic strength.

I became a water engineer because I liked chemistry, biology, and engineering. I liked that I could use my interests as a problem-solving tool.

And, providing safe water, critical to public health, feels good, too.”

“Investing in—and inspiring—children can only make our communities stronger. I couldn’t be more excited about working with students through the Boy Scouts of America, local schools, and at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I am an adjunct professor and lecturer.

I am especially proud of the Kaneko Architecture Design Camps, which I helped create five years ago for kids ages 11 to 18. The camps explore how we can shape our built environment to improve the urban condition— and how all of us can influence the cultural fabric of our communities.

Through exercises like walking tours, 3D modeling, and prototyping, kids see that they have the power to make the built environment better—and that they can truly make an impact. I really enjoy exposing younger generations to that power.”

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

ALVINE ENGINEERING Alvine Engineering, a leader in the Omaha design community since 1961, offers comprehensive and innovative mechanical, electrical, and fire protection engineering, technology consulting and design, architectural lighting design, and building commissioning services. Engineering innovation is achieved through appropriate problem-solving-blending Science, Art, and Business in all aspects of our services: Science to provide the most responsive technical solutions; Art to bring innovation and apply fresh, new ideas; and Business to understand the Owner’s objectives, budget, and required return on investment.

The Alvine portfolio includes many significant projects across a local, regional, and national footprint, and the firm’s commitment to industry best practices is showcased across diverse market sectors including corporate office, healthcare, education, science and technology, data centers, hospitality, historical preservation, industrial, and military and governmental facilities.

By diversifying the firm’s services and providing an appropriate level of innovation to meet client needs now and in the future, Alvine has completed more than 750 projects in the local Omaha market in the past five years.

Alvine has had the opportunity to provide design services for recognizable community partners such as Eppley Airfield, Creighton University, First National Bank, Woodmen of the World, Union Pacific, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Metropolitan Community College, Scott Technology and Data Center, Offutt Air Force Base, the University of Nebraska system, and multiple K-12 school districts.

Our ongoing commitment to Omaha is evidenced by the construction of a headquarters to serve as the corporate office for nearly 100 local design professionals. The mixed-use facility will be located on the corner of 13th and Cass.

1102 Douglas Street Omaha, Ne 68102 402.346.7007 alvine.com

COMMERCIAL FLOORING SYSTEMS, INC. When Commercial Flooring Systems Business Development and Project Manager James Vanhauer Jr. describes the company as having a “family atmosphere,” there’s also a literal meaning: he represents the third generation to enter the field, under CEO Jim Sr. For more than 25 years, the full-service flooring company has built a reputation for not compromising on quality, Vanhauer says. There’s objectivity from working with a range of manufacturers, and maintenance services to ensure the longest-lasting investments—sealing, restoration and polishing are all hot topics around their showroom and office in West Omaha.

Commercial Flooring Systems is a member of Starnet, a worldwide network of flooring professionals that enables their company to stay up to date with current trends. Locally, its work can be seen at such notable facilities as the Nebraska Medical Center-Lauritzen Outpatient Center, Creighton School of Law and Green Plains new corporate headquarters.

“We pride ourselves on doing things the right way and providing the most value, whether it’s with a contractor or directly with an organization,” Vanhauer says.

“And our maintenance division offers support services that take that value a step further by reducing our customers’ cost of ownership and replacement costs.”

11008 John Galt Blvd.

Omaha, NE 68137 402.592.4383 cfsomaha.com

SUMMER 2017 |

omahamagazine.com

37

WE DON’T JUST THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX...

75+

Non-profit organizations Weitz contributes to annually

5 FARRIS ENGINEERING As Farris Engineering celebrates 50 years, its projects cover a wide spectrum—mechanical, electrical, fire protection, lighting, commissioning, construction administration—with a presence both nationwide and close to home, including the Bergan Mercy Medical Center renovation, K-12 schools in Nebraska and Iowa including nine Omaha Public Schools, central energy plants in Omaha and Lincoln, the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska Multisports Complex in La Vista, and many U.S. Air Force and Veterans Affairs projects.

“Farris Engineering is proud of our exceptional engineering design expertise. The tougher the challenge, the more we like the project,” president and CEO Tom Svoboda says. “We focus our designs on energy efficiency and life cycle costs. Recently we have been working to collaborate more with the owners and full design team to come up with optimal solutions.”

Svoboda says he is especially proud of the company’s emphasis on cultivating the next generation through mentoring and internships at both the high school and college level; Farris works with area institutions through programs like ACE Mentor (ArchitectureConstruction-Engineering) of Omaha and SAME (Society of American Military Engineers).

12700 W. Dodge Road Omaha, NE 68154 402.330.5900 farris-usa.com

WE THINK LIKE THERE IS NO BOX!! morrisseyengineering.com

Homes built for Omaha’s Habitat for Humanity Builder’s Blitz

6/5/2017

Construction begins for Habitat Builder’s Blitz week

mechanical | electrical | lighting | technology | commissioning

38 |

volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

DLR GROUP AN AGILE OFFICE FOR ALL DEMOGRAPHICS The most productive employees are those who are happy and who enjoy their work environment. As modern, open offices remain popular, an agile approach to workplace design provides flexibility for workers that contributes to productivity and happiness.

DLR Group is an employee-owned, integrated design firm with 26 offices and more than 1,000 design professionals worldwide. The firm’s dedicated Workplace Studio researches, evaluates, and executes designs for the modern workplace— using the agile methodology regularly.

“Agile design is an effective tool for making workplaces functional for the generational demographics that make up our workforce,” says Melissa Spearman, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Associate and Workplace Leader at DLR Group’s Omaha office.

The once-largest generation in the workplace, baby boomers, are retiring or working primarily in management positions. Spearman says these workers are accustomed to structured environments and formally designed spaces.

“Meanwhile, millennials have claimed their stake as the largest group in today’s workforce,” Spearman says. “Millennials have ridden atop the wave of

technological advancement and learned to adapt quickly as new systems emerge. They are already agile and expect the latest technologies to be available in their workplace.”

Sitting in-between are Gen X workers. These employees are excited about the flexibility new workplace methodologies can provide, as long as it contributes to a healthy work-life balance.

The eldest members of Gen Z are finishing college and entering the workforce now. Spearman says her team is still learning about the work style of Gen Z, but it is clear they are agile selfmotivators. Personal development is a constant in their lives, and they need space for it in their future workplaces.

The question Spearman’s team aims to solve for each workplace client is: How can one workplace support, encourage, grow and—most importantly–appeal to all of the generations in the current workforce? Spearman says an agile workplace design methodology encompasses six key principles: 1. Focus Zones—Heads down workspace where employees can focus without interruptions.

2. Smart and Connected Spaces—Areas with integrated technology for teams and individuals to gather. Spaces can include a huddle room, nook, or any designated areas within the office that allow for use of digital tools and power.

3. Flexibility—Utilizing furniture from a kit of parts to create optimal flexibility and interchangeability.

4. Collaboration Spaces—Areas for employees to engage in quick chats and impromptu collaboration.

5. Teaming Areas—With today’s multifaceted workplace environment, these spaces allow employees to work in teams to solve problems and strategize.

6. Community Space—Expanding the breakroom into a multi-function space for many different uses allows it to be a gathering space for alloffice meetings, a place to hold an afterhours event, or a gathering place for others in the community to enjoy.

“To accommodate today’s varied workforce, DLR Group’s Workplace Studio focuses on designing spaces around motivated individuals,” Spearman says. “Providing an agile environment with a variety of workspace areas to support various generational needs helps employees get their jobs done.”

DLR Group 6457 Frances Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68106 402.393.4100 dlrgroup.com

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

39

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FULLY INTEGRATED PROJECT MANAGEMENT Ingersoll Rand’s Air Solution Group has the ability to handle any type of compressed air system installation. A Project Manager oversees and instructs the complete project, ensuring proper installation and efficient operation.

40 |

volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE OUR BANQUET HALL OR NEW CONFERENCE ROOM IS THE PERFECT FIT FOR ANY CORPORATE OR PERSONAL EVENT CORPORATE GATHERINGS • HOLIDAY PARTIES • CONFERENCES • MEETINGS • WEDDING RECEPTIONS

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True Entrepreneurship MARY LOU WALKER’S PIONEERING SPIRIT PG. 8 A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Spring 2017

BUYER POWER EDITION

Volume 1 Issue 12

Relax. Your accounting is done.

Published by The Firm Business Brokerage President/Editor • Cortney Sells Director/Assistant Editor • Cassandra Powers In-House Legal Counsel • Susanne Miller In-House Accountant • Cassandra Waltrip Brokerage Principal • Rene Rademacher Director of Strategic Development • Rachael Rand

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2

The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

The Bottom Line

True Entrepreneurship Mary Lou Walker’s Pioneering Spirit

Special Section

Features

7 Take Our Hand

Sweet Deal 4 AGigi’s Cupcakes Continues Its

The Firm Business Brokerage has

over $90 million in assets under management of current cash-flowing businesses for sale—from contracting companies, to professional service businesses, to medical-based

Your Future 6 Funding Why Building Banking Relationships

Commitment to Community

Entrepreneurship 8 True Mary Lou Walker’s Story of Breaking Barriers

the Distance for 12 Going The Right Deal

practices.

Columns

When a Buyer Fits the Bill from

Can Help Your Business Grow

Negotiated: Four Top Tips for 14 Long-Distance Counsel

Impact: 15 Executive Client Interfacing in the Digital Age

Across State Lines

Bridging the Deal Gap 13

A Tennessee Business Owner Finds

State Representation is Important For Securing the Best Deal

Creating a Personal Experience

A Match in a Nebraska Broker

Sells Insights

Great Deals Can Be Found Anywhere

I

by Cortney Sells president/editor

n this issue, we look at how What makes the whole probuyers and sellers navigate out- cess of finding and buying a busiof-state deals. ness or investment out of state successful is the strength of the Recently, I was invited to an deal team you put in place. Suropportunity to invest in a busirounding yourself with experts in ness park in Indiana. After looklaw, accounting, and brokering ing over the details and lining makes a worthwhile buy a viable up the proper parties, I began opportunity. Your team of knowlto think about how much easier edgeable, trained professionals cross-border transactions have will guide you through making an been made due to technology. offer and ensuring that everything No longer are our financial prosfinancial and legal is done by the pects limited to proximity, and, with book. Most importantly, this can that barrier removed, we are free to all be done remotely. search high and low for a business with the right cash flow. The possibilities become endless with the click of a button.

Keep in mind that while it is now easier than ever to own successful businesses across the country, community relationships with lenders and attorneys should be fostered wherever possible. You never know what opportunities may come your way when you have connections looking out for your best interest. With that being said, I invite you to consider how big your investment horizon is at the moment. Now take away the long-distance hurdles and see how much brighter that vista becomes.

THE FIRM

Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review

3

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

4

The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

A Sweet Deal GIGI’S CUPCAKES CONTINUES ITS COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY written by Kathy Rygg

tionships with both employees and customers,” she says. “We’re so grateful for everything and will continue to be strong advocates for Omaha.”

SuZanne says that when she first met the

T

Greens, they hit it off right away. “I thought to myself, these are the right people. I thought they cared about the same things I did and had the sensitivity toward people, product, operations, and sales.” The feeling was mutual. “We really liked SuZanne, and she presented the business so well,” Scott says. In fact, he and Tammy made their decision to purchase Gigi’s that same day after meeting SuZanne. “It’s such a family-oriented business,” Tammy added. “She cares about her employees and they care about her.

We want to keep it that way.”

were a number of other appealing aspects about Gigi’s Cupcakes. The location was near their home, the hours of operation worked well with family life, and it was something their daughters could be involved in.

The type of business also fit with both of their strengths. Tammy excels at customer service and will run the daily operations, while Scott can oversee the financials. They have no plans to make any changes to Gigi’s, but will focus on maintaining its high level of success. “It’s exciting and nerve wracking at the same time,” Tammy says. “There’s something new to learn every week, but once we go through training, hopefully we’ll progress quickly.”

here’s something about the aroma

The actual process of purchasing the busi-

of freshly baked cupcakes. Maybe it reminds us of childhood, or a parent or grandparent. It’s comforting and energizing. And it brings people together. Providing that type of community-minded product is why SuZanne and Grant Rogers first decided to open Gigi’s Cupcakes in West Omaha five years ago. And it’s a legacy that new owners Tammy and Scott Green hope to continue as they operate and grow their new business.

ness went quickly as well. The Greens and Rodgers attributed much of that to working with The Firm. “The sale wasn’t overwhelming. The Firm did a good job of keeping us informed,” Scott says. SuZanne wanted a company to represent her that was professional, honest, and had good communication, and she says that’s exactly how The Firm works. “The Firm has close ties to the community like we do, which was important to me,” she says.

SuZanne says they originally wanted a business that their whole family could be involved in. They also wanted a business that supported their desire for charity work and involvement with community, such as school and church sponsorships. On a corporate level, Gigi’s Cupcakes was aligned with that mission and provided an ongoing, high level of support, even though it’s headquartered in Tennessee.

“We’ve had very good experience with Gigi’s as a franchise, and it’s bittersweet to give it up,” SuZanne says.

The reason behind their decision to sell is that their sons are in high school and they want more time to participate in the kids’ activities.

They also want to launch into new personal ventures. SuZanne says she will still be available to consult for the new owners Tammy and Scott Green as needed, and will continue to keep in touch with employees. “We established the brand in Omaha, were a Best of Omaha winner three years in a row, and developed strong rela-

OVER TIME THE GREENS HOPE TO GROW GIGI’S AND EXPAND THE BUSINESS, PERHAPS OPENING KIOSKS IN TOWN AND EVEN ADDING A SECOND LOCATION. Finding a family-oriented business was important to the Greens. They have four children, and showing them what’s involved with owning your own business is something they want to provide for them as they grow up. They had been exploring more retail-type businesses, and when they discovered Gigi’s was for sale, they were immediately interested. “We had gone to Gigi’s for Scott’s birthday and the next day we found out it was for sale,” Tammy says. “Everyone had been talking about how good the birthday cupcakes were!” The Greens also have a daughter named Gigi—another heartwarming coincidence.

Tammy and Scott originally began looking to purchase a business to enable Tammy to spend more time with their children. As a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, she was traveling up to three days a week. Scott is the vice president of a manufacturing company and was interested in diversifying financially. There

Over time the Greens hope to grow Gigi’s and expand the business, perhaps opening kiosks in town and even adding a second location. For now they are looking to SuZanne’s leadership in the community and to become involved as much as possible with local schools, the chamber of commerce, and other organizations, as well as to establish similar strong connections with employees and customers.

And SuZanne feels they’ll be successful in their efforts. “I’ll help them with the transition as much as they want,” she says. “And Gigi’s as a franchise will help augment all the skills they already have to help them be successful in this business.” THE FIRM

The Firm Deal Review Lending: Seller Promissory Note Reason for Sale: Moving out of state Franchisor Location: Tennessee Offer to Closing Date: 52 days

Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review

5

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Funding Your Future WHY BUILDING BANKING RELATIONSHIPS CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW written by Jeff Ash

AN OWNER’S CHARACTER IS AN IMPORTANT ASSET THAT CAN BE HARD TO QUANTIFY. A BANK IS LOOKING FOR AN OWNER WHO WILL BE UPFRONT WITH ISSUES THE BUSINESS IS FACING AND WILLING TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS WHEN NEEDED.

B

uying a business can be a very re-

warding, yet daunting, undertaking. It may be one of the largest single financial transactions in your life, so there is a lot to think about and questions to ask yourself, such as: • What personal skills do I have that will help me run the business?

• How much income am I tr ying to replace, or supplement, with the new business?

• What kind of work-life balance will I have as the owner of a new business?

• Do I have the right professional advisers (CPA, attorney, etc.) to help me evaluate the purchase opportunity and provide advice post purchase?

• Finally, where is the capital coming from to purchase and operate the business?

Unless you recently won the lottery, you probably need, or want, to finance a portion of that required capital. More than likely you will then need to discuss obtaining a loan from your bank.

When you approach your bank, there will be several things they will want to understand in order to suggest the right type of financing for your situation. Some pretty obvious items

6

The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

include the cash flow of the business, what collateral can be pledged to secure a loan, and how much money you can inject up front, as well as in the future, if cash flow becomes strained.

However, there are other considerations, like the economic outlook of the industry you are buying into and your character as a borrower.

The latter is one that many people spend little time thinking about.

business. Some industries require specialized knowledge. Plus, it helps if the lender can understand some of the challenges you will face.

Lastly, discuss what your future growth goals are and what financing may be needed. You want to know if the bank has the capacity and willingness to grow with you.

This can be made more difficult if the busi-

that can be hard to quantify. A bank is looking for an owner who will be upfront with issues the business is facing and willing to make tough decisions when needed. A bank is also looking for someone who understands the business and can demonstrate that they can be a good operator. This is all in an effort to mitigate the inherent risk of providing a loan, coupled with being able to provide future financing as needed, because the bank knows you and understands the company you operate.

ness you are looking to purchase is in a different geographical market than where you reside. In this case, your banker is going to want to understand how you plan to manage your business.

Do you plan to move, commute each week, or manage remotely? If you already have a strong banking relationship, then your bank may feel comfortable working with you even if the business is not near a location they have. If not, building a relationship with a bank that has locations in both areas will be something you may want so they can continue to meet your financing and banking needs.

This is why I recommend building a relation-

No matter what your business goals may be,

ship with a bank before you start the process of purchasing a business. A simple first step can be establishing your personal accounts with the bank, along with taking the time to sit down with their lender to explain what your plans are for the business. At that point, you can discuss what is important to the bank in order to explore the kind of financing you are looking for. Ask about their experience with the industry in which you are looking to purchase a

working with the right bank from the beginning can bring your ideas to fruition. Whether you plan on buying an existing business or starting from scratch, your lending institution needs to put a face with the loan, especially if you plan on owning remotely. Owning your own business can be challenging, but the rewards are numerous, and your path to success will be easier if you work to build a relationship within the lending community. THE FIRM

An owner’s character is an important asset

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Take Our Hand: FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES FOR SALE Fitness Franchise with Separate Personal Training Business

Livestock Concrete Water Tank Manufacturer; 620-plus International Retail Locations

PRICE $204,000 OWNER PROFIT $67,750

PRICE $900,000 OWNER PROFIT $286,715

This fitness franchise located in Southwest Omaha with a separate personal training business within the gym is perfect for a

With a proprietary concrete formulation of

personal trainer looking to increase a client list and earn extra income. Under current

9,000 PSI, this business has carved a niche in the market for feedlots, cow/calf oper-

ownership since 2009, gym membership has increased from 150 customers to 600

ations, zoos, and oilfields looking for a superior, hardy product to water their animals.

with a capacity to include another 500.

Stocked in over 620 retail locations between Canada and the U.S., the products are manufactured at their Nebraska plant and distributed across North America.

**20+ Location Nutrition Store Package

Home Medical Health Care Assistance— $800K-plus in Sales

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tail stores focus on creating safe and effective

With 17 medically certified and experienced

sports nutrition, weight loss management,

caregivers on staff, this business requires

and general health programs. Providing per-

no medical background in order to own it.

sonal service, welcoming store environments, and well-tested products allow customers

The company, which began in 2004 and serves Omaha and surrounding communities,

to live a healthy lifestyle.

has a mission is to provide professional medical assistance to patients who wish to continue living in at home.

Country Vet in Operation Since 1918

Absentee Foam Jacking & Concrete Lifting

PRICE $985,000 OWNER PROFIT $262,875

PRICE $142,000 OWNER PROFIT $29,169

Grossing over $900k in sales from a loyal

This business started in May 2013 as the first

client base of over 2,000, this country vet

real foam jacking company in the Omaha

has been in continuous operation since 1918.

metro, and has continued to steadily grow. It

Located in a small community just a short

offers all your concrete lifting needs, including

drive northwest of Omaha, three veterinarians and one vet tech provide area pets with

caulking and sealing. With a labor staff of two working five days per week, roughly five

preventative care, emergency services, diagnostic examinations, and grooming and

to six jobs are completed each day, with the average ticket running from $400 to $500.

boarding services.

Two-Location Growing BBQ Franchise

Kid-Centered Salon with Fun for All

PRICE $381,000 OWNER PROFIT $141,308

PRICE $205,000 OWNER PROFIT $82,374

Part of a strong franchise with over 500 lo-

An exciting atmosphere with entertaining dis-

cations. These two locations are so new that

tractions for kids and services for parents

the paint is still drying on the walls, and one

make this Omaha salon a unique experience.

of them is in a major shopping area that is

Focused on making haircuts easier on kids

still undergoing construction. The first location was opened in 2014 and the second

and parents, the salon is bright and inviting, with lots of electronic entertainment and

opened in 2015.

kid-friendly chairs. Opened in 2007, over 16 customers/hour and 200-350 customers/ week are treated to fun and style by the eight stylists.

** Broker’s Choice | 110+ Available Business Opportunities For Sale. Please visit TheFirmBusinessBrokerage.com for details Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review

7

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

True Entrepreneurship Mary Lou Walker’s Story of Breaking Barriers Writen by Maureen Tierney | Photography by Bill Sitzmann

The Firm Deal Review Seller CPA: Leonard Sommer, Hancock & Dana Buyer’s Location: Atlanta, Georgia Valuation: Cost to create Transition: Manager, and all staff, are staying on

T

he old saying, “it takes a village” is a tired cliché, but it’s one of those rules of thumb that is often the greatest measure of success, and rightly so. Mary Lou Walker, a longtime fixture in many Omaha circles, found that the support of family and friends has opened doors she never would have thought about peeking through. At 83 years old, with over 60 years in the beauty industry, she’s just sold her second successful business and is looking forward to enjoying what lies ahead.

provide financial support. It was a decision that so many in her generation experienced, and the only negative thing she can say about her time working in the Swanson packing plant was that she “could hardly look at chickens for the next 20 years.”

Walker eventually found work at Brandeis & Sons, where she rose to become the director of Beauty Salons. Her indomitable energy was noticed early. She took time away from working at Brandeis, but was called back for what she thought would be a short-term assignment. “I came back to Brandeis on a lark, after one of the big shots there called me up and asked me to come in again. Twenty-two years later, I was still there,” says Walker.

Eventually she oversaw the 11 salons Brandeis operated across Omaha, Des Moines, and Lincoln. She helped design them, oversaw financials, and led advertising for each of them.

Just a few short years before Younker’s

Walker’s story is punctuated by humble beginnings, but is all the richer for them. An Omaha native, Walker was the only girl in a family of seven boys, a fact that she says has made her tougher. But it was the early death of her father that would become a major influence in her entrepreneurial endeavors. Her mother, who suddenly became a single parent of eight, had to make ends meet by working more than one job, but Walker says, “We still had food on the table and the house was clean. We didn’t know we were poor. My family was great and happy, and we were very close. I had what I needed and was happy with it.”

In a family of boys, it would be easy to get lost, but Walker took her cues from her mother, whose spirit and remarkable strength was closely watched by her daughter. Family, a constant hallmark for Walker, was an influencing factor in her need to drop out of school at 16 to help

8

The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

MARY LOU WALKER, A LONG-TIME FIXTURE IN MANY OMAHA CIRCLES, FOUND THAT THE SUPPORT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAS OPENED DOORS SHE NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT PEEKING THROUGH. She is quick to point out that she didn’t go on to create one of Omaha’s most popular salons without help and support from Arthur and their family. “My entire success revolves around my family, their big support and help,” she says. “One person can’t build or buy a business without help.”

bought Brandeis, Walker’s husband, Arthur, started a Nissan dealership in Bellevue with their son, David. When she decided to retire at age 55 after the Younker’s purchase, Walker was hardly looking to become a business owner, but she was soon approached by a Kansas City businessman with ideas for developing One Pacific Place. Her husband would then become a huge part of getting her first salon, Garbo’s, up and running.

running a part of Garbo’s salons in Omaha.

Her daughter, Roxanne Kahn, ran the Regency location and oversaw the Eagle Run Garbo’s.

The décor and salons were designed by Walker’s other daughter, Denise Gooden. Walker’s granddaughter, Rebecca Kahn, was at the helm of another location.

Many younger women find it hard to imag-

Walker, who likes to pack her life with ac-

ine how difficult it was to be a female entrepreneur as late as 1988. Walker faced roadblock after roadblock from banks that would not lend to a woman, especially one without previous ownership experience. Eventually, she was granted a $38,000 loan only if her husband would co-sign. So, at a time when most people are retiring or thinking about retiring, Walker was becoming a first-time business owner.

tivities to keep her busy, then endeavored to start a floral shop for daughter-in-law, Debi, who had been working for an investment group. In 1994, Stems was opened at Countryside Village, and the personal touches and one-of-a-kind service established it as an elite floral business.

Much like Garbo’s, Stems was a success due to the people that Walker surrounded herself with. continued on page 11 >

Most of Walker’s family was involved in

Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review

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A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

>

continued from page 8

She credits a good amount to the stylists at Garbo’s and the floral designers at Stems, emphasizing that, “you’re only as good as the people that are there and work for you.” For Walker, it’s the “people that make you successful.”

While everyone pulled together to make both companies true family businesses, their strength came to a test when Walker was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five years ago.

Unfortunately, during the time of Walker’s illness her husband of 58 years passed away. It was at this point that her children and grandchildren really “hung in there and stuck by [her] side with the cancer treatments,” she says. Her years of paying it forward had finally come back, she adds, noting a philosophy that has informed her personal and professional life to great degrees.

Now on the flipside of her brush with cancer, Walker is eager to embrace the future and enjoy an active retirement. Her six grandchildren are an important joy in her life, and she actively keeps in touch with them through texts. Though many of her brothers are now gone, she still fondly remembers their almost-daily phone calls.

Above all else, family ties made the hard times easier, and even though she attributes much of her business success to those around her, the extraordinary effort of treating customers and employees right was what built Walker’s reputation in Omaha.

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You might think that, at 83, Walker would be ready to take it easy, but she’s still making sure her life is packed with adventure. Her daughter, Denise, lives in Malibu, and although Walker visits her twice a year, she’s not ready to leave Omaha behind. “I love Omaha. I love that my family is here, and there’s no place like home,” she says. After all, it was a community that helped Walker become a successful business owner two times after age 55. “My family was involved in everything, and I would not be where I am at all without them.”

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Summer 2017

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A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Business Birthdays— TIME TO CELEBRATE written by Cassandra Powers

W

hat’s better than a celebration? When an individual takes the next steps to begin a life changing venture, years of success are a fantastic

reason to celebrate. It’s not just people who get to have birthdays, businesses do, too! It’s important to reflect on the opportunities for which we can celebrate another year in business. We’d like to take just a short glance at three specific businesses that are enjoying their first, third, and fourth years in business. These three business owners have different stories as to how or why they decided to take the leap and become entrepreneurs, all thanks to The Firm Business Brokerage.

John Perlebach of Nu-Trend Dr y Cleaners With six locations and nearly 50 employ-

CELEBRATING 1 YEAR Derrick and Kaitlyn Reinhar t of Dogtopia.

ees, Perlebach is happily celebrating ownership for 3 years with this Nu-Trend. Perlebach has always been big on small business, as he has been a part of them for years. Growing and improving each location was of key importance for Perlebach, and that is exactly what he has done. Providing better signage and increasing branding was done immediately. Growing year over year has been a goal, and success and determination is paying off.

CELEBRATING 4 YEARS Greg Arauza and Rod Meier of Comfor t Plus

Celebrating 1 full year of business own-

These partners in business are celebrat-

ership this May, this couple could not be more thankful for the ability to work with Randy Bauer of Mutual First Credit Union to make this dream come true. This deal took more than 6 months to close, but it was worth the wait. Having exceeded their goals and dreams in just one year, Dogtopia is flourishing with great things to come. Derrick’s advice to other business owners looking to purchase is to make sure it’s a business you can love, and not just to make a purchase for the cash flow it can bring in. “It might be appealing at first, but six months down the road when the newness wears off, you still have to love it,” he says.

ing a fourth year together. Arauza and Meier purchased Comfort Plus Shoes on 156th Street and West Dodge Road in Omaha, and 64th and O streets in Lincoln, with the assistance of Katie McHenry of Great Western Bank. Having a strong desire to own a multi-location retailer, this was a perfect fit. The business showed continuous growth in sales and in profit. Having the sellers, a mom and daughter duo, train and transition for three months was essential in the business and the buyers’ success. Arauza and Meier are not only partners in this venture but also own a couple of other businesses together. When you find a friend and a business partner, there is never an end to the possibilities of success.

CELEBRATING 3 YEARS

THE FIRM

Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review 11

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Going the Distance For the Right Deal When a Buyer Fits the Bill from Across State Lines written by Maureen Tierney

T

hey may be in the same state, but the cities of Omaha and Paxton don’t resemble the same Nebraska. One is a metropolitan hub on the Iowa border, while the other is a small town nestled between North Platte and Ogallala. Paxton actually has more in common with nearby, rugged Colorado than its sister to the east, but saying so would be selling short the mutual Cornhusker spirit both cities share.

Besides, Omaha has one thing that Colorado doesn’t, and that is the only brokerage that was able to help Rick Anderson sell his 60-year-old sand and gravel operation.

Anderson has spent his entire life around Anderson Sand & Gravel, which was begun decades ago by his father. “I started getting paid when I was 10 to help out. When I was 13, I began running gravel, and as a teenager I took on more responsibilities,” says Anderson. When his father became ill, Rick’s uncle purchased the company and Rick left town for work elsewhere. Eventually he came back and bought the company from his uncle over 20 years ago.

In the past few years, Rick started thinking about retirement, and with that came the realization that he needed to find a way to sell his family company. Neither of his sons were willing or able to continue the tradition of family ownership, and even though Rick had started slowing down, bids kept coming in faster than he was willing to handle.

12 The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

“IN ALL, WE WENT OUT TO PAXTON, TRAVELING 2,763 MILES TO SHOW ANDERSON SAND & GRAVEL TO POTENTIAL BUYERS.” Cortney Sells, president of The Firm.

Geographically speaking, Denver is closer to Paxton than Omaha, but Anderson found that the brokerages in Denver were more interested in earning a paycheck than in understanding his needs and the nature of his company. Luckily, Anderson was able to find that understanding with The Firm Business Brokerage.

“In all, we went out to Paxton, traveling 2,763 miles to show Anderson Sand & Gravel to potential buyers, says Cortney Sells, president of The Firm. Interested parties were brought in from Georgia, Colorado, and Wyoming. Rick, who listed his business with The Firm in September 2016, saw three offers by the end of January for his gravel operation, which is run out of two locations in and around Paxton. During 2016, approximately 35,000 tons of aggregate were sold out of the main location in Paxton, where product is dug from 100 acres along the South Platte River. Amazingly, only 30 percent of the land has been utilized in the past 30 years by the company.

Rick is proud of the business his father built and was then able to share through the generations. The location of Paxton lends itself to tremendous opportunity, as Anderson conducts business within a 50-mile radius and deals with very little competition. “We are more personable

and easier to deal with,” he says. He adds that location is important to the business, and the 100 acres that Anderson uses for aggregate production leaves little room for other stakeholders.

This unique location is exactly why buyers had to be brought in from far away. Ultimately a fit was found in Pine Bluffs Gravel & Excavating in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. Located over 140 miles west of Paxton on the Nebraska border, Pine Bluffs is a town not unlike Paxton, with a small population and an agriculture-heavy economy.

For Rick Anderson, keeping jobs and the Paxton economy strong were important factors in deciding who was best suitable to take over.

For Sells, the distance between Omaha and Paxton wasn’t a deal breaker. “We always strive to make sure our clients, both buyers and sellers, are a good match, even if that means looking far beyond Omaha and Nebraska,” says Sells.

While most transactions can be done with the click of a button, a personal touch is still important, and that’s what set The Firm apart from other brokers closer to Anderson.

Finding the right fit with a broker was just as important to Anderson as finding the perfect buyer, no matter the mileage between the two.

THE FIRM

The Firm Deal Review Seller Location: Paxton, Nebraska Buyer Location: Pine Bluffs, Wyoming Out-of-State Buyers: 4 Offers Recieved Buyer Type: Strategic

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Bridging the Deal Gap

A Tennessee Business Owner Finds a Match in a Nebraska Broker written by Maureen Tierney

There comes a time in the life of every business when the owner decides to sell. After all the years of hard work and sacrifice, the personal reward of ownership no longer makes the financial return worthwhile. Each CEO, president, and owner-operator must weigh the value of their time and needs against the long-term health and success of the business. It’s one of the hardest decisions a business owner faces, but finding the right buyer can be just as tough.

Most sellers are concerned with confidentiality. They want to ensure that the flow of business goes uninterrupted throughout the sale and transition from their leadership to their successor’s. For one health care business owner in Tennessee, this was a vital condition in choosing the right brokerage to transact the sale of her company. “We’re seeing more and more business owners increasingly concerned with making sure that their decision to sell is kept confidential throughout their time with The Firm,” says Susanne Miller, in-house legal counsel. April Gentry, who worked with Miller from beginning to end, is no exception.

While it would have been more convenient to work with a broker in her home state, Gentry chose to venture as far as Nebraska to work with the right firm, even though it meant working in different time zones. Distance could not hinder her determination to keep her employees’ jobs safe, and working with a local broker was impossible in her mind as many a contract can turn sour when the whisper of a sale reaches the wrong ears at the wrong time. Maintaining confidentiality in her decision to sell was an unspoken agreement with her employees, and helped to foster their continued relationships with clients. When employees and clients are

kept out of the equation, the sale of a company can be more about the business and less about the personnel.

The beauty of convenient technology is that Gentry’s wish for confidentiality was easily accomplished. Introductions and business deals with The Firm were all conducted using telephone and email communication.

Qualified buyers were contacted and introduced to her health care company, many within Tennessee and nearby states. Ultimately, the right buyer was found in Beau Brothers, a fellow Tennessean.

While it may seem like an insurmountable task to broker successful deals across border lines, it’s done more often than you might think, says Susanne Miller, in-house legal counsel for The Firm. Miller was a key player in the deal between Gentry and Brothers, working with both parties and their respective legal advisers. “So many emails are sent back and forth with each deal, and while it can get harried sometimes, deals can still come to fruition whether you’re down the street or across the country.” When all the right players are in place, proximity is the least important detail, adds Miller.

For The Firm, confidentiality is a cornerstone of each deal, a factor that heavily influenced Gentry’s decision to list her company with an out-of-state broker. While not every transaction is best completed sight unseen, often the details on paper are more important than the physical aspects of the company. When that’s the case, the ability to shop for brokers can be quite flexible. “With each deal we broker from across Nebraska and beyond, we open up our services to even more

“WITH EACH DEAL WE BROKER FROM ACROSS NEBRASKA AND BEYOND, WE OPEN UP OUR SERVICES TO EVEN MORE PEOPLE, AND CONTINUE TO PROVE THAT LOCATION AND SERVICE ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.” Susanne Miller, in-house legal counsel

people, and continue to prove that location and service are not mutually exclusive,” says Miller. She anticipates that The Firm will see more and more businesses across the nation seek out brokerages beyond state lines. Even though Gentry chose to work with a Nebraska broker, she was still paired with a local buyer in Brothers, demonstrating that business can be found in the unlikeliest of partners.

THE FIRM

The Firm Deal Review Buyer & Seller Location: Tennessee Financing Type: Conventional Loan Acquisition Type: Stock Sale Due Diligence Time: Over 90 days

Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review 13

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Negotiated: Four Top Tips for Long-Distance Counsel STATE REPRESENTATION IS IMPORTANT FOR SECURING THE BEST DEAL written by Tosha Heavican, attorney at Brodkey, Peebles, Belmont & Line, LLP

H

aving served both as counsel for clients buying and selling businesses locally, and serving as local counsel for out-ofstate buyers in the purchase of a business, I understand the importance of both sides. Utilizing counsel both out-of-state and locally to facilitate your transaction is particularly advantageous for handling the special hurdles that long-distance purchases carry. When entering negotiations for what can be a very large investment, it is essential to have the right people in your corner looking out for your interests as you embark on this new journey. While the dreams are soaring and the anticipation is high, purchasing a business is not had without a little hard work.

To help accomplish the end goal, here are the top four pointers for out-of-state buyers seeking to purchase a business:

1. Determine the Workload Distribution Probably the most important conversation that a client will have with their local and long-distance counsel is the distribution of tasks that need to be accomplished in order to purchase a business. In my most recent experience, where my firm served as out-of-state counsel for an investment company purchasing a local business, we provided legal expertise on establishing various holding entities for purchase of the business, as well as serving in an advisory capacity on questions of local law. The allocation of roles within this multi-attorney relationship with the client happened in the very early stages of our firm’s engagement with the client.

2. Know the Fee Structure

signature. Having a fee agreement helps everyone stay on the same page for issues regarding what will be billed, what rate will be charged, whether a portion or all the services will be hourly or on a flat-fee basis, and the amount of retainer required by the attorney to begin performing legal services.

This agreement can also be instrumental in understanding which attorney will perform each task needed to complete the business purchase, as discussed above.

Having an open and honest conversation about fees goes a long way in preventing future conflict between clients and their various counsel.

3. Surround Yourself with Experts Choosing an attorney and other advisers that are comfortable with the local laws relevant to your business purchase is key to efficiently and cost-effectively purchasing a business. For example, in the state of Nebraska, when an individual sets up an entity, first they must file a Certificate of Organization with the Secretary of State. Once the filing is accepted, notice of the entity formation must be published in Nebraska in a newspaper of general circulation near the designated office of the entity. If publication is required in another state, such publication costs and requirements range drastically, depending on which state you are establishing your entity. If your company planning to operate in multiple states, additional filings are likely required in the foreign states in which your business will operate. A local attorney will be able to advise you of what is required to comply with local law for your entity.

4. Start Early

It is always important for a client to

The added factor of distance, not

understand the fee structure in which they will incur fees and costs from an attorney.

It is even more important for an out-ofstate buyer who is likely incurring fees from two attorneys – the attorney in their home state and the attorney in the state where the business is located. It is very typical for attorneys to provide fee agreements for the client’s consideration and

otherwise present with a local buyer, can prolong the process of document review, document approval, negotiation, and other logistics. While technology proves helpful in perpetuating the transaction, there is often delay in receipt of faxes, emails, and overnight packages. Frequently there can be a disconnect or loss of understanding in written communication that an in-person

14 The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

WHEN ENTERING NEGOTIATIONS FOR WHAT CAN BE A VERY LARGE INVESTMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN YOUR CORNER LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR INTERESTS AS YOU EMBARK ON THIS NEW JOURNEY. conversation would not suffer. In order to overcome some of those communication barriers, often the buyer, attorneys and other professional advisers have to spend extra time writing out explanations in emails or participating in telephone conferences.

Failing to allot yourself enough time to have those important conversations breeds mistakes and misunderstandings, which is not what any buyer wants going into such a large investment. Allow yourself and your advisers enough time to properly consider the task ahead and obtain the best result for you.

Arming yourself with the right knowledge will ease your transition to ownership, both locally and remotely. It’s in your best interest to seek out the proper counsel so that your business needs are met and your company can flourish.

THE FIRM

A Publication of The Firm Business Brokerage

Client Interfacing in the Digital Age CREATING A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE written by Liz Jones, business broker at The Firm Business Brokerage

“AT ANY GIVEN TIME, OUR FIRM HAS OVER 100 BUSINESSES LISTED AND ADVERTISED ACROSS MULTIPLE WEBSITES, AND IT’S IMPORTANT THAT I MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION REGULARLY WITH ALL POTENTIAL CLIENTS.” Liz Jones, broker at The Firm

A

s the largest and most established business brokerage firm in the Midwest, The Firm Business Brokerage attracts clients from all over the United States, and even Canada. At any given time, our firm has over 100 businesses listed and advertised across multiple websites, and it’s important that I maintain communication regularly with all potential clients.

A large part of what I do on a daily basis is speaking with clients, whether it be in person, over the phone or via email. I make an effort to really get to know all of my clients, entrepreneurs, and future entrepreneurs alike. It’s not always possible to meet face-to-face as many of my clients are out of state, and oftentimes even outside of the Midwest. In these cases, I utilize a few different technological tools to help personalize and professionalize the buying and selling process.

there are times the client just wants to complete the interview on initial contact and I do honor that request as well.

I use the same private conference line when facilitating a meeting between a potential buyer and business owner. As opposed to going back and forth with questions from the buyer to the seller via email, I connect them face-to-face or via phone. This conference line is a great tool to use, especially when there are multiple partners on the buy side.

Recently, we introduced video calling into our communication toolbox. This will serve to create an even more personalized relationship between not only myself and the clients, but between the clientele as well. It’s always good to put a name with a face, and video conferencing is the next best thing to having a personal meeting when it isn’t possible to do so.

When I receive a request for information

Another form of technology we use in

from a potential client, I call and email them immediately. Once I reach them, I set up a time to complete an initial interview in my office or over the phone for those that aren’t local. For this I use a private dialin conference line, where the client will call into our company’s designated number and enter a code to be connected with me for the interview or conference call. I find this to be a far more professional interaction than just a spontaneous phone call. Of course,

working with out-of-state clients is wire transfers. After all closing documents are agreed to and signed, we are able to wire funds on the day of closing. This electronic component has made the closing process for our out-of-state deals extremely easy for all parties involved.

works for months. Our new website and CMS system will create an even more enjoyable client experience. With the CMS system in place, I’ll be able to spend more time with my clients while continuing to build ongoing relationships with them. Without a relationship, there is no trust and, without trust, there is no deal.

As we were building our new website, our focus has been on client experience. The clients will be able to maintain a private and confidential profile complete with all of their personal information while they shop for businesses according to their specifications. Once they locate a business that meets their criteria, I step in. My job is to assist them in getting all the information they are looking for and facilitating all meetings throughout the process, while working toward the ultimate goal of placing them with the right business for their wants and needs. Technology affords me the ability to do this remotely.

In the name of innovation, we continue to implement tools as new communicative technologies come available. Staying a step ahead gives us the competitive edge when it comes to serving the needs of all of our clients, both in-state and nationally. THE FIRM

In addition to the video calling and wire transfers, we are proud to release our proprietary software and brand new website that has been in the Summer 2017

The Firm Deal Review 15

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Call Us Today: (800) 377-6085 16 The Firm Deal Review

Summer 2017

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omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

57

OFFICE FURNITURE

BY DOUG SCHURING

WHERE DO YOU WORK? EVERYWHERE! People share documents, manage projects, offer advice, and develop relationships without sitting across from each other in the office.

OMAHA CVB

BY KEITH BACKSEN

BUILDING MORE THAN BRIDGES Omaha is home to some big players in the architecture, engineering, and design world. Companies like HDR, Leo A Daly, and DLR Group are a few that call Omaha home.

Our lives are touched daily by the work they do. If you’ve driven on the West Dodge Expressway, used one of our state-of-the-art medical facilities, or enjoyed the ambience of a coffee shop or hotel, then you understand the magnitude of their work. But few realize the role they play in helping us bring conferences, meetings, and events to our city.

The tremendous success of Omaha’s business community is also a great asset in helping Visit Omaha bring conferences, meetings, and events home. It’s one of the reasons our city recently hosted the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives for their annual convention. This group is made up of more than 200 influential scientific and technology associations, which are now more familiar with Omaha and may choose to bring a future meeting here.

In 2016, thanks to local businesses and people like you, Visit Omaha hosted more than 342 meetings, events, and tours that brought

Keith Backsen is executive director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

more than $229 million into our economy. Visit Omaha also booked an additional 186 events for future years, worth more than $86 million.

These are big numbers and showcase tourism’s impact on our city. But local business operations also win.

Conventions such as CESSE can shine a light on an industry, help recruit future talent to our city, or even inspire a new business to set up shop here.

We know your endorsements often lead to meeting groups choosing Omaha, and we encourage you to bring your next event home. Our team at Visit Omaha can help you think through the details, provide expertise on hotels, venues, and attractions, and create a successful event that benefits both you and the city.

When you build these types of relationships, you’re building more than bridges.

B2B

The mobile workforce in the U.S. has grown from 96.2 million in 2015 to a projected 105 million by 2020, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the U.S. labor force, according to a new report from IDC, a global market intelligence firm. It’s not just millennials delivering these increases, it’s the growing number of independent contractors working alone or with other free agents. No longer just in offices, we work at home, client offices, and a variety of other places.

Employees are experiencing a much greater choice of location and worklife balance. These factors have reshaped our job as it’s always been.

Work now happens at the office, home, almost anywhere!

We are choosing places with engaging, welcoming environments — accessible, convenient spots where people come together. For those really on the move, airports, train stations, planes, and trains offer the means to connect.

Many of us compensate for physical isolation by connecting with others via social media, chat rooms, and forums, while connecting to our work colleagues via the internet.

Feeling connected to others is why offices, or places like coffee shops and libraries, draw us in.

The past decade has seen this café environment evolve from a place to meet a friend into a vital workplace fueled by caffeine and having its

own social life. Technology enabled this phenomenon for laptops and cell phones. Now it’s even better supported by cloud computing, smart phones, and applications encouraging social networking and productivity.

These locales support individual work activities, but have the added benefit of not obligating us to interact with others as in an office.

Society has adjusted. Lighting and ergonomics have improved. Still not the best for private meetings because they lack security and privacy, there’s hardly a coffee shop where you won’t find someone working every hour it is open. Even basic work needs like electrical plugs and open tables remain in demand.

The next step, co-working space, is designed to be used either on a lease or drop-in basis. Individual contractors, either would-be entrepreneurs or commute-avoiding employees, embrace these facilities as a structured workspace to deliver more emotional, social, and physical support than is found at home or in cafés.

Co-working centers today are more recognized as places where work happens.

B2B

Doug Schuring is the director of sales administration at All Makes Office Equipment Co.

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

58

LEADERS | BY TAMSEN BUTLER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

RACHEL HALBMAIER ACTIVATING THE RIVERFRONT “I’D LOVE TO SEE A WORLD-CLASS FESTIVAL DOWN THERE, BUT I’D ALSO LIKE TO SEE THE SPACE ACTIVATED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS WELL. MAYBE A MUSIC FESTIVAL, OR A FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL. OR A TRIATHLON, OR A FASHION SHOW ON THE BRIDGE, OR MAYBE A POP-UP DOG PARK,” -RACHEL HALBMAIER

Rachel Halbmaier is a woman with ideas, and she has the ability to convey these ideas in a way that makes people excited for what will come next. That’s why the former director of events and promotions for Lincoln’s entertainment district The Railyard is Greater Omaha Chamber’s Director of Riverfront Development for Missouri Commons. The job, which she accepted in February, is to oversee the activation of the riverfront area by increasing its usage for community events.

“I was uniquely qualified,” she admits, referencing her time in Lincoln. That position demanded that she plan and execute events while juggling the company’s social media and traditional

promotions, and manage the staff of the Railyard Ice Rink and the Railyard Ambassadors.

“I have a lot I want to accomplish,” she says.

Donn Seidholz, chairman of the steering committee for Missouri Commons, revealed that more than 40 resumes from around the country were received for the position. “Clearly she was the heads-and-tails best pick,” he says.

“She was absolutely the best choice for the job,” he says, adding that her “passion, excitement, and enthusiasm are infectious. We’re thrilled with Rachel.”

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

“We needed someone who could share the passion to activate the riverfront,” Seidholz says.

Halbmaier envisions events at the riverfront that will draw locals, and also compel people to travel here to attend. “We’re going to bring people together to make memories,” she predicted.

“I’d love to see a world-class festival down there, but I’d also like to see the space activated Monday through Friday as well. Maybe a music festival, or a food and wine festival. Or a triathlon, or a fashion show on the bridge, or maybe a pop-up dog park,” Halbmaier mused, overflowing with ideas on how to activate the available space. “I want to enhance what’s already there.”

Relationship-building is a critical part of this position, and she anticipates spending her first year connecting with community leaders and other people to understand what the riverfront can become while also fueling support for development. Growing up in Kenesaw, Nebraska, and attending school in Lincoln means that she didn’t necessarily have ample experience with the riverfront, but that is not an obstacle for her.

Seidholz praises her proactive work ethic, stating, “She didn’t wait around for us to tell her what to do or who to meet.” Seidholz laughs and says that just when he thinks of someone with whom Halbmaier should meet, he finds out Halbmaier has already reached out to him or her.

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Her coming goals for the riverfront include bolstering the bond between Omaha and Council Bluffs, and “getting people down there and making them feel welcome.” Seidholz says Halbmaier can accomplish “just about anything,” and “has the full, undying support of everyone on the committee. The support has been unbelievable from Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert.” This strong support, coupled with Halbmaier’s relentless drive, will most likely result in some great things to come for the riverfront.

Visit omahachamber.org for more information.

B2B

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volume 17 | issue 2

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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SALES INSIDER

61

BY KARL SCHAPHORST

I AM NOT A SALESPERSON There is a list of basic rules of truth that govern the survival of businesses everywhere. While there may be debate on which rules belong on the list, one rule that all businesses owners and managers agree on is: Nothing happens in business until somebody sells something.

Thus, the high-performance salesperson is one of the most sought-after professionals in business.

However, perhaps the foundational rule listed above does not apply when consulting is the product for sale. Do consultants need to be professional salespeople or can they reside safely in their core competency and grow the business from there? This is what we will examine.

Let’s say ABC Consulting provides mechanical and electrical consulting services to architects and consumers. The owner, “Dave,” employs a couple of drafters and a couple of professional engineers.

He admits there is little development and/or training in the area of business development for the people that carry the “sales” responsibility.

They do get training on the area of expertise in which the company consults: Seminars, webinars, ASHRAE-sponsored trainings, P.E. exams, vendor-sponsored trainings, and lots of self-study on system application, building codes, load calculations, energy, LEED, building commissioning, and on and on would accurately summarize the annual training regimen for Dave and his team. And why not? A big reason customers hire ABC is because they are experts in their field.

Dave was reflecting on how his business remained somewhat flat the previous year despite a record number of proposals going out the door.

Historically, the primary source of new business came from his referral network. The owner has a vision for growth, so, in addition to the referral business, he decided that responding to as many requests for proposals (RFPs) as possible would be the way to accomplish his vision. Reflecting back, it did the opposite. The business revenue did not

go down, but all the hours his employees invested in preparing RFPs (that in the end did not turn into new business) increased overhead and cut into margins. He instead got lots of late nights away from families and overtime hours from his employees, which has slightly damaged morale.

Now, Dave ponders, what will be his business development strategy going forward?

motivator in people, and if your questions uncover the pains the customer is experiencing, you will have a big advantage in winning their business. If a doctor examined me and determined that I have a sickness that could be fatal without surgery, I am not going to ask the doctor for a bid and then get two more and go with the low-cost bidder.

Consultants are experts in their fields, and the customers want their expertise because it brings tremendous value to the customers’ business.

However, customers don’t want to pay for the consultants’ expertise. So, they simply ask to have it for free, and one form of this ask is the RFP. The problem is that once the customer owns the consultant’s expertise, the customer has the power.

The information can be compared to competitors who will adopt all good ideas and do the work for less or, worse yet, the customer will take the ideas and do the work in-house. Therefore, it can be said that responding to RFPs is not selling.

Ask the customer if they have money early in your conversation. Otherwise, you may do a bunch of work for a customer that, in the end, is broke.

They must prove to you they have the ability to pay and a willingness to give their money to you, or else you will respectfully end the conversation.

I would agree that professional sales should not be the leading competency for the architect, consulting engineer, or other professional service provider.

But this does not diminish the importance of having a system for selling. Here are some simple steps of a selling system that the consultant or architect can begin to implement in their business.

1. AGREE UPFRONT Before doing any free work for a customer, get a clear understanding from them that if you do the work they are requesting to their satisfaction, you get something in return. If they don’t give you a clear path to getting their business, the wise decision would be to decline. For RFPs, if you don’t have an upfront agreement, it is too risky to pour your work into them only to have it auctioned off.

2. WHY WOULD THIS CUSTOMER HIRE YOU? Prepare a list of great questions that will fully examine the emotional motivations this customer would have to hire a consultant. Pain is a huge

3. DEAL WITH MONEY UPFRONT

4. WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS AROUND HERE? Ask the customer who is involved in the selection process how the process will be handled. If you are going to present a solution, it is important that those who see it have the capacity to buy it.

It is incredibly deflating to learn, after working out the solution, that the person who received it can’t make the decision to buy it.

B2B

Karl Schaphorst is a 27year veteran of sales who now specializes in training other sales professionals.

He is the president of Sandler Training.

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

volume 17 | issue 2

62

FEATURE | BY KIRBY KAUFMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH LEMKE

FAIR DEAL VILLAGE MARKETPLACE OMAHA’S NEWEST CONTAINER STORES

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

As a child, Terri Sanders visited the original Fair Deal Cafe on 24th Street with her father to eat breakfast or lunch, and experience a vibrant North Omaha.

“It brings positive [change] to the corridor,” Sanders says. “These businesses provide not just economic development for the business owners, but it also provides jobs to support them.”

Sanders says the cafe, known from the ’40s to ’70s as Omaha’s “Black City Hall,” was a popular meeting spot for politicians and local AfricanAmerican leaders.

The other eight tenants include: Hand of Gold, a nail salon; Fashun Freak, a women’s clothing and accessory store; ABE (All Black Everything), a men’s contemporary clothing store; LikNu Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessory store; Mike’s Custom Creations, a custom shoe and

Now community leaders say the Fair Deal Village MarketPlace, a recently completed $2.4 million economic development project built on the footprint of the café, will increase commuter traffic and dramatically change the North 24th Street business corridor.

More than 50 commercial spaces created from containers exist across the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and even Australia. Experts say the model effectively ups foot traffic. The alternative structure serves as a cost-effective and durable approach to community redevelopment.

Each container at the Omaha marketplace is fitted with heating and air conditioning, Sanders says.

Six of them are 8-by-20 feet, and two are 16-by20 feet. She also says the visual appeal of the development has increased foot traffic on North 24th Street.

“IT BRINGS POSITIVE [CHANGE] TO THE CORRIDOR,” SANDERS SAYS. “THESE BUSINESSES PROVIDE NOT JUST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE BUSINESS OWNERS, BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES JOBS TO SUPPORT THEM.”

“The businesses are successful, and again—it’s a revitalization,” says Sanders, 59, a member of the Omaha Economic Development Corp. and the development’s site manager. “You never return to what it was, but you can certainly revitalize it and go forward into the future.”

OEDC partnered with Omaha-based architecture firm Alley Poyner Macchietto for the project, which was built between March 22 and Dec. 3, 2016. OEDC is a nonprofit that benefits North Omaha, which has a history of poverty and other socio-economic hardships.

cleaning business; Divine Nspirations, a Christian gift shop; It’z Poppin, a gourmet popcorn shop; and D-Marie Hair Boutique, a hair salon.

“I think by virtue of the businesses located there, it’s an artist area,” Sanders says. “It’s a historical district—first of all—and arts and culture are a part of that.”

But here’s the twist:

Officials also are branding the development, located at 2118 N. 24th St., as an entertainment and arts district. In addition to a reinvented Fair Deal Cafe, the development includes the Fair Deal Grocery Market and eight Omaha-based artisanal businesses. The grocery store, which focuses on healthy foods, is open seven days a week, and the Fair Deal Cafe is closed on Mondays.

The majority of the development, just south of 24th and Burdette streets, is constructed via an arrangement of shipping containers. The seemingly unusual approach to building the structure is becoming a popular trend across the world.

“I think the container concept, in itself, is unique. We’re the first [commercial] container site in the State of Nebraska,” Sanders says. “It’s an economical way to provide retail spaces to businesses that were either home-based or internetbased on a consistent basis.”

63

“I noticed when there are activities at the Union [for Contemporary Arts], there are people that come down to the Fair Deal to eat and shop,” she says.

James Thele, planning director with the City of Omaha, describes the project as a solid foundation for future economic development along North 24th Street.

“We envisioned, as a community, North 24th Street as being an arts and entertainment center,” says Thele, who pointed to the nearby Union for Contemporary Arts.

The city’s contributions to the project included a $370,000 federal community development block grant and $195,000 in tax increment financing— or TIF, a common incentive that allows developers to use a portion of future property taxes to cover initial costs.

CONT. PAGE 64

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FROM PAGE 63 City officials also acquired an adjacent property to the marketplace, which will be converted into a parking lot connected to the new entertainment district.

Edward Dantzler, a city development section manager, says the 35-space lot will include two handicap accessible stalls. In total, the lot will cost $370,000, with completion in May. “The parking lot and stalls will be reserved for the Fair Deal project,” Dantzler says.

Thele says while it’s “hard to argue” about the benefits of jobs and new business in North Omaha, it is important to see other prospects of the development.

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“It attracts attention,” Thele says. “It creates a buzz, and that’s important.”

Sanders says further revitalization on 24th Street will help North Omaha continue to grow and become a destination for visitors throughout the city.

“And even though we’ve not been open six months, I’m starting to see that vibrance returning to the community,” she says.

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67 PLAYING BIG

Nancy Pridal, Lamp Rynearson & Associates senior vice president, is a civil engineer strategist with widespread project and client management, strategic planning, leadership development, and geographic expansion experience. With offices in Nebraska, Colorado, and the Kansas City area, Lamp Rynearson claims a varied and extensive list of civil engineering, landscape architecture, and survey services.

Scott Andersen: What are the biggest changes that the engineering industry will face in the future?

Nancy Pridal: Understanding the implications of tomorrow’s technology on how we do business today is a bit of an unknown. We have to resist the “success as usual” syndrome and continue exploring opportunities in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the internet of things, etc.

Scott Andersen: Can you give me an example?

Nancy Pridal: The distinction between who addresses infrastructure needs are becoming blurred. Tech firms like Amazon, Verizon, Google, and Apple are all jumping into infrastructure issues, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities.

They’re actively seeking solutions. These were historically led by engineers. As an industry, we need to be at the table. Understanding and participating in these conversations at the highest level is critical now.

Scott Andersen: So, what is the impact that the engineering industry is experiencing today?

Nancy Pridal: At an educational level, engineering schools are reassessing core curriculum that hasn’t dramatically changed since the ’50s. Current pedagogy is being examined to produce the engineers we need for the future.

67

BY SCOTT ANDERSON

A CONVERSATION WITH NANCY PRIDAL

Another big issue for the industry is attracting diversity to STEM. While the field of engineering is continually expanding and can provide abundant opportunities for women and minorities in technical and leadership roles, these groups are still greatly underrepresented. The main reason women leave engineering is company culture, so it’s critical that we understand the impact of culture on women in the industry.

To engage youth in our community, Lamp Rynearson has taken a lead role in advocating for the ACE Mentor Program, which encourages high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction. It’s essential for the engineering industry to align its culture and policies so it attracts and develops a diverse group of professionals who will add the most value in this exciting future.

Nancy Pridal: Lamp Rynearson is leading this discussion with peer firms now, to ensure that as a company and as an industry we are keeping pace, if not leading the way, toward future advances in our field. The key for us is to remain nimble and open-minded to anticipate the future needs of the communities we serve.

We must be continuous questioners and continuous learners to serve the continually changing needs of our communities. As engineers, it’s who we are. There’s a book called A Whole New Engineer by David Goldberg and Mark Somerville, which forecasts what it’s going to take for the engineer of the future to advance the places where we live and work.

B2B

Scott Andersen: Are there any signs of the future impacting the present state of engineering?

Nancy Pridal: From a construction standpoint, we have seen an increase in “stringless paving” that has changed what we provide for construction administration and staking services. Drones and other new technology are already becoming go-to technologies in our field.

Scott Andersen: So, if engineers are not involved in surveying and other traditional engineering tasks, what roles will they play?

Scott Anderson is CEO of Doubledare, an executive coaching, consulting, and search firm.

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

68

ON THE RISE | BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

NATHAN MILLER CREATING ART FROM CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY

volume 17 | issue 2

omahamagazine.com SUMMER 2017 |

Nate Miller is changing the world of architecture. It is hard to imagine, looking at the bald, bespectacled 30-something wearing clean, dark jeans and working quietly in a coffee shop.

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“I think the business industry and the world of construction is ripe for disruption,” Miller says.

He is disrupting this industry through data mining. The building industry comprises several professions—architects, engineers, construction managers, and more. Creating buildings involves using software for computer-aided design, conceptual modeling, building information, and many other components. While software companies have complete packages for the building industry, the separate industries often prefer one software over another, so an architecture company that designs a building using Revit (Autodesk’s CAD program) may not be able to connect their information with an engineering company that uses Bentley’s Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability program. The result is a lot of time spent translating programs. The software companies aren’t interested in creating translation programs—that’s where Miller and his company, Proving Ground, comes in.

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“[The building industry] is shifting into much more integrated practices. Nate’s role is in developing new techniques,” says Jeff Day, professor and director of the architecture program at UNL as well as principal at his own firm, Min | Day. “A lot of softwares already have connection points built into them. Ways in which, at a programming level, you can begin to access a document, or part of a document, and extract data,” Miller says.

Proving Ground builds tools, often in the form of plug-ins, that tap into those connection points.

They customize their products for individual architecture clients based on their needs, such as having a business client with a lean budget or needing access to daylight.

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FROM PAGE 69 Miller discovered this passion by learning. He graduated from UNL with a master’s in architecture in 2007 and began working for NBBJ Design in Los Angeles. As he built a design portfolio, he became interested in how to leverage data to help his own computations and design processes.

His ability to prove this came when he worked as the lead designer on the stadium at Hangzhou Sports Park in China. The shell was created in a series of aesthetically pleasing steel flower petals, which used less steel than a more traditional steel cover. The bowl was created from concrete. The company liked that this progressive design also reduced costs by using 2/3 less steel than a stadium of comparable size.

That progressive project proved to Miller that datadriven design worked well. He began thinking about implementing data-driven design on a wider range of products—just as CASE Inc. in New York, a building information and technology consultancy, called him with a job offer.

Miller wasn’t thinking about the Big Apple. He was thinking about the Big O. He wanted to come home. CASE agreed to let him work from Omaha, and Miller continued learning, and using, data-driven design as director of architecture and engineering solutions.

CASE’s competitors at WeWork were also using data-driven research for a specific area of architecture and real estate. They focus on subscription-based co-work environments for startups.

WeWork learned their eight-person conference rooms were frequently booked for groups of four or five people. They researched why people were meeting in smaller groups, and discovered what those people needed—number of electrical outlets, club chairs vs. desk chairs and a table, etc. WeWork then started providing less space for conference rooms and more space for desks.

WeWork acquired CASE in 2015, and Miller, who now discovered he enjoyed consulting and working on the tech side, decided to create Proving Ground.

“I think he has a good sense of where the opportunities are in his practice,” Day says. “He’s more like a tech startup than an architect, so he’s coming at this as an architect, but in a tech way.”

Visit provingground.io for more information.

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

ETHICS

BY BEVERLY KRACHER

ETHICAL TWISTS AND TURNS It would be intriguing to map the thinking patterns of engineers, architects, and graphic artists. I expect the engineers to be linear thinkers, the graphic artists to be web-based, and the architects to be a little of both.

Of course these differences among professions are gross generalizations. But rather than focus on the differences, let’s look at the similarities, especially in the realm of ethics. I am interested in the question they all must address, namely, “How do I balance my personal values with my career goals and the goals of my firm?” Let’s see how the answer twists and turns as careers play out.

At the beginning of one’s career, a specific ethical problem is maintaining personal values while building credentials. For example, suppose that a young professional—whether an engineer, architect, or graphic designer—eats locally grown, organic foods because they feel that food from big conglomerates includes unnecessary salt, sugar, and fat. Yet, a food giant contacts them to do substantial work. Do they put their personal values aside to build their careers?

I recently asked students in my graduate class in Creighton’s Heider College of Business this question. One was extremely vocal. “I’d take the job. I have student loans that need to get paid off.

I also have to get any experience I can. Later on, I can be choosy about the clients with which I work.”

Another was just as vehement that, “whether it comes to a job or an investment, there are certain things I will not do and opportunities I will not take. Period.”

As the years go on, careers advance and professionals move up the ladder. A specific ethical problem at this stage is balancing personal values with significant business choices that impact the overall financial success of one’s firm as well as spouses and kids. So suppose that an engineer, architect, or graphic designer personally believes that smoking pot is bad for the individual and society. But they work for a company that will do contracts for anything that is legal. A Colorado marijuana firm contacts them to ask their company to do cannabis cultivation process thermal load calculations (engineer); a floor plan for a production facility (architect); or a website for the company (graphic designer). Do they put their personal values aside to advance the firm’s profitability?

Some say that professionals can seek guidance about this question by looking to their associations.

Professional associations have codes of ethics (like AIGA for graphic designers) that are meant to be useful for addressing the ethical dilemmas relevant in their fields. These codes are important and significant ways of setting standards and expectations of good conduct. I firmly believe in them. However, while codes cover responsibilities to clients, honesty in marketing, and the like, such ethical codes do not typically help professionals address the balance between their personal values and the values of the organizations for which they work.

Without external guidance, some advanced professionals turn inward and think about going between the horns of the ethical dilemma rather than hanging onto one horn as opposed to the other (as those at the beginning of their careers tend to do). A seasoned professional may use their years of experience to devise a sophisticated way to honor their values while keeping their job.

One inclusive solution is to volunteer for, and financially contribute to, a local not-for-profit that provides services to recovering drug addicts.

This is akin to people planting trees because, while they object to oil production, they drive cars and want to offset the CO2 emissions.

We have seen that the conflicts between personal, career, and organizational values are real and inescapable. And the ethical line we draw twists and turns as circumstances change. What is the moral of the story? It’s this: As we undertake positions and advance in our fields, the best we can do is to keep our personal values front of mind, and recognize that the twists and turns we take are a natural part of life’s exploration and ethical growth.

B2B

Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Business Ethics Alliance and the Daugherty Chair in Business Ethics and Society at Creighton University.

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