B2B - Feb/Mar 2023

Self-Storage Portfolio

901 W Broadway, Council Bluffs IA 51501

• $615,000 • 66 Units • Billboard Income 2510 Josephine St, Bellevue NE 68147

• $715,000 • 79 Units • Fenced Lot Berkshire Hathaway HS Ambassador Real Estate- Commercial Division 331 Village Pointe Plaza, Omaha NE 68118

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EXECUTIVE publisher

Todd Lemke associate publisher Bill Sitzmann

EDITORIAL associate editors

Kim Carpenter

Julius Fredrick

Linda Persigehl

contributors

Ryan Borchers

Tamsen Butler

Chris Hatch

Dwain Hebda

Jeff Lacey Sara Locke

Peyton Nicks Kim Reiner

Kara Schweiss

INFORMATION advertising information 402.884.2000

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B2B Magazine is published six times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: 402.884.2000; fax 402.884.2001. 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.

CREATIVE creative director

Matt Wieczorek sr. graphic designer Mady Bubb graphic designer 1 Renee Ludwick photographers Katie Anderson Keith Binder Scott Drickey Sarah Lemke

SALES executive vice president sales & marketing Gil Cohen

branding specialists

Dawn Dennis George Idelman contributing branding specialists

Greg Bruns Tim McCormack

assistant to the publisher Sandy Matson senior sales coordinator Alicia Hollins sales coordinator Sandi McCormack

OPERATIONS

Business Manager

Kyle Fisher ad traffic manager David Trouba digital manager Luis De la Toba

distribution manager

Damian Ingersoll

FROM

THE EDITOR

INDUSTRIES IN BLOOM

R ecently, I came across a video online titled “Omaha, Nebraska, the NEW Best City in the USA?” uploaded by popular travel vlogger Nick Johnson. As an Omaha native, I took the bait resigning myself to a healthy dose of sarcasm, and mercifully, a genuine laugh or two.

While Johnson’s account was indeed humorous, the title proved surprisingly genuine: “Lots of new exciting things [in Omaha], the growth, the technology, it’s booming right now […] it was like a flower that’s opening up just at the right time,” Johnson said of his first-ever visit to the metro.

One of many exciting developments, our issue focuses on Ralston’s “Hinge” project. It aims to revitalize and recast Ralston as a residential and entertainment hub by connecting the bustling 72nd Street corridor to downtown with investors and developers set to pour in an estimated $250 million over five years. Check out our story to see what else the “next frontier for urban development in the Omaha metro” has in store.

Our remaining features cover the ascent of private flying into consumer space historically dominated by commercial aviation, growing workforce challenges faced by accounting firms, and lastly, the emergence of businesses poised to meet the demand of modern families as they care for aging parents and/or grandparents.

I hope you’ll gain some valuable insight from these stories, and from our February/March issue of B2B Magazine as a whole. If nothing else, I hope it gives you the chance to stop and smell the flowers those of a city in bloom.

B2B

Julius Fredrick is an associate editor at Omaha Publications.

He can be reached at julius@omahapublications.com

“THERE ARE JUDGES, TRUCK DRIVERS, BUSINESSMEN...JUST ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING PEOPLE” (IN THE LEAGUE).

-JILL PANZER

”WE GET LAUGHS”

V. MERTZ OWNER JILL PANZER’S LOVE OF CRIBBAGE

What does V. Mertz owner Jill Panzer do when she needs a break from running one of the premier fine dining restaurants in Omaha?

When life ‘calls muggins,’ Panzer plays cribbage.

Panzer started playing the card game as a freshman in college. She took a job working in the Chadron State College student union pizza parlor, and it was in this snack shack that she learned the art of cribbage from a friendly female janitor. Panzer said it was great to learn the game in such a relaxed environment. “It’s such a user-friendly game,” she added. “The skill set grows with you.”

Fast forward to present day and you’ll find her playing in the Millard Cribbage League, which meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Millard American Legion, located off 144th and Q streets. Currently, there are about 62 people playing regularly, and it’s the social aspect of play that Panzer finds most appealing. “It is just a fun mix of people,” she said. “There are judges, truck drivers, businessmen…just all kinds of interesting people.”

What is cribbage, exactly? Soldier, poet, and rapscallion Sir John Suckling is attributed with inventing the card game in the 1600s. Cribbage is played with a standard deck of cards and a counting board with pegs for scoring. Players accrue points by laying down certain card combinations. Earning points during play allows players to advance pegs until someone achieves the target score, which is typically 121 points. Failing to score properly or

move one’s peg can result in the opponent “calling muggins,” allowing them to steal those points for themselves.

Cribbage has withstood the test of time because it’s fast, fun, and easy to learn. Advancing pegs on the board adds a race-like energy to the game. The boards can be objets d’art as well. A google image search for ‘cribbage boards throughout history’ yields a vast array of materials, artwork, and styles.

The simple elegance of the game appeals to Panzer. “You don’t have to be math-friendly,” she said. “A lot of times I will look over at my partner, and he will help me with the math... ‘Seven or less, Jill,’ stuff like that.” Beyond bragging rights, when her team wins, “We get laughs.”

Finding a card-playing partner to share some lively fun has been one of the highlights of Panzer’s cribbage adventure. Her partner is Harlan Holmes, whom she met 12 years ago when they both discovered the Millard Cribbage League. “Lisa [Petersen], who runs the league, put an ad in the paper, and I showed up [...] without a partner. Harlan did too,” Panzer said.

Holmes said playing with Panzer is great fun. “People just really like her. “[They] look forward to playing with her.”

Holmes can attest to Panzer’s affinity for the social element of the game. “People know that when they play us, we’ll be among the last to leave.” He fondly remembers a match they played early on in

their partnership. They were across the table from some serious, taciturn older players, one of whom had an oxygen tank in tow. Holmes recalled that, at one point when Panzer left the table, the man with the oxygen tank remarked grumpily, “If she keeps talking, I am going to run out of oxygen.”

“SHE JUST GOES FULL SPEED AHEAD ON LIVING.”

-LISA PETERSEN

League director Lisa Petersen said that Panzer’s joie de vivre is a great example of the spirit of the league. “I love her, she’s so fun. She just has the best outlook on life,” Petersen explained. “She just goes full speed ahead on living.”

For Panzer, the game is a joy.

“If I ever get a speeding ticket, it will be on a Thursday night,” she said with a chuckle. Thursdays are league nights.

To learn more, visit the Millard Cribbage page on Facebook.

B2B

AFTER HOURS | STORY BY JEFF LACEY | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

ON A MISSION

DINO’S STORAGE, MOVING VETERANS FORWARD PARTNER ON HELPING THOSE WHO’VE SERVED

Travis Berglund, operational manager for Dino’s Storage, believes a core tenet of their business is fostering a neighborhood vibe by serving the Omaha community. The self-storage business has 16 locations throughout the metro.

Nowhere is that spirit of community more evident than with the company’s support of the military; most notably, through Dino’s collaboration with Moving Veterans Forward, a Papillion-based nonprofit whose mission is to help homeless Nebraska and Iowa veterans find housing and furniture.

“When we first started out, we needed a place to store furniture. That’s how that relationship started. Even today, a lot of our stock is still stored at Dino’s. It has been such a great partnership. If they have someone who vacates a unit and they don’t want the household items anymore, we gladly clean out the unit. It’s a free donation to us, and it’s great for Dino’s because they don’t need to clean it out,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, with his first deployment taking him to Panama for Operation Just Cause in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, he continued to serve in other conflict areas, including Bosnia and Kosovo. Though he was not part of the first Gulf War, he ended his military career with a deployment in Iraq.

“I love my military career. I would not take any of it back. In fact, I’d do it all over again,” he said.

Even after his Army service ended, Hernandez remained driven to help his fellow soldier.

Dino’s collaboration with Moving Veterans Forward was initiated by the company’s founder, Dave Paladino. Paladino died in July 2021 in a plane crash that occurred in Lamoni, Iowa.

“Dino’s has always been very pro-military, very prolaw enforcement, and that really comes from Dave. Even after he passed, and his wife Lisa (Paladino) took over the company, it remained very much a core value to support anything with the military and law enforcement,” Berglund said.

Since then, Dino’s Storage has continued to work with Moving Veterans Forward as one of their primary nonprofit partners.

“Everything from donating furniture, to [marching in] parades, to offering discounts to veterans, and even some clothing drives. All to benefit and raise awareness for veterans who might need a helping hand,” Berglund said. The company also helps with setting up for events, providing the Dino’s blowup dog as a kid attraction, and donating trinkets for fundraisers.

-RON HERNANDEZ

“The core mission for us will always be to get household items, furniture, and all that into the home of someone who has served this country. That is our primary mission and always will be,” said Ron Hernandez, founder of Moving Veterans Forward.

Though both organizations have many community partners, the two have found a special and effective purpose operating together.

“What led me to start Moving Veterans Forward was just that service to others. In the military, you are always taking care of the guys to the left and right of you. I still wanted a mission like that after getting out. Then, I found out there was a need for that in Omaha. It was just a ‘right place at the right time’ moment, all with God’s blessing,” Hernandez said.

“We at Dino’s try to have a neighborhood feeling. We want to be known as Omaha’s storage, so when a nonprofit organization comes to us, we have open arms. We want to work with them,” Berglund said. “For veterans, for law enforcement, […] Anything we can do to help them, we are going to do.”

To learn more, visit mvfne.org

BIZ + GIVING | STORY BY PEYTON NICKS | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

“THE CORE MISSION FOR US WILL ALWAYS BE TO GET HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, FURNITURE, AND ALL THAT INTO THE HOME OF SOMEONE WHO HAS SERVED THIS COUNTRY. THAT IS OUR PRIMARY MISSION AND ALWAYS WILL BE.”

Travis Berglund

Trevon Brooks

NEBRASKA’S ECONOMIC STORYTELLER

TREVON BROOKS ELEVATES NETWORKING, LENDS VOICE TO NEBRASKA SUCCESS STORIES

“N ebraska has a way of showing you the beauty in humility,” said Trevon Brooks, chief strategy officer for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. “We have to do a better job at telling our story as a state. I think that’s why my job is so fun.

“Working for economic development, I get the ability to showcase the Nebraska story. There’s an energy, even an excitement, where people want to get real things done for Nebraska. There are a lot of cool initiatives on every front.”

Brooks may be an Omaha transplant, but he has made the city his home and the community his family, and both are showing the positive impact of his commanding presence.

“Uncle Sam brought me here,” the U.S. Air Force veteran recalled. “I had no idea where Nebraska was on the map until my tech sergeant pointed out Offutt [AFB] smack dab in the center of the United States. The community welcomed me right in, and Director [Anthony] Goins invited me to join his team to tackle some things around the North Omaha community. That eventually turned into looking at the state at-large. [This work] has been the greatest accident.”

With a master’s in business administration from Midland University and a master’s in strategic finance from Bellevue University, Brooks has a deep knowledge of economic matters. But he also has other great assets: a unique knack for developing

relationships wherever he finds himself, and for identifying ways to help those connections apply their talents and resources for the greatest good of the communities they serve.

“A lot of the success I’ve had in every stage of my career came down to the friends, advocates, and mentors I’ve been able to connect with in various ways.” Brooks said. “Those relationships matter. Regardless of what you’re trying to impact or learn, there is always someone willing and excited to teach what they know.”

One of the connections Brooks is most proud to have is with his first hire, Ryan ZimmerMas.

leaders, and helped coordinate and identify the big wins for that community.”

“Now as chief strategy officer, he has the power and the funding to grow those relationships and to meet those needs,” ZimmerMas continued. “He’s shepherding through between $330 and $450 million in COVID relief dollars. COVID had a disproportionate impact on Black communities, and you can’t imagine a better person to have in charge of making sure that relief is intentionally implemented to have a sustainable impact…to give the community a self-defined big win.”

Added Brooks: “At the end of the day, everyone has to become a marketer for our state. We can all help by continuing to share stories about the good things happening in Nebraska. History is often made here. Whether that’s through what’s happening with legislation, with our corporate leaders and their growth, or our ability to have a stable economic condition, even through the toughest times in our country. The best way to help our community grow is to share our stories.”

“Tre is a very charismatic individual,” said ZimmerMas, lead Economic Recovery Program manager for the NDED. “He’s passionate and very smart, but he is also very intentional. When he initially started at the DED, his position was to be a presence in the community and identify the business needs in North Omaha. He was an incredible person in that role in a community that has been really disinvested in the last several decades. He formed important relationships with business

Visit opportunity.nebraska.gov for more information.

B2B

ON THE RISE | STORY BY SARA LOCKE | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

“TRE IS A VERY CHARISMATIC INDIVIDUAL. HE’S PASSIONATE AND VERY SMART, BUT HE IS ALSO VERY INTENTIONAL.”

-RYAN ZIMMERMAS

IN THE OFFICE | STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER PHOTOS BY SARAH LEMKE

SCOOTER’S CENTRAL

COFFEE COMPANY’S NEW HUB PERCOLATES COLLABORATION

When Scooter’s Coffee employees worked at home during the pandemic, their productivity increased. While many enjoyed the flexibility, others felt a lack of engagement and collaboration with coworkers. They missed being in the office, where creativity blossoms during in-person interactions, uninhibited by screens and faulty connections. Still, the benefits of remote work hold strong appeal.

Mikala Friedrich, the company’s vice president of human resources, carefully considered the feedback employees gave and spearheaded the effort to create a space that could welcome them back when they were ready.

Friedrich and her team began vetting various locations within the Omaha metro in spring 2021.

“Honestly, there’s such a plethora of office space available in Omaha that, with the timeline to build instead of just demoing and using some existing space, this was just better for us. It gives us flexibility,” Friedrich explained.

When the Scooter’s team entered the early planning stages for their new corporate headquarters, the designer presented them with a plan that Friedrich described as a “cubicle farm.” They asked how it might be reimagined for a more flexible, collaborative workspace. The revised blueprint took the post-pandemic workforce into consideration with design by Holland Basham Architects, and ergonomic office furniture sourced from Steelcase.

Renovations started winter 2021-22 on a space located in west Omaha on Miracle Hills Drive.

The new headquarters feels more like an expansive Scooter’s Coffeehouse than a traditional office suite. Employees relocated from the former headquarters on Sapp Brothers Drive to their new space in fall 2022.

Scooter’s branding immediately greets visitors upon exiting the elevator. When entering the welcoming space, dubbed the “living room,” there is a feeling of having entered a place that’s open and ideal for hanging out.

“A lot of our coffee shops feel like a living room,” Friedrich said. “We wanted that here too, an inviting space–that’s just who we are.”

According to Friedrich, the headquarters is intended to be a “flexible work environment designed to bring our employees together when it makes the most sense.” With only three individually assigned offices in the 24,000-square-foot space, the rest of the office consists of a variety of flexible seating, collaborative spaces, and training areas. Employees can stow their personal belongings in lockers since co-founder Don Eckles, CEO Todd Graeve, and President Joe Thornton are the only people with permanently assigned desks.

The open floor plan provides ample room for ideas to breathe.

“A LOT OF OUR COFFEE SHOPS FEEL LIKE A LIVING ROOM. WE WANTED THAT HERE TOO, AN INVITING SPACE–THAT’S JUST WHO WE ARE.”

-MIKALA FRIEDRICH

“It’s a place to ideate and brainstorm, not to just put your headphones in,” Friedrich said. “There are quiet places if you need to make a call, but really we’re coming together to do collaboration and teamwork.”

The “quiet places” were a major consideration when pulling the space together. Strategically placed sound buffers hang from the wall, and felt accessories adorn lighting fixtures, desks, and working boards to keep noise to a minimum.

Collaboration, noise control, and flexibility define the new Scooter’s headquarters it’s simple for employees to pick a desired spot in the office to work, or for groups to connect in a comfortable, unrestrictive setting. Natural light beams through the windows, and a spacious balcony provides a relaxing alcove for break time.

WANTED A FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIP FEEL.”

-SCOTT EASTMAN

Of course, Scooter’s branding flows throughout.

“The space is really branded 100% Scooter’s,” said Scott Eastman, creative director. “We wanted a family and relationship feel.”

Photos of Scooter’s baristas at work and displays of the business’ core values promote this company ethos.

“We thought about how the space can invite conversation and how it can put everyone on a more even playing field,” Friedrich added. “It’s an inspiration space.”

Visit scooterscoffee.com for more information.

B2B

“WE

ROUNDTABLE | STORY BY LINDA PERSIGEHL | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

COSTS ON THE RISE

HOW IS INFLATION IMPACTING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS?

Just as private consumers are feeling the pain of higher prices, small businesses are struggling with inflation, which continues to hover around 7 percent. Supply costs, energy and shipping costs, and employee wages are all up in a wide breadth of industries, with seemingly no end to rising prices in sight. We asked leaders with three local small companies how they are being impacted by rising costs, and the ways they are responding. They include: Russ Locke, owner of Omaha Mail; Rick Ledwich, operating partner with Zio’s Pizza; and Ashly Neneman, general manager of Sun Valley Landscaping.

B2B: Tell us about your business. Who are your customers?

Locke: We mail invoices, newsletters, calendars, Christmas cards, postcard advertising, political advertising, catalogs…anything that mails to 200 or more addresses (that’s the point the U.S. Post Office gives postage breaks). Our primary customers are printers, churches, hospitals, Realtors, engineering firms, roofers, trash collectors, HVAC companies, designers, etc. I’ve been in business 23 years.

Ledwich: Zio’s Pizza has been an Omaha pizzeria for more than 36 years. We strive to put out the best New York-style pizza in Omaha, along with calzones, pastas, salads, and wings. We currently have four locations, with the most recent opening in 2018.

Neneman: Sun Valley Landscaping has been doing business in the Omaha community for 28 years. We specialize in commercial and residential landscape maintenance, design-build, and snow removal. We also have a landscape supply yard that spans over 5-acres, located at 5601 Harrison St. Our customers are busy professionals that highly value their outdoor space and curb appeal. Most of our commercial customers manage or own class A commercial buildings, and they rely on our high-quality customer service and craftsmanship to make their property stand out from the rest.

B2B: In what ways is inflation impacting your business? (energy costs, raw materials’ costs, shipping costs, etc.)

Locke: Inflation has affected shipping costs of supplies, and the cost of supplies themselves. Envelope costs are up 50% or more. Paper and 3-part forms are up 40–60 %. In addition, supply chain issues due to COVID mean it can take weeks, instead of days, to receive supplies. As a result, we’ve chosen to search out used or refurbished equipment instead of leasing or buying new.

Ledwich: Costs have increased throughout the year and continue with roller coaster affects. One minute you see dairy stabilizing, the next you see cheese increase by 20-26% and then come back down again. We were at all-time-highs for mozzarella in the summer. Eggs were at an all-time-high, then also came down and now are on the rise again.

Proteins (meat toppings) and wings have seen prices skyrocket this past year. A cost analysis is done monthly on all food, paper, and alcohol. We’ve had several months that 90% of items we use for pizza, paper goods, and cleaning supplies have gone up 10-12% overall. Unfortunately, many things have stabilized at the new higher prices, and we do not see these costs ever come back down again.

Neneman: We ship in natural stone and bulk landscape supplies from all over the country, and we have seen about a 10-15% increase in shipping costs alone. We have also experienced a 5-15% cost increase in vehicles, equipment, and parts. One of the biggest hikes that is affecting us is the cost of fertilizer, which has increased over 35% in the past 12 months.

B2B: What steps have you had to take cover the additional costs? (raise fees/prices of goods to your customers; go with alternative raw materials; cut expenses in other areas of the business, etc.)

Locke: I’ve talked my customers into less expensive ways to communicate with their customers. In the mail business, size does matter. I try to talk them into smaller formats, i.e. letter-sized mailings over flats (newsletters, etc.). Or to put personalized letters into window envelopes, instead of hand matching, to save them time and production costs. Otherwise, I’m forced to pass cost increases onto customers.

Ledwich: We have taken steps to raise some prices. And we will introduce some items that are “food cost favorable” to us in 2023. But we will not shy away from keeping our main toppings in place. We take pride in knowing that we use ingredients that are more fresh and made in-house. We’ll never take that away it’s what Zio’s has been known for all these years. But again, we’ll have to continue to keep an eye on things for 2023, as prices continue to rise and as Nebraska’s new minimum wage pay scale goes into effect. But for now, menu options will not be reduced, nor will any of the current vendors we use for our product be scaled back.

Neneman: We have raised prices slightly; some of our customers are seeing no increase at all while others might be seeing a significant increase. We don’t want to necessarily raise prices across the board, but rather be diligent about the increasing costs to service certain properties. Our main strategy is engaging our vendor partnerships to identify how we can work together to keep our costs as low as possible without having to seek out new relationships. We have already decided to change a couple key partners that directly affect overhead, which is saving us 15% in 2023.

Ashly Neneman

Rick Ledwich

Russ Locke

-NATE CLARK

“[DISC GOLF] IS A SPORT YOU CAN PLAY OUTSIDE, SOCIALLY DISTANCED,” WHICH MADE IT A PERFECT PANDEMIC SPORT.

omAHA! | STORY BY RYAN BORCHERS | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

GLIDING TO SUCCESS

DISC STORE SALES SOAR WORLDWIDE WITH HUGE INVENTORY, ONLINE PRESENCE

One flying disc or “frisbee,” if you’re not sensitive about potential copyright issues may seem as good as any other if you’re playing a casual game of catch in the yard.

Disc Store, a locally owned business that opened its new retail store and warehouse in Elkhorn, boasts a recent run of success that reduces that assumption to mere spin. The company has capitalized on the specialization of discs for sport by greatly expanding its inventory, helping boost its online sales worldwide.

Nate Clark, the disc golf department head for Disc Store, said the business’ relocation in May 2022 was necessary as it had outgrown its previous space an older building on 72nd Street just south of Dodge. The new location is approximately 23,000 square feet.

Disc Store began life in 2008 in the Concordia University dorm room of Chris Whirrett, the owner of Extra Mile E-Commerce, the parent company of Disc Store. Extra Mile also sells basketball hoops, corn hole sets, backyard ice rinks, and other sportsrelated products.

“I played Ultimate Frisbee all the time in college, and at the time there wasn’t a good place to get just one frisbee since you had to buy a box of 75 of them to get the good quality discs we liked to play with,” Whirrett said. “So I bought a box of 75 and built a little website to start selling them.”

Today, Disc Store is the largest retailer of Ultimate Frisbee officially known as Ultimate products in the country, having sold almost 2 million discs while shipping to 190 countries.

Ultimate is a 7-on-7 team sport that resembles non-contact football. The object of the game is to advance down field and score by reaching the opponent’s end zone. The game is a familiar sight on playgrounds and in gym classes, but it’s also played semi-professionally and internationally.

Disc Store caters to Ultimate aficionados by selling a wide variety of equipment and apparel, such as jerseys, gloves, and bags for carrying equipment. And, of course, it sells discs. Clark estimates the store has close to 40,000 discs on the shelf, though online business produces most of the business’ revenue.

specialized discs for different needs. Clark said he carries up to 36 discs to competitions.

Flatter discs with sharper edges tend to fly farther and faster, making them better for long shots. Deeper discs with rounder edges, such as putters, are more likely to fly straighter and land more softly just what a player needs close to the basket. Aside from their aerodynamics, discs can be distinguished by any number of features, such as how they feel in one’s hands, how well they perform with a given throwing motion, how durable they are, etc.

“We have around 200,000 discs in stock at any given time,” Whirrett said.

Disc golf is the other primary sport for which Disc Store sells merchandise. Just as in traditional golf, the disc golf player seeks to advance their projectile over long distances in the fewest number of strokes possible. In disc golf, however, the player is throwing flying discs toward wire baskets.

Disc Store saw record profits in 2020, driven in large part by disc golf’s surge in popularity. “It’s a sport you can play outside, socially distanced,” Clark said, which made it a perfect pandemic sport.

A disc golfer can complete an entire round with one disc. But similar to how regular golfers use a variety of clubs for different terrains and distances from the hole, serious disc golfers use a variety of

Aesthetics are important, too, which is why Disc Store sells discs in a wide array of colors and prints. The store cuts out the middleman by directly working with and sourcing from manufacturers, which allows it to price match against the competition and turn around orders in a timely fashion, Clark said.

“We get things into customers’ hands as [quickly] as possible,” Clark said.

Ultimately, though, Disc Store and Extra Mile’s rapid growth, and by extension Disc Store’s move to Elkhorn, is attributable to a put-the-customerfirst attitude.

“Our obsession [is] going the extra mile for every customer,” Whirrett said.

Visit discstore.com for more information.

B2B

“WE HAVE AROUND 200,000 DISCS IN STOCK AT ANY GIVEN TIME.”

-CHRIS WHIRRETT

Company presidents set the vision, standards, and goals of their organizations—no small feat. Their effective leadership, tenacity to see a business through trials and market changes, and ability to identify innovative solutions are all essential to a business’ success.

But who exactly makes a good leader?

In this continuing profile series, B2B spotlights a few Omaha corporate executives, sharing tales of their career climb, what drives them in their daily work, and lessons in effective management. Their talents and relationships in business have garnered them the respect of both their employees and peers.

Learn more about the leaders of these local companies. Their stories are inspiring, and their experience, invaluable.

B2B

PHOTOS & STORIES PROVIDED

JAMIE WALKER PRESIDENT AND CEO, JET LINX AVIATION

While Jamie Walker, Jet Linx President and CEO, never planned on working in aviation, his natural business acumen and ability to connect both clients and team members to a brand have led to soaring results. After 20 years at the helm of Jet Linx, the Company has enjoyed steady growth and innovation, and now stands as one of the premier Aircraft Management and Jet Card companies in the nation. Through the course of Walker’s Jet Linx journey, he has charted a successful course through multiple economic downturns – and one global pandemic – creating a litany of unique private jet services that have catapulted a once-small operator from Omaha, Neb., onto the national stage with more than 21 Bases around the country, serving thousands of clients and employing nearly 600 team members to carry out the mission every day – all with industry-leading safety and Five-Star service standards.

Walker’s father, entrepreneur Denny Walker, founded Jet Linx in 1999 as a fractional aircraft company. When Walker joined the company in 2002 in a sales and marketing capacity, he already had eyes on expansion. By 2004, Walker launched

the Jet Card program and the formal Aircraft Management program, both of which would fundamentally change the business, while at the same time leading the effort for Jet Linx to obtain its own FAA Part 135 certificate – and growing Jet Linx from a fleet of four private jet aircraft to over 110 across the country. In 2007, he assumed the role of CEO.

In 2009, the locally-focused Base model was unveiled, with Jet Linx Indianapolis becoming the second Jet Linx private terminal outside of Omaha. Locations in Dallas and Denver soon followed. As of the end of 2022, Jet Linx offers private terminals in more than 20 cities nationwide – from the East Coast to Florida, Midwest, Texas and beyond –with additional locations on the horizon.

Throughout Walker’s tenure at Jet Linx, dedication to customer service spurred additional innovations, including a strategic partnership with Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) in 2019. In this industryfirst partnership, Jet Linx collaborated with FTG to create a customized, proprietary training regimen to offer an industry-leading standard of luxury customer service. Walker also supported the creation and continued development of the Company’s client-focused luxury benefits program

Elevated Lifestyle, established in 2015, as well as a first-in-industry private jet hotels benefit program, EL Preferred Hotels, with over 80 starrated partner properties worldwide.

Another foundational event orchestrated under Walker’s leadership is the Jet Linx Safety Summit, an annual all-hands Summit that began in 2017 –a first-of-its-kind for airlines. Every year, Jet Linx voluntarily grounds its fleet and ceases retail flight operations for a full business day, allowing for a company-wide assembly to examine and improve safety practices and standards. To date, Jet Linx remains one of the only aircraft operators to bring together its entire team for a proactive, day-long safety event.

With two decades of service and more to come, Walker remains dedicated to carrying out the mission of Jet Linx, and looks forward to the completion of the new, flagship private terminal for Jet Linx Omaha in 2023.

JET LINX OMAHA

3910 AMELIA EARHART PLZ OMAHA, NE 68110 402.422.0393

JETLINX.COM

STEVE SWANSTROM PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTRIS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

It’s amazing what $7 and a shared vision can do.

In 1934, Pearl Scheid became the first person to sign the Omaha Telephone Employees Federal Credit Union charter by contributing $7 to the fund pool. Only $49 was needed to charter a credit union at the time.

From 1934 to 2019, Pearl’s $7 grew to $750 million. During the next three years, that $750 million blossomed to $1.25 billion – an increase the current leadership is proud to see. “We’re all pulling in the same direction, and it’s evidence of what we can do when we work together,” said Centris Federal Credit Union President and CEO Steve Swanstrom. (The organization changed its name to Centris in 2000 to reflect its expanded mission.)

A fourth-generation Nebraskan who still plays competitive tennis, Swanstrom got his start in the industry early, making customer survey calls as a summer intern at a bank in Sioux City, Iowa. When the 1990 recession and Gulf War

thwarted his plans to become a bank examiner with the FDIC, Swanstrom enrolled in Creighton University’s MBA Program before working in Commercial Federal Bank’s Management Trainee Program.

Commercial Federal sold to Bank of the West in 2005. Swanstrom then worked for several banks before rejoining a mentor at Centris in 2009. “I didn’t know much about credit unions at the time,” Swanstrom said. “The more I investigated and the more I learned, the more I liked the cooperative ownership structure that puts everyone involved within and with the credit union on the same page.”

He describes the Centris experience as a consultative, customized approach to banking with an emphasis on services designed to save members time and money. After being named president and CEO in 2013, Swanstrom devoted the next seven years to preparing the organization for future success. He updated its 30-year-old financial platform with an $8 million investment in new technology and hired banking industry veteran Kevin Svec to grow its business banking portfolio.

The most visual aspect of the organization’s investment in the future is its $30 million headquarters at 132nd and Pacific. Five years

in the making, the design reflects the corporate culture of collaboration. Floor to ceiling windows provide employees with natural light and views of the surrounding Sterling Ridge development. The fourth-floor company cafeteria is right next to the board room, and its 27 conference rooms are named after neighborhoods in the 15 Nebraska and Iowa communities it serves.

The technology-rich Centris Community Room, located on the first floor, is available for public meetings and personal events. One of its walls is covered with a graphic that showcases the organization’s commitment to community. Each year, Centris donates more than $100,000 to organizations in the communities it serves, and employees volunteer more than 2,600 hours of company time for community service.

As the organization looks ahead, Swanstrom remains focused on continued growth and member success. “Our team is ready for the next 30 years,” he said.

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ERVIN & SMITH HIRES JOHN ROST AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

The marketing agency has announced its hire of a new creative director, John Rost. John will steward and develop the vision laid out by longtime creative director and current president, Leanne Prewitt. In the agency’s search for creative leadership, John stood out as a natural fit for the firm’s consultative approach to solving their clients’ most complex business problems with resultsdriven strategies, media and brand development.

“John isn’t a typical “traditional” agency creative director. But we aren’t a typical agency,” said Prewitt. “His knowledge of client-side issues and operations combined with his passion for management made him the obvious choice. We are so excited for his future here.”

John joins Ervin & Smith with more than a decade of experience building brands and strategies for companies and inspiring creative teams to meet ever-expanding business challenges. He will work alongside the executive team, strategists, and account managers to connect compelling creative to the overall goals of each client. He will also oversee the agency’s entire creative team and production which includes design, copy, development, video and public relations.

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“WHEN [PEOPLE] REALIZED THE EFFICIENCY AND THE ADVANTAGE OF FLYING PRIVATE, THEY ALL DECIDED THIS IS WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO, AND WE HAD THIS MAD RUSH OF DEMAND IN OUR INDUSTRY.”

-RON SILVERMAN

RE-FUELED AND READY FOR TAKEOFF

GROWING PILOT NUMBERS AND DEMAND FOR CHARTERS FORECAST BLUE SKIES FOR PRIVATE AVIATION

Ron Silverman loathes to say anything good about COVID-19, but when the question comes up of the effect of the pandemic on Jet Linx, of which he is chief commercial officer, the numbers don’t lie.

“Our industry saw unprecedented demand that started during COVID,” said the New Jersey native who’s been in Omaha for two years. “People who could afford to fly privately, who didn’t want the exposure to COVID or to get on an airplane with 200 or 300 other people, started flying privately. And when they realized the efficiency and the advantage of flying private, they all decided this is what we’re going to do, and we had this mad rush of demand in our industry.”

In 2021, Silverman said, the industry was booked almost solid, to the point Jet Linx temporarily suspended sales of its Jet Card memberships to ensure the company’s available aircraft could satisfy demand a situation that has yet to return to prepandemic normal.

“Things have calmed down a bit in 2022,” he said. “People are not flying as much as they did during the high travel times in 2021. That said, we’re still very busy. We’re still flying above pre-COVID levels, so we’re busier than we were normally, but we have it more under control.”

Silverman’s assessment aligns with nationwide trends. Data sets from Argus International’s TRAQPak aviation analytics tool shows private plane travel in North America increased by 17% in the first half of 2022, compared with 2019. Put another way, private jets account for 25% of U.S. flights, per research and consulting firm WingX.

When one considers the price tag for flying privately, those are telling statistics. As AIN Online reports, after the market for private jets hit bottom in June 2020, rates rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in just six months, averaging about $6,900 per hour for a midsize jet. By July of this year, the publication reported, average fares were up 35% to $9,300 per hour, and climbing.

FEATURE | STORY BY DWAIN HEBDA | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

“PEOPLE ARE NOT FLYING AS MUCH AS THEY DID DURING THE HIGH TRAVEL TIMES IN 2021. THAT SAID, WE’RE STILL VERY BUSY. WE’RE STILL FLYING ABOVE PRE-COVID LEVELS, SO WE’RE BUSIER THAN WE WERE NORMALLY, BUT WE HAVE IT MORE UNDER CONTROL.”

-RON SILVERMAN

FROM PAGE 25

Diversification has helped Jet Linx weather fluctuations in pricing, costs, and customer demand, even ones that dramatically shifted the industry, such as immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks and the heights of pandemic anxiety. This strategy has helped streamline revenue. For example, the company has changed the traditional charter model through the use of its Jet Card a tiered membership perk that guarantees cardholders availability to a private jet and guaranteed pricing.

On the aircraft ownership side, the company helps owners maximize their investment by providing a guaranteed stream of income for when the plane is not in use. The company also promises aircraft owners additional savings through enhanced buying power, in-house maintenance, and flight crews.

increase of about 25% over the company’s next best year.

“That was the thing that surprised us the most in 2020,” Poole said. “I think it was mostly because people were forced during the pandemic to slow down a little bit and maybe take stock of their life a little. What we heard was a lot of people said, ‘Hey, I always wanted to do this, so now’s the time.’

“Other people took stock of it in that they wanted to make a career change. ‘I’ve been working office jobs for the last 10 years and I always wanted to fly for a living and it’s now or never.’ That was fascinating to see. We did not anticipate that.”

right now, the maintenance worker shortage is as, if not more, significant. We’re trying to really make that Sioux City location an aviation educational hub.”

Regarding other industry challenges, Poole said crippling supply chain issues have abated somewhat, making it easier to obtain everything from single parts to complete aircrafts.

PARTNER,

-RON SILVERMAN

“If you, as a consumer, go out and buy an airplane, typically you’re going to fly about 100 or 200 hours a year,” Silverman said. “That means your airplane’s going to sit in the hangar and gather dust when you’re not using it. Jet Linx supplements the airplane’s use by putting revenue-generating passengers on it. As a partner, we share that revenue with you, which helps you offset some of the costs of aircraft ownership.”

Passengers weren’t the only group high on the benefits of private aviation during the pandemic. Dave Poole, vice president of business development for Oracle Aviation, said the company set a record through its pilot training program in 2020. The company logged 14,000 hours of instruction, an

The spike in flight school enrollment is good news for an industry that’s bemoaned a lack of qualified pilots for years, but it doesn’t address all of the industry’s labor woes. Poole said airplane mechanics are in equally short supply, which is why Oracle has forged multiple partnerships with local technical colleges to help recruit more professionals into the industry.

The latest of these efforts, and arguably the most ambitious, is Oracle’s new FBO (Fixed Based Operator) in Sioux City, which broke ground recently and is expected to be open by next fall. The new 43,000-square-foot facility boasts 30,000 square feet of hangar space and 6,000 square feet of office and classroom facilities for flight school students and other instruction.

“We’re very excited about that project, it will be a really nice addition to the local airport there,” Poole said. “We’ve created a flight school collegiate partnership with Morningside University where we’re doing a bachelor’s degree program for both professional flight and also an aviation management program.

“We’ve also partnered with Western Iowa Tech, a community college in Sioux City, to do an aircraft maintenance program as a two-year degree. We’re really excited about that as well, because for as much publicity as the pilot shortage gets nationally

“Parts availability was a significant problem because large engine manufacturers, propeller manufacturing and refurbishment companies, and all the different companies that give us the backend parts supply several of them shuttered for months during COVID,” Poole said. “We had an airplane that needed a simple pressure switch that had to be manufactured, and it took us 10 months to get that part.”

As for future opportunities, both executives said the mergers and acquisitions activity that dominated the industry heading into the pandemic has already re-emerged and is poised to spur big headlines in the new year.

Jet Linx, which purchased a south Florida competitor in March 2022, is particularly active looking for logical M&A prospects. Silverman noted that the constant drive for capacity delivered via local service provides motivation for growth.

“Mergers and acquisitions are a big play for our company,” Silverman said. “That’s the quickest way to grow, and we’ve made a concerted decision that that’s really the way that we’re going to grow our bases. In fact, we have an individual based here in Omaha whose sole job is to speak to other aircraft management and charter companies and find out their appetite for merging or having us acquire them.”

Poole said strategic acquisitions in overlooked or underserved areas offer Oracle the benefit of expanding its clientele often at a lower overall cost than trying to slug it out in markets already saturated with providers.

“JET LINX SUPPLEMENTS THE AIRPLANE’S USE BY PUTTING REVENUEGENERATING PASSENGERS ON IT.

AS A

WE SHARE THAT REVENUE WITH YOU, WHICH HELPS YOU OFFSET SOME OF THE COSTS OF AIRCRAFT OWNERSHIP.”

“THERE ARE A LOT OF BLUE-CHIP BUSINESSES IN SMALL TOWNS ACROSS THE MIDWEST THAT DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO AVIATION ASSETS, BECAUSE NO ONE’S EVER REALLY COUNSELED THEM ON THAT OR SHOWN THEM WHAT OPTIONS ARE OUT THERE. WE SEE THAT AS A PLAN FOR SUCCESS MOVING FORWARD IN POSSIBLE FUTURE LOCATIONS.”

-DAVE POOLE

“There are a lot of blue-chip businesses in small towns across the Midwest that don’t have access to aviation assets, because no one’s ever really counseled them on that or shown them what options are out there,” he said. “We see that as a plan for success moving forward in possible future locations.

“We’re always looking at targeted opportunities,” Poole added. “We don’t believe in taking a shotgun approach or just gobbling up real estate. We want to look at markets that are underserved, that fit a model where we believe we can be successful.”

To learn more, visit jetlinx.com and oracleaviation.com

“ONE OF MY CLIENTS WAS AN ETHANOL COMPANY IN IOWA. ANOTHER ONE WAS A BOOK COMPANY DOWN IN LINCOLN. AND THEN I DID AUDITS ON SOME HOSPITALS AS WELL. I FOUND A VARIETY OF THINGS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN.”

-CHELSIE WIECZOREK

FEATURE | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

IN THE RED

ACCOUNTING

FIRMS RESPOND TO

INDUSTRY LABOR SHORTAGE

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 1.3 million people are employed as accountants and auditors, with more than 136,000 openings expected every year for the next decade or so. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trends Report shows that the annual number of accounting graduates around 73,000, according to the most recent statistics available has declined by about 6,000 compared to the average of the previous five years. And annually, around 100,000 people take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam, with only about half passing it.

You don’t have to be an accounting professional to understand what these numbers are suggesting: a shortage for the sector.

Rob Osborne, a partner with public accounting firm Frankel Zacharia, CPA , who recruits and hires, said it “boils down to simple supply and demand.”

“THE SUPPLY OF ACCOUNTING STUDENTS ENTERING THE PROFESSION IS DECREASING. PART OF IT WAS PANDEMIC-RELATED, BUT I THINK, JUST IN GENERAL, THERE ARE FEWER AND FEWER ACCOUNTING STUDENTS COMING OUT OF COLLEGE AS WELL. THAT COULD BE RELATED TO CPA REQUIREMENTS.”

-ROB OSBORNE

“The supply of accounting students entering the profession is decreasing. Part of it was pandemicrelated, but I think, just in general, there are fewer and fewer accounting students coming out of college as well,” he said. “That could be related to CPA requirements. To sit for the CPA exam, you have to have 150 credit hours. Oftentimes, that means you have to take a fifth year of school just to be eligible for CPA exam. I think that is turning people off to some extent.”

Obtaining the certified public accountant (CPA) designation requires a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or accounting. Candidates must also complete 150 hours of education, as Osborne pointed out, plus have two years of public accounting experience. To receive the CPA designation, a candidate also must pass the rigorous Uniform CPA exam, which is developed and graded by a nonprofit professional organization, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). CPA licenses are provided by the Board of Accountancy for each state. The CPA designation also requires annual continuing education hours.

Only accountants with the designation can legally perform certain tasks, such as auditing public companies and preparing their audited financial statements. Some employers require the credential for certain positions. Becoming a CPA certainly opens many doors, but not all accountants are CPAs.

“Most people think that you have to get your CPA in order to be an accountant, but you don’t have to,” said Chelsie Wieczorek, an accounting professional who’s worked in both the public and private sectors.

Katy Doyle, a recruiter with the Omaha firm Lutz, which provides many business services including accounting, agreed that a CPA designation is not the only pathway into the diverse field. It’s possible to transfer into accounting positions from other career fields or to begin working at a company in a support position under the umbrella of accounting.

“NOT ALL ACCOUNTING ROLES HAVE TO BE DEGREED. THERE ARE NONDEGREED ACCOUNTING ROLES LIKE BOOKKEEPING, AND IT’S USUALLY ONE THAT YOU CAN START UP AS AN ENTRYLEVEL PERSON IN A COMPANY.”

-KATY DOYLE

“Not all accounting roles have to be degreed,” Doyle said. “There are non-degreed accounting roles like bookkeeping, and it’s usually one that you can start up as an entry-level person in a company.”

Payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable positions are among other roles which may be available to candidates with an associate degree or who’ve amassed related professional experience, Doyle added. “While it is really critical for you to grow within an organization to have that bachelor’s in accounting, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be in accounting at some capacity.”

The accounting profession has a reputation for being demanding and deadline-driven, which may be a deterrent to students choosing to study accounting or new graduates considering their options, Osborne said.

FROM PAGE 29

“Historically particularly public accounting, CPA they certainly work a lot of hours. We have our compression period, which is generally January through April 15. Some other firms that serve other niche industries have multiple busy seasons; the larger accounting firms that serve publicly traded companies basically have busy seasons every quarter. The client time demands on people means it’s not often a 40-hour work week.”

Wieczorek said she’s faced burnout in the past working double a typical full-time workweek.

“WE WOULD BE WORKING 80 HOURS A WEEK FOR TWO MONTHS, AND THEN IT WOULD KIND OF SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO 60 HOURS A WEEK AND THEN 55. THAT WAS FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR. WHEN YOU’RE DOING THAT, YOU DON’T HAVE ANY SOCIAL LIFE.”

-CHELSIE WIECZOREK

“We would be working 80 hours a week for two months, and then it would kind of slow down a little bit to 60 hours a week and then 55,” she said. “That was four or five months out of the year. When you’re doing that, you don’t have any social life.”

It also doesn’t help that movies and television shows often present a nerdy, uptight stereotype of accountants, Wieczorek said. It’s an amusing portrayal, but while the profession is demanding, its practitioners aren’t uptight individuals with pocket protectors who can’t leave their calculators behind for the company picnic. In the real world, they encompass a fairly equal number of men and women and a variety of personality types.

“They’re outgoing and professional and charismatic individuals,” Doyle said.

Osborne said that accounting firms like his are listening to their employees and others in the field and looking at ways to reduce the amount of professional time required to serve clients, including investing in technology. Accounting

has come a long way from handwritten entries in paper ledgers, but better software and systems can always be introduced.

“That allows us to provide more services in the same amount of time. We’re also trying to decrease the hourly demands on our people,” he said. “We feel that’s been one of the biggest reasons for people leaving our profession, the time demands.”

“Right now at my current job, we’re going through an accounting system implementation,” Wieczorek said, adding that her team is taking fully advantage of the opportunity to build the system “exactly how we want it.”

To help bring more people into accounting professions, Lutz maintains a robust recruitment and internship program, Doyle said.

“WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO PEOPLE DEDICATED TO GOING OUT FULL TIME TO ATTRACT THAT INTERNSHIP TALENT. THEY GO OUT THERE PRETTY OFTEN, THEY DO THE CAREER FAIRS AND THE JOB FAIRS. AND THEY’RE KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH THESE PEOPLE AS THEY’RE GOING THROUGH THEIR ACCOUNTING CLASSES.”

-KATY DOYLE

“We actually have two people dedicated to going out full time to attract that internship talent. They go out there pretty often, they do the career fairs and the job fairs. And they’re keeping in touch with these people as they’re going through their accounting classes,” she said. “Those are kind of feeder roles for our staff-level people as well, as the majority of ours go through our internship program.”

Despite its challenges, the accounting sector has much to offer, which is important to share early on with students as they consider their future careers, Doyle said.

“I would say accounting is one of the most stable professions out there, for sure,” she said. “Not only that, but it’s one that’s offered the most competitive salaries. I’ve been an accounting and finance recruiter for almost 13 years, and I’m seeing a huge upswing in salary trends within the last 18 months. And I think that that’s something that should be shared as well.”

Osborne agreed that compensation is definitely competitive. Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the national mean salary for accountants and auditors to be around $84,000 per year and increasing.

“You know, we’re all vying for a smaller pool of employees,” Osborne said. “So, when supply decreases, demand increases and what happens when demand increases?”

Another advantage to the field is the wide range of experiences it can offer, Wieczorek said.

“One of my clients was an ethanol company in Iowa. Another one was a book company down in Lincoln. And then I did audits on some hospitals as well,” she said. “I found a variety of things. I thought that was a lot of fun.”

Wieczorek also pointed out that in some companies, and for some clients, accounting work can be done from anywhere.

“I think, especially now, people really want at least the hybrid option, or to be able to just work from home,” she said. “We can, with the technology that we have now.”

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A RALSTON REVIVAL

MAJOR HINGE PROJECT TO HELP REDEFINE DOWNTOWN, REINVIGORATE HOUSING AND BUSINESS GROWTH

Ralston’s commercial areas are due for a makeover, and the transformation has already begun. An ambitious project is underway to bridge two vastly different neighborhoods the city’s quiet downtown area, and the bustling 72nd Street corridor.

The Ralston Hinge Project’s Master Plan was launched in 2018 with the express purpose of redeveloping the industrial area between Liberty First Credit Union Arena along 72nd Street and Downtown Ralston. The idea is to create a walkable area between the two entertainment hubs spurring residential development, greater retail opportunities, and sprawling green spaces in the process. One developer likened it to a miniature Aksarben Village.

The revitalized area could yield more than 460 new housing units in mixed-use structures, plus an attractive new trails system that will enhance the existing Ralston Creek Trail and New Gateway Park.

During a Sarpy County mayoral forum in October 2022, Ralston Mayor Donald Groesser presented an update on the project, noting the city “has seen growth in its Hinge project, connecting the growth along 72nd Street from the municipal arena to the city’s downtown area.” As a result, confidence in the feasibility and outcomes of the Hinge Project strengthened.

It helps that the first major development was the Granary District, located in the heart of the proposed connecting zone between downtown and 72nd Street. At the center of the district is the historic granary building, where developers

have managed to maintain its rustic aesthetic while revamping its interior space enticing for new businesses and the general public alike.

Groesser said completing the Granary District was key to getting the redevelopment project off to a good start. “It created the excitement we needed […] It’s been a key thing to get the rest of it to go.”

Slats of wood originally used in the old granary’s massive bins have been repurposed to suit the modern needs of the building’s tenants. In the high-end repurposed furniture retail shop, Out of the Box, grain bins that once held metric tons of peas now serve as a stylish showroom for light fixtures. In the new events space, The Venue, grain bins have been modified into sleek, fully functional restrooms.

I See It Ventures is the company responsible for the evolution of the Granary District. Gordon Whitten, CEO of I See It Ventures, sensed the time to invest in Ralston had arrived, given its prime location and its federal designation as an Opportunity Zone areas that offer tax incentives for investors who commit long-term investments to low-income, urban, and rural communities nationwide.

“It’s a perfect, central location,” Whitten affirmed. He’s banking on other businesses following suit, noting the accessibility and affordability the area provides. As a show of confidence, he’s also reserved a portion of his office space to serve as an accelerator for five start-ups.

Groesser said new downtown businesses have already added 40 jobs, with many more to come.

I See It Ventures’ headquarters is in the Granary District, with Whitten’s workspace overlooking the Granary Green, an outdoor event space. Since opening Granary Green in May 2022, Whitten and his company have held concerts, viewing parties for major sporting events, bocce ball league, and a large New Year’s Eve celebration, complete with the area’s only Times Square-inspired ball drop. Bushwackers, the long-established bar and dance club on the Granary building’s lower level, has added a bar window to connect the spaces.

Whitten’s partner, Wayne Lallman, said the key to the Granary Green is maintaining flexibility. Groesser highlighted the benefits of the space’s versatility during the mayoral forum in 2022. Lallman said the space was already popular as both a paid events space and as a city park, adding, “Our unique partnership is paying big dividends by attracting new people to [the area].”

Groesser said the city gets opportunities to host up to 14 events a year in the green space. “We [city administrators] just hired a tourism events director to help us book events and really help us utilize the space for Ralston citizens,” he added.

FEATURE | STORY BY KIM REINER | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

“WE [CITY ADMINISTRATORS] JUST HIRED A TOURISM EVENTS DIRECTOR TO HELP US BOOK EVENTS AND REALLY HELP US UTILIZE THE SPACE FOR RALSTON CITIZENS.”

-MAYOR DON GROESSER

“WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN… A CONCENTRATED DOWNTOWN WITH AN INTERSECTION. WE JUST HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY HERE THAT [NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES] DON’T.”

-MAYOR DON GROESSER

FROM PAGE 32

There are more long-term plans for the Hinge Project spanning an estimated five to 10 years though precise timelines for certain initiatives have yet to be confirmed.

Hillcrest Landing has a $50 million residential redevelopment in the works, and the city has identified potential trails systems to encourage foot traffic and outdoor recreation. Additionally, a creative district is under consideration for the development’s entryway at 72nd and Main streets. For now, however, revitalizing the downtown area remains its central focus.

There’s one emerging factor in particular that’s stirring excitement for many involved with the Hinge Project, and raising hopes that completion dates may advance out of necessity: the WarHorse Casino, scheduled to open in 2023. The horse track-casino venue is currently under construction at Horseman’s Park at 63rd and Q streets, within a half-mile of the Ralston development.

ENTERTAINMENT

-GORDON WHITTEN

“This massive entertainment entity [WarHorse Casino] will be less than a mile away,” Whitten observed. “There will be a massive need for housing, restaurants, and support services in this area.”

Whitten said he expects $250 million to go into Hinge over the next five years. To prepare for the anticipated growth, Whitten and Lallman invested in improving the Granary District’s infrastructure, including updated electrical and drainage systems.

“THIS MASSIVE

ENTITY [WARHORSE CASINO] WILL BE LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. THERE WILL BE A MASSIVE NEED FOR HOUSING, RESTAURANTS, AND SUPPORT SERVICES IN THIS AREA.”

They envision mews city housing styled in the fashion of 20th century carriage houses just west of the Granary building, adjoined by a pedestrian walkway and a weekly farmers market.

With so much change anticipated, stakeholders in the project believe the city’s image could be rebranded entirely. When surveyed at the start of talks for the Master Plan, the majority of city leaders and business owners said their top priority was to make Ralston a fun destination, one that’s vibrant with small-town character.

This vision appears to becoming a reality. When Lallman gave a tour of the Granary District, he marveled at how, just two years ago, the elegant showrooms inside Out of the Box were dusty, vacant structures covered by a leaky roof.

“You wouldn’t expect this sitting in Ralston,” Lallman said of the remodel.

It’s a sentiment Lallman never tires of repeating in fact, it’s one he hopes to express time and again as the Hinge Master Plan, and his personal vision of a more vibrant Ralston, nears ever closer to fruition.

Groesser, who was first elected Ralston mayor in 1996, has had a vision for downtown for many years as well.

“My first four years in office, I had maps, plans of what the granary could become,” he recalled. “It’s been a dream of mine. We have a beautiful downtown…a concentrated downtown with an intersection. We just have a lot of opportunity here that [neighboring communities] don’t.”

For more information, visit cityofralston.com/home/ news/ralston-hinge-master-plan

Managing risk.

Patrick and Anna Kinchler

MOVING MOM AND DAD

HIRING PACKING SERVICES FOR AGING PARENTS A TREND AMONG BUSY PROFESSIONALS

One certainty with most aging parents is that at some point in time, living independently will become too difficult, requiring mom or dad be moved into a residential care facility or the home of a relative to look after them.

In making that transition, family members are often tasked with packing their things, while also dramatically paring down the senior’s furniture, furnishings, and a lifetime worth of possessions to accommodate the new living quarters.

These days, more adult children strapped for time with busy careers and other demands, living long distances from their parent, or wanting to avoid the emotional fallout that often comes with sorting and discarding their loved one’s things are hiring outside help to assist with the major undertaking.

Two Omaha companies capitalizing on this outsourcing trend are Senior Moving Services, founded by Denise Ruby; and Forever Yesterday Exchange, owned by Anna and Patrick Kinchler.

For Ruby, a 12-year Navy veteran who felt called back to some kind of service after finding herself adrift in a job she didn’t love, it’s about having a detailed plan so that her clients don’t have to.

“We provide a full range of services that we believe reduces the stress and anxiety related to this type of move,” Ruby said. “We are the one-stop shop when it comes time.” Her services include everything from sorting, packing, and moving items to the new home, to identifying family heirlooms to ship to relatives, to organizing an estate sale, to coordinating donations to charities. The business also has an estate liquidation warehouse where it houses and sells discarded items.

While Ruby has been in business for 15 years, it’s been within the past few years that her moving team has grown from three employees to eight as the senior relocation market has ramped up; instead of a client every few weeks, she now has a couple jobs booked each week.

The Kinchlers, a dynamic husband-wife duo who found themselves on the treadmill of corporate America, said their faith and love of working side-by-side led them to start Forever Yesterday Exchange in October 2018. The company, which has grown to a staff of 10 (plus the owners), provides clean-out and moving services for all types of households, from hoarding situations to sprawling high-end estates.

Their move teams sort, discard, pack, and move furniture, decor, and miscellaneous items when a homeowner is vacating a property; or in some instances, after the homeowner has passed away. Unwanted items are donated or sold at one of Forever Yesterday’s two resale stores in the metro. Kinchler said the company does clean-outs on three to four homes per week.

While having different beginnings, the two businesses share a similar ideology: they care about the process, so families can care about the people.

“Taking care of a loved one during this time is a challenge,” Ruby said. “The key is understanding your client. Taking the time learn about them, their situation, their family, their needs…be part of their support system. While we are executing the plan and performing the physical move, this frees up the family to take care of the more important matters, such as spending time [with their elderly family members]…or taking care of their medical or legal needs.”

The Kinchlers, too, believe in being more than just the hands lifting furniture. “In offering this unique type of service, […] we have been given an opportunity to bring peace to families in a time when they need to focus their efforts elsewhere,” Anna Kinchler said. “We are able to assist in carrying the emotional burden of emptying and finalizing of an estate, by taking the overwhelmed feeling off of their shoulders.”

Of course, the businesses aim to make a profit as well. Fees for clean-outs and moves can vary greatly, depending on the household and time and work involved in the job.

Ruby and her team were instrumental in helping Jennifer O’Dell and her mother in spring 2022, when it was time to move the latter out of her nearly 10,000-square-foot home.

“WE PROVIDE A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES THAT WE BELIEVE REDUCES THE STRESS AND ANXIETY RELATED TO THIS TYPE OF MOVE.”

-DENISE RUBY

FEATURE | STORY BY CHRIS HATCH | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

“We interviewed a few different local moving companies and [Senior Moving Services] just seemed like they were going to be super-efficient, good with her,” O’Dell said about her mother’s move. “They were on-task. It was a pretty big move and our first time using a senior moving company, but they were the best organizers also.”

Forever Yesterday Exchange also takes pride in the reverence with which they treat households. They are undaunted by even some of the most packedto-the-rafters homes.

“‘THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO EAT AN ELEPHANT: ONE BITE AT A TIME.’ THAT’S A QUOTE [MY HUSBAND] PATRICK OFTEN USES. SOME ESTATES DO HAVE A HOARDER-TYPE AMOUNT OF STUFF. WE HAVE A SYSTEM FOR HOMES OF THIS NATURE THAT ALLOWS US TO STILL APPROACH THE ESTATE WITH SENSITIVITY TO THE FAMILIES.”

-ANNA KINCHLER

“‘There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.’ That’s a quote [my husband] Patrick often uses,” Kinchler said. “Some estates do have a hoarder-type amount of stuff. We have a system for homes of this nature that allows us to still approach the estate with sensitivity to the families [...] a game plan that helps our crew organize the removal.”

Neither company stops with merely helping with the physical move.

“They literally did everything,” O’Dell said of Senior Moving Services. “They were very patient and kind and understanding that moving somewhere new after 35 years is pretty hard. You can tell that they’re pretty well connected and that they knew who to call for everything.”

For more information, visit foreveryesterdayexchange.com and seniormovingservices.com

OMAHA MAGAZINE

– it’s about all of us.

For roughly 35 years, Omaha Magazine has brought our readers stories of the city’s most fascinating people, delectable foods, and the arts & events that make Omaha the cultural epicenter of the Midwest.

OMAHA CVB BY DEBORAH WARD

THE FACES OF OMAHA TOURISM

H ave you ever wondered who greets visitors traveling into Omaha? The ones behind the reigns of the proverbial “welcome wagon”? They’re a special group of people, and key to Visit Omaha’s initiative to help out-of-towners feel welcome when they touch down at Eppley Airfield, or stop by the Omaha Visitors Center at 10th and Farnam.

Each Visit Omaha ambassador serves as a personal concierge, offering helpful and inspirational information to our city’s guests. Last year, ambassadors helped more than 30,000 visitors find places to go and things to do during their stay in the metro. They encourage exploration throughout our community, increasing tourism spending along the way. In 2022, ambassadors made nearly 6,000 partner referrals referring a visitor to an Omaha restaurant, hotel, or attraction based on their interest.

The incredible people who work at the Visitors Center offer a wealth of information to out-of-town visitors, but there’s another special quality they all share: volunteerism. These dedicated individuals are invaluable to Omaha, helping to make each visit a success. They don’t stop there; volunteer ambassadors also educate local residents on things to see and do when friends and family come to visit.

In an effort to increase distribution and access to visitor information throughout the community, Visit Omaha created new mobile information carts located at CHI Health Center Omaha the city’s downtown convention center and arena and at the Union Bank & Trust Sports Complex in Elkhorn. Additionally, a partnership with the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) resulted in the “Walk the Park” program, wherein Visit Omaha ambassadors stroll the new Gene Leahy Mall wearing branded t-shirts while providing visitor information.

Visit Omaha continues to find inventive ways to attract more visitors to our city’s doorstep. But the work doesn’t stop there. Once visitors arrive, they receive a personal welcome, and a customized roadmap for exploring the city, spending their money, and forging new memories all thanks to volunteer ambassadors.

Please contact the Omaha Visitors Center if you’re interested in joining the Omaha Ambassador Program.

B2B

BY VETA T. JEFFERY

GROWING OMAHA

FROM THE INSIDE OUT THE CITY

I n June 2022, my family and I moved from our hometown of St. Louis to Omaha so I could take the role of president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. Prior to the move, in preparation for the job interview, I did a fair amount of research on the city of Omaha, as you can imagine.

Something that caught my eye was the transformation Omaha has undergone in recent years. My research revealed that Omaha is different than it was 20,10, or even five years ago, as shown by a drive down Dodge Street.

Since getting here, I have been impressed with the community’s commitment to the growth of Omaha. Every metro wants to succeed, but the ones that do are the ones with the fortitude to actually put in the work day-in and day-out, and the ones with the right tools to do so. At the Greater Omaha Chamber, we want businesses of all sizes to grow so that our city can grow in parallel. While we strive for growth, we can’t forget about Omaha’s greatest resource its people.

The transformation Omaha has undergone in the last 20 years, and our evolution over the next 20, has to be supported with a people-first

perspective. I appreciate that at the Chamber, we see a perfect opportunity to do so in our Urban Core.

In 2022, the Greater Omaha Chamber announced our Urban Core Strategic Plan. The goal of this plan is maximizing the economic development and overall vitality of Greater Omaha’s city center, stretching from UNMC to the western edge of Council Bluffs. This plan says that by improving the livability of Greater Omaha’s Urban Core, we aim to attract 30,000 new jobs and 30,000 new residents within 20 years. A lofty goal, but one that is ultimately reachable.

It is our mission to provide for our community in any way we can, and we can’t do it alone. We need your help to advocate and educate. There are people in Omaha that don’t know all the great things that are happening in our community. I ask you to be the cheerleader for Omaha. Help us sell our city to the people who already live here, and to the people who might one day live here. Together, let’s make Omaha the destination for professionals wanting a vibrant place to live, work, grow, do business, and call home.

B2B

Veta Jeffery is president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber.

Deborah Ward is the executive director of Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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