December/January/February 2014 B2B Omaha Magazine

WINTER 2014 • DEC/JAN/FEB

Deb Bass

NEBRASKA HEALTH INFORMATION INITIATIVE OIL & VINEGAR

Boom in Omaha Nebraska’s

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publisher TODD LEMKE managing editor DAVID WILLIAMS b2b omaha editor CHRIS WOLFGANG editorial intern ANNA HENSEL (NO. 33) contributing writers JAYLENE EILENSTINE • ALLISON JANDA BEVERLY KRACHER, PH.D. • RL LEMKE DANA MARKEL • MANDY MOWERS RAIN SISSEL creative director JOHN GAWLEY director of photography & interactive media BILL SITZMANN senior graphic designer KATIE ANDERSON junior graphic designer PAUL LUKES production artist MARTI LATKA graphic design intern CARRIE HAUSMAN (#30) account executives GREG BRUNS • GIL COHEN GWEN LEMKE • VICKI VOET assistant to the publisher SANDY BESCH MATSON account assistants DAWN DENNIS • JESSICA LINHART ALICIA SMITH HOLLINS • SYDNEY STANDER operations TYLER LEMKE warehouse distribution manager MIKE BREWER for advertising information 402-884-2000 to subscribe: SEND $12.95 FOR A ONE-YEAR (FOUR ISSUES) TO: B2B OMAHA • PO BOX 461208 OMAHA, NE 68046-1208 WWW.B2BOMA.COM a publication of OMAHA MAGAZINE B2B Omaha Magazine is published four times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208.

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table of contents

winter 2013 • december/january/february • volume 13 • issue 4

“By this time, we were doing surgery, and we were still trying to figure out if the patient was diabetic or if they had high blood pressure. And I remember thinking, there has got to be a better way to do this.”

DEB BASS, CEO OF NEBRASKA HEALTH INFORMATION INITIATIVE

39 Try to Keep Up WITH DEB BASS

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNS

11

6

20

ASID NE/IA 2013 The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Nebraska/Iowa chapter shows off three award-winning projects for the corporate space.

On the Rise Zealous Melon

Welcome to the Weekend

8 omAHA!

25

Sweet Afton Studios

16

First Monday of the Month Join the Breakfast Club of Champions every first Monday of the month at 11-Worth Cafe in Midtown and chat with other business professionals over coffee and waffles.

18

Oil and Vinegar Boom in Omaha Move over, cupcakes, there’s a new specialty food store in Omaha: oil and vinegar stores.

45 The Best of B2B 2013 Omaha Voting Ballot Vote for those vendors you call time and time again.

Businesses anxiously await the results of this popular voting contest and celebrate them all year long.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

30

Buy Omaha Profiles

52

Nebraska NABCAP Premier Advisors

BestOfOmaha.com

Omaha CVB

Office Furniture Make First Impressions Count

22 Give Powering Across the Finish Line

26

43 Arts & Entertainment

Shocking Us into Ethics

RetroShirtz Uses New Tech to Print Custom Shirts Fast

49

28 How I Roll

Business Ethics

Social Media Hashtags: They Mean Business

Polishing a Legacy with Mark Chickinelli

62

50 omAHA! Omaha Fast Foods was the quickest-to-market concept in an entrepreneur’s book of startup ideas.

The Know-It-All Let States Deal Individually with Fuel Dependence

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 5

on the rise

story by bailey hemphill • photo by bill sitzmann

Zealous Melon

Brandon Blakemore (left) and Käj Jorgensen (right) breathe, sleep, and possibly eat their tech consulting startup Zealous Melon.

THE GREAT “PEAR” OF BRANDON BLAKEMORE AND KÄJ JORGENSEN

W

ITH JUST ONE LOOK at Zealous

Melon’s hip basement headquarters, the fruit theme becomes apparent. The walls and the furniture, like the business’ logo, are bright orange and green.

“Our office could pass for a frozen yogurt place,” laughs Käj Jorgensen, one of Zealous Melon’s two founders. That’s exactly the type of fun yet relaxed atmosphere Jorgensen and co-founder Brandon Blakemore want for their technology training and consulting company.

Blakemore and Jorgensen, both Omaha natives, met while working for Apple. Blakemore

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

was a senior at University of Nebraska-Omaha and worked as a trainer, technician, and business specialist. Jorgensen had just graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan and primarily taught consumers (specifically those unfamiliar with Apple technology) how to use computers, iPhones, and iPads.

After six years with Apple, they both decided they wanted to start their own business. “We saw needs that weren’t being met,” Blakemore says. “Apple is very good at selling their products, but they’re not good with helping people implement those products into the workplace

or their daily lives.”

Blakemore and Jorgensen quit on the same day, even handing in their two weeks notices together. That was when Zealous Melon was born—or, at least, that was when the idea of what would become Zealous Melon was born.

Although they knew what they wanted to do, they struggled with a company name. “Eventually, [my sister] Lauren came up with it using a name generator,” says Blakemore. “The generator suggested ‘Jealous Melon.’ We liked ‘Melon’ because we wanted something with fruit—like Apple— but not ‘Jealous.’ So we switched ‘Jealous’ to OmahaMagazine.com

‘Zealous,’ which worked better because we’re passionate about what we do.”

So what exactly does Zealous Melon do?

They help people invest in their technology. For example, if a company wants to train its staff in integrating iPads with Windows desktops, Zealous Melon is there. “We started with training,” Jorgensen says. “But as the year went on, we started doing technology consulting, database design, iTunes book publishing, and web development.”

With clients like Valley Boys Roofing, KANEKO, 3M, and Joslyn Art Museum, Zealous Melon seems to be climbing quickly from its initial launch in 2012. Its success comes not only from Blakemore and Jorgensen’s aptitude for technology, but their pairing as well.

Blakemore is the business-minded workaholic; Jorgensen, the creative spirit. They mesh well. In fact, they’re not just business partners; they’re roommates, too. “We’re very involved with each other,” Jorgensen says. “You could say we’re ‘office spouses.’ I guess our living arrangement makes us more spousal, too.”

Blakemore laughs, “We both have girlfriends though!”

When it comes to who does what, they both agree that it depends on who is the better fit for the task. “If it has numbers, Brandon does it,” Jorgensen says. “If it’s something written, I do it. But we always run everything by each other.”

That includes office music, which Blakemore says is something Jorgensen can’t work without.

“If we’re coding, we’re listening to something loud and angry, like Skrillex. Otherwise, it’s classic rock or something,” he says.

Some days, they work tirelessly from sunup to sundown. Other days, they’ll work on the interior design of their office or make the drive to El Bee’s in Waterloo, one of their favorite lunch destinations. Whatever they’re doing, they do it together.

The pair has great ideas for Zealous Melon’s future. Application development intrigues them, as does helping people with home automation, which their office already uses. (They can control their music, mood lighting, projector, and thermostat from their iPhones, iPads, and Apple desktops.)

No matter what Blakemore and Jorgensen’s futures hold, one thing is certain—the fruits of their labor will continue to grow a successful business. B2B BestOfOmaha.com

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 7

omAHA!

story by anna hensel • photos by bill sitzmann

Sweet Design

Krystal and Ryan Leichliter pose with their original Heidelberg letterpress.

FROM SWEET AFTON STUDIOS

I

T’S NOT OFTEN THAT a grocery list grabs

people’s attention.

But that’s exactly what happened the other day at a restaurant for Krystal Leichliter and her husband Ryan. Krystal and Ryan are the owners of Sweet Afton Studios, a design and letterpress studio. Krystal was using an extra card from a recent project to write her grocery list. A waitress, mesmerized, came up and immediately started feeling the back of the card.

That experience spoke volumes to Krystal, because she says she saw how much letterpress really jumps out to people. As she explains, the paper used for letterpress is made of 100 percent cotton, so it’s very soft and tactile.

While Krystal and Ryan founded Sweet Afton Studios in 2011 after they obtained a letterpress, they have expanded their business to designing

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

business cards, wedding invitations, signs, logos, banners, and more. Their goal is to make brands, gifts, and even everyday products stand out with an exceptional and personalized design.

Krystal is the designer at Sweet Afton, while Ryan runs the press. Krystal had worked in advertising for years, but decided she wanted to leave the corporate setting. She had always loved beautiful paper, and after designing wedding invitations and logos for friends, letterpress and design were disciplines she thought she and Ryan could work at full time.

“It was really just a desire to pursue being creative and doing the things I love,” says Krystal.

But the couple got more than they bargained for when they purchased their first letterpress, an approximately 1,500-pound behemoth that Krystal says “looks kind of like a time machine.”

“It wasn’t attached to electricity, so we couldn’t really see it, and we just kind of bought it in faith that it really was going to work,” Krystal says with a laugh.

Through internet research, assistance from a letterpress studio in Lincoln, and many sleepless nights, Ryan and Krystal had their first creation two weeks after they bought their letterpress: wedding invitations for a friend.

“We were crazy,” Ryan admits.

Now, once a client is set on a design, Krystal and Ryan can turn around a finished product in about two weeks. As they say, letterpress is a very labor-intensive process. Once Krystal and Ryan have a finished design on the computer, they will get to work creating polymer print plates to imprint with different layers of the design. Each color has to have a separate plate, so if a design OmahaMagazine.com

has three colors, Ryan has to run it through the letterpress three times.

Krystal mixes the different-colored ink by hand. Finally, once the plates, the ink, and the paper are ready to go through the letterpress, Krystal and Ryan will sometimes print hundreds of extra copies, and handpick the ones to give to clients. “With letterpress, the thing that makes it so beautiful is that it’s hand-done, and that means that each piece is going to be unique,” says Krystal.

Jara Sturdivant-Wilson, a customer of Sweet Afton and a former neighbor of Krystal’s, agrees.

She reached out to the Leichliters when she wanted to give her husband a gift with a more personal touch. Sturdivant-Wilson admitted that she didn’t have many ideas when it came to designing a gift, but that Krystal was very helpful, meeting with her throughout the process at coffee shops.

Eventually, she ended up with a calendar and a set of cards that catered to her husband’s interests. For example, one page of the calendar was designed with her husband’s favorite softball team in mind, while some of the cards featured a line-drawn picture of his dog. “It [letterpress] is an art, and it’s a product of time and labor. You can’t just do what you see on the computer on letterpress,” says Sturdivant-Wilson.

As they have learned the ropes of letterpress, Krystal and Ryan have had the time to expand their design business beyond strictly letterpress projects. One of Sweet Afton’s newest clients is the Seattle Children’s Museum. For the museum’s new displays every month, Krystal will come up with a design concept for the overall exhibit, and then work on designing signs, banners, and buttons for employees to wear. Ryan is also getting his chance to dive into design; he earned a degree in animation last year, and he plans to offer animation services to customers, as well as help Krystal with her dream of designing a children’s book with an animated component.

As their customer base has expanded, mostly through word-of-mouth, Sweet Afton Studios has started doing more business outside of Nebraska, everywhere from California to New York and even Spain. Krystal and Ryan have even had a few companies approach them about carrying some of Sweet Afton’s cards in their stores. But for now, Krystal and Ryan plan to keep all of their business online, on sites such as Etsy, The Knot, and Dribbble. While they were considering opening a storefront, they enjoy the flexibility of working from home. Krystal also wants to be able to devote more time to working on children’s illustrations.

“It’s all about having fun,” says Ryan. B2B BestOfOmaha.com

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they’re called, but integral to their existence are interior designers. Professional designers conceptualize, coordinate, and execute their visions to create projects that are stunning, exciting, and functional. The ASID (American

Society of Interior Designers) Nebraska/Iowa Chapter recently submitted design projects to be judged by the South Florida ASID Chapter.

The following pages illustrate a sampling of the award-winning designs for business projects produced by the NE/IA Chapter ASID professional designers this year.

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Dramatic colors reflect the city lights of red, green, blue, violet, and saffron. Art was selected for scale, contemporary design, and colors that unified the complete project.

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First Monday of the Month

Jeff Slobotski makes a point at First Monday of the Month Breakfast Club of Champions meeting.

BREAKFAST CLUB OF CHAMPIONS

T

HERE ARE REALLY TWO differ-

ent shifts for breakfast, Jeff Slobotski explains. Some show up at the 11-Worth Cafe at 7 a.m., and others don’t roll in until 8:30.

But that’s okay, because the First Monday of the Month Breakfast Club of Champions isn’t about structure.

The idea for a monthly breakfast of professionals from all disciplines is one of those brainwaves you can’t assign to one person.

Slobotski, co-founder of Silicon Prairie News, says he had a conversation with Omaha friends about getting people together around a meal. “It was that conversation and a San Francisco friend who said she was doing this first Monday of the month thing that made me think, this is a thing that should happen,” Slobotski says.

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

He put an open invitation on Facebook last June, inviting over 200 people to show up the following Monday at the 11-Worth Cafe on 24th and Leavenworth. “Basically we all show up for breakfast and just take over the place,” the event page reads. “We hang out, drink coffee, and get jazzed to start the day/week & month off right.

Let’s do this thing. Go!” “Honestly it wasn’t until the third time that I actually talked with Tony,” Slobotski admits.

That’s Tony Caniglia, the owner of 11-Worth Cafe.

Slobotski figured it would be nice to give the establishment a heads-up that things might get a little crazy for a few hours on certain Monday mornings. “We didn’t want their servers quitting after a Monday shift,” he says.

So 40-70 people show up for a chatty breakfast

at a local diner. What’s the end goal here?

“There’s this resurgence, this energy, in the city,” Slobotski says. “People want to be involved, and I think that shows a general passion for the city. Let’s all take our labels off and just come together as people. You don’t come to this wearing a name tag with a stack of business cards.”

“We’ve seen changes in the way business networking takes place,” says Mike Battershell, vice president of Bergman Incentives and a core First Monday breakfaster. “You’re looking for opportunities to get your name out there, but you’re also just looking for ways to make your community better.”

Slobotski describes Battershell as an instigator. “Mike’s the kind of guy who won’t just post to Facebook saying something needs to happen,” OmahaMagazine.com

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locally owned and operated he says. “He’ll give you a phone number and a name. He’s an informed instigator.”

For Battershell, the breakfasts are about spreading that information. “You’re probably going to sit next to someone you wouldn’t otherwise sit with. Say you’re a programmer, and you’re sitting next to an artist who’s sitting across from an elected official,” he says. “That’s a catalyst for business opportunities and community improvement projects.”

Diverse backgrounds are key, both agree. “I’m very passionate about not creating another insular group,” Slobotski says. “How can we continue to be open? Be proactive? Be inviting to folks from different geographies and industries, different spheres within the city?”

The welcoming nature of the 11-Worth itself doesn’t hurt. “The wait staff at 11-Worth is great,” Battershell says. “If you get up and move, they’ll remember that you had the corned beef and hash.” In fact, he says he bounces from seat to seat about four times in the morning.

Oh yes, that’s allowed. “If there’s a break in conversation, it’s totally appropriate to jump up and move on,” Slobotski assures. After all: no structure, no special recognition, no food chain.

And no judgment.

Slobotski laughingly admits he orders the same breakfast every time. “The number 11.

Two eggs sunny side up, two pieces of white toast, grape jam, massive side of hash browns.

The place is underground-famous for its hash browns.” B2B

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feature

Oil and Vinegar BOOM IN OMAHA

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

story by anna hensel • photo by bill sitzmann

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Chef2 co-owner Michael Combs

OVE OVER CUPCAKES, THERE’S

a new specialty food trend in Omaha: oil and vinegar stores.

Filled with stainless steel vats brimming with exotic flavors such as green apple balsamic vinegar or rosemary olive oils, these stores look to provide customers with high-end kitchen staples.

But with four oil and vinegar specialty stores opening in the Omaha area within less than a year of each other, how much luxury in the kitchen is too much?

“When we found out all these other stores were opening, I’m like, oh my gosh, we’re the next cupcake place,” jokes Tish Rasmussen, co-owner of Vine + Branch.

Many of the owners and managers of these stores tell a similar tale: After enjoying highquality oils and vinegars elsewhere, they were unable to find comparable products in Omaha.

After months of preparation, all were excited to jump into what they thought was an untapped industry in Omaha.

Mother and daughter pair Linda Cummings and Rasmussen were the first to dip their toes into the oil and vinegar market in the spring of 2012. After visiting stores up and down the West Coast, Cummings and Rasmussen introduced their own line of bottled oils and vinegars into Hy-Vee and several Nebraska wineries.

Encouraged by their success, they decided to open their own storefront, Vine + Branch.

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But before Rasmussen and Cummings could break ground on Vine + Branch, one store already opened its doors. Mark Leichtle, along with his wife Jan, launched the first retail oil and vinegar store in Omaha, Old World Oil and Vinegar, in November 2012.

Suddenly, there was a different kind of oil boom in Omaha. Vine + Branch officially opened the first week of May, while two more stores, Chef2 (Chef Squared) and Oliverde, popped up on June 15 and August 17, respectively.

These store owners admitted they were in for a bit of a surprise when they found out about their competition, but none of them seemed too shocked.

“A city as large as Omaha certainly has competition,” says Rob Baker, manager of Oliverde Omaha.

Leichtle echoed Baker’s belief that this is a naturally occurring trend in a large market.

“All of these stores are opening, but maybe that means that it was time for that market to expand in Omaha,” says Leichtle.

Entering into a new market in Omaha can be daunting, but the owners of these four stores all had previous experience in the food and business industry.

Leichtle previously owned a restaurant in Oshkosh, Wis., and Rasmussen ran an Omaha coffee shop for several years. Oliverde is actually the third in a chain of stores from Coloradobased couple Kathy and Terry Kulsea. Baker helped the couple open both their Lincoln location in November 2012, as well as the Omaha Oliverde.

Meanwhile, the owners of Chef2 have used their personal backgrounds to try to set themselves apart from the crowd. Co-owners Michael Combs and Jim Trebbien are both professional chefs and have used their experience to merge their culinary knowledge with the convenience of retail in their store.

“When you go to Chef2, hopefully you get an experience, like, ‘wow, I’ve never tried that before, I’ve never done that, I didn’t know you could do this,’ or whatever,” says Combs.

The tasting experience is something that oil and vinegar stores rely heavily on, since not many customers have been exposed to the wide spectrum of sweet and savory that each product can fall under. All of these stores offer bread to use for tasting, sample recipes, cooking demonstrations, and other events to educate customers on using real olive oils and vinegars.

Leichtle admits he actually didn’t know much about oils and vinegars when he first started, but over time, he learned that they were easy to use.

He describes balsamic vinegars as “upscale >

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NEBRASKA’S BEST ROOF New • Repairs • Reroof • Skylights 26 Years of Integrity, Quality and Service 2245 Jefferson Street • Bellevue | 402.293.8707 • 888.738.0296 www.nebraskasbestroof.com Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 19

omaha cvb

story by dana markel • illustration provided by u.s. travel association

Thank You From All of us at Malibu!

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One Block N of Dodge

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MALIBU G

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Welcome to the Weekend 68 Years of Business in Omaha!

GROWING VISITOR DEMAND

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

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Questions or comments? E-mail us at info@visitomaha.com.

Dana Markel, Executive Director Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau

aha Maga z Om

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fun, and the freedom to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. It’s also a phrase that’s stimulating tourism revenue for Omaha.

The Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Welcome to the Weekend advertising campaign promotes Omaha as a Midwest destination for memorable weekends and plays up our strength as a quick getaway for people living in cities such as Kansas City, Des Moines, and Sioux Falls. The campaign is different from your typical tourism advertising, focusing on building an emotional connection with the audience by capturing authentic visitor experiences on video. The commercials aired regionally from late April through early October, on network and cable television, in movie theaters and online on websites such as Hulu, TripAdvisor, and VacationFun.com. In addition, the Omaha CVB partnered with Radio Disney to promote Omaha during Disney-produced community events in Kansas City and also purchased regional radio advertising to promote its Welcome to the Weekend savings card.

Since advertising began, VisitOmaha.com, the city’s tourism website, has seen a 46 percent increase in website visits from the regional markets targeted by advertising. The VisitOmaha social media audience has grown 20 percent to more than 94,000, and more than 6,000 people from 48 states have requested the Welcome to the Weekend savings card.

What’s really exciting to see is since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 35,000 additional weekend hotel room nights booked in Douglas County over last year.

Multiply those additional room nights by the average dollar amount a traveler spends in Omaha and it comes to, conservatively speaking, an additional $4.8 million spent in our city. Investing in promoting our city is paying off, and that’s welcome news any day of the week. B2B

B2 B

“W

ELCOME TO THE WEEKEND.” It’s a phrase that inspires feelings of relaxation,

2 012 • W

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oil & vinegar

feature

< ketchup,” to convince customers that yes, these products really are simple.

When discussing how his competitors have affected his business, Leichtle says, “We’ve actually seemed to benefit from any kind of advertising our competitors do. There’s an increased awareness of the product now.”

He also feels that all four stores are spread out far enough geographically that they don’t draw from the same customer base: Old World Oil and Vinegar is located in Rockbrook Village, Vine + Branch in the Old Market, Chef2 in Midtown Crossing, and Oliverde in Village Pointe Shopping Center.

“They’ve all found their own little niches,” says Leichtle.

Rasmussen and Cummings had to alter their store vision of selling primarily oils and vinegars when they found a growing customer demand for wine tastings. Ten days after they opened their store, they decided to capitalize on that and immediately contacted a wine distributor.

As far as running her business, Rasmussen says, “I would say I fell back a lot on what I know about building a business and customer service, and building relationships and retaining customers.”

Baker emphasizes that Oliverde also prides itself on customer service, using its larger size and proven marketing techniques from two previous stores to its advantage. He will find a way to host cooking classes, private events, cater weddings, and pretty much any event a customer wants, to keep getting Oliverde’s name out.

“You’ve got to go right out to the customer,” says Baker. “We’ve got to give folks when they come in a reason to spend their money.”

For Combs’ store, smaller is better. He wants Chef2 to focus on maintaining a high-quality product line and stick to its original purpose: educating customers on fresh products, particularly oils and vinegars.

“We just believe that everyone should be able to taste what they want, and that fresh products and education are really big with us,” says Combs.

While the products may be fresh, the idea of oil and vinegar stores is becoming less unique, at least in Omaha. Of the four storeowners and one manager interviewed, only one thought that Omaha could support another specialty oil and vinegar store.

However all say they are happy with where their stores are right now, and all believe that they can survive even with competition. At least for the moment, don’t look for Oil & Vinegar Wars to be hitting The Food Network just yet. B2B BestOfOmaha.com

YEARS IN A ROW

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tel 800.608.3645 fax 800.929.8117 Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 21

give

Powering Across the Finish Line SIX TEAMS PULL HEAVYWEIGHT RAMS FOR CHARITY

22

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

story by allison janda • photo supplied by performance chrysler dodge jeep ram of bellevue

The team from Bellevue East High School pulls a 2500 Ram truck at the Performance Bellevue dealership to raise money for graduating senior Jake Pannell, who was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma last year.

East Principal Brad Stueve runs alongside the team cheering them on.

I

T WAS MAN VERSUS machine. An epic

competition of tug-o-war. A true test of physical and mental strength. An all-out battle to the finish line where everyone who competed was a winner.

On May 18, Performance Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Bellevue hosted a truck pull for charity.

Six local teams pulled heavyweight Ram trucks, competing to raise money for their favorite charities. The dealership gave away more than $4,000 in cash prizes at its first annual Performance Community Truck Pull. The grand prize of $1,500 went to the wrestling team from Bellevue East High School. The team raised money to support the costly medical treatments for their fellow East graduating senior, Jake Pannell, who was diagnosed with lymphoma last year.

Tyrone Williams, president and general manager of Performance, says the concept for the

truck pull was devised by his managers and Carroll Communications. “We are having discussions about this being an annual event. I was looking for an event to introduce the dealership to the Bellevue community as well support the community,” he says. In a family-friendly atmosphere that boasted food, fun, and face painting, the dealership encouraged the community to not only support their favorite competing team but also to simply take a look around the new facility.

Performance ensured that none of the six competing teams walked away empty handed.

Teams included Bellevue University, Bellevue East High School, Bellevue West High School, Bellevue Community Foundation, Offutt Police, and Bellevue Fire and Police. “The turnout was excellent, and the store donated over $4,200 to the charities. Carroll Communications, the Bellevue Chamber, and Mayor Rita Sanders were OmahaMagazine.com

Find it in your scrap metal.

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very instrumental in helping us pull the event off,” Williams says.

Matt Briggs, head coach of men’s soccer at Bellevue University, says he was grateful that his team competed in such a charitable cause. “We raised money for the Wounded Warrior Family Support group and raised $750,” he shares.

The Bellevue Community Foundation also competed, winning $250 to support the city of Bellevue. Mayor Sanders says she was thrilled with the funds raised and equally excited that they would be going toward the newly created Bellevue Community Foundation. “It came about through the City of Bellevue strategic plan,” she says. “I was tasked to start a community foundation so we can help the community raise money individually or privately. The Community Foundation can help aid with some of the support systems through the city.” B2B BestOfOmaha.com

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IMPRESSIONS COUNT OW A BUSINESS FURNISHES its workspace can define the company culture

and help employees thrive. A well-planned office creates a good initial impression on guests and draws in potential candidates; it also improves the productivity and attitudes of your employees. With the right interiors and good quality furniture, you can set the tone of your business and impress potential clients from the minute they step into your office.

Here are a few things to take into consideration when planning your office space: • Lobby. Start with a reception station that is warm and inviting. Add guest or lounge seating and occasional tables to complete the welcome area.

• Conference room. The size of the table you need depends on the number of people you need to fit around it. Allow 30 inches per person to keep meetings comfortable. Conference chairs typically don’t require the advanced functionality of a work chair, so look for low or mid-back chairs that provide basic function and support.

• Private office. Executives and managers typically need desks and an executive chair.

Consider appearance as well as functionality to strike the right mix of prestige, professionalism, and personality.

• Seating. Over one third of an average employee’s day is spent in the office. If the office furniture causes discomfort or pain, it may create serious dangers to your health. It’s necessary that office furniture, particularly office chairs, be ergonomically designed. An ergonomic workplace promotes better work management and organization among staff and also makes the environment more relaxed and pleasant.

• Filing area/copy center. A good mix of shared and private storage helps keep common areas better organized and employees more productive. B2B Visit the All Makes showroom at 25th and Farnam streets in Omaha to see the latest office furniture and design trends on display. The All Makes team is trained to help you make design and furniture purchases that fit your office atmosphere, your work style, and your budget.

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www.alberscommunications.com Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 25

arts & entertainment

story by mandy mowers • photos by bill sitzmann

H

RetroShirtz “ USES NEW TECH TO PRINT CUSTOM SHIRTS FAST

26

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

E DOES EVERYTHING I don’t want to

do and vice versa,” says Andy Robinson of his business partner, Brad Richling.

Maybe that’s what has given RetroShirtz such momentum. In rapid succession, the business launched in January, opened its first storefront in May, and opened its second location in Westroads Mall in early November.

Their first storefront (OmahaShirtz), at 464 S. 84th St., is like many shirt-printing shops: It’s tucked on the back side of a small shopping center, and Robinson will give you directions over the phone. RetroShirtz, on the other hand, can

be found on the first floor of Westroads, between DSW and Journeys.

A presence in a mall, among the foot traffic and the food court, makes more sense for their nuanced approach to the printing business—custom-ordered shirts printed while the customer waits.

“We can print a shirt in four minutes,” says Richling. “We make, right then and there, their product, exactly as they want it—their size, their style, their color.”

Customers can choose from hundreds of designs already made or provide their own photo, OmahaMagazine.com

image, or quote. And then they can choose from a wide stock of shirts—or even bring in their own.

“We’re in a mall,” says Richling. “You want to print on something different? Go buy it, and, as long as it’s 100 percent cotton, we can print on it.” He adds, “Today, for example, somebody came in with a maternity shirt”—a market that doesn’t seem to have much selection in quirky t-shirts.

Their designs will include retro cartoons and throwback references, as well as pop-culture references and parodies. Customers can create their own ideas or bring in their smart phone and get a photo printed on a shirt—or a canvas, another major offering from RetroShirtz.

What makes their rapid service possible is a new technology that connects the fabric printer directly to a computer. Everything is digital.

This isn’t a traditional screen-printing process, where screens have to be burned for each order, which takes some time. The cost of a screen is often placed on the customer, or at least there’s a minimum number of items you have to print. Nor is it an iron-on process, where the image has a separate field from the fabric and a plastic feel.

Their process, according to Richling, is “somewhere between tattooing and airbrushing the fabric.”

“The shirt will wear away before the image wears away,” adds Robinson.

This quality is a chief priority for the pair.

“We want people to see our shirts and say, ‘Whoa! Cool shirt! Where did you get that?’”

Richling says.

They’re confident that their level of quality will keep people coming back, especially coupled with their emphasis on customer service.

“We always ask each other when a customer leaves, ‘Did that person leave happy?’” Richling says. “We know that returns and referrals are going to drive the business.”

They’ve already started developing a return clientele, which has fueled their rapid growth.

Looking on to the holidays, they do anticipate sometimes getting behind on orders, even with their four-minute print time.

“If we do get backed up, we’ll be able to say, ‘Come back in 45 minutes. Go shopping or go get lunch in the food court, and it will be ready by the time you come back,’” Robinson says.

They are happy to make arrangements for later pick-ups, particularly with larger orders, and they do have shipping options.

Mostly, they’re just really excited. Both are first-time entrepreneurs and have loved creating a new avenue for a beloved tradition. Richling says, “We live in a culture of people that want it now, so we’re going to try to provide for that.” B2B BestOfOmaha.com

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Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 27

how i roll

Polishing a Legacy CHROME AND COMMITMENT SHINE IN FULFILLING A FATHER’S DREAM 28

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

story by david williams • photo by bill sitzmann

A

MERICA’S LONG LOVE AFFAIR

with the automobile is perhaps best told in stories of fathers and sons. The 1932 Chevrolet Cabriolet convertible featured in this installment of “How I Roll’ has for a half century been at the center of one such father/ son vignette.

OmahaMagazine.com

Mark Chickinelli poses with the 1932 Chevrolet Cabriolet that belonged to his father, Val. Commercial Construction Green Environments Disaster Recovery Industrial Medical Education

“My dad collected and restored many, many cars,” says Mark Chickinelli, “but he always said that this would be the very last car he would ever do. It was that special to him. He was willing to wait for decades to fulfill that promise. Sadly, he was only half right on his prediction.”

A debilitating stroke three years ago ended the hands-on stage of Val Chickinelli’s restoration hobby. Known for leading Omaha Plating Co. for 50 years on the corner of 24th and Leavenworth streets, Val had purchased the vehicle known as a “Baby Cadillac” in the early ’60s. Punctuating the point that he was a patient man, restoration began only in 1999. A fire later destroyed many of the car’s key components as fate did its best to thwart what would become a son’s race against time in fulfilling a father’s wish.

After his dad’s stroke, Mark stepped in and also enlisted his father’s longtime collaborator, Bob Chalek, perhaps the area’s foremost authority when it comes to work on classic Chevrolets, Pontiacs, and Oldsmobiles. Chalek had more than a craftsman’s love for the iconic car for he had once, oddly enough, owned this very same beauty back in the 1950s.

“I grew up in my dad’s businesses,” says Mark.

“Ever since I was 8, he had me doing odd jobs, and that often meant moving any number of his 100 vintage cars. We moved this car more times than I can remember. It was disassembled and in boxes, and we moved it from storage place to storage place, but it was like it was always there waiting for us.”

Restoring automobiles, to the Chickinelli family, is an endeavor elevated to high art, something that is second nature to Mark. He is a fine art painter who has done work for such clients as Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Val passed away in August, only shortly after the restoration was complete.

“He only got to see it in pictures before he died,” Mark says, caressing the graceful curve of the car’s fender. “My dad will never ride in this car, but I think he’d be very pleased. It’s everything he ever dreamed it could be. It’s now a part of his legacy.” B2B BestOfOmaha.com

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proactive

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Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 29

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jani-king • debbie sinopoli

Jani-King

J

DEBBIE SINOPOLI ANI-KING, FOUNDED IN 1969,

is one of the largest commercial cleaning franchisors in the world.

However, the franchise didn’t come to Omaha until Debbie Sinopoli opened a master franchise in April of 2007.

Sinopoli started working with JaniKing in 1989 after graduating from USD, as an assistant operations manager in San Francisco. She worked her way up to operations manager, then regional director of the Oakland region, and eventually to master franchise owner. According to Sinopoli, her vision for Jani-King Omaha is “guided by a strong, internal obligation to our franchise owners.”

30

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

Jani-King Omaha has over 50 franchise owners, serving large and small businesses and facilities in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas. These franchisees employ approximately 100 part-time employees and serve over 400 customers each month.

Franchising has allowed Jani-King to focus on quality of service for individual customers. By having franchise owners whose success is directly tied to their client’s satisfaction, all Jani-King locations ensure that customers are served by motivated and professional franchise owners and their employees with service tailored to the customer needs.

While Jani-King’s concept focuses on customized commercial cleaning, different franchise owners can invest in different specialty services within their franchisees, such as office cleaning, environmental cleaning, events, hospitality, and more.

Sinopoli personally aims to satisfy and support not only the companies that JaniKing Omaha services, but also the franchise

owners she helps mentor. Sinopoli’s sense of accomplishment from her work comes from knowing that she has “helped business owners accomplish their goals, through coaching, advising, and mentoring, whether their goals were to put their kids through college, buy a car or house, or just be proud of what they have accomplished in their own business.”

Jani-King Omaha as a company is excited for the future and excited to keep working to exceed customers’ expectations. The company is always looking for new franchise owners, full of fresh ideas and eager to tap into the potential of the franchise market. Throughout its history, dedication to customer satisfaction and quality franchisee support has kept Jani-King at the top of its industry.

JANI-KING OF OMAHA 5885 S 118TH CIR. OMAHA, NE 68137 402-932-0514 OmahaMagazine.com

rbc wealth management • bob kenny

special advertising section

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RBC Wealth Management BOB KENNY

R

BC WEALTH MANAGEMENT SPECIALIZES in retirement

planning and wealth management strategies, working with clients to anticipate current and future financial needs and to develop a plan to achieve their goals. From families looking for assistance with retirement to small business owners trying to find the best strategy for investing their money, RBC Wealth Management works to develop wealth management strategies best suited to each client.

Financial Advisor, Vice President, and member of RBC Wealth Management’s Financial Advisor Consulting Group, Bob Kenny takes wealth management very personally and strives to exceed his clients’ expectations of what a financial advisor can do for them. “Successfully meeting my client goals and receiving positive feedback from the client gives me the biggest sense of accomplishment,” says Kenny.

Kenny’s career in the financial services industry began in 1996 with AG Edwards. He was recruited by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray in 1998. After working in both private client and institutional investment divisions, Kenny

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joined RBC Wealth Management in 2006 to service clients and provide successful wealth-management solutions. He currently lives in Omaha with his wife, Caris. Their two children, Bob Jr. and Courtney, live nearby.

Kenny holds Series 7, 9, 10, 31, 63, and 65 investment and securities licenses.

With a team of eight wealth-management professionals, RBC Wealth Management creates a customized plan for each client through one-on-one meetings and in-depth discussions about client objectives. RBC Wealth Management’s thorough process assures clients that they will be assisted with the most refined investment-planning tools and sound wealth management strategies. RBC Wealth Management also works to continuously examine each client’s specific financial picture in order to keep clients up-to-date on their financial goals.

As a former president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and an active member of the Omaha community, Kenny knows how important such personal interaction is. Kenny prides himself that RBC Wealth Management continually provides a customized financial-planning

process representative of the integrity and professionalism found in the Omaha business community.

RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/ SIPC BOB KENNY RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT 1120 S 101 ST., STE. 300 OMAHA, NE 68124 402-392-6105 866-519-5221 (TOLL FREE) 402-392-6130 (FAX) RBCWMFA.COM/BOB.KENNY

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 31

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aesthetic concrete design • kip edmonds

Aesthetic Concrete Design

A

KIP EDMONDS ESTHETIC CONCRETE DESIGN (ACD) is a

custom concrete installation business that strives to give customers a personalized installation that won’t go out of style. After 15 years of working in the golf industry, owner Kip Edmonds wanted to do something different. He and his wife were looking to start a family and wanted a job where he could control his hours during the week.

Edmonds put his bachelor’s in horticulture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to use, starting a small landscape design and maintenance service in the OmahaLincoln area. To expand his business, he took training in installing decorative finishes on existing concrete surfaces.

“I realized I really liked the creative aspect of taking a drab piece of concrete and turning it into something very attractive and very custom for the customer,” says Edmonds. The company started pursuing more custom concrete installation projects, at which point Aesthetic Concrete Design was born.

Nevertheless, ACD hasn’t forgotten their “green” roots and tries to eliminate any extra energy inputs on their projects when possible. Instead of replacing concrete, ACD focuses on treating and refurbishing existing concrete. ACD is also more than happy to still dig into landscaping projects when those occasional calls come in.

Customers can be assured that an installation with ACD will be filled with personal consultations and a complimentary design focus to make it a one-of-a-kind, holistic process.

“We like people to see our work, but the last thing we want is for it to jump out as the only design element present,” Edmonds says. “It must work with everything else.”

For Edmonds, faith, family, friends, and then work are his priorities. He encourages employees to prioritize as well and find a balance that works for them, to increase productivity while in the office. Personally, Edmonds is able to mix family and business. In 2006, Edmonds’ dad joined him in installing insulated concrete forms for house construction. Today, Edmonds handles project duties at ACD, while his father handles most of the marketing and administrative duties.

Edmonds and his wife have three children and use Edmonds’ business experiences to teach them to work hard to reach their goals. “I want to be known as a man who lives his faith, is a good husband, father, friend,” he explains. “If I stay on that path, everything else will take care of itself.”

AESTHETIC CONCRETE DESIGN 21827 R&R ROAD GRETNA, NE 402-616-9508 INFO@AESTHETICCONCRETEDESIGN.COM ‎ AESTHETICCONCRETEDESIGN.COM

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

OmahaMagazine.com

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localmize • troy peterson

Localmize TROY PETERSON

“W

E’VE FOUND THAT MANY

business websites are built solely to impress the business owner,” says Troy Peterson, co-founder of Localmize, a division of Omaha Marketing Solutions. “All too often, the focus is more on design appeal than building a site that’s effective at attracting new customers.”

So Localmize is a web design firm, yes, but one with the experience to design an attractive site with search engines in mind.

“We have extensive background in marketing, user interface design, and search engine optimization,” Peterson explains.

“So in every website we design, it’s these key components that drive the development.

We’re helping you create not just a website but a revenue-generating or lead-generating machine.”

With clients in over 15 states, Localmize has helped businesses in a variety of industries. Landscapers, attorneys, retirement communities, med spas, and home improvement contractors have all benefited from its

BestOfOmaha.com

SEO expertise. “Our products are unique,” Peterson says, “because they focus on our clients’ overall online presence and getting them found online.” It’s critical, he explains, that local businesses are found accurately whenever and wherever consumers are looking for them. “It is always our goal to improve our clients’ online presence by ensuring their business is represented accurately and consistently.

“We’ve grown pretty organically,” Peterson reflects. “We build trust by delivering results, and that leads to strong relationships and referrals.”

Of course, that growth also has to be due to the hard-working Localmize team. “I’m sure many small business owners would say, ‘We have a small, strong team that works well together and feels like a family,’ so it might seem a little clichéd,” Peterson says, “but honestly it’s rather true.” While each member of the team offers a personal focus on their specific talents, they all rely on each other to make the whole project work. “Our

team is friendly, creative, and professional, which is why I think our client relationships are so strong.” But there’s more to retaining clients than just having solid relationships.

“We constantly put ourselves in our client’s shoes and solve problems in ways that provide real results. We’re never afraid to prove ourselves to our clients.”

LOCALMIZE 3730 S 149TH ST., STE. #103 OMAHA, NE 68144 402-763-9491 LOCALMIZE.COM TROY@LOCALMIZE.COM

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 33

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american payment systems • jim barnes

American Payment Systems JIM BARNES

A

S A MERCHANT BANK-CARD

processor, American Payment Systems (APS) has a pretty simple guarantee: They’ll lower any merchant’s processing costs, or they’ll write you a check for $500 for just letting them try. “To date,” says CEO Jim Barnes, “we have never written one single check.”

Having grown up in a small south-central Missouri town just 20 minutes from Arkansas, Barnes reflects old-fashioned values in his business. “Tell the truth,” he says simply, “and treat people the way you want to be treated.”

When he decided to quit the family insurance business in 1997 to delve into the world of

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

merchant processing, Barnes noticed that not every company felt the same way.

“Merchants were paying way to much for their processing rates,” he says, “incurring surprise fees and being charged exorbitant costs for credit card terminals and point of sale systems that were just simply not fair to the merchants and business owners.”

The time seemed ripe for the APS model, which includes no application fees, monthto-month contracts, and no cancellation fees.

The goal, Barnes explains, is to earn the customer’s business every month. “If we don’t, they can simply go change processors, and no consequences to that merchant.”

The plan seems to be working. Small businesses and large retail chains alike have accounts with APS all over the country.

Small wonder, with its wide range of valueadded services such as complete point-of-sale systems, check guarantee and check guarantee conversion, merchant cash advances and the increasingly popular mobile devices

for merchants on the go. And don’t forget the PinPoint Card headed up by Barnes’ son Aaron. Over 48,000 members have signed up to use the points card at over 120 merchant locations in Omaha.

Barnes credits the business’ success to the employees of APS. “We’ve been so very fortunate to attract and to keep wonderful men and women that believe in the same philosophy that APS was built upon,” he says. A phone call to the office during normal business hours will always reach a “real, live person,” he says proudly, “and of course we have 24/7 tech support.”

And he’ll let you in on a secret. Even during nonpeak hours, a client with an emergency can dial 1 and the cell phone of the CEO himself will ring. “And I answer it,” Barnes says.

JIM BARNES – PRESIDENT / FOUNDER AMERICAN PAYMENT SYSTEMS, INC 8605 Q ST. OMAHA, NE 68127 402-502–9985 WWW.AMERICANPAYMENT.COM OmahaMagazine.com

elevated marketing solutions • andrew boehm

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Elevated Marketing Solutions ANDREW BOEHM

E

LEVATED MARKETING SOLUTIONS (EMS)

is a full-service, online marketing and web design company that helps owners and marketers make their message pop online. They work with small to medium businesses, from mortgage brokers to weight loss specialists, to give them a creative promotional edge. “We have a true brick-and-mortar business,” says owner Andrew Boehm. “We just specialize in selling online services to local business owners.” EMS’ motto sums up that specialty quite simply: “Growing business online.”

Boehm cofounded EMS about four years ago with his best friend Mark Javitch. “I think we complement each other’s strengths well,” Boehm says. “I do sales and marketing, and he focuses on fulfillment and development.” Both Boehm and Javitch have 10 years of experience in their respective fields, enabling them to help clients create a successful online brand.

EMS focuses on three key areas of online marketing: search engine optimization (SEO), web design, and online lead-generation campaigns. Specifically, EMS specializes in driving traffic to clients’ websites and creating clear and cohesive brand messaging. EMS then uses different marketing products and automation tools to further strengthen each client’s online footprint and create a customized, online marketing campaign. EMS’ social media strategist, Becky Hillyard, will work directly with clients to figure out best strategies for social media and e-mail marketing.

“We love seeing our customers succeed,” Boehm says. “If we do a great job of promoting their business online, they’ll have more money to spend with us in the future. It’s like a giant train, and we are the engine. If we keep the whole train moving then everyone gets to their destination on time.”

EMS is continually looking toward the future to help their clients create complex marketing campaigns by utilizing the latest trends in online marketing. As members of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, BNI and MBA, EMS is well embedded within the Nebraska business community, where they do the majority of their business; however, EMS is always looking to expand. Boehm is confident that EMS will continue to do work with great small businesses in the “Heartland of America.”

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Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 35

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omar arts & events • mark o’leary

Omar Arts & Events MARK O’LEARY

“O

UR CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING

for a different type of venue,” says Mark O’Leary, executive director of Omar Arts and Events. “Something other than four white walls. Something with timeless craftsmanship and impeccable attention to detail.”

In other words, those seeking Old World charm and character intermingled with modern amenities will find what they’re looking for at Midtown Omaha’s newest arts and events facility. “We fill a niche,” O’Leary explains, “for those planning mid-size to large events.” Everything from weddings to trade shows to fundraising galas will benefit

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

from perks like state-of-the-art A/V equipment, two screens with HD projection, free Wi-Fi, plenty of free parking, and enhanced security.

As a life-long Omahan, O’Leary knows what people in Omaha, particularly Midtown, are looking for. After all, his family’s been here since the 1880s. It’s no small wonder that he also owns The Cornerstone Mansion Inn, Omaha’s only historic inn, located in the Offutt mansion. The inn also serves as an event facility, giving O’Leary the experience event planners will find at the Omar.

Newly opened in November 2013, the Omar will be known quickly as the premier event facility in town, if O’Leary has any say in the matter. “We want to be secure in knowing that we are our customers’ first choice in event venues,” he says, “and that if they go elsewhere, it’s only because we were already booked.” His plan to keep clients coming back is by taking care of every detail and helping them to make their events as

memorable and distinctive as possible.

No doubt he’ll be able to see to that, given that he’s a hands-on operator at the Omar.

O’Leary’s passion for involvement is evident in his ongoing love and participation in theater. He produced and acted in the feature film For Love of Amy, directed by Ted Lange (Isaac from The Love Boat). For 10 years, he has served on the board of the John Beasley Theater and has produced and/or acted in more than 40 productions, including several national and local commercials.

His sense of timing and production will undoubtedly lead to your event putting its best foot forward at Omar Arts and Events.

OMAR ARTS & EVENTS 4383 NICHOLAS ST, SUITE 230 OMAHA 68131 402-905-9511 MARK@OMARBUILDING.COM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ MARK O’LEARY

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cover feature

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Try to Keep Up WITH DEB BASS

“People don’t realize that someone who’s started a business has risked everything they own.”

DEB BASS

D

EB BASS HAS ESSENTIALLY had three careers: She’s been an RN for 20 years, a startup entrepreneur for eight, and a CEO for about 12.

But don’t get the idea that Bass is calling this stage in her life anything like semi retirement. “I’m working harder than I ever have in my life,” she says with a laugh. As of 2012, she’s CEO of Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII), a 501(c)3 dispensation with an ambitious goal to get electronic health records across the state talking to each other.>

BestOfOmaha.com

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 39

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DEB BASS

< Health care has actually been a constant in Bass’ professional life. Specifically, the problems related to health-care information exchange.

“When I was a young nurse, I was in the operating room,” she recalls. “If a patient came in by ambulance, the EMTs would usually go to the patient’s medicine cabinet, empty it into a plastic bag, and bring that to the emergency room.

And I would be there with the anesthesiologist, opening every bottle, looking at the pills, looking at the dates—people would put different pills in different bottles—and that’s how we put together the pieces of what the patient was taking. That was our medicine query. By this time, we were doing surgery, and we were still trying to figure out if the patient was diabetic or if they had high blood pressure. And I remember thinking, there has got to be a better way to do this.”

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—Chinese Proverb

ASSOCIATES That thought stayed with her even as she quit nursing to co-found Bass & Associates, a technology consulting business, in 1993. “February 2, to be exact,” she says. The date is firm in her memory. “We wrote the business plan, and I remember thinking, I sure do hope this works.

You have to sign over your house, and…people don’t realize that someone who’s started a business has risked everything they own.” She recalls her 10-year-old daughter asking on family trips if they could please stop talking business for awhile.

OmahaMagazine.com

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“The name has good brand value here...

Throughout the years, she reiterated to me that you cannot afford to tarnish your reputation.”

BRUCE PETERSON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AT BASS & ASSOCIATES

Coincidentally, it was an aspect of health care that led Bass to reluctantly sell Bass & Associates just eight years later. “A 10 or 20 percent increase in health care every year.” She shakes her head. “You cannot build a business model that will absorb those kinds of increases each year, year after year.”

Eventually a business has to pass on some of that cost to its employees. “And believe me, you pay as much as you can before you turn a cost back to your employees,” Bass says with emphasis. “It just got to the point where we needed to be an even larger organization so we could get better insurance.” In 2001, she sold the company and her stocks, though she stayed on as CEO and Bass & Associates kept her name.

“The name has good brand value here,” explains Bruce Peterson, executive vice president of Bass & Associates. He’s worked with Bass in several capacities over the course of two decades. “Throughout the years, she reiterated to me that you cannot afford to tarnish your reputation.” Having her name remain on a shingle she no longer owns would suggest Bass might be on to something.

BestOfOmaha.com

“She is passionate, passionate about NeHII.” CONNIE PRATT, PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT NEHII

STEPPING UP WITH NEHII In 2007, Bass connected with NeHII (pronounced “knee high”) as a contracted resource through Bass & Associates to solve a different kind of health-care problem: the one she struggled with as a young nurse in the operating room.

“To make it simple, we’re the Expedia model of health care information exchange,” she says.

The public/private collaborative nonprofit that is NeHII enables electronic health records (EHRs) to speak to one another, across hospitals and across the state. “A physician enters a patient’s first name, last name, date of birth, and then we send crawlers across all participating hospitals, identify all the matches, and pull them into view on a screen.”

In an all but completely digitized world, it’s still not the norm for a physician to view a complete health record of a patient on a screen. Within one hospital, Bass explains, there may be as many as five or six different EHRs—one for the ER, one for the lab, one for the physician’s office, and so on. “Consumers get frustrated because they’re always asked to fill out the questionnaire with the >

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< same set of questions,” she says. “‘You mean you don’t have this recorded somewhere?’ They don’t. Because they have all these siloed systems.” Benefits of a health information exchange (HIE), Bass says, include accurate data that doesn’t rely on the memory of laypersons; the ability to identify drug seekers; and facilitating consumer comparison by standardizing industry terminology.

“She is passionate, passionate about NeHII,” says Connie Pratt, the program director of NeHII. “She’ll go to the nth degree to make sure that it’s meeting people’s needs.” Pratt adds that the inevitable setbacks of such an undertaking don’t hold Bass’ focus for long. “She just keeps going— and that’s huge. Some people, when somebody says no, it’s done. Deb says, ‘Okay, that one said no, but we’re going to go over here now.’”

NeHII currently represents 51 percent of all hospital beds in Nebraska, on pace to represent 80 percent by 2015. The end goal, Bass says, is for all these state HIEs to connect to a federal architecture—a nationwide health information network, known in D.C. as The Healthy Way. Despite the fact that technology is ready for that scenario today, Bass says the industry is still a long way away from seeing Healthy Way work.

“The challenges are the privacy and security policies and the politics.”

OmahaMagazine.com

story by beverly kracher, ph.d.

“She was the pace car for Bass & Associates.

Everybody that worked with her was trying to keep up.”

BRUCE PETERSON

MAINTAINING THE PACE Pounding away at policies and politics means 7 o’clock mornings and 11:30 nights. “She is a doer,” Peterson says. “She was the pace car for Bass & Associates. Everybody that worked with her was trying to keep up.”

To cope, Bass sets another pace: twenty miles a week. “I really wouldn’t call it running anymore.

It’s a run/walk.” And she lifts weights. “I have got to do it or my brain just goes nuts.”

Also keeping her grounded are her three daughters. “For all the working women out there, we always worry we’re spending too much time working and not spending enough time with our children. ‘Do they know who I am?’ And to see them all grown up and be talented and independent is...” Bass breaks off the sentence with a huge smile. Fittingly, one of her daughters is a doctor, and the other two are successful in business.

As for herself, Bass isn’t planning to leave the business world any time soon. Nebraska is recognized as the leader in the U.S. for HIE, and some EHRs are trying to give NeHII a run for its money. “The race isn’t done,” Bass says.

“You won’t know if you’re on the right horse until you cross the finish line. And we’re all still riding in it.” B2B BestOfOmaha.com

business ethics

Shocking Us

I

INTO ETHICS F YOU TOOK A psychology class in high

school or college, you studied the Milgram experiments.

In these experiments, a Teacher, the only one who didn’t know the true objective of the study, was told by an Experimenter to progressively shock a Learner with up to 450 volts of electricity when the Learner did not respond with correct answers. The Learner was never really shocked, although the Teacher thought he was because of the Learner’s (faked) cries, pleas, and protests. The Teacher was even led to believe that the Learner had a heart condition that could be exacerbated by the shocks.

The purpose of the Milgram experiments was to evaluate the extent to which someone would harm another person when told to do so by an authority figure. In this case, the authority was the Experimenter who wore a white lab coat and regularly told the Teacher (while the Teacher progressively shocked the Learner with more and more volts), “Once started, the experiment must go on,” or “Don’t worry, I will take full responsibility.”

What do you think? How many Teachers shocked the Learner to the fullest extent, even when the Teachers believed that the Learner had passed out from the shocks?

About two-thirds.

Approximately two out of three people continued to do what they were told, even though they believed that they were greatly harming another human being. Why? Stanley Milgram believed that humans are hard-wired, in a way, to obey authority. Whoever the authority figure—our bosses, our teachers, our religious figures—we are psychologically disposed to obey.

When we apply Milgram’s experiment to the workplace, we gain a better understanding of why business people do bad things. Business people may behave unethically, not because they are greedy or evil, but because they are instructed to do so.

Even more fascinating is that one out of three Teachers refused to shock the Learners with up to 450 volts. Interestingly, there was a point in the study around 150 volts when a cluster of Teachers disobeyed the Experimenter. Why stop there?

The answer (Packer, 2008) is that it was at this point that the Learner would protest not only with cries of pain but with exclamations like, “I won’t be in this experiment anymore!” and “I refuse to go on!” This change in the Learner’s communication, from cries of pain to ones that express the moral concepts of rights, liberty, and freedom, allowed some Teachers to break away from the Experimenter’s authority, disengage from their role in the experiment, and reduce harm.

Let’s apply the previous conclusion to the workplace by making two points.

First, language and conversation affect our decision-making and actions (Werhane et. al., 2013). The language we use with our peers and subordinates can lull them into complacency or shock them into ethical behavior. So let’s be intentional about using moral words at work.

And let’s start conversations about ethics every day by talking about current ethical issues and workplace situations.

Second, it is unlikely that the online compliance training that has swept corporate America will create the kinds of good behavior that leaders seek from their employees in the workplace.

Granted, these practices are efficient and allow organizations to easily show that every employee has had ethics and compliance training. But without human interaction and discourse, there is no life to the education and we have yet to see proof that they create real behavioral impact.

Let’s continue to develop the strategies that shock us into ethics. Join with other Omaha business leaders who are at the front of a new ethics education model, creating city-level and organizational programs where well-crafted, face-to-face dialogue is positively affecting the minds and ethical behaviors of our workforce.

B2B

Beverly Kracher, Ph.D. Daugherty Chair in Business Ethics & Society Executive Director, Business Ethics Alliance College of Business Creighton University Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 43

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

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THEY MEAN BUSINESS HANKS TO SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S runaway hit sketch

“#Hashtag” last September, even people living under rocks have heard of hashtags. If you’re in charge of your business’ social media, however, you may not be any more confident as to how to make the humble pound sign work for you.

But it’s not difficult, promise. Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media, makes it simple: “It’s just a quicker way to search.” A social media post (usually in Twitter, though Facebook is playing along) that’s tagged with #BigOmaha or #HRTechChat is instantly added to an entire conversation that other social media users can follow. “If you want your content to stand out,” Hogan says, “or if you’re trying to reach a niche audience, you can use [the hashtag] in skill-specific chats.”

What if you’re not ready to jump into a realtime chat on Twitter just yet? Hogan says blog it, tweet the link, and tag it with the chat’s hashtag. But don’t be afraid to chime in eventually. “You can chat with real professionals all over the world,” Hogan says. “You can establish yourself as a thought leader.”

Even if you’re not adding to a Twitter conversation about your industry or laughing with other tweeting conference-goers about the latest keynote, you can search hashtags for some basic lead generation. “Even by following something simple like #omaha,” says Ben Pankonin, founder and CEO of Social Assurance, “I can start to follow what people in Omaha are saying about a given topic.”

Third-party applications like Hootsuite allow users to create “streams”—feeds that contain only tweets pertaining to certain topics. One of the ways to filter a stream is, of course, by following a particular hashtag.

“In health care, you may want to know what BestOfOmaha.com

nurses are looking for,” Pankonin says. “So you might follow #RNChat. If you’re looking for people who are in finance, you might follow #finserv.”

Hogan relates one innovative lead-generation technique she’s seen: “Someone wasn’t able to attend a conference for her industry, but she followed the hashtag and took note of people who were tweeting from it.” Ta-da!

A target market list based on hashtag users.

Okay, but how does one find these hashtags in the first place? “To find hashtags already in use, you have to be paying attention,” Pankonin says. “Listening. Trying out keywords. You have to look around. It takes a bit of discovery to get you there.”

The hashtag is nothing if not versatile.

Other uses aside from search include crossposting. Simply adding #fb or #in can send your tweet flying to Facebook or LinkedIn if you’ve linked your accounts.

And let’s not leave out the faux hashtag.

Tagging a photo of an employee’s dog in the office with #newrecruit isn’t so much beneficial for search or lead generation as it is for, well, a light laugh. “They can be a great way to be relevant and human and funny,” Hogan says.

“People are social,” Pankonin points out.

“Companies recognize that we see people face to face less frequently than we used to.

In social media, humor translates very well.”

“Just recognize when a trend is happening, when it’s cresting, and when it’s over,” Hogan cautions. “The only one who’s going to hashtag YOLO these days is someone who’s desperately out of touch.”

Unless part of your online presence is you cheerfully being 15 minutes behind the times, she adds. Then, yeah. Go for it. B2B

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omAHA!

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Eric Barrett (right) and his brother Sean load up a grocery delivery.

Omaha Fast Foods WAS THE QUICKEST-TOMARKET CONCEPT IN AN ENTREPRENEUR’S BOOK OF STARTUP IDEAS

50

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

“...the more I got to talk to him I realized— this guy is brilliant.”

A

ANDY GREENBERG

FTER A TWO-YEAR STRETCH

of unemployment, local entrepreneur Eric Barrett decided to take his future into his own hands by founding Omaha Fast Foods—a grocery delivery service that, a year and a half later, boasts over 250 clients, from single moms to large corporations.

Barrett’s newfound success stems not only from his entrepreneurial spirit but a close

companion: his little yellow notebook. “I have filled it up over the years with business ideas that I thought were feasible,” he says. “I picked up my little yellow book and went through it, and [Omaha Fast Foods] was the most feasible and economical idea in the book. It didn’t take a lot to get started financially, and I just ran with it and committed myself to it. Six months from day one, we launched, and it was glorious.”

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Basing his business model off of volume, Barrett has been able to infiltrate the market by keeping his prices competitive to ones found at Baker’s or No Frills supermarkets in order to create the demand to sustain his business. And by hand-delivering orders to over 34 zip codes in the Omaha metro, Barrett can provide quality service with a more personal touch. He’s become somewhat of a public face of his company, building strong bonds with his customers and taking on the active role expected from today’s small business owner.

In fact, Barrett’s main concern is his clientele.

The Omaha Fast Foods web-based storefront strives to be user friendly. Customers can create an account and start browsing multiple categories within minutes. Preparing an order doesn’t take long either. Clients can choose from nextday or same-day delivery at reasonable prices; if a working mom needs laundry detergent and a dozen eggs by 8 p.m., as long as she places her order three hours in advance, Barrett can have it delivered that evening for only a few extra dollars.

Now preparing to run a three-month marketing campaign, Barrett hopes he will solidify the Omaha Fast Foods brand as “home of the fiveminute shopper.” Although he has not yet seen a paycheck, he claims that Omaha Fast Foods is “right on schedule.” By taking a serious look at his online storefront, Barrett has been diligent to make improvements necessary for customers to efficiently prepare their online orders.

“The new storefront will really help brand [Omaha Fast Foods] as a place where the average customer will spend about five minutes shopping for their groceries,” Barrett says. “We are really excited for that; it’s pretty neat and different. We are going to set a trend there.”

Andy Greenberg, local business consultant and motivational speaker, was instrumental in the Omaha Fast Foods initial start-up. “You know, it was interesting when I first met him. My first impression was that I was wasting my time, but the more I got to talk to him I realized—this guy is brilliant. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Greenberg believes that Omaha Fast Foods not only has potential for success in Omaha, but also as a franchise—something Barrett hopes to tackle in the future.

“Right now [Omaha Fast Foods] is a niche market,” Greenberg says, “but as it catches on, I feel it will change buying habits in the future.

[Omaha Fast Foods] has a bright future, and Eric is the right guy to do it. I envy his business savvy and his ability to execute.” B2B BestOfOmaha.com

Your vision. Our experience.

Bob Kmiecik 316 . 2 6 8 .7 9 4 3 bkmiecik@stinson.com 1299 Farnam Street Suite 1500 Omaha, NE 68102

Omaha Kansas City St. Louis Phoenix Denver Washington, D.C. Wichita Overland Park Jefferson City Decatur

Successful companies are fueled by energy, innovation and talent. Stinson’s attorneys help small-to-large businesses seize opportunities and address challenges, propelling ideas into success stories. Our perspective and experience supports your vision and allows you to channel your creativity into your business objectives. Stinson.com.

The choice of a lawyer is important and should not be based solely on advertisements.

Omaha’s Midtown Masterpiece Midtown Omaha’s newest event venue blends timeless craftsmanship with every modern amenity. Large enough to host gala events, trade shows and annual meetings. Intimate enough to accommodate board meetings, training sessions and workshops. Perfect for weddings and holiday gatherings. With tables and chairs for 500+ guests, free parking and state‐of‐the‐art audiovisual equipment, we can meet your every need.

Your next event deserves nothing less. a r t s

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402‐905‐9511 • OmarEvents.com • 4383 Nicholas Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 51

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Nebraska NABCAP Premier Advisors

A

B O U T. THE N AT I O N A L ASSOCIATION of Board Certified

Advisory Practices (NABCAP) is an unaffiliated, nonprofi t organization based in Colorado that was created to tackle the daunting challenge of identifying top practitioners, and through the process help reform the public’s perception of the industry and its professional membership. NABCAP currently has a presence in thirty-fi ve plus U.S. markets.

The nonprofit along with its board of directors developed a formula designed to identify the best practices as determined by NABCAP. Separating and distinguishing the strongest practitioners from the industry’s pool of advisors is a solution with merit. The difficulty lies in the clear need for transparency. “I’m very interested and concerned about the integrity of the industry,” says

Dr. Chuck King, NABCAP board vice president.

“Our goal is to make sure that the people who make our list meet our guidelines. It’s not about just hanging out a shingle. One of the reasons I got involved was the need for more scrutiny.”

The public requires a reliable, independent resource to provide clarity for their financial decisions. NABCAP was formed to help clarify the picture. And while NABCAP knows there is no perfect solution, it is committed to promoting higher standards and transparency, which are vital to the long-term success of the investing public. “We’re not just counting assets under management,” says King. “We’re interested in the processes used. And we don’t just take anybody. This is not a pay-to-play Organization. I’m a big believer in free markets. And what makes free markets work is information, not a lot of

regulations. The more perfect the information, the more perfect the regulation.”

Methodology. The primary focus of NABCAP is to serve the needs of the investing public by helping identify top wealth managers. NABCAP and its board of directors created an unaffiliated evaluation process in which 20 categories of practice management are assessed. Advisors are invited and/or nominated to participate by submitting an online questionnaire. The multi-step verification process utilizes independent resources to assess the accuracy and truthfulness of the information submitted by participating advisory practices.

NABCAP’s methodology is unique in deciphering advisors because it is primarily objective, not subjective, and helps add transparency for the investor’s benefit. NABCAP takes pride that its list of Premier Advisors is not merely >

NABCAP©2013 Avg. $ Assets Under Management per Client

Avg. # of Clients per Advisor

Advisor to Support Staff

Top 5 Specialties & Credentials

City, State Phone #

Bob Kenny RBC Wealth Management

$220,000

640

1:1

RP,IM,RS,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-392-6100

Callahan Financial Planning Company TD Ameritrade Institutional

$365,000

26

2:1

RP,FP,IM,EP,ES

Omaha, NE 402-341-2000

Cambridge Advisors Inc. Cambridge Advisors Inc.

$665,000

57

5:1

RP,FP,IM,PM,AM

Omaha, NE 402-687-1166

Carson Wealth Management Group CWM, LLC

$4,700,000

75

10 : 10

FP,IM,EP,PM,AM

Omaha, NE 402-330-0808

Curnes Financial Group Curnes Financial Group

$620,000

91

11 : 4

RP,FP,WP,IM,PM

Omaha, NE 402-397-5440

Advisor Practice Name Firm

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

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NABCAP Premier Advisors NABCAP©2013

Avg. $ Assets Under Management per Client

Avg. # of Clients per Advisor

Advisor to Support Staff

Top 5 Specialties & Credentials

City, State Phone #

Egermier Wealth Management Group LPL Financial

$200,000

109

4:2

RP,FP,WP,CM,AM

Omaha, NE 402-861-9696

Ethen Bagley Group Merrill Lynch

$625,000

168

2:3

RP,FP,IM,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-496-5192

Feltz WealthPLAN LPL Financial

$450,000

186

7 : 13

RP,FP,IM,CM,AM

Omaha, NE 402-697-5450

Frank J. Ward First National Investments and Planning

$150,000

300

2:1

RP,FP,SP,IM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-602-5128

Furstenau Financial Management LPL Financial

$230,000

337

1:2

RP,WP,IM,PM,CM

Neligh, NE 402-887-4302

Harrison Financial Services Northwestern Mutual Investment Services

$1,600,000

60

3:4

FP,WP,IM,EP,CM

Omaha, NE 402-891-2302

John “Buzz” Garlock RBC Wealth Management

$2,400,000

267

1:2

RP,FP,IM,RS,PM

Omaha, NE 402-392-6138

Kelley Investment Team RBC Wealth Management

$1,755,000

300

2:3

RP,WP,IM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-392-6100

Kerlik, Sadler, Smith & Associates Ameriprise Financial

$300,000

80

5:1

RP,FP,WP,EP,CM

Omaha, NE 402-334-7265

Korkow and Associates Merrill Lynch

$650,000

113

2:2

RP,FP,WP,RS,RM

Omaha, NE 402-496-5127

Manarin Investment Counsel Manarin Investment Counsel

$220,000

278

9:1

RP,FP,IM,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-330-1166

Mariner Wealth Advisors Omaha Mariner Wealth Advisors

$620,000

80

6:4

RP,FP,WP,IM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-829-3650

Militti Group Morgan Stanley

$3,000,000

42

3:1

RP,PP,RM,EP,CM

Omaha, NE 402-399-1513

Moylan Kropp Retirement Planning, LLC Securities America

$445,000

125

4:1

RP,FP,WP,EP,CM

Omaha, NE 402-390-9066

Mundy & Associates NFP Securities

$790,000

90

1:1

RP,IM,EP,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-398-1103

Omaha Group Morgan Stanley

$1,200,000

100

5:2

RP,IM,BP,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-399-6141

SilverStone Asset Management SilverStone Asset Management

$8,350,000

50

2:7

RP,WP,IM,EP,CM

Omaha, NE 402-964-5440

Slattery & Hruby Group Merrill Lynch

$1,460,000

171

2:2

RP,RM,EP,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-496-5109

$2,450,000

141

11 : 4

FP,IM,EP,PM,CM

Lincoln, NE 402-323-1253

$100,000

473

4:5

RP,FP,WP,BP,EP

Omaha, NE 402-932-7233

$810,000

125

2:1

RP,FP,WP,PM,CM

Omaha, NE 402-399-1541

Advisor Practice Name Firm

Union Investment Management Group Union Bank & Trust Vintage Financial Group, LLC Vintage Financial Group, LLC Welsh Group Morgan Stanley

BestOfOmaha.com

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 53

NABCAP Premier Advisors

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<defined by Assets Under Management (A.U.M.), revenues produced or even worse, popularity.

Alternatively, NABCAP attempts to identify top advisors regardless of size, firm or affiliation.

Consumer Use. Even though NABCAP’s vetting process is comprehensive in evaluating advisors, every single practice on the list most likely will not fit you the investor. The list of advisory practices is in alphabetical order; NABCAP believes there is not one perfect practice for every investor out there. The first step recommended by NABCAP is to narrow down the list of practices by average client size. It is recommended you select practices that have an average client size of ½ - ¼ the size client you would estimate yourself, family or business to be. For example, if you have approximately $2 million of investable assets then identify practices with an average client size of $500K1million. This way, you fall within the top 20% of a practice’s entire clientele. This increases the probability you receive the practice’s top shelf service, care and attention. In addition to narrowing down the field of practices by average size client, it is recommended you also reference the practice’s top 5 specialties and designations to assure they are equipped and focused on handling your individual needs. Try to select at least 3 practices to interview for different personalities, service models and practice methodologies.

NABCAP’s focus is to provide objective differentiation between financial advisory practices and through their evaluation process to help add transparency to the Financial Services Industry.

Even though the NABCAP Premier Advisors’ list is comprehensive it should not be considered exhaustive and the following disclaimers should be considered: To ensure the best interests of the investing public, NABCAP does not accept financial support from advisory practices, financial institutions or the media in exchange for beneficial

Although NABCAP invites all advisors in a market to participate, the final decision lies with the advisor and as such there may be advisors who would qualify but do not appear on the list as they chose not to participate and if they were included some advisors on this list would not have been included.

NABCAP screens candidates for regulatory compliance issues: checks and balances are imposed to limit the inclusion of an advisor with a negative regulatory history or multiple client complaints. These checks and balances include: NABCAP requires financial advisors to be registered/licensed financial advisors in good standing with state and federal regulatory bodies. In addition NABCAP requires financial advisors to be in compliance with their respective broker/dealer or affiliated representation NABCAP reviews each financial advisor and support staff’s U-4 or ADV to verify their employment and compliance record.

If an advisory practice makes the list with a settlement on their record we recommend that investors inquire with the advisory practice as well with their supervisor for the nature of the settlement.

The supervisor survey is structured to make it equally easy for a respondent to give negative or positive responses and the method of calculating results incorporates both negative and positive survey responses NABCAP does not perform subjective analysis of the survey results but assigns numerical ratings based on questionnaire and survey responses, as well as third party verification.

3,500+ direct contacts were made via email and mail in Nebraska and 36,000 indirect to subscribers for participation/nomination of participants. Premier Advisors list will not exceed 3.5% of each market’s financial advisory practices NABCAP created the methodology and pro-

2008. Even considering this slight incline in personal wealth, the fundamentals on the current US economy are still in an unstable state with talks of possibly entering another recessionary period. It remains critical that investors are able to identify quality wealth managers to assist them in weathering these challenging market environments. NABCAP’s objective research has proven to identify quality practitioners in over 35+ US markets since the recession.

The National Association of Board Certified Advisory Practices (NABCAP) was created in 2008 by it’s board of directors — representing industry insiders, investors and non-industry professionals — with over four years of research and interviews with investors and advisors.

One of NABCAP’s main objectives is to hold the investment advising community to a higher standard, said Chuck King, NABCAP board vice president and dean emeritus of the School of Business and Leadership at Colorado Christian University. To ensure the best interest of the investing public, NABCAP does not accept financial support from advisory practices, financial institutions, or the media in exchange for beneficial reviews, rankings or industry insights.

“This isn’t a money-driven effort,” said King.

“It’s designed purely to provide information to investors and not to line someone’s pocket.

Until financial advisors and banks and everyone else begins to police themselves we’re going to have problems. It’s essential that markets are operating properly for a free enterprise system to work.”

The nonprofi t organization is achieving its overarching goal of empowering the investing community by adding transparency to financial services industry. NABCAP Premier Advisors lists are a powerful reference for investors to identify the top wealth managers in their local market. Each market varies in size and is based on participation. Neither advisors nor firms pay

reviews, rankings or industry insight. NABCAP is not affiliated with any advisor or financial institution participating in the survey.

Selecting a NABCAP Premier Advisor is no guarantee as to future investment success nor is there any guarantee that the selected financial advisory practice will be designated as a Premier Advisor by NABCAP in the future.

The inclusion of a financial advisory practice on the NABCAP Premier Advisor’s list should not be construed as an endorsement of the financial advisory practice by NABCAP or Omaha Publications.

cess. Rank Premier Advisors is contracted to administer the evaluation process.

All advertisements in the special advertising section were sold exclusively by Omaha Publications and not endorsed in any way

by NABCAP. NABCAP VIEWPOINT: As impossible as it may seem, the U.S. population has experienced some slight growth on the heels of the second worst recession this country has ever experienced. According to CapGemini’s World Wealth Report 2011, the population of High Net-worth Individuals in North America has risen 25% since

to participate. With over 400,000 registered investment professionals nationally NABCAP has their work cut out for them. The nonprofit plans to expand it’s footprint to even more US markets in the immediate future. On the previous pages is a chart of the current markets open to participation for advisors, and investors, you the reader, to utilize the research for better informative decisions towards personal financial needs.

To learn more about NABCAP please visit www.

NABCAP.org or email info@nabcap.org

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B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS What is your client mission and how do you provide added value?

On a proactive basis we deliver the finest financial thinking, solutions, education and client services to help our clientele achieve their retirement and wealth management needs. We are focused: our practice is high net-wealth investors seeking solutions to complex wealth scenarios. Typically, this means corporate executives, highly compensated professionals, business owners (and their business), as well as those who come into inheritance. Because we work with high net-wealth people we are experienced in arenas such E.J. Militti, Jr. as trust set-up and management, estate planning and tax-advantaged Financial Advisor gifting strategies. We are also well-versed in setting up and administering foundations and endowments designed to fulfill our clientele’s passionate philanthropic dreams. Our clients truly want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. So to help them, we take a deep dive with each client and immerse ourselves in what is meaningful in their life. The outcome: each client is delivered an ownable, unique plan. Importantly, we believe an air-tight wealth management plan includes a great deal of time spent on risk-management strategies – so we manage both sides of a client’s balance sheet. This means we assist our clientele with customized insurances, as well as retail and commercial banking and lending solutions through our access to Morgan Stanley Private Bank.

The Militti Group at

Carroll Militti-Hacker Financial Advisor

How does your team differentiate itself from other wealth advisory groups?

Our team is unique in that we are a true family practice: father, daughter and son. That’s not common in this business. In addition, because we focus our efforts on high net-wealth clientele we often accomplish our mission by introducing a client (or referral) to our firm’s Wealth Planning Center.

Together, the Militti Group and the Wealth Planning Center bring tremendous experience and perspective to help develop and execute highly sophisticated retirement and multigenerational wealth strategies. It is great to see our clientele wowed with the breadth and depth of services we and our firm can offer them. The truest satisfaction we see is our clientele worry less, so they spend more time enjoying their life and family.

Edward J. Militti, Sr. Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor (not pictured) Morgan Stanley and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates. Private Bankers are employees of Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, Member FDIC. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.

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13625 California Street, Ste. 400 Omaha, NE 68154 402-399-1513 www.morganstanleyfa.com/milittigroup Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 55

B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS

The Welsh Group at Morgan Stanley

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice: We believe: Clear and consistent communication is paramount; our word is our bond; in transparency; investments should not be driven by emotion; CNBC will not change our plan; process and procedure are cornerstone; in managing debt as well as equity; diversification is a key to reducing risk.

What is the process you take each customer through?

We take each client through the 13 Wealth Management Issues. 1. Investment Issues 2. Insurance Issues 3. Liability Issues 4. Qualified Retirement Plan Issues 5. Stock Option Issues 6. Business Succession Issues 7. Durable Power of Attorney/Will 8. Gifting to Children/Descendant Issues 9. Charitable Gifting Before and After Death 10. Title of Assets Issues 11. Executor Trustee Issues 12. Distribution of Wealth 13. Charitable Inclinations at Death.

In your own words describe your practice’s financial planning process: The Welsh Group has a defined financial planning process. We start with the 13 Wealth Management Issues. After discovering clients’ current and long term needs and positions, we drill down on areas that need work and then provide solutions for those issues. After implementation, we continually monitor plans to make sure we are on track to achieve goals and expectations.

How is your team different?

We design, implement, and maintain comprehensive financial solutions for clients with complex financial needs. These clients are business owners, executives, and retirees with those backgrounds. Our unique service model monitors every aspect of the tailored financial plan for each client, including investing, insurance, lending services, and estate planning strategies. We ensure adjustments are made in order to maintain the course of action agreed upon to accomplish every goal set forth in that plan.

Patrick A. Friesen, CFP® Financial Advisor

Kevin M. Welsh Senior Vice President Wealth Advisor

Dawn L. Bonacci Registered Associate

What are the responsibilities of each individual on the team?

Kevin’s focus is in the capital markets. He buys and sells all of the fixed income for the client portfolios. Along with Patrick, he designs and develops individual strategies for client portfolios. Patrick is a CFP®. He and Kevin collaborate on plan design and strategy for each client. Patrick is in charge of implementation and maintenance of the investments and financial plan. Dawn is in charge of all aspects of administration in our practice. Morgan Stanley invests hundreds of millions in capital every day and provides access to the markets, research, private placements, alternative investments, insurance, and lending services. This access helps us implement our clients’ plans and achieve their definition of success.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice.

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

13625 California St., Ste. 400 Omaha, NE 68154 402-399-1541 www.morganstanleyfa.com/thewelshgroup special advertising section

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B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS

Korkow & Associates of Merrill Lynch

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice?

To us, it means being consistently recognized as an essential partner in our clients’ financial lives, by delivering goals-based investment management and wealth planning services with the highest level of quality and integrity. We utilize our goals-based approach through an extensive range of services, based upon our clients’ objectives, and integrate our approach by bringing to light the emotional side of life’s balance sheet. To be a reliable financial advisory practice, we connect with our clients and act as their personal CFO, while always working hard every step of the way.

What is the process through which you take each client?

Through a broad range of discussions, we first assess their unique situation at hand in order to establish realistic goals and the strategy by which to reach them, while employing particular emphasis on wealth preservation, tax minimization, and risk minimization. We help identify and define specific goal components such as target value, time horizon, risk tolerance, and priority for each goal at hand.

Together, in the context of their full set of goals, we then implement appropriate solutions.

Once a plan has been put in place, we continue to revisit concerns and goals periodically with our clients to track progress toward their desired outcomes, even as life situations change.

Shelley Welton, Registered Client Associate, Craig D. Korkow, CFP®, CRPC®

Craig D. Korkow, CFP®, CRPC® Craig D. Korkow is principle of Korkow & Associates and is a Senior Vice President-Wealth Management with Merrill Lynch, Omaha, NE. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in Economics from South Dakota State University and leaving the US Army as a Captain, he joined Merrill Lynch in 2000. Craig specializes in retirement planning for organizations and individuals. Craig is a Teammates mentor, member of the Knights of Aksarben RCR board, and Founder of the Rough N’ Ready Challenge Rodeo for Children with Special Needs

B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS

Sam Jorgenson, CRPC®, CSNA, Financial Advisor

1044 N. 115th Street, Suite 500 Omaha, NE 68154 402-496-5127 http://fa.ml.com/korkow_associates

Vintage Financial Group

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice?

To serve in an advisory capacity is a great responsibility and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We work each day to ensure we are adding more value to the clients we serve through greater education, professional designations, and relationships with other key advisors. We believe in the practice of empowering our clients to achieve their hopes and dreams. It is our great privilege to be their partner in their financial planning. By promoting economic and financial literacy as a part of our process, we empower our clients to further define their personal financial goals to help achieve those goals.

What is your practice’s customer service model?

The service model is based on our client’s goals and objectives for their particular plan. Our communication model touches each client at a minimum of nine times a year. We are a very accessible practice. When we ask our clients about our relationship with them, the most common theme we hear is how they feel they have a true partner in their finances. True to this theme, we receive client communication anytime a client has a change in their life, good or bad. It is truly a privilege to serve in this way.

Securities and advisory products offered through Princor Financial Services Corporation, (800) 247-1737, member SIPC, Des Moines, IA 50392. Insurance products from the Principal Financial Group® are issued by Principal National Life Insurance Company (except in New York), Principal Life Insurance Company and the companies available through the Preferred Product Network, Inc. Securities and advisory products offered through Princor Financial Services Corporation, 800/247-1737, member SIPC. Principal National, Principal Life, the Preferred Product Network, and Princor® are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392. Mindy S. Helfrich, Bradford R. Burwell, Kirstin J. Ricketts, Patrick M. Ricketts Principal National and Principal Life Financial Representative, Princor Registered Representative and Financial Advisor. Vintage Financial Group, LLC. is not an affiliate of any company of the Principal Financial Group.

Mindy S. Helfrich, Bradford R. Burwell, Kirstin J. Ricketts CFP© and Patrick M. RickettsCFP©

14217 Dayton Circle, Suite 3 | Omaha, NE 68137 | (402) 932-7233 (866) 666-7994 | Fax (402) 932-4196 | www.vintagefinancialgroup.com

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Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 57

B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement

Ethen Bagley Group of Merrill Lynch

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice?

Our team’s focus is to help simplify our clients’ lives in an increasingly complex world. We offer wisdom, as well as information, so that our clients can make informed decisions regarding their financial affairs. We consider it a privilege to serve as trusted advisors and to provide quality, unbiased information, and assistance.

What is the process you take each customer through?

Each prospective client is taken through a series of meetings. The first is a discovery meeting where we gather information and gain an understanding of their goals, timeframes, and risk tolerance. This is followed up by an Investment Proposal/Financial Plan meeting. When the client indicates they are ready to proceed, we schedule a mutual commitment meeting where we complete all paperwork and agree to each party’s roles and responsibilities. Once accounts have transferred in, we follow up with an on-boarding meeting where we explain how to read the statements, log in to the online account access, and help them organize all of their financial affairs. Finally, we schedule the periodic face-to-face account/plan review, which for most clients is semi-annually. In between meetings, clients can expect monthly calls, monthly newsletters, and periodic client educational events throughout the year.

Michael J. Bagley, CFP®

Stephen C. Ethen, CFP®

1044 N. 115th Street Omaha, NE 68154 402-496-5192 www.fa.ml.com/ethen_bagley_group

B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS

Slattery/Hruby Group of Merrill Lynch

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice?

The Slattery/Hruby Group provides wealth management services to affluent families and trusts. We help clients articulate their goals, then guide them with appropriate strategies for investments, lending, wealth transfer, and philanthropy with particular emphasis on tax minimization and wealth preservation. By formally reviewing and understanding a client’s total assets and liabilities, we are able to develop customized solutions to address their unique needs and challenges. For clients, we seek to have a profound impact on both their financial and personal lives. Our ultimate responsibility is to help clients achieve their aspirations for themselves, future generations and their communities. Within that effort, we provide the personal attention and high level of service that significant wealth warrants.

Describe your practices’ investment philosophy: We apply a comprehensive wealth allocation framework to a client’s balance sheet. In the simplest form you could state it as Risk Allocation precedes Asset Allocation. The framework process enables clients to construct appropriate portfolios allocating all their assets, featuring the home, mortgage, and market investments. The resulting frameworks are designed to meet client needs and preferences. The framework brings together Portfolio theory with aspects of Behavioral Finance to overlay a client’s risk exposures on to their balance sheet. The application of our investment philosophy is typically executed within an Advisory relationship.

Kandis Schissel, CFP, CRPC, Daniel Slattery, CFM, Peggy Fehncke, CRPC, Stephen Hruby, CIMA

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B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

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1044 N. 115th Street Omaha, NE 68154 402-496-5152 www.fa.ml.com/shgroup OmahaMagazine.com

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B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS Tell us about your business. Who are your clients?

Our clients are decision makers who typically have multiple advisors (lawyers, accountants, investment advisors, insurance, and sometimes even multiple wealth advisors). We understand it can get complicated getting all the advisors together and aligned with the same client goals in mind. The most important needs many of our clients have are to get the advisors to work as a team, create a written financial plan, remove the complicated industry jargon, and make the plan of action simple and understood by all. We’re not here to replace anyone on the team; rather, we act as the facilitator of new ideas, action steps, and accountability. We often make clients aware of blind spots or of strategies that are currently unknown to them.

How has your company grown?

We only work through referrals. Our commitment to consistently exceeding clients’ expectations has created a level of trust that has resulted in the right types of new client introductions from our other clients. Our firm has grown at an average of 36 percent (YOY) for the last three years.

How are you unique? What keeps your clients coming back?

We have numerous learning and social events, and we get to know many of our clients at a deeper level. This allows us to challenge them and find out what is really important to them. From there, we can create a disciplined plan to implement holistic tax and risk efficient strategies to protect and grow their assets. Most importantly, we know the “why” of what is important to our clients.

How would you describe your workplace culture?

Your team members?

Our culture is one of focus and fun. We live our core values of Kaizen (a philosophy that promotes continuous improvement), servant mentality, non-negotiable integrity, work ethic, and being politely persistent. Team members evaluate each other quarterly on living our core values and key behaviors. We all own daily and weekly metrics, including discussing client feedback, to measure our results and drive improvements for better service.

Everyone on our team has a voice in where we are headed

Tim Harrison, MSFS, CIMA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CLTC®, CAP®

Darla Zumm, CLTC®

Dalma Seitelbach, RP®

NABCAP Premier Advisors

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Tim Harrison, MSFS, CIMA, CFP® Tim started the business at age 18 while studying accounting in college. Upon graduating and passing the CPA exam, Tim hired his father and brother (at great personal and financial risk) and today has built a strong team. Tim is married to Traci, and they have two children, Lauren and Blake.

as an organization. Our entire team is very involved in the community with Salvation Army, United Way, Susan G. Komen, Boy Scouts, E.O. Nebraska, University of Nebraska, and Children’s Hospital.

At the end of the day, what gives you the biggest sense of accomplishment? What do you want to be known for?

We want to earn the right to serve as our clients’ most trusted advisors. Our goal is to be recognized as the premier wealth management firm serving decision makers.

Seth Tracy, CLU® Jack McKeegan, CPWA® Angie Bade

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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Harrison Financial Services

JoAnne Reynolds, CFP®

9300 Underwood Ave., Ste 500 Omaha, NE 68114 402-891-2302 www.timjharrison.com Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 59

B2B OMAHA’S

wealthmanagement WINNERS Whether you’re close to retirement or looking to start a college savings plan, Feltz WealthPLAN is able to assist with all of your financial needs.

Financial Planning: We offer access to investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, variable annuities and alternative investments.

We can also refer you to outside professionals through our Feltz WealthPLAN network for CPA & Accounting Services, Asset Protection, Insurance, Estate Planning, Business Succession, and Mortgage Services. Feltz WealthPLAN has an in-house specialist to help you explore Long-Term Care and Insurance options.

Financial Planning offered through Feltz WeathPLAN, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. Outside providers of professional services are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Feltz WealthPLAN or LPL Financial.

Investment Planning: Through the use of LPL Financial’s Strategic Wealth Management accounts, we can offer full discretionary asset management. Feltz WealthPLAN provides our clients with individually- tailored portfolios that are specifically designed to address their investment goals. Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA/ SIPC. Investing involves risk including loss of principal.

No strategy assures success or guarantees against loss.

Retirement Plans: Tax-qualified plans offered through employers have grown greatly over the years. Feltz WealthPLAN assists both employers and plan participants in sorting through the myriad of investment choices and identifying an allocation mix that is appropriate for each situation.

College Planning: When, and how, to use 529 Plans can be a major key to having the required finances when tuition time comes.

What is your philosophy on what it means to be a financial advisory practice?

Financial Planning, or Return-on-Life, is the heart and soul of Feltz WealthPLAN. The opportunity to guide our clients throughout each phase of their life, helping them prepare for the future provides our greatest satisfaction.

What is your practice’s customer service model?

Feltz WealthPLAN’s customer service model consists of three distinct teams: Financial Planning, Investment, and Support.

Each team specializes in a particular area to ensure clients receive the attention to detail they deserve.

Our Financial Planning team is the forefront of customer service, meeting with clients to define their goals and implementing a comprehensive financial plan for their future.

The Investment team handles the research, implements the investment models, and monitors the market and economy.

Our Support team assists clients through coordination of Vision1* data entry, ongoing transaction coordination, and is a daily resource for clients who have questions or concerns.

What is the process your practice takes each client through?

Our Vison1 program provides the framework for the Financial Planning process. As we work with clients to gather and enter their current financial information, Vision1 prepares clear, concise reports: • Balance Sheet – Summary of all assets and liabilities • Cash Flow – High level view of cash inflow and outflow • Stress Test – Evaluation of how your plan will fare during a period of financial crisis

Left to Right: Brent O’Mara, Jamie O’Brien, Dan Feltz, Todd Feltz, Wade Behlen, Kevin O’Mara, Ryan Feltz

60

Feltz WealthPLAN

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

Over 25 years of Excellence

• • •

Withdrawals & Planned Distributions – Gives an indication of portfolio longevity Education Planning – Provides options for meeting educational expenses Estate Planning – Asset distribution and possible tax consequences

As each report is reviewed, it becomes clear as to which areas need attention and which areas are already on track with the client’s goals. Focusing on specific action items makes the financial planning process less daunting and clients are encouraged as appropriate changes are put in place.

During appointments, the advisor will review current models and their importance to the client’s overall investment strategy. Our advisors also update their clients on the market outlook and discuss the implications this may have on their financial planning. *Vision1 is a comprehensive system that combines our client’s entire financial information (investments, loans, mortgage, insurance, etc.) into one secure location to enhance their financial planning experience. Vision1 also contains an online vault that stores and protects valuable documents such as wills, trusts, deeds, and passports in a secure electronic format.

Feltz WealthPLAN A Registered Investment Advisor Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC

101 S. 108th Ave, 2nd Floor Omaha, NE 68154 402-333-5448 www.FeltzWP.com special advertising section

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art. at home. auto. beauty. beer, cocktails & wine. before & after. best of b2b ™. best lawyers in america ® . best of omaha ™. business profiles. calendar of events. chefs. coffee & tea. diy project. downtown. education. entrepreneurs. ethics. family activities. fashion. finance & real estate. fitness. galas. galleries & museums. home happenings. home improvement. hot products. in the office. leaders. music. neighborhoods. new home businesses. news. nightlife. nonprofits. nutrition. omaha’s best doctors ® . opinion. parenting. premier wealth advisors. people. people on the rise. pets. places. q&a spotlight. recreation. restaurants. retirement. reviews. social media. sports. stylists. teen voices. theatre. top dentists™. young hero.

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the new

Winter 2014 • B2B Omaha Magazine 61

the know-it-all

Let States Deal Individually WITH FUEL DEPENDENCE

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Renovation Completed March 2013

Photography by Matt Houska

for more information call 402.449.1424 or email the ballroom event specialist at ballroom@scoularballroom.com

B2B Omaha Magazine • Winter 2014

ARGE, CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT PERPETUATES stupidity

produce “green” diesel; that ethanol burns dirty in engines designed to burn gasoline,

in a manner that defies reason. The framers of the Constitution understood this well, as reflected in the decentralization of power to the individual states. Each state, with its varied interests, was to individually be an incubator of better ideas. The union was to be a competitive relationship as well as a collective one.

But today, with the very best of intentions and far removed from their constituents, our representatives in Washington enact gigantic solutions. Solutions devoid of reality.

The Renewable Fuel Mandate is one such gigantic solution to the perceived problem of Peak Oil and dependence on imported oil. Now that we know all of our oil needs are well satisfied by crude oil production in the Americas, prudence would dictate that Congress end the mandate (in other words, farm subsidies).

But alas, no.

There is a loud sucking sound in the cornproducing states. Interests big and small depend on the federal mandate, one way or another. From tractor sales, farmland sales, petroleum fertilizer sales, and ethanol distillation, a relatively small number of people profit from the general public thanks to a silly solution to a non-existent problem.

Had the ethanol mandate solution been left to individual states, it would be easier to correct. As it is being answered on a federal level, the bureaucratic momentum appears unstoppable.

An illustrative example is the reluctance of even Iowa farming communities to use ethanol-laced gasoline. They know what damage it causes to expensive engines. Then there’s the fertilizer-caused dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, the high water consumption, the high energy use to produce ethanol, the willingness of using food for fuel, the early caucus in Iowa, and the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington, D.C. Even Europeans are waking up to the stupidity of renewable fuels. They see that vast areas of rain forest are being cleared to

polluting the air; and that the lower energy content in ethanol reduces gas mileage in engines designed to burn gasoline. For all these reasons and more, the E.U. is proposing to limit the renewable content in their diesel and gasoline to 6 percent.

The increasing mandate in the U.S. is forcing gasoline refiners to purchase Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) or ethanol credits because they have hit the 10 percent blend wall. Wall Street gamblers (such as JP Morgan Chase, recently fined $920 million for their business practices) saw this coming and purchased all the federal credits they could get their hands on.

The unattainable mandate paired with the forced purchase of RIN credits has caused the price of the credits to climb 2,000 percent. This huge Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expense will be forced upon the consumer in the form of big gasoline price increases. Yet one more federally mandated wealth transfer from the average guy to the gamblers with the cozy relationships with legislators.

But as long as the EPA continues to say, “Who cares about reality,” the Renewable Fuel Mandate will continue. As gasoline consumption continues to decline, the percentage of ethanol will have to increase to meet the increasing mandate. Therefore, our well-intended but dumb solution will get even dumber.

What we need to ask is whether the Renewable Fuel Mandate makes sense.

Economically? Environmentally? Would each of the corn producing states individually impose the same mandate within their state borders?

The answer to each is a resounding no. B2B Any views and/or opinions expressed in “The Know-It-All” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of B2B Omaha magazine, or its parent company, and/or its affiliates.

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