October/November 2019 B2B

OCTOBER · NOVEMBER 2019 | U.S. $3.25

ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND A HISTORIC TREASURE KUTAK ROCK’S BEAUTIFUL BUILDING

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO CARE KAREN DANEU

MATCHMAKERS FOR CORPORATIONS

HOW HEADHUNTERS FIND TOP RECRUITS

REMOVING THE FIRST 30 SECONDS IN A CONVERSATION INCREASING A BRAND’S VISIBILITY

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That’s the value of Veridian. veridiancu.org/commercial

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02 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 3

EXECUTIVE publisher Todd Lemke

CREATIVE creative director Matt Wieczorek

vice president Greg Bruns

senior graphic designer Derek Joy

associate publisher Bill Sitzmann

graphic designer II Mady Besch

EDITORIAL managing editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman

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

senior editor Tara Spencer associate editor Linda Persigehl editorial interns Jane Glazer Bryan Vomacka Rebecca Weis contributors Keith Backsen Tamsen Butler Megan Fabry Chris Hatch Beverly Kracher Jeff Lacey Mariel Richter Sean Robinson Kara Schweiss Liz Stevens INFORMATION advertising information 402.884.2000 subscribe online omahamagazine.com/ subscribe

A national & regional powerhouse in meetings & events. @planitomaha

B2B Magazine is published six times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208.

Telephone: 402.884.2000; fax 402.884.2001. Subscription rates: $12.95 for 4 issues (one year), $19.95 for 8 issues (two years). Multiple subscriptions at different rates are available.

No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of B2B Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations.

SALES executive vice president sales & marketing Gil Cohen senior branding specialist Mary Hiatt senior sales executive Gwen Lemke branding specialists Dawn Dennis George Idelman digital sales manager Jillian Dunn assistant to the publisher Sandy Matson senior sales coordinator Alicia Hollins OPERATIONS operations officer & Local Stubs ticketing representative Joshua Peterson accounting associate Kendra Hill distribution manager Mike Brewer

OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 03

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM

TABLE OF CONTENTS MAIN FEATURE

MATCHMAKERS FOR CORPORATIONS HOW HEADHUNTERS FIND TOP RECRUITS FEATURES

28

32

VARIETY AND LEARNING

THE GIG ECONOMY

GIVING THE SHOTS

NURSES AND EDUCATORS IN HIGH DEMAND

36

REMOVING THE FIRST 30 SECONDS SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDING

DEPARTMENTS

06 AFTER HOURS

10 LEADERS

16 BIZ + GIVING

08 ON THE RISE

12 IN THE OFFICE

18 HOW I ROLL

MATTHEW SHRADER

KYLER ERICKSON

KAREN DANEU

UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS

KUTAK ROCK

COLUMNS

05 FROM THE EDITOR FALL MEANS BUSINESS

ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND A HISTORIC TREASURE KUTAK ROCK’S BEAUTIFUL BUILDING

40 OMAHA CVB

TOURISM BUILDS BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS

40 ETHICS

BACK TO SCHOOL

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO CARE KAREN DANEU

MATCHMAKERS FOR CORPORATIONS

HOW HEADHUNTERS FIND TOP RECRUITS

REMOVING THE FIRST 30 SECONDS IN A CONVERSATION INCREASING A BRAND’S VISIBILITY

BERGMAN INCENTIVES

SHEA DEGAN’S HUMMER H1 ALPHA

ON THE COVER

OCTOBER · NOVEMBER 2019 | U.S. $3.25

20 omAHA!

The 1977 renovation of Kutak Rock’s building enclosed the north court from the fourth through the eighth floors to create an atrium.

23,088 TREES

have been reforested since April 2015 due to the printing of our publications.

More information at printreleaf.com

04 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

We’re Not Just About Fences.

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OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 05

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FROM THE EDITOR

FALL MEANS BUSINESS

all is a great time for business, isn’t it?

The lingering summer heat is gone, the leaves are turning color, and the crisp air begs for a good mood and increased production.

This issue of B2B has some great stories for you to read. Our In the Office feature is about Kutak Rock, which is situated in a historic building and features great artwork throughout the space.On the Rise is about speaker Kyler Erickson, who is making a name for himself as an ESPN announcer and travels around the country speaking out about his experiences with PTSD. It’s a great story about a young Omahan who has overcome a horrific situation.

October is a great month for charitable giving, and many of you in business are gathering money for the United Way of the Midlands.

The organization thanks you—this important charity has been thriving since the late 1800s, and it continues to do good work today. They are the subject of our Biz + Giving this issue.

Speaking of charitable giving, one great organization is losing its longtime leader this year. Karen Daneu of Komen Great Plains has announced her retirement late this year. She has done incredible work in her eight-year tenure with the organization. Perhaps some of you will participate in her More Than Pink Walk, which takes place Oct. 6.As fall is a big time for trade shows, many companies are ordering large quantities of branded pens, baseball caps, and coffee tumblers. Did you know, however, that many of these come from a company in Omaha? Bergman Incentives has been creating branded items for companies worldwide for many years.There are many reasons to do great business in the fall, and many great stories in this issue. I hope you enjoy them, and we look forward to the next issue—our annual Women in Business edition.

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Daisy Hutzell-Rodman is the managing editor of Omaha Publications.

She can be reached at daisy@omahapublications.com

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Matthew Shrader

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 07

AFTER HOURS | STORY BY SEAN ROBINSON | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

SHATTERING THE NORM

MATTHEW SHRADER BALANCES LIFE IN PUBLIC WORKS WITH GLASS BLOWING rom sweating in 100-degree heat to laboring next to a 2,100-degree furnace, it’s all in a day’s work for Matthew Shrader.

By day, he’s constantly moving to and fro as a member of Omaha Parks and Recreation, filling potholes, maintaining the Heartland of America Fountain, and performing general grounds maintenance. By night, his hands continue to stay busy and his feet don’t stop moving. Sunshine is traded for a studio and hedge shears are replaced by the kind that helps transform molten glass into structural art.

“It can be a labor-intensive life going from working outdoors to blowing glass,” Shrader admits. “On the days I’m doing both, though, all it takes is a minute psyching myself up in between and I’m ready.”

“IT WASN’T LIKE THIS WAS EVER GOING TO BE MY PATH. IT JUST CAPTURED ME RIGHT AWAY, THE ENORMITY OF CHIHULY’S PIECES AND SEEING HOW IT WAS ALL DONE RIGHT THERE.” -MATTHEW SHRADER

It took a little psyching up between his first exposure to blown glass and his pursuit of it—three years to be exact. In 2000, his alma matter, Central High School, hosted a Dale Chihuly exhibit that showcased some of the famed sculptor’s work while local professionals from Hot Shop’s Crystal Forge demonstrated the process outside. Shrader was immediately mesmerized and knew he needed to be next to the kiln someday as well.

“It wasn’t like this was ever going to be my path,” Shrader says. “It just captured me right away, the enormity of Chihuly’s pieces and seeing how it was all done right there.”

Shrader is now 16 years into glass blowing and serving as the lead gaffer alongside those same experts from Hot Shops who first enthralled him with the medium in the Central High parking lot.

While his job for the city pays the bills and provides benefits, he also sells commissioned work out of the Old Market Artists Gallery as well as at local art shows and farmers markets.

From urns to drinkware to vases, his pieces run the gambit. It’s when he looks into nature and makes more sculptural work that Shrader feels most challenged and fulfilled, crafting penguins, flowers, fish, and the occasional swan-frank. That’s a swan sitting on top of a hot dog.

“It’s all a juggling game between making stuff that everyone loves and will sell well with doing what my heart lives for,” Shrader says.

If anybody knows how to juggle, it’s Shrader.

Beyond his two jobs, he also plays percussion in the band Edge of Arbor.

“HE’S INQUISITIVE AND AN ARTIST THROUGH AND THROUGH. I GOT TO KNOW HIM AS A GLASS BLOWER, BUT THEN I SAW HIS BAND AND THOUGHT, ‘OH DAMN, HE’S AS GOOD AT MUSIC AS HE IS AT GLASS.’” -ED FENNELL

“He’s inquisitive and an artist through and through,” said Ed Fennell, founder of Crystal Forge. “I got to know him as a glass blower, but then I saw his band and thought, ‘Oh damn, he’s as good at music as he is at glass.’”

Add one more ball to juggle: family and fatherhood.

Just as Shrader learned from Fennell and at other institutions like the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, his 7-year-old daughter has become his pupil. She safely helps dad with occasional projects, but his most important lesson for her is a simple one—have fun.

“I do this because it really fills me up, and everyone should find that,” Shrader says. “It took me years to finally look into this and do it, but I’m so glad I did. Even when I’m tired and frustrated I know this makes me happy because I want to go back.”

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“IT WAS HONESTLY THE HARDEST FOUR MONTHS OF MY LIFE. AFTER THE THERAPY, DO I STILL THINK ABOUT THE SHOOTING? YES. BUT I’M NOT CRIPPLED BY IT ANYMORE. I DON’T CURL UP INTO A BALL. I DON’T HIDE IN THE CORNER.” -KYLER ERICKSON

Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 09

ON THE RISE | STORY BY CHRIS HATCH | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

CALLING GAMES, CALLING TO KIDS

KYLER ERICKSON USES HIS VOICE ou matter.

“For about a year, I denied that I needed help,” Erickson said. “I was worried about the stigma.”

As his message and confidence grew so, too, did the opportunities.

He was hospitalized twice, suffering from kidney stones, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He began connecting with more and more people, including people at news stations and media companies, all of them relating in some capacity with his message of hope and fearless optimism until once again he found himself at a fork in the road.

Permanent words in permanent ink.

Thousands of miles, and hundreds of microphones, and those three syllables have yet to fade for Kyler Erickson, the 26-year-old UNO graduate who has taken those indelible words and tattooed them on more than just his body.

He wears them on his shirt when he’s speaking in Gretna, Nebraska, or clambering on a bus during a 36-state tour. He lives them when he’s sitting in a booth calling basketball games for ESPN. “I don’t think I was there by accident that day,” he said, while on his way back from his latest speaking gig in San Diego, California. “I think that we change the world through telling our stories.”

He’s talking about his own personal trauma; a bleak and terrifying fork that was suddenly jammed into his road, when all he was trying to do was ice down a sore ankle from the previous night’s basketball game at Millard South.

He was in the nurse’s office in January 2011 when he heard the sounds of a gun going off, one room away. One administrator was dead, one severely wounded. Shot by a student the now-bleeding administrators had recently disciplined.

On that day, he witnessed things that have hummed with a kind of dark reverberation in his mind since.

The star athlete suddenly found himself struggling.

His grades dropped. His eyes weren’t locked onto the 90 feet of hardwood that had always felt like a second home.

“The PTSD wrecked me the most,” he said. “I was replaying the shooting in my head, every single night. I knew I needed help. I took the summer completely off from school and from basketball to get treatment.”

Erickson began undergoing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment, a psychotherapy designed to reprogram past traumas with a series of lights, movement, and repetition.

It was rigorous. Tough. But it worked.

Somewhere along the way, his eyes locked onto the blinking lights, Erickson began to see his future.

“It was honestly the hardest four months of my life,” he said. “After the therapy, do I still think about the shooting? Yes. But I’m not crippled by it anymore. I don’t curl up into a ball. I don’t hide in the corner.”

ESPN reached out. They needed someone to fill in during a UNO home game.

“I had never done broadcasting before. I didn’t know the rules. I mainly didn’t want to say something dumb, to be honest,” he laughed.

Never one to let a diem go un-carpe’d, he leapt at the opportunity, and has been a contributor to the network ever since.

“Life is very hard and often times we need help to get through it,” Erickson said. “But, we’ve got one life. One chance to do this. If you get the help you need, it frees you up to go and chase your dreams.”

Two words.

As the sounds of his own horror began to fade, he filled the silence with another kind of noise: his own voice.

Vulnerable. Not without a tremble, on occasion, but there nonetheless. Speaking to friends and family. Speaking to teammates at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He became a professional speaker.

One life.

Above all else, Kyler Erickson wants people to know: you matter.

Visit kylererickson.com for more information.

B2B

DANEU IS PASSIONATE ABOUT BREAST CANCER AWARENESS LARGELY BECAUSE OF HER EXPERIENCE OF HER OWN MOTHER DYING 31 YEARS AGO FROM THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 11

LEADERS | STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO CARE

KAREN DANEU OF KOMEN GREAT PLAINS sk Karen Daneu about her role as executive director of Susan G. Komen Great Plains and she diverts the conversation back to the work done by others in this driven organization.

Komen Great Plains is on a mission to end breast cancer. “We’re breaking down barriers to care,” said Daneu, explaining the work Komen Great Plains does across Nebraska and North Dakota to spread awareness and provide preventative screenings to people who might not otherwise get screened.

After nearly eight years as executive director, Daneu will step down from her role in December. She doesn’t know if she’ll be involved after stepping down but predicts she will “definitely be in the background.”

FROM LUNCH-AND-LEARNS FOR LOCAL CORPORATIONS TO THE ANNUAL “MORE THAN PINK” WALK (FORMERLY KNOWN AS “RACE FOR THE CURE”), KOMEN GREAT PLAINS STAYS BUSY IN PURSUIT OF THEIR MISSION TO BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO CARE—AND THE EVENTUAL GOAL OF ENDING BREAST CANCER.

Luckily, other people are willing to talk about Daneu’s accomplishments. “During her tenure at Komen Great Plains, Karen worked to ensure the organization was recognized in Nebraska and the Dakotas as the leader in breast health education, affordable breast cancer screening options, treatment support, and breast cancer research,” said Dawn Gonzales, board president. “Daneu worked to establish relationships with community partners to help women overcome obstacles to breast health care and improve timely access to affordable breast health screening and treatment services for underserved women and men.”

Daneu is passionate about breast cancer awareness largely because of her experience of her own mother dying 31 years ago from this devastating disease.

“My kids never saw their grandma,” Daneu said.

“I have two daughters and many friends; being a woman and getting older makes me want to help change things.”

the mammography coach staff also provides education. “We make sure, if they’re diagnosed, they know their options for treatment.”

From lunch-and-learns for local corporations to the annual “More Than Pink” walk (formerly known as “Race for the Cure”), Komen Great Plains stays busy in pursuit of their mission to breaking down barriers to care—and the eventual goal of ending breast cancer. “We continue to expand educational opportunities,” Daneu said.

What’s next for Daneu? “I’m just going to do a lot of things,” she said, likely the most accurate prediction for a woman who doesn’t seem to like sitting still for long. “We all bear the burden of this disease.

It’s a devastating disease; people should still be mad about this.” It’s unlikely retirement will extinguish Daneu’s passion for this important cause, or even slow her down at all.

Visit komengreatplains.org for more information.

Before serving as executive director, Daneu was an Air Force pilot, then a staff officer, and then spent time as a civilian contractor. She volunteered for Komen Great Plains and served as a board member before accepting the role of executive director.

Though Daneu seems apprehensive to speak about her accomplishments, her eyes light up when she talks about the mobile 3-D mammography coach in Nebraska, created in partnership with Methodist Health and First National Bank. Daneu keeps a miniature version of the coach in her meeting room and smiles as she holds the small model.

“It’s the only one in the state,” she said. “It breaks down barriers to care. We’ve provided over 500 mammograms.” Beyond providing mammograms,

B2B

“IN OPPOSITION TO THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, LOCAL ARCHITECT GEORGE HAECKER CREATED A SAVE THE OMAHA BUILDING COMMITTEE. THE DEVELOPMENT DEAL FELL THROUGH IN NOVEMBER 1974, AND THE BUILDING WAS EMPTY FOR A FEW YEARS.” -PATRICK BRENNAN

Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 13

IN THE OFFICE | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND A HISTORIC TREASURE

KUTAK ROCK’S BEAUTIFUL BUILDING he historic building known as the Omaha Building and home of Kutak Rock is dwarfed by surrounding structures, including the Woodmen Tower, Central Park Tower and the First National Bank building.

But when it rose as a 10-story structure in 1889 on Farnam Street between 16th and 17th streets, it was Omaha’s first skyscraper and the city’s tallest building.

Designed by architecture firm McKim, Mead & White for New York Life Insurance Co. (it has a twin still standing in Kansas City), the building was sold in 1909 to Omaha National Bank. Over time, the building lost decorative terra cotta cornices when it gained an 11th floor; the rear court of the H-shaped building was filled in to the third floor; and many of the building’s original features—such as interior skylights, first-floor windows, majestic columns, fireplaces, and flooring—were covered or removed to make way for offices and other areas.

In 1965, three young lawyers leased space in the building and began the firm that thrives as Kutak Rock. The young company soon moved out to bigger quarters. In 1972, the building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. Two years later, it was slated to be sacrificed to development.

“In opposition to the development project, local architect George Haecker created a Save the Omaha Building committee. The development deal fell through in November 1974, and the building was empty for a few years,” Kutak Rock Proposal Manager Patrick Brennan said. “[Founding

partner] Robert Kutak had a great appreciation for architecture and recognized that the destruction of a McKim, Mead & White building would represent a great loss to the city’s architectural heritage.”

Kutak persuaded his law partners to purchase and renovate the building for their growing firm. They moved into the renovated building in 1978.

“Saving and renovating the building was important for various reasons, including that the building is one of the few tall structures designed by McKim, Mead & White and is one of the few remaining examples of a tall building with a foundation of masonry-bearing walls. In addition, as situated in the heart of downtown, the building represents a large part of Omaha’s history. Finally, although its Florentine Palazzo style evokes a bygone era, the classic proportions of the design and the several ornamental motifs of the facade are worth saving and appreciating for their own sake,” Brennan said.

He adds “From Kutak Rock’s standpoint, one of the disappointing changes made to the building was the removal of the “Nesting Eagle” sculpture

by Louis St. Gaudens in 1969, when the Omaha National Bank moved its operations to the main floor of the recently built Woodmen Tower.” The eagle was returned to the building in 1997 and continues to occupy its original perch today.

In 2006 and 2007, the firm—which now wholly occupies the building—embarked on an even more extensive renovation with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture that restored much of the building’s original grandeur and updated its infrastructure.

“This time around, the HVAC system, parts of the elevator system, lighting, plumbing, everything— we really went down to the bare bones of the building without actually changing the footprint of it,” Director of Professional Development Jeanne Salerno said.

The H-shaped building features two wings joined by a 13-story elevator tower. The 1977 renovation enclosed the north court from the fourth through the eighth floors to create an atrium.

“For the 2006-07 renovation, the atrium was raised to the 10th floor and the ceiling was squared off.

Also for the second renovation, we added bridges on the north wall to connect the two wings as well as an interior staircase in the north wall that doubles as a fire escape,” Brennan said.

He notes that the Stanford White Room (named for the original architect) is a “spectacular” secondfloor conference room with an imposing metal grille window looking out on Farnam Street and a large circular window with a marble frame called an oculus on the interior wall. “Other features that firm members and visitors comment on the most include the lobby, with its marble walls and floor, and four granite pillars; a small ‘museum’ with historical photos and other memorabilia about the building and the firm in the main-floor vault; the Kutak Room, a comfortable place on the first floor for attorneys to relax in after work; the atrium; and an exercise facility on the lower level.”

CONT. PAGE 14

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

FROM PAGE 13 The renovation included a daunting project to itemize hundreds of pieces of contemporary art from the late Robert Kutak’s massive collection and take it from random display to a carefully designed presentation in the common spaces on every floor and many of the offices.

“The artwork, much of it with bold, abstract designs and bright colors, definitely contrasts with the Italian Renaissance design of the building’s facade, but we think the building and the art unquestionably complement each other,” Brennan said.

“The beautiful, contemporary art collection definitely enhances the beauty and the appeal of the interior design of the building,” Salerno said.

“And the art collection itself has a great effect on how people feel about their surroundings. The building has a spaciousness to its design that’s perfect for displaying art.”

It is a perfect place to spend the workweek, she adds.

“The remodeling restored a lot of the original features of the building. What makes us happiest with the results is that while it is more like the original—the interior features in particular—it has a modern, warm decor and ambience to it. It doesn’t feel like an old building,” Salerno said. “It’s been designed to meet modern-day functions, yet at the same time it has this very classical, historical beauty.”

“You feel a link to the past when you work in the building,” Brennan said. “Also, just from an aesthetic standpoint, walking through the lobby to start and end your workday reminds you that you’re privileged to be able to make your living in such a beautiful environment.”

Visit kutakrock.com/offices/omaha for more information.

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“POVERTY IS INCREDIBLY COMPLEX. THERE IS A LOT OF MOVING PARTS AND INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS THAT SOMETIMES COME TOGETHER AND TO ADDRESS ISSUES AROUND POVERTY IS VERY COMPLICATED. THE ADVANTAGE UNITED WAY HAS IS WE COLLABORATE WITH THE COMMUNITY TO REALLY LOOK AT THE OVERALL IMPACT OF WHAT’S GOING ON.” -GREG VASSIOS

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 17

BIZ + GIVING | STORY BY MEGAN FABRY | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

OLDER, WISER, TRUSTWORTHY

UNITED WAY OF THE MIDLANDS ANNUAL CAMPAIGN t is autumn, which, for many companies, means a flurry of white envelopes marked United Way of the Midlands.

The organization’s yearly fundraising campaign includes over 700 organizations that range from large corporations to mom-and-pop stores.

The United Way remains relevant, and their campaign is one of the biggest fundraisers in the area. The 2018 campaign raised more than $19 million. Included in that number is $1 million that was added this spring from contributions to their Nebraska and Iowa flood relief fund.

Greg Vassios is the senior vice president of UWM. He is responsible for corporate relations and plays an integral part in the donation process.

“United Way’s focus on basic needs, student success, and financial self-sufficiency is moving the needle to support more than 100,000 people living in poverty,” said Mutual of Omaha Chairman and CEO James Blackledge, the chair of this year’s campaign with his wife. “Without question, this work is critical to the future of our community. Paula and I are proud to support their efforts and are grateful for the partner agencies that are making a real difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

United Way was the original multi-impact organization, that buzzword associated with organizations such as Omaha Community Foundation and several others. United Way started in 1887, when Frances Wisebart Jacobs and three clergymen came together to collect funds for 10 health and welfare agencies. The company still believes in contributing to those areas of charity, especially those helping to reduce poverty.

“Poverty is incredibly complex,” Vassios said. “There is a lot of moving parts and individual components that sometimes come together and to address issues around poverty is very complicated. The advantage United Way has is we collaborate with the community to really look at the overall impact of what’s going on.”

There are now many multi-impact organizations in the area: Omaha Community Foundation started in 1982, Sherwood Foundation started in 1999, Thrivinci started in 2016. The latest, SHARE Omaha, started this year. Still, UWM is one of the biggest nonprofits in the region.

The campaign kicked off the morning of Aug. 29 with a variety of activities. As part of the kickoff, the initiative #HatsOff4UnitedWay started that same morning. That initiative has a goal of $25,000.

Mutual of Omaha, First National Bank of Nebraska, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska have pledged $1 back to United Way for every hashtag generated, up to $25,000.

The hashtag initiative is one of the ways United Way has modernized the campaign. Companies now have the ability to contribute online as well as via those white envelopes.

Like many modern multi-impact organizations, UWM has their own one-day initiative to increase awareness. On Sept. 20, they held their Day of Caring, the organization’s largest day of service, to focus on tackling projects that address community and nonprofit needs in several counties.

United Way of the Midlands is conscientious of their fiscal responsibility to the community. 92 cents of every dollar donated is put back into the community and programs to help those in need.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of press out there about nonprofits who are maybe not as fiscally responsible as the donors would like them to be,” Vassios said.

“But we pride ourselves on being very conscientious of the donors’ dollar.”

Across the United States, United Way of the Midlands is ranked seventh in campaign and operation performance, which is tied to their fiscal responsibility and community engagement.

“I love that our mission is about the community and about people,” Vassios said. “We get to make a difference in people’s lives and that’s what motivates me to come to work. I know at the end of the day, all the work I do is really about helping people in our community who are in need.”

Visit unitedwaymidlands.org for more information about campaign 2019.

B2B

“AT THAT POINT, I COULD ONLY DREAM ABOUT OWNING SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I FIGURED THERE’S NO WAY I’D OWN ONE OF THOSE. IT WAS A DREAM CAR.” -SHEA DEGAN

Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 19

HOW I ROLL | STORY BY JEFF LACEY | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

869…AND ONE IS CONNECTED TO 88

SHEA DEGAN’S 2001 HUMMER H1 ALPHA hea Degan has been involved in law enforcement for over 20 years, and has devoted his entire career to keeping

“At that point, I could only dream about owning something like that.” Degan explained. “I figured there’s no way I’d own one of those. It was a dream car.”

But Degan’s favorite feature isn’t the muscle.

“Has to be the self-inflating tires,” he says.

people safe.

It isn’t surprising that Degan owns a vehicle designed for the same mission: A 2001 Hummer H1 Alpha.

An ocean-blue, wagonback H1 to be exact, with 1,392 miles on it when he acquired it. It’s a rare vehicle; there were only 869 H1s made in 2001.

Degan acquired the H1 in 2012 after seeing it on Autotrader. It wasn’t an impulse buy; the vehicle represented an arrival insofar as his career was concerned.

Degan wasn’t always in a position to own an H1.

When he was a deputy officer in Douglas County working on the K9 unit, he would drive by car lots, look at Hummers, and imagine.

“IT’S GREAT JUST KNOWING WHAT THE THING CAAN ENDURE” -DEGAN

That was in the 1990s. Over the next decade, Degan leaned in to the idea of improving the security industry. In 2003, he started Signal 88 Security, an entity that connected clients with security officers, including off-duty police officers. He worked hard.

He maintained a vision. Eventually, he franchised the Signal 88 security platform. Franchising, by the way, hadn’t ever been done in that industry.

Until Degan came along. Degan’s hard work and creativity allowed him to eventually sell Signal 88. Now, he is the CEO of 88 Tactical Group, an organization dedicated to helping “individuals, families, emergency workers, and military members develop the skills they need to handle any situation or crisis.” He has lead the charge in Nebraska in developing the official curriculum for conceal and carry permit classes, among other things.

Degan is an innovator in the security industry, and what better vehicle for an innovator like Degan than one of the most prominent off-road vehicles ever designed? The 2001 H1 gained notoriety as the Humvee, a staple vehicle for the U.S. military during Desert Storm. The civilian model sports a 6.5L turbo-diesel V8 engine that powers a Torqtrac4 four-wheel drive system. What the monster lacks in gas mileage (13 mpg in the city, 17 mpg on the highway), it makes up for in power, providing 430 torque at 1800 rpm, and 195 bhp at 3400 rpm.

The driver has control of tire pressure from the driver’s seat using a central tire inflation system. It’s a feature that allows the vehicle to adapt, enabling it to navigate any terrain.

While the Hummer is impressive, Degan isn’t a stranger to incredible cars. His wife, Janet, bought him a 2002 Porsche GT 2, and he owns a Porsche GT 3 as well. But the Hummer owns a special place in his heart. He only drives it a couple of times a year, but when he does, he remembers his own journey.

“It’s great just knowing what the thing can endure,” he said.

Visit 88tactical.com for more information about Degan’s business.

B2B

20 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

omAHA! | STORY BY LIZ STEVENS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

PROMOTING THEMSELVES

BY PROMOTING OTHERS

RELATIONSHIPS HAVE GIVEN BERGMAN INCENTIVES REACH

From left, Kevin Gilinsky and David Gilinsky

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 21

OFWF valued our business.

“IT HAS TO DO WITH PEOPLE THINKING THAT WE ARE PROMOTION PEDDLERS. “AS OPPOSED TO BEING AN EXTENSION OF THE BRAND.”

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Serving Omaha

YEARS

-KEVIN GILINSKY

n unassuming building at 95th and F streets houses a company with a national reach that surprises many of their local clients.

“It has to do with people thinking that we are promotion peddlers,” Bergman Incentives Vice President Kevin Gilinsky said, “as opposed to being an extension of the brand.”

Bergman Incentives is a branding solutions company that strives to use their products to help companies shape their brand. The business is currently run by Kevin and his brother, David.

Under the direction of the Gilinsky family, Bergman started in Omaha in 1888 as a jewelry company. It began by repairing watches for local railroad companies, Kevin said, and eventually started selling watch parts to local jewelry stores.

As the business evolved, the company began to focus on the wholesale industry.

In the 1970s, Bergman evolved with the idea of corporate gift sales. The Gilinskys’ father partnered with First National Bank and Woodmen of the World Insurance, and helped them with wedding gifts for employees. They took corporate gift sales to a new level in the 1990s with the concept of a company store, Gilinsky said. From that point on, they started working closely with companies to create quality branded promotional materials.

CONT. PAGE 22

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22 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

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While they recently opened locations in Kansas City and Lincoln, Bergman’s headquarters is still located in Omaha. “Our roots are here,” Gilinsky said, “Omaha is our home.”

Bergman Incentives services clients in the Omaha area, but Gilisnky says roughly 60 percent of his clients are outside of Nebraska, such as the nationally-known Trek Bicycles.

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“We love to be in our backyard and have that connection with the Omaha community, and the Omaha community has been phenomenal for us,” Gilinsky said. “Just because the distributor is in someone’s back yard doesn’t mean the client is getting what they need.” It isn’t always necessary to be right in front of the client, Gilinsky says.

Today, Bergman attributes a lot of their successes to working with quality favorites and effective client communication.

• • • •

Roughly 10 years ago, Bergman Incentives was one of the first distributors to partner with Facilisgroup. This buying group represents roughly 16,000 distributors that Gilinsky says make up about $800 billion dollars in revenue. By working together, it ensures that Bergman has access to high-quality factories that produce goods that are safe for consumers.

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Ultimately, the relationship Bergman maintains with its factories allows the company to better fulfill client needs. “When it comes to servicing clients it is the small details,” Gilinsky said. “It has a lot to do with communication.” Through strong teamwork and effective client communication, Bergman prides itself on being able to focus on the small details that lead to overall customer satisfaction, like quickly relaying price quotes and shipping timelines.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 23

“WHEN THINGS GO SIDEWAYS, WE’VE CHOSEN GOOD FACTORIES THAT BACK US UP. THAT IS HOW WE LAND LARGER SCALE CLIENTS.” -KEVIN GILINSKY

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531.365.5055 | OutlookBusinessSolutions.com “When things go sideways, we’ve chosen good factories that back us up. That is how we land larger scale clients,” Gilinsky said. “Our factories have to adhere to certain levels of compliance. We have certificates from their labs that tells us the extensive level of testing involved.”

Currently, Bergman Incentives serves clients from diverse industries. The account executives strive to get to the bottom of what their clients need and tailor merchandise to their audience.

Gilinsky said one thing Bergman Incentives always tries to do is embrace technology to better serve clients. For example, they will create websites for a small group of their client’s employees, so they can order merchandise.

“We are an extension of a client’s marketing department,” Gilinsky said, “Marketing departments have entrusted us to know their brand guidelines.”

Gilinsky said it is about more than just printing items. It is about partnering with a company and becoming a branding solution.

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24 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

“IT HAS TO BE A DISCUSSION WITH THE POTENTIAL RECRUIT ABOUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM IN THEIR NEXT ROLE” -LINDA AUGHENBAUGH

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 25

FEATURE | STORY BY MARIEL RICHTER | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

MATCHMAKERS FOR CORPORATIONS

HEADHUNTERS ALLEVIATE PRESSURE IN FINDING TOP RECRUITS t is not uncommon for a professional firm to be in need of a senior applications engineer, or a chief corporate trainer, or a project manager—all difficult jobs to fill. A larger problem is that the national unemployment rate is 3.7%, and 3% in Nebraska. This means that of the entire workforce in question, employers are working with about 3% of the local population that isn’t already gainfully employed. And it’s a pretty sure bet that not all 3% are chief corporate trainers.

Smiling and dialing may get employers far in days of mass unemployment, but these days, recruiters need to be more strategic than ever. Linda Aughenbaugh, executive IT recruiter at Aureus Group, said now is the toughest time to find high quality talent in the 32 years she’s been working in the human resources industry. Offering the next best “opportunity” is not going to coerce a content employee to engage in the interview process with a potential employer—now, Aughenbaugh said, recruiters must be consultative and tailored to each potential candidate, and ensure that candidate fits for the potential employer.

Inside recruiters within a company also make significant efforts to attract talent in the tough market. The need for that headhunter/matchmaker comes into play the more niche a role is, said Judi Szatko, vice president of human resources at Team Software. Szatko thinks if the recruiter representing the company does not understand the value that company brings to a potential candidate, they cannot make a compelling case for why that already-employed person would want to consider a new role.

As a full-time headhunter, Aughenbaugh has the time to devote to what she calls “making a wedding” match between a prospective employer and a potential new hire. “It has to be a discussion with the potential recruit about what’s important to them in their next role; is it the day-to-day work itself that needs be different? Is it the compensation?

Is it the company culture? If you don’t ask the right questions, you will not be successful in getting someone to move from their current position,” Aughenbaugh said.

To create a constant pipeline of talent, Szatko said companies must be engaged with new hires and keep in touch with them during their employment.

Not only does this create strong employee relationships and lasting, tenured talent, but it also ensures those employees will refer their own network to Team Software.

Coupled with employee engagement, Szatko and other H.R. professionals go out into the community to engage and attract people; the company culture at Team Software is what Szatko said they really emphasize. They want visitors to enter the office and feel the buzz of team engagement that would make someone want to work there.

While these efforts are great for gaining talent, trusted agency partnerships are sometimes the only option for tough-to-fill roles—the more senior a role, or the more specific the requirements, the more likely it is that a company would partner with an agency to fill their role for them, Szatko said.

CONT. PAGE 26

26 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

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FROM PAGE 25 Aureus Group executive recruiter Mark Mueller said it’s not enough to simply reach out to a candidate and expect them to open up about their pain points in their current role. “The key is to develop a relationship with that candidate over time and figure out what’s important to them,” Mueller said.

Recruiting executive talent is extremely challenging, but Mueller is confident in his relationship-first approach. When the candidate feels they can trust the recruiter with information about that latest project they didn’t get credit for, or for the next step in their career path that isn’t looking too clear at the moment, that is when a recruiter can determine what position and what company will work for the candidate, and if that candidate will be a good fit for that company.

One resounding lesson from Mueller and Aughenbaugh is that no candidate is the same, regardless of industry or role. There may be cultural changes in workplace attitudes, such as the demand Mueller has seen for flexible work environments.

However, some candidates may not value that flexibility and may be more interested in their day-to-day duties in that role, or in prospective career advancement within the company.

“You can’t be an order filler in this job,” said Aughenbaugh, who cautions against viewing recruiting in a transactional way. Yes, the role is sales, she said, but it’s not good enough to place a candidate—headhunting requires figuring out what top three to five skills, languages, results needed, etc., are most important to their clients and to then present the company’s value proposition to that candidate. If there’s no match, the headhunters have to start over from scratch.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 27

“MOST PEOPLE WON’T BE A PERFECT FIT EVERY TIME YOU REACH OUT TO THEM, BUT THAT’S WHY YOU DEVELOP THE RELATIONSHIP FIRST. IF YOU PUT THEM FIRST AND HELP THEM REALIZE, EVEN THOUGH THIS OPPORTUNITY ISN’T RIGHT, I’LL CALL YOU ON THE NEXT ONE,” -AUGHENBAUGH

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This often means being the mouthpiece of the marketplace to companies—working within the Midwest and understanding the Silicon Prairie talent we have access to, Mueller said. Companies often need to hear what their perfect candidate wants. When the company understands what the talent is willing to make a move for, that is when they can craft a compelling offer for a candidate that serves the needs of both client and candidate.

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Regardless of whether that potential candidate is willing to move from an existing position, the relationship is crucial—maybe that person is not ready to leave their current role for something new, but they may know qualified talent who is willing.

“Most people won’t be a perfect fit every time you reach out to them, but that’s why you develop the relationship first. If you put them first and help them realize, even though this opportunity isn’t right, I’ll call you on the next one,” Aughenbaugh said. “Now you’ve created a win-win relationship for the long-term.”

Headhunting may be more sales than it is workforce planning but insisting on viewing it as a service is what helps Aughenbaugh keep going during the tough weeks and long days. “We really are adding value to someone’s career and to what a client can’t find on their own,” Aughenbaugh said. “Sometimes before we pick up that phone, we don’t know how much we’re helping a candidate change their life.”

B2B

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28 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

Michael Kavi

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 29

FEATURE | STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

VARIETY AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

THE GIG ECONOMY TAKES A CERTAIN MENTALITY

usicians have a long history of booking a “gig,” completing the job, and moving on. Lately, though, the term has been used to describe a variety of workers. Many people attribute the gig economy’s genesis to around 2008 during the Great Recession, when people scrambled to fill gaps in their income by picking up additional projects. Some of those people found better pay, more flexible hours, and more enjoyment in being professional “giggers” than working a regular job.

Solution architect Jamie Wallingford enjoys the variety and learning opportunities that can come with going from client to client. “I’m a constant learner,” Wallingford said. “If I’m not learning, or I’m bored, then that’s bad for me mentally. That’s one of the things that draws me to it. But even though I switch from job, to job, to job, I try to make sure that the jobs I’m switching to are not the same. It’s also the reason I don’t like taking on a two-year contract. Because if you’re locked into something for that long—and I have been locked into contracts like that—and you find out that the company isn’t going to be growing or changing and you’re going to be locked into it for that period of time, I find that incredibly boring.”

Wallingford’s job involves constant learning and a great deal of confidence and knowledge. He said that his know-how is what helps him assimilate to the workplace culture of each new client. “My work can be very technical. I have enough experience so that usually when I start a new contract, I can earn some technical respect from my peers and colleagues. So, in that regard, once that technical respect is there that’s usually helpful to open the doors because they know I’m not a dullard,” he said.

Adjusting to a company’s culture can be an important yet challenging task for people within the gig economy. “It depends on the length of the contract, but for me, if I know I’m going to be someplace for a while, I’m going to do my research on the company before I go because I want to know where I’m going,” said Wallingford. “And every client is different. Some clients treat you like an employee and other clients don’t, and you’re an outcast and that’s just the way it is. So then it comes down to the personal relationships you make while you’re there. But I’ve worked for several companies where you go, and they just treat you like you’re disposable...because they hire you and let you go whenever they want.”

Another big obstacle is relationships.

“Building relationships within the company can be challenging,” Wallingford said. “You’re coming in to work with a client and you don’t have the shared knowledge or know about the product they’re building so you don’t have an institutionalized knowledge—if you’re just going from client, to client, to client, you don’t know the job. You’ll learn what you need in order to do the job but you don’t really have the opportunity to master what you’re doing because you know you’re going to be moving.”

Being successful in the gig economy requires a certain “hustle,” and can deter some people from trying—or from staying. Michael Kavi, a jack-ofall-trades man who has done work ranging from building sets for stage productions to fixing broken machines, spent less than a year trying to break into the gig economy. “When I did that, it didn’t really work out that great,” Kavi said. “I was able to make it for around four months.” Not being able to secure affordable health care for his family was one of the biggest factors that pushed him out and compelled him to seek traditional employment.

“You have to be insanely diligent with money and scheduling to make it work,” he added.

CONT. PAGE 30

30 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

“I ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING NEW, MAYBE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES, LEARNING DIFFERENT AREAS OF BUSINESS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY USED IN BUSINESS, THOSE ARE ALWAYS GOOD.” -JAMIE WALLINGFORD

FROM PAGE 29 Kavi added that the people he knows who were successful as tradespeople in the gig economy have all gone on to open their own businesses.

Though financial factors are a main concern among those in the gig economy, Wallingford said other difficulties can dissuade people from job-to-job.

“What usually keeps people away is people like comfort and want to know what they’re going to be doing. A lot of people need an external stimulus to provide that comfort as well as provide for them a sense of accomplishment. If you’re the type of person who needs that external support, the gig economy is probably not for you. It needs to come from within. You need to have confidence in your capabilities and be able to drive success from what you’re doing, rather than from someone telling you you’re doing a good job.”

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Wallingford goes into every new gig armed with his personal motto, “Make it suck less.” He explains, “I try to do that in all my engagements with clients.”

It’s a way to make every interaction positive for this avid learner. “I always learn something new, maybe different techniques, learning different areas of business, different types of technology used in business, those are always good.”

People well-suited for the gig economy have the ability to adapt quickly and walk into a new environment confidently. They also have good connections within their industry and a solid reputation. While some of the perks of traditional employment—a steady paycheck and predictability—aren’t necessarily a facet of the gig economy, the perks of gig work—variety and the ability to pick and choose jobs—are enough to lure some professionals in.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 31

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Networking, confidence, and persistence are required to succeed within this economy—as is a willingness to let go of the comfort that comes with a stable job.

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BUSINESSES NEED PEOPLE TO GIVE THE SHOTS AND TEACH THE ABCS

NURSES AND EDUCATORS IN HIGH DEMAND, SHORT SUPPLY ursing is annually ranked among the top five most trusted professions in an annual Gallup poll on honesty and ethical standards. It is also in high demand for the foreseeable future, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects continued strong growth in this employment field for years to come.

“The demand for nurses increases as the shift in the population changes.” said Beth Culross, an assistant professor and the director of the Learning Resource Center for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Nursing. “Increasing numbers of older adults with multiple health conditions is a major contributing factor. Nurses are also members of the Baby Boomer generation, so retirements are occurring at a faster rate than new nurses entering the profession in some areas.”

Teri Bruening, the vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer for Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital, sees these and additional factors on the hospital side affecting the labor pool for nurses.

“There are also more opportunities for nurses outside of the four walls of a hospital,” Bruening said. Some of these settings include doctor’s offices, schools, nursing homes, rehab facilities, and in-home care.

Nurses may also find employment in sectors that support medical operations, from pharmaceutical sales to medical billing and coding.

While the skills ensure a variety of opportunities available to these professionals, it also means they are great employees due to their vast knowledge.

“Nurses are advocates, teachers, innovators, and problem-solvers. Whether a patient is being cared for at home, in the intensive care unit, or at the end of life, nurses provide a majority of the direct care that patients receive,” she said. “Many people don’t realize how many roles nurses have besides being at the bedside. Nurses are case managers, researcher scientists, educators, community health providers, leaders, and advanced practice providers in the nurse practitioner role.”

They also see a variety of opportunities outside their chosen profession. Fundamental skills such as leadership, communication, and time management learned in nursing translate well to other careers.

They also sometimes have additional education that appeals to potential employers.

“Many of our nurses are also coming to us with a second degree and a skill set of business or technology,” Culross said. “Some get their nursing license without ever planning to practice at bedside, like nursing informatics in the business sector.”

Nursing schools are working to increase enrollment to keep up with demand.

“Nursing schools are recruiting more faculty to work towards increasing enrollments, but this is another challenge,” Culross said. According to National League for Nursing research, other obstacles to expanding program capacity include lack of classroom space and lack of clinical placements.

This isn’t the only profession with this problem.

Teaching also sees more demand for employees than available workers.

Sarah Edwards, chair of teacher education for the University of Nebraska College of Education, said that one way to address a labor shortage is to recruit from other sectors. To ensure adequate numbers of teachers can be sustained, institutions, including UNO, welcome and facilitate students transitioning from other career fields.

CONT. PAGE 34

34 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

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“Many people have enjoyed successful careers but have also thought about becoming a teacher. UNO has fast-track programs available for those who hold their bachelor’s degree and want to share their work and world experience with students,” she said, adding that working as an educator is inherently satisfying. “The teaching profession offers intelligent people a career focused on improving society, as well as the quality of life for individuals. Education is a fundamental part of our society and the health of our economy is dependent on well-educated citizens…There will always be a need for great teachers.”

Though teaching often serves a younger population than nursing, the market faces a similar problem of demand often exceeding availability, especially in specialty areas.

“Teaching positions are sometimes unfilled or more often filled by teachers with temporary certifications. These provisional or emergency certificates mean the teacher does not meet the education, experience, or certification requirements needed to be a highly qualified teacher,” she said.

“Nebraska had about 20 shortage areas last year and language arts, math, science, special education, speech language pathology, and world language have been designated as shortage areas for each of the last 15 years. This is important as the most common subject areas with underqualified teachers are also high-demand career fields, such as math, science, and early childhood.”

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Other opportunities may beckon even after graduation. The nonprofit National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future said nearly half of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 35

NEBRASKA HAD ABOUT 20 SHORTAGE AREAS LAST YEAR AND LANGUAGE ARTS, MATH, SCIENCE, SPECIAL EDUCATION, SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY, AND WORLD LANGUAGE HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS SHORTAGE AREAS FOR EACH OF THE LAST 15 YEARS. THIS IS IMPORTANT AS THE MOST COMMON SUBJECT AREAS WITH UNDERQUALIFIED TEACHERS ARE ALSO HIGH-DEMAND CAREER FIELDS, SUCH AS MATH, SCIENCE, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD.

The traditional channel for alleviating the labor shortage is education, and local institutions are working hard to rise to the challenge, Edwards said.

“UNO works with 16 area high schools to offer an Intro to Teaching dual enrollment course to help those in high school consider the profession. We also work with Metro [Metropolitan Community College] and other community colleges to create pathways into the profession. Our intentional partnering has diversified our teacher candidate field and helps us prepare teachers who reflect the diversity in area classrooms,” Edwards said. “We have been able to offer scholarships through the generous support of national grants and community support, such as the Teacher Scholars Academy, to offset the costs of earning a degree while also offering leadership, research, and global experiences that strengthen the skill set of a teacher.”

No matter what career they wind up in, nurses and teachers make great employees. That means good news for employers…whether they are communications firms, medical billing firms, schools, or hospitals.

Visit unmc.edu and unomaha.edu for more information.

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 37

FEATURE | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

REMOVING THE FIRST 30 SECONDS IN A CONVERSATION

HOW TWO COMPANIES INCREASED THEIR BRANDS’ VISIBILITY ur marketing has a goal: ‘remove the first 30 seconds in a conversation about Clarkson College,’” said Clarkson College Director of Marketing Alex Maltese. “By that, I hope more people will know who we are, where we are, and what we do…If I can associate the who, where, and what of Clarkson College with a recognizable brand, I won’t have to burn time in anyone’s short attention span. I can get right down to the product or service that I’m trying to promote.”

Strong brands exude a clear sense of their core value. Think about Volkwagen and their ecofriendly brand, or Coca-Cola and their image of being with customers at every important event in their lives. That may be straightforward enough, but the word’s gerund form, “branding,” is more difficult to articulate. And that is becoming more difficult as the electronic world moves at the speed of a Porsche, not a Volkwagen.

Tom Luke, founder and owner of Luke Direct Marketing since 2004, said any branding, especially digital, is creating a look that people recognize and associate with an organization or company.

“Then creating a look that we use everywhere as much as possible to brand that business in a way that is consistent in every medium as much as possible,” he said, adding that with more channels than ever, “It’s become more complicated…Every day it’s something new and different in the Facebook/Instagram world.”

Clarkson College was established in 1888, so the public knew about the institution, Maltese said.

Unlike Coca-Cola, which often gains a consumer in youth and retains it through the years, the college has to gain new clients every year, and they need to appeal to each generation. That is why they partnered with MediaSpark to work on digital branding—to define their image for a new generation while respecting long-established brand equity.

“We wanted to retain as much of that brand as possible because it was recognizable and strong, but at the same time introduce some new elements of it that were more appealing for people who are interested in pursuing education in 2019. It’s more of a ‘brand refreshment,’” Maltese said.

New channels, especially in social media, have emerged. “MediaSpark had a plethora of data sources that were able to allow us to really hone in,” Maltese continued. “We’re definitely dealing with a different generation of students.”

“We really focus on data-driven advertising, specifically in the digital space, PPC [pay per click] and social media,” said Patsy Sumner, who founded MediaSpark three years ago. “We pull research and understand who the audiences are.

We reach them with the appropriate message and we measure frequency, we measure optimization; there’s a lot of data on the back end that we’re also measuring to drive these campaigns to the fullest potential. [With Clarkson] our role is to deploy that brand into the market, to get more applications and to find more people interested in nursing and health care careers. We’re using several tactics between traditional and digital.”

Clarkson has a strong marketing team and plenty of resources and cash flow devoted to branding, but the concept is as important for small businesses as large ones.

“Branding doesn’t make you quick money, it makes you money in the long-term,” said Phil Rhoades Jr. of Futuramic’s Clean Water Center. “As a small business that’s been around 50 years this year…we were branded well with our customers but had very little general branding.”

Digital media, especially social media, has been a game-changer for small businesses like his, Rhoades said. His company has been working with Luke on branding since 2016 with a focus on social media.

“As a small business you don’t have a big advertising budget,” Rhoades said. “Ten years ago only our customers recognized our company name. For us, the advent of social media and internet advertising in general has changed that. It has been affordable and is definitely showing big results.”

His company started using Facebook internally but didn’t have the resources to be as engaged with it as he desired. “We found we were able to get better results by hiring a professional; that’s how we were able to bump up to the next level,” Rhoades said.

CONT. PAGE 39

38 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

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“IT’S A VERY FOCUSED MESSAGE. NOW WE ARE RECOGNIZABLE WHEN PEOPLE SEE OUR LOGO.” -PHIL RHOADES JR.

FROM PAGE 37 As a small company, they lacked the manpower to be consistently or actively engaged.

Luke added Instagram to the mix and ensures regular responsiveness and engagement. Another branding initiative was making the company logo consistent (“We wouldn’t even always use the same font before”) and appling it across media, from Facebook to the company’s fleet of vehicles.

“It’s a very focused message. Now we are recognizable when people see our logo,” Rhoades said. Futuramics is finding that more people are aware of them specifically because of their social media efforts. They ask customers how they found out about the company and have discovered that customers are finding them through social media.

About one out of three people recognize their name now—that used to never happen.

Luke said the biggest impact on customer retention and acquisition is to present a relatable and consistent brand. For Futuramics, he focused on the fact that the business is local, family-owned, and carries a reputation of high integrity.

“To really be a good brand these days you have to stand out, you have to be authentic and true to yourself and really follow through on that. And you can’t sit by idly; you have to adapt to the different types of platforms around us,” he said.

Sumner agrees that understanding the audience and presenting the business authentically makes good branding, and she is glad that her team can help organizations such as Clarkson.

“It is critical to stand behind your product or service and make your consumers happy,” Sumner said.

“We deploy the messages to the right audience.”

Visit clarksoncollege.edu and omahawater.com for more information about the companies mentioned in this article.

B2B

40 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2019

VOLUME 19 · ISSUE 5

OMAHA CVB BY KEITH BACKSEN

TOURISM BUILDS BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS ast year, 465 billion U.S. residents traveled for business or leisure. Like most travelers, they wanted to experience something authentic—something they could get only in that particular city.

Visitors often want to eat in popular local spots, and discover the hidden gems every city has to offer. In Omaha, it’s the neighborhoods that provide many of the unique experiences today’s travelers crave.

Recent research conducted by Young Strategies Inc. surveyed tourists who visited Omaha, the Old Market Entertainment District ranked as the second most popular attraction—the zoo was number one. The Old Market neighborhood’s cobblestone streets, unique boutiques, sweet shops, and locally owned restaurants and pubs make this a must-stop when people visit—it’s a one-of-kind find.

The North and South Omaha neighborhoods anchor the city and offer visitors a variety of diverse cultural experiences. In South Omaha, vibrant murals fill the neighborhood and paint a picture of its colorful history. El Museo Latino, the first Latino museum in the Midwest, celebrates the area’s rich diversity through exhibits and programs. In North Omaha, visitors can learn the history of jazz in the neighborhood where Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and others once played.

They can also taste the famous ovenfried chicken at Big Mama’s Kitchen, a restaurant featured on the Travel Channel’s “101 Tastiest Places to Chow Down.”

In the Dundee neighborhood, visitors to the Dundee Dell can order a Scotch whisky from one of largest single malt Scotch collections in

the nation. They can order a burger ranked as one of the nation’s best at Dario’s, and taste ice cream endorsed

by Oprah Winfrey at eCreamery.

Some of the best craft beer and indie music in the country are found in the Benson neighborhood. The Waiting Room, a nationally recognized indie rock club, is one of the reasons Omaha made the list of “Best American Music Cities that aren’t Nashville” in 2018. Benson also has one of the best rooftop patios in the city at 1912, a restaurant where visitors can soak up the outdoor view while enjoying items from the gourmet bar menu.

As one of Omaha’s oldest neighborhoods, the Blackstone District has roots dating back to the 1880s. The Reuben sandwich was invented at the Blackstone Hotel in the early 1900s. Today, visitors can still taste the original recipe at the Crescent Moon, located across the street. The neighborhood also offers a variety of new, locally owned restaurants with menus showcasing ingredients sourced from local farms, quirky craft cocktails, and farm-tocone ice cream.

Last year, visitors spent $325 million on food and drinks while visiting the city, much of it spent in local neighborhoods. The money visitors spend here supports neighborhood business owners, allows them to hire more people, make improvements to their business, and in turn, helps our neighborhoods grow and prosper.

B2B

ETHICS BY BEVERLY KRACHER

BACK TO SCHOOL It’s in the air.

You can feel it.

Fall is upon us.

The temperature has cooled down.

Sunsets are golden.

The last blast of summer, with hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, was the Labor Day weekend.

And with the end of summer, our kids have gone back to school. hen the first schools were founded in the United States, the concern was moral as well as intellectual. The idea was to teach children reading, writing, and arithmetic; and how to participate in society, to develop a sense of civic responsibility, and to learn the virtues of respect and hard work.

How are we teaching these moral values today?

Good elementary schools still teach values. After-school programs like Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H, and Girls Scouts—to name a few—are teaching character. Middle schools, high schools, and colleges are promoting community service. And in the worka-day world, professional associations and organizations expect adherence to codes of ethics and ethical business practices.

One of the best ways to learn character and values is by watching others. When we are in the presence of people who take ethics seriously, and act with grace and determination, we have a good chance of acting this way. In The Book of Virtues, edited by William Bennett, former Secretary of Education and the first Business Ethics Alliance Beacon of Ethics Awardee, Bennett writes about the need to promote moral literacy in our youth and in ourselves.

The Book of Virtues is delightful, filled with great stories, poems, and essays that “preserve the principles, the ideals, and the notions of goodness and greatness we hold dear.” It preserves these by providing a short list of the moral virtues that hold our society together, helping the reader “identify the forms and content of those traits… to enable them to make sense of what they see in life, and, we may hope, help them live it well.”

Bennett continues to write, “We must not permit our disputes over thorny political questions to obscure the obligation we have to offer instruction…in the area in which we have, as a society, reached a consensus: namely, on the importance of good character, and on some of its pervasive particulars.”

What are these particulars? You won’t be surprised that they include selfdiscipline, compassion, friendship, work, courage, perseverance, and others. Since we, at the Business Ethics Alliance, have been working all year on the concept of trust, the stories about responsibility, honesty, and loyalty have really resonated with me because these virtues create trust.

Whether you are a little kid trying to find a good book, a college student learning about great stories, or a professional who is seeking a way to ground yourself as you serve your clients or your community, it is worth picking up the Book of Virtues. None of us can ever be too smart, too professional, or too old to go “back to school.”

B2B

Keith Backsen is executive director of the

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

Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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