October/November 2018 B2B

OCTOBER · NOVEMBER 2018 | U.S. $3.25

HONORING VETERANS THE RIGHT STUFF

WHY OMAHA BUSINESSES RECRUIT VETERANS

MAKING THEIR OWN WAY

TWO FORMER SERVICEMEN BECOME ENTREPRENEURS

EMPLOYMENT AND THE NATIONAL GUARD WHAT CEOS SHOULD KNOW

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02 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

MARKETING WHERE IT COUNTS

publisher Todd Lemke vice president Greg Bruns associate publisher Bill Sitzmann

creative director Matt Wieczorek

Local Stubs ticketing representative and branding specialist Joshua Peterson digital sales manager Jillian Dunn

assistant to the publisher Sandy Matson senior sales coordinator Alicia Hollins

operations Tyler Lemke distribution manager Mike Brewer advertising information 402-884-2000 subscribe online omahamagazine.com/ subscribe

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editorial assistant Lindsay Wilson

senior branding specialist Mary Hiatt

account assistants Dawn Dennis Sophia Galardi

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associate editor Tara Spencer

editorial interns Megan Fabry Dylan Longwell Justine Young

branding specialist George Idelman

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managing editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman

executive vice president sales & marketing Gil Cohen

senior sales executive Gwen Lemke

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executive editor Doug Meigs

senior graphic designer Derek Joy graphic designer Mady Besch contributors Keith Backsen Carol Crissey Nigrelli Michele Fan Jason Fox Beverly Kracher Howard K. Marcus Sean McCarthy Michael Watkins Sarah Wengert Andy Williams photographers Katie Anderson Keith Binder Scott Drickey Ariel Fried Sarah Lemke B2B Magazine is published six times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208.

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

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM

OCTOBER

· NOVEMBER | 03

TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER

6

THE RIGHT STUFF

WHY OMAHA BUSINESSES RECRUIT VETERANS

FEATURES

27

EMPLOYMENT AND THE NATIONAL GUARD WHAT CEOS SHOULD KNOW

40

MAKING THEIR OWN WAY

TWO FORMER SERVICEMEN BECOME ENTREPRENEURS

DEPARTMENTS

06 BIZ + GIVING

18 IN THE OFFICE

30 OMAHA!

12 HOW I ROLL

24 LEADERS

34 ON THE RISE

FIRST NATIONAL BANK

THE CHIUS’ MCLARENS

COLUMNS

05 FROM THE EDITOR HIRING VETERANS

48 OMAHA CVB

OMAHA IS A 52-WEEKEND DESTINATION

48 ETHICS

VETS IN BUSINESS

ERVIN & SMITH

STACY MARTIN

CONAGRA’S FROZEN FOODS

45 AFTER HOURS

BEST OF OMAHA SOIREE

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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OCTOBER

· NOVEMBER | 05

FROM THE EDITOR

HONORING VETERANS wo years ago, my husband and I met a group of friends from Iowa City at Elk Rock State Park near Knoxville, Iowa, for a “meet in the middle” excursion. I made the mistake of booking sites for the six of us at the equestrian campground, which featured well-maintained trails that nearly every other camper, all horse owners, made use of that weekend.

Knoxville happens to be my hometown, so while in the area, we paid a visit to my parents. Upon explaining to them where we camped, my father said, “I think that was some of my guys who originally created those horse trails.”

‘My guys’ refers to veterans. My father was a psychologist for the VA Medical Center in Knoxville for 40 years.

These veterans came together to create trails at a state-run park that could be used by anyone, just as they came together during conflicts to fight for the U.S. They felt a sense of purpose and honor in coming together for the common good. This sense of honor, especially, is a trait that many veterans carry into the working world.

Veterans Day falls on Nov. 11, and as a way of saying, “thank you,” we have created features in this edition of B2B that are dedicated to honoring veterans.

We spotlight two former servicemen who became entrepreneurs, we explain some legal considerations with employing National Guard members, and we help employers translate some of the great qualifications a soldier has from “government speak” to the business world.

Also, we at Omaha Magazine are creating a special event that will be perfect for networking.

Learn more about the Best of Omaha Soirée (Nov. 8) on page 45. I hope to see you there.

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

06 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

BIZ+GIVING | STORY BY SARAH WENGERT | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

COMMUNITY FIRST REINVESTING IN COMMUNITY IS PARAMOUNT AT FIRST NATIONAL BANK

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM

OCTOBER

· NOVEMBER | 07

irst National Bank is known for “putting customers first.” Part and parcel of that commitment is reinvesting in the communities their customers call home.

“Our success as a company is dependent upon the success of the communities that we operate in…so the purpose of our community work is to contribute to the success of the communities in which we operate in and serve,” says Alec Gorynski, vice president of Community Development and Corporate Philanthropy at First National Bank.

“THEY’VE HELPED MORE FAMILIES REALIZE THE DREAM OF HOMEOWNERSHIP THROUGH HABITAT AND HELPED US TRANSFORM NEIGHBORHOODS.” -AMANDA BREWER

“THE TEAM DOES MEANINGFUL WORK DEVELOPING REALLY GENUINE, MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.” -ALEC GORYNSKI

First National partners with nonprofit organizations across its seven-state footprint—Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, and Texas—to support local communities with reinvestments that channel through nonprofit partners. The bank reinvests by direct philanthropy, impact investment, and volunteerism, and chooses its nonprofit partners based on their alignment with First National initiatives, history and track record of success, and potential for impact.

While philanthropy and community development are not new concepts at First National, Gorynski says that in 2016 the bank specifically committed to reinvesting $85 million and 100,000 volunteer hours back into its communities by 2020.

According to First National’s 2017 Impact Report, their two-year totals at the close of 2017 were at $56 million and 76,000 volunteer hours.

CONT. PAGE 08

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

FROM PAGE 07 While Gorynski acknowledges there is lots of need and many excellent potential partner organizations, First National strategically aligns its community investments with organizations that are working to foster success in eight specific areas: strong local economies, stable housing, vibrant neighborhoods, an educated workforce, good health, community cohesion, access to culture, and sustained environment. Of those eight areas, First National focuses the majority of its efforts on an educated workforce, a strong local economy, and stable housing, each of which can act as essential building blocks to foster success in the other five areas.

“Success is a wide net when we think about helping our communities succeed, so we think about success from the economic standpoint,” says Gorynski. “We want to help our communities, and the individuals in our communities, move above a certain economic threshold. Certainly it’s a spectrum, but there’s an economic line at which people are more likely to be more active in the economy and more independently prosperous.

What we’re really focused on is helping move people above that economic line.”

In service of that goal, Gorynski elaborates, an educated workforce is fostered by education and job training that helps individuals attain the skills and tools necessary to achieve economic success, often through avenues like youth and adult education, or vocational training. Similarly, their strong economy initiative is buoyed by investments in nonprofits that support small business development, and stable housing is achieved by investments in organizations that work to provide quality, affordable housing opportunities.

“We believe that home ownership is a means to gain wealth and a pathway to economic stability and prosperity, so we want to invest in programs that help people own a home as a means to building wealth,” says Gorynski. “At the same time, we want to invest in programs that help low-income individuals get quality affordable housing, even if it is rental housing, because we know that housing should never take up more than 30 percent of your income and we want to ensure that people can get housing that’s affordable, but also quality.”

CONT. PAGE 10

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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Amanda Brewer, CEO at Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, a prominent community partner of the bank, says the bank provides crucial support to her organization.

“First National Bank is an incredible partner of Habitat for Humanity. In addition to sponsoring a house and having hundreds of team members volunteer each year, First National has helped by investing in our loan pool, servicing Habitat loans, leading budgeting workshops for our homeowners, and providing countless hours of technical expertise,” says Brewer. “They’ve helped more families realize the dream of homeownership through Habitat and helped us transform neighborhoods.”

Not only does First National encourage employees to volunteer, they have a time-off policy that allows each employee eight hours paid time off annually to use for volunteering in their community. Gorynski says it all goes back to one of the bank’s guiding mantras: “When our communities are successful, we are successful.”

For Gorynski, it is a privilege to help set the strategy and tone for First National Bank’s community development and corporate philanthropy efforts, while also leading the team that “puts our financial and human capital to work in alignment with that strategy.” He is quick to praise his team and the Lauritzen family’s ownership and leadership as drivers in making these efforts successful.

“It’s truly an honor and a privilege to do this work for a company that has a 160-year history of being so committed to Omaha and to all of the communities in which it operates and serves,” says Gorynski. “The team does meaningful work developing really genuine, meaningful partnerships with nonprofit organizations. We have boots on the ground in Omaha and in every community in which we operate who are out there getting to know the communities we serve, getting to know the organizations that are addressing the needs in our communities, and finding meaningful ways for us to support the work of those organizations. It’s because of [the team] that we’re able to get to know the right nonprofit organizations, make meaningful investments in those organizations, and ultimately, realize our goal of successful communities.”

Visit firstnational.com/community to learn more about First National Bank’s community development and philanthropy efforts.

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12 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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

THE GENETICS OF SPEED A FAMILY’S PASSION FOR MCLARENS

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM

OCTOBER

· NOVEMBER | 13

he family that accelerates from 0-60 in under 3 seconds together stays together.

That observation holds true for at least one area father-son duo, Drs. Kam and Max Chiu.

They are both radiation oncologists (Kam practices in Lincoln, while Max is completing his residency at UNMC). They both developed a love for automobiles early in life. And they both own ultrahigh-performance sports cars built in Woking, England, by storied race car manufacturer McLaren.

The elder Dr. Chiu, whose love of fast cars is rooted in the hours he spent playing with toy cars at his father’s Hong Kong toy factory, kicked off this family’s mini British Invasion in 2013 with the acquisition of a McLaren MP4-12C Project Alpha.

This English answer to Italian and German exotic dominance boasts 616 horsepower from a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V-8 engine nestled behind the carbonfiber passenger cell. The description, along with assorted industry reviews, was compelling enough to encourage Kam to make his purchase without driving any McLaren, let alone this $300,000-andchange special edition.

“I bought it off the internet...from [a dealer] in California,” Kam nonchalantly admits. He even traded in his beloved Ferrari F430 as part of the deal, not knowing if he would instantly regret the decision.

“So [the dealer] picks up the F430 and drops off the 12C, and that first spin? I take it out and it’s just fantastic,” recalls Kam. “The 12C is a lot more comfortable than the 430.” As one of only six Project Alpha cars created in collaboration between dealer McLaren Chicago and the factory’s McLaren Special Operations division, the orange-and-black 12C is a rarity among rarities.

CONT. PAGE 17

Max Chiu between the 720S McLaren (left) and the Project Alpha 12C.

14 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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Following his father into the world of mechanized speed was an easier decision for Max than following him into the medical field. And when it came time to dip his own right toe into the exotic market, the answer was obvious: The third generation of the MP4-12C, now christened the 720S (for 720 metric horsepower, or 710 by U.S. standards). “The 720 is definitely a lot more refined [than the 12C].

I drove it almost every day for the last month,” Max says of the 2017-edition vehicle. “But then I took it out on some twisting country roads last week... and it’s insane. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

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While the doctors’ McLarens are two of only a handful in the area, they are part of a (perhaps surprisingly) thriving exotic automotive scene in Nebraska. “In a state of only a couple million, you have plenty of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, things like that,” reveals Kam. But the pair lament a lack of dealerships or other service options— the closest McLaren locations are in Chicago and Denver.

Numerous cars have cycled through their hands over the years, and the Chius currently own a handful of other high-performance vehicles, including a rare-for-America JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Nissan Skyline GT-R. But the McLaren magic doesn’t seem likely to fade anytime soon. “I would most likely purchase another McLaren sometime down the road,” offers Kam. “It has the substance to back up the looks.”

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

IN THE OFFICE | STORY BY MICHELE FAN | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

PINGPONG, POPCORN, AND POPS OF COLORS ERVIN & SMITH

“WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE A CULTURE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO WORK HERE, SO WE CAN RECRUIT AND RETAIN THE BEST TALENT. WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON MAKING IT A GREAT PLACE TO WORK.” -HEIDI MAUSBACH

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 19

rvin & Smith’s office resembles an aquarium floating above the Aksarben Village street level. But instead of fish, there is a full-service advertising and public relations firm occupying the second floor of 1926 S. 67th St., Suite 250.

Pedestrian passersby can catch a glimpse of ad agency life through bare full-wall windows wrapping along the southeast side of the modern office building.

Ervin & Smith’s stand-alone popcorn machine beckons from the corner of the second floor overlooking Lotus House of Yoga and the new HDR headquarters.

The suite’s bare-glass southern wall faces Genesis Health Clubs with a row of pod workstations— partially enclosed, high-backed club chairs in teal and gray upholstery. The east wall of the office space features three house-shaped semi-private spaces with bar tables and chairs.

Heidi Mausbach, president and CEO of Ervin & Smith, says the current design is the result of a collaborative process focused on fostering an environment conducive to teamwork and community engagement.

Mausbach challenged the local architectural office of RDG Planning and Design to build an office space that encourages fun, collaboration, and community involvement. Everyone on the Ervin & Smith team participated in RDG’s research to provide insights on an ideal working environment for a diverse workforce.

“People wanted more private space, more collaborative space, more comfortable space, but many didn’t want an open environment. So we really dug into what’s the problem and heard that a lot of times in an open environment it’s just flat desks all the way across, there is very little privacy,” Mausbach says.

CONT. PAGE 21

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“PLAYING PINGPONG IS MY DAILY REMINDER OF JUST HOW GREAT OF A GIG I HAVE AT ERVIN & SMITH.” -DON AGUIRRE

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 21

“WE REALLY DUG INTO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM AND HEARD THAT A LOT OF TIMES IN AN OPEN ENVIRONMENT IT’S JUST FLAT DESKS ALL THE WAY ACROSS, THERE IS VERY LITTLE PRIVACY.” -HEIDI MAUSBACH

FROM PAGE 19 RDG tackled the assignment with a variety of mobile dividers, private offices, and myriad caféstyle booths. A mix of materials—plywood, metal, and textiles—were incorporated into the designs to serve as visual buffers. Soundproof materials ensure a quiet workplace to the agency’s staff of 42 employees.

When Mausbach was thinking about effective ways to use the new office, she decided to invite clients and representatives of other companies to use Ervin & Smith’s meeting space. For example, employees who serve on the boards of nonprofit organizations can do community impact work in the large conference room. And if more space is needed? The garage door separating the large conference room and multifunctional kitchen can be put up for more people to gather.

Ervin & Smith was named in Best Places to Work

by Ad Age in 2014, 2016, and 2017. The Omahabased advertising and PR firm also earned a Top Company Cultures award from Entrepreneur magazine in 2017, and it received a Business Excellence Award for Leadership from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce in 2018.

“We want to continue to have a culture that people want to work here, so we can recruit and retain the best talent. We put a lot of emphasis on making it a great place to work,” says Mausbach, adding that Ervin & Smith sought to foster career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing among its employees, based on research from Gallup.

CONT. PAGE 22

22 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

FROM PAGE 21 “With Gallup, they have five different categories of well-being, so we’re looking at creating perks that align with those,” she says. “This year, we bring in lunch twice a week. Free lunch aside, it brings together coworkers for a little bit of downtime and builds social relationships outside of the work that we are doing.”

And then there is that free snack. “The popcorn machine is used every single day,” Mausbach says.

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One of the team’s associate creative directors, Aaron Christensen, enjoys both. He even keeps a recurring appointment with Don Aguirre, one of the agency’s senior copywriters. These creative staffers bounce ideas off each other during their daily pingpong contests. And they keep score.

“For me, the daily pingpong game serves as a brain break,” Christensen says. “It gets me away from my desk and gets the blood flowing a bit. I haven’t had any amazing creative breakthroughs, but just taking the time to stop thinking about things is an important way to come back and get a new perspective on a problem I’m trying to solve.”

“Playing pingpong is my daily reminder of just how great of a gig I have at Ervin & Smith,” Aguirre says. “It’s just a fun way to give myself a mid-afternoon brain-break.”

“That playful, give-your-brain-a-break type of environment, sometimes that’s where the best ideas come from,” Mausbach says.

Visit ervinandsmith.com for more information.

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 25

LEADERS | STORY BY MICHAEL WATKINS | PHOTO PROVIDED

SETTING THE EXAMPLE LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES tacy Martin knows she stepped into big shoes this past spring when she took over the leadership of Lutheran Family Services.

secondary education. She earned an MBA from Eastern University in Pennsylvania and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was a presidential fellow.

After all, the previous president and CEO, Ruth Heinrichs, spent most of her career—41 years from start to finish—holding the reins of the organization that positively impacts the lives of people throughout Nebraska and Council Bluffs with behavioral health, and child and community services.

In her role as executive vice president of programs at LSF, she oversaw a team of 600 and a budget of $50 million delivering programs that include child welfare, guardianship, immigration and refugee services, housing, youth shelters, sexual abuse treatment, and behavioral health services.

With more than 1,500 employees and an annual budget of $220 million, LSF is one of the largest social service organizations in Florida.

Still, Martin, who was born in Omaha and returned in April after several years as the executive vice president of programs at Lutheran Services Florida in Tampa, acknowledges she is not, and cannot be, Heinrichs.

She has her own strengths and methods of leading that she is confident will continue to move LFS, which celebrated 125 years in 2017, into new areas of growth and impact.

“I don’t pretend to fit into Ruth’s shoes; the path she forged was best for LFS and great for the history of the organization,” Martin says of Heinrichs, who announced her retirement in the summer of 2017. “It’s my goal to maintain the caliber of professionalism and continue to provide services of great quality. I don’t waste my energy on what I can’t change.”

Martin, who has dedicated her professional life to helping others, grew up in Kansas and graduated summa cum laude from Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and

“IT’S MY GOAL TO MAINTAIN THE CALIBER OF PROFESSIONALISM AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES OF GREAT QUALITY.” -STACY MARTIN Prior to this position, she served as the organization’s chief communications and development officer, and before that, was a vice president at Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service and the director of Policy and Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Washington, D.C. She returned regularly to Omaha through her husband’s work as a health economist. When they started looking for opportunities in the Midwest last year, they chose Omaha so Martin could be closer to her mother and other family members still in Kansas.

And while she admits she didn’t necessarily foresee a future in nonprofit leadership when she first started, she credits “amazing mentors” over the course of her career who encouraged her and helped her ascend the steps up the leadership ladder along the way.

“All I can be is my best, most authentic self, and I believe we all can lead from any chair,” Martin says. “I know we can improve as an organization by being our best every day. I know I’m not the smartest person in the room, but it’s my goal to help encourage others to shine.”

And in her first few months at Lutheran Family Services, Martin says she sees ample opportunity for growth across the organization.

“Lutheran Family Services has a firm foundation with dedicated staff that is willing to change and grow with the organization,” Martin says. “We all share a common faith-based goal to strengthen our skills to have an impact toward the common good.

I see opportunity around every corner.”

Visit lfsneb.org for more information.

B2B

26 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 27

FEATURE | STORY BY SEAN MCCARTHY | ILLUSTRATION BY DEREK JOY

EMPLOYMENT AND THE NATIONAL GUARD WHAT CEOS SHOULD KNOW are is the job today with simple, fixed 9-to-5 hours and weekends off. Many jobs require a laptop, and it is usually a given that the machine will be joining its owner on off-hours and weekends. It is part of modern work life.

However, for the approximate 4,500 members of the Nebraska National Guard, this reality comes with its own dilemma: How can you be two places at once when your National Guard duty calls?

The answer is simple: you cannot. One weekend a month and two weeks a year, service members are required to attend training (or “drill”) at the National Guard. Most employers are familiar with the “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” obligation. But that obligation is due to increase. In February, the military announced their Army Guard 4.0 initiative, which focuses on readiness for fast deployment. The new model calls for an increase in the number of days spent in training, up to 60 days per year, starting with armored and Stryker brigade combat teams.

This change in training philosophy will eventually affect many, if not all, units.

Additionally, National Guard members have their own responsibilities to their employers. They must give their employer written or verbal notification before their deployment. The time requirements for this can vary, as deployments are sometimes sudden. When a member returns from deployment, they must alert their employer of their intention to return to their job. If a deployment is between 31 to 180 days, National Guard members are given 14 days to reapply for their job after they return home.

If their deployment is greater than 180 days, they are given 90 days to reapply for their job.

CONT. PAGE 28

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

FROM PAGE 27 And those who serve in the National Guard need outside jobs. The official National Guard website calculates that the highest ranking officer, with 20 years of service, can make $15,736.84 annually. The lowest ranking enlistee, with one year of service, can make $3,385.82 annually.

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By law, employers have to accommodate their employees who serve in the National Guard.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which was signed into law in 1994, states that employers must allow National Guard members to serve their duty, and must not force them to resign from the National Guard. They cannot ask a Guard member to use their vacation time for a training session. Additionally, public employers must pay military differential pay.

Private employers are not required to pay this. If a member is deployed, the employer must retain that person’s job when they return from their deployment.

If they cannot give their job back to an employee, they must find a job that is similar to the one he or she left when they were called to duty.

Many employers are familiar with the USERRA law, and comply. However, there are some exceptions.

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) reported that four cases in Nebraska were filed by Nebraska National Guard service members in the 2018 fiscal year. The four cases involved concerns over “military obligation discrimination.”

These days, many companies produce long-range team projects as opposed to daily production work.

The idea that someone might leave at a moment’s notice may make a team lead hesitate to put someone serving in the National Guard in charge of a project.

But rest assured, help is available if this situation arises. A good source for employees in this instance is a staffing agency.

“What normally happens is we get a call for a project manager or something,” says Jim Taylor, franchise owner of Snelling Staffing in Omaha. “We’ll know if it’s a short term or not. It very well could be the reason why there’s an opening is that the person is overseas, but we don’t specifically ask why.”

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Taylor’s employees at the staffing agency receive the request, find prospective employees from among their clients, and fill the request.

William Harris is a lawyer at Berry Law Firm. He also acts as defense counsel for National Guard members. Harris has been in the military for almost 20 years, serving four years of active duty in the Air Force, and 15 years as a National Guard member.

Even with a lofty legal title, Harris isn’t immune

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 29

to the “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” requirement. Harris says his biggest challenge is juggling the demands of both jobs.

“Even though we’re part-time soldiers, there’s certain rules and regulations you still have to abide by,” Harris says.

In addition to his civilian lawyer title, Harris is also a Justice Advocate General (JAG) officer. National Guard members can consult their local JAG officers on legal issues, free of charge. In his 15 years with the National Guard, Harris says he’s only had to handle about three employment-related complaints.

None of the complaints involved the loss of a job or denied promotion. Instead, the issues were mainly questions employers had about USERRA law. Harris says most of the protections within USERRA are known to employers.

“It’s pretty user-friendly if you read it,” Harris says.

This means the temporary employee hired to help for six months will most likely be moving on afterwards.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a temporary employee will not be a great employee.

“I’ve owned this franchise for seven or eight years, and I was under the impression that a small percentage of people would want to do temporary assignments,” Taylor says. “That’s not true. There’s a whole range of people wanting to do temp work, for a variety of reasons: It’s good exposure. Some people get bored early, so they want a different adventure every six months. We have some clients that have been in the temp world for 10 years.”

There are instances when a temp employee may be a better worker than the full-time employee, but the employer cannot simply pass over the National Guard member once they return.

However, while USERRA protects National Guard members by ensuring their civilian job will be available to them when they return, it doesn’t entirely guarantee their job. If a company undergoes a restructuring where certain positions are eliminated, or a job is lost to automation, companies are still in their legal right to eliminate positions that may have National Guard members as employees.

“If that type of job goes away, they can’t be forced to put them in a job that no longer exists,” Harris says.

Visit ne.ng.mil for more information on the Nebraska National Guard.

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30 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

omAHA! | STORY BY HOWARD K. MARCUS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

FROM FRIED CHICKEN TO FROZEN FARRO CONAGRA’S FROZEN FOODS

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 31

n the early 1950s, at the dawn of the frozen meal era, it was fairly easy to predict the type of meals that appeared in those iconic, foil-covered aluminum trays.

“They very much reflected what was put on the kitchen table for an evening meal, a Sunday lunch, or something like that, with the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some kind of a brownie for dessert,” says Kristin Reimers, director of nutrition at Conagra Brands in Omaha. “It was such a new technology that there was a need to keep the food familiar.”

Omaha figured prominently in the development of frozen dinners and entrees, and it still does.

Reimers describes Omaha as “command central” for Conagra’s innovation in such products.

“All of the technology [for innovation] resides here in Omaha with the 1,200 employees that remain in Omaha,” she says. “This is where all the research and development occurs.”

That research and development team includes such high-level employees as food science experts, chefs, and processing and packaging engineers.

“ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY [FOR INNOVATION] RESIDES HERE IN OMAHA WITH THE 1,200 EMPLOYEES THAT REMAIN IN OMAHA. THIS IS WHERE ALL THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OCCURS.” -KRISTIN REIMERS

In 1980, Conagra purchased Banquet Foods Co. (an early marketer of frozen entrees). The company was a competitor to Omaha-based C.A. Swanson & Sons, which developed the TV Brand Frozen Dinner in 1953.

Then, in the late 1980s, Conagra blazed a new path in the frozen meal and entree market when it introduced the Healthy Choice brand at the urging of then-CEO Mike Harper.

Healthy Choice signaled a change in frozen meals toward better nutrition, as well as convenience.

Reimers says that in recent years, Conagra has revisited not just Healthy Choice, but all of its classic brands to make them more appealing to millennials and others who seek restaurant-style meals at home that feature foods different from what they might prepare in their own kitchens.

“People are looking for the convenience, but they don’t just want the convenience,” she says. “They want the experience.”

“People are embracing it and loving it,” she says.

“They’re looking at these frozen meals as they would a restaurant experience—some way to explore new foods at a very small risk. If you don’t like it, no big deal. You haven’t spent a lot of money or a lot of time. But if you love it, it’s like ‘wow’—you’ve experienced something really exciting—and really nutritious, too.”

“We can offer foods to people that maybe they haven’t tasted before. We’ve been able to really explore a greater variety of foods,” Reimers says.

Foods such as the Adobo Chicken and KoreanInspired Beef versions of the company’s Power Bowls entrees, which were introduced last year.

Items in that product line include whole grains and vegetables that consumers tend not to keep in their pantries.

In July, Conagra Brands introduced Morning Power Bowls, which variously include grains such as farro, quinoa, oats, and buckwheat. They offer an Unwrapped Burrito Scramble, Turkey Sausage and Egg White Scramble, Roasted Red Pepper and Egg White Shakshuska, and Pesto and Egg White Scramble.

And the bowls themselves are made from a plant-based fiber instead of a plastic, providing a nod to today’s more environmentally conscious consumer along with a reduction in energy use for the company.

CONT. PAGE 32

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

“THEY’RE LOOKING AT THESE FROZEN MEALS AS THEY WOULD A RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE—SOME WAY TO EXPLORE NEW FOODS AT A VERY SMALL RISK.” -KRISTIN REIMERS

FROM PAGE 31 Regarding nutrition, consumers need not fear they are missing out on key nutrients when they choose frozen meals. Reimers says the nutrition of frozen meals is comparable to that of meals prepared using fresh or raw ingredients.

Freshness is no concern, either.

Omaha’s unique “Vegetablesmost that are in the frozen meals are probably

A L I A Nfresher D I N Ithan N G aEconsumer X P E R I Ewould N C Ebe using at home,”

Reimers says.

Why? “The foods are harvested and brought to the frozen state, usually within the same day—hard to do, even if you have your own garden,” she says. “The amount of time that that food is exposed to air and to light that will cause the degradation of nutrients is very minimized in the frozen food.”

Visit conagra.com for more information.

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artering is an old-time practice. An online search can easily bring up the term “Trade accepted” in lieu of cash.Omaha company ITEX serves this niche. A business or individual who has a product or service, and is willing to trade, can work with ITEX to make this happen.

It’s a company, and a product, that makes franchise owner Terri Smieja proud. Smieja and her team spend hours networking, at trade shows, and gaining clients through referrals.

Smieja herself was a client of a bartering company for seven years while living in San Antonio, Texas. That company said that she was a great resource of referrals and if she wanted to change careers they would hire her.

One marriage and one move later, she found herself in the referral business. Smieja and her husband, who

served in the Air Force, moved to Omaha, and she decided bartering was kind of fun. Twenty-one years ago she opened the local ITEX franchise. She refers to ITEX as a family-owned business, as she now has two sons who own franchises (one in Nebraska and one in Texas). Smieja also has three other children and 11 grandchildren.

ITEX is a private currency, and the company serves as a marketing company for other companies, receiving a 6 percent commission. Their customers love them. They love ITEX’s ability to move extremely fast in selling stale products, filling unbillable hours with the ability to jump from one industry to another, and tapping into a new revenue source keeping cash in their pocket.

That makes for an exciting workplace. The atmosphere is crazy—Smieja and her staff never know what they will be selling from day to day. A favorite of all the employees is helping nonprofits raise funds for their events and cars.

At the end of the day Smieja is proud to know she and her employees did something to change people’s lives by bringing them new business, finding hardto-locate items, and hearing success stories from ITEX’s members.

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34 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

“THE MAIN GOAL IS TO HELP PEOPLE, UPON RELEASE, BE READY FOR GAINFUL, MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT” -JASMINE L. HARRIS Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 35

ON THE RISE | STORY BY ANDY WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

CHANGING LIVES AFTER A LIFE-CHANGER JASMINE L. HARRIS he never imagined that checking a small box on a job application would have such a big impact.

Jasmine L. Harris was trying to turn her life around from a couple of misdemeanors as a young adult.

She learned that answering “yes” to the question of criminal charges in her background put up barriers to employment.

“All I heard was, ‘We can’t hire you’ for almost two years,” Harris says. “And that was with misdemeanors. Someone with a felony on their record doesn’t stand a chance.”

With only her family in her corner and a young son for whom she was now responsible, Harris determined she was going to get her life on track and make a better way for others with similar life experiences.

“I had to get a grip on my life because I was going nowhere fast,” says Harris, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of NebraskaOmaha, then a Master of Public Health from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “If I didn’t make drastic changes, I was going to be dead or in jail.”

With her newfound lease on life, Harris became a health educator and tobacco prevention coordinator for Creighton University School of Medicine’s Clinical Research Office. She also served as civic engagement committee chair for the Urban League of Nebraska Young Professionals, where she focused on advocacy and awareness of criminal justice issues.

Her passion became helping those who wanted to move beyond past mistakes and find someone to believe in their future. That passion led Harris to co-found Waymaker LLC, an organization that motivates women and girls to overcome setbacks from being involved in the criminal justice system— the kind of service Harris could have used when she was climbing her way back.

“We focused on making a way of life—creating second chances—for women and girls who were having similar experiences as mine,” says Harris, who focused much of her work in North Omaha where she grew up. “A lot of times, all someone needs is a second chance.”

“WE FOCUSED ON MAKING A WAY OF LIFE—CREATING SECOND CHANCES—FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO WERE HAVING SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AS MINE” -JASMINE L. HARRIS Harris was the driving force behind efforts such as Black and Brown Legislative Day, when people of color were hosted at the state capitol to learn about the legislative process and register to vote. She also helped push for legislation that would remove the “Criminal History” section from an application for any job in the state—a bill that didn’t make it off the legislative floor.

Harris then turned her attention to volunteering with a new Nebraska organization called Defy Ventures, a group that works with incarcerated and previously-incarcerated people to help them land jobs or become business entrepreneurs.

She deployed programs such as “CEO of Your New Life,” which focuses on character development, employment readiness, and entrepreneurship training. Defy helps people in post-release develop a new business pitch in a “Shark Tank”-like competition—with the idea that the new business will eventually hire others who have been in jail.

“The main goal is to help people, upon release, be ready for gainful, meaningful employment,” says Harris, who landed a full-time position as Defy’s post-release program manager. “We teach how to talk about your incarceration in a way that doesn’t turn off employers or cause them to pity you.”

Harris, awarded the Omaha NAACP Freedom Fighter Award in 2017 and named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans by the Omaha Jaycees, knows there might be opportunity to help more people in a bigger city. But the “love-hate relationship” she had with her hometown when she was a teen is now all love. She is motivated by the endless opportunity she sees here.

“I came back here because I see the potential in Omaha,” Harris says. “I see people who sincerely want to help and are making the change. I want to be an integral part of that.”

Visit defyventures.org for more information.

B2B

36 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

FEATURE | STORY BY CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

THE RIGHT STUFF WHY OMAHA BUSINESSES RECRUIT VETERANS

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 37

aymond Page can trace his family’s military history to the Civil War and the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment. Family members fought in World War I. His namesake grandfather survived a bullet wound after being shot on the beaches of Normandy during World War II.

The unemployment rate of post-9/11 veterans keeps trending down. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Labor Department, it stands at 3.3 percent nationwide. Still, many companies wonder why the number of employees with military experience isn’t higher, considering all the recruitment programs in place.

Such a deep legacy of service may explain why, shortly after entering a university close to his rural northern Pennsylvania home, Page decided he wasn’t cut out for college.

The glitch may lie at the other end of the equation.

In 1988, at age 18, Page opted to follow his father and two older brothers into the U.S. Air Force.

Another kind of education kicked in immediately at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue.

“My first career was a radio operator, because I’ve always been into electronics,” says Page, 49. “Eventually I transitioned into meteorology and went to forecasting school. Offutt has the [Air Force Weather Agency] here, so it’s a job-rich environment.”

After ending his Air Force career as a major in 2014 after 26 years in the service, Page contemplated life as a civilian.

As he fielded several opportunities before accepting a position at Mutual of Omaha, Page discovered the reason transitions to the private sector run smoothly here: Omaha businesses need, actively recruit, and above all value veterans.

Why? “A better question is, why wouldn’t they want to hire a veteran?” observes Jeffrey Owens, vice president of Security Operations at First Data in Omaha and a Marine Corps veteran who enlisted during the Gulf War. “These young people trained, at a very young age, how to be leader[s], how to make decisions under high stress situations.”

“One of the scariest things for military people transitioning is there’s not a direct correlation of jobs [in the private sector],” says Page, echoing the thoughts of many veterans who may wonder, “Where do my skills fit in?”

Page put his skills to the test in two war zones, Afghanistan and Iraq. During the Iraqi invasion in 2003, his weather detachment forecasted a monster three-day sandstorm, putting Army leaders in a position to keep their troops safe and hunkered down.

“Even though I was a weather officer, I had a lot of experience in computer programming,” says Page, who lives in Bellevue with his wife and two children.

“Military people, especially Air Force people, are wired to adapt quickly as we move from job to job.

We show initiative.”

Owens, who also spent 14 years as a detective with the Atlanta Police Department, can’t speak highly enough of the qualities he observes every day in his employees. ”All the veterans I’ve had the opportunity to manage have exhibited loyalty, hard work, and they have a history and tradition built into them. Why wouldn’t you want those assets?”

Along with a lack of a business network, selfmarketing may be a problem with many veterans.

Military service focuses on the collective, making it difficult for a veteran to distinguish him-orherself from the group, which is often an essential part of interviewing.

CONT. PAGE 38

Jeffrey Owens

38 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

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But that emphasis on the collective means many former service members will appreciate company values, missions, and visions.

First Data, founded in Omaha 47 years ago and now the world’s largest payment processor, reaches out to veterans through its First Data Salutes program. The company offers career opportunities and education resources for military personnel and their spouses; provides point-of-sale and business application technology free of charge to veteran-owned small businesses; and, like many local businesses, grants flex time to members of the National Guard or Reserves.

“What the company says to them is, ‘Hey, your job will be here when you get back.’ That gives them comfort and security while they’re [deployed],” says Owens.

First Data’s efforts on behalf of veterans, who made up 14.4 percent of the company’s Omaha hires last year, have won accolades. Military Times magazine has ranked the company No. 1 on its annual “Best for Vets: Employers” list the past two years, an honor “that cannot be bought, only earned,” according to the magazine’s editor. The rigorous survey, sent to 2,300 companies nationwide, contains 90 questions that companies must fill out and return.

Page’s computer and leadership abilities caught the interest of Mutual of Omaha when the company hosted meet-up groups of software developers.

Since joining the insurance company four years ago, he has thrived as an information systems manager.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 39

He has also positioned himself as a trusted adviser for Mutual’s military initiative, the Veterans Employee Resource Board. The group, in conjunction with the HR department, provides mentoring and assistance to people coming out of the service. Quarterly meetings focus on developing business knowledge and honing leadership skills. Members join their fellow Mutual employees in volunteering for community projects several times a year.

Page and other VERB members offer a bridge of understanding when it comes to the language of a veteran recruit’s skill set.

“We also work with managers to help them decipher resumes,” Page points out. “What military people put on a resume is different from a civilian’s resume.

I help interpret.”

Page realizes a lack of connections forms the biggest roadblock to people exiting the military. “I tell people to start networking, start visiting companies before they leave the service. Companies love talking to military men and women.”

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40 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

“WE LOST EVERYTHING IN ABOUT 10 DAYS. SO WE HAD TO RUN TO MONTENEGRO.” -DARIO DULOVIC

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 41

FEATURE | STORY BY HOWARD K. MARCUS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

MAKING THEIR OWN WAY TWO FORMER SERVICEMEN BECOME ENTREPRENEURS he military teaches people to work as a collective. In some ways, it can be called the ultimate team. It also teaches many how to work as individuals.

James E. Walker was one who learned how to work as an individual. Joining the U.S. Army was an easy decision for him.

“I just had no sense of direction,” he says.

It was 1979, and Walker—who had dropped out of high school two years earlier—saw a lot of merit to the idea of getting three hot meals daily, a place to stay, and a monthly paycheck.

“It was a no-brainer to me,” says Walker, now 57 and owner of Custom Diesel Drivers Training, an Omaha truck-driving school that trains about 300 students a year.

He served in the Army just after the Vietnam War, and was a recovery specialist whose job was to retrieve broken equipment from the front lines and bring it in for repair. Among his tools were a 28-wheel tractor/trailer and a 5-ton wrecker.

The work suited him.

“I was around trucks quite a bit growing up,” says Walker, clarifying the age he started working with trucks was about 9.

While growing up in southwest Iowa, he lived across the street from a man who had a couple of semi-trailer trucks, and young Walker sometimes drove them.

“That wasn’t too legal,” he says. “I couldn’t even touch the pedals. Just turn on the key, shove it into gear, and get rolling.”

Walker enjoyed his time in the Army, and considering re-enlisting as his hitch was coming to an end in 1982. But he had recently married Bonnie (now his wife of 37 years), and his next posting would have been in Germany. The couple had a baby on the way, and she didn’t want to go overseas. Instead, the couple moved to Colorado.

After James left the military, the transition to civilian employment wasn’t easy. Much of the problem had to do with the difference between military and civilian management styles.

“When you’re in the military, they pretty much give you a mission, and you go and do the mission,” he says. “It just doesn’t work that way in the real world, because too many people are breathing down your neck, watching what you’re doing all day. It’s a real pain.”

Supervisors’ training also differed between military and civilian life. In the Army, he says, those who tell others what to do are already skilled in those tasks. That isn’t always the case in the civilian world, as Walker discovered in some of his post-military jobs in construction and manufacturing.

“You’ve got people who are telling you what to do when they don’t even know how to do it themselves,” he says.

He eventually worked for a plastics injectionmolding company—an opportunity that would put his career path on a new road.

“I was able to work my way into driving the truck for them, which really worked out well for me,” Walker says. The job lasted four years, with two years spent driving the truck and the rest managing the company’s warehouse.

What followed were 22 years of over-the-road semi-trailer truck driving, “hauling swinging beef out to Hunt’s Point, New York—stuff like that,” he says. Walker also drove grain trucks and flatbeds.

He and Bonnie eventually moved to Omaha, near her hometown of Gretna. As their two children headed toward their teen years, Walker began driving trucks locally, which went on for a decade.

He then became an instructor at Custom Diesel Drivers Training, and after a year was offered the opportunity to purchase the then-nearly bankrupt school.

“They sold it to me for a ridiculous low price,” he says. “I couldn’t turn it down. I had nothing to lose by buying it.”

Since Walker purchased it, the school has grown, going from one truck, one trailer, and one office employee to six trailers, four trucks, and nine office employees. The office, formerly in a 1,400-squarefoot space near Sapp Bros., recently moved to an 8,000-square-foot office at 5020 L St. Many of the school’s students are veterans.

Walker says the trucking industry offers them an opportunity to—as in the military—work without interference.

“That’s the freedom of driving a truck and being your own boss,” he says.

For veteran Dario Dulovic, 43, being in a wartime environment was nothing new.

CONT. PAGE 42

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FROM PAGE 41 Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (formerly Yugoslavia), Dulovic’s first experience with war happened at age 18, when an early 1990s religious conflict between Orthodox Christians and Muslims tore his country apart.

His father owned a pizza restaurant, but that ended when the war broke out.

“We lost everything in about 10 days,” he says. “So we had to run to Montenegro.”

Dulovic’s family—including his father, mother, and sister—lived in that small southeast Europe country for about four years, then emigrated to America.

With help from the U.S. government, they settled in Danville, Kentucky. The family received a month’s rent and three months of food stamps.

Dulovic’s knowledge of America had come through the movies, most of which were set in large cities such as New York and Chicago. Danville, with a population of about 16,500, was not one of those.

“It was an experience,” Dulovic says.

As the only family member who could speak English, Dulovic found himself bearing a lot of responsibility. He found a factory job and went to work.

“I was supporting everyone for three or four months,” he says.

Six months later, he joined the Kentucky National Guard as a way of paying for college while remaining near his family.

Training happened on weekends and during the summer.

Then came 9/11.

“After Sept. 11, everything changed. It was like the regular Army,” he says. Training became constant.

In 2006 and 2007, his unit deployed to Iraq, where it was situated on a former Iraqi airbase.

Though Dulovic had been trained as a vehicle mechanic, in Iraq he was a base security guard.

It wasn’t a cushy desk job. He had to help defend the base, which came under sniper fire. Improvised Explosive Devices, also known as IEDs, were a hazard on area roads.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 43

“That was my second war,” Dulovic says.

As for transitioning back to civilian life, it wasn’t a problem.

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“I can adapt anywhere,” he says. “It’s like that survival instinct.”

Though he didn’t have a problem with getting back to civilian life, he acknowledged that others do. He also says it’s important to think “out of the box” and stay positive.

· · · ·

“Use your energy to work on things you can change,” he says, “And never give up.”

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After coming back to the U.S., he enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University to study computer information systems.

His involvement with computing had begun decades before, when he got his first computer—a Commodore 64—in 1987 at age 11.

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Eventually he got a job working for the Department of Defense. In 2011, he moved to Bellevue for a job at Offutt as a software developer for the Air Force Weather Agency.

Three years later, he started a side business fixing residential computers.

“It was just more for fun, really,” he says.

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He didn’t expect it to grow, but grow it did.

“Karl and his team do a great job. The training is professional and is already helping grow my business.”

A year ago, he quit his software development job to concentrate on the business, called DME Computer Services, which provides information technology support for small- and medium-size companies in metro Omaha. DME is based in the home Dulovic shares with his wife of three years, Mirela, and their children, Emma and Oliver.

-Mark Brage/Retail Data Systems

Dulovic is planning to spend another year as a oneperson operation, then will consider adding staff.

“I don’t want to rush anything,” he says.

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44 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 45

AFTER HOURS | STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | ARTWORK BY MATT WIECZOREK

BEST OF OMAHA SOIRÉE A NIGHT OF THE BEST

BEYOND THE BEST OF OMAHA 2019 WINNERS, ATTENDEES AT THE EVENT INCLUDE THE 2018 BEST OF B2B WINNERS, THE 2018 BEST DOCTORS, LAWYERS, AND DENTISTS RECIPIENTS, AND THE 2018 FACES OF OMAHA.

maha Design Center is home to the nation’s fifth-largest fashion week. The Omaha Press Club roasted and toasted Greg and Doug McDermott there. Lili Cheng, Microsoft’s AI Developer, spoke there in August as part of Big Omaha.

Now, Omaha Magazine is joining forces with Omaha Design Center to bring you the Best of Omaha Soirée.

We previously held a Best of Omaha Festival, a casual event in which the public could learn more about the Best of Omaha winners, businesses they voted on during our summer voting period.

This event will celebrate the best of the best in the elegant atmosphere of Omaha Design Center.

“This will be a night to remember,” says publisher Todd Lemke. “It will be more targeted towards business managers and owners to celebrate winning the Best of Omaha.”

CONT. PAGE 46

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“THIS WILL BE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, IT WILL BE MORE TARGETED TOWARDS BUSINESS MANAGERS AND OWNERS TO CELEBRATE WINNING THE BEST OF OMAHA.”

Celebrating100 years of moving business forward

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-TODD LEMKE

FROM PAGE 45 Business professionals will be interested in joining the fun, as one of the purposes behind this event is to find new contacts to add to their coteries. The dress code is business chic—wear a suit with a silk tie or scarf, or wear a tuxedo or little black dress. It will be a night to impress, and we know it will be a night that makes an impression on you.

“We are going to set the tone by having glamorous, back-lit scenery,” says Lemke. “We will have representatives of the Best of Omaha dining winners walking around with sample-sized bites and winners’ booths intermingled with the sponsors.”

That vendor you work with and know simply by text message or email will finally have a face.

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Once checked in, visitors can enter the main venue—and prepare to be wowed. Omaha Design Center is a top-notch space, with white couches, dazzling chandeliers, and cocktail tables for those wishing to set down a drink in order to shake hands.

The center of the space includes an entertainment area, and people will be able to witness extreme performances throughout the evening, all situated on a circular platform so that you can walk around and meet new customers or colleagues while taking in the show.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM OCTOBER · NOVEMBER | 47

Best of all, this is the reveal to our Best of Omaha winners for 2019. This year includes fun new categories such as best board game cafe, best escape room, and best chimichanga. A copy of the Best of Omaha book is included in the ticket price. Those who don’t want to crack the spine on their copy that night can view the winners as their names scroll across audio-visual displays.

The winners from the 700 categories represented in the Best of Omaha represent less than 3 percent of Omaha businesses, so you can be assured everything about the evening will spotlight the best of the best. The dining section alone has more than 60 categories, so you could munch on anything from the city’s best appetizers to bites of the city’s best Italian food, sushi, and more.

And you can sip on a glass of wine or beer while meeting new friends. Each attendee will receive tokens for two free drinks, and there is a cash bar available for those who want more than two drinks.

We also have 250 VIP tickets available. All VIPs receive entry one hour early, which includes unlimited drinks during that time. They also receive valet service and premium appetizers.

Beyond the Best of Omaha 2019 winners, attendees at the event include the 2018 Best of B2B winners, the 2018 Best Doctors, Lawyers, and Dentists recipients, and the 2018 Faces of Omaha. This will be a who’s who of Omaha that you will not want to miss.

“Omaha is known as a ‘big small town,’ where relationships are important,” Lemke says. “We can’t think of a better way to honor that ‘big small town’ feeling than by putting on an event like this.”

See the video at youtube.com/watch?v=JOxl1938u18 then visit localstubs.com to purchase tickets.

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48 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

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OMAHA CVB BY KEITH BACKSEN

OMAHA IS A 52-WEEKEND DESTINATION hen a Minnesota mom was looking for a December weekend getaway, she looked toward Omaha. Yes, you read that correctly: December and Omaha. Greta,* a blogger living in Minnesota, visited Omaha during the summer a few years ago. When she and her husband were looking for a fun family winter destination that was drivable, affordable, and offered lots of activities for their 18-month-old son, they thought Omaha fit the bill. And they were right—Omaha is a great winter destination for a weekend getaway. (Omaha is south of Minnesota...winter is all about perspective isn’t it?)

The city’s major attractions are all open year-round and offer unique indoor experiences during the winter months. When Greta and her family visited Omaha’s zoo last December, they had more than seven acres of indoor exhibits to explore. There weren’t huge crowds to compete with her toddler for great views of the animals. While she can’t pinpoint a favorite exhibit at the zoo, her son’s favorite spot was the aquarium. She loved the specially designed areas in the aquarium allowing her son to feel like he could almost reach out and touch the fish.

The family also visited The Durham Museum during their Christmas at Union Station celebration. The magic of the holidays came alive as they explored the historic train cars, discovered how a train depot works, and bellied up to the oldfashioned soda fountain. It was a much different experience than she had during her summer trip.

economics company, visitation to Omaha peaks in the second and third quarters as you would expect. In the fourth quarter, visitation is lower as the kids go back to school and winter sets in. But here is why visiting in the winter can pay off: hotel rates are generally lower and attractions are typically less crowded.

Visit Omaha has created a new 52-Weekend advertising campaign to drive home the message that Omaha is a year-round destination for families, couples, and friends to get away for a long weekend. The ads are running year-round in Minneapolis; Kansas City; Des Moines, Iowa; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota—cities that are an easy drive away. From January through March, the number of people going to Visit Omaha’s website to plan a trip increased by 25 percent from residents of Minneapolis, 17 percent for those from Kansas City, and 9 percent from residents of Des Moines.

Omaha is not a city that hibernates during the winter months. The more Gretas who know that, the more business will be generated here. So, the next time someone asks you about the best time to visit Omaha, let them know it is any of the 52 weekends out of the year. *Greta Alms is the blogger behind Pickles Travel Blog. Greta asked to partner with Visit Omaha last December.

Her travel adventures, including her post about Omaha, can be found at picklestravel.com.

ETHICS BY BEVERLY KRACHER

VETS IN BUSINESS henever I think about the veterans I know who have started businesses after leaving the military, I reflect on the leadership qualities they learned and bring with them to the workplace. Honesty, responsibility, respect—yes, these are important values. But the best quality of them all, the one that uplifts and inspires me the most, is their extreme sense of honor.

Having a sense of honor feels like an ancient thing, a deep and noble thing. When life is full of extreme trials and devastations, honorable people rise above the rest and stay focused on what is excellent. Others might give up or give in, succumb to rationalizations and workarounds, but those with a sense of honor have a strong appreciation of the good and the right, and they intentionally choose to live by their moral principles.

These days, I think I have a pretty good ability to pick out businesspeople who are, or have been, in the military. I pick up on their sense of honor. When I recently met Richard Messina, owner of Play It Again Sports, his demeanor and description of how and why he runs his business exemplified his sense of honor. He could, so easily, buy used sports equipment for pennies for what they are worth and resell them for much more than they are worth. But his sense of honor directs him. He sees himself and his business as a part of the community and, so, unfair business practices are not acceptable.

Rich was in the Air Force for 17 years.

His aim is straight and true.

To Rich and all Omaha vets: I admire your sense of honor and, in this, I want to be just like you.

B2B

Notice, then, that the key to honor is as much about resolve and willpower as it is about having specific moral principles front of mind. Honor is an action word. Without consistent, calm, clear follow-through, a sense of honor is hollow.

When I visualize an honorable person, I think of an archer, focused on a bullseye, bow pulled taut with an arrow ready for release.

Years of dedication and practice enable the archer to remain cool and composed, shooting the arrow straight and true. Yes, for me, a sense of honor is acquired over time and through experience.

B2B

When we look at research completed

by Tourism Economics, an Oxford 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.