NBDC 2022 Annual Report

At the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), we have the privilege to witness the incredible resilience of Nebraska business owners and entrepreneurs every day. Despite the many challenges presented over the past year including continued pandemic recovery, supply chain obstacles, inflation, and workforce shortages, small businesses continued to persevere as the lifeblood of the Nebraska economy. The NBDC team was honored to walk alongside many of these business owners in 2022 – to support a small piece of their story as they build their businesses, contribute to their communities, and inspire others to do the same.

In 2022, NBDC’s team of consultants served 2,029 Nebraska business clients. Many of these clients went on to do incredible things: creating or saving 258 jobs, investing $41.9 million in their operations, or winning $133.8 million in government contracts. NBDC’s full economic impact can be viewed on page 4.

OUR PARTNERS

In this report, you’ll find stories from three of these amazing businesses who have been selected as our 2022 Business Award Winners: Grain Weevil of Aurora, FixLexia of Omaha, and Kana Systems of Lincoln. You’ll also read stories of how the consultants in NBDC’s five programs are serving clients, training future business talent, and making connections that create a stronger business ecosystem.

What has been most inspiring in 2022 has been watching business owners identify real challenges in their communities and then rolling up their sleeves to do the hard work of solving them. Rayneesha Yvonne saw a need for a creative space for young people in North Omaha and opened a dance studio. The Rodriguez brothers out of Mitchell purchased a meat processing company and have been quickly growing to meet the community’s demand. Amanda and Josh Mullen in McCook opened not one, but two child care centers to address the shortage of options in their area. Lincoln’s Rudy Perez opened Sanitize360 just before the start of the pandemic, and his work continues to keep workplaces healthy and clean. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Through it all, NBDC consultants provide support at every phase of the business life cycle. Three of our programs provide expertise through direct consultations with business owners: the Nebraska Small Business Development Center, the Nebraska APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC), and the Innovation & Technology programs. Our two other programs, NU Connections and SourceLink Nebraska, serve as a connection point between business owners and the vast number of resources available across the state.

NBDC is a center of the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. NBDC has offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Wayne, Norfolk, Kearney, North Platte, Scottsbluff, and Chadron. We have partnerships with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Wayne State College, and Chadron State College. We thank our partners for the support they provide to help us deliver our services across Nebraska.

The services of NBDC are not possible without the support and funding from the University of Nebraska, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and other federal, state, and private organizations.

Michelle Trawick, Ph.D. John Becker Dean, UNO College of Business Administration

Catherine Lang NBDC Executive Director Assistant Dean

GARY DUSEK SBDC | CHADRON

SPENCER RIEN SBDC | SCOTTSBLUFF

LOREN KUCERA SBDC | WAYNE/NORFOLK

ODEE INGERSOLL SBDC | KEARNEY

TONY SCHULTZ STATE DIRECTOR | SBDC

MEGHANN BURESH APEX ACCELERATOR | NORFOLK

QUENTIN FARLEY APEX ACCELERATOR | LINCOLN

VERONICA DOGA DIRECTOR | APEX ACCELERATOR

SCOTT ASMUS DIRECTOR | SOURCELINK NEBRASKA

CRAIG BOESCH SBDC | LINCOLN

CHUCK BECK APEX ACCELERATOR | KEARNEY

JERRY PARRIOTT BUSINESS MANAGER

DANIEL KUCHAR APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

JUAN SANDOVAL SBDC | WAYNE

JOSH NICHOL-CADDY DIRECTOR | INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

DEANNA MARCELINO NU CONNECTIONS | OMAHA

ESWARI KALUGASALAM SBDC | OMAHA

HAROLD SARGUS APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

PATRICK GUINOTTE APEX ACCELERATOR | OMAHA

MORAINE DAVIS-MAGNUSON SDBC | NORTH PLATTE

KELLY JEFFERSON COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

CHARLIE MCPHERSON SBDC | MCCOOK

BRANDI O’MALLEY SOURCELINK NEBRASKA | OMAHA

WHERE NBDC CLIENTS WERE LOCATED IN 2022

OUR PROGRAMS

NBDC is a platform of five programs that help businesses start, grow, and develop. Three of our programs provide direct-to-client service, while two are connection programs.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC)

NBDC SBDC is a resource for small business creation and expansion. The SBDC program offers confidential consulting services to entrepreneurs and small busines owners looking to start and grow their entreprises or to transition companies to the next generation of ownership.

APEX ACCELERATOR

Formerly named the PTAC program, the NBDC APEX Accelerator provides government procurement training, consulting, and solicitation support throughout the state. Consultants help Nebraska businesses identify and pursue federal, state, and local government contracting opportunities.

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

NBDC helps clients obtain funding for commercialization through federal SBIR/STTR grants and other funding opportunities. Consultants help entrepreneurs and researchers guide their innovations and new products from prototyping to success in the marketplace.

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA

CHADRON

Chadron State College

Burkhiser Technology Center

1000 Main Street

KEARNEY

University of Nebraska at Kearney

West Center Building #127E

1917 W. 24th Street

LINCOLN University of Nebraska–Lincoln

College of Business #315

730 N 14th Street

Southeast Community College

Entrepreneurship Center, Suite #210

285 S. 68th Street Place

NORFOLK

Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce

609 W. Norfolk Avenue

NORTH PLATTE

Mid-Plains Community College 1101 Halligan Drive #105A

OMAHA University of Nebraska at Omaha

College of Business Administration

Mammel Hall, Suite 200 6708 Pine Street

SCOTTSBLUFF

Panhandle Research & Extension Center 4502 Avenue I Room 108A

WAYNE Wayne State College

Gardner Hall 1111 Main Street

NBDC’S SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE STATEWIDE, BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. VISIT NBDC.UNOMAHA.EDU

TO FIND YOUR CONSULTANT.

thur McPherson Logan

FIXLEXIA TARGETS DYSLEXIA TO IMPROVE READING ABILITY

ITS HISTORY OF SERVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DYSLEXIA AND OTHER READING DIFFICULTIES, THE COMPANY’S DEDICATION TO FAMILIES, AND ITS WORK AS AN ADVOCATE FOR DYSLEXIA-RELATED LEGISLATION HAVE EARNED FIXLEXIA THE HONOR OF 2022 CHAMPION OF SMALL BUSINESS.

Owner Rebecca Miller opened FixLexia, LLC in 2015 as Nebraska’s first clinic dedicated to helping school-aged youths diagnosed with dyslexia to become better readers and spellers. Prior to FixLexia, Miller was the co-owner of an educational franchise tutoring company that grew to become the largest provider of in-home tutoring services in Nebraska, serving more than 3,200 students through various state, federal, and private contracts.

According to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), dyslexia is characterized by “difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities, and the provision of effective classroom instruction.” Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Miller says the most common characteristic of dyslexia lies within the phonological component of language, which includes the ability to isolate individual sounds. If a child has difficulty manipulating sounds in a word when letters are added, it is a system that does not make sense to them, she says. These skills, which are the foundation of strong phonics skills, can be improved by direct, intensive intervention, she says.

“I built this business because a lot of parents struggle to get their children reading services at school,” Miller says. “I know how painful that process is. Parents know their child is different, but they don’t know why.”

FixLexia provides clinical evaluations to determine a child’s underlying reading skills and what is needed to improve, Miller says. “Parents are told their child just needs to keep reading. Parents are told their child needs to find a book they like. They are told, ‘Just wait. Your child will catch up.’ That is just not true,” she says.

child has dyslexia, they have difficulty in differentiating those speech sounds. No amount of reading will fix that.” Miller says families often endure dyslexia longer than they should “because it is not recognized for what it is. My role is to help people truly understand how reading develops. If parents don’t understand this, they don’t know whether their child is receiving proper instruction or not.”

Tony Schultz, State Director of America's SBDC-Nebraska based at NBDC lauds Miller for her efforts for children and within the community. “She recently facilitated a $7,500 community mental health grant with Dr. Susan Reay of the UNO College of Social Work and the Omaha West Rotary Club,” Schultz says. “The grant funds will be used to develop an educational event with programming provided by the NBDC to help counselors start their own business practices.”

programming. Additionally, she participated in the drafting of the Nebraska Dyslexia Statute passed in 2017, and provided input for the Nebraska Dyslexia Statute passed in 2018. The statutes state that a child with dyslexia “shall be provided instruction that is systematic, sequential, and multisensory.”

She says NBDC has been a welcome resource, both when she was expanding her business, and during the COVID-19 pandemic when she sought to secure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.

While dyslexia cannot be cured, Miller says proper instruction can improve a child’s reading accuracy and help them become more fluent readers. “That bleeds over into everything” she says. “Helping children to become better readers opens their entire world. I can’t imagine not having the ability to read. That’s how you learn.”

“Dyslexia is a neurobiological condition that ranges from mild to very severe,” she says. “Many children with dyslexia can read and spell, but they are not likely accurate and not likely quick. Individuals with dyslexia have difficulty putting sounds in the correct order. If a

Schultz says Miller offers 100 hours of free Special Education Consultations to parents of children with disabilities each year. “Her charitable donations in education, literacy, food insecurity, and micro-lending are extensive,” he says. “Rebecca and her husband, Mark, also cook meals for those experiencing homelessness.”

Miller also is assisting private schools in the implementation of a K-2 Dyslexia Screening Protocol and a supplemental phonological skills training program. She is developing a pilot project for teachers in rural Nebraska to access science-based reading professional development

The Champion of Small Business award is deeply appreciated and shared by her team, Miller says. “For many entrepreneurs, the struggle to bring a new business up to speed doesn’t come with a lot of acknowledgement,” she says. “The nights, the weekends can be very isolating. It’s very nice to hear from such a valued organization as NBDC that we’ve done well.”

“IT’S VERY NICE TO HEAR FROM SUCH A VALUED ORGANIZATION AS NBDC THAT WE’VE DONE WELL.”

NEBRASKA SBDC CONSULTANTS BUILD BRIDGES, FUTURES

THE NEBRASKA SBDC HELPS CREATE A SMOOTH PROCESS BETWEEN LENDERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES SEEKING FUNDING.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program of the Nebraska Business Development Center acts as a bridge between lenders and federal funding sources for a growing number of entrepreneurs and potential small business owners who otherwise may not be able to bring their ideas to reality.

Mark Schultz says those services were instrumental in 2006 when he co-founded the first Western Sleep Medicine, LLC laboratory in Scottsbluff. Most recently, he turned to NBDC’s SBDC Consultant Spencer Rien as he sought a bank loan, tax increment financing (TIF), and LB840 funding through the City of Gering to build a $1.7 million clinic, four-bed sleep lab, and CPAP supply facility.

Schultz is a registered polysomnographer credentialed by the Board of Polysomnographic Technologists and a member of the American Association of Sleep Technologists and American Academy of Sleep Medicine. And though he has fine-tuned and grown his business over the past 17 years, including a clinic in Cheyenne, Wyo., a new clinic in Rapid City, S.D., and services at a dozen hospital partners, he says he is no expert when it comes to putting together the information he needed for the new Gering facility.

“I’m a sleep technician,” he says. “I can’t communicate financial strength or turn my story into a narrative to where city officials and financial institutions are willing to take a risk on me. I couldn’t have done this on my own.”

Rien says that unlike Schultz, many of his clients are first-timers when it comes to owning a business. “Though we may not have seen every challenge, it is not our first time dealing with these programs and funding opportunities,” he says. “We have the advantage of knowing what to expect and can give our clients the technical support and the confidence to approach an opportunity.

“Having a focal point of contact who has experience working with these various programs is invaluable,” Rien says. “It can be overwhelming looking at things from three or four different directions. An SBDC consultant can add clarity and organize the project into one clear path forward.”

The national SBDC program is the largest matching grant-funded program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The Nebraska SBDC program provides confidential consulting services to entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to start and grow their enterprises or to transition companies to the next generation of ownership. SBDC consultants are credentialed business advisers with academic degrees and professional certifications. The services are offered at no or low cost to those interested in operating a for-profit business in the state.

Tony Schultz, State Director of America’s SBDC-Nebraska, says the program helps entrepreneurs, potential small business owners, and bank clients in a number of ways, from the development of business plans, to creating a three-year financial projection model, to market research that includes benchmarking financials as compared to peers.

Loren Kucera, director of the NBDC office in Wayne and a consultant for 28 years, serves as a liaison between small business hopefuls and lenders. “My clients need help preparing a business plan or financial projections,” Kucera says. “I don’t write the business plan for them; I give them the resources and guidance they need, and I also critique it for them.”

He works to keep the clients focused. “Lenders don’t want to read a 40-page business plan,” he says. “They will start with the executive summary, and then look at the financial projections and the budget.”

Kucera says he has a good working relationship with many lenders in the region, and they often point business hopefuls to the NBDC to take advantage of his expertise. “It’s rare when someone will come to me with a solid business plan,” he says. “It’s more common for us to start at square one.”

Lance Morrow has served as Chief Loan Officer at BankFirst in Norfolk for 12 years and recently was promoted to President. Prior to joining BankFirst, Morrow was a bank examiner for the FDIC in Hays, Kan.

Morrow says the experience of SBDC consultants is beneficial to both the lenders and those seeking SBA and other small business loans. “The borrowers who work with NBDC consultants are better prepared and better educated in how to build a business plan and in what we are looking for,” he says.

“The consultants know which banks have an appetite for certain types of loans,” he says. “They know how to package these loans, and which borrowers to send our way. They play a huge role in securing funding, especially for small businesses that don’t have a lot of equity.”

The Nebraska SBDC services can impact a community beyond the initial clients’ projects.

In the case of Schultz and the Western Sleep Medicine project in Gering, “After securing TIF approval, we submitted an LB840 application to receive some additional funding and job creation grant money,” SBDC Consultant Rien says. “I was pleased to support a project that would help develop the community.”

Mark Schultz says that additional development is evident just outside his new building’s front window. “I can already see two other new buildings going up on this street,” he says. “I truly believe we are influencing economic development for our neighbors.”

“THE BORROWERS WHO WORK WITH NBDC CONSULTANTS ARE BETTER PREPARED AND BETTER EDUCATED IN HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS PLAN, AND IN WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.”

KANA SYSTEMS ‘MAKES THINGS HAPPEN’ FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, NEBRASKA

A VIBRANT “ALOHA SPIRIT” AND IMPRESSIVE SUCCESS CREATING A DECISION-MAKING TECHNOLOGY NICHE THAT HAS MADE THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) A RECURRING AND SATISFIED CUSTOMER HAS EARNED KANA SYSTEMS THE HONOR OF 2022 GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR.

Named for a legendary Hawaiian god who “makes things happen,” Kana Systems is headquartered in Lincoln and led by founder and CEO Mailani Veney. “We were recruited by the DoD in 2019 to help modernize nuclear weapons technology at Offutt Air Force Base using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) solutions,” she says.

“Since then, we’ve developed our technology niche in empowering trusted decision-making through state-of-the-art data and software engineering,” Veney says. “And, we have been profitable since our first year.”

Kana Systems, which holds a Top Secret clearance, has formed several partnerships including with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), the Nuclear C3 (Command, Control and Communications) Enterprise Center, the Department of the Air Force Digital Transformation Office, USSTRATCOM, and the Nebraska Defense Research Corporation. The company provides data management, digital transformation of legacy data into AIready workflows to automate and improve existing processes, data-driven decision support, and real-time data streaming.

Veney, who also founded Startup Nebraska, has experience as an entrepreneur since her youth in Honolulu. She and her brother bought items from the commissary on the military base where her father was stationed and sold them to fellow passengers on the 40-minute ferry ride they had to take across Pearl Harbor to get to school every day.

Veney brought her “aloha spirit” and her spirit of entrepreneurship to Nebraska when she relocated with her husband and family to Lincoln.

She began Kana Systems as Nebraska’s first Platform One-trained company, delivering solutions to military and government customers using a DevSecOps (development, security, and operations) approach. Created as a Department of Defense team, Platform One is the official DevSecOps Enterprise Services team that builds and secures technology tools across the military.

NBDC GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

Most recently, Kana Systems joined the Nebraska Defense Research Corporation (NDRC) and its Research, Engineering, and Architecture Collaboration Hub (REACH) Alliance. According to its website, the NRDC is “a bridge of trust between government, industry, and academia to support and promote technology discovery, facilitate knowledge transfer, and accelerate the transfer of command, control, and communications capabilities to customer operations.”

“NDRC is the ecosystem that brings together entities in support of the U.S. nuclear initiative,” Veney says. “Billions of dollars pass through Offutt Air Force Base, but only a small percentage goes to Nebraska businesses. We are helping to advance national security imperatives while strengthening Nebraska economic development.”

“We are stronger when we work together in an ecosystem,” she says. “Like we say in Hawaiian, “A`ohe hana nui ke alu`ia – No work is too big when shared by all.”

Kana Systems reflects those economic development efforts in several ways, Veney says. “The average age of our employees is 27,” she says. “Most are originally from

Nebraska, and the two we hired from out of state have moved here. We are working to keep very in-demand talent in the state.

“I am passionate about digital transformation issues and making this a hub for government defense entities, much like Colorado Springs and Ogden, Utah.”

Veney became aware of the Nebraska Business Development Center and its services through NBDC Executive Director Catherine Lang and their mutual membership in Downtown Lincoln Rotary Club #14, where Veney serves as past president of the organization.

She and Kana Systems staff have worked with NBDC Consultant Quentin Farley to obtain and maintain the federal registrations required for their initial Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant with the Air Force, one of three SBIRs Kana Systems received in its first year.

Farley also helped Veney and her team to achieve the Small Business Administration (SBA) Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification and continues to reach out for assistance with BidMatch and SBIR applications. The company, which also has MinorityOwned Small Business certification, has earned nearly $10 million in revenue since 2019.

“NBDC has been crucial in helping us navigate the processes,” Veney says. “We could not have accomplished the fast wins for our government and our company without the NBDC team.”

Veney’s team was honored by being named Government Contractor of the Year. Chris Burma says, “The award has given our team an incredible amount of validation.” Jimmy Erickson says, “To see our efforts recognized is so inspiring and helps us know we’re going in the right direction.” Andrew Monroe says, “At Kana Systems we are dedicated to bringing innovation and data excellence to DoD users and organizations. It’s awesome to see that our hard work is garnering additional recognition.”

FROM BBQ TO HAY, NBDC APEX ACCELERATOR OPENS DOOR TO UNIQUE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES

Government contracting opportunities extend well beyond the Department of Defense or the U.S. Corps of Engineers, and the time to prepare to bid on these valuable opportunities is before a turndown in the economy.

“Many business owners think of the obvious services or products the government buys, but those opportunities extend to some very unique and unusual products and commodities,” says Veronica Doga, program director of the NBDC APEX Accelerator program, formerly the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). “Every company should think about government contracting when it comes to diversification and an additional source of revenue.”

NBDC APEX Accelerator consultants are credentialed business advisers with academic degrees and professional certifications, including Certified Verification Counselor (CVC) and Certified Procurement Professional (CPP).

Each day, APEX Accelerator consultants work with entrepreneurs and small business owners to establish and update the regulatory paperwork required for government contracting, such as the System for Awards Management (SAM) registration. They also help business owners apply for certifications that may provide an edge when competing for contracts earmarked for certain business types, such as minority-owned (socially and economically disadvantaged), woman-owned, service disabled veteran-owned, or HUBZone small businesses.

The Nebraska APEX Accelerator assisted businesses that in 2022 accounted for more than $133 million in government contracts. Examples of businesses helped over the past several years is extensive and varied:

THE PROGRAM CAN CONNECT BUSINESSES OF ALL KINDS TO CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES — EVEN ONES YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT.

• A diversified, sustainable agriculture enterprise located near Sargent that incorporates production of livestock (cattle and goats), prescriptive goat grazing, and the production and sale of quality hay has found success contracting goat grazing services to federal agencies. Owned by a service disabled veteran, the farm operation has relied upon APEX Accelerator advice to secure contracts with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, including a five-year goat grazing contract

“EVERY COMPANY SHOULD THINK ABOUT GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSIFICATION AND AN ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF REVENUE.”

“NO BOOTS IN THE GRAIN” IS THE MISSION OF GRAIN WEEVIL, AN AURORA, NEB. COMPANY DEVELOPING A ROBOT TO ELMINATE THE DANGEROUS JOB OF SENDING FARMERS INTO GRAIN BINS.

GRAIN WEEVIL’S MISSION IS BIN SAFETY, PRODUCT QUALITY

The Grain Weevil, an Aurora, Neb. company’s robotic invention that preserves the quality of stored grain while eliminating the danger inherent when farmers and others must work inside a grain bin, is the 2022 Innovation Business of the Year.

The Grain Weevil is an autonomous robot that uses augers and gravity to level grain, break crusts, conduct inspections, and feed grain into extraction augers. It is portable and, if accidentally buried, can dig itself out of up to five feet of grain. The goal is to robotically maintain the quality of the grain while keeping farmers out of grain bins, which can be dangerous and deadly.

NBDC INNOVATION BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

The invention is the brainchild of Ben Johnson, who worked on the first versions of the Grain Weevil while he was an undergrad student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In the second year, Johnson was joined by his roommate, software engineer Zane Zents. Johnson has since graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and serves as Grain Weevil’s chief innovation officer. Zents graduated with a degree in computer science and mathematics and is the company’s lead software engineer.

The company is led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Chad Johnson, Ben’s father. Chad has more than two decades of informal science education experience, including exhibit design, curriculum development, and program facilitation. He was a NASA MESSENGER Fellow, the Association of Science and Technology Centers’ Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge award winner, and the recipient of the American Public Power Association’s Energy Innovator award.

Chad’s interest in education is leading to a new collaboration this spring between the Grain Weevil company and a group of UNO College of Business Administration undergraduate seniors taught by Patty Bick, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, banking, and real estate.

“Together with Dr. Bick, we’ve come up with a couple different feasibility projects that four teams of students will work on,” Chad says. “This provides a higher level of engagement for them. They get to work with real numbers to produce accurate predictions and evaluations. While they gain real workforce skills through innovation, their proposals will eventually be extremely useful for us.”

The idea for the Grain Weevil grew from a conversation between Ben Johnson and an Aurora farmer. Chad recalls the two were discussing Ben’s first major robotics project. “He said, ‘Hey, if you can build that robot, you could build me a robot to stay out of the grain bin,’” Chad says.

The team went to work, and after two years of trials and hundreds of hours, they finished the prototype robot.

The Johnsons and Zents consulted with the Nebraska Business Development Center for assistance with an initial business plan, as well as applications for grants through the

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) federal funding program and the Nebraska Innovation Fund.

The company also joined The Combine Incubator program based in Lincoln. The Combine Incubator hosts food and agriculture technology companies and leads them through its commercialization program, which begins with goal setting and idea assessment with a focus on pursuing capital.

In 2021, Grain Weevil received the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, along with $10,000. Earlier in 2022, Grain Weevil finished in first place and won $50,000 in the Ag Innovation Challenge competition, sponsored by American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in partnership with Farm Credit Services of America.

Grain Weevil also received a 2022 National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR Research Grant worth $256,000, and that was coupled with a Nebraska Innovation Fund matching grant worth $100,000. In late February, the company submitted its application for a Phase II SBIR grant worth $1 million.

“Our research is focusing on the tasks necessary for the robot to provide the right functions within the grain bin,” Chad Johnson says. “It has to be able to meet a wide range of variables including the moisture content of the grain and temperatures that range from below zero to over 120 degrees. We also are working to develop the robot’s capabilities in a very hazardous environment.

The Grain Weevil is currently undergoing trials in grain bins on farms in Nebraska, Iowa, and Tennessee, and at a commercial facility in Illinois.

Chad says the mission of the Aurora-based company is simple: “No boots in the grain.”

“Going inside a grain bin is the worst job on the farm,” he says. “We want to prevent the deaths and injuries that occur in grain bins every year, while also maintaining the high quality of the grain being stored.”

BUSINESSES AND STUDENTS FIND OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

The Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and with funds matched by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, enables the program team to help clients apply for, or administer grants from the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business and Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs. In fiscal 2022, more than 150 NBDC clients were supported by FAST activities.

Currently serving as part of the program team are three graduate assistants: Narayani Bakhati, Kayla Lacey, and Laura Oh.

NARAYANI BAKHATI

The Innovation and Technology Program at the Nebraska Business Development Center is more than a source of guidance and assistance for entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking to fund and commercialize their ideas: it also presents unique opportunities for graduate students to gain hands-on knowledge that enlivens their studies and gives them a head start in their careers.

“Being able to align what they have been taught with

the realities of working as a team and with real-world clients provides value for them and for our program,” says Innovation and Technology Program Director Josh NicholCaddy. “Our clients appreciate their enthusiasm and fresh perspectives, and I have benefitted from their academic programing. The feedback between us is like having consultants within our organization, improving our services and processes.”

Each year, the Innovation and Technology Program team conducts confidential, one-on-one consulting sessions, open workshops, and training sessions for clients and prospective clients across Nebraska. In fiscal year 2022, more than 800 people participated in these outreach events and meetings.

Born in Nepal, Bakhati earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Studies at Cambridge College in Boston and came to UNO to work toward a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). She joined the Innovation and Technology Program as a graduate assistant in August 2022, where she began by creating a marketing strategy for the program to raise awareness of the services available.

“I had worked as an associate in my previous job where I got to hone my communication and networking skills,” she says. “Joining NBDC has been an opportunity for me to bring fresh ideas and perspectives that help focus our marketing efforts to companies and small businesses that do not know about SBIR grants.”

NBDC’S GRADUATE ASSISTANT PROGRAM PROVIDES HANDS-ON DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE REAL-WORLD IMPLICATIONS.

To increase NBDC’s visibility among students, Bakhati contacted student groups in an effort to tap into a young, enthusiastic audience and spread the word about NBDC’s services.

She says she has gained considerable insight into project management skills through the meetings she has with Nichol-Caddy and other team members.

Most recently, Bakhati has become involved in a new program, the U.S. National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps™). It is an immersive, entrepreneurial training program that facilitates the transformation of invention to reality.

UNO is an I-Corps hub for the Great Plains region. The UNO program is led by Brett Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of strategic management and entrepreneurship and associate director of the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising at the College of Business Administration.

Bakhati says the work at NBDC has been fulfilling. “If given a chance to work with the NBDC team long term,” she says, “I would be eager to accept the opportunity.”

KAYLA LACEY

Lacey grew up in central Florida and completed her undergraduate studies in psychology with a minor in entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She is enrolled in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology MA/Ph.D. program at UNO and joined NBDC as a graduate assistant in August 2020.

As part of the Innovation and Technology Program, Lacey works directly with NBDC clients, helping them prepare for the often lengthy process of submitting SBIR/STTR grant applications.

“It is a good opportunity to be a client advisor, and it is giving me hands-on experience navigating grants,” she says. “My end goal is to become a professor. By helping to guide clients through the process, I give feedback and editing critiques, so it is a great form of teaching experience.”

Lacey also has developed templates and a system for organizing the documents needed for the grant applications, including the steps for specific applications. The work is reflective of her academic interest in teams and how to help them succeed. “Currently, I am focusing on how teams deal with conflict, as part of my master’s thesis,” she says.

She says she has been profoundly impressed by the NBDC programs, the administration, and staff. “It’s really an incredible organization,” she says. “The breadth of their knowledge and connections is really impressive. From bankers to chambers of commerce to finding potential customers, they know people who can help advance small businesses.”

The fact that so many services are available at no charge is also impressive, she says. “They can spend three hours helping one client fill out forms,” Lacey says. “That can cost a lot of money through other sources. Here, we’re just one phone call away.”

LAURA OH

Oh moved from Minnesota to Nebraska to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business administration at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She went on to receive a master’s degree in industrial/ organizational psychology at UNO, and is currently working on her doctorate in the same field.

Since becoming a graduate assistant at NBDC in 2019, she has developed and implemented strategic planning, training programs, and organizational effectiveness surveys.

“I started off getting to know how the Innovation and Technology team works and the services offered,” she says. “I also worked directly with clients, conducting intake meetings and market research. Then I met with Josh and told him what I was learning and how I felt it would be helpful if I could apply it to our team.”

By 2022, Oh’s duties had evolved into a more internal role, focusing on client engagements, the specific metrics needed to meet FAST grant requirements, and on ways to assess and improve the team’s soft skills. “I do a lot of assessments to find out how we helped these clients and how to build upon our successes,” she says.

Ultimately, Oh hopes to apply her skills and experience as an internal consultant for an organization.

“NBDC has given me a very unique opportunity to apply theory and knowledge directly to real-world challenges,” she says. “Josh has been very supportive implementing my ideas. NBDC is here to help people, and I feel I’m actually helping the organization.

“The experience has increased my confidence,” Oh says. “I have learned to not second guess myself and to be more assertive.”

“NBDC HAS GIVEN ME A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY THEORY AND KNOWLEDGE DIRECTLY TO REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES.”

From a small business in Kearney seeking electrical engineering expertise, to a prosthetics and orthotics company in Omaha looking for lab space, NU Connections is helping entrepreneurs and businesses plug into the valuable resources of the University of Nebraska system to power their startups and reach out to new markets.

“Since its launch on Oct. 1, 2018, NU Connections has become a front door to the university for business owners and entrepreneurs,” says Catherine Lang, executive director of the Nebraska Business Development Center. “Our successes range from linking small businesses with programming and expertise at all four University of Nebraska campuses, to creating unique, real-world learning opportunities for students. NU Connections has and will continue to move the economic development needle.”

NU CONNECTIONS GIVES ENTREPRENEURS, BUSINESSES ACCESS TO VALUABLE UNIVERSITY-WIDE RESOURCES

The NU Connections program unites the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center to promote programs, services, and resources that Nebraska businesses can utilize to grow and diversify.

Administered by the NBDC at UNO, NU Connections provides access to startup assistance, laboratory and facility use, research and technology development, market research, and other services. NU Connections is a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center program.

“The university system has a wealth of resources that can further economic development in the state, but for many entrepreneurs and small business owners, reaching out to

the university can be very daunting,” Lang says. “They don’t know who to call or even where to begin.

“NU Connections opens the doors to the university though the program’s liaison officers. Because they are extremely knowledgeable about each campus, these liaisons will identify the right resource and facilitate a connection.”

The Industry Liaison Officers are Deanna Marcelino at UNO, Michael Dixon, Ph.D. at UNMC, Robert Macy, Ph.D. at UNK and Ryan Anderson at UNL. The program has worked on many projects.

When a small business in Kearney needed electrical engineering expertise for a manufacturing issue the business encountered, Anderson linked the company with a faculty researcher’s expertise at the UNL College of Engineering to help solve the problem.

THE PROGRAM SERVES AS A FRONT DOOR FOR BUSINESSES, GUIDING THEM THROUGH ALL THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS TO OFFER.

THE PROGRAM

• Facilitates access to the university’s extensive faculty and staff expertise, student talent, physical resources, and professional and business development programs

• Has an Industry Liaison Officer, a single point of contact, at each of the campuses to help identify and utilize resources and navigate processes

• Extends existing university expertise and programming focused on business resilience and recovery

• Increases opportunities for research collaboration, technology and product development, talent/ workforce collaboration, and other partnerships with Nebraska businesses and the university

• Develops stronger inter-campus connectivity with a shared focus on advancing economic development

• Increases utilization of the university’s substantial and regionally-unique resources such as labs, clinics, field assets, and specialized equipment

Anderson also helped other NU campuses establish industry/university contract templates to create uniformity and make it easier for industry partners to work with the NU campuses.

The Omaha company Innovative Prosthetics and Orthotics, which partners with UNO and UNMC faculty researchers, utilized NU Connections to establish a laboratory in UNO’s Biomechanics research building to streamline the company’s operations and utilize research laboratory equipment.

UNO’s Industry Liaison Officer Deanna Marcelino assisted a Bellevue software engineering company that was interested in engaging with UNO College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) faculty researchers regarding cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to augment a Department of Defense grant proposal.

Anderson’s visit to Israel in fall 2022 aims to advance opportunities for Israeli agricultural technology companies to conduct research and development on large row crop and livestock production systems in Nebraska through NU Connections.

Students have also benefitted from the NU Connections program. Several Omaha microbusinesses received information technology (IT) consulting provided by students of the UNO College of IS&T through the university’s Service Learning Academy classes and NU Connections. The service learning classes in Information Technology for Development (ITD) and Electronic Commerce were led by Sajda Qureshi, Ph.D., Kayser Chair, Professor of Information Systems, Department of Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis (ISQA) at the College of IS&T. In the classes, undergraduate and graduate students were placed in teams and linked with a local microbusiness. The student teams evaluated microbusiness technology needs, prepared business technology plans, provided training, and implemented appropriate solutions.

In spring 2022, Industry Relations and the new UNL School of Computing (SoC) within the College of Engineering began the process of securing sponsored projects and volunteer industry coaches for the required experiential learning program and capstone class, Senior Design. In the class, student teams work with sponsoring organizations to develop software and systems-engineered solutions.

Lang says the relationships between students and the businesses can extend far beyond a capstone course. “Becoming engaged with our students often creates opportunities for internships or employment,” she says. “These courses serve as a trial run for the students and the businesses.”

Although the original EDA grant that funded NU Connections will expire in September, Lang says the program will not end. “The university system is dedicated to continuing this program,” she says. “The relationships NU Connections has created will endure, and we will keep building upon these connections.

“NU Connections is a vibrant example of the university’s commitment to serve Nebraska businesses, spur economic development, and create a talented workforce that learns here and stays here.”

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA SERVES AS A GATEWAY TO STATEWIDE RESOURCES, BUSINESS SUCCESS

Scott Asmus, SourceLink Nebraska Program Director, says that from its inception in mid-November 2021 through 2022, 178 startups and existing business owners came to SourceLink Nebraska for individual assistance in a range of areas, resulting in 2,171 interactions with SourceLink Nebraska’s network navigators, the staff members trained to guide clients to the resources best suited to their needs.

Additionally, the network navigators created 140 Personal Action Plans, which are customized plans of resource connections geared specifically to each client, resulting in 1,427 direct referrals to resource partners in the Nebraska network. Asmus says business planning assistance – such as writing or reviewing a business plan, conducting market research, or preparing financial projections – was the most common network navigator referred service, followed by the desire to secure loans and startup assistance.

SOURCELINK NEBRASKA IS RAPIDLY GROWING ITS REPUTATION AS THE PREMIER GATEWAY FOR ENTREPRENEURS, BUSINESS HOPEFULS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS IN SEARCH OF SPECIFIC RESOURCES TO HELP ESTABLISH AND EXPAND THEIR COMPANIES.

SourceLink Nebraska is a statewide platform that connects entrepreneurs and business owners to resources that help start, scale, or accelerate businesses. The Nebraska Business Development Center is the host for the program.

“The SourceLink Nebraska team provides clear access to resources and one-on-one support,” Asmus says. “These interactions with SourceLink Nebraska and our

resource partners ultimately serve as a support system that will continue to help people establish and expand their businesses.”

they are not alone on their journey to success,” she says. “SourceLink Nebraska is an in-state business advocate that always answers the phone.”

SourceLink Nebraska launched its website, sourcelinknebraska.com, on November 16, 2021. Serving as infrastructure for business development resources, the website has grown to showcase nearly 950 resource partner profiles, along with startup guides, growth guides, capital guides, and a connection to a video library for entrepreneurs and business owners. Additional resources include event listings for entrepreneurs and business owners across the state. To date, the website has resulted in more than 154,000 online referrals, Asmus says.

Jamie Weingart, owner of JNW Consulting, LLC in Scottsbluff, has three views of SourceLink Nebraska: as a client, as a member of the SourceLink Nebraska Advisory Board, and from the perspective of her clients who now use the platform to find resources to grow their own businesses.

Jennifer Havlovick, owner and executive director of Valor Counseling and Support in North Platte, is under contract with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to assist at-risk families in need of supervised visitations and other services. Havlovick has worked with SourceLink Nebraska and with NBDC consultants on a variety of issues before and since opening her business in July 2022.

“I have 30 years of experience on the direct service side of what we do, but I don’t have 30 years’ experience building the back end of a business.” She says. “I know SourceLink Nebraska can help me through this.”

Although similar to rural and urban resource platforms in other states, SourceLink Nebraska is one of the more complete and innovative networks, due in large part to the SourceLink Nebraska team.

meetings to develop Personalized Action Plans. One navigator hosts the meetings at Seventy Five North in North Omaha; another meets with interested persons at the Metropolitan Community College South Express in South Omaha.

“SourceLink Nebraska has been an instrumental building bridge for my clients and my company,” Weingart says. “My clients include non-profits, private companies, and health care entities looking to create long-term success. SourceLink Nebraska has the tools and resources they need.”

In addition to connecting business owners and entrepreneurs with “the right resource at the right time,” SourceLink Nebraska also provides encouragement to its clients, Weingart says. “It gives them the sentiment that

SourceLink Nebraska benefits from the financial support and partnership of the Omaha Public Power District, the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the University of Nebraska System, the University Technology Development Corporation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nebraska Extension, NBDC, and the Economic Development Administration (EDA).

In 2022, SourceLink Nebraska collaborated with Heartland Workforce Solutions to expand its outreach directly to entrepreneurs and small businesses in north and south Omaha. Each Wednesday, Network Navigators welcome entrepreneurs and small business owners for one-on-one

NBDC Executive Director Catherine Lang says the growing number of direct and online referrals illustrate the valuable, unique service SourceLink Nebraska is providing for entrepreneurs and business hopefuls across the state, and to those outside of Nebraska contemplating starting a business here or expanding to the state.

“By making these connections possible, we are supporting success today and tomorrow,” Lang says. “Strong economies yield strong communities, and SourceLink Nebraska is one more example of what makes our state a great place for business.”

“SOURCELINK NEBRASKA IS AN IN-STATE BUSINESS ADVOCATE THAT ALWAYS ANSWERS THE PHONE.”