Office design Trends
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
August 2, 2019
Offices featuring high-tech spaces with emphasis on collaboration by Michelle Leach
Modern office design facilitates and conveys workforce productivity and innovation, and one’s image, brand, and suitability as a workplace. “I see present office design trends as more of a focus on teamwork, with spaces designed specifically for collaborative purposes between coworkers, as well as for client interaction,” said KPE Engineers Senior Architect Shane Keplinger. “The office spaces of today trend towards openness, with fewer high-wall cubicle’ spaces for individual employees.” He said hoteling’ within the office enFucinaro vironment allows employees the flexibility to work at different spaces — solitude in a more private space, greater communication with co-workers in an open space. “There is benefit to providing both types of hoteling’ stations, based on the type of work associated with the business,” Keplinger said. Studies that show an increase in one’s well-being for a more productive and enjoyable work environment support natural daylighting as a preferred mode of daytime office lighting. “Gone are the days of window-less, stale conference room spaces and work areas,” he said. “Indirect and decorative lighting fixtures are also playing a prominent role within office spaces. With today’s low energy LED lighting schemes, businesses are more open to lighting being an important design element.”
Shane Keplinger, senior architect for KPE Engineers. “Branding” is also an increasingly import- tor’s new headquarters complex, south of Giles ant part of modern office design, as Keplinger Road on 145th Street in La Vista. According to referred to accent walls in company color company information, the complex will start with schemes and logos as a focal point in entrances a 32,000-square-foot office building and planned and lobbies. future expansion of a 20,000-square-foot shop “It’s the people who really have made big featuring loading docks and a drive-through things happen at MCL Construction , but loading area. sometimes where you live and your home really “These buildings will allow us to show showcases the services and the capabilities you the services and capabilities we have — not have — and that’s what this building will do,” just to our clients, but our building and design said Senior Vice President Tony Fucinaro. partners,” he said; specifically, spaces dedicatFucinaro is referring to the general contrac- ed to virtual and augmented reality, as well as
Reaanddit
collaboration labs to improve communication during design and for a unique preconstruction and building experience, were highlighted. But it’s the spaces as a vehicle for professional development that have Fucinaro particularly excited. We will have dedicated instructional spaces that can hold up to 80 of our employees at one time,” he said. In a late May announcement, President Bob Carlisle reinforced how the new MCL home will help them hire and retain top employees; the building as a “major factor to make sure they have the proper tools to succeed and to keep working for MCL.” Slated for completion spring 2020, the complex represents the third “home” in the firm’s 32-year history. The Weitz Co. projects, including those from Des Moines to Denver, and mixed-use developments to financial services “homes,” are illustrating a number of prominent trends, according to Preconstruction Leader Sean Hanrahan. “While the amount of cabling required has been reduced with mobile devices and wireless workstations, the demands on bandwidth, integration of smart devices and additional reliance on video conferencing continues to be a point of emphasis for many businesses,” he said. “Collaboration spaces throughout office buildings is a popular alternative to open office concepts. This approach provides employees with individual workspaces while still offering comfortable areas for one-on-one brainstorm sessions or team update meetings.” To technology, Hanrahan said “smart windows” are starting to come up in more converContinued on page 6.
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Office Design Trends — inside AUGUST 2, 2019
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
$2.00
VOL. 45 NO. 31
First Nebraska Credit Union aims to better serve local markets by Michelle Leach
Dynamix Strength and Fitness aims to be at the forefront of fitness. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40 Farm upbringing helps Buckentine’s career at Gavilon. – Page 3
s ion sit ch n ra r r T Sea ree Job a C &
Social media, automation support the flurry of talent acquisition innovations. – Page 27
First Nebraska Credit Union is staying true to its “people helping people” focus, evidenced through its flexibility in loan payments for members facing flood recovery, and as the 45-year-old member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative grows with a new branch in Lincoln, enters a new market in Elkhorn and adds new services. “I recall there was a member who bought a camper so his family could live in it,” said President/CEO Ann Loftis, when asked about post-flood partnering with members. “He was paying a higher rate and came back to us to get better terms. We helped get it into a lower interest rate.” Locally-operated First Nebraska Credit Union’s roughly 60 employees across five locations in Omaha and Lincoln serve members who live, work, worship or attend schools in Cass, Dodge, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy, Saunders, Washington and PottawatContinued on page 9.
President/CEO Ann Loftis and Chief Financial Officer Dale Kovar … Positioned to better serve current and future members with investments in bricks and mortar, technologies. (Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)
Midwest Cloud Computing expands reach with family of tech companies by Richard D. Brown
Midwest Cloud Computing Managing Partner and Founder Raymond “Jay” Garren is a proponent of “coopetition,” a term he’s coined to help explain the continued fast growth of his family of technology companies that outgrew its initial facilities and is getting settled into a new 5,200-square-foot office complex in southwest Omaha that he said
offer his 75 employees the space to double his base of customers over the next 12 months. With roots going back to 2011 and the inception of Midwest Cloud Computing, Garren — a 30-year veteran of the eastern Nebraska technology community with multiple stops in a myriad of industries — credits making the most of each of his employed Continued on page 9. Business Optimization Specialist Carol Samway … Leveraging experience securing savings for clients in real estate, waste management clients, plus franchisor’s expertise negotiating with telecom, other vendors.
Omaha’s Schooley Mitchell secures average of 30% savings for clients by Michelle Leach
Founder and Managing Partner Raymond “Jay” Garren … In highly competitive market, aiming to double customer base.
Leveraging more than two decades of experience in real estate and waste management industries, Carol Samway continues to help identify solutions to save clients an average of 25% to 30% on expenses ranging from telecom and credit and debit card processing, to waste disposal and shipping, as a business optimization specialist with the new Omaha-based
Schooley Mitchell. “I was really looking for a franchise in the senior health care field,” Samway said. “But the more I researched [Schooley Mitchell], and I went to their franchise office and met with them, the more I realized it was a good fit for me.” Schooley Mitchell Omaha, which opened following SamContinued on page 26.
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
Dynamix Strength and Fitness aims to be at the forefront of fitness by Gabby Christensen
Since its inception in the summer of 2017, Dynamix Strength and Fitness, a locally owned boutique gym, has more than quadrupled in membership and continues to trend upward. Co-owners Sheri Idelman and Bri Buge said the business has seen success with safe, affordable and cutting-edge fitness
Dynamix Strength and Fitness Phone: 402-445-0384 Address: 13110 Birch Dr. Suite 152 Omaha 68164 Founded: July 2017 Service: locally owned fitness club offering core classes such as body pump, body combat, body attack and body flow, etc. Employees: 15 Goal: To grow by remaining in touch with the latest fitness demands and trends Website: http://www.dynamixstrengthandfitness.com
options. Located at 13110 Birch Dr., the fitness club offers core classes developed by the international company Les Mills, including BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyAttack and BodyFlow. The gym also offers a self developed
Co-owners Bri Buge, left, and Sheri Idelman ... Offering community style fitness club with focus on trends in fitness. barre class, as well as a step class — both Idelman said members are able to are targeted to accommodate any skill schedule classes online or through the level. gym’s mobile app.
Business Minute
Dan Ertz Senior Vice President Commercial Real Estate Manager, Access Bank Associations/Titles: Board of Directors Member and Finance Committee Member YMCA Of Greater Omaha, Commercial Real Estate Summit Stakeholder Member, Downtown Rotary Member, Living Faith United Methodist Church Member and Finance Committee Chair. Hometown: Papillion, Nebraska. Education: Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and MBA, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
How I got into the business: I was hired for an operations/customer service position by a local community bank. Accomplishments or milestones: Over 25 years in the banking and finance industry and being recognized as a top performer at several banking organizations. First job: Newspaper carrier for Papillion Times and Omaha World-Herald. Biggest career break: Being hired at a local community bank during college. The most favorite part of the job: Working on complex projects and determining a structure that will work for both the client and the bank. The best advice I have received: Hu-
mility — Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you. About my family: Married to my wonderful wife Heidi for 24 years, and we have two children; son Joshua, 20, and daughter Kaeleigh, 17. Something else I’d like to accomplish: Volunteer work with services or organizations that support adopted children. Book I finished reading recently: “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight of Nike. Something about me not everyone knows: I was adopted by my parents in Omaha. How my business will change in the next decade: Technology will continue to shape delivery channels within the finance industry. Although I believe trusted advisors who develop long-term relationships with their clients
and provide excellent customer service will always be the differentiators. Mentor who has helped the most in my career: There are too many mentors to narrow it down to one as I have been blessed to work alongside many people that have helped me grow and be successful. Although my parents have been most influential in modeling my professional and personal life. Outside interests: Any outdoor fitness sporting activities such as mountain biking, road and gravel cycling, trail running, hiking, kayaking, and golf. Pet peeves: Excuses. Favorite vacation spot: Colorado. Other careers I would like to try: Mountain trail guide. Favorite movie: Saving Private Ryan. Favorite cause or charity: The YMCA. Favorite app: Strava.
Interested in being featured in the Business Minute? Email news@mbj.com for more information.
Along with clothing, the gym sells nutrition bars and drinks that encourage a healthy lifestyle. “We aimed to create an intimate environment where our members could feel comfortable and at ease,” she said. “We also wanted to establish a family-friendly setting, which is why we implemented a kid’s club so that parents never have to worry about not making it to the gym due to lack of day care options.” The gym also offers family yoga. While the gym serves people of all ages and skill levels, Idelman said about 85% of clients are women, and all clients have a common interest in becoming, or remaining, healthy and fit. “We know that the Les Mills element is certainly a draw for us, but we’ve also noticed that people are attracted to our group environment,” she said. While some might be discouraged from participating in group exercise, Idelman said they shouldn’t be. “Sometimes, people are worried about what others will think, but in reality our gym provides a supportive setting that helps each person reach their individual goals,” Idelman said. “Our members help each other remain honest. It’s a proven fact that people are more likely to succeed in group exercise compared to working out alone.” Buge, who has over 20 years of experience as an instructor, said seeing transformation occur in the lives of clients has been the ultimate reward as an instructor and business owner. “Through our programs and the environment that we have established, we not only empower our members to be the best they can be but we also help them grow, Continued on page 11.
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Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
Farm upbringing helps Buckentine’s career at Gavilon Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of profiles featuring Midlands Business Journal 40 Under 40 award winners — entrepreneurs, business owners, managers and professionals under 40 years of age.
by Dwain Hebda
Lisa Tronchetti Buckentine began her career at Gavilon as a merchandising intern for dairy products. Despite growing up on an Iowa farm, it was a field she knew little about. “When I was interning at Gavilon, the director of the desk Josh Pruss, who is still my current director, asked me if I would be the dairy desk intern,” she recalled. “I had no experience with dairy, but enjoyed him and thought that he would be a great person to work for, which has turned out to be the case. So, I took a chance and did dairy.” Tronchetti Buckentine was eager to make the most of the opportunity and, as it turned out, proved to be a natural in the role. Her professional accomplishments steadily elevated her to associate merchandiser, merchandiser, and most recently, senior merchandiser where she’s distinguished herself by landing new business, doubling butter volumes year over year and at one point developing and launching a marketing plan for a new brand. She credits her success to a combination of common-sense business acumen, work
Senior Merchandiser Lisa Tronchetti Buckentine … Aiding dairy industry as consumer demands shift toward craft-style products. ethic and an appreciation for issues facing ground, but with people that are working producers. for multinational food companies or even “I think coming from an agricultural international food companies. So it helps background has helped me to understand to have that ability to connect and consome of the challenges that dairy producers verse with people from multiple different face and how those then impact our markets,” she said. “Part of this job is definitely Proud Sponsors of the 2018 being very personable and being able to talk to people from a lot of different backgrounds, especially in the dairy industry. “In my role, I’m not only speaking with people from an agricultural back-
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backgrounds.” Tronchetti Buckentine’s ability to connect with various audiences makes her a trusted resource for various players in the supply and manufacturing chain as they adapt to new trends in the marketplace. One recent example has been the market’s growing demand for local and craft food products. “In the dairy space it’s not necessarily to the extent that has been in the beverage space like beer, but we definitely see more smaller brand companies like a local cheese company or a local dairy providing milk and yogurt,” she said. “People have more of a desire for locally grown products. “[While] we don’t usually deal with those smaller craft-style customers, a lot of our customers are asking us for help with innovation. What sort of products should they be working on, what sorts of things should they be changing in their products in order to meet some of these things that local producers are doing.” Looking to the future, there’s no shortage of such market challenges looming on the horizon, either, she said. From changes in demographics, and therefore dairy usage, to the makeup of producers, the industry is churning with major changes. “One of the bigger trends that we’re seeing in the dairy industry is that small dairy farms are going away and so dairy Continued on page 11.
40 Under 40:
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
Office design Trends
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
August 2, 2019
Offices featuring high-tech spaces with emphasis on collaboration by Michelle Leach
Modern office design facilitates and conveys workforce productivity and innovation, and one’s image, brand, and suitability as a workplace. “I see present office design trends as more of a focus on teamwork, with spaces designed specifically for collaborative purposes between coworkers, as well as for client interaction,” said KPE Engineers Senior Architect Shane Keplinger. “The office spaces of today trend towards openness, with fewer high-wall ‘cubicle’ spaces for individual employees.” He said ‘hoteling’ within the office enFucinaro vironment allows employees the flexibility to work at different spaces — solitude in a more private space, greater communication with co-workers in an open space. “There is benefit to providing both types of ‘hoteling’ stations, based on the type of work associated with the business,” Keplinger said. Studies that show an increase in one’s well-being for a more productive and enjoyable work environment support natural daylighting as a preferred mode of daytime office lighting. “Gone are the days of window-less, stale conference room spaces and work areas,” he said. “Indirect and decorative lighting fixtures are also playing a prominent role within office spaces. With today’s low energy LED lighting schemes, businesses are more open to lighting being an important design element.”
Shane Keplinger, senior architect for KPE Engineers. “Branding” is also an increasingly import- tor’s new headquarters complex, south of Giles ant part of modern office design, as Keplinger Road on 145th Street in La Vista. According to referred to accent walls in company color company information, the complex will start with schemes and logos as a focal point in entrances a 32,000-square-foot office building and planned and lobbies. future expansion of a 20,000-square-foot shop “It’s the people who really have made big featuring loading docks and a drive-through things happen at MCL [Construction], but loading area. sometimes where you live and your home really “These buildings will allow us to show showcases the services and the capabilities you the services and capabilities we have — not have — and that’s what this building will do,” just to our clients, but our building and design said Senior Vice President Tony Fucinaro. partners,” he said; specifically, spaces dedicatFucinaro is referring to the general contrac- ed to virtual and augmented reality, as well as
collaboration labs to improve communication during design and for a unique preconstruction and building experience, were highlighted. But it’s the spaces as a vehicle for professional development that have Fucinaro particularly excited. "We will have dedicated instructional spaces that can hold up to 80 of our employees at one time,” he said. In a late May announcement, President Bob Carlisle reinforced how the new MCL home will help them hire and retain top employees; the building as a “major factor to make sure they have the proper tools to succeed and to keep working for MCL.” Slated for completion spring 2020, the complex represents the third “home” in the firm’s 32-year history. The Weitz Co. projects, including those from Des Moines to Denver, and mixed-use developments to financial services “homes,” are illustrating a number of prominent trends, according to Preconstruction Leader Sean Hanrahan. “While the amount of cabling required has been reduced with mobile devices and wireless workstations, the demands on bandwidth, integration of smart devices and additional reliance on video conferencing continues to be a point of emphasis for many businesses,” he said. “Collaboration spaces throughout office buildings is a popular alternative to open office concepts. This approach provides employees with individual workspaces while still offering comfortable areas for one-on-one brainstorm sessions or team update meetings.” To technology, Hanrahan said “smart windows” are starting to come up in more converContinued on page 6.
Office Design Trends •
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
• Office Design Trends
Businesses are opting to incorporate sustainable design elements to spaces
Richard Onken, vice president/senior project manager at CLH Architects.
when recruiting employees, and expect will lead by Gabby Christensen People are becoming more aware of their to even higher levels of employee engagement environmental footprint. Because of this, many and retention as we live out our values,” she said. Going from one individual garbage bin to as businesses have decided to implement green many as five does require additional design in spaces. thought when it comes to space Bridget Bumgardner, busiand design considerations, though, ness development and engagement Bumgardner said. manager at Boyd Jones, said there “In the Rail & Commerce Buildare various ways to have a positive ing, we have separate bins for environmental impact through susEnergy Bag items, compost, mixed tainability measures. recyclables, glass and landfill items,” “In historic structures like the she said. Rail & Commerce Building, we’ve Additionally, Bumgardner said found a zero-waste recycling initiaBoyd Jones has provided dedicated tive to be an effective and engaging parking stalls that are equipped with way to reduce the environmental Bumgardner electric vehicle chargers, which is impact of operations,” she said. another element that is attractive to Bumgardner said employees and tenants are excited about the program prospective employees and tenants who apprebecause it makes such an immediate positive ciate sustainable amenities. “Like the zero-waste initiative, being able impact. “It’s also something we like to emphasize to accommodate electric vehicles requires additional coordination beyond what has been the standard,” Bumgardner said. “But, we’re eager to do it because we understand and appreciate the positive impact these initiatives are making in our community.” Richard Onken, vice president/senior project manager at CLH Architects, said federal clients have moved to a focus on compliance with laws such as the Energy Policy Act and High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Requirements as opposed to seeking actual U.S. Green Building Council or other third party certifications, such as LEED Gold or LEED Silver ratings. “The mindset is moving to sustainability as a matter of codes and standards, comply with the requirements as opposed to coming up with new and innovative ways to achieve 10 points here or seven points there,” Onken Continued on page 8.
Collaboration Continued from page 4. sations with clients. “They offer ways to control the amount of exterior light coming through the windows to better control the interior climate of the building, while still giving employees an optimal amount of natural light,” he said. “Smart windows not only support sustainability, but they’re also contributing to employee wellness.” Health and wellness, Hanrahan said, has emerged as a significant recruitment and retention effort for business. “Whether it be the traditional fitness center, recreation areas, outdoor trails or lounges, employers are investing more in their facilities to help their greatest assets remain energized, productive and healthy,” he said. Hanrahan noted Weitz has invested additional time upfront during preconstruction to understand design intent — comparing against the project’s constructability to minimize unexpected problems during the build process — a nod to, broadly, guaranteeing new technologies or ideas operate as envisioned by clients and end-users. “This often means we’re engaging trade partners earlier to coordinate [mechanical, electrical, plumbing] systems and to resolve constraints and trade clashes before deploying resources in the field,” he said. “Building information modeling becomes a central tool to all these discussions.”
Office Design Trends •
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
• Office Design Trends
Popular open office design evolving, say experts by Dwain Hebda
Open-concept office design has been a staple in office settings now for decades and is allowing companies to steadily shrink per-person space and get more people in the same footprint. “Open offices are more cost-effective than traditional cubicles or private offices,” said Hilary Navratil, partner and interior designer with RDG Planning & Design. “You don’t have to commit to a single layout, as open workspaces are designed to maximize flexibility. You can also fit more employees into an open space; as
the office grows, you can rearrange the layout however you see fit, or simply move certain teams around.” Navratil said the private office hasn’t gone away, but has evolved to serve its function more efficiently. “We do have clients who want their employees to stay in private offices but shrink them down to encourage collaboration outside of their offices versus having a small table in each, which takes up a significant amount of space,” Navratil said. Open office environments may be popular,
Businesses opting for sustainable design elements Continued from page 6. said. “The design options giving us the greatest benefit really come from product manufacturers who continue to find ways to effectively utilize recycled materials, [such as] plastic bottles recycled into roofing shingles or rubber tires recycled into flooring. Energy savings through the use of LED light fixtures continue to be of great benefit to the energy profile of our projects while also creating new design options for the use of decorative lighting due to the color and longevity of life of an LED fixture.” Lester Katz, interior designer/owner of LK Design, said green design is becoming more prevalent as the general public becomes more aware of environmental issues, such as manmade climate change and the degradation of wildlife and natural habitats. “Customers in hospitality businesses are particularly wanting to show a sincere and authentic awareness of environmental issues and
want to be seen as doing something positive in that regard,” he said. “There is so much that can be done to create a more green hospitality business. Using LED lighting is a great way to reduce energy costs, and there are so many attractive light fixtures available that provide a nice range of color temperature and lumens, that were not available only a few years ago.” Katz said other ways of reducing energy consumption include using smart thermostats, providing extra insulation and programmed lighting levels. Additionally, Katz said using reclaimed wood and other materials can be a very visible cue to customers that the business cares about the environment. “Using recycled or sustainably resourced products is very appealing to customers,” he said. “Small actions can lead to larger improvements when more people make the environment a priority in their lives.”
but they aren’t universal and tend to serve certain types of companies better than others. “Open-plan environments don’t work for some business types,” said Emily Osborn, interior designer with Leo A Daly. “The open office is appealing to most Gen X employees and younger, but baby boomers grew up in a world of cubicles, private offices, formal conference rooms and little to no shared spaces. Naturally, it can be uncomfortable for them to adjust to an office where they can see and hear other employees from their desk.” As a result, it’s Navratil not uncommon to see companies execute a modified open layout, Osborn said. “Open office design is evolving,” she said. “Open office doesn’t have to mean completely open; one needn’t strip away every wall, enclosure or moment of privacy. The evolution of the open office integrates creative solutions to privacy and noise issues, while providing employees with more collaborative options.” One such concept is “hoteling,” the elimination of assigned seating altogether. Locally, true office hoteling is rare, but its influence is seen in certain companies’ interiors. “Hoteling offices are great for one or two people to make private phone calls or for them to focus on concentration-demanding work,” Osborn said. “But they may not make sense for
departments of people who are constantly on the phone or who meet with clients to discuss private information.” John Wiechman, director of integrated systems with Kidwell, said other factors that must be dealt with in open layouts include noise, especially with lower-profile cubicle walls. “We’re adding a lot of sound masking to the background to kind of drown out some of that noise from your peers working right around you,” he said. “It’s white noise up above the ceiling that almost sounds like the air conditioning is running at all times. We like to get in there and get that installed before people move in; if that noise is in there Wiechman before they move in, they never notice it.” Wiechman said while he sees plenty of open layout variations, they all seem to stop just shy of unfettered sit-where-you-want, something he credits to human nature. “Everybody likes consistency; you go to church, you sit in the same spot. You park in the same spot,” he said. “A couple of businesses we work with don’t officially have assigned seating, but [employees] are part of a project team and that project team sits in the same spots, goes to the same place during the project. “People pretty much stick to their routines; they’re not coming in and working on first floor one day, working on third floor the next.”
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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First Nebraska Credit Union aims to better serve local markets Continued from page 1. tamie counties. “We still serve a lot of employee and community groups in the broad fields of education and health care,” said Loftis. “We work hard to serve the underserved. Employees come here and are shocked at the loans they get.” Loftis clarified they’re not a charging a finance company rate. So, members with lower credit scores may not have as favorable of rates: “Another financial institution may have turned them down,” she noted. Generally, as a member-owned, not-forprofit, Loftis emphasized the organization doesn’t have shareholders or stockholders. “We can give back to our members with better rates and less fees,” she said. “The structure is obviously different … and the focus is different,” added Chief Financial Officer Dale Kovar. “Banks, rightfully so, want to get the best return for shareholders.” When asked about campaigns designed to promote credit unions (notably, Bank Transfer
Day and Move Your Money in 2011), Kovar referenced persistent challenges educating consumers on exactly what credit unions are, and that membership isn’t as closed as they may think amid credit union expansion. First Nebraska Credit Union’s expansion is represented by its new branch near 204th Street and West Maple Road in Elkhorn. FNCU broke ground on the building, which will feature an interactive teller machine and teller pods as an alternative to traditional teller lines, in June. The branch is slated for a grand opening in early 2020. “We’re just looking at our entire branch footprint, and how to best service our membership and those areas that complement our existing footprint — to cover the biggest area for our members,” Kovar said, when asked about what made Elkhorn so attractive. “Location, location, location” was also at the forefront of FNCU relocating one of its two capital city branches in south Lincoln to 40th Street and Yankee Hill Road. The location it
replaced was at 14th Street and Highway 2. “We did analysis of where members are located, as well as the location for members we want to attract,” he said. An out-of-state firm conducted the analysis, which spanned about six months, and took a deep dive into financial institutions in Lancaster and Douglas counties; for instance, data assessed institutions whose performance has suffered over time — an indication of saturation. When the Yankee Hill branch opened in July, leadership noted it represented FNCU’s first branch construction in around 20 years. “There were no major stores to go to,” Loftis said of the former south Lincoln branch. “You had to go out of your way to get there. [Yankee Hill] is off of a busy highway, with a Super Target. And we have more members in the zip code that we moved to, than in the zip code we moved from.” Furthermore, Loftis indicated members
Midwest Cloud Computing expands reach with family of tech companies growth opportunities “boggle” his mind. Continued from page 1. positions as being important benchmarks Clients range from Moody’s Analytics to to the success he’s having with Midwest several small nonprofits. Companies served tend to be from as Cloud Computing and affiliated firms he’s many as 15 verticals. The firm’s biggest created. “Coopetition to me means working advantage, he said, is its relatively smaller and growing in a competitive but positive size. “It gives us the flexibility to be a lot environment cooperatively,” he said. Midwest Cloud Computing provides more agile and can turn on a dime,” Garren technology solutions to organizations of said. “We operate by contracts, on a projall sizes and verticals based on a “people, ect basis and sometimes on a hand-shake process and technology” methodology. agreement.” For example, The firm addresses when a call is recomplex business Midwest Cloud Computing ceived from a busichallenges with scal- Phone: 402-702-5000 ness with its interacable and affordable Address: 2411 S. 133rd Plaza, Omaha, tive voice response solutions. 68144 unit down, Midwest G a r r e n s a i d Services: technological solutions to organiCloud Computing about six weeks ago zations of all sizes and verticals professionals, workhis firm announced Employees: 75 ing out of 2411 S. a strategic partner- Founded: 2011 by Raymond (Jay) Garren 133rd Plaza, can ship with Omaha’s One-year goal: Double number of customtypically be on site SecureSky, a com- ers. within an hour. pany with a complete Industry outlook: Harnessing artificial Most customers portfolio of cloud intelligence is the big thrust. are located within security solutions to Website: www.midcloudcomputing.com a 500-mile range of help organizations protect their cloud applications, services Omaha. Garren, who formerly ran IT systems and infrastructure. “SecureSky is a security innovator,” as an employee of Lincoln’s Goodyear Garren said. “This partnership allows us Tire & Rubber plant, FirstTier Bank, to offer our workloads to the cloud and American National Bank and the Avaya account for IBM Global — among othleveraging cloud applications.” Garren said the agreement better en- ers — credits the diversity of employers ables his firm to provide clear and direct with helping him strengthen his backpath solutions using technology from ground for starting and running Midwest Cloud Computing. today’s leading providers. The 54-year-old self-described “geek” Mike Hrabik, CEO of SecureSky, said about $1.3 billion in losses were reported — the youngest of three siblings — credits to the FBI last year that were related to his mother’s insistence on developing a business email compromise. The solution professional growth plan and focusing on provided offers a strengthening of protec- the then-emerging technology field. That helped him develop the skills tive controls, active detection, practice threat hunting and expert response to necessary to be a CIO of three companies threats. The solution also addresses ran- and in the mid-1980s oversee the technolsomware, phishing, and other malicious ogy for all online systems for the State of Nebraska’s multiple agencies. account and tenant attacks. “I would volunteer for late night Garren, who grew up in Lincoln and has earned multiple degrees including assignments and Friday and Saturday mechanical engineering credentials from shifts,” he said. He used morning coffee breaks to University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a cybersecurity degree from Bellevue Uni- question colleagues about their projects versity, said Midwest Cloud Computing’s and opportunities to achieve higher levels
of certification. Garren said eBay work for PayPal, a stop at Mutual of Omaha, Idelman Telemarketing and work for the technology services division of First National Bank of Omaha were also important in his professional development. He named the late tech guru Ken Kucera as being an important mentor to him over a couple of decades. Garren credits his diverse background in IT with being an important factor in his creation in recent years of affiliated businesses in the Midwest Cloud Computing family. In 2017 he founded Midwest Bankware Solutions, a venture that creates technology targeted for financial institutions that is complementary and allows for data-gathering as well as data integration. “We’re talking about anything where a bank still uses an inordinate amount of people and paper,” he said. Bankware Solutions platforms, such as PFS VPortal and AnyCore are built in a software-as-a-service environment, balancing ease and low-maintenance for users with functionality. The technology is targeted toward banks with $250 million or more in assets. “The greatest growth opportunities are coming from commercial lending, consumer lending and ag-business departments,” he said. “Banks are going to have to take an online focus or risk customer abandonment.” Blockchain is also coming on fast, he said. Another affiliate, theDOTNETstore, offers mid-size and Fortune 500 companies resources to create an idea, a process, plan, and/or brand that will create longevity in the workplace. Work can be done for 26 industries and in about five dozen technological languages. Garren, chairperson of the Omaha CIO Forum, has seen the collaborative group grow from 45 to 420 members. Activities ranging from conferences to an annual golf outing enable Garren to keep a pulse on what’s happening with technology in both Omaha and Lincoln, as well as throughout the Midwest.
and staff appreciate features like modernized teller pods versus conventional teller lines, and a lounge. “We have a very strong capital position,
First Nebraska Credit Union Phone: 402-492-9100 Address: 10655 Bedford Avenue, Omaha 68134 (administrative offices) Services: credit union membership for those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Cass, Dodge, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy, Saunders, Washington and Pottawattamie counties in Nebraska and Iowa, as well as for individuals in education, health care, Methodist or Lutheran faith, and employees of 250 select employee groups Founded: 1964 Employees: Around 60 Goals: Slated to open new Elkhorn branch in early 2020; rollout of specialized, innovative services, such as more digital signage for faster loan closings. Website: firstnebraska.org
and it’s really because of the support we’ve had from our membership over the years,” Kovar said, when asked about what put the credit union in the position to make such investments. “We’ve been building that capital strength and … it’s higher than most peers our size,” Loftis added. “That was by design for future growth.” Strength is validated by FNCU’s placement on DepositAccounts.com’s Top 100 for four years in a row. The financial health of 5,700-plus federally-insured credit unions in the U.S. is evaluated to rank those who have reportedly “shown exceptional fiduciary responsibility,” through the likes of deposit growth and loan-to-reserve ratios. Kovar emphasized it’s “not the credit union’s money — it’s our membership’s money.” “It’s our way of reinvesting that money into the community,” he said. Leadership also referenced ongoing investments in specialized and innovative services; for instance, FNCU has increased digital signage to facilitate faster loan closings, and mobile apps with bill pay and other user-friendly features. Kovar mentioned the rollout of its identity protection service a few years ago. “For members that have checking account products with us, if their identity is compromised, they’re assigned an advocate contracted through a third party, and that’s all the third party does — working to reestablish their good name,” he said. “It’s a long process. There is the smoke detector that tells you your identity has been stolen, and then the fire extinguisher that helps with the problem.” For example, the third-party firm works on one’s behalf to navigate the court system, in addition to the early heads up via credit bureau monitoring services. Bringing FNCU’s recent story back around, Loftis mentioned its involvement in Nebraska Credit Union League efforts to raise funds that support employees and members affected by flooding. “We’re about people helping people,” Loftis said. “When you join a credit union, you’re part of a family. If somebody can’t afford a car, we’ll look for charitable resources to help them out.”
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
A 26-year-old billionaire is building virtual border walls — and the federal government is buying by Sam Dean
On a Friday afternoon in late July, a crowd of techies, military types and a few civilians deployed to the new Irvine, Calif., headquarters of Anduril Industries, a defense tech start-up, to sip hibiscus margaritas and admire EntrEprEnEurs the sensor towers and carbon-fiber drones on display. Dave Brubeck tinkled over the sound system, and the dress code skewed office casual and pastel, offset by the bright red pop of a lone “Make America Great Again” hat by the taco bar. After an hour of socializing amid surveillance equipment, Palmer Luckey, the company’s 26-year-old near-billionaire founder, mounted a stage for the ribbon-cutting. Luckey had wanted to use the company’s namesake sword — a legendary weapon in “The Lord of the Rings” wielded by the hero Aragorn — for the ceremony. A replica of the movie prop hangs on the wall in the office, dramatically underlit with a purple bulb. But Luckey had just gotten back from his honeymoon and hadn’t had time to sharpen it. Armed instead with large scissors, and wearing his trademark uniform of Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops, he dropped some Tolkien on the audience. “Anduril,” he said, leaning into the long Elvish vowels, “means Flame of the West. And I think that’s what we’re trying to be. We’re trying to be a company that represents not just the best technology that Western democracy has to offer, but also the best ethics, the best of democracy, the best of values that we all hold dear.” Along remote stretches of the
U.S.-Mexico border, and on the perimeters of military bases around the world, Luckey’s vision was already becoming reality. Customs and Border Protection is using Anduril’s high-tech surveillance network as a “virtual wall” of interlinked, solar-powered sentry towers that can alert agents of suspicious activity, and the company has signed similar deals with U.S. and U.K. military branches. Whether those kinds of missions represent the best of Western values is a debate preoccupying the biggest companies in Silicon Valley. At leading software firms such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Salesforce, employees are loudly condemning their companies’ involvement in military research. The controversy even reached online furniture retailer Wayfair, where employees staged a walkout to protest the sale of beds to border camps. Luckey, who has emerged as one of the tech industry’s most outspokenly rightwing figures, has welcomed this battle. Under his banner, Anduril is a venture capital-backed start-up that has proudly joined the ranks of the military-industrial complex. Like Peter Thiel, whose Founders Fund led investments in the firm totaling $58.5 million, Luckey is a public supporter of President Trump with libertarian leanings. In a Washington Post op-ed last summer, Luckey and Trae Stephens, a partner at Founders Fund and Anduril’s chairman, made the case for U.S. tech companies to work more closely with the government in order to retain an advantage over Russia and China, which they identify as America’s key rivals for 21st century military
dominance. At a conference earlier in July, Thiel, who served on Trump’s transition team in 2016, went so far as to suggest that the CIA and FBI should investigate Google for treason, for possibly aiding the Chinese military while spurning the Department of Defense. But there’s more than ideology behind Luckey’s embrace of the U.S. military, which had a $730-billion budget in 2019. Anduril is hoping to follow in the footsteps of two other Founders Fund companies — software company Palantir, which was co-founded by Thiel and sells analytics capabilities to intelligence, law enforcement agencies and private industry; and Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, which has contracts with the armed services to launch satellites — in breaking into the staid defense contracting industry, which has long been dominated by big firms such as Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. So far, it’s working. Since opening its doors in 2016, Anduril has hired more than 100 employees and signed a number of vendor contracts. The company declined to say how much it was paid for its pilot program with Customs and Border Protection, but contracts that were recently unearthed by the immigrant rights advocacy group Mijente show that Anduril has since received more than $5 million from the agency via two intermediary contractors called Govplace and Impres Technology Solutions. It has also found an increasing number of clients in the armed forces. Earlier this week, the U.S. Marine Corps announced a $13.5-million contract with Anduril for
Putting $0 down on a home was big right before the housing crisis by Caroline Glenn
More Americans are taking out zero-down loans to buy a home, but not at the rate or with the risk that helped bring on the U.S. recession a decade ago. Experts say zero-down programs, through which people can purchase a house without a down payment, have become more popular since the 2008 housing crisis, creating an easier path to homerEal EstatE ownership but posing risks if the market takes an unexpected downturn. “We didn’t have to put $30,000 down on a house, but you still get the house you want,” said Christina Martinez, whose family bought a home in Kissimmee, Fla., a few months ago with a zero-down loan through Veterans Affairs. “We could have put (something) down, but since we didn’t have to, we just didn’t.” In April, zero-down payment loans accounted for 3.6% of loans nationally, and 3.5% in Orlando, according to data from Realtor.com, compared with 2% nationally and 1.3% locally in 2008 when they hit a low. But zero-down loans are still nowhere near as popular as they were pre-recession, when they made up 12.7% of loans nationally and 16.6% of those in Orlando. “As people have recovered, now banks are becoming a little bit looser with their lending standards,” said Jason Martin, a financial adviser with Allgen Financial. Economists said it’s a relatively safe time to use zero-down programs, as home values continue to rise and the labor market remains strong. But some urged caution, pointing out
the programs usually have high interest rates and high monthly mortgage payments. In the past year, home values in the United States have shot up 5.2%, and Zillow predicts they will rise another 2.2% within the next year. Median home prices in Central Florida have gone up 94% in the past seven years to $239,200, according to Zillow. Martin says typically people who can’t afford to save enough for a down payment are not ready to buy a home, and most people who lost their homes in 2008 were those who put little down. If the home’s value drops, buyers wind up owing more than the houses are worth. “Why take the risk? You don’t want to get yourself into a position where, if the market does top, you’re way underwater on your home,” Martin said. “It’s very dangerous for someone to buy a home when they’re not ready to buy a home.” Stacy Luna, a lender with Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, says buyers who don’t make much of a down payment are more likely to lose their homes to their lenders. “Unfortunately, what we do find with people with less skin in the game, those are the people who end up in foreclosure,” Luna said. “Maybe they lose their job, or maybe they had a roommate and now the roommate’s gone, something breaks on the house. All they know is I only had $1,000 in it so why should I stay?” Some experts say the zero-down programs themselves are much safer than in the early 2000s when applicants in some cases
didn’t even have to prove income. The most popular zero-down loans are for former military through the Veterans Affairs and people living in rural areas through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Federal Housing Commission requires buyers to put 3% down. “We certainly are not back in the freewheeling days of 2006 where anyone could get a half-million dollar mortgage,” said UCF economist Sean Snaith. “Availability to mortgage credit was beyond easy.” For Dana Signore, a single mother who recently bought a house in Clermont, Fla., the only way she could afford to buy a home was if she didn’t put anything down. She qualified for a zero-down loan through the USDA for her $230,000 home. “That was really the only option,” Signore said. “The money wasn’t there.” If her clients qualify and are comfortable with the monthly mortgage payments, Annie Amalfitano, a manager and loan originator for Motto Mortgage Exclusive, encourages them to utilize the VA and USDA programs. It’s better than renting, she says. “Why would you pay $1,200, $1,500, $1,600 a month … when you can get into a home for that much? Why would you?” Amalfitano said. “You’re just lining somebody else’s pockets and you’re not building any equity yourself. Your rent is going out the window.” ©2019 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
similar perimeter surveillance systems for four bases around the world — including one in Yuma, Ariz., that hugs the southern border. Britain’s Royal Marines have also enlisted Anduril’s services, and according to a report by the Intercept in March, the company has been tapped to work on the Defense Department’s Project Maven, which aims to bring advanced machine learning technology to bear on the battlefield. (Google employees specifically protested their company’s involvement in the initiative, prompting the company’s withdrawal from the bidding process.) Anduril was born out of controversy. In 2014, Luckey sold his first company, the virtual reality start-up Oculus, to Facebook for $2.3 billion. When on campus, he made his presence known in the parking lot with a desert-tan Humvee equipped with machine gun mounts and toy guns. In 2017, Luckey was pushed out of the social media giant after news reports that he had donated to a political group called Nimble America, which bought billboards featuring anti-Hillary Clinton memes during the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. With an estimated personal fortune of more than $700 million from his Oculus stake, he was free to do whatever he liked as a follow-up to Facebook. Instead of just driving around in military hardware, he decided to make it. Anduril’s core product is its Lattice software system, which takes in data from any number of sensors — cameras, Lidar scanners, satellite imagery — then uses machine learning to make it legible to human operators. With enough training, the system can, the company claims, learn the difference between a distant cluster of cattle roaming into view and a caravan of vehicles, and alert the user — whether a border patrol agent or a Marine on watch for possible base intruders — only when a potential risk crops up. Once alerted, a Lattice user can strap on a pair of VR goggles and get a bird’seye view of what triggered the alarm, or toggle between the individual streams coming from each sensor. The goal is to give users a kind of local omniscience — perfect situational awareness of what’s around every corner and behind each hill. Putting the secret sauce in the software rather than the hardware allows Anduril to build systems from relatively inexpensive, commercial-grade sensors and quickly deploy them into the field. It’s an approach that has succeeded in the satellite industry, where companies such as Planet Labs launch hundreds of small, relatively cheap satellites into space and rely on advanced software to stitch the images together. The company is also manufacturing its own towers and autonomous drones to feed into Lattice, and contracted with former “MythBusters” host Jamie Hyneman to build a firefighting tank prototype, as a first step toward using Anduril’s systems to combat wildfires in the future. Luckey also refuses to rule out building weapons down the line — but for now the company is focused on perfecting the all-seeing eye. In pushing back against advanced military projects, employees at companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft have argued that such powerful systems will inevitably be misused. Luckey thinks Continued on page 13.
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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Speaking of dividends, here are some income ideas for your stock portfolio by Erin Arvedlund
If you’re in need of income, it’s hard to find it from fixed income these days. So we turn to equities, in particular stocks that generate decent dividends as well as showing diviInvEstIng dend growth over the last few years. The first place we looked was the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF (symbol: VIG), which holds mostly blue-chip stocks with dividend yields currently between 2% and 4.5%. The top 10 holdings: Microsoft, Visa, Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & SUPER CROSSWORD
Johnson, Comcast, McDonald’s, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, and Union Pacific. Interestingly, the Vanguard fund doesn’t hold any energy stocks, some of which are yielding dividends upward of 5%: BP’s current yield is 6.2%, Royal Dutch 5%, Exxon Mobil 4.6%, D u k e E n e rg y 4 . 2 % , S c h l u m b e rg e r 5.1%, Sunoco over 9%, and Dominion Energy 4.7%. Be aware, however, of public energy companies that trade in master limited partnership form, since you may pay a higher tax rate on a partnership than on a MAGAZINE ENTERTAINMENT
straight stock dividend, which (generally) totals less than 20%. Check with your financial planner or broker before purchase. Timber companies Weyerhauser and CatchMark Timber Trust also yield single-digit dividends, as do many banks and real estate investment trusts, such as Brandywine Realty Trust. Of course, dividends are only one sign of a company’s financial health. Carnival Corp. saw its stock drop this year after Brexit hurt its overall earnings. Also, American tourist ships will be barred from going to Cuba under new White House policy, making Carnival and other cruise lines vulnerable. That said, Carnival’s current dividend is 4.5%, and the dividend has grown an average of 9% a year over the last five years, according to Bloomberg. In times of market uncertainty, dividend stocks allow investors to earn some rent from their portfolios. Another interesting place to investigate companies with dividend growth: The NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index, composed of securities with at least 10 consecutive years of increasing annual regular dividend payments. More information is available at bit.ly/nasdaqinq. There’s a Vanguard exchange-traded fund that tracks this NASDAQ index: Vanguard U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF. Also, you can set up your own dividend stock screen on most any online brokerage account. In times of turmoil, it’s nice to have some stable income. Vanguard lawsuit settled Malvern-based Vanguard settled a sexual harassment lawsuit brought in December by an IT manager at the mutual fund giant, according to Ignites.com, which describes itself as “the preeminent source for mutual fund news.” Terms of the settlement agreement, announced in a July 9 court filing, were not disclosed. Deborah Blair, a production services line manager, filed a complaint in 2018 alleging that starting in 2013, male colleagues made inappropriate comments about her appearance
and subjected her to “wolf whistles and catcalls.” Blair said she reported the harassment, which included comments by male colleagues comparing her to a specific adult film actress, to human resources, her lawsuit alleged. Blair took leave from work in early 2018 under the Family and Medical Leave Act, citing health issues from the harassment such as depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. After returning three months later, Blair was demoted and her job was given to another employee, according to her complaint. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with Vanguard represented by Morgan Lewis, and Blair represented by Egan McCarthy Law Firm in Exton. Blair sought $150,000 in damages as well as punitive damages. Vanguard spokesperson Dana Grosser confirmed on Friday that the mutual fund giant “has come to a resolution with Ms. Blair. The terms are confidential and therefore we’re not going to discuss the particulars or comment more specifically on the case.” ©2019 The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
40 Under 40 Buckentine Continued from page 3. operations are all getting larger,” Tronchetti Buckentine said. “We’ll have much fewer dairy farmers in the country than we have ever had before and much larger dairy farms. We’re talking multi-thousand-head of cows. “That’s definitely a trend that has impacted our suppliers as they look at what they need to do to change their manufacturing and the services that they offer to dairies as they get larger.” Tronchetti Buckentine holds undergraduate degrees from Iowa State University in agricultural business, economics and international agriculture. She’s also earned two master’s degrees, an MBA from Indiana University and in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
Dynamix Strength and Fitness remains at the forefront
Answers on page 12.
Continued from page 2. develop and gain the confidence to achieve their goals,” she said. “We work to create a connection with every person who walks through the door. We are committed to helping clients achieve results.” Buge said fitness is forever evolving and technology is certainly at the forefront. “We are thinking about heading in the direction of live streaming down the road,” she said. “We have a lot of members that travel and this would be a great option for them. We would also be able to reach people who live outside of the Omaha area.” However, Buge said nothing will be able to completely replace the live group classes. “Humans desire connection to others,” she said. “And when you’re here at our gym, you are part of something.” Buge said another element the gym has incorporated in classes is theatrical light-
ing, as it has been proven to play a role in mood, effort and experience. While there are some standard obstacles, such as schedule changes and maintenance, Idelman said a strong desire to provide these services to clients trumps any hurdles. Looking to the future, the co-owners said they have no desire to become a chain club, but instead strive to focus on creating change and utilizing personalized approaches. They also intend to continue to offer free community events whenever the opportunity arises. “Our goal is to evolve and use research to ensure our programs are the latest and safest options,” Buge said. “Our overall purpose is to show our clients that this is a lifestyle and that anyone can be successful. We also just want people to realize that fitness can be a lot of fun.”
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
Survey: Real estate is back as Americans’ favorite long-term investment by James Royal
Stocks have long been the most glamorous of the major asset classes. Many a Hollywood film has centered around making fast money in the stock market, and becoming a Wall rEal EstatE Street big shot. But despite their great long-term returns – they’ve averaged about 10% annually for decades – stocks are no longer Americans’ favorite longterm investment. What is? According to a nationwide Bankrate survey, it’s real estate. Years after a housing crash that left the economy hurting, many Americans still see real estate as their top pick. Some 31% of survey respondents named real estate as their favored investment for money that they wouldn’t need for 10 years or more. It’s the best showing for real estate in the seven years that Bankrate has conducted the survey. In 2018, stocks were the most popular investment. But this year they ran a distant second, with 20% of respondents naming stocks their top pick for holding periods of more than a decade. Cash investments, such as savings accounts and CDs, finished third at 19
percent, while gold and other precious metals earned 11 percent. Americans picked bonds as their top long-term investment 7% of the time, while bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were favored by 4 percent. Meanwhile, 5% of respondents said that none of these options were the best way to invest. Millennials are most drawn to real estate investing While some commentators have bemoaned the fact that millennials seem unwilling to buy housing, it’s not for lack of desire. Millennials in total scored the highest (36 percent) among all age groups in their preference for real estate as a longterm investment. While millennials might be the most drawn to property, real estate still remained the most popular investment among all generations, from millennials to Generation X (31 percent), as well as baby boomers (30 percent) and the Silent Generation (23 percent). “Millennials are higher on real estate than any other age group, have cooled a bit on cash, and still aren’t keen on the stock market when investing for more than ten years,” says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate chief financial analyst.
Strikingly, the preference for real estate is virtually identical in all four income categories surveyed by Bankrate. Between 32 and 34% of the time it was the top investment choice for those who reported earning more than $75,000 per year; between $50,000 and $75,000; between $30,000 and $50,000; as well as less than $30,000. Home – or least, real estate – is where the heart is for Americans. Stocks more popular among higher earners While real estate outdistanced stocks in each age and income demographic, stocks were more popular with higher earners compared to those with lower incomes. In fact, stocks were two and almost three times as popular with the highest income groups in the Bankrate survey. For the two groups with incomes of at least $50,000, stocks were their top pick 28% and 29% of the time, just behind real estate. For the two groups earning less than $50,000 annually, stocks were their top pick only 15% and 11% of the time. In fact, the higher a respondent’s earnings, the more likely the choice of their favored investment was stocks. Meanwhile, lower-income households showed a higher preference for cash in-
Glucose monitors, other device sales lift profit at Abbott Labs by Joe Carlson
While its medical-device franchise is growing at a healthy rate overall, Abbott Laboratories is working quarter by quarter to unlock the growth HEaltH carE potential of the devices it acquired from Minnesota’s St. Jude Medical two years ago. “I remember in my discussions with (former St. Jude Medical CEO) Dan Starks when we were negotiating over the acquisition of St. Jude, Dan felt pretty strongly that the pipeline at St. Jude was underappreciated and that in their own internal models that the growth rate was out there in the high single-digits,” Abbott chief executive Miles White told investors Wednesday. “The street didn’t agree with that at the time, because it didn’t see it yet, etc. But Dan was right.” White estimated that St. Jude products have seen sales growth of at least 9%, including new product launches and iterations of older devices. But it was difficult to discern that growth in quarterly earnings results posted Wednesday. Abbott posted better than expected earnings, hiked its 2019 sales guidance, sending its shares up 3% for the day, to $85.76. While medical devices made up Abbott’s largest and fastest-growing product group, with $3.1 billion in sales in the second quarter, up 7.5%, the biggest growth came from continuous glucose monitors for diabetes and the MitraClip device for mitral regurgitation — products that Abbott was making before it acquired St. Jude. During the three months ended June 30, Abbott also saw strong sales growth of its marquee FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor, a factory-calibrated blood monitor designed to be inexpensive and accessible for people with diabetes who need real-time blood-sugar data. Sales of the system jumped 73% compared to the same quarter last year, to $433
million, making up the bulk of Abbott’s $600 million in sales of diabetes products overall. Company executives told Reuters that Abbott plans to increase its manufacturing capacity for the device by three to five times in the next few years. Sales of the MitraClip product grew 30% in the quarter, to $169 million. While minimally invasive heart valve replacements are quickly growing industrywide, Abbott makes the only device that repairs instead of replaces mitral-valve tissue. On Monday, Abbott announced the approval of its next-generation MitraClip G4. The HeartMate 3 left-ventricular assist device — a complex implantable machine that pumps a person’s blood during latestage heart failure — saw strong sales growth in the quarter. The exact figure wasn’t released, but the company said that the 25% organic growth in its $201 million heart failure unit was driven by HeartMate 3 sales. That’s a device from the St. Jude portfolio. But other St. Jude categories like heartrhythm and neuromodulation systems saw sales declines. Sales of heart-rhythm devices likes pacemakers and defibrillators fell by 1% to $548 million, while sales of neuromodulation devices that treat pain with mild electric current fell 3% to $212 million. Asked about that performance, White said, “I’m always disappointed that they’re not growing as fast as we’d like them to. But, I am pleased that we’ve seen sequential improvement quarter-to-quarter in almost all of them.” Companywide, Abbott said it earned $1.47 billion in adjusted earnings, or 82 cents a share. That was 2 cents above the Wall Street forecast. Sales amounted to $7.98 billion, narrowly missing analysts’ consensus target of $8 billion. Abbott is now projecting full-year companywide organic sales growth of 7%
to 8%, and adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $3.21 to $3.27. For the third quarter, Abbott announced adjusted EPS guidance of 83 cents to 85 cents. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
vestments such as savings accounts and CDs (22 percent), as well as for gold and other precious metals (12 to 17 percent). Cryptocurrency most popular among younger investors One notable result, though perhaps not surprising, is the extent to which younger generations prefer bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Millennials picked cryptocurrencies as their top long-term investment about 9% of the time – about triple the rate of Generation X. Earlier generations had negligible numbers of respondents selecting virtual currency as their top choice. While many investors have written off cryptocurrencies, one of the world’s largest companies is setting up a project that may disrupt some more traditional payment networks. Social media giant Facebook is in the process of creating a virtual currency called Libra that may potentially be cheaper than traditional payment services. (Here’s what Libra is and how it works.) Declining interest rates may not affect investing decisions The Federal Reserve has hinted that it may be open to cutting interest rates, and investors have been nearly unanimous in expecting a rate cut in recent weeks. With that as a backdrop, the survey also questioned Americans about how the expected decrease in U.S. interest rates would play into their investment decisions. The surprising result is that declining rates would appear to have little effect at all. Declining rates are not likely to move them to invest in the stock market, borrow money or put money into savings accounts Continued on page 22.
SUPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS
Puzzle on page 11.
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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Cargill aims for 30% cut in greenhouse gases tied to North American beef production by Kristen Leigh Painter
Cargill Inc. pledged Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its North American beef supply chain by 30% in the next decade. The Minnesota-based agribusiness, one of the world’s largest agrIculturE beef producers, said it will meet this reduction on a per-pound-of-product basis by 2030 through better grazing practices, improved animal feed and reducing food waste throughout the entire chain. A reduction in per-pound emissions is not the same as reducing overall emissions, but rather the amount emitted to produce each burger or steak, for example. Through this initiative, which it dubbed “BeefUp Sustainability,” the company will also look to other executives and entrepreneurs in other industries for ideas that fall outside Cargill’s old way of solving problems, said Jon Nash, the company’s head of North American protein. “We are trying to make a concerted effort to change the way we think and really challenge some of the things we have historically done,” Nash said. “We are pushing hard to disrupt ourselves.” Livestock production accounts for 14.5% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions globally, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Within that, cattle raised for beef and milk contributes the majority of livestock-related emissions. Beef production accounts for a smaller percentage of U.S. emissions as Americans contribute more proportionally through electrical and automotive use than many other countries. Cargill is the third-largest U.S. beef processor, selling $12.3 billion worth of the red meat in 2017, according to Cattle Buyers Weekly. The company will base the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction percentage on its 2017 North American beef baseline of approximately 60 million metric tons.
“Today, beef production accounts for 2% of total GHG emissions in the U.S.,” Nash said. “Through our BeefUp Sustainability program, Cargill is pledging to do our part to improve this industry baseline by reducing the emissions in our supply chain by 30% per pound of product.” Methane, a chemical compound created in the gut of cattle and released through belching, is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in beef production, according to the FAO. The organization suggests methane production could be reduced by feeding cattle more tailored mixes that could improve digestion. Cargill, which also happens to be a large producer of animal feed, said this is one of the key areas it will focus on to reach its goal. Cargill said it will also work with ranchers, who have the option to participate, to alter grazing practices in a way that improves the land’s capacity to hold in more carbon. They will also try and im-
prove the sustainability of row crops, key ingredients in animal feed, by using more cover crops between plantings. Cargill also said it will work with its customers — like fast food restaurants and grocery retailers — to reduce food waste. Nash said that could be through better packaging to prevent spoilage or reducing portion sizes so people throw away less beef. As one of the world’s largest players in the production, transportation and sale of agricultural goods, Cargill is increasingly thrust to the fore of environmental issues related to food. “We have a breadth and depth that few others have,” Nash said. “There’s no one that should be able to do this better than us.” The company is expanding its partnership with the Nature Conservancy to advance the initiative. “We are committed to achieving a productive food system that improves
water quality and wildlife habitat while reducing GHGs,” Sasha Gennet, director for the Nature Conservancy’s North American grazing strategy, said in a statement. “Leveraging Cargill’s network allows us to drive change at a meaningful scale.” Last year, Cargill’s leadership team took a trip to Silicon Valley to meet with well-known venture capitalists and executives from large technology firms. That laid the foundation for Cargill’s sponsorship of a manure innovation challenge through the Yield Lab, an organization trying to “enable entrepreneurs to sustainably revolutionize agrifood systems.” The manure challenge, also announced Wednesday, seeks startups with ideas on how to better capture the value from manure-based nutrients, fiber and energy in a way that improves farm profitability. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Q: My company put a work-management initiative in place a while ago, but it’s not going very well. People don’t quite understand it and it’s even worse for new people who join the company. I’ve been asked to WorkplacE think about training and support to get it turned around. Where should I start? -Tina, 44, director, employee engagement A: Clarify the real issues first, then you can generate solutions and get results. You know whom to ask for information about the issues, right? Not management! Too often attempts to fix problems rely only on talking with managers. Instead, go to the users. Have conversations with staff who are using the work-management system. Find out what works, what falls short and what actually needs to be improved.
by Liz Reyer
Notice that I’m not assuming that the solution is solely training and support, and neither should you. Keep an open mind. That said, you need to know your leadership’s perspectives. Be sure to be clear about their goals for the initiative so that solutions you propose are addressing the correct problems. Now, there are some principles to keep in mind. First, one and done doesn’t cut it. We’ve all attended sessions where we received information and then somewhat later are expected to be able to use it. Without practice and reinforcement, this just isn’t realistic. Your approach needs to include both initial training and ongoing refreshers and support. Cover both process and technical training, including hands-on training for new software, and then set up ongoing user sessions to answer questions. Second, your method needs to fit your
ly, using technology responsibly,” Luckey continued. “We have to continue to lead, the same way that we led with nuclear weapons, where we were able to define the way that they were used because we were the leader in the space.” Critics of Anduril don’t share Luckey’s rosy view of American power. Mijente, the immigrant rights advocacy group, published a statement Wednesday along with details of Anduril’s contracts with Customs and Border Protection and the Marines, calling it part of “a surveillance apparatus where algorithms are trained to implement racist and xenophobic policies.” “Anduril’s business model is predicated on contracts targeting immigrant communities — however we know what happens at the border very quickly comes into the interior. Anyone in this country who cares about human rights should join us in calling for an end to this dangerous surveillance,” said Jacinta Gonzalez, Mijente senior campaign organizer, in a statement. Palantir, too, has faced an increasing drumbeat of criticism, most recently over reports revealing that its software is used to
directly facilitate Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on workplaces. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and harsh treatment of migrants are broadly unpopular in Silicon Valley, but the association hasn’t prevented Anduril from hiring enough talent to fill its considerably larger new headquarters. Although many new employees hail from the defense or security industries, or from the military, a significant number left jobs at companies such as Google, Blizzard, Apple and Juul to work at Anduril. Nor has Luckey’s embrace of controversy scared away capital. As soon as he snipped the ribbon onstage and the music picked back up, groups of investors who had flown down from Silicon Valley started circling him and his fellow Anduril executives. They were venture capitalists from blue-chip funds hoping to get a cut of the next fundraising round, drawn to the Flame of the West. ©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
organization. If your whole company is in one place, training is easier because faceto-face support is an affordable option. If your company has staff across the country or is internationally based, consider multiple options based on the risk to your company and the benefits of each approach. For example, you could set up online learning systems. There are costs, but they provide flexibility for current and new employees. Train the trainer approaches can also work. In this case, you could bring local leads to your headquarters for in-depth training. They then would be able to provide training and support locally. Or you could send a training team to other central locations. The best approach will depend on risk if your initiative fails. Third, your approach needs to be adaptable. As new training approaches are rolled out, you will get great information on ways to refine it. Taking users’ suggestions for improvement builds great buy-in. Finally, your company will need to budget for content development, staffing for trainers, and time for trainees to attend and practice. This can’t succeed if it’s piled onto already full plates. With focus and resources, you will be able to help turn this initiative around. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Reinvigorating a workplace initiative that has gone flat
A 26-year-old billionaire is building virtual border walls Continued from page 10. that gets the issue backward: Less-ethical actors are already trying to build powerful military artificial intelligence and robotics systems, so the U.S. needs to build them to ward off disaster. “We have to realize that countries like China are weaponizing artificial intelligence and using it not just to create totalitarian police states in their own countries but exporting that technology to other countries that are going to use it to build their own totalitarian police states,” Luckey said at the ribbon-cutting. “When you give a government really advanced technology and there aren’t any safeguards in place against the way you use it and there aren’t any thoughts about the ethics behind it, you’re going to end up trending towards building a police state. The United States is a very different place.” That gives America — and its tech companies — a special responsibility, one it shies away from with excessive self-flagellation, he suggests. “We’ve shown throughout history that we are leaders in using technology ethical-
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
The repeal of the ‘Cadillac tax’ showed a hazard of bipartisanship Acting on the principle “Why put it off until tomorrow when you can do the wrong thing today?,” the House of Representatives last week voted to repeal a tax that is not scheduled to take effect until 2022. The vote against EORGE the “Cadillac tax” was 419 to ILL 6, a reminder that “bipartisanship” often is the political class coming together to sacrifice the national interest to its own. Repeal of the promised tax of 40 percent on a portion of the most lavish employer-provided health-care plans would enlarge projected budget deficits by almost $200 billion over a decade. This, however, is minuscule considering the projected — and planned — deficits of $11.4 trillion over a decade. From the political class’s point of view, the beauty of enormous deficits is that they make increments of mere hundreds of billions seem not worth bickering about. Employer-provided health insurance is not taxed as what it obviously is: compensation. With this enormous subsidy to fortunate employees, the government forgoes about $300 billion in annual revenue. But lost revenue is not the primary problem. This is: The tax was proposed not just to opInIon help fund Obamacare but also as an incentive for restraining the rapid growth of health-care costs. Because the tax break — treating important compensation as untaxable — is unlimited, Alan D. Viard of the American Enterprise Institute says, it encourages employers to provide high-cost plans “that cover routine care and feature low deductibles and copayments. Those plans increase the demand for medical services and drive up costs for other patients.” James C. Capretta, also of AEI, recalls that candidate Barack Obama campaigned in 2008 against “taxing health benefits” but as president became convinced that it was too costly to leave the perverse incentive in place. Capretta says Republicans are mistaken if they “think that reforming the tax treatment of employer-based health insurance is not central to building a market-driven health system.” He says, “It is impossible to rid the system of inefficiency and waste when so much private insurance is financed by open-ended federal tax subsidies.” So here we slouch: Republicans, having vowed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, didn’t when they controlled Congress and the presidency, and now will settle for — wait for it — a tax cut (repealing a scheduled tax). Democrats, having denounced Republican tax-cutting as “regressive” and deficit-swelling, have voted for a tax cut that would partially repeal Obamacare, swell the deficit and disproportionately benefit households in the top fifth of income distribution. The Cadillac tax was supposed to begin in 2018 but has been delayed twice. Because we have defined adulthood down, the House is perhaps to be praised for taking responsibility for its irresponsibility: It might have just voted for another delay, punting the tax toward tomorrow on the “Annie” Principle that tomorrow is always a day away. But rather than continue the never-plausible pretense that the tax will someday be enforced, the House has voted to euthanize it. A Senate bill to do likewise has 21 Democratic and 21 Republican co-sponsors, but repeal might be prevented by the Senate’s aversion to legislating. But repeal this year does not matter: The tax will never be collected. The tax is integral to the structure and financing of the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. That fact and the fact that it is a tax probably were, for Republicans, sufficient reasons to justify repeal. The distilled essence of today’s Republicanism is denial of the axiom that there are just two ways to finance government — contemporary taxes or future taxes.
G W
Hard of hearings It was utterly delusional for House Democrats to think that compelling former special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before two House committees would change minds about impeaching President Donald Trump. Democrats told themselves that because most Americans DEBRA did not read the book — the SAUNDERS 448-page two-volume report about Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump's attempts to put a lid on it — Congress should show the public the movie. Democratic opposition to the Cadillac tax — the ACA was enacted in 2010 without a single Republican vote for it and with only 34 Democratic votes against it — reflects two things: Democrats like government to subsidize stuff because subsidies distort markets, which, being heartless, deserve to be distorted. And nowadays, one of organized labor’s principal functions is to negotiate health care as untaxed compensation, a government benefit unavailable to Americans who have to fend for themselves in purchasing health insurance. The margin of 413 for repeal of the tax was convenient. The House has a rule that a tax cut cannot be passed without commensurate expenditure cuts. There is, however, a second rule: The first rule is nullified if a two-thirds majority considers obnoxious the first rule’s requirement of offsetting cuts. This second rule is necessitated by a third rule: Legislators must never be forced to make choices involving unpopular trade-offs. About all this, there is bipartisan agreement. The Washington Post
The movie was a flop — and not just because Mueller lacked the leading-man qualities that built his reputation as a top-drawer prosecutor. The real problem was the rest of the cast — Congress. Members asked questions designed solely to bolster their party's posture rather than glean information. They were never going to discover something new about Russia or Trump — and they knew it. In a pathetic attempt to create the illusion of drama, some Democrats even tried to get Mueller to read from the report. Mueller would have none of it. The other problem is that Mueller found no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. His report stated, “The Russian government interfered in the 2016 election in sweeping and systemic fashion,” but opInIon also “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” Another inconvenient truth: While the Mueller report explicitly did not exonerate Trump, Mueller wrote, “This report does not conclude that the president committed a crime.” The fact that Democrats thought they had to hold hearings all but shouts that they don't think that revelations about Trump's attempts to bully White House staff and former campaign aides to do his dirty work were cause to impeach. At one point, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., prompted Mueller to affirm that he did not charge Trump because of an Office of Legal Counsel opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted. But later Mueller took it back when he addressed the House Intelligence Committee. “That is not the correct way to say it,” Mueller said. The right answer was “we did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime.” For two years, Democrats have built up Mueller as a Continued on next page.
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US-China talks set to resume as neither seems eager for a deal by Kevin Hamlin
Almost three months after their trade talks broke down in acrimony, Chinese and American negotiators meet again in Shanghai amid tempered expectations for breakthroughs in their yearlong trade war. Two days of talks are scheduled to restart after an uneasy truce reached by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, last month. Deep tensions remain, though, and recent days have brought mixed signals from both sides, with neither showing an urge to Economy compromise. While China has indicated its readiness to buy U.S. agricultural products, it has also called the U.S. the “black hand” behind anti-government protests in Hong Kong and said an investigation into FedEx Corp.’s claims it mistakenly rerouted Huawei Technologies Co. packages to the U.S. found additional legal violations. Trump has spoken with tech executives about the ban on selling products to Huawei and potentially easing that prohibition while other U.S. officials played down the possibility of a quick trade deal. At stake is the health of a global economy weighed down by uncertainty for markets and companies. The International Monetary Fund further reduced its estimates for global growth and warned that damage was to some extent “self-inflicted” by prolonged uncertainty caused by the trade war, escalating tensions over technology, and Brexit. “There is still a huge gap between the two sides on key sticking points,” said Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. “So far there is still no clear path toward a comprehensive deal.” China’s sticking to its three key demands: The immediate removal of all existing tariffs, a balanced agreement, and realistic targets for additional Chinese purchases of American products. No achievements would be made if the U.S. sticks to its existing stance during the Shanghai talks, Taoran Notes, a blog run by the state-owned Economic Daily newspaper, said.
Hard of hearings Continued from preceding page. giant of rectitude. So if Mr. Righteous wouldn't say Trump committed a crime, maybe there's a reason. And really, if House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler actually had the goods on Trump, you would think he could have come up with a better opening witness for his impeachment-lite hearings than Watergate alumnus John Dean. Republicans asked Mueller about the questionable origins of the Russian probe — they believe some in the FBI knew that Trump associates were spied on based on information from tainted sources — and they, too, got bupkis. Mueller offered that such questions are outside his purview. It's sad. The best GOP questioning at a congressional hearing in the past decade occurred when the GOP leadership drafted Rachel Mitchell, a sex crimes prosecutor from Arizona, to question now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the California woman who accused him of sexual assault when the two were in high school. The Senate Judiciary Committee chose Mitchell because there were no female Republican senators on the panel — and they didn't want to look like a bunch of old men picking on a lone woman who went public with a painful accusation. The unintended benefit was that Americans got to see a Senate hearing with questions asked by someone interested in understanding what did or did not happen. Republicans should bring Mitchell in to do the talking at every hearing. With members from both parties, the whole exercise seems so partisan and self-serving. They call it a hearing — maybe because nobody's listening. Copyright 2019 Creators.com
The U.S. should remove all additional tariffs first if it wants to reach a deal, and equality and respect between the two sides are the only way to reach agreement, it said. China is not afraid of U.S. threats to impose tariffs on an additional $300 billion of Chinese goods, it said. Among the U.S.’s demands are structural reforms to China’s economy, greater protection of intellectual property rights and a more balanced trading relationship. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said Trump’s objective is to get “a proper deal.” Leading the delegation from Washington, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin “will put forth the view we’d like to go back to where we were last May, where we did not have an agreement but we seemed to be about 90% of the way there,” White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters. The prospects for an agreement are hampered by tensions over geopolitical issues including Hong Kong, North Korea, Taiwan and the South China Sea. Huawei remains a key point of contention, with China urging the U.S. to block a proposed bill that would stop the Chinese telecom giant from accessing U.S. patents. Some in the U.S. administration also are concerned that the elevated role of Commerce Minister Zhong Shan in Shanghai may bode ill for the talks. He has a reputation as a tough negotiator and is seen by some on the American side as a hard-liner who could make discussions even more hostile than they have been already. Though he hasn’t named Zhong, Kudlow has warned a
number of times in recent weeks that the inclusion of new “hard-liners” on the Chinese side could complicate efforts to secure a deal, and thus lead Trump to impose more tariffs as he has threatened. Still, such a view is dismissed by China analyst Pauline Loong, managing director at research company Asia-Analytica in Hong Kong. “This is not some minor discussion with give and take on minor issues,” she said. “The concessions now needed to clinch an agreement will require decisions at the Politburo Standing Committee level, not at the level of the negotiating team.” The discussions will cover a range of issues, including intellectual property, forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, agriculture, services, the trade deficit, and enforcement, according to a White House statement. “China is not going to make dramatic concessions, so the issue for the U.S. side is whether it wants to accept a practical compromise or resume escalation,” said David Dollar, a former U.S. Treasury attache in Beijing, who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Recently, Trump said China may wait until after the 2020 U.S. presidential election to sign an agreement because Beijing would prefer to reach a deal with a Democrat. “I think that China will probably say, ‘let’s wait,’” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “When I win, like almost immediately, they’re all going to sign deals.” (With assistance from Ryan Beene.) ©2019 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
US to start rolling out $16 billion in farm aid next month by Mike Dorning
U.S. agriculture officials are preparing to roll out another $16 billion in aid to farmers hurt by the Trump administration’s trade war with China, with payments to begin next month. The second round of tariff-aid payments will give time for President Donald Trump to strike trade deals, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on a conference call on Thursday that gave Economy details of the new package. Payments are based on similar damage criteria as a first round and are designed to avoid distorting planting decisions. But rather than rates based on crop type, the program uses a blend of crops grown in each county, with corn growers getting the same rate as wheat for example. The rate will range from $15 to $150 an acre, with a limit of $500,000 per person. American farmers are struggling as losses from trade disputes pile on top of woes including wild planting weather and years of global overproduction that has kept prices low. U.S. farm income dropped 16% last year to $63 billion, about half the level it was as recently as 2013. For Trump, appeasing his rural-voter base has become crucial
ahead of 2020 elections. Trump announced the new aid package in May as he stepped up his trade war with China by threatening new tariffs against the Asian nation. At the time, the USDA said growers of crops including corn, soybeans and wheat will receive a payment based on a single county rate multiplied by a farm’s total plantings to those crops in aggregate in 2019 With aid flowing to farmers, Trump has avoided erosion of his political support in rural areas. In June, 54% of rural voters approved of Trump’s job performance versus a national approval rating of 42%, according to a Gallup survey of 701 self-identified rural voters. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are set to travel to China Monday for the first high-level, face-to-face trade negotiations between the world’s two biggest economies since talks broke down in May. (With assistance from Patrick McKiernan and Mario Parker.) ©2019 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Millennial magnet: Dallas outranks all in attracting young professionals by Dom DiFurio
Dallas grew its millennial population more than any other city in the U.S., a new analysis of Census Bureau data shows. Personal finance website SmartAsset analyzed net migration rates and found that 10,371 millennials moved to Dallas in 2017, the most recent data trEnds available. It defined millennials as those between the ages of 20 and 34. SmartAsset examined 173 cities. Other popular spots for millennials on the move were Seattle, Portland, Columbia, S.C., and Norfolk, Va. Seattle gained 8,007 young professionals, Portland drew 6,586, Columbia attracted 6,554 and Norfolk brought in 5,430. The median age in Dallas is 32, according to the data, making it a relatively young city. The median age for the U.S. as a whole is 38. Millennials are the largest generation in the country’s workforce, and their preferences are increasingly influencing where companies locate and how workspaces are
designed. This study’s definition of millennials skews slightly younger than the age range used by other researchers. Pew Research Center, for example, defines millennials as those between the ages of 23 and 39. Dallas is evolving as the region continues to grow. Dallas-Fort Worth gained 1 million residents between 2010 and 2018, expanding to 7.5 million people. And as a younger workforce moves in, Dallas also is becoming more of a hot spot for tech workers. The study’s authors suggest that on top of favorable tax laws, the city’s burgeoning tech scene is also driving young people to the region. North Texas now boasts the fifth-largest labor pool for tech talent in North America, according to a study by commercial real estate firm CBRE. There are nearly 170,000 tech workers with the highest concentrations of jobs clustered around Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood and in suburbs like Las Colinas Continued on page 22.
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
LEGAL NOTICES MBJ legal notice instructions The following are some guidelines to consider when posting legal notices with the Midlands Business Journal: 1. Submit a written notice in either Microsoft Word or as a PDF document to Beth Grube at legals@mbj.com, fax to 402-758-9315 or mail: 1324 S. 119th St. Omaha, NE 68144. For trade names, submit a copy of approved (bar code in upper right hand corner) Application For Registration of Trade Name from the Secretary of State to the same email address. Please include your billing address and the desired duration you’d like your notice to run (trade names run for only one week). 2. You will receive a confirmation and price quote. Legal notices, except for trade names, are charged per line. The flat fee for a trade name is $50. Payment options are cash or check. 3. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday for a notice to start publishing that Friday. 4. All costs include fees to file the notice with the Secretary of State and/or any appropriate courts. 5. You will receive a paid invoice copy and a courtesy proof of the notice the first week it runs and a copy of the affidavit filed with the courts the last week.
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HUDSON HOUNDS LLC Hudson Hounds LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 3570 S 203rd Cir, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. The name, street and mailing address of the initial agent for service of process is Amen Business Law, L.L.C., 3420 Cape Charles Rd W, Lincoln, NE 68516. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF QOZ CAPITAL, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that QOZ Capital, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 9735 Fieldcrest Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Jeffrey D. Sharp, 9735 Fieldcrest Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The limited liability company commenced business on July 15, 2019. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF P39, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that P39, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 9735 Fieldcrest Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Jeffrey D. Sharp, 9735 Fieldcrest Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The limited liability company commenced business on July 15, 2019. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NICK R. TAYLOR, Attorney FITZGERALD, SCHORR, BARMETTLER & BRENNAN, P.C., L.L.O. 10050 Regency Circle, 200 Regency One Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3794 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1036 Estate of Bryan Lynne Klopping, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on July 12th, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Sarah E, Mann Strong, whose address is 6936 North 86th Lane, Glendale, Arizona 85305, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate. Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before September 19, 2019 or be forever barred. CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF FKLJ VENTURES, LLC The name of the Company is FKLJ Ventures, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. This limited liability company commenced business on July 15, 2019. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of POC Collaborative, LLC Notice of organization is hereby given that POC Collaborative, LLC has been organized in accordance with the laws of the state of Nebraska, commencing 5/1/19. The designated office address is 3105 N 24th St, Omaha, NE 68110. The registered agent is Blair Freeman Group, 4616 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68132. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY NEBRASKA NOTICE TO DEFENDANTS TO CROSS-CLAIM TO: All Persons Having or Claiming Any Interest in the Following Described Property: A parcel of land located in the Northeast ¼ of the Northwest ¼ of Section 9, Township 16 North, Range 33 East of the 6th P.M. in Douglas County, Nebraska, described as follows: Beginning at the Northwest corner of Section 9, Township 16 North, 13 East of the 6th P.M. in Douglas County, Nebraska; thence South 869.2 feet , which line is also 24.6 feet East of the center of the fire hydrant at road intersection ½ mile south; thence turning an angle 83°50’ to the left and proceeding south 83°50’ East along the center of existing County Road Macadem a distance of 115.1 feet; thence South 80°40’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 1047.3 feet; thence South 82°55’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 491.7 feet; thence South 88°33’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 178.3 feet; thence North 75°05’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance 275.6 feet; thence North 69°00’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 253.2 feet to the Southwest corner of Tract, to be conveyed; and point of beginning; thence North 0°55’ West along the West edge of said Tract a distance of 236.7 feet; thence North 89°05 East along said North edge of Tract a distance 92.0 feet; thence South 0°55’ East along the East edge of said Tract a distance of 197.6 feet to the Southeast corner of Tract to be conveyed and centerline of existing County Road Macadem pavement; thence South 69°00’ West along the centerline of County Road Macadem a distance of 100.0 feet to the point of beginning, Real Names Unknown. You are hereby notified that on the 11th day of June, 2019, CrossClaimant Matthew J. McGowan filed a Cross-Claim in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska against you and each of you in Case No. CI191053, the object and prayer of said Cross-Claim being to obtain a decree of the Court quieting the title of said Plaintiffs and Cross-Claimant in and to: A parcel of land located in the Northeast ¼ of the Northwest ¼ of Section 9, Township 16 North, Range 33 East of the 6th P.M. in Douglas County, Nebraska, described as follows: Beginning at the Northwest corner of Section 9, Township 16 North, 13 East of the 6th P.M. in Douglas County, Nebraska; thence South 869.2 feet , which line is also 24.6 feet East of the center of the fire hydrant at road intersection ½ mile south; thence turning an angle 83°50’ to the left and proceeding south 83°50’ East along the center of existing County Road Macadem a distance of 115.1 feet; thence South 80°40’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 1047.3 feet; thence South 82°55’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 491.7 feet; thence South 88°33’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 178.3 feet; thence North 75°05’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance 275.6 feet; thence North 69°00’ East along the center of County Road Macadem a distance of 253.2 feet to the Southwest corner of Tract, to be conveyed; and point of beginning; thence North 0°55’ West along the West edge of said Tract a distance of 236.7 feet; thence North 89°05 East along said North edge of Tract a distance 92.0 feet; thence South 0°55’ East along the East edge of said Tract a distance of 197.6 feet to the Southeast corner of Tract to be conveyed and centerline of existing County Road Macadem pavement; thence South 69°00’ West along the centerline of County Road Macadem a distance of 100.0 feet to the point of beginning, The Cross-Claim further prays that you and each of you be forever barred from having or claiming any right, title, interest or ownership in and to said real estate or any part thereof, and for such other and further relief as equity requires. You and each of you are hereby notified that you are required to answer said Cross-Claim on or before the 2nd day of September, 2019. MATTHEW J. McGOWAN, Cross-Claimant, By: Mark S. Dickhute #17586, 955 No. Adams St., Suite 1, Papillion, Nebraska 68046 Email:dickhutelaw@gmail.com Tel: 402/614-4060 First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SMOCK PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Smock Properties, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Company was organized for the purpose of engaging in the transaction of any lawful business and the performance of any lawful activities that a limited liability company may engage in under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Company shall have perpetual existence unless dissolved in accordance with its Certificate of Organization, its Operating Agreement or the Limited Liability Company Act. Unless otherwise provided in the Company’s Operating Agreement, the affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managing member. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), GENE S MARR You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 04/25/2019 on Case Number CI19-9761, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $206.12, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/02/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D e W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF THE PLAZA 133 OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. The Plaza 133 Owners Association, Inc. has been incorporated under the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act on July 10, 2019. The corporation is a mutual benefit corporation. The street address of the corporation's registered office is 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the name of the initial registered agent at that office is Martin P. Pelster. The corporation will have members. Steven G. Ranum, Incorporator First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Milan Laser Tri-Cities, LLC Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska limited liability company named Milan Laser Tri Cities, LLC (the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office of the Company is 17645 Wright Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68130 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Abe Schumacher. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Buldyk’s Custom Services, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 7402 Blondo St, Apt 3, Omaha, NE 68134, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Anton Buldyk. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 6/30/2019 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers. Anton Buldyk, Member First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Kyzer Construction, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 11316 Burdette Cir. Omaha, NE 68164, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Michael Sanford. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 6/17/2019 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers. Michael Sanford, Member First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), ANA C CASTRO SANDOVAL You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 04/18/2019 on Case Number CI19-9480, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $413.99, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/02/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF RUSS HOVALDT, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is Russ Hovaldt, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 Shares having a par value of $1.00 each. 3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 S 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The corporate existence began on July 11, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State. 5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Taylor C. Dieckman, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska 68124. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CROWD PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Crowd Properties, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 9818 Fieldcrest Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The limited liability company commenced business on July 11, 2019. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MLD PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MLD Properties, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 331 Village Pointe Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68118 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 BENJAMIN J. PICK, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF KEIM RANCH AT BRUSH CREEK, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Keim Ranch at Brush Creek, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Keim Ranch at Brush Creek, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Benjamin J. Pick, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROYCE CV, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Royce CV, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Royce CV, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 12910 Pierce Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68144, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is James D. Buser, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
DAVID J. SKALKA, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF EXSULTATIO AQUA, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Exsultatio Aqua, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 5933 North 166th Court, Omaha, NE 68116. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is David J. Skalka, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney CROKER, HUCK, KASHER, DEWITT, ANDERSON & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MATIX NE, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Matix NE, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 14301 FNB Parkway #100, Omaha, NE 68154. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that An Khang Realty, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th St, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 7/9/2019 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers. Khanh Tran, Member First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that YCR Holdings, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 2214 S 86th Ave, Omaha, NE 68124, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Yuri Paskar. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 6/27/2019 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers. Yuri Paskar, Member First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
BREASCH FINANCE & TAX CONSULTING INC. 4879 S 132nd Avenue Omaha, NE 68137 CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF SHE WANDERS LLC A NEBRASKA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 1. The name of the limited liability company is SHE WANDERS LLC 2. The period of duration for SHE WANDERS LLC is perpetual. 3. SHE WANDERS LLC is organized for the purpose of conducting any and all business as permitted by the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. 4. The address of the initial designated office for SHE WANDERS LLC in Nebraska is 8604 Kilpatrick Parkway, Bennington, Nebraska 68007. 5. The name and address of the registered agent for SHE WANDERS LLC in Nebraska is Cindy Breasch, 4879 S 132nd Ave., Omaha NE 68137 6. Additional provisions, not inconsistent with the law, for the regulation of the internal affairs of the limited liability company shall be provided for in the Operating Agreement. 7. Morgan Rader and Kassie Boston, organizer(s) of SHE WANDERS LLC has signed the Foregoing Certificate of Organization effective this 9th day of July 2019. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GEMINI CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC The name of the Company is Gemini Capital Partners, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2111 South 67th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. This limited liability company commenced business on July 22, 2019. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROSE INVESTMENTS, LLC The name of the Company is Rose Investments, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 12337 Douglas Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. This limited liability company commenced business on May 31, 2019. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Bruenco LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, has been organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska, with its initial designated office at 1879 N 153rd Plz, Omaha, NE, 68154. The initial agent for service of process of the Company is Mike Bruening 1879 N 153rd Plz, Omaha, NE, 68154. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CTB, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is CTB, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 14520 Burdette Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. Terry Taulborg, Member First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SDL INVESTMENTS, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is SDL Investments, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 5030 S. 135th Street, Omaha, NE 68137. Sarah M. Ullsperger, Member First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: CHLOE M. MCMANIS, 2805 South 126th Plaza #7, Omaha NE 68144, you are hereby notified that on June 13, 2019, Ford Motor Credit Company, LLC. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-13059, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $13,251.84, together with court costs, interest and attorney's fees as allowed by law. Unless you file your Answer with the Douglas County Court on or before the 16th day of September , 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 16, 2019
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JAMES R. SACOMAN, Attorney 2580 South 90th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68124-2092 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1074 Estate of FRANK L. BEST, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on July 19, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, KIMBERLY L. TAYLOR, whose address is 801 Blue Mountain Road, Roswell, New Mexico, 88201-9457, has been informally appointed Personal Representative of this estate. Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before September 26, 2019 or be forever barred. Kelly J. Golden Clerk of the County Court First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 WESLEY E. HAUPTMAN, Attorney 17826 Monroe Street Omaha, Nebraska 68135 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1083 Estate of CORRINE MAY TABORSKY, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on July 19th, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Suzanne TaborskyBarba, whose address is 536 W. Linden Street, Louisville, CO 80027 was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate. Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before September 26, 2019 or be forever barred. Kelly J. Golden Clerk of the County Court First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), LESLIE DOLLINGER You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 04/30/2019 on Case Number CI19-10209, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $159.89, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/09/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), BARBARA J COOPERWOOD You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 04/23/2019 on Case Number CI19-9469, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $109.46, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/09/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), ROBERT W BURKLEY, KAREN BURKLEY DBA BURKLEY ENVELOPE CO. You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 02/21/2019 on Case Number CI19-4945, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $7,690.27, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/09/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), JOHN L WRIETH & JODY A WRIETH You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 02/13/2019 on Case Number CI19-4489, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $1,937.90, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/09/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
LEGAL NOTICES JAMES R. SACOMAN, Attorney 2580 South 90th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68124-2092 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-933 Estate of TODD R. RAY, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on June 25, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Clerk-Magistrate issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Deceased and that ROBERT B. SLECHTA, whose address is 112736 Marth Street, Omaha, NE 68144 has been appointed Personal Representative of this estate. Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before September 19, 2019 or be forever barred. CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Zianya Properties, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Zianya Properties, LLC. Registered agent and office of Zianya Properties, LLC at 4104 S 42nd Street, Omaha, NE 68107. Initial members: Armando Salgado. General nature of the business is to transact any and all lawful business for which limited liability companies are allowed by statute. The LLC was organized on July 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its members. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
JAMES R. SACOMAN, Attorney 2580 South 90th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68124-2092 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1048 Estate of JERALD CHILDERS, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on July 15, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Clerk-Magistrate issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Deceased and that KIRK A. CHILDERS., whose address is 7111 North 57th Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68152 has been informally appointed Personal Representative of this estate. Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before September 19, 2019 or be forever barred. CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Glow Solutions, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Glow Solutions, LLC. Registered agent and office of Glow Solutions, LLC at 14022 Manderson Plaza Apt.301, Omaha, NE 68164. Initial members: Gloria Reyes Fermin and Quincy Lee Atwater. General nature of the business is the commercial and residential cleaning and to transact any and all lawful business for which limited liability companies are allowed by statute. The LLC was organized on June 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its members. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019
NOTICE OF INCORPORATION FOR GLOBAL COOPERATION A NON PROFIT. Registered Office 1322 S 163 AVE Omaha 68130. Registered agent Leigh Gudeman at above address. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Innova Solutions, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Innova Solutions, LLC. Registered agent and office of Innova Solutions, LLC at 4011 L Street, Omaha, NE 68107. Initial members: Stefani B Mayorga Molina & Salvador Guardado Ramirez. General nature of the business is to transact any and all lawful business for which limited liability companies are allowed by statute. The LLC was organized on July 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its members. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Personal Corporation Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Z&Z Real Estate, P.C., under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Z&Z Real Estate, P.C.. Registered agent and office of Z&Z Real Estate, P.C., at 18611 Polk Street, Omaha, NE 68135. Initial directors: Yamy Salgado. General nature of the business is to transact professional Real Estate services any and all lawful business for which a Professional Corporation are allowed by statute. The professional corporation was incorporated on July 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its directors. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Loewe Creations LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 26, 2018, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore. Derek V. Loewe will wind up the company’s business and affairs. The Company will have no remaining assets or liabilities. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES 9859 South 168th Avenue Omaha, NE 68136 Notice of Organization Platinum Interiors & Design, LLC Notice is hereby given that Platinum Interiors & Design, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its initial agent for service of process as John Diamantis, and with its initial designated office at 8213 N 127th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68142. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 PHILIP S. MURANTE, Attorney Murante Law, LLC 1125 S. 119th Street Omaha, NE 68144 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State forming Boardwalk Commons, Inc. (“Boardwalk”) on June 25, 2019. Boardwalk is a mutual benefit nonprofit corporation with its principal office located at 13340 California Street, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68154. Boardwalk’s registered agent and Incorporator is Philip S. Murante, addressed at 1125 S. 119th, Omaha, NE 68144. Boardwalk shall be comprised of members. Boardwalk shall exist perpetually until dissolved by its Board or Directors or operation of law. Upon dissolution, after winding up all affairs, Boardwalk shall dispose of its assets to one or more exempt entities, within the meaning of IRC § 501(c)(3). First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 PHILIP S. MURANTE, Attorney MURANTE LAW, LLC 1125 S. 119th Street Omaha, NE 68144 NOTICE OF SUIT TO MATT AMOURA A/K/A MAHER AMOURA D/B/A DAYSPRING PRINTING Benzo-81, LLC filed a complaint in the County Court of Douglas County on February 6, 2019, docketed as case CI 19-3041. The Complaint brought a claim for breach of contract under which the plaintiff seeks $8,456.86, plus additional rent, late charges, and other amounts that continue to accrue under the contract, costs of the suit, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest and other relief as the Court may grant. You are required to answer the Plaintiff’s complaint on or before August 19, 2019 or the Plaintiff may be entitled to a judgment accepting all allegations in the complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF DOMESTICATION/INCORPORATION OF BENNING FARM AND TRUCK, INC. You are hereby notified that the below applicant has filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State Articles of Domestication and Articles of Incorporation, including the following information: Domestication/Corporation Name: BENNING FARM AND TRUCK, INC. Address of Initial Designated Office: 10828 Old Mill Rd., Suite 6, Omaha, NE 68154 Registered Agent: Jeffrey T. Palzer Shares: The aggregate number of shares which the corporation shall have the authority to issue is 10,000 shares of common stock and the par value of each of said shares shall be $1.00. The entity was originally incorporated in Iowa on December 22, 2008, and date of first use in Nebraska June 18, 2019. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF BLAND ANALYTICS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Bland Analytics, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 450 Regency Parkway, Suite 340, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Dominiclean, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Dominiclean, LLC . Registered agent and office of Dominiclean, LLC at 2221 Vinton Street, Omaha, NE 68108. Initial members: Ingris M Sanchez de Huldeen. General nature of the business is to transact any and all lawful business for which limited liability companies are allowed by statute. The LLC was organized on July 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its members. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Joan Getscher, Realtor, L.L.C., a Nebraska professional limited liability company, is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its registered office at 3220 S. 185th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. The general nature of the business is to engage in and do any lawful business, other than banking or insurance, for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and for all other purposes authorized by law, to the extent as natural persons might or could do. The limited liability company was formed on July 16, 2019. Its affairs shall be conducted by the members pursuant to an Operating Agreement duly adopted by the company. Joan Getscher, Organizer First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 NOTICE OF MERGER Notice is hereby given, that Harvey Oaks Baptist Church (d/b/a Converge Church), with a registered office at 14515 Harvey Oaks Ave, Omaha, NE, 68144, filed articles of merger with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 18, 2019, to merge with Eagle Heights Church, 17111 L St, Omaha, NE, 68135. Harvey Oaks Baptist Church will be the surviving corporation. First publication July 19, 2019, final August 2, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: BRADLEY S. BATTER, 2322 Ridgewood Ave, Omaha NE 68124, you are hereby notified that on June 13, 2019, FORD MOTOR CREDIT COMPANY, LLC filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-13061, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $9,741.06, together with court costs, interest and attorney's fees as allowed by law. Unless you file your Answer with the Douglas County Court on or before the 16th day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: RUTH C. MCKINLEY, 13726 HARRISON PLAZA APT 412, OMAHA NE 68137-4174, you are hereby notified that on April 26, 2019, CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORP. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-9241, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $8,421.73, together with court costs, interest and attorney's fees as allowed by law. Unless you file your Answer with the Douglas County Court on or before the 16th day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 16, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Intuitive Consulting, LLC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Intuitive Consulting, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 605 N. 6th Street, Springfield, NE 68059. The Registered Agent of the Company is Sheila M. Brazda, 605 N. 6th Street, Springfield NE 68059. First publication July 26, 2019, final August 9, 2019
KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DAYSHAPES, LLC The name of the Company is DayShapes, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 4724 Young Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68152. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. This limited liability company commenced business on July 24, 2019. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Smart Carpet Name of Applicant: Smart Choice Carpet Outlet, Inc. Address: 6664 L Street, Omaha, NE 68117 Applicant is a Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: upon filing General nature of business: retail flooring sales and installation JUSTINA A. PIATEK Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative August 2, 2019
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF WOODWORTH FAMILY CABIN, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Woodworth Family Cabin, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 13027 Charles Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CITY CENTRE MUSIC VENUE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that City Centre Music Venue, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is Christopher Erickson, 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ASTRO THEATRE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Astro Theatre, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is Christopher Erickson, 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MCKSRS HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MCKSRS HOLDINGS, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 18136 Mason St, Elkhorn, NE 68022. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Srilakshmi Reddy, 18136 Mason St, Elkhorn, NE 68022. The limited liability company commenced business on July 29, 2019. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is given that MG PAINTING, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with the following registered agent and registered office: Marcelo Felipe Gallardo at 2705 H St. Omaha, NE 68107. This LLC is a Partnership with Lucia Felipe as a new member with 15% ownership.The general nature of the Company's business is to engage in any lawful business permitted under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The company was organized on April 22, 2019, and it shall continue in perpetuity unless sooner terminated in accordance with the terms of its operating agreement. In general, the Company's business is to be managed by its primary member Marco Felipe Gallardo in accordance with the Company's operating agreement. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 23, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is Zen Warrior, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 1,000 shares having a par value of $1.00 each. 3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The corporate existence began on July 29, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State. 5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Brian L. Harr, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP, Attorneys 13330 California Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the voluntary dissolution of APEX RAINWOOD LLC, as of March 30, 2017. Any person having a claim, whether known or unknown, against the Company is requested to present such claim in writing to the Company at the following address: c/o Curt Hofer, 16820 Frances Street, Suite 206, Omaha, NE 68130. The claim must be in writing, must be sent by mail to the address set forth above, and must set forth the name, address and telephone number of the claimant, a detailed description and amount of the claim, the date of occurrence of the claim and any tangible evidence to support the claim that is available to the claimant. Unless sooner barred by any other statute limiting actions, any claim against the Company is barred if an action to enforce the claim is not commenced within five years after the publication date of the third required notice. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP, Attorneys 13330 California Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the voluntary dissolution of THE ESTATES AT PRAIRIE RIDGE, LLC, as of March 30, 2017. Any person having a claim, whether known or unknown, against the Company is requested to present such claim in writing to the Company at the following address: c/o Curt Hofer, 16820 Frances Street, Suite 206, Omaha, NE 68130. The claim must be in writing, must be sent by mail to the address set forth above, and must set forth the name, address and telephone number of the claimant, a detailed description and amount of the claim, the date of occurrence of the claim and any tangible evidence to support the claim that is available to the claimant. Unless sooner barred by any other statute limiting actions, any claim against the Company is barred if an action to enforce the claim is not commenced within five years after the publication date of the third required notice. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 6135 O STREET CAR WASH, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 6135 O Street Car Wash, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is Christopher Erickson, 222 S. 15th Street, 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 FRANK X. HAVERKAMP P.C. LLO, Attorney 12929 West Dodge Road, Suite 201 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Notice is hereby given that THE FARM: SENIOR DOG SANCTUARY, INC. was incorporated under the Nebraska Non-Profit Corporation Act. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation, under the Nebraska Non-Profit Corporation Act which purpose will be to administer and disburse funds related to the operation of a dog sanctuary. The registered agent is Frank X. Haverkamp and the registered office is located at 12829 West Dodge Road, Suite 201 Omaha, NE 68154. The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by the Board of Directors and such officers as it may elect. Frank X. Haverkamp, Incorporator First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Nelson Anesthesia Services, L.L.C., a Nebraska professional limited liability company, is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its registered office at 16610 Capitol Plaza, #6, Omaha, Nebraska 68118. The general nature of the business is to engage in and do any lawful business, other than banking or insurance, for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and for all other purposes authorized by law, to the extent as natural persons might or could do. The limited liability company was formed on July 26, 2019. Its affairs shall be conducted by the members pursuant to an Operating Agreement duly adopted by the company. Emily J. Nelson, Organizer First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TROYER COMPANIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Troyer Companies, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 682 Serenity Pointe, Ashland, Nebraska 68003. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that 402 How, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company, has been organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska, with its initial designated office at 14625 Grand Ave, Omaha, NE 68116. The initial agent for service of process of the Company is Li Law Group, 8424 W Center Rd Suite 108, Omaha, NE 68124. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is MAH Insurance, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 1,000 shares having a par value of $1.00 each. 3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The corporate existence began on July 30, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State. 5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Brian L. Harr, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
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DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: THOMAS MATTHEWS, 6204 Florence Blvd, Omaha NE 68110 and SHARON D. MATTHEWS, 6204 Florence Blvd, Omaha NE 68110, you both are hereby notified that on May 28, 2019, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-11692, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $10,408.80, together with court costs, interest and attorney's fees as allowed by law. Unless you file your Answer with the Douglas County Court on or before the 23rd day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 23, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: TIMOTHY J. WILSON, 110 South 49th Street Apt 304, OMAHA NE 68132, you are hereby notified that on March 26, 2019, CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-6812, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $5,239.64, together with court costs, interest and attorney's fees as allowed by law. Unless you file your Answer with the Douglas County Court on or before the 23rd day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 23, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JAUNTY PEOPLE OF OMAHA LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Jaunty People of Omaha LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 11308 Pine Plaza, Omaha, NE 68144. The Registered Agent of the Company is David Fell at 11308 Pine Plaza, Omaha, NE 68144. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TMN REPORTING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that TMN Reporting, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 7602 Pacific Street, Suite LL101, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent of the Company is Tina M. Nelson, 17134 Patrick Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Smart Carpet & Flooring Name of Applicant: Smart Choice Carpet Outlet, Inc. Address: 6664 L Street, Omaha, NE 68117 Applicant is a Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: upon filing General nature of business: retail flooring sales and installation JUSTINA A. PIATEK Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative August 2, 2019 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Jaxson's Catering Name of Applicant: Jeff Matthews Address:, 1001 N. 184th St Elkhorn NE 68022 Applicant is an Individual If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Date of first use of name in Nebraska: Upon Filing General nature of business: Catering JEFFREY MATTHEWS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative August 2, 2019 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Absolute Sports Nutrition Name of Applicant: Showalter Enterprises LLC Address: 2903 Samson Way #101 Bellevue NE 68123 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: Date of Filing General nature of business: All lawful business for which limited liability companies can be organized pursuant to Nebraska Statute. MATTHEW BURNS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative August 2, 2019
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Cooperation Concepts LLC, has been organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska on 07/19/2019 with its designated agent and office: Daniel Dube, 7803 S. 24th St, Suite 150, Bellevue NE 68147. General nature of business: toys & games. Business Shall be member-managed. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that GCP USD II, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on July 31, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore, and that the balance of any remaining assets are to be distributed to its Members. Zach Wiegert will wind up and liquidate the company’s business and affairs. If you have a claim against the company, please provide the following information with respect to your claim: 1) your name or the name of your entity; 2) the nature of your claim; 3) the amount of your claim; and 4) the date your claim arose. All claims shall be mailed to GCP USD II, LLC, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, NE 68122. A claim against the company is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five (5) years after the publication date of the third required notice. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that USD SDL I, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on July 31, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore, and that the balance of any remaining assets are to be distributed to its Members. Zach Wiegert will wind up and liquidate the company’s business and affairs. If you have a claim against the company, please provide the following information with respect to your claim: 1) your name or the name of your entity; 2) the nature of your claim; 3) the amount of your claim; and 4) the date your claim arose. All claims shall be mailed to USD SDL I, LLC, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, NE 68122. A claim against the company is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five (5) years after the publication date of the third required notice. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that USD SDL II - Exemplar, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on July 31, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore, and that the balance of any remaining assets are to be distributed to its Members. Zach Wiegert will wind up and liquidate the company’s business and affairs. If you have a claim against the company, please provide the following information with respect to your claim: 1) your name or the name of your entity; 2) the nature of your claim; 3) the amount of your claim; and 4) the date your claim arose. All claims shall be mailed to USD SDL II - Exemplar, LLC, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, NE 68122. A claim against the company is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five (5) years after the publication date of the third required notice. First publication August 2, 2019, final August 16, 2019
APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Deterrence Diner Name of Applicant: WGS Consulting & Investments LLC Address: 133 N 14th St., Ashland, NE 68003 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: NE Date of first use of name in Nebraska: New General nature of business: Food and beverage services for the Offutt Air Force Base Cafeteria SANTIAGO W. VILLANUEVA Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative August 2, 2019
At Big Blue, America’s first black software engineer blazed a trail but paid a heavy price by Jon Talton
In the “Hidden Figures” era, when people of color and women are receiving overdue recognition for their contributions to science and technology, Clyde Ford has a remarkable story to tell. In 1947 his father, John Stanley Ford, went to work at International Business Machines as the first black software engineer in America. He was personally hired by IBM’s towering leader, Thomas Watson Sr. This was the year when Jackie Robinson was breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, brought on by Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey. HIstory First specializing on the IBM 407, the Ur-machine for the advances that followed, John Stanley Ford, who died in 2000, was literally present at the dawn of the Digital Age. He worked at the company for 37 years. This and so much more are told in his son’s book “Think Black,” coming in September from Amistad/HarperCollins. Clyde Ford has lived in Bellingham for 30 years. Part searching memoir, part meditation on race, society and technology, powerfully and beautifully written, provocative and moving, “Think Black” is essential reading. (The title is inspired by IBM’s ubiquitous Think signs that dominated its offices and marketing.) John Stanley Ford knew that as a “first,” he would represent his race and had to be twice as good as his white counterparts. He thought he was well-equipped, especially as a chess player accustomed to thinking several moves ahead. Music, with its unique coded language, and correspondence chess, armed him. “My father understood the code, and before he even began working with computers, he understood the power of any code to create, shape and transform the world,” Clyde Ford writes. His father played on IBM championship chess teams and lifted his family into the middle class. He prophetically told his young son, “Computers will control your life one day. Better that you first learn to control them.” But he was also shunned by many white colleagues and hit walls of discrimination within the corporation. Minorities continue to be underrepresented in tech (and the media). The result was corrosive. “And where I thought to find a contented man reaping the benefits of good fortune to build a comfortable life,” the son writes, “I found a troubled soul battling both inner and outer demons…” Clyde Ford was also baffled that his dark-skinned father accepted crackpot myths about skin color and racial inferiority, as well as controversial social science used to justify discrimination and bigotry. Clyde rebelled, after his fashion. Although he followed his father as a software engineer at IBM in the early 1970s, he arrived for his first day of work in wide-lapel suit, red turtleneck and massive Afro, the theme from “Shaft” in his head. (In those days, “edgy” at IBM meant wearing a light-blue dress shirt with suit and tie.) Yet Clyde Ford found that much had not changed
in attitudes toward minorities within the firm — and he would not be a Big Blue lifer. Even today, IBM’s chair and chief executive is a woman, but not one African-American is among the company’s senior executives. Two board directors are black, certainly an advance from the 1940s, but neither comes from within IBM. This is a widespread challenge in corporate America. Technology can appear to be a great equalizer. In fact it has often been a tool of oppression. The breakthrough of the cotton gin made slavery profitable. Nazi Germany benefited from IBM machines and punch cards before America’s entry into World War II (although claims that the company was complicit in the Holocaust are overblown). Today’s tech breakthroughs risk perils, too. Algorithms may be written by people with unconscious biases. On a search engine, say, this can produce a biased result. “You can’t fully separate people from software,” Ford told me. Tech companies need to employ diverse workforces and to test software on diverse populations through focus groups. Corporate decision-makers “need people from many different backgrounds,” he said. “This will bring a social context they may not know.” Also, the digital revolution of which John Stanley Ford was a part produced dangers as well as advances, ones that affect all of society. Clyde Ford recalled a conversation he had with writer Kate Manning (author of “Whitegirl”), whose father also worked at IBM during the same era. That man watched all the people obsessively looking down at their cellphones and said, “Oh, my god, we’ve released a monster.” Ford went on: “My father would have said the same thing. My answer would be exactly the same.” Scholars and scientists have only recently delved deeply into the pathologies of digital addiction, although computer scientist Jaron Lanier has warned of it for years. In addition, technology advances have brought civic isolation, the distortions and lies that become “truth” on social media, loss of privacy and the 2016 election meddling on Facebook. “But it’s still evolving, so it’s up to us and coming generations to tame,” Ford said. “If we don’t tame it, that monster will consume our society, our democracy….” Ford worries about today’s obsession with STEM education to the exclusion or downgrading of the liberal and fine arts. His father, for all his technological skills, was also a musician, chess player, polymath and voracious reader. He was an officer in World War II. “If I were to try to be a teacher, I would want to go back to the fifth grade” to catch and mold children early, Ford said. “We need more broad-based thinkers.” ADVERTISING This was once axiomatic at IBM, which wanted people from broad, eclectic backgrounds who could bring new insights into technology. It’s a recipe that was also pioneered by the famed physicist and mathematician John von Neumann. Apple’s Steve Jobs was a big proponent of the liberal arts. “STEM ed is too focused,” Ford said. “It blinds people to thinking outside the STEM box.” Ford should know. He’s a renaissance man. Although he’s an IBM veteran and still runs a small software firm in Bellingham, Ford is also a psychotherapist, expert in mythology and an author, even of mysteries. This has equipped him to tell a deeply moving story of father and son. This also has elements of a mystery as the son peels back the layers of this complex relationship. So often Clyde Ford felt nothing he could do would be good enough — “I imagine if he were alive and knowing about this book, he’d want to know if it was going to be on the New York Times bestseller list.” The gulf between them grew during the 1960s and 1970s. For example, the son opposed the Vietnam War. The father was a conservative anti-communist. Wearing Continued on next page.
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Desperate for workers, aging Japan turns to robots for health care by Don Lee
In America and other aging societies around the world, it has become common for the elderly to be cared for by their graying children or older workers. That’s largely because the younger labor force is shrinking, tEcHnology and few want to do such low-paying, back-aching work. Japan sees an answer in robots. At Minami Tsukuba nursing home near Tokyo, caregiver Asami Konishi wears a robotic device on her hips that cuts the stress on her back when she bends and lifts someone. “It really helps when I have to pick up a heavier male patient,” said the 34-year-old. The lumbar device and other cyborg suits made by Cyberdyne Inc. can help the wearer build strength and restore mobility, like standing up and walking. Cyberdyne’s gear works by reading bioelectric signals from the brain to the muscles, thus mimicking and supporting the movement intended. “It fuses the human and robots and information systems,” said Yoshiyuki Sankai, an engineer who founded Cyberdyne in 2004. Other bigger, more familiar Japanese firms also are developing robots to target the enfeebled and elderly. Panasonic makes a robotic bed that transforms into a wheelchair. Sony’s robot puppy and other “carerobo” animals are seen as therapy for loneliness and dementia. “Just looking at it makes people smile, exercising their facial muscles,” said Kenshin Noguchi, Minami Tsukuba’s business promotion manager, referring to Paro, the name of a furry baby seal robot designed by Japan’s Intelligent Systems Research. Paro, which costs about $3,700, reacts to touch, sound and light. A hand grazes its
Black software engineer Continued from preceding page. a suit and carrying a briefcase, he refused to be seen in public with a son sporting an anti-war button, dressing in jeans and boots or carrying a guitar. An elaborate chess game went on between the two for years. Clyde Ford writes, “My father developed a unique form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being the first black systems engineer at IBM, one known to many who are racial, ethnic or gender ‘firsts’ … a reaction to feeling ‘under a microscope,’ ‘always on display’ or ‘representing one’s race.’ “ Ford blames this “hypervigilance” on the racism his father experienced in the company. The son’s sense that his father had sold out produced a rift that took years to heal. It also took years for Clyde to understand the tortuous path that left his father, outwardly so successful, so damaged inside. In this sense, “Think Black” speaks not only to important issues of race in America but to the fraught relationships between many “Greatest Generation” parents and their baby boomer children. In Ford’s words, the book is “about a father and son, not just a black man and his son.” ©2019 The Seattle Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Paro, a robot seal made in Japan, lies on a counter in the front office of the Minami Tsukuba nursing home near Tokyo. It can be used to mitigate loneliness and dementia. (Don Lee/Los Angeles Times/TNS) whiskers and Paro’s head and legs move. ployee division based in San Francisco that Paro also blinks and lets out a harp seal’s opened about three years ago. cry. At Minami Tsukuba, the robot usualIndeed, Japan’s lead in advanced robotly sits on the office counter by the front ics for health care is driven by its demodoor, where residents pass by and stroke graphic conundrum. More than most, the or hug it. nation’s population is shrinking and aging Rec time at the Shintomi nursing home rapidly. Already more than a quarter of its in Tokyo includes a sing-along led by population is 65 or older (compared with Pepper, a 4-foot-tall, big-eyed humanoid 16% in the United States), and by 2050, robot. SoftBank, the telecommunications that’s expected to rise to around 40% in and finance giant, has sold some 16,000 Japan. Even now elderly are taking care of them, mostly to retailers and banks in of elderly. Japan. Pepper interacts with customers, Culture also plays a role in Japan’s answering common questions (Where’s the embrace of robots. Many Japanese grew bathroom?) and making product pitches. up with Astro Boy, the robotic child with (There are a few hundred Peppers at work X-ray vision and an ability to fly that was in the United States.) created in the 1950s and serialized in man“In Japan, they can’t create people fast ga comics and television. enough to fill more remedial jobs,” said “Robotics is part of their lives. There’s Collin Sebastian, head of engineering at appreciation for that type of technology SoftBank Robotics America, a 100-em- and novelty,” said Sebastian.
The United States has been slower to adopt robots. Experts think that’s partly due to unrealistic expectations and partly to fear. American consumers want robots to perform like humans, and yet there’s apprehension that may have come from Hollywood’s depiction of cyborgs and artificial intelligence in popular movies such as “The Terminator” and “The Matrix.” At another level, people fear robots as job killers. When Sebastian and his SoftBank colleague made the rounds this month on Capitol Hill, many of the questions centered on how advances in robotics would affect existing American jobs. Industrial robots have long been deployed by U.S. manufacturers, such as robotic arms that weld car parts at assembly plants. To be sure, automation has eliminated a lot of routine work. But Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, says productivity statistics over the last decade suggest it’s not been nearly so bad in manufacturing. Even then, he said, substituting human labor with robots may not be a bad thing when there aren’t enough workers to do certain tasks, whether its picking strawberries, stocking shelves or caring for the elderly. Although the United States isn’t aging as fast as Japan, America’s 65-and-over population already numbers more than 52 million, and that is projected to nearly double by 2060, when the elderly will make up about one out of four Americans. At the same time, the United States — like Germany, South Korea and other advanced nations — faces a shrinking share of prime-aged workers over the next decade, including younger ones who might be best suited for the physical demands of elderly care. Jobs at assisted-living facilities in the United States are projected to grow around Continued on next page.
Rent Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People clothing for $88 a month by Ellie Silverman
Urban Outfitters’ new subscription service, Nuuly, launched recently, allowing customers to purchase a rotating wardrobe of Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters as well as other brands. Philadelphia-based rEtaIl Urban Outfitters will be competing with similar services offered by Rent the Runway and Le Tote as demand for the clothing rental market continues to increase, estimated to grow from almost $1.3 billion now to more than $2.5 billion by 2023, according to the market research firm GlobalData. Nuuly is an $88 subscription service where customers can choose six items from more than 1,000 styles from hundreds of brands in categories such as denim, dresses, outerwear, and vintage. The Nuuly website also includes an option to shop by categories like “Professional Development” for office-appropriate clothing and “Hit Refresh” for “weekend looks.” Subscribers will receive a package each month with the six items they picked with free two-day shipping. They can wear the
clothes as much as they want and then either buy or return the items by the monthly due date. Customers can then repeat the process and wait for six more new pieces of clothes to arrive. Laundry and dry cleaning are included in the subscription. “There are no late fees, no damage fees, no shipping fees, no fee-fees,” Nuuly’s website said on its Frequently Asked Questions section. “The only additional amount you’ll be charged, unless you choose to purchase items, is sales tax where applicable” Urban Outfitters Inc. announced its plans for Nuuly in May along with the company’s first-quarter earnings report. The company said sizes will range from 00 to 26 with petite and plus-sized options. “Nuuly is about discovering something you didn’t know existed, loving something you never expected and surprising yourself in the best possible way,” the website reads. “ It’s about expanding your outfitting options into the thousands — while keeping more of those $1,000s in your bank account.” The company estimates the retail value of one monthly Nuuly subscription pack-
age to be more than $800, David Hayne, the company’s chief digital officer and president of Nuuly, said on the May earnings call with analysts. Hayne said the company aims to have about 50,000 Nuuly subscribers within its first year, which would translate to more than $50 million in annual revenue. “Nuuly seeks to further these shifting behaviors by giving subscribers access to a wide assortment of current fashion at a substantially lower cost per wear than retail,” Hayne said on the call, “solving the paradox of a millennial’s quest for constant fashion newness, alongside the desire for a more sustainable lifestyle.” In the company’s first quarter, or the three months ended April 30, sales rose 1% to $864 million. Comparable retail sales at Free People rose 2 percent, and 1% at Anthropologie. Urban Outfitters’ comparable retail sales were flat. The company’s stock is down about 28% so far this year. At the end of trading, shares were at $23.55. ©2019 The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Desperate for workers, aging Japan turns to robots for health care Continued from preceding page. 40% over the next decade, several times faster than the average. But labor shortages are also likely to abound, aggravated by low wages. The median annual pay for home and personal care aides was $24,200 last year. Nursing assistants and orderlies working at residential care homes didn’t do much better, earning $28,530. Pay and turnover are problems in Japan’s elder care industry, too. At Minami Tsukuba, Noguchi wants to boost the quality of care by lowering the number of residents per each caregiver,
Long-term investment Continued from page 12. or CDs, say respondents. “A Fed interest rate cut is unlikely to influence how consumers manage their finances,” says McBride. “Only a minority of Americans say they would save more, invest more, or borrow more as a result.” For example, just 40% of respondents said they would be more likely to move money into cash investments such as savings accounts and CDs in response to declining rates. Only 26% said they would be more likely to borrow more money in response to falling rates. Meanwhile, just 33% of respondents said they were likely to invest in the stock market as rates fell. But the responses varied by income level. For example, households earning less than $50,000 were more likely (37 to 49 percent) than high-income households (31 to 33 percent) to move money into bank products as rates fell. The lower the income, the more likely the respondent was to move assets into the bank. What should investors do to meet their goals? While a person should choose the investment that works best for their own individual situation, there are smart ways of accomplishing your goals regardless of what you choose – stocks, bank accounts, bonds or something else entirely. If you’re moving your assets to a bank, then it makes sense to find a bank that offers higher yields. An online bank can offer many of the benefits of a brickand-mortar rival, while still paying much higher interest rates. Similarly, if you’re looking to move into stocks, you should consider a broker that meets your needs, not necessarily the cheapest or the flashiest. For example, many brokers offer research and education, including research reports, that help when making investment decisions. Methodology Bankrate commissioned SSRS to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from SSRS. Total sample size was 1,015 respondents. Fieldwork was undertaken on June 25-30, 2019, and the survey was carried out via telephone. Data are weighted to represent the target population, and margin for error for total respondents is 3.35% at a 95% confidence level. ©2019 Bankrate.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
from three to 2.5. But even workers such as Konishi, who has seven years of experience in elder care, makes around $20,000 a year for four full days of work a week. Others burn out because care-giving is hard on the body, especially as workers get older. Noguchi reckons that’s where robots could help stem turnover. Equipment such as Cyberdyne’s lumbar device could keep workers in their jobs longer, and he thinks it could also make it easier to recruit younger people if the workplace is teeming with robots and has a more high-tech feel to it. Cyberdyne’s chief executive, Sankai, sees wider workforce applications for his products. His lumbar device, for example, could lower the risk of back injury for airport workers handling bags, he says, and those laboring in agricultural fields. The average age of a Japanese farmer is 69. But it’s health care that drives Cyberdyne and Sankai’s personal ambitions. As a 9-year-old, Sankai was captivated by Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel “I, Robot.” Soon after, he began tinkering and conducting experiments in rocket combustion and testing the movement of the legs of frogs with electrical stimulus. Sankai, 61, has a doctorate in engineering from the University of Tsukuba, and Cyberdyne’s public offering in 2014 catapulted him into Forbes’ list of Japanese billionaires.
Cyberdyne has yet to make a profit, but some of the company’s robotic, or exoskeleton, suits have received regulatory approval in Japan, the European Union and the United States for use in treating certain medical conditions, such as strokes and spinal cord injuries. Yoshiaki Kawasaki, 70, credits the company’s robotic limb suit for enabling his 68-year-old wife to walk again after a brain hemorrhage left her bedridden, her left leg paralyzed. He says she went for 90-minute treatments once or twice a week — and two months later was able to walk normally. “She can also jog,” Kawasaki said, speaking from Cyberdyne’s testing studio at a shopping mall in Tsukuba, where he volunteers as a way of showing gratitude to the company. Many others who have tried Cyberdyne products haven’t seen such breakthrough results, but Sankai believes his robotic suits could be effective in restoring motor functions in patients with such crippling diseases as muscular dystrophy and polio. Hospitals and rehab centers in Italy, Malaysia and the Philippines, among other countries, are using Cyberdyne products. Others, including Saudi Arabia, are undertaking clinical trials with Cyberdyne robotics. In the United States, Cyberdyne last year formed a joint venture with Brooks
Rehabilitation Medical Group based in Jacksonville, Fla. Amy Morace, the partnership’s development and sales manager, says Brooks’ outpatient facilities are using eight Cyberdyne lower-body suits to work with patients with spinal cord injuries, for which Cyberdyne was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. Out of 22 completed cases so far, two persons, including a California man in his 40s who injured his spine in a car accident, came in a wheelchair and walked out on foot, unaided by any device, after three months of intensive rehab wearing the Cyberdyne suit. Of the others, Morace says, all were better off at the end, with some having greater bladder control and improved sensation and mobility. Private insurers don’t cover the program, which runs up to $24,000, depending on the protocol. But Sankai sees the day when that will change as more research and clinical data are collected and demands from a growing senior population increase. “For the elderly person, sometimes they don’t have opportunities to talk with somebody and sometimes physical function is reduced,” said Sankai. “We have to prepare the technologies.” ©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Journey: 5 things retirees should do with their credit by Janet Kidd Stewart
Whether or not you’re one of the 147 million consumers affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach — which resulted in a Federal Trade Commission settlement of up to $700 million last week — retirees need to stay vigilant rEtIrEmEnt about their credit profiles, experts say. That may seem counterintuitive, particularly to those who pay off their homes, cars and other debt by the time retirement is on the horizon. Retirement itself, in fact, doesn’t hurt a credit score directly. But the absence of credit can, indeed, torpedo a pristine credit score because payment history over the past two years — or the lack thereof — is the biggest determinant of a credit score. The length of credit history, where most retirees can really shine, carries less than half the weight of the overall payment record. And a credit-score dive can be trouble, even for retirees.
Millennial magnet
Continued from page 15. and Plano. The majority of those are employed in software development and computer support jobs, and are paid an average of $98,000 a year. Dallas’ tech community is also overwhelmingly male. Only one in four tech industry workers are women, according to CBRE. ©2019 The Dallas Morning News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
“It’s an important tool to have available and to protect,” said Rod Griffin, director of public education for Experian, one of the three major credit-reporting agencies. A later-life move, purchases of items like cars, cell phones or insurance, even an application for a reverse mortgage may require a strong credit score. What to do? Consider these 5 moves: -Leverage the positive. Retirees who’ve experienced a dip in their credit scores could be ideal candidates for Experian Boost, a program that lets consumers give the agency a look into their checking accounts to verify positive track records on paying utility and cell phone bills. Two-thirds of the customers who try the Boost program see a rise in their scores, Griffin said, with an average increase of 12 points. Note that it can’t negate bad credit behavior, it simply can help consumers with thin credit records beef up their profiles. “When you think about people heading into retirement, if they are adding recurring on-time utility payments, that could help maintain activity” on their reports, he said. The program is most helpful for people who started with scores below 680. (Scores range from 300 to 850). -Embrace the freeze. If you’re retired and don’t plan to move or buy a car in the near term, this may be a good time to put a freeze on your credit with the three main bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. If you do this, creditors can’t access your information until you remove the freeze with a PIN number. So, keep that number in a safe place. For a fee, the
bureaus offer a credit lock, which can be removed without a PIN, but may not carry all the protections of a true freeze. -Clean up. A lot of credit experts tell consumers never to close credit accounts because it can hurt scores, but Griffin says any dip is typically short-lived. “If you close an account your scores will dip, but they usually recover within two or three months,” he said. If you’re not planning to buy a house or a car in the next six months, cleaning up orphan accounts may be a good idea now, he said. -Be ready. If you’re thinking about a reverse mortgage, where a lender provides funds to homeowners 62 and older that are tied to home equity, be aware that your credit history is now part of the equation. Since 2015, these lenders have been required to assess whether a borrower has the ability to continue making home improvements and tax payments on the property, and credit reports are a key part of the equation. -Check for a windfall. If you want to check your potential eligibility to claim part of the Equifax settlement, go here: https://eligibility.equifaxbreachsettlement. com/en/eligibility. To file a claim, go here: https://www.equifaxbreachsettlement. com/file-a-claim . “You should always be diligent about managing your credit history,” Griffin said. “It can affect a wide range of financial transactions and you want it to be there to work for you when it is needed.” ©2019 Tribune Content Agency Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Property & Casualty
Technology
Insurance A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
Topics may include:
Topics may include:
Technology overview • Cloud collaboration tools Cybersecurity trends • Selecting the right technology Technology to improve business meetings • Augmented Reality
Outlook • Independent Insurance Agents of Omaha and Nebraska chapters Cyber insurance • Auto insurance industry • Disaster planning • Tort reform
Issue Date: August 9 • Ad Deadline: August 1
Issue Date: August 16 • Ad Deadline: August 8
Shopping/Mall Space Directory A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
Topics may include:
Topics may include:
Holiday office party venues • Equipment, supplies and decorations • Catering/food trends Budget-friendly ideas • Gift giving tips • Entertainment • Restaurant/hotel options Family-friendly events • Event planning trends • Tips from HR/attorneys/insurance • Event marketing tools Selecting goals/themes • Focus on smaller functions • Incorporating charitable elements
Retail market overview • Retail remodeling trends • New technology Choosing the right location for retail space • Shopping center trends • New technology Selecting a real estate broker for business needs • Retail security
Issue Date: August 16 • Ad Deadline: August 8
Issue Date: August 23 • Ad Deadline: August 12
To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below. Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Catie Kirby - Catie@mbj.com
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UPCOMING
SECTIONS
IN THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL
AUGUST 9
TECHNOLOGY
AUGUST 16
PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE
HOLIDAY OFFICE PARTIES GUIDE AUGUST 23
SHOPPING/MALL SPACE DIRECTORY To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below. Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Catie Kirby - ads@mbj.com Space and materials deadline is the Friday prior to the publication date. You may email us your insertion orders directly, or fax them to us at (402) 758-9315. We will acknowledge receiving your instructions.
REGIONAL LANDSCAPES
Briefs…
Accounting Today named BerganKDV Wealth Management, LLC as the 27th largest wealth management firm ranked by assets under management for 2019 with $1,283,069,118 in assets. The BerganKDV Wealth Management division employs 23 staff members and is led by Matt Cosgriff, wealth management solution leader. TEAM Software received the Bestin-Class HR Management Award from Gallagher, an insurance, risk management and consulting services company. TEAM is one of five Omaha-based companies who received the award. TEAM develops software solutions for janitorial and security contractors in North America and has 145 employees in its Omaha office. The Best-in-Class award is part of a national benchmarking survey completed by 2,307 mid-sized employers across the U.S. Veridian Credit Union has partnered with SavvyMoney to offer its members free access to their credit report, score, monitoring and more. Veridian’s Credit Central, powered by SavvyMoney, is now available within the credit union’s online and mobile banking platform. Credit Central provides credit scoring from VantageScore 3.0, a scoring model developed collaboratively by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Scooter’s Coffee launched the company’s first-ever canned cold brew beverages. The new cold brews are the company’s first foray into the ready-to-drink coffee category and come in three initial varieties: Guatemala, Costa Rica Micro-Mill and Scooter Doodle. All three varieties are currently available at Omaha and Lincoln area Scooter’s locations and nationwide. Heartland Workforce Solutions has appointed two new providers with strong connection in Omaha to join its workforce network in Douglas, Washington, and Sarpy counties. National Able Network will serve as HWS’ new one-stop operator, impacting the management and operation of the American Job Center. National Able Network was also selected as the provider of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act adult and dislocated worker services, enhancing the resources and opportunities provided to local job seekers. Dynamic Educational Systems, Inc will be the service provider of the WIOA youth program, providing educational and employment services to youth. Werner Enterprises has received four 2019 American Inhouse Design Awards from Graphic Design USA, marking the 11th consecutive year Werner has earned this award. Werner’s award-winning entries were selected from the calendars, advertising, videos and graphics categories. Photos of the department’s winning materials will be featured in an upcoming publication of Graphic Design USA magazine. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers just broke ground on its eighth restaurant in the Omaha area at 5011 L St. When it opens in October, it will be the 16th Raising Cane’s in Nebraska and 481st system-wide. The new restaurant plans on hiring 80 crewmembers for multiple positions. White Lotus Group has been selected by The State of Nebraska as the developer for the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles’ newest location in Omaha at 171st Street and West Dodge Road in the West Dodge Pointe
development. The building is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2020 and will be the newest driver licensing office for the Nebraska DMV. The Nebraska DMV will be the only tenant in the building. Serial entrepreneurs Steve, Marie and Matt Glenn, owners of Headwind Consumer Products, have acquired Robert Allen Home and Garden of Grand Rapids, Michigan and will be relocating the company into the company headquarters in Syracuse, Nebraska. Robert Allen Home and Garden is a provider of quality designed pottery/ planters in the industry. The company is the exclusive provider offering “Glazed Ironstone” pottery that is made from recycled/re-purposed automobile car doors. NCR Corporation, a technology leader for the financial industry, has acquired D3 Technology, Inc., a provider of online and mobile banking for the Large Financial Institution market. Adding D3 immediately expands NCR Digital Banking into new market segments, including U.S. large banks and over time, international banks. PETA released its Top 10 Vegan Hot Dogs of 2019 and Fauxmaha Hot Dogs’ Banh Mi Dog has nabbed a spot on the list. The award-winning menu item from the vegan hot dog cart consists of a tofu-and-seitan dog topped with pickled carrots and radish, a spicy Sriracha “mayo” sauce, and fresh mint and cilantro. Other winners include the Crispy Cowboy at Phyto’s Vegan Eats in Las Vegas, the Hang Ten from Onion Maiden in Pittsburgh, and the Chicago Dog at Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace in Columbus, Ohio. The Nebraska Department of Labor has received over $840,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand Registered Apprenticeships across the state. The Apprenticeship State Expansion grant covers the next three years and will allow NDOL to assist businesses with new program development. The grant allows for enrolling over 400 new Registered Apprentices. As of March 2019, there were approximately 125 Registered Apprenticeship programs in Nebraska, representing an increase of 44% since 2016. NDOL was awarded the ApprenticeshipUSA State Accelerator Grant in 2016. CBRE Group, Inc. has acquired its longtime affiliate serving the Greater Omaha area, CBRE | MEGA. Founded in 1975, CBRE | MEGA is one of Omaha’s largest full service commercial real estate services firms, with more than 100 professionals providing sales, leasing and project management services and managing a portfolio of more than 5.5 million sq. ft. The firm has been a CBRE affiliate since 2000. CBRE in Omaha will continue to be led by Bennett Ginsberg, who will serve as managing director. The American Society of Civil Engineers recognized the Union Pacific Railroad as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Completed on May 10, 1869, this historic railroad allowed settlers to make the trip west in just seven days, when previously, the trip took up to six months via wagon — a perilous journey for the settlers. The National Historic Landmark signifies the merging of the Central Pacific Railroad with the Union Pacific Railroad in Promontory, Utah. Both railroads were joined by the driving of a final golden spike. It was a full house for Tobacco Education & Advocacy of the Midlands’ 3rd Continued on next page.
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REGIONAL LANDSCAPES Continued from preceding page. Annual Awards Luncheon. Dr. Brian King, a deputy director for research translation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave the keynote address. Awards presented were: Advocate of the Year: Gary Wokenfuss, Weeping Water Middle School/High School principal; Business of the Year: CHI Health; Community of the Year: Springfield, Nebraska; Outdoor Recreation Facility of the Year: Village of Eagle, Nebraska; Partner of the Year: Emily Sarcone, CHI Health Cancer Center Outreach Coordinator; World No Tobacco Day “Bag the Butts” team award: Cheeky Monkey; Partridge Family.
Health care notes…
OneWorld Community Health was awarded grant funds totaling $372,400 from United Way of the Midlands to support five programs. Approximately 15,000 low-income and uninsured residents of Douglas, Sarpy, Cass and Pottawattamie Counties will receive medical, dental and behavioral health care and supportive services due to the rewards. Programs include: Community Clinics Care for Children program; The Health Outreach and Access for Refugee, Immigrant, and Minority Populations program; The Health Supportive Services program; The Integrated Health Care for Uninsured Adults program; and The Learning Community Center of South Omaha. Premier Dental will host the 6th annual charitable event, “Dentistry From The Heart,” on Aug. 24. Premier Dental employees and volunteers will provide free dental care on a first-come, first-serve basis for adults who are uninsured, under-insured, or unemployed. Premier Dental’s sponsors are Kiewit, Harcros and Arbor Bank. To date, Premier Dental has donated over $309,000 in free dental care to more than 700 residents through and collected 75 units of blood for the Red Cross through its annual event.
Education notes…
The Munroe-Meyer Institute and Millard Public Schools will partner on new social and recreational skills development programs for special education students with autism and other forms of intellectual and developmental disabilities, designed to decrease social isolation and prepare students for life after school. The two programs will follow students into adulthood. The Hattie B. Munroe Foundation will fund the programs at more than $70,000 annually for the first year and plans to continue funding for another two years following a review of first-year achieved metrics. Metropolitan Community College students won one gold medal and six bronze medals at the 55th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Altogether, 21 students from MCC participated in the national competition. Winners include: Carpentry, Bret Gleason, Gold; Chapter Display – College Level: Eric Harris, Bronze; Mathew Lane, Bronze; and Jose Villa, Bronze; and Welding Fabrication – High School: Logan Davidson, Bronze; Nolan Mattingly, Bronze; and Andrew Nelson, Bronze. Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska and Girl Scouts of the USA launched 42 new badges exclusively for girls in grades K–12. The new badges include nine cy-
bersecurity badges, three space science badges, a Think Like a Citizen Scientist badge, 12 outdoor high adventure badges and 18 Coding for Good badges. A new survey will help community leaders and policymakers better understand the health and overall wellbeing of Nebraska’s LGBTQ+ population. Faculty in the University of Nebraska at Omaha Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative developed the anonymous, online survey, which is now open for responses in both English and Spanish at news.unomaha. edu/lgbtqsurvey. The survey takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, asking questions on physical, mental and social health, along with basic demographic information. The U.S. Health Resources Services Administration estimates a need for 33,200 geriatricians in the U.S. by 2025, but current projections estimate the supply at 6,230, a deficit of about 27,000. With a five-year, $3.7 million grant from HRSA the University of Nebraska Medical Center is poised to address this problem. The grant will provide education to teams in primary care using a medical home model. The grant also includes: education and support for caregivers of persons with dementia; addresses the social determinants of health; and educates patients beginning to use opioids on the risks, benefits, and alternatives of these medications. College of Saint Mary will launch a blended-learning Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in the summer of 2020. The program will take advantage of online education, allowing professors and students to interact through video-based skill demonstrations. Students will also work to bring quality physical therapy care to underserved urban neighborhoods through “pro-bono” clinics. The program will consist of six practice-intensive weeklong sessions each year to work on hands-on techniques with professors. As a result, students will also be able to earn the terminal degree in just over 2.5 years.
Activities of nonprofits…
The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands is accepting applications for the Nonprofit Executive Institute. NEI is an 11-month leadership program designed to offer nonprofit leaders skills and strategies to enhance organizational sustainability and transform the communities they server. NEI is intended for people in nonprofit leadership positions who want to expand their professional network and gain tactical skills. Applications are available online and the deadline is Aug. 30. Child Saving Institute received grants totaling $171,600 from the United Way of the Midlands. The funding will help CSI continue to offer free services to children who participate in the agency’s School & Family Enrichment, KidSquad, Teen & Young Parent, and Independent Living Skills programs. The United Way also provided funding to support the agency’s Emergency Shelter and Mental Health Services (therapy) programs. The Iowa West Foundation approved $7.7 million in grants and initiatives funding to 24 nonprofit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation received nearly $300,000 while Centro Latino
received $75,000, and One Iowa received $16,000. In the Placemaking category, the foundation awarded $2 million for the Iowa West Sports Plex. The Iowa West Field House received $600,000 and Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development received $350,000. Lastly, the foundation awarded grant funds to several flood relief organizations throughout the region, totaling $200,000. Inclusive Communities announced the inaugural class of LeadDIVERSITY advocates for the 2019-2020 year. LeadDIVERSITY is a yearlong leadership program centered around creating localized solutions for topics surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. LeadDIVERSITY Advocates: Abigail Moland, Allison Hoffer, Angie Balsarini, Angela Cooper, Barry Thomas, Bradley Ekwerekwu, Christopher Whitt, David Scott, Dulce Sherman, Erika Volker, Gina Ponce, Amelis Long, Jennifer Deitloff, John Staup, Kara O’Connor, Keesha Davis, Kirsten Case, Molly Mullin Verble, Nancy Melby, Peter Edwards, Polly Harris, Rafael Llorens, Shawntal Mallory, Stephen Osberg, and Wayne Brown.
Arts and events…
The Highland South – Indian Hill Neighborhood Association will participate in the 35th annual National Night Out on Aug. 6. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign designed to raise crime prevention awareness, generate support for participation in local anti-crime programs, and strengthen both
neighborhood morale and the police-community partnership. National Night Out also highlights employment opportunities and supportive services for community members in Omaha’s only racially and/ or ethnically concentrated area of poverty located outside of North Omaha. The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is hosting an adult-only comedy night fundraiser on Aug. 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The comedic headliner will be Richard Reese. Reese was voted “Most Entertaining” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and won at the Great American Comedy Festival in 2008. Tickets are $25 per person and each ticket incudes a drink voucher and access to the museum before the show. The cash bar is open all night and $10 of every ticket goes back to the museum for general operations support. Tickets can be purchased online. No More Empty Pots will host the grand opening on Aug. 12 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Food Hub located at 8501 North 30th Street in Omaha. No More Empty Pots Food Hub is based on a system of interdependent activities like job training, workforce readiness, food waste reduction, healthy food access in underserved areas, income generation and business development. The Food Hub programs support youth and adults. The Commercial Kitchens, available for rent by the hour, provides local food entrepreneurs an affordable, fully equipped space to start and grow unique businesses that serve the Omaha area.
MEETINGS AND SEMINARS Tuesday, Aug. 6 First State Bank & Trust Company is hosting a workshop on Web vs. Will: Digital Assets and Estate Planning from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at its Education Center, 1005 East 23rd Street in Fremont. Jeffrey T. Palzer, managing partner of the Omaha law firm of Kellogg & Palzer, P.C., will present an informative seminar on what you need to know to protect your digital assets (your online identity, accounts, and information) with proper estate planning. This is a free class presented by First State Bank & Trust Company and First State Bank & Trust University. Space is limited to the first 40 registrants and registration is online. Wednesday, Aug. 7 Lutz is hosting a workshop on How to Increase the Value of Your Company + Estate Planning in Omaha. It is important to understand that the value of a business today is only relevant to the extent that it serves as a starting point for a transition plan. Today’s value may bear little resemblance to the value of the business when an owner is ready to enter into a sale transaction. In this seminar, Scott Carrico and Ryan McGregor will discuss multiple long and short-term strategies to help prepare owners for success and a potential greater value. In the second half of the seminar, Tyler Bartruff will discuss the most common mistakes found in estate planning. Registration is available online. Thursday, Aug. 8 The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Greater Omaha Chamber and Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry are hosting William Evanina, director of the national counterintelligence and security
center office of the Director of National Intelligence, as the keynote speaker at the upcoming Federal Legislative Summit. The 11th Annual Federal Legislative Summit will take place at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland. The event will feature an update from Nebraska’s Congressional delegation on federal issues facing Nebraskans in Washington D.C. Tickets are $99 for Chamber members, $125 for non-members. Reservations are being accepted for the biennial Region 7 Local Emergency Planning Committees Planning and Response Conference on Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 at the Embassy Suites Omaha Downtown Old Market. The conference brings together experts from business, industry and government in the fields of chemical emergency, preparedness, prevention, transportation, and health and safety to collaborate and inform participants about chemical risk protection and promotion of chemical safety. Registration for the conference is $75 and includes attendance at the Aug. 8 training sessions, Aug. 9-10 track sessions, and awards luncheon on August 9. Friday, Aug. 9 The Omaha Empowerment Breakfast is taking place from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Scott Conference Center. The featured presenter will be Greg Dyche, MBA Head Coach, Sales Omaha, who will be presenting “Wait. Wait. Don’t sell me. Show a duck how to buy!” Three Minute Presenters include Michael McKee, independent association and regional manager of Legalshield, and Sadny Gordon, catering coordinator for Qdoba. Registration is available online.
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
Omaha’s Schooley Mitchell secures average of 30% savings for clients Continued from page 1. way’s training in February, joins a network of “independent and objective cost reduction experts.” “The franchise system is not based on certain territorial areas,” she said. “A lot of times the corporation may be in Omaha, but it serves a lot of different areas. And, once
Schooley Mitchell Phone: 402-999-8889 Address: 8028 Filmore St., Omaha 68122 Services: cost reduction consultation in areas of telecom, merchant solutions (such as credit and debit card processing), waste disposal, and shipping Founded: 2004 (began franchise operations) Website: www.schooleymitchell.com/ csamway
you start talking with a client and secure that client, the info is put into the system and solidifies that particular business.” So, in turn, opportunities for franchise owners are presented by out-of-state firms with locations in markets throughout the country. “One of the key factors that led me to purchase this particular franchise, was the strong support from the corporate office,” Samway said. The Canadian-headquartered business boasts offices throughout North America. “They’ve done a lot of research and development on their franchise system,” she said. “With the 20 years of experience that
they have as a franchise, they know right away what the current programs are, have ongoing training for staff, and are highly involved with telecom and the waste industry, so that helps with negotiation powers.” More to this point, Samway noted Schooley Mitchell evaluates each client’s expenses through an independent lens. “We don’t refer to any one vendor; we’re looking at the best options for each client,” she said. “We may bring forward three recommendations, and at no charge. It’s a free service to review all of this.” According to Schooley Mitchell corporate information, fees are “self-funded out of the savings generated. If savings aren’t found, our clients don’t pay.” While Samway indicated a change in vendors may be recommended, 80% of cases involve working with current suppliers. “One of my clients had several locations and we reduced their wireless bill by $28,000 a year,” she said. Often, Samway indicated, accounts payable may be paying the bill but doesn’t
“really know what’s happening in each one of those locations.” Or, as business and personnel changes occur, sometimes bills may not be reviewed in-depth. Furthermore, Samway indicated the goal is to achieve ongoing, consistent, long-term savings related to monthly bills. This savings can then be reinvested in the business. “We also do credit card processing, and looking at what your rate was when it was first negotiated, and we can find billing errors,” she said. “It just can happen, and if you’re not watching for those, you’re not seeing a slight increase. You may not have somebody digging in and looking through the details to find out why it’s more expensive, or looking at the history of what you’ve been billed.” Going back to the supplier, Schooley Mitchell consultants are able to get those charges related to billing errors credited back to their clients, and to agree to a lower (or original) rate.
“There are times when employees don’t have time to research that,” Samway explained, “and we have the knowledge of that, and of certain suppliers.” Furthermore, Samway indicated difficulty in interpreting the bills can also lead to confusion over what is actually being paid on a month-to-month basis. While average savings falls in that 25% to 30%-range, Samway also noted it depends on the area where the savings is achieved (for instance, waste disposal versus telecom versus small package shipping). “For most every business, there is an opportunity to reduce costs,” she said. “Some businesses may think they’re ‘too small,’ or ‘we only have six cellphones and monitor that pretty well.’ Most of the time we can still find those small businesses savings, even though they may only be spending $200 or $300 a month.” Samway indicated other organizations in the space may only focus on large accounts, where bigger savings can be achieved.
Set goals before settling on a venue for events by David Kubicek
A venue is the cornerstone of any event, but in order to choose the right venue, firms should first understand the specific goals of the gathering. Tracey Fricke, owner of Occasion Designed, said firms should have a good estimate of the guest count to ensure the venue can accommodate that number. Is
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November 8, 2019
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there ample parking? What is the restroom capacity? Is there power to support the entertainment to be brought in? Is there sufficient capability for guest flow in, out and around? “Clearly understand if the venue has required vendors that you must use, which may impact your event budget,” Fricke said. “Have a good grasp on all the service charges, taxes and fees. Often, those charges are not discussed even though they may be in the contract.” Guests are looking for unique, fun and memorable experiences. “Activities that incorporate problem-solving and Fricke physical activity are popular, and having a giveaway/keepsake is always fun,” Fricke said. “Identify and understand the purpose and goals of your event, and then be mindful of the guest experience you are creating and how it meets those goals.” Fricke suggested forming a small committee or group to assist in the planning process in order to consider inclusive opinions and viewpoints. It is helpful to keep a checklist of tasks to be completed, by whom and by what time and to keep accurate records of all vendor contracts and correspondence. Ashley Redick, owner of Mise en Scene Events, said she looks for the overall feel of the venue such as how many guests it can hold, cost of the caterer, and if sound and lighting is included. “If they don’t have those items, you’ll have to outsource them or bring in a rental company,” she said. “Meet with the caterer, do taste testing.” Redick recommends looking at a minimum of three venues and using an experienced event planner — who doesn’t work for the venue — because there are many
questions a client may not know to ask. “Each venue has its own style, its own niche, and its own way of tailoring events to a specific clientele,” she said. Instead of having a normal sit-down dinner, give guests opportunities to get up, move around and dance. Have many different stations, like a popcorn station, photo booth, and a coffee station where guests can make their own coffee and various lattes. “Make sure you’re catering to the whole crowd, and no one’s left out,” Redick said. Elizabeth Balazs, senior project manager at Vic Gutman & Associates, said that when considering a Redick location, it’s often best to keep the venue near the firm’s main office, but if the company has a healthy budget, a destination with an overnight stay may be in order. “The main thing is to know how many people you expect to attend and how much money you have to spend,” she said. The type of event will also affect the venue choice. Is it a dinner, luncheon, cocktail party or team-building exercise. “Once you’ve looked at the format you want to provide for your guests, you can start looking at your options to meet your goals for budget, location, size and format.” Before choosing a speaker, decide what kind of message you want to deliver to your audience. What is the goal of the program? Consider speakers with a reputation for providing good information on that topic, and give them any information you can about what you hope to accomplish with the event. “Some speakers have a package presentation,” Belazs said. “Others are more open to customizing their message for the program. It often depends on whether you’re working though a speaker’s bureau or with the speaker directly.”
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Career Transitions & Job Search A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
August 2, 2019
Social media, automation support the flurry of talent acquisition innovations by Michelle Leach
Educational, economic development and talent organizations are evolving in the “hybrid” world that is today’s job search. “A job search should encompass both a new age digital approach as well as maintaining a good old-fashioned human approach; for instance, digital job boards and social platforms allow one to learn of many jobs in a short period,” said Joe Hayes, assistant director, employer relations and internships, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Academic and Career Development Center. Hayes Hayes noted conversations can lead to a deeper understanding of new possibilities and potential referrals. ACDC is launching two initiatives this fall to aid in both online and face-to-face interactions, starting with a headshot studio to showcase students’ professionalism. “Here, students will be able to get a free professional photo that they can utilize for their online brand,” he said. Hayes also referred to the prototype program, which facilitates otherwise daunting conversations with professionals. “UNO students can be matched with an industry specialist in Omaha for informal talks,” Hayes said. “The goal is to reignite that human element of talking and exploring, while also giving them the confidence to do this on their own in the future.” Recruiting the passive job-seeker remains a major challenge in a tight market, according to Medical Solutions Director of Talent Acquisition Kim Sindelar. “Job-seekers have several opportunities to choose from, often having multiple offers at once to consider,” she said. “For job-seekers looking to make a career change, there remain key factors for them to consider: culture, company reviews, company growth, career path within the role, competitive benefits and salary.” For any career-changer, culture is a biggie, and what Sindelar said is often referenced by their new hires (the positive people they encountered during interviews). Perks like concierge services, vehicle oil changes and onsite massages were characterized as “the cherry on top.” In all, 77 of the more than 180 corporate positions Medical Solutions has filled this year came through employee referrals — its top source for corporate talent (supporting more
than 40% of hires this year alone). “Second in line is our internal transfers and promotions, third being Indeed and, fourth, LinkedIn,” Sindelar said. “We feel we’ve empowered our employees as part of our talent acquisition process. Our employees want to refer their friends and family, because they want to be around people they know will put forth the same effort and be around good people while doing it.” Indeed and LinkedIn are Noll Human Resource Services’ best applicant websites. “If you are unemployed or your job Noll search is not confidential, post your resume on job sites,” said Executive Vice President Peggy Noll. “On LinkedIn, update your information on positions held and accomplishments. Use a professional photo, rather than a selfie.” Recruiters search for geographic location, past and current companies, industry, schools attended, titles and more. Noll encouraged readers to ensure everything is accurate and up-to-date on one’s resume and when posting on sites. “If you will relocate, make that known,” she said. Don’t “go in cold;” know a lot about the company — including current happenings and the profile of the person interviewing you. “Compliment the company on something that you know about them if you can be sincere,” she said. “Make people you interview with feel good about their time with you.” Consider practice interview questions. “A job interview is a conversation, but it is also a performance,” Noll said. “Know why you want to work for this company, know why you want this position.” Networking and self-care go a long way. “People who are good networkers always get jobs faster. Get to know as many people as you can in your industry,” she said. “Do favors for people. If there is an industry professional group, belong and go to meetings. Hold an office. Serve on a committee. “Take care of yourself by freshening your appearance with a haircut or a new suit or outfit. Look sharp. Get enough sleep. Keep your nails clean and manicured. If you are a smoker, don't smoke in the car before an interview. People who don't smoke can smell it, and it may be a turn-off.” Advance Southwest Iowa Corp’s Executive
Kim Sindelar, director of talent acquisition at Medical Solutions. Director Paula Hazlewood meets with businessShe referenced abundant jobs in local trades es almost every day. (construction, electrical, plumbing), logistics, “And 99% of those businesses stay within health care, manufacturing and “almost every a hiring pattern year-round,” she said. “I ran- other business vertical that you can imagine.” domly popped onto CareerLink and, just in Furthermore, the technology or automation the technology category, there are over 1,100 that she noted is erroneously associated with jobs currently available — and that’s just the replacing the workforce is creating the need for Continued on page 29. CareerLink site.”
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Career Transitions & Job Search
Facing a candidate-driven job market, Omaha employers work to win over talent by Gabby Christenen
As the Greater Omaha area experiences a candidate-driven job market, employers are starting to pull out all of the incentives. Chris Carlson-Dennell, managing director at Aureus Group, an affiliate of C&A Industries, said talent is gravitating toward companies that offer development opportunities, as well as strong employer brands. “Although the unemployment rate is extremely low, we do have a candidate pool Carlson-Dennell that is underemployed,” she said. “There are only so many leader roles, and many professionals who find themselves in transition and rule out relocation to advance or match their previous role.” Currently, she said the most in demand skillsets are in application development,
system savvy accounting and finance. “Employers throughout the nation are feeling the pain and pressure of the tight labor market,” Carlson-Dennell said. She said a relatively new trend in the Midwest is hiring interim leaders or contract employees to bridge skill gaps and develop a team’s expertise when the supply and demand doesn't align. Dr. Levi Thiele, vice president of Program and Resource Development at AIM Bouchard Institute, said the Omaha job market is great for job seekers right now due to the strong economy and low unemployment rates. In fact, Thiele said Omaha’s unemployment rate is under 3%. “The current job market is favoring job seekers in most STEM — and especially
Scott Haag, COO at Cornerstone Staffing. tech — fields,” he said. “There are over a ‘now’ problem.” 2,000 high-skill job openings, and demand He said the good news is that employers for these kinds of jobs is anticipated to are really starting to look at keeping their grow.” employees engaged through means of benOn the flip side, Thiele said employ- eficiary of individual development, career ers looking to hire talent are facing a big pathing and increased benefit packages. challenge. “Employers are working to upskill their “To lure candidates to open jobs, we see internal staff and also new hires that are a employers offering more perks and higher good fit but lack some of the specific skills salaries, especially in those high demand to be efficient at the role they were hired for tech jobs,” he said. initially,” Haag said. Scott D. Haag, chief operating officer at Chris Bouchard, director of talent acCornerstone Staffing Inc., said it’s no secret quisition at Lutz, said company leaders are that Omaha currently has a talent shortage coming up with all types of new ways to and a skills gap. secure candidates, including becoming in“There are definitely some state and/ volved in the recruiting process and bringing or local initiatives that have been initi- on interns to help them get early experience. ated but the true impacts of those won’t “Companies are also creating cultures be felt for years,” Haag said. “There are of flexibility with unique benefits,” Bouchsome great programs that are bringing ard said. “Employers are willing to bring experience and exposure to skilled labor on more part-time professionals to give jobs and that is having an impact and gen- working parents a chance to have a career erating increased interest in those types of and family.” careers and the needle is starting to move He said some businesses are investing in Continued on next page. but that is also a long-term solution to
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Patience, determination and planning are keys to landing a promotion by Jasmine Heimgartner
For people ready to move up the ladder, it takes more than just doing a good job. Landing a promotion means showcasing all skillsets and being in tune with the company’s mission and vision. The first step for moving up is planning. Understanding what options are available is a
Social media, automation Continued from page 27. a more skilled workforce. “Many of our businesses have rallied to become innovative with their hiring practices and have created work environments that make them attractive to potential employees,” Hazlewood said. “We also have a wide network of resources that businesses can tap into to assist them.” As part of the Hazlewood six-county Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership (GOEDP), ASWIC plays a supportive role in talent recruitment and retention, and can access a knowledgeable talent team. “In addition, we partner with the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce who are getting ready to launch some new talent initiatives specifically designed for the businesses in Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County,” Hazlewood said.
key element of where one can go within a company. “Map out what the job promotion would look like and what you want it to look like,” said Nuria Archer, branch manager, Robert Half. “Be cognizant of what you want because every company Archer is different. Is there a pathway where you are at? If it is not there, then maybe it’s time to seek other opportunities. If it is there, have an open conversation with a supervisor to better understand what you can do to move up or go to HR and ask what it will take to make it there.” An open dialogue can ensure any educational or certification requirements are known,
Candidate-driven market Continued from preceding page. outside recruiting and staffing firms that are experts in certain niches to help them find those candidates with really specific skillsets or experience. Additionally, Bouchard said some companies are using new methods of technology/ social media to reach more candidates. “Great culture, outside of the box thinking, better benefits and flexibility are a few of the ways companies can land top talent,” he said. “If you are not changing, you are falling behind.”
as well as provide an opportunity to polish existing skills a specific company is looking for. It also reinforces the importance of being realistic on the path to advancement. “Don’t expect a promotion in two to six months. Give yourself a chance to learn the Durham business and learn the company,” Archer said. “When you are starting at a different company, each one is different. Even if you have lots of experience, they are all unique. Two different companies may have two different things they are looking for.” Although what each business looks for in potential people to promote may vary, being positively noticed makes a big impression anywhere. “Employees who are seeking to obtain a promotion take on additional responsibility and do whatever it takes to successfully complete a project,” said Machael Durham, owner/president, Durham Staffing Solutions. “They are always striving to exceed expectations. They offer solutions rather than excuses. They are also viewed as a leader and respected by their peers. Develop some type of expertise and become known for it. Go to meetings early and stay late; meet people and network. Develop a reputation for being reasonable, hardworking and effective. Persistence and determination will lead you on a successful career path.” Dressing the part means more than adhering
to dress codes. Simple things like being punctual, honest and professional never go out of style, as well as avoiding negativity and welcoming ways to improve. “Avoid getting involved in any type of gossip about management, your company or office politics,” Durham said. “Additionally, refrain from placing negative comments on social media. Remain open to constructive feedback without becoming defensive or upset. Ensure you are able to follow through with your commitments to a deadline; never over promise and under deliver.” Companies often use mentors and executive coaches to assist in their professional development of team members. Taking advantage of these resources can be a boost to current and potential roles. If these assets aren’t available, networking within the industry or other departments can provide similar benefits. “It’s important to have a soundboard that you can discuss the things that are happening and get a different point of view,” Archer said. “When you talk with mentors, it can help boost your confidence and give you insight into how people have moved up in an organizations. Ask questions. Find out how that person with 17 years of experience did it.” Networking inside and outside of work also sends a strong message. “I would advise team members who want to be noticed that they need to get involved and build relationships at all levels; become an ambassador of your company, obtain professional designations, participate in extracurricular events,” Durham said. “Overall, show case you are a go-getter and team player.”
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal
In the Spotlight BANKING
BANKING
Hired
Promoted
Justin Kozisek
Bart Peters
Commercial Lending
Chief Market Officer
Security First Bank
Security First Bank
Kozisek began his banking career at Security First while earning a degree in business administration at Doane College. He went on to work in private banking, commercial and agricultural lending at U.S. Bank and Pinnacle Bank, respectively, before rejoining Security First Bank.
Peters is a member of Lincoln’s commercial lending team. A 19-year veteran of the bank, Peters will oversee commercial lending in southeast Nebraska, and will take on enterprisewide responsibilities as a member of the company’s executive management team.
BANKING
LEGAL SERVICES
Promoted
Promoted
Tom Kozisek
John L. Petr
EVP, Correspondent Banking
Firm Vice Chair
Security First Bank
Tom Kozisek has an expanded role that includes new business development for eastern Nebraska and surrounding states. Prior to joining Security First in 2016, he led the Midwest States correspondent lending division for U.S. Bank.
Kutak Rock Omaha
Public finance partner John L. Petr has been named vice chair of the firm. As partner and chair of the Omaha public finance department, Petr has represented issuers, credit enhancers, lenders and underwriters in connection with taxable and tax-exempt financings in the housing, military housing, higher education, electric energy and project finance sectors. He has been with Kutak Rock since 1987.
Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
31
In the Spotlight EDUCATION
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
ENGINEERING
Hired
Promoted
Hired
New role
Sarah K. Paladino
Patrick Boyle
Jeanette Moeller
Kimberly Bogatz
Director of Events
Community & Government Relations Director
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Architectural Team Leader
Metropolitan Community College
West Gate Bank
Mercy High School
As Director of Events Paladino will be responsible for coordinating all events at the school including fundraisers, alumnae gatherings and internal faculty and staff gatherings. She recently served as the director of operations at Eddie’s Catering. She was with the firm for more than 20 years and was responsible for managing parties and events, training, logistics, sales and promotion and human resources.
HGM Associates
Boyle will be responsible for developing and building relationships with community, state and local government officials, legislative leaders and staff. He will provide unicameral and government relations support. He’s been with MCC since 2011, recently as sponsorship and community relations’ manager.
Moeller has worked in the banking industry for nearly 20 years and has held various finance positions. Prior to entering the banking industry, she worked in public accounting as a financial auditor specializing in financial institutions. As chief financial officer, Moeller will oversee the financial operations of the bank, including accounting, finance, regulatory reporting, financial reporting, tax and internal audit.
Bogatz has been with HGM for 14 years and has a variety of project experience including fire stations, fleet facilities, redevelopments, banks, building repurposing, schools, daycare facilities and recreational facilities. In her new role she will lead the HGM architectural team in project management, client relations, business and project development. She’s a Registered Architect, AIA member and LEED-AP certified.
BUSINESS SERVICES
BUSINESS SERVICES
PUBLIC UTILITIES
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Promoted
Promoted
Promoted
Promoted
Brandi McKay
Merrick Aurora
Shane Hunter
Mark Myers
Client Accounting Services Manager
Marketing Manager
Vice President, Safety, Security and Business Continuity
Vice President, Accounting
Lutz
McKay has been promoted to client accounting services manager. She is responsible for providing outsourced accounting services to clients with a focus in payroll compliance.
Lutz
Aurora has been promoted to marketing manager. She is responsible for developing and implementing Lutz’s marketing strategy, overseeing the marketing team, and managing internal and external branding efforts.
Submit your company’s employee announcements to
Spotlight@mbj.com
Metropolitan Utilities District
Hunter joined MUD in 2017 as manager, safety. Prior to that, he was an assistant fire chief for the City of Omaha Fire Department. Hunter was the first in the state to be credentialed by the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency as a Type-3 “All-Hazards” Incident Commander. He previously served as a firefighter for the California Fire/ Riverside County Fire Department.
Metropolitan Utilities District
Myers joined MUD in 2015 as manager, budgeting and financial analysis. He has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of accounting and finance positions with organizations including the City of Bellevue, First Data Corporation and First National Bank of Omaha. He’s a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Nebraska Society of CPAs and the Great Plains Government Finance Officers Association.
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Business Ethics Alliance
EthicSpace conference established to coach businesses on ethics by Gabby Christensen
The inspiration behind the EthicSpace conference stemmed from a strong desire to engage local businesses on trust and ethics. Beverly Kracher, CEO/executive director of the Business Ethics Alliance, said the idea was to maintain an ethical business climate. “Many of us are proud of the ethical way we strive to run our organizations, the kind of contributors we try to be and our sense of community responsibility,” Kracher said. “The Goracke Alliance has organized to capture this pride and build on it. Together, we work to keep positive, practical ethics front of mind in our workplaces.” According to Kracher, the goal for this inaugural event is two-fold. “First, we want to provide a wow-factor, positive experience throughout the day, using the best learning techniques available,” she said. “Second, to engage attendees to a high degree so they take what they learn about ethics back to their workplaces and show measurable professional and team development.” Karen Goracke, CEO/president at Borsheims, said the success of the programming and increased attendance at Business Ethics Alliance events meant it was time
Beverly Kracher, CEO/executive director of Business Ethics Alliance. to expand offerings and build a conference Alliance’s ongoing dialogue about ethical for the business community. leadership and responsibility. The current “The Alliance events indicate that the events that the Alliance puts on always Omaha community would embrace more result in fascinating and productive conprofessional development on the com- versation in the days and weeks after for plexity of business ethics,” Goracke said. attendees. We saw the potential to gather “The goal of EthicSpace is to continue the that enthusiasm and collaboration in a
conference setting.” Goracke said Borsheims has been a long-time supporter of the Alliance. “Our association with the Alliance is a natural extension of our integrity in our business practices,” she said. Jane Miller, COO at Gallup said EthicSpace began with a discussion on how to create a learning environment for both executives and managers that gave them more consolidated time to focus on the topic of ethics that would give various perspectives and encourage deeper Miller discussion. “It is such a critical topic that many are not educated or informed on the tentacles it has for everyday business decisions,” Miller said. “By having a day where organizations could come together and explore those topics for their business and for the greater community seemed like a productive, positive way to drive more education and awareness.” Overall, Miller said ethics are led from the top but are made or broken by individuals, teams and managers. “The more we educate on examples the more people will understand what it takes to drive a culture of trust and ethics,” she said. “We are starting small this year and hope to significantly grow it over the next few years.”
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Business Ethics Alliance promotes, preserves community responsibility and ethical values by Jasmine Heimgartner
On the heels of the highly publicized Enron scandal in the early 2000s, the underlying theme of ethics in business became a conversation instead of just an assumption. A group of business leaders and community members soon began to realize that even if the scandal was from an Omaha-based company, the area’s greater business community Hendrickson was driven by values. This set in motion the founding of the Business Ethics Alliance in 2008, which continues to serve as a beacon for business ethics locally and far away. “More than likely, when you do business with people in Omaha, they are people of their word,” said Anthony Hendrickson, Business Ethics Alliance founding partner and Creighton University Heider College of Business dean. “We recognized the ethical values we saw in Omaha that people were accountable and took pride and involvement in the community as a responsibility. Because there is that ethos that we take accountability personally, we wanted to preserve that aspect. From that sprouted the notion of the Business Ethics Alliance to proactively nurture that environment.” Spearheaded by Creighton University, a leader in ethics education, the school soon reached out to representatives from the Greater Omaha Chamber and Better Business Bureau to create a one-of-a-kind entity, which it still is today, to champion, educate and create dialogue on ethics. “Whether it’s at the individual, business or city level, integrity is a critical component of success,” said Jim Hegarty, Business Ethics Alliance founding partner and president/CEO, Better Business Bureau. “Today’s business and economic environment is extremely challenging, and it’s unwise to go it alone. Businesses and individuals are confronted with ethical dilemmas on a regular basis, and the Alliance is committed to helping businesses be as prepared as possible to do the right things in those critical moments. The Alliance provides consistent engagement on the value and importance of being genuinely respectful, honest, fair and trustworthy in all and to all; doing the ethical thing even when no one is looking. When that happens, and it does a lot in Omaha, it creates a very attractive climate for business growth.” Led by Executive Director Beverly Kracher, Business Ethics Alliance offers an array of products, services and events to assist businesses and keep ethics front and center. From annual meetings to luncheons and Mind Candy Dialogues, the events not only address the hard questions, they also provide like-minded businesses the opportunity to network and learn from one another. “Sometimes there are fine-line situations that come up that require asking,
‘Who are we as an organization? How do we determine the right decision to be made?’” said Carmen Tapio, Alliance trustee and president/CEO of North End Teleservices. “The Alliance provides a forum for conversation and an opportunity to hear from other leaders. Sometimes the topics or issues raised aren’t easy topics, so it’s a great place and a safe place. It’s a great way to ask questions, Hegarty give answers yourself and be part of the conversation.” Participation also keeps ethics on the mind, making it easier for businesses to Continued on page 10.
Carmen Tapio, Alliance trustee and president/CEO of North End Teleservices.
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Business Ethics Alliance
The power of ethics for positive individual, organizational, communitywide transformation by Michelle Leach
Business Ethics Alliance leadership representing corporate, city, and nonprofit circles are shining a light on how communication and transparency among all individuals within an organization, and among all organizations, “lifts all boats” within a community. “Ethics are as essential to our lives as the air we breathe,” said Alliance CEO and Executive Director Beverly Kracher, Ph.D. “When we keep ethics front of mind, we make better decisions, we are better to each other, and we are inspired to be the best human beings we can be.” Kracher noted that formerly ethics was often learned in families, religious institutions and schools. “As time has passed and institutions have changed, organizations and professions have been called on to educate about ethics,” she said. “They have used what we have learned from philosophy, psychology and sociology for this education, helping us see our ethical blindspots and to create ‘nudges’ to reinforce ethical behavior.” Ethics in business is critical for a free-market capitalistic system that serves society effectively, according to Alliance Trustee and Tenaska EVP Ron Quinn. “I believe that most businesses act ethically and that most people will act responsibly if their co-workers and others do,” he said. “There are a lot of negative headlines every day. But the vast, vast majority of businesses act re-
Kassie Jorgenson, Alliance trustee and COO of Arbor Bank. sponsibly and ethically. The violators get what you incent. the headlines.” “If/when violations occur, they need An effective regulatory and judicial to be dealt with in ways that reinforce the system reinforce “the rules”; equally commitment of the organization to ethics important, Quinn noted, is the CEO and and its values.” senior management communicating ethiSince Quinn surmised ethics can’t “be cal conduct as a cardinal value and main- taught in the workplace,” a sound process taining an ethical environment. of hiring ethical people at the outset is “I have seen well-written and com- critical. prehensive codes of ethical conduct, but Arbor Bank’s action-oriented values if management is only paying lip service statements play directly into the culture to it, it means nothing,” he said. “You get of trust and communication vital to ethics.
“With our old values, such as ‘integrity’ and ‘resourcefulness,’ our customers expect that,” said COO and Alliance Trustee Kassie Jorgenson. “We created six values: take total ownership, embrace urgency, be a guiding force, be one team, do different better and do what you do best.” These values emerged from oft-stated phrases, and embody the bank’s identity now — not aspirations. The bank further keeps ethics at the forefront with a weekly meeting whereby the likes of how an employee “took ownership” of a customer situation, for instance, are shared to recognize and reinforce behaviors that drive ethical decision-making and culture. “Living values” are exemplified when branches came together as “one team” after the Oakland, Iowa branch and employee homes were devastated by a severe storm, allowing for flex-time. “We could have said, ‘you deal with that on your off-time,’” Jorgenson said. “But when their families are not safe or taken care of, they’re not fully present and can’t serve our customers.” Corporations are one part of a changing Greater Omaha. “By 2040, Greater Omaha will be 50% non-Caucasian,” said Dee Baird, SVP of economic development with Alliance founding partner: Greater Omaha Chamber. “Omaha is a vibrant, prosperous city with a low unemployment rate. We pride ourselves on unique attractions and a great quality of life. Yet, in numerous Continued on page 9.
Business Ethics Alliance • Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
Young professionals demonstrate strong ethical streak by Dwain Hebda
Young professionals today are demonstrating a strong ethical streak, not only as part of who they are but also because it makes good business sense. “Based on my experiences with other young professionals, I would say they are pretty ethical,” said Shonna Dorsey, a talent development consultant in Omaha. “I don’t know if I can say it’s different from their parents. I would Dorsey say that they’re exposed to so many different things that their influences are different.” Dorsey said even though many young professionals’ upbringings were marked by early self-reliance, family and community role models are still important modelers of ethical behavior. But the changing business environment — including the rapidly evolving gig economy — is a proving ground, too. “I don’t think that it’s a generational issue necessarily. I think to maintain that center it’s allowing those other positive influences to impact you, too,” she said. “I like the reference to the new gig economy, because you are in effect your own brand and it can be destroyed through bad customer experiences. “Hopefully, through those lessons, and they can be painful, you start to make better decisions for yourself and your customers.” Steven Jerina, donor services specialist with the Omaha Community Foundation, said developing a strong ethical center takes work and as with many other aspects of life, young professionals often leverage technology in this effort. “Young professionals are very mentorand peer-driven,” he said. “We seek out mentors and groups to help us have dialogues about what is important to us. We are relationship-driven. That is how we want to interact in the world, both personally and professionally. Online platforms are a way for young professionals to do that beyond face-to-face encounters and often help drive in-person dialogue. At the same time, businesses have to be aware of the ethical issues that technology and online influences present and take steps to address them. “With technology being part of our everyday lives, it is important in the business space to pay attention to ethics and whether or not our decisions are right or wrong,” he said. “We have access to information at the touch of our fingertips and that information and online conversations, in turn, affect our decisions on a daily basis. “In the future, it will be important to have the conversation, regardless of the space, to discuss ethics. Our world is becoming more interconnected by the day thanks to technology and as we become closer, it will be critical to have the conversation about what ethical principles as a community or organization we stand on.” Joe Woster, economic market research specialist with Gavilon said technology
Joe Woster, economic research specialist at Gavilon.
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is useful in addressing ethics, but that the fundamentals of driving change still lie in personal connections. “Social media’s amplifying power makes it easy for anyone to have a potentially large platform now with virtually no barriers to entry,” he said. “There’s more ethics training in the business sector these days, but a lot of it is defensive. [So] we should set expectations for high standards of conduct in all business relationships, enforce those standards and lead by example.” As for the future, Woster said such conversations must continue in the workplace and through other avenues to affect change and impact the oncoming generation of business leaders. “Looking ahead, it’s important that more current leaders and emerging leaders have a vocabulary for ethics so they can make tough decisions and get in sync with the people on whom they depend,” he said. “The Business Ethics Alliance is a high-quality source of information and discourse for the continuous learning necessary to adapt in an accelerating world.”
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Business Ethics Alliance
AGENDA 7:30 - 7:50 am Check-in & Networking 8:00 - 8:30 am Welcome & Remarks 8:30 - 10:30 am Developing a Trustworthy Character Bill George former Medtronic CEO and author of Discover Your True North
10:50 - 11:10 am Inclusion & Trust Othello H. Meadows III
President and CEO of Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp.
11:10 am Lunch 11:30 am - 1:25 pm Building Ethics and Trust on a Team Stacy Heen Lennon Consultant at Triad Group and co-author of Difficult Conversations
1:30 pm Closing Remarks
Business Ethics Alliance • Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
SPONSORS Trust
Nobility Bob Bates
Media
Speakers
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• AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Business Ethics Alliance
Business Ethics Alliance services help organizations achieve ethical goals by David Kubicek
Since the Business Ethics Alliance began in 2008, the organization has offered training programs and other services to help local businesses achieve their ethical goals. Omaha Public Power District has been associated with the Alliance since its inception, according to President and CEO Timothy J. Burke. Several years ago OPPD took its top three organizational levels through Business E t h i c s A l l i a n c e ’s ethical leadership Burke academy. “We’re getting ready to do that again with a number of changes we’ve made in our organization,” Burke said. “We’ve used [Business Ethics Alliance’s] gover-
Richard Messina, owner of Play It Again Sports.
nance and practices in our departments that have a lot of interface with customers. We’ve used their materials to craft and modify our own ethics policy, and we incorporated some of their information around ethics and ethical behavior into our board of governance policies.” OPPD has a process by which employees and the general public can anonymously raise ethical issues. “You don’t want to do group think,” Burke said. “You want to think from different people’s perspectives. All of Jochim our employees go through business practice and ethical training. It’s heightened our awareness across the organization, from our board to our frontline employees. They create and continually evolve the ethical conversation in the community.” The Alliance supports Kiewit Corporation in many ways, Director of Corporate Compliance Anne Begley said. “Over the years, the Business Ethics Alliance has been a good partner to Kiewit, providing strategic and tactical support for key ethics-based initiatives the company manages,” she said. The organization helps facilitate important business ethics training for senior operations managers at Kiewit University in Omaha. It partners with a Kiewit taskforce to refresh and improve the firm’s code of conduct and core values communication. It leads a business ethics academy, which provides helpful training, insights and tools on ethical leadership, and it provides outside perspectives and valuable business intelligence on ethics best practices. “Kiewit has always appreciated the insights and expertise the Alliance offers,” Begley said. “We’re proud to call Omaha home, and have such a great resource in our backyard to bring local, regional and even global perspectives and intelligence to ours and other Omaha-based companies. At Kiewit, we take our business ethics and core values seriously. Those values focused on people, integrity, excellence and stewardship are the foundation of everything we do. We appreciate that Dr. Kracher and the Alliance has helped support our efforts in ingraining and communicating these throughout the company.” The Alliance provides training and educational products related to business ethics and practical application for members of Lindsay Corporation’s team, according to Shelly Jochim, vice president of global sourcing. “Additionally, the Alliance provides us a great networking opportunity, where we can discuss and share best practices regarding business ethics excellence,” she said. “Networking with other like businesses on similar applications has enabled our teams to cultivate relationships and develop groups that collaborate on and discuss relevant Continued on next page.
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The power of ethics for positive individual, organizational, communitywide transformation Continued from page 4. indicator areas, marginalized populations report disparities in Omaha at a higher rate than our peers. Progress has to be made which is a characteristic of inclusive communities.” Baird noted the chamber recently launched its diversity and inclusion
Alliance services
Continued from preceding page. business issues. We appreciate the Alliance’s outreach programs so our broader employee base can learn and appreciate the value of ethical business practices that not only positively impact our workforce, but our customers as well.” Richard Messina, owner of Play It Again Sports, said the Alliance’s informative workshops, seminars and panel discussions on a variety of ethics-related topics are useful to businesses that operate with integrity as one of their core values. The organization’s events are also great networking opportunities and a means to interact with other like-minded business individuals who put an emphasis on ethics in the workplace. “These forums have benefited me by providing valuable food for thought and often actionable take-aways I can incorporate within my organization,” Messina said. “These allow me to help my staff focus on ethics in all aspects of our daily operations and customer interactions.”
program to provide employers with tools to develop or strengthen inclusive workplaces. “Our goals for the next five years have interconnections that hold us accountable to help people acquire skills for jobs that are in-demand and pay competitive salaries where individuals and families can prosper,” she said. Baird A n o t h e r recently-launched program, GROW provides case management for em ployees to prosper in current employee and training to seek “meaningful employment.” As Urban League of Nebraska President/CEO, former Omaha Police Department Chief of Police, and a current chamber board member and Alliance Trustee, Thomas H. Warren, Sr.’s perspective spans corporate, public sector, and nonprofit realms. “We are fortunate to have corporate leaders that manage their organizations with the highest degree of ethics and integrity,” he said. “They set the tone when we have the largest companies in Omaha that have established a culture for ethical business practices.” The city has led by example, Warren noted, due to the government’s level of transparency and accountability.
“As a former city of Omaha employee, we maintained a code of conduct that was enforced,” he said. “Due to the public scrutiny and media attention, it is important that the public has trust and confidence in the management of our city operations.” The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands further publishes uniform guidelines and prinWarren ciples for agencies to follow, with many donors requiring adherence to best practices — validation
of organizational management. Businesses should reflect diverse client and customer bases. “Having a diverse workforce provides a mechanism to receive varied input into the decision-making process, which will lead better outcomes,” he said. There is a moral imperative; underserved population need to be exposed to opportunities to reach their full potential. “Also, our millennials prefer and expect our work environments to be inclusive,” Warren said. Talent retention must be a top priority to grow the local economy, and Warren noted corporations are “well-served” to cultivate human capital within respective organizations.
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Ariel Robin, president & general manager of KMTV, speaks to the audience at 2018 Winter Executive Breakfast. (courtesy of Business Ethics Alliance)
2019 Spring Executive Breakfast. (courtesy of Business Ethics Alliance)
Dr. Bev Kracher answers questions with Dr. Gold, UNMC and UNO, at 2019 Spring Executive Breakfast. (courtesy of Business Ethics Alliance)
Business Ethics Alliance Continued from page 3. naturally use it as a filter, as well as promote it within their own business. “Sometimes it’s information you may know but have filed away,” Tapio said. “The Alliance helps you bring it back to reexamine and reapply. Once you become aware and bring it out of the file cabinet, it becomes a new filter for how you do business every day. Having that in your conscience makes it easier to practice and just naturally do the right thing.” Whether an individual or a business looking to bring ethics to light, Business Ethics Alliance strives to make it easy to get involved. “My suggestion as a first step would be to attend an Alliance program,” Hegarty said. “Visit our website and have a look at the calendar of events and get registered. Alliance programs are deeply engaging and strategically designed to deliver practical and uncomplicated ways that businesses can elevate their ethical environment.” Along with learning and networking, involvement in the Alliance provides more personal benefits. “Why should you get involved? Because it is your way of giving. By participating, you are giving back to everyone else by putting your efforts into the community and saying, ‘This is important,’” Hendrickson said. “Oftentimes, the people who give find out they receive the most. You start off as a giver and realize that giving maybe gave you more rewards.”
Business Ethics Alliance • Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 2, 2019 •
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AUGUST 2, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • Business Ethics Alliance