Midlands Business Journal August 23, 2019 Vol. 45 No. 34 issue

Shopping/Mall Space Directory A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

August 23, 2019

Retail evolves with centers emphasizing one-stop-shop designs

by Michelle Leach

Retail stores and malls are being repositioned with an emphasis on conveniently located services and entertainment and recreation options.

“Retail everywhere has changed dramatically in the last 10 years,” said Colliers International Vice President Cindi Incontro. “There are countless factors for these changes.”

Among those changes, as people place more demands on their time and try to fit more into their day, Incontro said everything needs to be a little more efficient.

“Going to a large regional mall to spend Incontro the day strolling from shop to shop is a time luxury most people can no longer afford,” she said. “Shoppers who visit a large mall these days tend to head to an anchor store or favorite boutique, grab a sandwich and move on to the next item on their to-do list.”

As 24/7 online shopping is faster and a good price on the exact products can be found in a click, Incontro noted shoppers looking for assistance tend to visit neighborhood malls near their homes or businesses, where they may find someone who has the time to help them.

“As unique quality boutique retail has become rarer, shoppers go out of their way to support these small local businesses,” she said.

Berkshire Hathaway HS/Ambassador Real Estate Commercial Division Manager Michael Blackmon said the retail sector, currently driven by continued job growth and low unemployment, is broken into two parts: e-commerce/online and the physical shopping experience at local retail stores.

“Ecommerce has and continues to have some devastating effects on the ‘big box’ physical retail stores, as more and more big box shoppers are turning to online shopping — and almost unlimited choices in that ‘big box’ — thereby reducing the trade in big box stores,” he said. “And many big box facilities are being removed from the retail markets, and repurposed or repositioned entirely.”

Grocery-anchored and neighborhood retail centers are “favored,” and “mixed-use” combining retail, office and habitational such as apartments and townhomes, are doing well.

“A substantial amount of new develop-

Mike Blackmon, commercial division manager at Berkshire Hathaway HS/Ambassador Real Estate, at a retail/warehouse space at 3630 S. 144th St. ment is focusing on the mixed-use approach, happening, and big box retailers are ultimately which appears strong for the future of retail in trying to figure out how to reach the consumer those neighborhoods,” Blackmon said. “Our and keep the consumer, while fighting off the commercial division is seeing a great de- Amazons of the world.” mand for both existing and new construction Agarwal said his team is seeing many retail space in neighborhood areas, and little big box formats consolidate to online madedemand in the mall locations. The interest to-order. is for expansion via needing more space, to “Obvious retailer bankruptcies are causexpansion into additional locations.” ing a lot smaller rental pool for new and exAs malls get repurposed, some retail will relocate — further filling up the available space.

“We are seeing food and beverage as a major player in the neighborhood strip centers, plus entertainment and fitness as major users, which many times can and are filling

by Gabby Christensen some of the big box locations, because of their Retailers that are remodeling store demand for huge spaces,” he said. “Although spaces to appeal to prospective customers there is substantial new retail development must keep in mind that comfort and client going on in the Omaha market, maybe around experience should always be at the fore1 million square feet under construction or front, experts say. the development approved, the market should Dan Goaley, partner at OMNE, said absorb this growth as the economy continues that while trends have transformed over with strength in job growth and low unem- the years, Amazon doesn’t rule the world ployment.” in retail sales.

White Lotus Group CEO Arun Agarwal “If you truly dive into the sales numdescribed “heavy anxiety” among a lot of bers, you will find that their impact is brands at present. not as what is perceived,” Goaley said.

“Everyone is still trying to figure it all “While it is true that they have an imout,” he said. “There is just so much evolution pact, the impact is creating a mindset of

Reaanddit

isting retail spaces, and although it’s a lot of change and anxiety, it just means traditional retail needs to evolve and become all about the consumer experience versus the products they are selling,” he said. “The entertainment value of the mall/development and the tenant mix has to be far more thoughtful than ever before, and become very service oriented; for example, consumers that have to stop at their dentist or physical therapist appointment within a malllike development, will probably walk a few shops down and pop into Scheels.”

Agarwal said White Lotus Group is excited to see what Agarwal will happen at the 144th Street and West Dodge Road development and the possible Oak View Mall redevelopment.

“White Lotus Group is also working on our plan for our mixed-use development at 180th and Maple Street,” he said. “We feel confident we will find a tenant mix that will support and engage the rapidly growing area, and the new high school right next to us.”

Ultimately, Agarwal said, it’s about who is really excelling at integrating interesting retail with service-based businesses.

“Village Pointe and Westroads do a good job of having a tenant base of restaurants mixed with relevant programing, plus they have movie theaters and are adjacent to health care,” he said.

Reap!

Latest trends include open concepts, easier navigation for store shoppers a ‘good deal’ which plays into the hands of the off-priced retailer. This is the group of retailers that have brick and mortar stores and continue to show annual growth in sales.”

As far as the department store layout goes, which includes several rooms divided into areas, he said it went out of style years ago.

“A customer needs to enter a store and quickly see all that is offered,” Goaley said. “What has not changed are the simple subtle tricks of a retailer such as music and various scents from offerings that keep the Continued on page 24.

Shopping/Mall Space Directory — inside AUGUST 23, 2019

THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS

THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:

$2.00

VOL. 45 NO. 34

BAT Logistics finds creative answers to client pain points

by Michelle Leach

Beyond the Vine secures growth by specializing in one-of-a-kind products.

– Page 2

r eu ren p tre ar En Ye ng f the u Yo o

Johnson learns, teaches as she grows LifeLoop.

– Page 3

t en em e v pro nc Im tena e i m an Ho /M

Low-maintenance, high-reward improvements take center stage when adding functionality, value. – Page 4

When Ashley Jankowski joined BAT Logistics in 2008, the transportation solutions provider based in Council Bluffs had nine employees. Eleven years later, its 33-member team is poised for further growth by specializing in clients’ “pain points.”

“We don’t make any product; we match the shippers of the world with the drivers of the world,” said Jankowski, general manager. “The conversations we have with a new potential customer or carrier are about, ‘Where are you struggling?’ and ‘Where do you find it hard to manage business?’ and we go into an investigative process to clear the pain points.”

From its headquarters at 20 Arena Way, BAT Logistics has helped customers of various sizes with their third-party logistics and transportation brokerage needs, from full and less than full truck loads, to refrigerated and intermodal, and drayage, government, and flat bed/step-deck/RGN [reContinued on page 7.

General Manager Ashley Jankowski … Rigorous hiring practices and machine learning converge to drive third-party logistics provider’s solutions-based growth.

(Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)

American Hearing & Audiology’s focus on customer experience propels growth

by Richard D. Brown

American Hearing & Audiology, a three-year-old business with 18 offices — four of them in Nebraska — is growing in its three state service area by placing a strong emphasis on the experience of its customers. The firm, with two locations in west Omaha, plus stores in Papillion and Lincoln, uses an independently operated philosophy at each of its company-owned outlets.

Dr. Angela Grasse, a licensed doctor of audiology with her practice at 14473 West Center Road, said she places a strong emphasis on the first impression made with each customer who shows up for an appointment. While a warm smile, greeting by name and a cup of coffee are important, there’s a differentiating factor she points to. An innocuous black metal chair aside her desk in a Continued on page 8.

Owners, from left, Ken Cai and Steven Cai … After persuading franchise leadership to bring concept to Omaha, franchisees are off to a promising start.

Region’s first Pokéworks opens to reach consumer demand for Hawaiian staple

by Michelle Leach

Dr. Angela Grasse … Enhanced hearing aid technology coupled with customer experience focus opens doors for growth.

The first Pokéworks in the Northern Great Plains is now a reality, with the opening of the Omaha store celebrating highly-customizable bowls and pioneering poke burritos, located at One Pacific Place.

“Chicago is the next closest [store],” said Ken Cai, who opened the store with his brother, Steven. “They’re not even in Kan-

sas City or Minneapolis.”

The brothers noted leadership behind the brand, which features a twist on Hawaiian staple, poke (pronounced “po-kay”), required some persuading to bring one of the latest stores to Omaha.

“We had initially reached out to Pokéworks the middle of last year, and Omaha wasn’t even on their radar,” said Steven Cai. “It Continued on page 8.

2

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Beyond the Vine secures growth by specializing in one-of-a-kind products

by Gabby Christensen

Over the course of almost 35 years, Rose McCormick, owner/founder of boutique flower and home decor store Beyond the Vine, has grown her business from a 500-square-foot showroom to a 4,500-square-foot showroom located at 13206 Grover St.

Beyond the Vine Phone: 402-397-4585 Address: 13206 Grover St., Omaha 68144 Service: local florist offering both fresh and silk flowers, various plants, as well as home décor, personal interior design services and wedding and party planning.

Founded: 2003 (formerly Younkers Flowers) Employees: 8-12 Goal: To continue to stay in tune with technology advances while building online presence.

Website: www.gobeyondthevine.com

Through the years, McCormick said she’s had to compete with online shopping and large retailers, but has found that personalized service has kept her local business expanding.

In fact, she said she attributes the store’s success largely due to these personal relationships which have built loyalty over the years.

Owner Rose McCormick … Establishing growth with focus on larger brick and mortar presence.

“I try to make a meaningful connection and kindness.” with every person who walks through our Formerly Younkers Flowers, she first doors at Beyond the Vine,” McCormick said. purchased the store in 1985 just one year after “Customers want to partner with people they graduating from college. like and trust. We nurture relationships with Flash forward to 2003, she changed the our clients by practicing listening, hospitality business’ name to Beyond the Vine.

Business Minute

Paid Content

Erica Parks Tax Partner, Hancock & Dana Associations/Titles: Nebraska Society of Certified Public Accountants: Board member, Chair of Taxation Committee; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Member; Jewish Federation of Omaha, Budget Committee Member.

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland. Education: University of Maryland at College Park.

How I got into the business: My stepfather was a CPA in Baltimore and I learned about the profession from him. The field suited my skillset well and he recognized that it would be a good fit for me early on. I enjoy analytical work and this field is great for utilizing those skills.

First job: I worked at a candy store in a mall during the holiday season. I put together prepackaged gift baskets that were sold in the store.

Biggest career break: Starting my professional career with Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C. The toughest part of the job: Balancing everything — staying on top of client deadlines, IRS deadlines, mentoring and

coaching staff, being proactive with client needs, keeping up with the latest developments in the tax area. There are so many different things and they are all important, so the challenge is to stay organized, prioritize and make sure everything is done on a timely basis.

The best advice I have received: Mistakes are the tuition of your education, meaning that the best way to learn is from making mistakes. This advice helps me to take a negative experience and frame it in a positive way.

About my family: My family includes my husband, Michael, my son Ethan (14), my son Jack (17), my stepdaughter Adrianna ( 21) and my stepson Camden (24). Ethan is going to be a sophomore in high school, Jack is going to be a freshman in college at UNL, Adrianna is going to be a senior in college at UNL and Camden graduated from UNL last year. All of the kids are so different and continue to keep me on my toes.

Book I finished reading recently: Trac-

tion — this was a great book about establishing and accomplishing goals. It focused on identifying core values and then applying those values in your professional career.

Mentor who has helped the most in my career: Leonard Sommer. He has strengths in areas that I admire and continue to learn from. He is a great listener and problem solver.

Outside interests: I liked to spend my free time on my Peloton. I love being able to measure and evaluate my fitness. I am able to set goals and measure my progress.

I am able to produce and analyze data from each workout and that helps keep it interesting for me.

Favorite vacation spot: Holbox Island, Mexico. It’s a little island off the coast of Mexico. It’s hard to get there but worth the trek! It is a quaint vacation spot off the beaten path.

Favorite app: MPaceline — it provides me with the graphs, charts and other data to monitor my fitness progress.

Interested in being featured in the Business Minute? Email news@mbj.com for more information.

“Ever since I can remember I always had aspirations of working with plants and flowers,” she said.

According to McCormick, the floral industry is a great choice for future entrepreneurs to consider, as nearly every celebrated occasion somehow involves flowers.

“We are expressers or translators of our clients’ emotions, as we express their joy, sympathy or gratitude through our floral designs,” she said. “At Beyond the Vine, we aim to offer flowers from all over the world that are especially unique or rare to see in other shops.”

Along with her love for florals and plants, McCormick is also passionate about making spaces more comfortable and attractive for her clients by offering personal interior design services.

The store also provides wedding and other event planning.

Clients of all ages visit the store and there’s even some guests from out of state, according to McCormick.

“With all of our flowers, plants and decor, we really push the unique aspect, which has drawn a lot of people to us,” she said. “We strive to be an outlet for those hard to find items.”

Over the past decade, McCormick said she hasn’t been selling a large amount of plants.

However, as of late, people have noted the effect plants have in surroundings, therefore she’s seen an uptick in plant sales.

An updated website has helped ease online ordering.

Another focus has been increasing corporate accounts.

In 10 to 15 years, she said she hopes to mentor someone who has the desire to fill her shoes once she retires.

“I love bringing joy to people’s lives through my work,” McCormick said. “Here at Beyond the Vine, we intend to sell fun, happiness and a great experience.”

Midlands Business Journal Established in 1975

Founded by Robert Hoig

ADMINISTRATION VP OF OPERATIONS, Andrea “Andee” Hoig

EDITORIAL EDITOR & VICE PRESIDENT OF NEWS, Tiffany Brazda EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, Savannah Behrends STAFF WRITER, Becky McCarville

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Written permission must be obtained from Midlands Business Journal and MBJ, Inc., to post any of our stories or other published materials on a website. Under no circumstances, because of spamming potential and other issues, will permission be granted to transmit our stories by email.

-The Publisher.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

Johnson learns, teaches as she grows LifeLoop 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

Establishing LifeLoop as a communications tool for families of those living in senior communities, Amy Johnson gave clients a measure of control over the care their loved ones receive.

Growing the company into an operational platform for those communities gave Johnson a real-world entrepreneur’s education and those lessons have allowed her to act as mentor and shining example for other women entrepreneurs.

“I’m very open and very transparent with the young women who work for me,” she said.

“If I can do it, they can do it. That’s something that is really cool to see people work through.

That’s exciting.

“I think when you have someone doing something and you can relate to them, it makes you think you can actually do it. Women in tech is a big thing in the last couple years and I think they’re paving the way for people that might not have thought they could do it.”

Johnson said Nebraska provides a generally good environment for startups, but there are things that could be improved.

“Nebraska people have qualities that really get things right for entrepreneurship with hard work ethic, very heads down, very supportive around goals and wanting people to do well,” she said. “Where Nebraska could do better is, you can name on your hand where you can go

Co-founder Amy Johnson … Navigating growth from startup stage to expanding business. get investment outside of friends and family. an event that focused on funding for non-coastal And, nobody likes to say no. I always say, ‘Just and woman-owned companies. “[Presenting] has been out of my comfort tell me ‘no’ so I can move on.’

“I think that’s a very frustrating process zone a little bit, but I’ve really enjoyed it,” she in the fundraising world; how do you bring in said. “When you surround yourself with women those people to support you who want to see you succeed, I think that changand move quicker in their es a lot of things in your life, whether it’s work decisions.”

Johnson shares the lessons Proud Sponsors of the 2018 learned in building LifeLoop at various conferences and seminars. Among these national and regional industry-focused speaking engagements, was The Atlantic Heartland Summit in Des Moines,

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

3

or personal. It’s very empowering to be part of a network of women you know you can go to and who really are cheering for you.”

LifeLoop continues to provide lessons for Johnson to master growing and expanding into 31 states. Johnson said while she’s excited about the growth, it has demanded the company become more deliberate from an operational perspective.

“I think the biggest thing that’s different is that when you’re transitioning from a startup to a business, you have to put processes and policies in place and grow up a little bit,” she said. “You’ve got more processes in place, more people. You have to really figure out what your culture is. I think our culture has evolved in a lot of positive ways.”

Johnson said she sees a lot of opportunity from a sales perspective, given the number of people who are reaching retirement age every day in the U.S. Among primary future challenges, she said, is maintaining a culture of constant improvement in an industry that’s slow to embrace change.

“The senior living market, with all its opportunities, has challenges and they’re notorious for moving slow in innovation. That is a challenge for us; it’s a matter of adoption versus feeding the market,” she said. “The good news is, every feature we’ve added to the product is based on customer feedback. It’s not like we just threw something in there. It’s very much from feedback from our clients and so it’s generally adopted more quickly.”

40 Under 40:

4

Home Improvement/Maintenance • AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

August 23, 2019

Low-maintenance, high-reward improvements take center stage when adding functionality, value

by Michelle Leach

Trending home improvements are often low-maintenance, energy-efficient and innocuously designed to facilitate aging in place.

“Maintenance-free is always in vogue,” said Omaha Door and Window Co-President Tom Murnan. “People do not have the time or inclination to do scraping, painting and stuff that is just busy work.”

Never want to do much to the home exterior? Get vinyl siding, he said.

“However, fiber cement board looks a little more like wood and, like wood, you must periodically re-paint it,” he said. “This can be a negative or a positive, if you want to change the color of your siding in 15 years.”

New garages can completely change the look of your house, according to Murnan.

“With improvements in ultraviolet inhibitors, you can now get darker colors of windows and vinyl siding,” he said.

After 20-plus years, steel-raised panel doors are making way for “imaginative” garage door styles and window placements; for instance, a vertical line of windows going from the bottom to the top section versus just the top or third section.

“This is a fairly inexpensive way to change the look of your garage door, but there are some really expensive custom doors that have returned to using wood,” he said.

“Some doors look like the carriage houses of yesteryear.”

A vertical column of glass may be incorporated down one side of the garage door, or the door may be all glass, transforming an “average-looking garage door” into a

Tom Murnan, co-president of Omaha Door & Window. “statement” door, unlike anything else on alistic-looking and -feeling.” the street.

Carpeting remains a top choice on the Windows-wise, triple-pane is ener- other floors, as Reeves said most people in gy-efficient and helps deaden street noise, the Midwest market like the comfort, cushwhile low-E glass reflects summer sun and ion and warmth of bedroom and basement allows winter sun to enter and warm a room. carpets.

Garages may be controlled remotely using “All of today’s flooring must meet the smartphones. demands of ‘pet-friendly,’ carpet and hard “You can allow Amazon to deliver pack- surface materials alike,” he said. “This drives ages to your garage with a one-time entry most consumer purchases. Flooring must code, and you can get a battery backup in stand up to the demands of pets, kids, and case the power goes off,” he said. “California busy households.” changed the law to require battery backup Reeves encourages readers to keep an openers following a series of devastating eye on improved laminate flooring, rebrandwildfires, but in Nebraska it is still optional. ed as “high-performing floors” or “waterYou can always pull the emergency release proof laminate.” manually.”

“The new generation of laminate floors Citing Door + Access Magazine, Murnan are the most durable flooring available noted upscale garage doors are the No. 1 second to porcelain tile,” he said. “Over project for ROI. the years laminate floors have developed From door to floor, Sales Manager Jus- the reputation of looking somewhat ‘fake’ tin Reeves with Kelly’s Carpet Omaha said or ‘plastic-y,’ but with the updated realistic more customers are doing wood-look prod- looks and now the ability to stand up to ucts on as much of the main floor as possible. water, today’s laminate offers durability that “It may truly be hardwood or it may be will outmatch real hardwood. And something the waterproof version that is wood-look- we have always known as a retailer is that ing,” he said. “Waterproof [luxury vinyl laminate has always had extremely low claim planking] has been taking over the market ratios. So, I am glad to see that it coming for a couple years now. People are more back strong.” comfortable with how this holds up in “Individualistic” looks come to the kitchens and baths without sacrificing the surface for Katie Branson, marketing and Continued on page 6. wood appearance. Today’s LVP is very re-

Home Improvement/Maintenance • Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

5

Homeowners look to fresh concepts to update both indoor and outdoor spaces

by Gabby Christensen

Finding unique ways to stand out is on the minds of many homeowners as they look to remodel both interior and exterior spaces, according to Omaha professionals.

Frank DeLoa, owner/president at DeLoa and Sons Construction, said every homeowner is different from the next, and it seems more and more people are wanting to individualize their space to be unlike any other.

Because of this, DeLoa said he doesn’t keep a lot of material in stock.

“We have also witnessed clients wanting to remove their bathtubs from master bathrooms and instead opt for larger showers,” DeLoa said.

Furthermore, he said a lot of people are steering away from stained cabinetry and are moving toward a painted color.

On the outside, AJ Coleman, lighting designer at McKay Landscape Lighting, said many clients are wanting to convert to LED, as well as update outdated fixtures.

“From a lighting perspective, we’ve noticed that people are wanting to incorporate tiki torches or bistro string lights into their outdoor spaces,” Coleman said.

“Bistro lights, which first emerged in outdoor seating areas at bars or restaurants, is an effective way to light a space. It offers a nice, ambient light that people are preferring. It’s also a festive way to light the space.”

Additionally, Coleman said color is right on the edge of becoming extremely popular.

AJ Coleman, lighting designer at McKay Landscape Lighting.

“We’re seeing more requests for lights tied into the system all the time,” themed lights for holidays,” Coleman said. he said.

Coleman also noted that new technolPat Cavanaugh, owner of Cavanaugh ogy is on the rise.

LandEscapes, said people are utilizing “Recently, independent control through and remodeling their outdoor spaces more a phone app, which turns lights on or off, often because they are wanting to get is being utilized in place of having the outside and experience the nice weather

when they can.

Right now, he said most people tend to prefer low maintenance plantings around the house.

He said outdoor entertaining spaces are gaining in popularity as well.

“Paver patios, fire pits, outdoor grills and water features have really picked up and are aimed at entertaining guests,” Cavanaugh said. “Adding a nice patio with seating space and a fire pit is almost like adding an addition to a house and creating a new area for people to gather.”

According to Cavanaugh, some are leaning toward a modern design in their outdoor space.

“Obviously everyone has a different preference of how their design looks, but even some Cavanaugh paver and block manufacturers have begun making more modern looking material to incorporate into these spaces,” he said. “Clean, straight lines, walls with different depths on the face creating a modern feel. Larger pavers in patios are also gaining in popularity. With the advancements in technology and the manufacturing process it’s really interesting to see what they will come up with next, and to see what we can do with their products to make them unique.”

6

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Home Improvement/Maintenance

Home improvement financing on the rise, say area lenders

by Dwain Hebda

Home improvements have been on the rise in the Midlands as the local housing inventory is making many think twice about changing addresses. And, note local lenders, the recent reduction of interest rates to their lowest point since 2016 is likely to spur this trend even faster.

“Our trend lines are on the rise,” said Sean Heyen, senior vice president, chief marketing officer at Centris Federal Credit Union. “With a tight supply on homes for sale, people are opting to make improvements to their existing residence rather than relocating to a new home. Rates are trending down, so it’s a good time to finance larger projects, plus Omaha is a good market to invest in upgrades on your home.”

Forbes Magazine reported last year that the average existing house stock is nearly 40 years old, which is pushing some of the improvement activity. This fact, coupled with other factors and trends, leads the Home Improvement Research Institute to predict remodeling spending will continue to grow through 2021.

Heyen said Centris members have mul-

tiple choices when it comes to financing their home improvements.

“Most of our members prefer the flexibility of a home equity line of credit, which gives them the access to funds when they’re ready to start their project, big or small,” he said. “Between Centris’ HELOC and second mortgage products, we offer several flexible and inexpensive options to access the equity in a home.

“There hasn’t Heyen been a noticeable increase in the size of the loans; however, we’ve seen a rise in our members accessing more of their credit line recently. In general, it appears that people are comfortable tapping into their credit line for projects.”

Michelle Sawicki, vice president and mortgage division manager with Five Points Bank, said her institution was also

seeing an increase in people taking out loans for home improvement projects. She also cited rates and the lack of housing inventory as major factors why.

“Loan amounts are different in every

Sawicki

Peterson

community but overall, people are taking on larger project due to the lower rates,” she said.

Tyler Peterson, mortgage loan officer for the Omaha market for West Gate Bank said appreciation of home values has opened doors for many of these home improvement projects.

A multitude of options can make homes more efficient

by Jasmine Heimgartner

A home is an intricate system if innerworkings designed to keep its occupants secure and comfortable. For homeowners building a new home, incorporating the latest technologies from top to bottom can ensure the most energy-efficient home. If a home is older, there are still plenty of ways to boost that efficiency.

From updating to LED of CFL light bulbs to being more conscience of water usage, there are many small acts that can make a big difference. Some of them may even come with added perks.

“M.U.D. offers a $50 rain sensor rebate to customers who have an automatic rain sensor shut-off installed,” said Sarah Jones, utilization engineer at Metropolitan Utilities District.

She added that additional energy savings can be had if people, “replace furnace

filters monthly, have a heating contractor check your heating equipment every year, turn your thermostat down or up depending on the time of year while you are out of the house, water your lawn during the morning to reduce water evaporation, install a rain barrel beneath your downspout and use the water for your lawn or plants.”

Even taking more notice of the water heater can help save and energy and prolong the life of the appliance. Keeping it set below 120°F, insulating lines and installing low-flow fixtures are all ways to get the most out of the water heater. This is especially important in the Midwest, where hard water is a constant battle.

“Hard water is calcium magnesium running through pipes, which can eventually do damage and clog pipes to where you have to replace them,” said Travis Peterson, sales manager at Hall’s Culligan.

“In the water heater, if you are running hard water through that, sediment will also build up in there. That causes it to work harder and affects capacity.”

While the small steps can help, appliances, fixtures, windows and other parts of a home aren’t necessarily made to last forever. When it is time to consider replacing a bigger ticketed item, it’s important to do the research.

“Look into different models and options for these appliances, and check on reviews to see if there is information on how much others have saved,” Jones said. “Be leery of anything that seems to gimmicky, it might be too good to be true. Talk to a licensed plumber or contractor about what makes the most sense for your home. They are aware of the trends in the industry and what is worth Continued on page 11.

“People don’t want to lose their liquidity,” he said. “Especially in 2019, borrowers that have the capability to pay for these improvements to their home are oftentimes taking advantage of the equity they’ve built. A lot of that is due to the increased value of their homes over the last couple of years.

“Instead of spending their own cash, I see a desire for the general public to want to remain liquid because the money is so cheap right now.”

Peterson said the recent rate reduction has touched off a feeding frenzy in the local market. He advised interested borrowers to weigh the range of lenders carefully.

“What sometimes happens is people get on an assembly line and when something comes up that needs attention the consumer can get lost in the process,” he said. “At West Gate Bank we have our own underwriters, our own processors.

We self-service our conventional loans, meaning after a client closes it’s not getting sold to a big engine financial company or servicing company in who knows where.

“We treat it like that on the front side, too. Each loan is treated independently, reviewed independently and given our best advice based on that individual loan.

By doing this type of independent review lending, each client gets their own personal attention and we can structure a plan and a program that works to their goals, even if it’s not traditional.”

Adding functionality, value Continued from page 4. drafting specialist at HC Remodel and Design; for instance, with tile “nothing is off the table,” and fixtures go from classic to modern and many things in-between (like the farmhouse style).

“People are getting freestanding tubs and ditching the big jacuzzi tubs,” she said.

“From claw foot to modern, it’s a cleaner look in the bathroom. We’re seeing a more open shower, and some glass.”

Varied storage options, especially cabinetry-related, are big.

“There are so many options with the existing space to really change things around,” she said.

Branson said owner Gary Haldeman recently earned certification in “universal design,” which is described as the creation of any space to function for every member of the family.

“There are so many very aesthetically pleasing things for aging in place,” she said.

“We’re seeing a huge amount of spaces that have a zero-entry shower and space to get a wheelchair around, and outlets that are put in place where you can get to them easily, or handles that can be operated by everybody else.”

Branson indicated the rise of HGTV is encouraging as it’s among many sources for consumer inspiration; however, she cautioned pricing on these shows doesn’t include contractor fees. Also, one may not get a full return on the investment in a bathroom or basement if he or she sells tomorrow. Like vacations, Branson said one pays to “enjoy the experience.”

Functionality means less headaches.

“It’s an investment in yourself and in your home that will add some value,” she said.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

7

BAT Logistics focuses on creative answers to client pain points chargebacks by over 100%,” she said.

Continued from page 1.

“And our business with them has continued movable gooseneck].

“We have a customer who has struggled to grow. They’re not spending time chasing with deliveries of freight,” said Jankowski, down paperwork, and not having to fight who referenced their work with a large charges.”

Jankowski further noted the creation grocery chain. “This customer was getting a lot of chargebacks and getting fined very of a “full-circle solution,” by arming the heavily from the retailer receiving the client with data.

One of BAT’s product. The customtop priorities is imer would get it deliv- BAT Logistics proving upon techered, and on the back Phone: 712-256-7260 nologies that can be end was receiving Address: 20 Arena Way, suite 2, Counoffered as solutions a bill where they’re cil Bluffs 51501 to clients; indeed, saying, ‘We are go- Services: full truck load, less than truck many of its recent ing to deduct 10% load, refrigerated, intermodal, drayage, press releases have of the cost of goods,’ government, flat bed/step-deck/RGN to do with the likes and they needed spe- Founded: 2008 of creating its own cial paperwork that Employees: around 33 proprietary technolwasn’t turned in, and Website: www.batlogistics.com ogy that uses maneeded paperwork to streamline the costs they were incurring.” chine learning to find the best-suited BAT Logistics began partnering with carrier in seconds.

“There is so much forecasting that the client about 18 months ago.

“We started to do research into the goes into businesses, and we’re trying to ‘worst areas,’ investigating those areas look ahead and leverage the data on the where they struggled the most … and we desktop and the Post-it note sitting on the connected directly with the large retailer,” desk,” she said. “Their desktop is littered she said. “We dug more details out of them with notes, paper, and information that is not housed or stored or leveraged. So, we that even the customers didn’t know.”

Working with various stakeholders to began to collect that data electronically create a streamlined package, Jankowk- and analyze it, and match a problem to a si said the client noticed a reduction in solution. The more information we put into chargebacks within the first three months. the system, the more data we can leverage “We helped our customer deliver into — we’re not letting it go unused. We can this one large food vendor and reduced crunch it down and use it to our advantage,

and to recall things in an easier manner.”

Strategically, Jankowski speaks in terms of growth in “two-year increments,” and in “being the right size” — even if they don’t hit their “big audacious goals.”

The right-sized organization is further focused on brining more to value to the industry.

“We don’t want to say to shippers that we do everything — what we do, we do best,” she said, a reference to solutions-based growth that comes down, in part, to having people in the right seats on the bus.

“We’re focusing on people’s strengths versus their weaknesses, so they’re fully equipped to lead,” she said. “We’re looking internally to better ourselves and our team, and growth will come.”

Over the past decade or so, BAT has done a great deal of “soul-searching” as it relates to its hiring processes.

“Our hiring process can get rigorous, we do take our time,” she said. “It’s not just a phone and physical, in-person interview.

We have a ‘shadow’ who witnesses a job being completed. We also offer second chance programs.”

Jankowski said individuals who come from less-than-ideal backgrounds have often become the best team members.

“They’re very gracious for the opportunities, and we understand that people can change,” she said.

For further insight into what makes the

organization tick, Jankowski spoke to what attracted her to BAT in 2008.

“It’s an industry that is so critical to the livelihood of our country, and the industry itself is challenging — there is always something different and exciting, and a problem to solve,” she said. “BAT as a whole, I am able to do really anything. You don’t have to wait for somebody to quit or die for a change, and I’m all about being an entrepreneurial spirit and a go-getter.

If you have ideas or suggestions, you can go and do them.”

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

American Hearing & Audiology’s focus on customer experience propels growth Continued from page 1. meeting room.

“We never want to forget that the patient sitting in that chair is in a position of vulnerability,” she said. “They think they have a problem and need help and I will have up to a 90-minute conversation with them about what they need, their listening needs, and what they hope to gain.”

Grasse, who earned her doctorate in

American Hearing & Audiology Phone: 402-512-5951 (Nebraska locations) Address: 12100 West Center Road & 14473 West Center Road in Omaha; 11109 S. 84th St. in Papillion; 3901 Pine Lake Road in Lincoln Founded: 2016 in Olathe, Kansas Employees: 50 (nine in Nebraska) One-year goal: Emphasize strong customer experience for each patient while remaining open for additional regional growth opportunities.

Industry outlook: Baby boomers make for great opportunities as enhanced hearing devices are introduced on the market.

Website: www.AmericanHearing.us

2008 from Wichita State University, said helping people of all ages hear better rests on assuring them that they are valued and cared for.

Each American Hearing location doctor has a significant amount of autonomy in operating the business, said managing partner Brent Peterson, who operates out of the firm’s corporate headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas.

Revenues of the four eastern Nebraska locations have increased by double-digits in the past year.

“We’re growth oriented and have aggressive revenue expectations at each of our offices,” he said. “We’re one of the largest providers in the Kansas City area and already are one of the top three in Omaha.”

Peterson, a 1994 business administration graduate of Kansas State and a board certified hearing instrument specialist, said the first three years of American Hearing’s business plan have involved the firm’s purchase of several established hearing and audiology services practices.

The four professionals running the Omaha and Lincoln area locations have a total of more than 100 years experience. Of the five owners of American Hearing, three are licensed hearing and audiology professionals and two have a financial background.

“Our vision is to be No. 1 in each market and to become a household name in hearing health care,” he said. “Hearing and health care awareness is high and the technology has improved.”

Peterson said the obstacle in front of American Hearing’s growth as a stronger regional player is the 10 to 15 larger competitors. With the life of a hearing aid averaging about four or five years, he said the approach of “deepening the relationship with each patient” enables technology to be regularly upgraded.

The age range of patients starts at 16 and eclipses 100.

Grasse, a native of Norfork, Arkansas (population 500), who earned college money by participating in beauty pageants, came to Omaha 11 years ago studying cochlear implants at Boys Town, hearing-balance disorders, and

serving as a traveling hearing specialist for K-12 students in the Omaha Public Schools.

She is American Hearing’s only dispensing audiologist in Nebraska.

Grasse said hearing aids can range from $1,000 to $7,000 and because some insurance plans don’t pay for them, those interviewed and tested by American Hearing at its recently-remodeled 144th Street & West Center Road location sometimes harbor a resistance to making the investment.

“It’s a matter of getting them into the black chair to start the interview,” she said. “I had a daughter bring her mom in against her will but after sampling what we offer and getting her aid fitted she hugged my neck.”

American Hearing offers a seven-day free trial period, which sometimes has been extended to 14.

“Most have waited 8 to 10 years to do anything about their hearing loss and the trial period is what usually makes the decision when they can hear their refrigerator, the dog’s paws on the floor and the clicking of their car’s turn signal,” Grasse said.

The higher-end hearing aids now come with enhancements such as a fall-alert feature, which automatically sends an alert to three people, translation features in 20 languages, connections with smartphones, car phones, and a detection feature to locate the equipment if it is lost.

Of the several manufacturers with which American Hearing works, ReSound, Phonak and Unitron are among the most popular with Nebraska customers.

Not only are more baby boomers reaching the age where they may need hearing assistance, Grasse said they are also becoming more knowledgeable and accepting of how technology can enhance their lives.

American Hearing’s other eastern Nebraska locations are in Omaha’s Bel-Air Plaza at 12100 West Center Road, 11109 S. 84th St. in Papillion and at 3901 Pine Lake Road in Lincoln.

American Hearing has six locations in Kansas, seven in Missouri and earlier this year opened a clinic in Tulsa.

Region’s first Pokéworks opens to reach consumer demand for Hawaiian staple Continued from page 1. was way smaller than where their other locations were at, and we would have conversations with them about how great Omaha is and how many Fortune 500 businesses are here. We were finally able to convince them to bring Pokéworks to Omaha.”

By the end of last year, the Cais noted a contract was in the works.

“We saw there were a lot of sushi lovers here,” Ken Cai added. “We could tell by the amount of sushi restaurants, and poke is the hottest new way to enjoy sushi — the next-generation sushi. It’s more portable and affordable and, if you look at food trends right now, it’s all about fresh and healthy, and customizing the meal.”

The brothers noted how a video of the portable poke burrito (ingredients of one’s choice on a bed of sushi rice in a blanket of roasted seaweed) went viral on social media.

The brand itself is building on such momentum; the company reports 40-plus locations in North America, with 100-plus projected to ‘Poke Your Way Bowl’ with Ahi tuna, ogo seaweed, black sesame seeds, avocado open by 2020.

Steven Cai got to know the brand while and chili flakes.

Steven Cai noted patrons can sample while growing the poke franchise location. working in finance in New York City.

“Even though our love for food brought items they’ve never tried before; for instance, “I would get lunch at Pokéworks and wait delicious poke to Omaha, we never gave up the website features 11 different “mix-ins,” in line for a half-hour,” he recalled.

The moment Steven Cai encountered on what we went to school for,” Ken Cai said. including hijiki seaweed, ogo seaweed, and The brothers are optimistic about that chopped shiso, as well as flavors, toppings Pokéworks’ “poke your way” approach was and “crunch” ranging from umami shoyu, the moment he knew they had to bring the passion.

“We were open from 11 to 9, and had a sweet chili gochujang, and wasabi aioli, to concept back to Nebraska.

“It brought back memories of our trips to line starting as early as 10:15,” Ken Cai said spicy furikake, masago, and surimi salad, and of the grand opening on Aug. 10. “That line lotus chips, shredded nori, and toasted rice Hawaii,” he said.

These fond memories can be traced back never disappeared until after we closed — at puffs. These items accompany “base” options to the brothers’ experiences while attending 9:30. We were very impressed by the turnout.” (bowls of kale noodle, sushi rice, brown rice Customers left sat- or quinoa; sushi rice and roasted seaweed Creighton University. wrap burrito; and salad on fresh romaine and isfied.

“Creighton has Pokeworks Omaha “They get to pick spring mix), and proteins (ahi and albacore always been known Phone: 402-810-9659 and choose and de- tunas, chicken, salmon, scallops, shrimp and as the ‘Maui of the Address: 10351 Pacific Street, No. 18, sign a different bowl vegan-friendly tofu).

Midwest,’ because the Omaha 68114 “And our customers always take a picture than they had the last university has always Services: twist on Native Hawaiian time — they can have of their food before they eat it,” Ken Cai said. had the ability to at- staple, poke, with customizable bowls, something new every “When you come to Pokéworks, the first thing tract so many Hawai- burritos and salads time they come in,” you see is the neon sign, and the other thing is ian students,” Ken Cai Founded: 2015 (company); 2019 (local the Instagram wall.” he said. said. “We made a lot of store) When the Cais enjoyed poke in college, “The most importgood friends from Ha- Website: www.pokeworks.com/omaha ant thing we’ve been they noted it was like having a little taste of waii, and took many hearing is the quality of our food,” Steven Cai “Aloha” away from the islands. trips to Hawaii with them.”

“We really brought that atmosphere and On these trips, the Cais were introduced added. “Our customers couldn’t stop mentionexperience here,” Ken Cai said. “We have ing how good and how fresh our tunas are.” to authentic Hawaiian poke.

The Cais noted a “no limits” approach; aloha music playing, and an upscale modern “It has a little bit of sushi rice, a little bit of green onion, and is lightly marinated in ahi customers may put every topping available look with tiki wood all around the walls, and tuna,” Ken Cai said. “It’s so flavorful and so in their bowls or burritos, minus a hefty a natural skylight.”

Going forward, they’re optimistic about fresh … it was love at first taste for us, and it price tag.

“We want to take the time to educate each the success of the store and the ability to became our favorite food.”

Third-generation restaurateurs, the Cais diner and guide them through the line, helping replicate the concept elsewhere, and look are balancing their training (Steven’s finance them make their perfect poke creation,” Ken forward to adding catering services as the business grows. background with Ken’s pharmacy background) Cai said.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

9

Current, upcoming entertainment options satiate history, music and art buffs alike

by Michelle Leach

From a program highlighting Omaha’s history of housing discrimination, to an exhibition featuring the first handwritten, illuminated Bible in 500-plus years, and performances from artists as varied as Beatle Ringo Starr to Celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly, arts and entertainment options this summer and beyond satisfy a diverse array of tastes and interests.

“Beginning in 1936, the neighborhoods of Omaha’s Near North and south sides were systematically segregated from the rest of the city by means of prohibitive and discriminatory home-lending practices,” said The Union for Contemporary Arts Communications Manager Patrick Mainelli. “In Omaha, and cities across the country, red lines were literally drawn on city maps by the federally-funded Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, identifying predominantly African-American and immigrant communities as ‘hazardous’ and unfit for investment.”

Undesign the Redline explores these foundations for structural racism and its lingering effects in Omaha, as part of an interactive exhibit, workshop series and curriculum that drew more than 150 people to its opening reception in late July.

Mainelli noted the exhibit leans in on deeply-researched primary source material spanning more than eight decades and

developed by New York-based studio, designing the WE, which has brought their work to more than a dozen redlined cities throughout the country.

Joslyn Art Museum Director of Marketing and Public Relations Amy Rummel put a light on Word and Image: The Saint John’s Bible, an exhibition running from Oct. 5 to Jan. 19 and feaRummel turing 76 pages from the first handwritten illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the invention of the printing press.

Rummel noted the Bible uses traditional manuscript materials, like handmade inks and gold leaf, as well as imagery that draws from both ancient and modern worlds “to inspire new readings and interpretations of the Biblical text;” for instance, motifs from Judaism, Buddhism and Islam, and Native American, Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures.

“Pages from The Saint John’s Bible were on view in an exhibition at Joslyn once before, in 2006,” she said. “Tens of thousands of visitors attended that show,

3M selling military helmet and armor business for at least $91M

by Dee DePass

3M is selling its ballistic protection business, noting that its product lines including bullet-resistant helmets and body armor no longer fit with 3M’s core business strategy.

The unit is a small but higher-profile unit because of its Corporations military and law enforcement business.

3M is selling the business to Avon Rubber PLC for $91 million, but officials said it could rise by another $25 million, depending on the outcome of pending contract bids.

The division sale is subject to regulatory approval and will close by year’s end or early next year.

If completed, 280 3M employees will transfer to Avon Rubber, which is based in England and provides chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear respiratory protection systems for military, law enforcement and firefighting customers.

3M’s ballistic-protection business generates $85 million a year in sales and specializes in ballistic helmets, helmet attachments, body armor and flat armor products sold to the military and law enforcement.

The business is part of 3M’s larger Advanced Materials Business, which involves fluoropolymers, ceramics, glass bubbles and other highly engineered particles and products.

3M said in a statement that it decided to sell its ballistic business to “focus on other businesses within its Advanced Materials Division.” It did not elaborate.

The ballistics-products division sale is the latest in a series of divestitures recently announced by 3M as it awaits the largest

acquisition in 3M history.

3M said in May that it will buy the San Antonio-based wound-care products giant Acelity Inc. and its KCI subsidiaries for a stunning $6.7 billion. Acelity boasts 4,500 employees and $1.5 billion in revenue. That deal is expected to close before the end of the year.

In the meantime, 3M has been reorganizing during a difficult time for global industrials.

During a troubling first quarter for which 3M delivered disappointing earnings results in April, 3M restructured from five businesses into four, cutting 2,000 jobs in the process.

In late July, 3M posted second quarter results in profits plunged 39%. Only one of four business enjoyed a sales increase for the quarter ended June 30.

3M noted that work continues to cut Continued on next page.

and we look forward to hosting this latest iteration of the exhibition now that The Saint John’s Bible is complete — a project that took over a decade. This fall, the exhibition will feature many new pages.”

Next year, Joslyn will also feature “Fact and Fiction in Contemporary Photography” and “Rodin: Truth, Form, Life and Rodin: Hardersen Muses, Sirens, Lovers.” These exhibitions reportedly showcase the likes of compositions constructed from multiple digital captures that “subvert our assumptions about their subjects in surprising ways,” and a selection of bronzes that illustrate French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s complex relationships with women respectively.

And, while Rummel said major exhibitions are ticketed, admission to the museum’s permanent collection galleries, and onsite café and museum shop is free.

“We love to remind local business owners of Joslyn as a space to come for lunch or a casual meeting with an associate or just a place to get away for a break during the work day, inside or outside in

our sculpture garden,” she said. “With free admission, it’s easy to pop in and out when it’s convenient for you.”

Caesars Entertainment Corp’s Regional Vice President-Entertainment Melissa Hardersen said Stir Cove Concert Series at Harrah’s Council Bluffs is, in its 16th season, bigger than before; last year, there were 16 shows.

“This year, 27 shows,” she said.

“Changes within the last couple of years pertain to safety. The same clear bag policy that has been implemented in stadiums and arenas has also been implemented at Stir Cove. This is to ensure a safe environment to enjoy live music.”

Recently, Hardersen noted the season was 18 shows in, with upcoming concerts featuring, Ben Harper and Trombone Shorty, Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, Collective Soul/Gin Blossoms, and Flogging Molly and Social Distortion. “[We’re] staying true to the Stir Cove motto: ‘There is a little something for everyone,’ covering several different genres of music,” she said.

Hardersen also noted, while they are an all ages, general admission venue with festival seating and standing room, party decks are also located on the north side of the venue – available for purchase for business outings, reunions and small parties alike.

10

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

If you’re a homebuyer, pay attention to which grocery stores are nearby

by Natalie Campisi

The old real estate adage of “location, location, location” could be changed to “Trader Joe’s, Trader Joe’s, Trader Joe’s,” if recent analysis is any indication. A report

by ATTOM Data looked at how home values were affected by proximity to different grocery stores, and the results are eye-opening.

It turns out that if Trader Joe’s is nearby, your house might be worth more than if it were close to other grocery chains. The average return on investment, or ROI, for Trader Joe’s-adjacent real estate homes is 51 percent, 10 percentage points more than the runner-up, Whole Foods (41 percent), and almost 20 percentage points more than Aldi (34 percent).

The results were based on an analysis of 1,859 zip codes with at least one of each of these grocery stores: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Aldi. ATTOM, a property data company, looked at current average home values from 2014 to 2019, current average home equity, home seller profits and home-flipping rates to learn whether these stores had any impact on equity, home-flipping returns and price appreciation.

Homeowners near the famous “TwoBuck Chuck” retailer, i.e. Trader Joe’s, also had more equity in their homes, with an average of 37 percent ($247,445). The runner-ups were Whole Foods with 31 percent ($187,035) and Aldi with an average 20 percent equity ($53,650).

Aldi came in first place in the gross flipping ROI contest, however, with an average of 61 percent — almost double the second-place store, Whole Foods, which had a 35 percent ROI, trailed by Trader Joe’s with a 31 percent ROI. Aldi also had the best five-year price

Selling military helmet Continued from preceding page. expenses, reduce factory production, slash inventories and “invest for the future.”

Officials said previously that investing for the future will mean pushing into growth products and markets and shedding businesses that no longer fit or that no longer have strong growth potential.

In June 2019, 3M announced the sale of its gas- and flame-detection business to Teledyne Technologies for $230 million. A year earlier it sold its fiber optics telecommunications business for $870 million. In 2017, 3M sold its prisoner electronic-monitoring business to Apax Partners for $200 million and its passport and identity management business to Gemalto for $850 million.

3M’s restructuring has largely won support among Wall Street analysts. But concerns about trade tariffs, a series of PFAS chemical contamination lawsuits and the slowing global economy, have weighed heavily on investors.

3M’s stock fell $1.35 a share to close at $162.12. That’s far from the 52-week high of $219 a share. Recently, 3M’s stock sunk to a 52-week low of $158.04 a share.

The decline occurred on Aug. 7 — the same day the markets experienced a big sell off and the same day 3M announced the sale of its ballistics-protection business. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

appreciation — 42 percent, more than 10 percentage points ahead of Trader Joe’s which had 33 percent. Whole Foods came in last place with an average five-year, home-price appreciation of 31 percent.

What your house is near today might predict its value later A popular grocery store is not the only neighborhood amenity that can increase your home’s value, according to experts.

Where you live can impact your investment as much — or even more — as your actual house, so it’s important to know what makes a location desirable, says James Marshall, director of real estate analytics products at Clear Capital.

Clear Capital’s automated valuation model, called ClearAVM, uses machine learning to predict the values of residential properties across the U.S. One of its findings is that desirable locations can predict home values.

“When we overlay points of interest (like transit, shopping and amenities) on top of prices, we see trends in the distance to these features,” Marshall says. “In urban areas, ClearAVM has found that access to public transit has a large correlation with higher property prices. We have found the same with access to restaurants, coffee shops

and groceries in urban and suburban areas.”

While different folks will place more or less value on certain things — one person might love their craft brewery neighbor while another would prefer a yoga studio — there are universally positive (and negative) elements, says Chris Hunt, chief appraiser at Clear Capital.

Some of the positive location amenities that can impact home values and equity include high-ranking schools, hospitals, shopping centers, green spaces and being near the waterfront (think oceans and lakes), as well as access to highways and main thoroughfares.

Negative location markers include things like high-traffic and high-noise areas, crowded commercial properties, high-tension power lines or other utility easements, a poorly maintained home or neighborhood, and not being near the appealing attractions mentioned earlier, Hunt says.

Scope out the location before you buy a home Since buying a home is a major decision that can have serious financial consequences, both good and bad, buyers should think beyond the four walls. A solid investment strategy includes looking at the home’s surrounding location.

Whether you plan to sell your house in a few years or stay put for a lifetime, location will have a bearing on both your wallet and long-term satisfaction.

Take the time to get to know the neighborhood. Do people tend to stay or is there a lot of turnover in sales? It’s important to get an idea of how a neighborhood might age based on community involvement, how long businesses have stayed there and what locals have to say.

“The beneficial amenities listed previously are those that, over time, tend to hold up as positively, adding to the home’s appeal and overall value impact in the market,” Hunt says. “That said, as neighborhoods mature and homes trade in the market, amenities and influences change, as well.”

Buyers should also consider where they’re buying in order to measure the long-term impacts of certain amenities. For instance, in urban areas transportation is king, Marshall says. Likewise, in coastal markets, the distance to water is the largest driver of desirability.

“On a more micro level, a property that backs up to green space or has a slight view can fluctuate values on homes that may be next to each other,” Marshall points out. ©2019 Bankrate.com

by Susan Tompor

2018 once withholding tables were adjusted to reflect the lower tax rates in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

For some tax filers, though, the extra money that ended up in their paychecks turned out to be even more than the amount their taxes would have gone down under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to H&R Block data.

Were you upset by a smaller tax refund?

Under the new tax rules, some people lost key tax benefits. Maybe your children are 17 or older and you don’t get as big of a tax break. Maybe you now can only deduct up to $10,000 — and no more — for the money paid for state income taxes, local taxes and property taxes.

If your tax story fell into one of those buckets, you could have faced more significant swings than the averages would indicate.

The average tax refund was $2,729 this year through May 10. That’s down 1.7% from a year earlier. The total amount of refunds was down 2.7% for that same time frame, totaling $277.26 billion through May 10. That’s the latest IRS information available; other statistics will be released later in the year.

While only a few months remain in 2019, it is still possible to have more money taken out of your paycheck to cover income taxes now to avoid unwelcome surprises in 2020.

How does this estimator work?

The IRS online estimator is broken into six sections — information about your household, income, adjustments to your income, deductions from income, tax credits and your results.

You need some paperwork on hand — such as your most recent pay stub and pay information for your spouse. You must know how much in taxes has been withheld already; how much you plan to contribute to your tax-deferred 401(k) plans this year.

You can be more detailed by entering any adjustments to income. But that’s not required. The IRS site notes that most taxpayers don’t have a large enough adjustment to have a significant impact on their tax obligation. Adjustments could include a student loan interest deduction, alimony paid that could be deductible for some in many cases and other factors.

What do you do next to update your W-4?

The online tool gives you step-by-step instructions for how to fill out a W-4. And you’re easily able to download a blank W-4 to give to your employer.

If you want to withhold more money in taxes, you need to fill out that W-4 and give it to your employer.

Will this exercise even be worthwhile?

The more willing you are to dig for your real numbers, the better your odds for a clear tax picture.

Amazingly, the format of the new estimator is extremely straightforward. To get more comfortable with it, I played around by plugging in some random numbers to see how you move from one point to the next.

The only challenge, as I see it, will be getting your correct paperwork in order. It’s important to know information about your tax situation, such as if you’re going to claim deductions or take the standard deduction.

If you can do that, well, a clear graphic pops up at the end to spell out what kind of refund you might expect after you file your tax return in 2020.

You’ll be shown an estimate for how much you might owe in taxes or the size of you estimated tax refund.

And there’s a bar to show you how to make adjustments — even now. There’s process to follow if you want to get a refund and another if you want to owe as little as possible.

“Just as before, the more detail you put Continued on next page.

Now, a new way to estimate next year’s tax refund Summer will soon be fading out of view and, like it or not, 2019 will move toward a close.

So what exactly have you done to withhold more money out of your paycheck to cover that 2019 tax bill?

FinanCial If you need a motivator, the Internal Revenue Service has launched its much-anticipated new Tax Withholding Estimator. The calculator reportedly makes it “easier to enter wages and withholding for each job held by the taxpayer and their spouse, as well as separately entering pensions and other sources of income.”

Stepping back to fine tune how much money you’re withholding in taxes now can make a huge difference between dreading having to write a big check to pay taxes in April or actually looking forward to getting a tax refund.

The estimator, which replaces the old IRS online tax withholding calculator, should help you see how on track you are right now. If necessary, you could make adjustments and dedicate more or less money toward federal income taxes out of your paycheck, and your spouse’s paycheck, too.

Many people found the old calculator to be a more than a bit cumbersome, but the new estimator is getting some good reviews.

So it’s clearly worth a look.

See www.irs.gov and click on “Tax Withholding Estimator.”

Why do I need to think about taxes now?

Getting your withholding right, of course, takes on greater importance after a rather unsettling tax season earlier this year when many taxpayers ended up paying more than expected or took home far smaller tax refunds than usual.

If you’re working in the gig economy and juggling more than one job, the new program can take that into account, too.

Remember, take-home pay went up in

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

11

Once shelved as too risky, blood cancer drug gets FDA approval

by Bradley J. Fikes

A promising cancer drug, discovered in San Diego and later discarded for safety concerns, has at last been approved for use.

The drug, fedratinib, treats certain kinds of a bone marrow cancer HealtH Care called myelofibrosis.

R e c e n t l y, t h e U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved fedratinib, which will be sold by Celgene under the brand name Inrebic. It had originally been developed by San Diego’s TargeGen, purchased by Sanofi in 2010 for up to $635 million.

The drug is the first new therapy apSUPER CROSSWORD

proved for myleofibrosis in nearly a decade, Celgene said in a statement.

Myleofibrosis causes blood-forming bone marrow to be replaced with fibrous scar tissue. This deprives patients of energy and makes them vulnerable to infection.

Blood-forming cells move to the spleen, liver and other parts of the body, causing additional complications.

Fedratinib targets a mutation called JAK2 that drives certain kinds of myelofibrosis.

In clinical trials, oncologists including UC San Diego’s Dr. Catriona Jamieson reported patient responses including complete remissions that no other drug delivered.

TRACK STARS

But after Sanofi withdrew the drug from clinical testing in 2013, some patients who had thrived on it died. Others survived on alternatives. Since then, Jamieson and John Hood, who led early research on the drug, had searched for ways to bring it back.

Fedratinib has an unusually complicated history. It sprang out of research at San Diego’s TargeGen, was tested by Sanofi and then shelved because a few patients developed a dangerous brain inflammation, with one death. Were it not for Hood, that would have been the end.

Jamieson said one of her first patients on the fedratinib trial, Theresa Blanda, bounced back on the drug after being very seriously ill. Her symptoms included a hugely swollen liver and knee, filled with displaced blood-forming stem cells.

Blanda went on the clinical trial in 2008.

But when the drug was put on hold five years later, supplies dried up. Blanda relapsed.

“It looked like she may succumb to the disease,” Jamieson said. “So I called John and said, ‘What are we going to do about this?’ And John said, ‘Well, we’re going to have to acquire the drug.’ ” Hood said he acted because it was the right thing to do.

“When you have patients who are truly responding to a drug that you’re behind, who desperately need it, you do whatever you can to make sure they get it,” Hood said. “That’s the moment people in this industry live for.

If you don’t drop everything, you’re in the wrong industry.”

“I quit my job, worked out a deal with Sanofi, the local San Diego VCs and a third party to fund it, and started a company.”

The effort took longer than anticipated, in

Homes more efficient

Answers on page 12.

Continued from page 6. the investment.

In this day an age, there is often advanced tech attached to new appliances that make it even easier to monitor usage and better use energy. Smart appliances put control in a homeowner’s hands, as well as can adapt to energy usage trends within a home.

“We have Wi-Fi capable systems that will tell how much water is ran to make them more efficient on usage, including a Bluetooth-enabled drinking system that runs straight through your sink instead of traditional methods,” Peterson said.

“Some of the high-efficiency modules will read water usage over a 21-day span.

If a family isn’t home at say Wednesday at 3 p.m., it will automatically go through a regeneration process at that time when it is likely not to be used, which also saves money.”

While energy efficiency may be all the buzz, making some of these changes can provide health benefits to people and the Earth. Less energy usage equates to fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-efficient appliances can provide cleaner air and water. Luckily, finding what is right for a specific home is becoming easier.

“Take all the facts into the equation,” Peterson said. “We don’t just have a onesize fits all. We try to give people options for their needs and budget. “At the end of the day, people just want good water.”

part because of the need to answer the safety concerns. But in 2017, Hood founded Impact Biomedicines to bring back fedratinib. Impact was purchased by Celgene in January 2018 for $1.1 billion upfront, plus milestones that could bring the total price to $7 billion.

It was too late for Blanda. She died in 2016.

Fedratinib’s approval was celebrated at the 26th annual Luau and Legends of Surfing Invitational, a fundraiser for UCSD Moores Cancer Center held near Scripps Pier. Jamieson and Hood attended.

Fedratinib is another step toward personalized cancer therapy, said Dr. Brian Druker, a UCSD alumnus who was honored along with Salk Institute cancer researcher Tony Hunter.

Druker’s research led to Gleevec, which treats chronic myelogenous leukemia. It’s considered the first genetically targeted cancer therapy.

For his part, Hunter performed research that led to an entirely new category of cancer drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. That category includes fedratinib. ©2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Next year’s tax refund Continued from preceding page. in the calculator, the more accurate the outcome will be,” said Nathan Rigney, who is a lead tax research analyst at H&R Block’s Tax Institute.

“Unfortunately, we know that most people aren’t comfortable updating their W-4 on their own and that very few did, even after tax reform.”

So it’s important that the IRS took the step to make it as easy as possible for people.

What’s attractive about the online format is that it’s not intimidating and you’re not handing over anything personal like a Social Security number or your bank account information.

“It’s easy if you’re sophisticated enough and organized enough to use it correctly,” said George W. Smith, a certified public account in Southfield.

“Do I like and support it? Yes, definitely.”

Some tax experts say they’d view the new estimator as a much more helpful tool than previous online calculators at www. irs.gov.

“It’s user-friendly and takes a more comprehensive look at a person’s overall tax picture,” said Patricia A. Bojanic, a certified public accountant at Gordon Advisors in Troy.

One highlight: A married couple has a simpler time taking into account the wages, as well as the taxes being withheld, for both spouses.

“If used with the right information, it should result in much more accurate withholding,” Bojanic said.

Maybe it won’t turn out exactly on the money. But even if you make a good faith effort, things could turn out far better than if you simply kicked next year’s tax return down the road and totally ignored the potential problems. ©2019 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

12

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

As California’s recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt

by Piper McDaniel

Visiting the Burbank recycling center is like stepping into an archaeological dig.

Everywhere there is evidence of consumption — kombucha bottles, cardboard delivery packages, plastic water bottles, toothpaste tubes, vitamin bottles and plastic bags.

“Our garbage tells our story,” said recycling coordinator Kreigh Hampel. “It drives home how disposable our lives are.” reCyCling Not long ago, these byproducts of a throw-away lifestyle found a market in China, allowing Americans to toss their garbage in recycling bins with a seemingly clean conscience. But in late 2017, China imposed a stringent ban on imports of certain scrap papers and plastics, creating a glut of material and roiling the global recycling industry.

California’s recycling industry is struggling to survive after China banned imports of plastics and other scrap material. Experts say big changes are needed to avoid a waste glut.

Now, as still more Asian nations prepare to follow China’s lead, California’s recycling industry is struggling, posing hard choices for a state that prides itself on its image as an environmental beacon. A big hit came this month when RePlanet, California’s largest operator of recycling redemption centers, shut down and laid off 750 employees.

Both consumers and industry will need

to brace for big changes.

“The Chinese ban and everything else in the last couple of years made us realize we are living in a pretend world of ‘wishcycling,’” said Roland Geyer, an industrial ecology professor at UC Santa Barbara, “What we’ve tried hasn’t worked.”

To go beyond “wishcycling” — the assumption that everything in the blue bin gets recycled — consumers will need to change their purchase practices, avoiding single-use containers and packaging that have no recycling value, say experts. Industries that produce these products will need to be held responsible for their life-cycle impacts, possibly in the form of legislative mandates.

“We’ve always recognized that, for many materials, we’re going to have to have producer responsibility,” said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, a Sacramento-based conservation group. “That idea is not new.”

China started banning certain scrap imports partly because of complaints that the United States was shipping “contaminated” and poorly sorted recyclables, and also because of internal changes in the Chinese economy and waste management systems.

The shift has prompted increased investment in U.S. recycling plants to fill the void. Nonetheless, scrap waste is piling up in warehouses and parking lots. Some is ending up in waterways, oceans, landfills and incinerators. In nearly all cases, waste disposal is

Working from home works for you, but the boss wants you in the office

by Liz Reyer

Q: I work from home, but my boss (who works in our corporate office in another city) often asks me to find reasons to work in the local office. It’s not a short commute, and I don’t actually work with any of the people in that location — my projects are with people in other countries or WorkplaCe cities in the U.S. I don’t understand why this is important to him and how to handle it.

-Alex, 44, software engineer A: It’s worth taking the time to understand why he wants you to be physically present in your local office.

First, does he realize that you don’t work directly with people at that location? You should double check. “He should know …” isn’t sufficient. If he has many direct reports or a wide scope of responsibility, that detail may just not be on his radar.

There are other reasons to be in the office.

He may have concerns about the team’s visibility, so having an in-person presence may fulfill a need, even if you are not working directly with people.

You give a face to your part of the organization.

As you form relationships, you also are more tapped into the mood of the organization and dynamics that are going on. Might this also be part of his objective?

Or, he may have some more ad hoc questions that he needs you to get answers for from time to time, but not an ongoing expectation for you to be there.

It seems clear that you need to understand his point of view.

If you have not just asked him, what has

held you back from discussing it? If you are uncomfortable, reflect on the reasons. Then ask yourself, “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” You will probably find that it’s a low-risk conversation to have.

Taking a broad view, think about the benefits that you could realize. Forming broader relationships in your company is not trivial.

As you work on different projects or take on different roles, the connections can support your success. It can also help build more job satisfaction through more work friendships.

Having an ear to the ground can also be useful, especially in the volatile business climate we are currently experiencing. It is easy to get too out of touch if you are working remotely, even if you have frequent virtual contact with co-workers.

Then think about a plan that you would find agreeable. Offering a solution will make things easier for your boss and also set you up to be more satisfied.

If he has an interest in building team presence overall, propose a regular schedule to be in the office — perhaps a day every week, or even every two weeks.

If he wants more access to specific information, spend some time building relationships, maybe by going up for coffee meetings now and then. That way you will have people to reach out to when needed.

Just remember — ignoring your boss’ preferences can be career limiting. Instead, find a balance between being productive with your tasks and meeting your boss’ expectations for office face time. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

more expensive.

“It’s had a significant impact,” said Navnit Padival, senior engineer at the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. “The United States and the world over have been affected by China’s ban.”

The result: companies that once turned a profit selling our used yogurt containers and water bottles now have accumulating piles of garbage and no place to sell it.

Within Los Angeles County alone, three recycling centers and two materials recovery facilities have shuttered since 2018, and as profits dwindle, many are operating at a loss and potentially risk closure.

About a decade back, the Burbank Recycling Center earned roughly $50,000 a month on recycled materials. In the past year, the value of recycled goods plunged so low they were paying as much as $40,000 a month to outlets overseas just to get rid of it. It’s gotten so expensive that the center is resorting to the landfill.

At the recycling center, the warehouse is dominated by a pile of material roughly the size of a house, which slowly moves onto a conveyor belt to begin an elaborate, multistep sorting process. The machine song of the sorting line drowns out all other noises, as some 25 workers sort through the sun-faded plastic and broken bottles.

“We just don’t have a market for a lot of this stuff,” Hampel said. “We’re sending bales of plastic up to our landfill now and just burying it.”

A collapsed market also translates to higher rates for residents — the trash haulers who pick up blue bins at the curb rely on the profits from selling them to operate. Without that revenue, haulers are having to raise their

prices. Republic Services, which provides hauling services nationally and within Los Angeles, has begun raising its average $4-$6 weekly rate by as much as $1.50 per week in some places.

While the industry stalls, residents and businesses are consuming and generating more waste than ever. In 2014, Los Angeles County generated approximately 22 million tons of waste. By 2018, that number had climbed to 30 million tons.

Some see the current crisis as a wake-up call about the realities — and limitations — of recycling.

Even during the days when China absorbed the bulk of American recyclables, much of what they purchased wasn’t actually recycled. After more desirable materials were gleaned, some of it was burned or landfilled, according to David Colgan, director of communications at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

Even when a product is recycled, Geyer said, its eventual destination is still a landfill.

In the heyday of recycling, millions of tons of garbage still went to the landfill, and the production of virgin plastics increased at a steady rate alongside recycled products.

Between 2010 and 2018, 36 landfills in California expanded and a new one opened.

At the same time, the number of CRV recycling centers — where the public can recycle bottles and cans in exchange for a refund — has been steadily declining statewide, with 996 closing since 2015, according to Lance Klug, a spokesman for CalRecycle, a state agency.

The environmental cost comes in the form of methane gasses emitted by landfills, Continued on page 18.

SUPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle on page 11.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 • 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.

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 KK & BK, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that KK & BK, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 402, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Stephen Ward, whose mailing address is 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 402, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on August 7, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 VITALE COLIBRI, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Vitale Colibri, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 501 S. 11th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. 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 August 8, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TPHET VENTURES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that TPHET VENTURES, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, 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 August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SCM SF 3509, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SCM SF 3509, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 1303 South 72 Street, Suite 209, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Rd., Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SCM SIOUX FALLS MANAGERS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SCM SIOUX FALLS MANAGERS, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 1303 South 72 Street, Suite 209, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Rd., Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT OF SCM SIOUX FALLS MANAGERS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Certificate of Organization of SCM Sioux Falls Managers, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has been amended to change the name of the company to SCM SF 3509 GP, LLC. The Amended Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on August 9, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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: STEPHENIE SCHUMANN, 215 W. Meigs St Trlr 28, Valley NE 68064, you are hereby notified that on June 13, 2019, Credit Acceptance Corporation filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-13057, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $9,731.60, 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 7th day of October, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication August 16, 2019, final September 6, 2019 CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Oola Lifetime LLC, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on 07/09/2019 with its designated office: 6405 N 157th St. Omaha, NE, 68116 Registered Agent: Registered Agents, Inc., 530 S. 13th St., Ste. #100, Lincoln, NE, 68508. General Nature of Business: Online retailer. The Business shall be Member-Managed.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 JOHN Q. BACHMAN, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Notice is hereby given of incorporation of JKI Design, Inc. under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: 1. The name of the Corporation is JKI Design, Inc. 2. The number of shares that the Corporation is authorized to issue is 10,000 shares of common stock.

3. The name of the initial registered agent is John Q. Bachman, and the address of the initial registered office is 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

4. The name and address of the incorporator is John Q. Bachman, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

5. The general nature of the business to be transacted by the Corporation is any and all lawful business for which a corporation may be incorporated in Nebraska.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 BENJAMIN J. PICK, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF THRIVING FUTURES, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Thriving Futures, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Thriving Futures, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 2036 N. 63rd Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68104, 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 August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION On August 2, 2019, Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of EMS BILLING SERVICES, INC., were filed in the following manner: The new name of this Corporation is: LLVJR, INC. First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 ROBERT E. BURNS, Attorney 11330 Q Street, Suite 220 Omaha, Nebraska 68137 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Drusyakshak, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Drusyakshak, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability Company is Drusyakshak, LLC. 2. The company's Initial agent for service of process is Andrew J. Matney. The Initial agent's address and the address of the Initial designated office of the Company is1316 Bellevue Boulevard North, Bellevue, NE 68005.

3. The general nature of the business to be transacted by the Company is to engage in and transact in any and all lawful business enterprises for which a Limited Liability Company may be organized under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act, and specifically to engage in the ownership, renting, sale, and servicing of Kayaks; and all other related activities, and to own, hold and sell or assign any and all licenses necessary or advisable to conduct said business.

4. The Company commenced on July 31, 2019, and shall have a perpetual duration.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ODOO GAMES, LLC Notice is hereby given that Odoo Games, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under Nebraska laws, with its designated office at 4010 N 104th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68134. It is organized to make commercial Virtual Reality Games. Its registered agent is Bakhodur Marupov and his office is located at 4010 N 104th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68134.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019

13

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is given that AGUIRRE REAL ESTATE, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with the following registered agent and registered office: Irma Aguirre at 7711 L St. Ralston, NE 68127. 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 July 18, 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 Irma Aguirre in accordance with the Company's operating agreement.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019

BREASCH FINANCE & TAX CONSULTING INC. 4879 S 132nd Avenue Omaha, NE 68137 CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF WEST MAPLE VENTURES LLC A NEBRASKA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 1. The name of the limited liability company is WEST MAPLE VENTURES LLC 2. The period of duration for WEST MAPLE VENTURES LLC is perpetual.

3. WEST MAPLE VENTURES 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 WEST MAPLE VENTURES LLC in Nebraska is 6213 N 155th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116.

5. The name and address of the registered agent for WEST MAPLE VENTURES LLC in Nebraska is Nicholas C McDonald, 6213 N 155th Street, Omaha NE 68116.

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. Nicholas C McDonald, organizer(s) of West Maple Ventures LLC has signed the Foregoing Certificate of Organization effective this 29th day of July, 2019.

First publication August 9, 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: LEVI C CASILLAS MARCO, 2725 S 20th ST, Omaha NE 68108, you are hereby notified that on March 27, 2019, AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INS. Co., S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-6946, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $12,479.68, 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 30th day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 30, 2019 Charles E. Dorwart, Attorney MASSIH LAW, LLC 226 N. 114th Street Omaha, NE 68154 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1188 Estate of David Vollmer, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on August 5, 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 Joyce Brown, 15625 S Street, Apt 209, Omaha, Nebraska 68135, 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 October 9, 2019 or be forever barred.

KELLY J. GOLDEN Clerk of the County Court First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019

JOHN E. NELSON, Attorney 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 640 Omaha, Nebraska 68124-2373 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1168 Estate of Joan M. Varga, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on August 6, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Appointment of Personal Representative In Intestacy and that Theresa A. Swanson, whose address is 3611 Gertrude Street, Bellevue, NE 68147, was informally appointed by the registrar as 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 October 9, 2019 or be forever barred.

KELLY J. GOLDEN Clerk of the County Court First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019

14

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES MARY E. VANDENACK, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SUPER SCOOPER LLC Notice is hereby given that Super Scooper LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the initial designated office of the company is 17707 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118-3122. The agent for service of process for the Company is VW Agents, LLC located at 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118.

First publication August 9, 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: BROOKE A. VACANTI, 7705 Grace St, La Vista NE 68128, you are hereby notified that on April 11, 2019, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI19-8045, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $9,117.50, 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 30th day of September, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 30, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is DATAGREE, LLC. 2. The street address of the initial designated office is 17330 W Center Road, Suite 110-176, Omaha, NE, 68144. The registered agent is Julia K. Palzer and the Registered Agent's address is 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6, Omaha, NE 68154.

3. The general nature of the Company is software development contracting and consulting services and publishing and selling custom software applications.

4. The Company commenced on August 6, 2019 and shall have perpetual existence.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CASEWORK COMPANY, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Casework Company, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 2222 Leavenworth Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION On August 2, 2019, Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of Heather Doll Counseling Services, P.C. were filed to change the principal office address to 2126 N. 117th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68164.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF MANAGED ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, INC. Notice is hereby given of Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of Managed Accounts Receivable, Inc. as follows: Article I of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended so that, as amended, said Article shall provide that the name of the Corporation shall be Clear Healthcare Solutions, Inc. The Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State of Nebraska on July 1, 2019, with an effective date of August 1, 2019.

In all other respects, the Articles of Incorporation remain unchanged.

First publication August 9, 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: 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 DEAN F. SUING, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ACE TRADING COMPANY, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has formed a limited liability company under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act, as follows: The name of the company is Ace Trading Company, LLC. The address of the designated office is 6225 S. 42nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68107 and the initial registered agent is Nancy M. Rayno, 6225 S. 42nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68107. The company is organized to engage in and do any lawful act concerning any and all lawful business, other than banking and insurance, for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of Nebraska. The limited liability company commenced existence on the filing and recording of its Certificate of Organization with the Secretary of State on August 1, 2019, and shall have a perpetual period of duration from the date the Certificate of Organization was filed with the Secretary of State. Management of the Company shall be vested in an initial board of one manager who shall serve until successors are appointed or elected.

Nancy M. Rayno, Registered Agent First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 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 WOODLANDS CROSSING, LLC, as of July 29, 2019. 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 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF O’MORAIN PAINTING, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that O’MORAIN PAINTING, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 3518 South 127th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The registered agent is BRENNAN M. MORAN. The general nature of the business is to operate a general painting business, to own, operate and perform services of every kind and nature whatsoever, which are not inconsistent with law, which are necessary, suitable, proper, convenient or expedient to the operation of a general painting business. The authorized capital stock is $10,000.00, consisting of 10,000 shares of stock having a par value of $1.00 each, which stock shall be paid for wholly or partly by cash, by labor, by personal property and by real property. The corporation became a corporate body on July 13, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by a Board of Directors, the number of directors to be provided in the By-Laws, and the officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as shall be designated in the By-Laws.

ANTHONY L. GROSS, Incorporator CATHERINE L. WHITE, Incorporator 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68124 First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 REDSKY ARMS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that RedSky Arms, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 19910 Rees Street, Elkhorn Nebraska 68022. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., whose mailing address is 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on August 6, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 URBAN ABUNDANCE, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is Urban Abundance, 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 August 12, 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 August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 PETRA PARTNERS, LLC The name of the Company is Petra Partners, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 22318 Homestead Road, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. 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 August 8, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 TURNER TRAIL APARTMENTS, LLC The name of the Company is Turner Trail Apartments, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2125 South 114th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Adam Watson, 2125 South 114th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. This limited liability company commenced business on August 12, 2018.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 N O T I C E O F O R G A N I Z AT I O N O F O K C A D V E N T U R E HOSPITALITY, LLC The name of the Company is OKC Adventure Hospitality, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 9140 West Dodge Road #404, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: John Mountjoy, 9140 West Dodge Road #404, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

This limited liability company commenced business on August 12, 2018.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 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 CFM ADVENTURE, LLC The name of the Company is CFM Adventure, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 9140 West Dodge Road #404, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: John Mountjoy, 9140 West Dodge Road #404, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. This limited liability company commenced business on August 12, 2018.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF ROOM FOR ROOTS, INC., A NEBRASKA NONPROFIT CORPORATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned have formed a corporation under the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act. The name of the corporation is ROOM FOR ROOTS, A NEBRASKA NONPROFIT CORPORATION, with a registered office at 17213 Sage Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68136, and the registered agent is BRIDGETT M. BELSKY. The general nature of the business is a public benefit corporation and shall have for its additional purpose providing for managing any benevolent, charitable, civic, educational, fraternal, athletic, patriotic, social and labor organization or society, as well as the making of donations to the public welfare or for charitable or educational purposes, and to perform services of every kind and nature whatsoever, which are not inconsistent with law. The corporation commenced June 20, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

The corporation will have members.

ANTHONY L. GROSS, Incorporator CATHERINE L. WHITE, Incorporator 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68124 First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GCP II KEARNEY SENIOR LIVING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that GCP II Kearney Senior Living, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68122. The Registered Agent of the Company is Zach Wiegert, 10340 North 84th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68122.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP, Attorneys 13330 California Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that HUTCHINSON CAPITAL LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on July 30, 2019 (the “Company”). The Company has designated its registered agent as Steven Hutchinson, with registered office at 220 S. 31st Avenue, Apt. 3800, Omaha, NE 68131. The Company’s initial designated office is at 220 S. 31st Avenue, Apt. 3800, Omaha, NE 68131. The Company shall be governed by its members. The general nature of business is any lawful purpose.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 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 COPPER RIDGE, LLC, as of July 29, 2019. 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 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF MERCHANTS CREDIT ADJUSTERS, INC. Notice is hereby given of Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of Merchants Credit Adjusters, Inc. as follows: Article I of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended so that, as amended, said Article shall provide that the name of the Corporation shall be Clear Recovery, Inc. The Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State of Nebraska on July 1, 2019, with an effective date of August 1, 2019. In all other respects, the Articles of Incorporation remain unchanged.

First publication August 9, 2019, final August 23, 2019 ROBERT J. KMIECIK, Attorney STINSON LLP 1299 Farnam Street, Suite 1500 Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1818 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF American Association of Laser Hair Removal Physicians, Inc. Notice is hereby given that a Nebraska corporation named American Association of Laser Hair Removal Physicians, Inc. (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 Kristin Saxena, M.D. First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of LGSERVICES, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is LGSERVICES, LLC. Registered agent and office of LGSERVICES, LLC at 3315 N 16th Street, Omaha, NE 68110. Initial members: Luis Carlos Gallegos de la Rosa. 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 June 2019 for the perpetual duration and is managed by its members.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that 98 Properties, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 8419 N. 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68112. The registered agent of the Company is Caleb Dempsey, 8419 N. 30th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68112. The Company was formed on August 12, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that 24/7 Laundry, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 1907 N. 85th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

The registered agent of the Company is Christopher G. Kober, 7508 N. 108th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68142. The Company was formed on August 9, 2019.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 TIEDEMAN, LYNCH, KAMPFE, McVAY & RESPELIERS, Attorneys 6910 Pacific Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68106-1045 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that GKB, LLC, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with its designated office at 6910 Pacific Street, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The general nature of the business is to engage in any lawful business for which a limited liability company may be organized. The limited liability company was formed on August 7, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by its Members.

First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION of a Limited Liability Company Notice is hereby given the registration with the Nebraska Secretary of state’s office of Bianco Cleaning, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: The name of the company is Bianco Cleaning, LLC .

Registered agent and office of Bianco Cleaning, LLC at 17838 Olive Street, Omaha, NE 68136. Initial members: Maria Valeria Baldino. 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 August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Orange Avocado, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 8927 Laurie Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent of the Company is Thomas E. Whitmore, 7602 Pacific Street, Ste. 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Company was formed on August 14, 2019.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Smokey, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 8927 Laurie Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent of the Company is Thomas E. Whitmore, 7602 Pacific Street, Ste. 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Company was formed on August 14, 2019.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 SCUDDER LAW FIRM, P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 411 S. 13th Street, Second Floor Lincoln, NE 68508 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION A Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State for DestiNation LLC, with its registered office at 1102 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The registered agent and address for service of process is: Matthew Kirsch, 1102 Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF BADLANDS TANK LINES TEXAS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Badlands Tank Lines Texas, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 2211 S. 156th Circle, #2B, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 HOWARD KASLOW, Attorney ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION WDC Investments 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 of the company is 8712 W. Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The name and street and mailing address of the initial registered agent of the company for service of process are Howard J. Kaslow, 8712 W. Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114 First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019

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MICHAEL J. WEAVER, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CUSTOM HEARING SOLUTIONS OF KANSAS, LLC Notice is hereby given that CUSTOM HEARING SOLUTIONS OF KANSAS, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the initial designated office of the company is 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118-3122. The agent for service of process for the Company is VW Agents LLC located at 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 MICHAEL J. WEAVER, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CUSTOM HEARING SOLUTIONS OF IOWA, LLC Notice is hereby given that CUSTOM HEARING SOLUTIONS OF IOWA, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the initial designated office of the company is 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118-3122. The agent for service of process for the Company is VW Agents LLC located at 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3, Omaha, NE 68118.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 PHILLIP A. BELIN, Attorney BELIN LAW FIRM, P.C., L.L.O. 12341 Westover Road Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Notice is hereby given that Reformation at the CrossRoads, Inc. has been organized as a non-profit corporation in the state of Nebraska. The address of the registered office of the corporation is 701 North 72nd Avenue, Omaha, NE 68114. The agent at such office is Kristine Bockerman. The corporation is a public benefit corporation. The Company commenced on August 12, 2019, and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by its board of directors.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Notice is hereby given of incorporation of Rogers Nowatzke, Inc. under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: 1. The name of the Corporation is Rogers Nowatzke, Inc. 2. The number of shares that the Corporation is authorized to issue is 10,000 shares of common stock.

3. The name of the initial registered agent is Matthew T. Payne, and the address of the initial registered office is 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

4. The name and address of the incorporator is Matthew T. Payne, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

5. The general nature of the business to be transacted by the Corporation is any and all lawful business for which a corporation may be incorporated in Nebraska.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Modern Insurance Agency, LLC has organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The initial designated office of the Company is 808 Conagra Dr. 4th Floor, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The initial registered office of the Company is 808 Conagra Dr. 4th Floor, Omaha, Nebraska 68102, and the name of the initial registered agent of the Company at such address is Colin Nabity. The purpose for which the Company is organized is to engage in any and all lawful business for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Certificate of Organization was executed on the 9th day of August 2019.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 NOTICE OF CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that BraLynn, LLC (the “Company”) has created its Certificate of Organization in pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. §21-118 et seq. to make Yan Harris the Managing Member of the Company, owing one hundred percent of the Company. The address of the Company’s designated office will be located at 6140 Aylesworth Ave, Lincoln Ne 68505.

Yan Harris, Member/Manager First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JAG HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that JAG Holdings, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 South 15th Street, 1404 S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019

16

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 South 10 Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROUND DOOR, LLC Designated Office: 1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 Initial Agent/Address For Service: Allan M. Ziebarth/1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 AMANDA M. FORKER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RW CLARK 1501, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of RW Clark 1501, LLC 1. The name of the limited liability company is RW Clark 1501, LLC 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 1329 27th Road, Minden, Nebraska 68959, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Amanda M. Forker, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 THOMAS H. PENKE, Attorney 12020 Shamrock Plaza, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1237 Estate of MICHAEL P. HANNON, Deceased Notice is hereby given that a Petition for Formal Probate of Will of said Decedent, Determination of Heirs, and Appointment of Scott W. Hannon, whose address is 304 North 245th Circle, Waterloo, Nebraska 68069, as Person Representative has been filed and is set for hearing in the Douglas County Probate Court, 17th & Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska , in Courtroom #330 on the 1st day of October, 2019, at the hour of 9 o'clock, a.m.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), TERRY C MUHAMMAD You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 05/16/2019 on Case Number CI19-11760, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $522.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/30/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), SARAH L CROFT & JOHN LEHN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 05/21/2019 on Case Number CI19-11764, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $215.16, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/30/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), KARI M REITAN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 05/30/2019 on Case Number CI19-12490, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $605.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/30/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), SABRINA L KNIGHT 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 CI19-10199, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $660.01, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 09/30/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication August 16, 2019, final August 30, 2019

DEAN F. SUING, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1264 Estate of William A. Christensen, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on August 14th, 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 Annette M. Troshynski f/k/a Annette M. Mikan, 4726 Huntington Ave., Omaha, NE 68152, 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 October 23, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 JAMES R. SACOMAN, Attorney 14707 California Street, Suite 5 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-1241 Estate of JOHNN LARRY KELLEY, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on August 12, 2014, 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 CRAIG L. KELLEY, whose address is 703 N 57th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68132, 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 October 23, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 South 10 Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ZR PROPERTIES, LLC Designated Office: 1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 Initial Agent/Address For Service: Allan M. Ziebarth/1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 South 10 Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 2633 RENTAL, LLC Designated Office: 1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 Initial Agent/Address For Service: Allan M. Ziebarth/1702 S. 10 St., Suite 2, Omaha, NE 68108 First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF VISUAL ENVY, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that VISUAL ENVY, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 2916 N 132nd St., Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Registered Agent of the Company is Nicholas M. Velander, ,6346 S. 96th St. Apt 109, Omaha, Nebraska 68127.

First publication August 23, 2019, final September 6, 2019

Seven simple ways to maximize your 529 plan to help pay for college

by James Royal

A 529 plan is a great option for families looking to save money for their child’s education. With college tuition rising so fast — up 168% over the last 20 years, according to U.S. News — it’s more important than ever to plan your finances carefully.

529 plans are state-sponsored and allow you to use after-tax contributions to grow earnings on a tax-deferred basis.

You’re permitted to join the plan offered by any state, but yours might have unique benefits or additional state tax breaks for residents. investing You can withdraw the funds for qualified educational expenses, including tuition, fees, and textbooks without having to pay taxes. With a 529 education savings plan, families can open an account and then invest their money in high-growth assets such as stocks.

It’s one of the best ways to save for education expenses, and so it’s surprising that 529 plans are relatively underused.

Just 18% of parent college savings sources are 529 plans, says Rick Castellano, a spokesperson for Sallie Mae, a student loan provider, citing the company’s How America Pays for College 2019 report.

While 529 plans can ease the rising burden, it’s absolutely critical to follow the rules of the plan, or you’ll otherwise face some strict penalties. Here’s how experts say you can make the most of your 529 plan.

1. Start early to invest aggressively One of the biggest advantages for 529 plan participants is time, so it’s important to make wise use of it. That’s because time gives you the advantage of compounding, letting your money earn money in a virtuous cycle. And time also allows you to invest more aggressively.

“The earlier a 529 is established, the more risk it can take, hopefully maximizing the tax-free growth,” says Andrew Aran, a partner at Regency Wealth Management. He says that this extra time allows investors to take more chances with stocks, where the longer-term return is higher but the short-term return can be volatile.

But there are a lot of variables in figuring out how exactly to structure your plan, says Skip Johnson, lead financial adviser at Great Waters Financial.

“You need to know the time horizon of when the funds will be needed, the amount you will need to save in a 529 plan by the time college comes around, and the level of risk you are taking on the investments will likely change as you are getting closer to needing the funds,” says Johnson. “This is where an adviser can help you.”

And even if you don’t want to manage the portfolio yourself or hire an adviser to do it, you can often take advantage of funds that adjust the risk automatically.

“More-conservative investors will choose a target-date strategy that automatically reduces the equity allocation as the college years get closer,” says Aran. With a lower allocation to stocks as the student nears college, the 529 plan becomes less risky.

But the key is to start early, even with just a little bit of money.

“The minimum amount required to open a 529 account varies, but many 529 plans require as little as $25,” says Castellano.

“Some plans offer even lower minimums if you enroll in direct deposit.”

2. Get extended family involved While the primary burden of paying for college usually falls on parents or students, 529 plans also offer the ability for extended family to play a role in sending their relative to college.

That’s because relatives can contribute to these accounts or even open one themselves, a fact that many experts point out. So that’s a great opportunity for a child’s larger family to contribute.

And regardless of your relation to the future student, you can take a deduction for contributing to their 529 plan.

For example, if you’re a grandparent, you can contribute to the plan you can take a deduction on your state’s taxes if your state offers such a deduction. In some states, you don’t even have to be the owner in order to claim the deduction, though in others you must be. So you’ll want to check out your state’s rules for Continued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

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Taxing legal pot could be good for states, but study says there’s little data to show it

by Samantha J. Gross

The push to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida is alive and well.

A petition to put legal weed on the ballot in 2020 has triggered a Supreme Court review, a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows 65% of Florida voters trends support fully legalizing the drug and bill proposals are pitching legalization as a potential boon for Florida’s tourism economy, a step toward criminal justice reform and a way to boost local businesses in periphery markets.

One of the key selling points? Taxes.

“Other states are showing a windfall to both local and state governments depending on how the tax structure is set up,” said Michael Minardi, a Tampa attorney spearheading a ballot proposal to legalize recreational marijuana. “The economic revenue is huge.”

But as the chatter continues to grow around legalization, a recent report shows the state should tread lightly.

According to a new study by Pew Charitable Trust, there’s too much uncertainty and too little data for states to rely on recreational marijuana “sin” taxes for permanent fixes to budget shortfalls. The research found that states see high revenue growth in early years of legalization, but there is evidence that the growth slows as markets mature.

“It raises an important and larger point,” researcher Alexandria Zhang told reporters

on a call Tuesday, “As states seek new revenue sources, lawmakers should consider how volatile the new revenue source is.”

Given how unpredictable recreational marijuana can be, states should instead treat it like any other nonrecurring source of dollars in order to reduce a budget imbalance, Zhang said. There are ways to ward off negative effects, however, like collecting money before spending it or using the revenue to shore up savings. Nevada, for example contributes proceeds from its retail tax toward a rainy day fund. Washington uses the revenue for some smaller healthcare programs.

The time frame is still unknown for how long it takes for a state to maximize revenue potential for recreational marijuana sales.

The 11 states that currently have legal recreational marijuana either tax the companies with a general retail sales tax, a marijuana-specific excise tax or both. Zhang pointed out that states like Oregon experimented with different tax structures until it found one that brought in the most revenue.

The excise tax is usually levied on a per-unit basis, like per ounce, per seed or a percentage of the value of the sale. In California, for example, the state collects $9.25 in taxes for each ounce of marijuana flower purchased by a company to sell or process into a cannabis product. When the final product is purchased, the state collects the general sales tax plus an additional 15%

excise tax. Washington state, on the other hand, has no per-unit excise tax, but taxes marijuana sales 37% on top of the general sales tax.

Some states like Massachusetts give power to local governments to add an additional tax to fund projects in their communities.

The trickiest part is keeping taxes low enough to capture converts from the black and largely untaxed medical market but high enough to bring dollars to the state. Washington captured more of the state’s black market for example, while Colorado was slower to convert.

However, there’s little research that shows which structures work best.

“This is an open question,” Zhang said.

“In the states that were the first to legalize, neither price nor demand has stabilized yet.

Only time will tell when markets will mature to full capacity.”

What Tallahassee thinks Last year, a bill to legalize adult-use marijuana was introduced by Democratic Representatives Michael Grieco of Miami, and Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando. The bill, which both lawmakers say will be filed again this year, put a $50 per ounce excise tax on product at the distribution level.

Fifteen percent of the taxes would go toward the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Trust Fund (to be renamed to include marijuana), and the rest would be transferred to

Seven simple ways to maximize your 529 plan to help pay for college Continued from preceding page.

529 plans before you begin.

3. Watch the rules closely A 529 plan allows you to withdraw money for qualified expenses without tax or penalty. But the emphasis here is on the word qualified. Withdraw more for the year than you’re allowed and you could be assessed a penalty or taxes.

“It is key that you do not withdraw more from the 529 plan than the actual expenses you have incurred in a given year,” says Lawrence Sprung, certified financial planner and president at Mitlin Financial.

Sprung gives an example of a student with $30,000 annual tuition. You might be tempted to take out the full amount from the 529 plan at the start of the school year, but that could create a problem.

“Being that the first semester starts in August and you will only incur the $15,000 expense in the current year, you would not want to withdraw the total $30,000 as the additional $15,000 may become taxable because of it,” says Sprung.

While that seems like a small detail, it’s important in avoiding a financial assessment that could otherwise go to funding your student’s education.

4. Pay the school directly One way to help ensure you avoid small snafus like withdrawing too much is by having the 529 plan pay the school and cut yourself out of the process. It can also offer peace of mind.

“The best way to use the funds is to have the 529 plan pay the college cost directly to the school,” says Sprung. “This ensures that you are not taking out more than your expenses, as this could cause a tax liability.”

So set up a direct payment process with your 529 plan and sleep a little easier.

5. Know your state’s 529 rules

States set the rules for their own 529 plans, so it’s important to understand the benefits and drawbacks for the state where you establish your plan. States put restrictions on various facets of the program, and it’s up to you to figure out what they are.

“Every state sets a maximum account balance, and if your 529 reaches that limit, whether through contributions, investment growth or both, you won’t be allowed to make any more contributions to it,” says Corbin Blackwell, a certified financial planner at Betterment.

Blackwell notes that savers should be sure to claim any available state income tax deductions.

Those tax breaks will vary by state and may come in the form of deductions or credits, too. However, some states don’t offer any tax break at all, or offer it only if you’re contributing to your home state’s 529 plan. Still, some states offer a break for contributions to any 529 plan.

6. Take advantage of additional tax benefits While 529 plans can be a great tool, don’t forget to use them in combination with other tax benefits in order to maximize the whole package.

For example, the American Opportunity Tax Credit can provide up to a $2,500 tax credit annually when paying for qualifying education expenses — a 100% credit for the first $2,000 spent and a 25% credit for the next $2,000 spent.

“The expenses must be paid directly, which means using 529 funds do not qualify,” says Dejan Ilijevski, investment adviser at Sabela Capital Markets. “If your 529 savings will not cover all four years of college… then spread out the distributions and pay $4,000 out of pocket each year. That

would qualify you for a total of $10,000 in tax credits.”

“There are income limits, but most families are eligible,” says Ilijevski. “Don’t leave it on the table, it’s free money that should be a part of every college plan.”

7. If one child doesn’t use it, another might Parents often worry that they may tie up their money in a 529 plan if the designated child doesn’t go to college or is otherwise unable to use the full amount in the account.

Or they may fear that they’ll lose all the money accumulated in the account.

“You don’t lose the money in a 529 if you don’t spend it all. You can change the beneficiary to a sibling, grandchild, niece, nephew, or other relative,” says Castellano.

And if you can’t re-designate the money in the 529 plan, then you’ll have to withdraw the money and may have to pay a penalty and income tax on the account’s earnings. But you won’t lose the entire value of the account.

And don’t overlook who might be eligible to use the funds. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 permitted 529 plans to also be used for educational expenses of private elementary and high school education, too. So there are many alternatives for using the money if one child does not attend college.

Bottom line The 529 plan can be a boon for parents looking to fund their child’s education, but working your way through the sometimes-complex plan rules can be tough. Yet some of the best advice is also the simplest — start early to give the account the most time to accumulate money. That strategy also gives you the possibility to invest more aggressively, generating an even higher return. ©2019 Bankrate.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

the Legislature’s general revenue fund.

Grieco called the tax revenue an “added bonus” to the main goal of the proposal, which is criminal justice reform.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.

Smith echoed the sentiment, pointing out the amount of time and resources it takes to arrest, prosecute and jail offenders of the states’ marijuana laws. He added that taxes on the drug could be flexible, and fill gaps where funding is needed from year to year.

Smith, who recently visited a dispensary in Denver with Colorado lawmakers, said the wrapper of a marijuana chocolate bar he purchased noted that proceeds from the candy were earmarked for sick children and public school funding.

However, lawmakers say that the bill is more symbolic than anything else. It died last year before it hit its first committee stop, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has said recreational pot has a “detrimental effect.”

“For people who really care about reforming Florida’s draconian cannabis possession laws, they have been well-advised to work around the Legislature, not with them,” Smith said. “The reality is the best path for cannabis reformers want to take is going to be a constitutional amendment.”

Bringing pot to the polls Enter Michael Minardi.

Minardi’s initiative, which calls for adults over 21 to have the right to grow and use cannabis, has brought in just over $416,000 to fund what he expects will be a $5 million effort The proposal is the most successful of three marijuana proposals vying to make the ballot this year, which include a pitch to make mental health a medical condition under state medical marijuana laws and a pitch to allow medical marijuana patients (and their caregivers) to grow their own plants.

It has 83,192 signatures — about 10,000 signatures above the threshold to warrant Supreme Court and financial impact review.

If the court approves the language, the next step is to gather a minimum of 766,200 signatures to put the question on the ballot for voters across the state.

Minardi said adapting to market changes is expected of any new industry, and that he expects Florida will face challenges just like any other state.

“Until it’s federally legal, it’s going to be difficult to create that equilibrium,” he said.

Minardi added that the ballot proposal can’t set a tax rate itself but instead gives the Legislature the authority to come up with a tax model to implement the proposed amendment if it passes in 2020.

He said lawmakers should be reasonable as to not “continue to fuel the black market.”

Orlando personal injury attorney John Morgan, who bankrolled the 2016 amendment that legalized medical marijuana, has insinuated involvement in a yet-to-be-announced ballot initiative also focused on recreational marijuana. Morgan, who calls himself “pot daddy,” says while tax revenue is a big issue, it’s just the “whipped cream and a cherry on top.”

“It’s not the ice cream,” he said. “The ice cream is criminal justice reform. It’s the freedom of choice. It’s medicinal benefits.

It’s really just a libertarian thing.” ©2019 Miami Herald Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Don’t let disaster philanthropy become a philanthropic disaster

by Bruce DeBoskey

Hurricanes, floods, tornados, tsunamis, wildfires, earthquakes, droughts — and more.

Such “natural” disasters are happening with greater frequency, many accelerated by our rapidly changing climate.

“Man-made” pHilantHropy disasters such as shootings at schools, concerts, houses of worship and workplaces are also occurring at alarming rates.

All of these events result in loss of life as well as damage to property. Thanks to almost instantaneous global news coverage, we learn of these disasters and see video of suffering victims in real time. Many of us are moved to respond with philanthropy.

In 2017 and 2018, about 30% of U.S. households made a disaster-related donation, motivated primarily by the magnitude of the disaster, media coverage and a personal connection to the event, according to the U.S. Household Disaster Giving in 2017 and 2018 Report.

A third of disaster giving is done within the first four weeks after an event and close to two-thirds in the first two months. After five or six months, nearly all giving stops.

In 2017, just 2% of disaster-response donors continued to give toward disasters that occurred in previous years. In 2018, just 5% continued to give.

Since disaster-related philanthropy is often an emotional response to a terrifying event, it is rarely strategic and, as a result, often not effective. Mistakes are common.

Here are some ways to make sure that your generous response does the most good.

-Give cash, not items First responders need money to pay for the goods and services that are needed immediately as well as for long-term recovery efforts. Many well-intentioned donors send goods such as clothing, dolls, food and other items. In response to the Sandy Hook shootings, for example, donors sent 60,000 teddy bears and more bicycles than there are children in Newton, Conn. A tsunami in

tropical Thailand resulted in donations of useless winter clothing.

Many of these items sit in warehouses or encumber ports, preventing more critical relief from getting quickly to those who need it. Volunteering at the site of a disaster can create similar problems and lead to crowding, interference and inefficiency. Cash avoids these problems.

-Give to established organizations with local resources After disasters, new organizations appear, create websites and attempt to capitalize on the catastrophe. Some of these sites are entirely fraudulent and it can be extremely difficult, especially from a distance, to distinguish between real and fake groups.

As with all philanthropy, never give in response to telephone or door-to-door solicitations. Always do your research. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy, National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters and Interaction post lists of organizations working in affected communities.

Drop in mortgage rates is a boon for homebuyers and refinancing

by Steve Brown

Worries about the world economy and the shaky stock market have given homebuyers a windfall.

Home mortgage rates have plunged to near historic lows, making it much cheaper to finance a property real estate purchase.

Long-term home interest rates around the country averaged just 3.6% recently — close to historic lows — according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac’s surveys.

That’s down from late last year when mortgages approached the 5% mark and caused a pullback in homebuying.

The decline in mortgage costs has cut the payments on a $300,000, long-term home loan by more than $200 a month.

Home buys in North Texas have surged by 7%, fueled by the lower mortgage rates.

“This has been an important shot in the arm for home buyers and sellers,” said Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic. “Affordability has improved compared with a year ago, and home sales have picked up in most markets.

“We expect home sales for the second half of 2019 will be up compared to the same months a year ago,” he said.

And home refinancing has picked up, too,

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as borrowers rush to take advantage of the lower mortgage rates.

“Many homeowners who bought their homes during the last three years, when market rates were higher, have a financial incentive to refinance,” Nothaft said.

Analysts at mortgage firm Fannie Mae are preparing for a rush of home refinancing.

“We estimate that 35% of outstanding mortgages are now ‘in the money,’ meaning borrowers may realize significant cost savings by refinancing; as such, we expect the share of refinance originations to grow through the remainder of the year,” Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist Doug Duncan said in a statement.

“However, while existing homeowners may be able to enjoy the benefits of lower interest rates, many would-be homeowners, and the purchase mortgage market generally, remain unable to capitalize on the favorable rate environment due to the chronically limited supply of homes available for sale.”

While finance costs are lower, home prices in North Texas and most other areas

of the country are still rising to record levels.

“Mortgage rates near historic lows provide much-needed tailwind in the sails of the housing market, as they boost buyers’ purchasing power,” said George Ratiu, senior economist for Realtor.com. “However, as the inventory of available homes flattens, buyers’ main challenge is finding the right home.

“The combo of rising prices and declining entry-level inventory is squeezing first-time buyers.”

Ratiu said current low mortgage rates could actually lead to fewer sales down the line if borrowers are reluctant to give up their cheap mortgages and move.

“In the short term, we expect low mortgage rates to give home sales and prices an extended runway for the second half of the year,” he said. “But in the long term, increases in mortgage refinancing could lead to more owners being rate-locked into their current homes.” ©2019 The Dallas Morning News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy routinely establishes Recovery Funds that collect donations for specific “natural” disasters and allocates the money for longer-term recovery needs. In addition, community foundations in the impacted areas usually provide guidance on the most appropriate local nonprofit organizations.

-Invest in mid- and long-term recovery The attention span for disaster response is very short, even though the recovery effort can continue for many years. One year after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, for example, 60,000 occupied homes remained roofless, the power grid was unstable, mental health problems were epidemic, numerous businesses remained closed and many young people had fled the island.

Mass shootings result in serious mental health challenges over the long term for all affected.

-Consider donations for disaster preparedness Benjamin Franklin’s “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” axiom can be applied to your disaster giving. Many nonprofits have programs directed to disaster preparedness. Others create and distribute homes, food supplies, power generators and other items that help communities prepare for disaster. Build Change, for example, works to reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses caused by housing and school collapses resulting from disasters.

-Understand and respect cultural differences As with any giving, cultural differences between donors and recipients must be recognized in order to ensure that philanthropy is not only culturally sensitive and appropriate, but also effective in an intended location.

As “natural” and “man-made” disasters increase, disaster philanthropy will become even more important — especially as government resources are restrained. Strategic and thoughtful disaster philanthropy that maximizes both short- and long-term recovery can be a critical component of both individual and corporate giving. ©2019 Bruce DeBoskey Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt Continued from page 12. and the plastics and waste that end up in waterways, oceans and wildlands, negatively impacting fish and wildlife.

“Plastic is already everywhere in the environment by now, and it will get more and more pervasive in higher concentrations and higher levels,” said Geyer.

Despite imminent gridlock, some say the situation calls for reform, not abandonment, of the recycling industry. Los Angeles County Public Works is unveiling a campaign to encourage the public to keep their recyclables well-sorted and clean, which will reduce contamination and make the recycling process more efficient.

“A lot of people have built up good recycling habits in recent years, and we want them to keep up those habits,” said Coby Skye, assistant deputy director for environmental programs at the public works department.

Still, researchers and environmental advocates emphasize that simple changes to our recycling habits won’t be enough. The

recycling industry itself leaves a footprint resulting from its industrial processes, and even at its most efficient doesn’t outweigh the waste produced.

“We need to stop looking at recycling as a primary solution to our waste problem,” said Colgan of UCLA. A focus on recycling also shifts the burden to consumers, he said, while ignoring other avenues of sustainability, such as production and re-use.

In California, multiple reform bills are moving through the legislative process, including AB 792, which would target beverage container producers by enforcing minimum requirements for recycled materials in production, and AB 1080, the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which would require that all single-use plastic products and packaging products in California are recyclable or compostable by January 2030.

Industry lobbyists have fended off previous legislative attempts to regulate single-use

containers, and may do so again.

“The transformational question before policy makers is ‘who should be responsible?’” said Murray, adding that manufacturers want to maintain the status quo since they profit from continuing to buy cheap virgin materials, with no disposal obligations.

In the recycling industry, strong markets remain for many goods, such as paper, cardboard, and aluminum. But there’s a growing volume of plastics and mixed plastics — things like plastic-coated cartons or potato chip bags — that no longer have a recycling value, or never had one in the first place.

The path forward is uncertain.

“The U.S. is having a come-to-Jesus moment,” said Hampel, Burbank’s recycling coordinator. “Recycling is not going to undo the damage done by consumption.”

(Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.) ©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

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Social Media/ Engineering Web Development

Lincoln area projects

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:

Web Development overview • Optimizing websites • Search Engine Optimization Social media • Web/social media strategies • Business blogging basics

Engineering Overview • Greater Omaha, Sarpy and Council Bluffs area projects Lincoln area projects • STEM • WELL Building Certification Technology integration • Expanding role of today’s engineer

Issue Date: August 30 • Ad Deadline: August 22

Issue Date: August 30 • Ad Deadline: August 22

Aviation in the Midlands 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:

Aviation in the Midlands overview • Local aviation facilities • Legislation Corporate/business travel • Air freight services • Influence of tech Education, training, careers, demand for pilots, certifications

Life Insurance overview • NAIFA-Omaha How consumer preferences are changing • Integrating new tech for efficiencies Small business protection • Retirement

Issue Date: September 6 • Ad Deadline: August 29

Issue Date: September 6 • Ad Deadline: August 29

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.

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

UPCOMING

SECTIONS

IN THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

AUGUST 30

SOCIAL MEDIA/ WEB DEVELOPMENT

ENGINEERING

SEPTEMBER 6

AVIATION IN THE MIDLANDS

LIFE INSURANCE

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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…

In 2019, the Exit Planning Institute will survey the Nebraska business community and will produce primary research called the State of Owner Readiness Report; the report will reveal how prepared Nebraska’s private business owners are for transitioning their businesses to next-generation owners. EPI will provide a inside look at Nebraska’s statewide owner readiness, notable risk factors reducing the potential salability of these companies, and leverageable insights that current owners can use. Business owners are encouraged to participate in this proprietary study; no personal contact information is collected; all individual responses are anonymous and confidential. This study polls 44 questions and takes less than 12 minutes to complete.

The poll is online.

Wine Spectator announced the 2019 Restaurant Awards, which honors the world’s best restaurants for wine. This year, the Restaurant Awards program honors 3,800 dining destinations from all 50 states in the U.S. and 79 countries internationally.

Nebraska restaurants acknowledged include: 801 Chophouse, Omaha; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Omaha; The Green Gateau, Lincoln; Kahill’s Chophouse, Sioux City; Le Voltaire French Restaurant, Omaha; Monarch Prime and Bar, Omaha; The Oven, Lincoln; Spencer’s For Steaks & Chops, Omaha; V Mertz, Omaha; and Venue Restaurant & Lounge, Lincoln.

Omaha Public Power District is once again offering rebates for electric vehicles and charging technology. Last year, the utility distributed 60 EV rebates and 118 EV charger rebates to customers. The rebates are possible through a partnership with the Nebraska Community Energy Alliance and include the following: $2,500 rebate after the purchase of a new EV, as well as the installation and registration of a ChargePoint Home charging station; $500 rebate for a ChargePoint Home charging station; $100 rebate after installation of the required electrical work in order to support a level 2 home charging station.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Verdis Group launched its LOVErdis ‘Strive for Zero’ annual campaign. During one 24-hour period each year, the Verdis Group team will put together a full strategy for reducing landfill-bound waste and striving for Zero Waste for one Omaha or Lincoln nonprofit. Interested nonprofits in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas can learn more and submit an application on Verdis Group’s website. Applications must be received by Aug. 31.

The Irrigation Association awarded Jake LaRue of Omaha with the 2019 Industry Achievement Award. This award is the IA’s highest honor and recognizes an individual whose career demonstrates outstanding contributions to the advancement of the irrigation industry. As head of the research and development department of Valley Irrigation, LaRue’s career has been devoted to the technological advancements of the irrigation industry. Through his leadership in the IA and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, LaRue is an expert in center pivot and linear move irrigation and regularly advises national and international government and

nongovernmental organizations regarding education, standards development and adoption of efficient irrigation technologies.

Greater Omaha Chamber President and CEO David G. Brown was named chairman of the board for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, the nation’s largest nonprofit association for chamber professionals of its kind. ACCE board chairs serve one-year terms, and Brown’s term will span July 2019 through July 2020. In this role, he will oversee activities of a 70-member board of directors that provides leadership and strategic direction to the association’s 30-person staff. In addition to leading ACCE’s board of directors, Brown will continue adding direction to Horizon Initiative: Chambers 2025, a future-focused endeavor designed to inspire out-of-the-box ideas for growth-centric communities.

Health care notes…

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has added eight new sites to its Care Center Network, including Omaha’s Creighton University, to help serve the more than 200,000 Americans living with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease which causes progressive scarring in the lungs. Patients visiting CCN sites benefit from a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis, assistance with social services, and opportunities to participate in research.

Medical centers in the CCN have met criteria developed with both pulmonary fibrosis medical experts and patient input. All sites offer multi-disciplinary teams with expertise in pulmonary medicine, rheumatology, radiology, pathology, and dedicated clinical staff.

The VA granted a Small Projects in Rehabilitation Research (SPiRE) grant to Debra Romberger, M.D., Henry J. Lehnhoff, professor of internal medicine and chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Department of Internal Medicine and physician at Nebraska Medicine and the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care system; and Jenna Yentes, Ph.D., assistant professor within the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of Biomechanics. The $200,000 SPiRE grant will fund a two-year study focused on finding the optimal methods of breathing and exercise for veterans who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States and is particularly prevalent among veterans.

Education notes…

Southwest Airlines launched a new career program in partnership with Jet Linx Aviation and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Destination 225° program provides pathways for students in collegiate aviation programs to become competitively qualified candidates for future Southwest First Officer positions. Future aviators who apply, interview, and are selected for the Destination 225° program will receive a Southwest mentor during their years of training, be invited to Southwest for training activities and events, and ultimately apply for selection as a Southwest Airlines First Officer.

Participants will go through comprehensive training and a continuous evaluation. There is no cost to apply.

Achieving the Dream’s Gateway to College program at Metropolitan Community College has received a Graduation AchieveContinued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

21

REGIONAL LANDSCAPES Continued from preceding page. ment Award in recognition of exceeding the graduation benchmark used to assess the performance of Gateway to College programs nationwide. This marks the second consecutive year that the MCC program has received the Graduation Achievement Award.

Through Gateway to College, students who have dropped out of high school or have become disengaged, complete their high school diplomas in college-based programs while simultaneously earning college credits.

MCC has hosted a Gateway to College program since 2010, and the program enrolled 89 students during the academic year when they received the award.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Allied Health Professions is collaborating with Theranova, LLC, a medical device development company, to conduct a federally funded research study to evaluate effectiveness of the Spry Belt in preventing bone loss in post-menopausal women. The Spry Belt that is worn like a belt for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and delivers energy that may help prevent bone loss. Ten million Americans have severe bone loss or osteoporosis, and 34 million have low bone mass, known as osteopenia. Eighty percent of patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis are women. Current clinical practice guidelines include increasing calcium and vitamin D intake and discussing the importance of high impact exercise.

Creighton University’s Health Sciences and Multicultural Community Affairs Department received the 2019 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Creighton will be featured, along with 49 other recipients, in the September 2019 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. HS-MACA provides leadership for training and development of a multicultural health care workforce that serves to reduce health disparities in underrepresented and diverse communities through research, culturally proficient education, community interaction and engagements.

Metropolitan Community College has been named the 2019 Community Cultivator

by City Sprouts. The annual award recognizes individuals or organizations that have been supportive of the mission of City Sprouts.

MCC partners with the local nonprofit in many areas, including helping students with the City Sprouts internship program find a pathway to an associate degree. City Sprouts works to increase the amount of fresh local food and offers education on healthy life style choices while building the local community by providing employment for underserved youth.

Activities of nonprofits…

No More Empty Pots was awarded a $20,000 grant from United Way of the Midlands. The grant will help the Community Market Basket program, which provides locally sourced seasonal healthy produce to individuals and families, will also provide nutritionally balanced plant based prepared meals to food insecure individuals and families with children under 18 years old. Each program participant receives two meals per person in the household per week when enrolled. Simple and easy recipes are also provided weekly for each household receiving fresh produce.

The New York Life Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of

the Midlands, one of only 26 grants awarded nationwide to support youth during out-ofschool time hours.

The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation appointed two new board members — Dan Peterson and Lowell Forristall — and hired Rachel Morehead as its new community advancement officer. Peterson and Forristall, appointed in June, fill two vacant positions on the board of 13 members.

Morehead joined the PCCF team in June after two years at an area nonprofit as community relations specialist. She has worked in Pottawattamie County nonprofit agencies for over 12 years. Morehead will work with the PCCF team and board to increase visibility in the community through networking, marketing, events, and donor cultivation.

First National Bank of Omaha has kicked off its 2019 Community First Awards. This is the fourth year that First National Bank has presented the Community First Awards, which recognizes and rewards nonprofit organizations who are working to strengthen communities across the bank’s service area. Finalists will be presented for a public vote from Sept. 23 through Sept. 27 where the winning nonprofit organization will receive a $25,000 cash donation to support its project. The second- and third place organizations will receive a $10,000 and $5,000 donation respectively. The winners will be announced the first week in October.

is hosting the 2019 Celebrate Business Awards Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Six Businesses and two individuals will be recognized and applauded for contributions to the community. Table reservations are available online.

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is hosting the Omaha Team Hope Walk on Aug. 25 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Zorinsky Lake Park. The walk is a fundraising event to support HDSA’s fight to improve the lives of people affected with HD as well as their families. HD is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.

The Joslyn Art Museum will host interior design scholar Mark Hinchman, Ph.D., for a free public lecture on Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m. In his presentation, “Battle of the Chairs: Victorians and Moderns in American Interior Design,” Hinchman examines some of the most renowned masters of American interior design. Hinchman is a professor in the interior design program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture. A design and architecture historian, he writes widely on the history of interior design. He has written three interior design textbooks. Before coming to UNL,

Arts and events…

Monday, Aug. 26 In partnership with the Iowa Western Small Business Development Center, Food Startup 101 is the first step toward starting a food business. This two-hour course is designed to help pre-launch food entrepreneurs — or anyone who has ever thought about starting a food business — understand the steps from idea to business. Topics include: startup costs and what to expect, setting up your business, health department and licensing, business planning and marketing. After this class, an entrepreneur will be ready to take the next steps to starting their business. This is the cornerstone class for Kitchen Council and a prerequisite for anyone applying for membership to the Kitchen Council Incubator. The course is at the Kitchen Council in Council Bluffs and runs form 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration is available online.

Tuesday, Aug. 27 The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands is hosting a workshop on “Making a Compelling Ask For Your Organization” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session will give attendees five steps they can implement to successfully secure a gift for your organization.

The cost is $35 for NAM members and $70 for non-members.

Wednesday, Aug. 28 The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands is hosting a Guidelines & Principles for Nonprofit Excellence workshop from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the South Omaha Library, 2808 Q St. This session will go over common questions that arise from the Guidelines and Principles and give attendees the opportunity to receive individualized assistance. The Guidelines and Principles for Nonprofit Excellence provides training and state-specific tools for evaluating regulatory compliance, enhancing strategic planning, and refining operational evaluation.

The American Marketing Association Omaha Chapter is hosting a workshop on “Using WordPress to Generate Leads” from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at SilverStone Group,

The 3rd Annual Deputy Burbridge Charity Poker Run & Street Dance is taking place on Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Loess Hills HD in Pacific Junction, Iowa. All proceeds for the Burbridge Poker Run go to the Shop With a Sheriff program, a program that helps to provide for less fortunate families during the holidays, and a program that Burbridge supported annually. Pottawattamie County Deputy Mark Burbridge was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 1, 2017. There will be a pancake breakfast, drinks, a silent auction, raffles and a street dace with live music from Lucky Se7en.

The Dundee Merchants Association and Dundee Memorial Park Neighborhood are hosting the 2019 Dundee Day festival, to be held along Underwood Avenue on Aug. 24. This festival features the 5K Dundee Dash, pancake breakfast, a free yoga class, a parade, street Olympics, tai chi class, and a kids’ village featuring games and a bounce house. Shop for unique and handmade items at vendor booths, savor local food offerings, and enjoy the sounds of the Omaha Street Percussion throughout the afternoon. The beer garden kicks off at 4 p.m. and continues throughout the evening with a free concert featuring local bands.

The Highlander Community Day on Aug. 24 is an annual event hosted by Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp.

The day celebrates the positive energy of Highlander and the people who call it home while inviting the broader community to enjoy food, music, and entertainment. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be an open house at Highlander Accelerator, food from Dining Room, and water walking balls, wax hands, bounce houses, airbrush tattoos and more.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. there will be the Summer Sounds at Highlander and fireworks to follow.

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce

he worked as a commercial interior designer in Chicago and Frankfurt.

Learn about the role and importance of bees in food production, and how they shape our natural landscapes and support other wildlife in a free workshop hosted by the Center for Rural Affairs. This session will be in English and translated into Spanish.

Explore Beekeeping is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Crete Public Library, 305 East 13th St., Crete, Nebraska 68333. To RSVP, visit cfra.org/ events or contact Bailey at 402-367-8989 or kirstinb@cfra.org.

The first installment of the Alternate Currents is on Aug. 30 at 11:30 a.m. at Amplify Arts. The lunch-time conversation series brings together Film Streams Executive Director Rachel Jacobson, Greater Omaha Chamber Senior Director of Talent and Workforce Sarah Moylan, and 2018 Amplify Arts Artist Support Grant Recipient Angie Seykora for a candid discussion about cultivating Omaha’s cultural assets to develop a scalable, inclusive, and equitable arts economy. Attendees can bring their lunch, join the conversation, and help us get this series started on the right foot.

This event is free and open to the public, attendees are asked to RSVP online.

MEETINGS AND SEMINARS 11516 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite 100. Flywheel Growth Lead Ashley Lewin and Content Lead Morgan Smith will be talking about unique tactics that the experts at Flywheel use with WordPress. They’ll share tools and strategies their marketing team uses to capture contacts throughout their WordPress site, including software like OptinMonster, Hotjar, Hubspot and more. Registration is available online and the cost to attend is $15 for members, $25 for non-members.

APICS Midlands Chapter is hosting the August 2019 Certified Supply Chain Professional course from Aug. 28 through Nov. 20.

CSCP provides individuals with common standards to address today’s supply chain challenges. It’s designed for supply chain professionals seeking to enhance knowledge and expertise, consultants who want to demonstrate expertise in supply chain management, and professionals who work with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Registration is available online and costs $1,850 for PLUS members and $2,250 for Core/non-members.

Thursday, Aug. 29 The Greater Omaha Chamber, in collaboration with the Entrepreneurs Education Collaborative and Core Bank, is hosting the second installation of its Small Business Series.

This session, running from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at The Venue at Highlander, focuses on “The Five Crucial Keys to Growing Your Small Business.” The speaker will be Jeff Beals, international award-winning author and executive vice president at NAI NP Dodge Commercial Real Estate. There is no cost for Greater Omaha Chamber members, $20 for non-members.

TS Prosperity Group is hosting the workshop “Are You Prepared For Retirement” from noon to 1 p.m. at TS Prosperity Group, 43 Scott Street in Council Bluffs. Topics will include: where to start preparing for retirement; retirement account options; and how to know what’s is right. Lunch is provided and registration is available online. The cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Shopping/Mall Space Directory A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

August 23, 2019

Retail evolves with centers emphasizing one-stop-shop designs

by Michelle Leach

Retail stores and malls are being repositioned with an emphasis on conveniently located services and entertainment and recreation options.

“Retail everywhere has changed dramatically in the last 10 years,” said Colliers International Vice President Cindi Incontro. “There are countless factors for these changes.”

Among those changes, as people place more demands on their time and try to fit more into their day, Incontro said everything needs to be a little more efficient.

“Going to a large regional mall to spend Incontro the day strolling from shop to shop is a time luxury most people can no longer afford,” she said. “Shoppers who visit a large mall these days tend to head to an anchor store or favorite boutique, grab a sandwich and move on to the next item on their to-do list.”

As 24/7 online shopping is faster and a good price on the exact products can be found in a click, Incontro noted shoppers looking for assistance tend to visit neighborhood malls near their homes or businesses, where they may find someone who has the time to help them.

“As unique quality boutique retail has become rarer, shoppers go out of their way to support these small local businesses,” she said.

Berkshire Hathaway HS/Ambassador Real Estate Commercial Division Manager Michael Blackmon said the retail sector, currently driven by continued job growth and low unemployment, is broken into two parts: e-commerce/online and the physical shopping experience at local retail stores.

“Ecommerce has and continues to have some devastating effects on the ‘big box’ physical retail stores, as more and more big box shoppers are turning to online shopping — and almost unlimited choices in that ‘big box’ — thereby reducing the trade in big box stores,” he said. “And many big box facilities are being removed from the retail markets, and repurposed or repositioned entirely.”

Grocery-anchored and neighborhood retail centers are “favored,” and “mixed-use” combining retail, office and habitational such as apartments and townhomes, are doing well.

“A substantial amount of new develop-

Mike Blackmon, commercial division manager at Berkshire Hathaway HS/Ambassador Real Estate, at a retail/warehouse space at 3630 S. 144th St. ment is focusing on the mixed-use approach, happening, and big box retailers are ultimately which appears strong for the future of retail in trying to figure out how to reach the consumer those neighborhoods,” Blackmon said. “Our and keep the consumer, while fighting off the commercial division is seeing a great de- Amazons of the world.” mand for both existing and new construction Agarwal said his team is seeing many retail space in neighborhood areas, and little big box formats consolidate to online madedemand in the mall locations. The interest to-order. is for expansion via needing more space, to “Obvious retailer bankruptcies are causexpansion into additional locations.” ing a lot smaller rental pool for new and exAs malls get repurposed, some retail will relocate — further filling up the available space.

“We are seeing food and beverage as a major player in the neighborhood strip centers, plus entertainment and fitness as major users, which many times can and are filling

by Gabby Christensen some of the big box locations, because of their Retailers that are remodeling store demand for huge spaces,” he said. “Although spaces to appeal to prospective customers there is substantial new retail development must keep in mind that comfort and client going on in the Omaha market, maybe around experience should always be at the fore1 million square feet under construction or front, experts say. the development approved, the market should Dan Goaley, partner at OMNE, said absorb this growth as the economy continues that while trends have transformed over with strength in job growth and low unem- the years, Amazon doesn’t rule the world ployment.” in retail sales.

White Lotus Group CEO Arun Agarwal “If you truly dive into the sales numdescribed “heavy anxiety” among a lot of bers, you will find that their impact is brands at present. not as what is perceived,” Goaley said.

“Everyone is still trying to figure it all “While it is true that they have an imout,” he said. “There is just so much evolution pact, the impact is creating a mindset of

isting retail spaces, and although it’s a lot of change and anxiety, it just means traditional retail needs to evolve and become all about the consumer experience versus the products they are selling,” he said. “The entertainment value of the mall/development and the tenant mix has to be far more thoughtful than ever before, and become very service oriented; for example, consumers that have to stop at their dentist or physical therapist appointment within a malllike development, will probably walk a few shops down and pop into Scheels.”

Agarwal said White Lotus Group is excited to see what Agarwal will happen at the 144th Street and West Dodge Road development and the possible Oak View Mall redevelopment.

“White Lotus Group is also working on our plan for our mixed-use development at 180th and Maple Street,” he said. “We feel confident we will find a tenant mix that will support and engage the rapidly growing area, and the new high school right next to us.”

Ultimately, Agarwal said, it’s about who is really excelling at integrating interesting retail with service-based businesses.

“Village Pointe and Westroads do a good job of having a tenant base of restaurants mixed with relevant programing, plus they have movie theaters and are adjacent to health care,” he said.

Latest trends include open concepts, easier navigation for store shoppers a ‘good deal’ which plays into the hands of the off-priced retailer. This is the group of retailers that have brick and mortar stores and continue to show annual growth in sales.”

As far as the department store layout goes, which includes several rooms divided into areas, he said it went out of style years ago.

“A customer needs to enter a store and quickly see all that is offered,” Goaley said. “What has not changed are the simple subtle tricks of a retailer such as music and various scents from offerings that keep the Continued on page 24.

Shopping/Mall Space Directory •

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

23

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Retail trends include open concepts Continued from page 22. customer in the store. Music can be heard out on the sidewalk, as well. Exterior elevation heights increase the exposure of retailer signage, as well.”

Marilyn Hansen, founder/lead designer at The Designers, said retailers are starting to lean toward the use of more color, in place of a neutral gray, which has been popular in the recent past.

Goaley Hansen “The use of more color makes designing that much harder, which is why interior designers will be highly sought after,” she said. “The type of color also highly depends on the specific climate, in which those living in hotter areas will want lighter colors and vice versa.”

Retailers are also pushing for more open spaces, Hansen said.

“Opening up walls and creating one big showroom is an effective way to make a space appear larger and more appealing,” she said.

Additionally, Hansen said light colored, luxury vinyl tile is replacing wood tones, as well.

She said it’s also important for stores to have popular items or displays at the front and change them out frequently.

Lorele Lesoing, founder/president/

lead designer at Lee Douglas Interiors, said retail has to appeal to the emotions of consumers, while giving an experience.

Lesoing said being socially and environmentally conscious is a huge trend and conveying that through a store’s look is vital.

“Making your space comfortable and easy to navigate is primary,” she said.

“After this it’s all about the experience.

Customers decide if they like your brand within a minute or two of entering.”

Currently, Lesoing said merging materials like brick and marble and incorporating repurposed materials like weathered wood is popular. “ G o l d i s c i rcling back and Lesoing hitting the market hard,” she said. “Incorporating organic texture with plant life or greens and bringing the outdoors inside is also a great design element.”

According to Lesoing, she is noticing raw sub floors polished to perfection, as well as walls that are filled with textures.

Furthermore, she said exposed beams and ceiling trusses are also widely popular.

On the outside, she said planters on either side of the door and a welcome mat can make a big impression.

“Everything is being softened using global patterns and fabrics,” Lesoing said.

“However, trends don’t define you. If your market wants traditional, soft and comfortable then your environment should match. Always remember your client and be true to your brand.”

Kathryn Barker, senior vice president at Core Bank.

Mall tenants, like all retail startups, must plan their finances thoroughly

by Dwain Hebda

Area bankers say it’s more important than ever for retail entrepreneurs to pay special attention to all aspects of the finances associated with starting their endeavor.

“The main thing everyone overlooks is, they have to pay close attention to managing cash flow,” said Lowell Ferguson, assistant vice president with Pinnacle Bank. “Most strip centers or retail areas are not move-in ready, typically. It’s hard for the bank to loan on that because [entrepreneurs] don’t

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own it, right?

“Business owners need to manage that as part of their debt they’re coming in with.

With construction costs being so high, that’s something they miss the boat on, the cost to do the build-out.

There’s always going to be a ramp-up stage.”

F e rg u s o n s a i d entrepreneurs often don’t understand how to accurately forecast needed cash flow once the business Ferguson opens, either.

“You’ve got to make this amount of money to cover this amount of debt, to cover this amount of employees, to cover all the things it takes to start up a retail business,” he said. “The bank can’t supply that without some type of collateral, usually. We can do SBA loans, there’s government programs we can definitely use and leverage for that, but they still have to understand cash flow.”

Adrian Hernandez, senior vice president-lending with Dundee Bank said while every business is different, keeping a reserve of six months’ worth of operating cash is a good rule of thumb.

“We’ve had customers come in and ask us for a lot more than that, because they think it’s going to take them a while [to reach sales goals],” he said. “Sometimes that amount of cash equity they have in the mix drives how long we’re willing to stay on there, too.”

Hernandez said his bank pulls no punches in evaluating people’s business plans when making loan decisions. He said such plans should stand up well to such scrutiny, especially given current market conditions.

“Retail is such a tough business right now with online making a push,” he said. “The No. 1 thing we look at when people come Continued on page 26.

Shopping/Mall Space Directory •

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Retail space is available, but which property is the right choice for you?

The Lerner Company’s Jared Sullivan at the Settler’s Creek development near 72nd Street and Cornhusker Road in Papillion, with up to 7,932 square feet of first-generation space on the out-parcel with AT&T; can build up to 26,000 square feet of junior anchor/ grocery space between Hobby Lobby and Sam’s Club.

(Story at right)

Mall tenants, like all retail startups, must plan Continued from page 24. the lease of the shopping center,” she said. in the door is, we really want them to think “Sometimes they’ll put some provisions in through on the competitive analysis piece of there where if you get above a certain revenue how they’re going to stand out. number your rent goes up. I would say get “We want to see that they’ve associated with a good commerput some thought into having a cial broker that can advise you and marketing plan that includes some help you negotiate with the owner sort of an online piece. There’s of the shopping center.” ongoing marketing to their existBarker also said to choose a ing clientele, in other words, stay lender wisely, as not all financial in their world and make sure that institutions are the same, particuthey have some way to remind larly concerning Small Business their existing clientele to come Administration funding. back and see them over some “Non-preferred status means period of time.” you can do SBA loans, but you Kathryn Barker, senior vice need to send them off for final Hernandez president of Core Bank, has also approval,” she said. “Core Bank seen enough entrepreneurs across the desk is a preferred SBA lender; what that means to offer some other advice for prospective is, we have dedicated staff for SBA lending. business owners when it comes to getting We can underwrite our own SBA loans and into a mall space. we have well-versed staff that know the rules “You want to pay close attention to and regulations.”

there are some general basics that should

by Jasmine Heimgartner The way Americans shop has greatly be considered. Future owners need to first shifted. While a few big retailers have understand how much space they will need survived the transition and remain com- now and down the road.

“Location, cost to do business and petitive with online shopping, many others have left significant vacancies. future development,” Jones said. “If the Despite challenges in the retail indus- business is service driven, there should try over the past few years, the thriv- be consideration for the co-tenancy and knowledge about where ing entrepreneurial spirit in their customers are coming the area is steadily balancing from. Customers today live the decline. for convenience.”

“Omaha vacancies are lowOnce an upcoming busier than the U.S. average, and ness owner has a good idea of market rents have remained what they can afford and where steady,” said Holly Jones, dithey would like to be located, rector of retail services at The focusing on the services or Lund Co. “Omaha is unique in products provided can help that there are ‘it’ areas in all ensure a business is established of the submarkets across the as a sought after destination. city. I think most businesses Jones That includes having a posican find an ‘it’ place to be in tion in the correct trade area Omaha. Big box retailers’ closings have led to non-traditional retailers and creating a product or service that occupying big box vacancies, and there people desire.

“Understanding what you sell and are a few concentrated areas in Omaha for urban development which have been the demographic you cater to is a critical contributor in where you should go very successful.”

Big retailers may be downsizing, but for a location,” Sullivan said. “Whether discount retailers, smaller occupiers and it’s co-tenancy or overall position in the e-commerce, technology, loyalty-driven, market, knowing your product is step one. and health and wellness businesses are Traffic counts, demographics, shopping beginning to flourish. For people ready to patterns/habits, co-tenancy and many other take that step and open a storefront, how nuances should also play into the identifithe decision is approached can impact cation of your property.”

Doing some research can make it eassuccess.

“Although it sounds basic, the success- ier to make the best choice. Along with ful retailers are going back to the basics looking at different locations, it’s also and shifting their focus on the consumer,” important to learn about area businesses. said Jared Sullivan, broker at The Lerner Consider if they will be complementary or Co. “As the customer continues to become a competitor, as well as if their foot traffic more educated, retail is no longer a one- matches a target market.

The excitement of what a store could be lane approach. In order to become and remain relevant, you need to provide an also makes it easy to overlook small details experience that the customer isn’t going that could be detrimental to success. It’s to forget and that will continue to drive necessary to consider the visual appeal of the consumer into your store or onto your the location and operating costs, such as security, water, electricity, etc. omni channeled platform.”

“The list of ‘small things’ is incredibly While different businesses have different considerations to find the perfect space, long, which is why it is critical to have an experienced real estate consultant helping to navigate through the process,” Sullivan said. “Do you have unique power requirements? Is there a restrictive covenant in the shopping center that restricts what you are selling? Are there hours required for opening that don’t fit within your business model?”

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Shopping/Mall Space Directory •

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

27

Amidst e-commerce, brick and mortar is on the rise due to diversification

by Gabby Christensen talk to are very aware of current trends, and While online shopping has certainly intend to be creative and tenacious in comchanged the way the world shops, local experts bining service, the internet, and hard work noted that the in-store experience is just as to succeed.” effective, if not more popular than ever.

According to Zach Daub, their role is to Mark Hunter, managing director at Oak encourage and work with new ideas and proView Mall, said a common trend to hit shop- vide a good real estate opportunity. ping centers has been the inclusion of food and “The internet is doing Rockbrook a favor,” beverage options, with entertainment closely Zach Daub said. “It is showing the customer behind. that there is value in having good “Centers are adding theaters, service and a brick and mortar exbowling, escape rooms, and many perience. So, our approach to the other options,” he said. “Non-rechanges in current trends, is to contail uses in shopping centers are tinue to cultivate a mix of service also very common, as co-workproviders, retailers, food, beauty, ing, office, residential and hofitness and medical merchants.” tel options are being added to Scott Rehorn, partner at RED centers.”

Development, said the makeup of Overall, Hunter said this is part shopping centers has drastically of the strategic initiative of “shop, changed over the course of the past work, live and play.”

20 years.

Daub “We’ve also noticed that up“Nearly 80 to 90% of shopping scale centers are becoming even centers were made up of mostly national chain more upscale to cater to that demographic,” fashion stores, whereas today we are seeing he said. only 30% fashion,” he said. “The remainder Additionally, there is a false view that of shopping centers are 40% food and enterbrick and mortar stores are barely surviving tainment and 30% vanity.” because of e-commerce.

Today, Rehorn said there’s been a big “This isn’t actually the case, as e-com- move to utilize more local or regional tenants merce makes up about 9% of retail while the versus national chains. He also noted that other percent comes from brick and mortar while the world lives in a technology age, stores,” he said. today’s generation wants a break from the Hunter said the successful brick and mor- screen. tar stores are learning to play in e-commerce “Generation Z spends a lot of time on and e-commerce is starting to do the same with their cell phones, so when it comes to shopbrick and mortar. ping they want to actually see and feel what This trend will continue, as shopping be- they’re purchasing,” he said. “It’s all about the comes more seamless for consumers, Hunter atmosphere and experience.” said.

Yet another big trend to hit the scene is Zach and Russ Daub, who manage Rock- the demand for socially conscious shopping brook Village Shopping Center, said its tenants options. are local people.

Additionally, Rehorn said employers are “The center is a specialty neighborhood considering locating their office in a mixed-use center that allows for a lot of different uses center simply for the amenities, as employees that can collage into one picture to the mar- are being drawn by convenience now more ket,” Russ Daub said. “Having a large variety than ever before. of different uses is the key to current trends.

“Retail centers are living, breathing things These uses appeal to all types of customers that are always changing,” he said. “Centers and demographics. Many of the prospects we must constantly evolve to remain successful.”

Organized theft is a major problem for retailers, security systems imperative

by David Kubicek “Because it’s such an organized crew, When we think of retail theft, we envision they do lots of research, so the [loss prevenindividual shoplifters taking an item here or tion] technology must stay head of them, and there for personal use, but organized theft sometimes that’s hard to do,” Langabeer said. is one of the biggest threats to retail stores The other major problem is insider today. threats, according to Brent White, George Langabeer was a loss senior security consultant for prevention manager at a local threat services with NTT Security. retail business for 15 years before Having a loss prevention program he started SilverHammer Surveilwill greatly reduce those risks. lance.

A solid point of sales (POS) “Many people don’t think it system with encrypted validation exists because it sounds ridicuis a good start. Use radio frequenlous that there’s a retail mob, but cy identification (RFID) tags on organized retail theft is probably purses, jewelry and other high the No. 1 thing that can hurt you,” value items so they can be monhe said. itored. As technology becomes Langabeer There is usually a kingpin who more affordable, it is easier to sends out 20 or 30 disciples who track high-value goods with e-tags, so retravel up and down the interstate for 50 cents tailers can monitor where they are moving Continued on page 32. on the dollar in merchandise, drugs or money.

Zach Daub, president of Diversified Property Resources, Inc., at Rockbrook Village.

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Shopping/Mall Space Listings Map Area

Complex Name

Address

Zip

Leasing Company

Leasing Agent

Phone

Total Sq Ft

Available Sq Ft

$/Sq Ft

Built

Ren

Free Pkg

Anchor store

Aksarben

Aksarben Village Building 4

2111-2283 S. 67th St.

68106

OMNE Partners

TJ Twit

697-8899

113450

8072

$23-25.00 NNN

2007

-

Y

Bellevue

American Plaza

Galvin Rd & Harvell Dr

68005

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

164848

20882

$8.50-$13.00

2001

-

Y

Bakers, Shopko, Dollar Tree

Bellevue

Wolf Creek Shopping Center

10503 S 15th St

68123

The Lerner Company

Jared Sullivan, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

118533

10000

$18.00

2004

-

Y

JoAnn Fabrics, Petco, Ross, Five Below

Bellevue

Cornhusker Pointe

Cornhusker & Fort Crook

68005

Lockwood Development

Bob Begley/Emily O'Connor

933-3663

14,000

4,525

contact agent

2019

-

Y

-

Bellevue

370 Square Shopping Ctr.

11531 S. 36th St., Bellevue

68123

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

14900

3000

$12.50 NNN

-

-

Y

Pizza Hut

Bellevue

Star Park

7511 S. 36th St., Bellevue

68147

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

19500

3000

$8.00 NNN

2004

-

Y

Bellevue

Southern View

2012 Cornhusker Road

68123

NAI NP Dodge

Tom Failla

255-6060

12392

4454

$12.50

2002

-

y

Bellevue

Daniell Crossing

3503 Samson Way

68005

NAI NP Dodge

Trenton Magid/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

28800

5000

$12.00

2006

-

y

Benson

6052-6058 Ames Ave.

6052-6058 Ames Ave.

68104

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/ Grace Pavlik

697-8899

3616

1400

$12.00 MG

1957

-

Y

Center

Westwood Plaza East

2909-2943 S. 120th St.

68144

OMNE Partners

Grace Pavlik

697-8899

15756

4635

$12.00 NNN

1979

1994

Y

Center

14210 Arbor St.

14210 Arbor St.

68144

OMNE Partners

Scott Moore

697-8899

11292

1200

$11.20 f.s.

1982

-

Y

Center

Westwood Plaza

12303-12505 W Center Rd.

68144

OMNE Partners

Grace Pavlik

697-8899

624624

81874

$8-22.00 NNN

-

-

Y

Burlington, TJ Maxx, Dollar Tree

Center

Montclair on Center

12931-13079 W. Center Rd.

68144

OMNE Partners

Grace Pavlik

697-8899

250000

26001

$10-22.00 NNN

1972

1996

Y

Marshalls, Party City, Skechers, Home Goods

Central

Crossroads Plaza

7624 Dodge St

68114

Colliers International

Cindi Incontro (Cisar)

345.5866

19907

1406

$15.00

1984

Y

Central

Hilltop Plaza

2905-2951 S 108th St

68137

Colliers International

Terry Root

345.5866

18255

2140

$13.25

1988

Y

Central

Rockbrook Village

108th & W Center Rd

68144

Colliers International

Cindi Incontro (Cisar)

345.5866

170000

23266

Conf

1960

2004

Y

Central

Frederick Square

2910-3020 S 84th Street

68124

NAI NP Dodge

Trenton Magid

255-6060

189988

1800-92,322

$5.00-22.00

1974

2007

Y

Central

Cedarnole Shopping Center

304-328 S 72nd Street

68114

NAI NP Dodge

Colton Luchsinger/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

30955

15170

$9.50

1971

-

y

Central

8601 W Dodge Road

8601 W Dodge Road

68114

NAI NP Dodge

Deb Graeve/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

68847

8000

$20.00

1964

2019

y

Central Omaha

3044 S. 84th St., #3 SUBLEASE

3044 S. 84th St., #3 SUBLEASE

68124

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

6200

1800

$22.00 NNN

2016

-

Y

Jimmy Johns, Sprint

Council Bluffs

Bluffs Plaza

1139 N Broadway

51503

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

87100

14000

$7.00

1975

-

Y

Super Saver

Council Bluffs

1817 W Broadway St

1817 W Broadway St

51501

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

48624

$6.00

1976

Y

N/A

Council Bluffs

North Ave. Tower Apartments

103 N. Ave., Council Bluffs, IA

51503

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley

697-8899

10575

1751

$12.00 MG

1977

-

Y

Council Bluffs

The Marketplace

3271 Market Place Dr.

51501

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton, Dan Goaley

697-8899

343346

60000

$11-20.00

2008

-

Y

The Asthma & Allergy Center

Mattress Firm

JCPenny, Petco, Burlington

Shopping/Mall Space Directory •

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

29

Shopping/Mall Space Listings Map Area

Complex Name

Address

Zip

Leasing Company

Leasing Agent

Phone

Total Sq Ft

Available Sq Ft

$/Sq Ft

Built

Ren

Free Pkg

Anchor store

Downtown

902 Dodge

902 Dodge St

68102

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

47160

5870

$25.00

1920

-

N

Downtown

Capitol District

10th St & Capitol Ave

68102

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

90000

23163

$28.00-$30.00

2017

-

N

Downtown

Paxton Retail

1403 Farnam Street, Suite 124

68102

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

2334

2334

$19.00

1929

Y

Downtown

Union Plaza

601 S 16th St

68102

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

62514

4521

$8-16.00

1910

Y

Downtown

City Pointe

1913 Farnam St

68102

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Charles McNeil

345.5866

46752

1798

$10.50

1909

Y

Downtown

Central Park Tower

1515 Farnam St.

68102

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik

697-8899

46927

2500

$6.00 NNN

1908

-

Y

DT Metro Hairstyling

Downtown

Highlander Accelerator

2112 N. 30th St.

68111

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson/Eric Renner

697-8899

105000

6493

$14-44.44 MG

2017

-

Y

Aromas Bliss Café, Big Mama's Kitchen

Elkhorn

Coventry Development

Coventry Dr., Elkhorn

68022

OMNE Partners

Matt Edney/Grace Pavlik/Ben Pearson

697-8899

100000

100000

TBD

TBD

-

TBD

Elkhorn

Skyline Pointe

920 N 204th Avenue

68022

NAI NP Dodge

Bryan Hartmann/Todd Schneidewind

255-6060

22134

2369

$15.50

2010

-

y

Usave Pharmacy

Fremont

Shoppes of Fremont

3351 E 24th Street

68025

NAI NP Dodge

Todd Schneidewind/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

18544

5000

$15.00

2013

-

y

Cobalt Credit Union

Gretna

204th & Hwy 370

S. 204th St. & W. Gruenther Rd.

68028

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Ben Pearson

697-8899

13736

3120

$9.00-$11.00/ NNN

-

Jan. 2020

Y

CHI Health

La Vista

Hard Bean Coffee-La Vista Crossing

73rd & Giles

68128

The Lerner Company

Sara Hanke

330-5480

7200

1960

$18.50

2015

-

Y

Pinot's Palette, Inspired Dental

Millard

Millard Plaza 1

13905-13955 S St.

68137

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik

697-8899

94164

4500

$9.00 NNN PSF

1977

-

Y

Amazing Pizza Mach.

North Central

Fareway - Village Shopping Center

3070 N 90th St

68134

The Lerner Company

Jared Sullivan, Rick Quinlevan

330-5480

104702

36154

$4.50

1965

-

Y

Dollar Tree, Harbor Freight

North Central

Village Shopping Center

3010-3120 N 90th St

68134

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

127789

9149

$9.50

1966

2012

Y

North Central

2650-2658 N 90th St

2650 N 90th St

68134

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

130786

33850

$6-10.00

1970

Y

Family Fare Grocery

North Central

3003 N 108th St

3003 N 108th St

68164

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

66474

12983

$7.00

1982

Y

Family Fare Grocery

North Central

Lambert Block

9006 Maple Street

68134

NAI NP Dodge

Jeff Konen/Stephanie Clark

255-6060

14560

1860

$9.50

1974

-

Y

Aaron's

North Central

Bloomfield Plaza

2201 N 90th Street

68134

NAI NP Dodge

Grant Palmer/Stephanie Clark

255-6060

23680

2940

$15.00-18.00

1974

2007

Y

North Central

The Plaza at Cherry Hills

6910-7116 N 102nd Circle

68122

NAI NP Dodge

Spencer Morrissey/Nicholas Z. Smith

255-6060

46435

7376

$12.00

2005

-

y

Northeast

7419 N 30th Street

7419 N 30th Street

68112

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

12640

2584

$10.50

1960

Y

Northeast

Baker Place Shopping Center

5050 - 5070 Ames Ave

68104

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Brayden Mussman

345.5866

24707

12005

$16.00

1988

Y

Northeast

5920 Maple Street

5920 Maple Street

68104

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

6000

6000

$10.00-$12.00

1920

Y

Marriott Hotel

N/A

30

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Shopping/Mall Space Listings Map Area

Complex Name

Address

Zip

Leasing Company

Leasing Agent

Phone

Total Sq Ft

Available Sq Ft

$/Sq Ft

Built

Ren

Free Pkg

Anchor store

Northeast

6570-6572 Maple St

6570-6572 Maple St

68104

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

5400

5400

$9.00

1952

Northwest

Pepperwood Village

156th St & W Dodge

68154

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Rick Quinlevan

330-5480

125732

14197

$16.00-$19.00

2000

-

Y

Bakers

Northwest

Linden Market

132nd St & W Dodge

68154

The Lerner Company

Dennis Thaemert, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

116009

2522

$17.50

1985

-

Y

HyVee

Northwest

Eagle Run

132nd St & W Maple

68164

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Rick Quinlevan

330-5480

412821

6250

$16.50-$17.50

1993

-

Y

Bakers, Burlington, Kohls, Home Goods, TJ Maxx

Northwest

13015 Birch Dr

13015 Birch Dr

68164

The Lerner Company & SRS

Mark Reeder, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

5681

5681

$20.24

1997

-

Y

Northwest

American Interstate Place

156th & West Maple Road

68116

Lockwood Development

Bob Begley/Emily O'Connor

933-3663

15,502

9,498

$17.50-20.00

2009

-

Y

Northwest

3033 N 93rd St.

3033 N 93rd St.

68134

Colliers International

Colm Breathnach/Brayden Mussman

345.5866

17712

5000

$10.00

1965

Y

Northwest

Candlewood Center

1702 N 120th St

68154

Colliers International

Cindi Incontro (Cisar)

345.5866

16500

1250

Neg

1985

Y

Northwest

Shoppes at Thomsen Mile

3838 N 168th Street

68116

Colliers International

Kristi Andersen

345.5866

62508

1450

$16.50

2006

Y

Northwest

Tranquility Park

12101-12123 Emmet Street

68164

NAI NP Dodge

Todd Schneidewind

255-6060

31168

9529

$7.50

1989

-

Y

Northwest

Maple 168

3510 N. 167th

68114

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

14000

9711

$14.00 NNN

2006

-

Y

Northwest

Maple 165 Center

3604-3618 N. 165th St.

68116

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

13700

5710

$14.95 NNN

2009

-

Y

Cross Fit Viral

Northwest

5310 N. 99th St.

5310 N. 99th St.

68134

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik

697-8899

10200

2867

$11.00 NNN

1996

-

Y

Express Pros

Northwest

Stonegate

3101-3131 N. 120th Ave.

68164

OMNE Partners

Eric Renner

697-8899

14000

2840

$11.50 NNN

1998

-

Y

Northwest

West Grayhawk

3506 N. 147th St. (2nd Floor)

68116

OMNE Partners

Eric Renner/Marc Siemers

697-8899

30287

2624

12.95 NNN

2007

-

Y

Old Market

Howard St.

1108 Howard St.

68102

OMNE Partners

Ben Pearson

697-8899

16800

11140

$27.00 NNN

1901

2019

N

Papillion

Advanced Auto Parts Papillion

1220 N Washington St

68046

The Lerner Company

Jared Sullivan, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

6785

6785

$18.00

2007

-

Y

Papillion

Settler's Creek

72nd St & Cornhusker

68133

The Lerner Company

Rick Quinlevan, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

239242

35522

$27.00-$30.00

2015

-

Y

Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club

Papillion

Granite Falls Retail

10914 Cumberland Drive

68046

NAI NP Dodge

Bryan Hartmann/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

11012

7432

$22.00

2019

-

Y

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Sarpy East

Fontenelle Square

1004 Lincoln Rd #101

68005

Colliers International

Mike Potthoff/Brayden Mussman

345.5866

6927

1327

$23.50

2002

Y

Sarpy East

Harrison Square

3915-4011 Harrison St

68147

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

31580

880

$6.50

1958

Y

Sarpy East

Midlands Place

84th & Hwy 370

68046

Colliers International

Cindi Incontro (Cisar)

345.5866

80000

9889

Conf

2013

Sarpy East

Brentwood Village

8013-8049 S 83rd St

68128

Colliers International

Cooper Wilson/Charles McNeil

345.5866

37000

7767

Neg

1997

Y

El Vallarta Mexican Restuaruant

Sarpy East

Brentwood Village - Medical Building

8021 S 84th St

68128

Colliers International

Cooper Wilson/Charles McNeil

345.5866

5688

5688

Neg

1996

Y

N/A

Y

2015

-

GameStop

Pearle Vision, Sport Clips

Y

Shopping/Mall Space Directory •

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

31

Shopping/Mall Space Listings Map Area

Complex Name

Address

Zip

Leasing Company

Leasing Agent

Phone

Total Sq Ft

Available Sq Ft

$/Sq Ft

Built

Ren

Free Pkg

Anchor store

South Central

Peaches Plaza

75th & Pacific St

68114

The Lerner Company

Brian Houlihan, Lindsay Banks

330-5480

25860

10266

$4.00-$12.00

1979

-

Y

Avis, Custom Electronics

South Central

Pacific Village

76th St & Pacific St

68114

The Lerner Company

Adam Mauer, Lindsay Banks

330-5480

34090

12359

$9.50-$14.00

1965

-

Y

The Interlude, Scooters

South Central

Spring Valley

50th St & F St

68117

The Lerner Company

Lindsay Banks, Rick Quinlevan

330-5480

115166

79107

Negotiable

1990

-

Y

South Central

Crossroads Mall

7400 Dodge St

68114

The Lerner Company

Steve Buckley

330-5480

534552

6300

TBD

1962

-

Y

South Central

84th Street Retail Building

4304 S 84th Street

68127

Colliers International

Andy Ash/Kristi Andersen

345.5866

8250

8250

South Central

Galleria Plaza

5002-5044 S 108th St

68137

Colliers International

Terry Root

345.5866

31224

3150

South Central

Empire Park Shopping Center

5110 S 108th St

68137

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

118241

South Central

5110 S 108th St

5110 S 108th St

68137

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

South Central

Sterling Ridge

132nd & Pacific

68144

Lockwood Development

Bob Begley/Emily O'Connor

South Central

Kush Plaza

4809 S 72nd Street

68127

NAI NP Dodge

South Central

84th Shopping Center

4211-4229 S 84th Street

68127

South Central

Canfield Plaza

8409-8457 W Center Road

South Central

Main Street Plaza

Southwest

Target

1969

Y

$10.25

1984

Y

10556

$10.00

1979

Y

65301

8868

$7.00

1982

Y

Family Fare Grocery

933-3663

30,000

9,000

contact agent

2020

-

Y

-

Zach Brown

255-6060

14400

2480

$10.00

2001

2017

y

7-Day Furniture

NAI NP Dodge

Ed Petsche/Maddie Graeve

255-6060

12146

1880

$10.00

1977

-

y

68124

NAI NP Dodge

Trenton Magid

255-6060

186602

8200

$12.00

1970

-

y

Ace Hardware

5413 S 72nd Street

68127

NAI NP Dodge

Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

24568

7402

$14.25

2005

-

y

Ralston BigWay Burger

West Center Place

2606 S 132nd Street

68144

NAI NP Dodge

Trenton Magid/Grant Palmer

255-6060

13844

1988

$22.00-25.00

2009

-

y

Batteries + Bulbs

Southeast

Vinton Square

3002-3114 S 24th St

68108

Colliers International

Charles McNeil

345.5866

103323

1360

$15.00

1983

1991

Y

Southeast

4827 L St Build-to-Suit

4827 L St

68117

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

32654

7,000-7,800

$13.00

1998

Y

Southeast

K-Mart Plaza

4614 S 50th St

68117

Colliers International

Brayden Mussman/Charles McNeil

345.5866

7488

$10.00

1998

Y

SouthWest

Deerfield Place

136th St & Q St

68137

The Lerner Company

Jared Sullivan, Boh Kurylo

330-5480

128575

62874

$4.00-$12.00

1987

Southwest

Plaza II

2425 S 120th St

68144

Colliers International

Terry Root

345.5866

23884

2850

$10.25

1981

Y

Southwest

Harvey Oaks Plaza

14410-14630 W Center Rd

68144

Colliers International

Cori Adcock

345.5866

141778

11456

$13.00

1983

Y

Southwest

14444 West Center Rd

14444 West Center Rd

68144

Colliers International

Cori Adcock/Cooper Wilson

345.5866

66582

12801

$7.00

1982

Y

Family Fare Grocery

Southwest

Ridgeview Place

2902-2908 S 180th Street

68130

NAI NP Dodge

Jerry Hug

255-6060

7520

3760

$10-16.25

2005

-

Y

Gamestop

Southwest

Tiburon Village

10156 S 168th Avenue

68136

NAI NP Dodge

Trenton Magid/Spencer Morrissey

255-6060

21636

1850

$15.00

2017

-

Y

Abelardo's Mexican

Southwest

Harrison Village

16919 Audrey Street

68136

NAI NP Dodge

Vic Pelster/Kyle Pelster

255-6060

26382

1784

$14.00

2002

-

y

-

Y

D o l l a r Tr e e , Crunch Fitness

32

• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Shopping/Mall Space Directory

Shopping/Mall Space Listings Map Area

Complex Name

Address

Zip

Leasing Company

Leasing Agent

Phone

Total Sq Ft

Available Sq Ft

$/Sq Ft

Built

Ren

Free Pkg

Anchor store

Southwest

Shoppes at Lakeside

16909 Lakeside Hills Plaza

68130

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik/ Jordan York

697-8899

35495

1210

$16.00 NNN

2004

-

Y

Southwest

910 S. 178th St.

910 S. 178th St.

68118

OMNE Partners

Alex Epstein, Ben Pearson

697-8899

24000

3-24,000

TBD

TBD

-

TBD

Southwest

L Street Marketplace

12500 K Plaza & 120th St.

68137

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley

697-8899

442454

32038

$12-25.00 NNN

2007

-

Y

Ross, Targ et, Michaels, Petco, World Market

Southwest

Bagel Bin Bldg.

1215-1243 S. 119th St.

68144

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik

697-8899

14400

960

$10.00 NNN

1978

-

Y

Bagel Bin

Southwest

Boardwalk Square Shopping Center

1304-1328 S. 119th St.

68144

OMNE Partners

Dan Dutton/Dan Goaley/Grace Pavlik

697-8899

16356

2773

$10.00 NNN

1977

-

Y

Cupcake Island, Tanners

Southwest

Georgetown Place

2506-2526 S 140th Street

68144

NAI NP Dodge

Todd Schneidewind

255-6060

16980

3900

$13.00

1980

-

y

How four family-owned Washington shops have made it in the Amazon era

by Benjamin Romano

Rob Whitten had fled corporate life west of the Cascades and was working in construction when he got to know the owners of the small hardware store in Plain, Wash.

Retail One day, they offered to sell. He took the plunge into retail 21 years ago, just as it began a massive transformation with the blossoming of e-commerce.

From the start, Whitten knew that Plain Hardware, buoyed as it is by a building boom in the surrounding vacation commu-

nities, would have to adapt to compete in the Amazon era, with its bottomless selection, always-on availability and ever-faster delivery speeds.

“They’ve transformed customers’ expectations for fairly quick fulfillment, and that will never go away,” Whitten said. “Our job is to figure out how we do it better than they do it.”

That means working with suppliers to ensure he’s never out of that key piece or tool a local homeowner needs to finish a project, today. “Instant fulfillment,” Whitten calls it.

Organized theft is a major problem for retail employees are on board with that.”

Continued from page 27. within the store.

Test locks and doors to make sure they’re Some handheld devices use old operating properly installed and that they’re keeping systems that have known vulnerabilities, the store secure. which criminals can exploit.

“You may think a deadbolt door is good, “Make sure handheld wireless devices are but if there’s a big enough gap, there are tools configured correctly and that employees don’t that can squeeze in between those locks or just leave them lying around,” White said. trip an access sensor,” White said.

An employee should be watchLangabeer said the first thing ing the back of the store or loading retailers should do to prevent loss docks when shipments come in to is to create an environment of make sure the gates are closed, that employee awareness. cameras have been placed prop“From day one, in their emerly throughout the facility, after ployee orientation, you should talk hours doors are secured with to them about safety and security,” strong locks and alarm systems he said. are properly installed.

Security changes every year, “Having great partnerships but all technological advances with local law enforcement helps, don’t work for all firms. For inespecially when it comes to shopstance, facial recognition can be White lifting,” White said. “There are huge for mom and pop shops, but some organized groups that specialize in it won’t be very effective for a large retailer retail theft. Make sure your loss prevention unless some criminals are hitting the store people are working closely with law en- frequently. forcement.”

“The problem is some of these criminals Another rising trend is gift card fraud are so cocky,” Langabeer said. “[When I was where a hacker generates several gift card in loss prevention] I’d bust some people, and numbers, determines which ones are active while we’re waiting for the police they would and then reprints those gift cards. tell all about their operation and what web“Insider threats are a big concern,” White sites helped them defeat the store’s security said. “It doesn’t mater how big or small your devices. Thieves are smart. They do their company is or what industry you’re in, make research, and the key is to stay ahead of it, sure you have a security awareness and your and that’s what technology is trying to do.”

Surviving in retail, as in many businesses, is the art of adapting. That’s never been more true than in the age of Amazon. In its first 25 years, the Seattle company’s relentless algorithmic efficiency and scale have fundamentally changed the game of buying and selling. But the stories of Plain Hardware and three other family-owned Washington retailers reveal how small stores have carved out a niche to survive and even thrive by providing expertise, personal service and community support.

The U.S. retail industry is enormous, generating some $5.3 trillion in sales last year. Online sales have grown to about 10% of that total. Amazon is expected to garner about 38% of online retail spending in the U.S. this year, according to eMarketer. Meanwhile, many long-tenured national brands have struggled and closed stores.

In Washington state, the number of retailers, including everything from hardware stores and grocers to restaurants and online merchants, shrank over the last quarter-century, even as the state’s population rose 40%. The state went from 11.3 retail establishments per 1,000 residents 25 years ago to 7.8 last year, according to an analysis of Washington Department of Revenue tax data.

That said, the “retail apocalypse” narrative can be overstated. As the National Retail Federation noted recently, stores are making a comeback as big brands invest in technology to modernize the shopping experience and better integrate physical locations with e-commerce operations for things like order pickups and returns. This remains a risky bet, however, as retailers try to catch up with Amazon’s massive spending on technology and willingness to experiment with new retail concepts, such as the “4-star store” it opened in Seattle this past week.

Three-quarters of the 550 independent retailers polled this spring by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which calls for greater regulation of Amazon as part of

its advocacy for decentralized economic power, considered competition with the Seattle-based company to be their top challenge.

Of course, thousands of small and mid-size businesses also use Amazon’s infrastructure to host digital storefronts, connect to customers and deliver their wares.

Some argue that Amazon’s third-party sellers business, now accounting for 58% of its physical gross merchandise sales, amount to an important lifeline for small business.

Others see Amazon and its growing share of online sales as the greater threat.

‘Instant fulfillment’ Plain Hardware is helped by its location: Beside Just Plain Grocery & Gas, the only other store in town. That remains an advantage, even in an era of next-day delivery. Most of the items Whitten sells are available on Amazon, often from 10 different vendors. (That said, people aren’t yet buying dimensional lumber or drywall on Amazon in significant quantities.) His nearest physical competitor is 14 miles away in Leavenworth. The big-box home-improvement stores are farther off in Wenatchee.

To keep local builders and homeowners coming back, Whitten learns what they need – and want – mostly with “face-toface interactions with customers … asking and listening,” he said. He augments that customer input with his knowledge as a builder, making sure to have all the little parts for finishing common building projects.

Whitten arranges weekly deliveries to ensure he doesn’t run out of key items without having to hold too much inventory in his relatively small store — about 5,000 square feet indoors, and a 10,000-squarefoot outdoor lumberyard. He knows that a customer who is disappointed to find that the key piece they need is out-of-stock probably won’t give him many second chances.

But when he does have what they need to finish that day’s project a short drive Continued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

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How four family-owned Washington shops have made it in the Amazon era Continued from page 32. away, he can compete with next-day Amazon Prime delivery and competitors farther down the road.

Plain Hardware, like other physical retailers, offers “instant gratification, instant fulfillment,” Whitten said. “Somebody walks into the store and they walk out with the shovel they need. Done deal.”

Amazon, the so-called Everything Store, also can’t deliver the local gossip, the advice and expertise (particularly in hardware), the support that customers and employees provide one other and a venue for community events, such as the farmers market in the summer and youth ski-team gatherings. Plain Hardware employs about 20 people year-round.

“The feel that customers get when they come into our store — you’ll never get that from an online experience,” Whitten said.

Over the years, Whitten has expanded Plain Hardware’s offerings. The store stocks a rotating selection of gift items and clothing — product lines that require different merchandising expertise to keep up with seasonal trends. There’s espresso up front. In the winter, Plain Hardware rents cross-country skis to use on a 24-kilometer trail system through adjacent properties that the store maintains.

That diversification helps Whitten better serve the locals and the tourists, and has helped eliminate seasonal business lulls.

“Someone comes in for a coffee and they leave with earrings and a new blouse,” he said.

A community of shared interests A few years after falling in love with the hammered dulcimer at a Northwest Folklife Festival and starting a home-based business to pursue their passion, Ray and Sue Mooers and Randy Hudson started making and selling the instruments from a downstairs shop in Fremont, Wash. It was 1982.

Today, Dusty Strings sells a wide range of stringed instruments from the same retail space, which also offers lessons and repairs.

The Mooers say they have always tried to imbue the retail store with a welcoming, supportive vibe, meeting anyone at any level of musical ability where they are. The store convenes a community of musicians who gather for classes, workshops and jam sessions. “They get connected with other people that are attracted to their particular instrument,” Ray Mooers said.

Advertising That’s helped keep it relevant in the e-commerce era, and distinguish it from competing national chain stores, he said.

In a separate building in Interbay, the company’s craftspeople turn slabs of walnut, cherry and other woods into 80 to 90 hammered dulcimers and lever harps a month, sold to musicians and instrument dealers around the world. As they grew the manufacturing side of the business, the Mooers were slow to embrace the internet.

But now it’s become a primary way customers discover their instruments, which are in a subcategory that many music stores don’t carry.

Don’t look for a click-to-buy button on the detailed pages describing the complex, beautiful instruments, however. To complete an order, you have to call up and talk to a human being. Sometimes that can be an impediment to people used

to more automated commercial interactions, and the occasional sale nowadays happens only through email exchanges, Sue Mooers said. (The Fremont retail store does sell online, though the majority of its business is with local, in-person buyers.)

Ray Mooers said Amazon, earlier in its history, asked Dusty Strings to sell on its site. “Any product they didn’t already have, they were looking to bring in,” he said. “We got multiple calls from them soliciting our participation.”

The Mooers declined, and have continued to stay off Amazon, for reasons of cost and because of the individualized service they feel is an essential part of the business.

“What we do is idiosyncratic enough that we need, a lot of times, personal connection with our customers for it to be effective and worthwhile,” Sue Moers said.

The biggest Amazon-related challenge, she said, is how its growth in Seattle has contributed to a rising cost of living.

“It just narrows who can actually afford to live in Seattle and work in this type of business,” she said, adding that the same is true for other artisan manufacturers and retailers. “That’s the piece that worries anybody in our position.”

Playing the long game “Do we have the Duckabush in topo?”

Hanna Brown asked her uncle Eric inside their family’s 100-year-old Port Angeles, Wash., shop, Brown’s Outdoor, on a recent summer day.

A customer was looking for a topographic map of the upper portion of the Duckabush River near the boundary of Olympic National Park. Eric talked the man through several options showing the remote stretch of wilderness.

A c e n t u r y a g o , H a n n a B r o w n ’s great-great-grandfather came to the Port Angeles area to work on dams. He ended up starting a consignment shop that became an Army surplus store, later an electronics and hi-fi stereo-equipment store and now a backpacking, outdoor-equipment and clothing specialist.

The family business has moved and changed with the times over and again, including as it adapted to the upheaval of online shopping and big-box compet-

itors. Walmart opened in Port Angeles in 1996.

Amazon’s steady march from online bookseller in the mid-1990s to the all-encompassing emporium it is today gave specialty stores like Brown’s “a lot of time to adjust,” Eric Brown said.

But for the most part, they’ve stuck to what they were doing: providing expertise and equipment for exploring the national park, such as custom-fitted backpacks, hiking boots and the deep catalog of maps.

Like many retailers, Brown’s has suffered from “showrooming” — the consumer practice of trying out an item in a store, only to ultimately purchase online in pursuit of a lower price. (Amazon’s short-lived Fire phone had a feature designed for this purpose, and it remains a part of the company’s shopping app.)

Brown said the family’s philosophy has been to treat those customers the same as any other.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You continue on with that person. It will be valuable somewhere down the road.”

The bet is that in the long term, customers will remember them when they need a higher quality or specialty item not available online or in the big box store.

Showrooming is less of a problem than it used to be. Changed pricing practices in the outdoor equipment industry in recent years have reduced some of the pricing advantages that bigger sellers had over small stores like Brown’s, he said. Brown has also noticed a shift in consumer sentiment: After years of “buy local” messaging, more people come into the store motivated to do so.

Triple-checking to get it exactly right Athletic Awards, one of the longest-tenured businesses in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, feels a bit like a local history museum.

There’s the Starbucks Golden Bean award. There’s the Clammy, from local seafood restaurant chain Ivar’s. There’s a giant bottle of Dom Pérignon engraved with the Vince Lombardi trophy, marking the Seahawks’ 2014 Super Bowl win, one of more than a hundred the company did for the team.

The small company is thriving amid the rapid growth of its famous neighbor, Amazon, which Athletic Awards now counts as a customer, with various company teams ordering awards, T-shirts and other corporate swag. Indeed, owner Monty Holmes said, the transformation of the neighborhood into a hub of tech jobs and housing has helped his business, which serves a niche that hasn’t been subsumed by e-commerce.

Foot traffic is up. People in the neighborhood stop in at the yellow single-story building adorned with a mural, an analog reader board displaying quirky messages and “the world’s largest trophy cup” on the roof. “We just wanted to be the P.T. Barnum” of South Lake Union, said Holmes, who as a co-founder of the neighborhood’s Chamber of Commerce has been a longtime advocate and firsthand witness to its transformation.

Athletic Awards has been in its current location since 1983, when Holmes’ father bought the property and moved the 70-yearold business from a location a block away.

“That’s why we’re able to be here,” Holmes said. “If we were leasing, this would’ve been probably gone and we’d be out of here.”

Holmes said Athletic Awards first added a website in the mid-1990s, but he thought then that people buying a one-of-a-kind item such as an engraved award or custom groomsman gift “were going to have to come in and see it. … It’s a personal item that doesn’t translate so well to the internet.”

The company added e-commerce capabilities in 1999, and today customers shop the online catalog, place an order and receive a proof via email. That represents about one-fifth of Athletic Awards’ sales, mainly to repeat customers. The majority of sales still occur in person.

Holmes said the company treats small jobs the same as large, triple-checking proofs and stretching to meet rush deadlines, knowing how important the items are to his customers.

“This is your Emmy, this is your Oscar … your icon in your company,” he said. ©2019 The Seattle Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

longer just a decision based on housing and housing costs — increasing pressure from student loans and the rising cost of child care are having a significant impact.”

Freddie Mac conducted the online survey over a four-day period. The poll collected data from 4,040 respondents over the age of 18, including 2,864 homeowners, 1,119 renters and 57 others.

“While we tend to focus primarily on wages not keeping up with house prices and misperceptions of down payments, we should also recognize that for many millennials and Gen Xers, the basic cost of living has gone up,” says Brickman, as Yahoo cited.

“Heavy burdens from student loans and the rapidly rising cost of child care are clearly affecting the housing decisions of these individuals.”

Student debt has more than doubled over the past decade to more than $1.6 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve. Of

millennials who rent, 51% said they based their choice of housing on their student loan payments.

The cost of child care has also risen over the past 30 years, according to the report.

About 31% of renters and 45% of homeowners reported choosing cheaper housing to afford daycare, according to Freddie Mac. Over half of workers employed in such vital positions as healthcare, education and law enforcement have made housing decisions with their student loan repayment obligations in mind, the report noted.

About 35% of home owners who reported trouble affording housing in the last two years had to move to find a more affordable place to live, an increase of 9% since last August. ©2019 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

High cost of housing cuts into food, utilities study says

by Karen D’Souza

More than a third of Americans have been forced to cut spending on essential items like food and utilities to afford housing, according to a Freddie Mac study.

About 42% of renters trends and 33% of homeowners have had to reduce the money spent on essentials to cover the cost of housing during the prior two years, the report said. Overall, 62% of renters and 47% of owners reported struggling to afford housing.

“Our research confirms much of what we see in our business every day — affordability remains the essential factor when it comes to determining whether to rent or purchase a home, and the cost of housing is having a significant impact on households of every age, size and location,” said David Brickman, president and incoming CEO of Freddie Mac, as Yahoo reports. “For millennials and many Gen Xers, buying a home is no

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

In the Spotlight Paid Content BANKING

BANKING

Hired

Promoted

Patricia Aldrich

Jason Tiedtke

Vice President of Residential Lending

Senior Vice President

Great Plains State Bank

Aldrich is responsible for the overall creation, direction and operation of the Residential Lending Department.

Through Aldrich’s leadership, the bank has established a Residential Lending Department offering a suite of home financing solutions and services.

Great Plains State Bank specializes i n C o n v e n t i o n a l , VA , F H A , R D , USDA, Jumbo and NIFA purchase and refinances and has plans for additional solutions tailored to the markets the bank serves. “We’ve been working with purpose to make Great Plains State Bank a strong community resource,” said Rick Chochon, president and CEO. “Opening of the Residential Lending is an exciting milestone in our mission to help build successful financial futures in our communities.” Aldrich has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry including 10-year career with a local financial institution where she most recently oversaw lender training and compliance initiatives. Great Plains State Bank has assets of $302 MM and is headquartered in Columbus, Nebraska.

In addition to Omaha and Columbus, the bank has locations in O’Neill and Petersburg, Nebraska.

American National Bank

Tiedtke joined American National Bank in 2013 as commercial & industrial banking manager with more than 20 years of experience.

Throughout his tenure at American National Bank, Tiedtke’s impact and role expanded to include developing new lines of business, as well as support of many nonprofit clients and community partners. Tiedtke received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Dana College. He currently serves as a board member of Heartland Hope Mission and is active in the Leadership Omaha Alumni Association, a graduate of class 32. “As an accomplished Omaha commercial banker Jason has made significant contributions to the growth of our commercial banking division. We are excited to see him continue his upward trajectory here at American National Bank by elevating him to Senior Vice President,” Jason L. Hansen, president, American National Bank, said. American National Bank is the second largest locally owned bank based on deposits in the Omaha/Council Bluffs market area. With $3.8 billion in assets and greater than 575 employees, it operates 30 full-service offices in Nebraska and Iowa, and seven locations in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, operating under Western Bank, a Division of American National Bank. American National Bank also has loan production offices in Kansas and Texas. For more information, visit www. american.bank.

BUSINESS SERVICES Promoted

Natalie Hadley Vice President Outlook Business Solutions

Natalie Hadley has been named vice president of Outlook Business Solutions, a sister company to Outlook Nebraska. Outlook Business Solutions provides marketing and customer care services and creates knowledge-based jobs for people with vision loss. Outlook Business Solutions uses the talent of professionals with vision loss to offer graphic design, copywriting, photography and customer care to businesses.

Midlands Business Journal • AUGUST 23, 2019 •

In the Spotlight Paid Content HEALTH CARE

UPS invests in autonomous trucking company

by Kelly Yamanouchi

Hired

Joel Michalski, M.D. Medical Oncologist Nebraska Cancer Specialists

Michalski recently joined Nebraska Cancer Specialists as a medical oncologist.

He completed his medical degree, residency and fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Michalski will see patients with all types of cancer and has a special interest in how the immune system interacts with cancer and how those interactions can be used to treat cancer. He will see patients at Nebraska Cancer Specialists’ Legacy location in the Midwest Cancer Center as well as at their Methodist location in the Estabrook Cancer Center. Appointments can now be made by calling 402-3344773. For more information, vis it NebraskaCancer.com.

BANKING Promoted

Chris Conrad Executive Vice President, 180th and Dodge Pinnacle Bank

C o n r a d ’s d u t i e s include initiating and servicing a variety of commercial loans, with an emphasis on commercial real estate and construction lending. Conrad received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and has 19 years of commercial lending experience. He joined Pinnacle Bank in 2011. An active leader in the community, Conrad serves on the Board of Directors for Open Door Mission and on the Deacon Board and Finance Committee for Grace Central Church.

Family-owned since 1938, Nebraskabased Pinnacle Bancorp is an $11.4 billion financial holding company with 151 locations across seven states. For more information, visit pinnbank.com.

UPS announced its venture capital arm UPS Ventures is investing in autonomous driving company TuSimple and testing self-driving tractor traillogistiCs ers.

The tests of self-driving trucks started in May 2019 on a route between Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona with a driver and engineer in the vehicle, according to UPS. The company said it wants to better understand what would be required for autonomous trucking in its network, at a level where “the vehicle’s onboard computer is in complete control at all times, eliminating manual intervention.”

TuSimple, founded in 2015, aims to bring the first self-driving truck to market with technology for shipping companies to operate self-driving tractor-trailers.

UPS noted that it contracts with third-party trucking companies to handle the influx of shipments during its peak holiday shipping season, and TuSimple believes it cut the costs of that contracted trucking by 30 percent.

“While fully autonomous, driverless vehicles still have development and regulatory work ahead, we are excited by the advances in braking and other technologies that companies like TuSimple are mastering,” said UPS chief strategy and transformation officer Scott Price in a written statement. “All of these technologies offer significant safety and other benefits that will be realized long before the full vision of autonomous vehicles is brought to fruition,” he added.

The potential for autonomous vehicles was a subject of negotiations in talks for a UPS-Teamsters labor contract for drivers and others who handle small packages.

The deal struck last year calls for the company to review technological changes with the union six months before rolling out changes, such as the deployment of delivery drones, driverless vehicles or other innovations.

Late last year, the threat of a strike by UPS Freight workers prompted the company to disrupt freight service. UPS Freight handles bulk shipments on pallets from shippers to stores, and when the union announced the potential for a strike, the company temporarily cleared its network of freight until workers approved the new contract. ©2019 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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• AUGUST 23, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal