Midlands Business Journal June 11, 2021 Vol. 47 No. 24 issue

A special section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

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VOL. 47 NO. 24

LSI Staffing expands territory with regional autonomy approach

THIS WEEK ’S ISSUE:

by Richard D. Brown

Good Lookin’ brings new brunch concept to Dundee.

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Grimes keeps Mutual of Omaha current on employee wellness.

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Businesses share impact of locally grown operations. – Page 5

Although LSI Staffing, a regional employment agency and professional recruitment firm with offices in both Lincoln and Omaha, has been in business for 35 years, the past five years have seen banner growth with expansion into Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities. Regional Vice President Nuria Archer said the success of the Wichita-based family-owned firm might be largely philosophically based: give each branch over nine states maximum local operational autonomy and know that success comes from effectively changing people for the better.

“When you change people, their habits and actions, you make them feel better about themselves and we all win,” Archer said.

Archer, a certified personnel consultant and 20-year staffing industry veteran, said the regional autonomy she’s granted in operating the Omaha and Lincoln offices of LSI Staffing — plus a three-employee Continued on page 9.

Regional Vice President Nuria Archer finds regional emphasis integral to growth of the staffing firm.

(Photo by Monica Sempek)

New Northwestern Mutual exec embodies progress in leadership

by Michelle Leach

As one of the state’s oldest organizations, Northwestern Mutual’s presence in Nebraska predates its statehood. Abraham Lincoln was still president and the Civil War still raged the year that the first agent’s initial policy was written in Nebraska Territory. Now, Jennifer Brase is making history. As the first female managing partner in the holistic financial planning and services firm’s 157-year foothold

in Nebraska, Brase is ascending to this role during the most auspicious of times.

Reportedly, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-headquartered company is coming off of record business results characterized, partly, by its 97% policy retention rate, $2 trillion-worth of life insurance protection in force, and its estimated $6.2 billion total dividend payout despite an “unforgettably challenging Continued on page 9.

From left, owner and CEO Matt Frampton with Fulfillment and Marketing Coordinator Starr Frampton negotiates food service contracts. (Photo by Savannah Behrends)

Urban Slicer Pizza Worx announces new products on first anniversary

by Savannah Behrends

Managing Partner Jennifer Brase makes history as first woman to lead Nebraska operations in almost 160 years. (Photo by Roger Humphries)

Omaha-grown Urban Slicer Pizza Worx is celebrating a year of astronomical achievements this June with the launch of its two new seasonings, Red Pizza Mojo and White Pizza Mojo.

The first run of a collective 10,000 bottles will hit over 200 U.S. and over 100 Canadian retail locations in the weeks following its one-year anniversary on June 8.

The seasonings will join a menu that includes the three pizza dough mixes that launched the company — Neapolitan, Deep Dish, and the Outdoor Grilling Pizza Doughs — as well as its canned pizza sauce.

Ten thousand is conservative for the brand that rolled the dice on a unique shelf-stable, premium pizza dough mix with an initial Continued on page 10.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Good Lookin’ brings new brunch concept to Dundee

by Gabby Hellbusch

At Good Lookin’, a new breakfast and lunch spot located in Dundee, it’s all about creating a customer experience that leaves people feeling “good” when they walk out the door, according to owner Christian Brabec.

Good Lookin’ Phone: 402-590-2111 Address: 4919 Underwood Ave., Omaha 68132 Service: breakfast and lunch cafe Founded: February 2021 Employees: 17 Goal: Explore opening other concepts down the road.

Website: www.reallygoodlookin.com

Serving a mix of elevated Midwestern favorites, creative healthy options, house made pastries and coffee, the neighborhood restaurant offers a place to unwind and connect with family and friends, recharge and fuel up, or pick up a meal on the go.

“Our tagline is ‘the best part of your day cafe,’ and we genuinely want to be the highlight of our customers’ day,” he said.

Brabec, who previously worked at the corporate level of the restaurant industry for a decade, always aspired to own a business, but was waiting for the stars to align before making the jump.

Fortunately, he was finally able to snag the perfect location — a 105-year-old restored building in Dundee — to bring his vision to life.

Owner Christian Brabec serving up broad range of brunch staples. (Photo by Roger Humphries) Since opening in February, the restau- of options on our menu in order to be rant has become known for its breakfast inclusive to everyone,” Brabec said. “We burritos, which are crafted with scrambled serve traditional meals like chicken fried eggs, sharp white cheddar cheese, Oaxaca, steak or biscuits and gravy, but also whip bacon, house aioli, tater tots and house up lighter options like a smoked salmon made salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla. bowl or a vegan hash.”

Another favorite is the signature menu item An accommodating menu has led to a “Good Lookin’ Bowl” made with poached broad spectrum of clientele. eggs, pesto wild rice, sweet potato, bacon “From our food to the space itself, we jam, arugula, and feta cheese. try to elevate everything we do to make it “We wanted to deliver a good balance our own,” he said. “Our building has a ton

Business Minute

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Nick Montague

Attorney, Partner and Leader of Goosmann Trust Law Counsel, a boutique estate and business succession department within Goosmann Law Firm.

Associations/Titles: Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Montana Bar Associations, Omaha Estate Planning Council Hometown: Fayetteville, Arkansas Education: University of Arkansas; Creighton Law School; American College of Finance

of character, but we’ve also added our own modern flare. Our style of service is also unique in the way that we offer counter service instead of full service. This allows us to be a slightly elevated brunch spot that is still approachable and convenient. All of our food is done from scratch, but in a fast and casual style.”

While opening in a pandemic has been challenging at times, Brabec said the biggest hurdle right now is staffing amid the labor shortage.

“Everyone is hiring for every position right now,” he said. “We try to highlight our better hours and great culture to recruit and retain employees. We want our employees to feel valued and appreciated.

We want them to enjoy their job. For me, being able to build a team around that culture is really the best part of being a business owner.”

According to Brabec, there’s been a recent upward trend in the number of people who are frequenting restaurants, which has led to a steady increase in foot traffic at the cafe. Social media and web engagement has also increased for the restaurant.

“We can feel our guests’ excitement,” he said. “It might be their first time coming to a restaurant in 14 months. We're really happy about them coming here for their first experience back out.”

For the time being, Brabec remains focused on the growth of the restaurant, while also exploring the idea of opening additional concepts under the same restaurant umbrella in the future.

“Overall, the restaurant and food scene in Omaha is really exciting right now,” he said. “There are a lot of local concepts opening up and I really hope the communities will support these new businesses.

More support means more growth for our local restaurants.”

Midlands Business Journal Established in 1975

FOUNDER, Robert Hoig

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First job: At age 15 I started in the restaurant business as a busboy. I worked in restaurants throughout high school and college. I loved the pace of the restaurants and the interaction with customers.

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About my family: I am blessed to have

married a wonderful woman who puts up with me. We have two young children and a goldfish named puff-puff.

Something else I’d like to accomplish: I would like to visit every major league baseball stadium.

How my business will change in the next decade: My business will always be about leaving a legacy. Legislative factors may influence the way we leave that legacy or the way the story is told, but at the core of estate and business succession planning is a client who wants to be intentional with what they leave behind. We can always design

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Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Grimes keeps Mutual of Omaha current on employee wellness

by Dwain Hebda

Kellee Grimes is just five years into her role as manager of health aervices for Mutual of Omaha Insurance Companies. Yet in that time, she’s seen the definition of wellness broaden to include a much wider scope of issues and has worked to help keep the company in step with those changes.

Grimes came aboard with Mutual of Omaha initially as an occupational health consultant before stepping into her current role. Her primary job responsibilities include planning, directing, coor2020 dinating and evaluating corporate-wide occupational health, ergonomic programs and other initiatives and policies.

“Essentially what I do is help Mutual of Omaha employees maximize their health, well-being and help the company understand how we can promote holistic well-being for our associates,” she said. “The mental health stigma has always been such a huge thing; people are starting to embrace breaking down that stigma and really looking at unpacking all that really impacts.

“Mutual of Omaha specifically, and my role specifically, has long looked at the socioeconomic factors behind employee health and well-being such as access to healthy foods, access to preventative care, employment equality, transportation.”

Grimes said the challenges many workers face include direct health challenges as well elements that, while not clinical in nature, contribute to stress that can bring on or aggravate various maladies.

Manager of Health Services Kellee Grimes aims to keep well-being at the forefront.

(Photo by Monica Sempek) “Primarily as a financial services organiza- the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The tion, financial help is really important,” she said. work was rewarding — following in her mother’s “We've always weighed those as part of our health professional footsteps — but as time went on, she and well-being strategy making sure people have began to see areas where she could make even the right benefits at work that compliment those more of a difference.

“I found myself with extra time during the in the community.

“If there’s a community organization or a week to put toward my personal efforts and addeficit within the community, then you as an ventures and just thought, ‘What a big platform employer should look at what those are to try to help provide those to your associates to keep them Proud Sponsors of the 2020 productive and effective. We've stressed those for quite some time.”

Grimes, an Omaha native, started her career as a nurse, working in the cardiac transplant unit on the progressive and intensive care floors of

here that nurses and health care professionals have to utilize their unique scheduling to give back to the community,’” she said. “Also being at the bedside really opened my eyes to all the ways that we can in fact change why people are in the hospital.

“I really found myself wanting to make a bigger impact on health equity overall, so that by the time that people get to the hospital they are not in such a critical need or that they have the infrastructure and support to live healthy, long-standing lives outside of the hospital walls.”

Grimes continues to carry this mission beyond her workday into the community where she’s been active in a number of volunteer and service roles. These include The Women’s Fund of Omaha, The Wellbeing Partners, March of Dimes, Creating Captains & Food Bank for the Heartland.

She’s also been decorated for her work, most recently with the 2020 University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Alumni Council’s Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award and as a 2018 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader Honoree, presented by the Nebraska Action Coalition.

Grimes has a degree from Creighton University in business administration, her nursing degree from UNMC in Lincoln, as well as an MBA with an emphasis in health care administration, also from Creighton.

40 Under 40:

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Businesses share impact of locally grown operations

by Gabby Hellbusch

The importance of locally-grown and sourced businesses in any community is immense, local owners say.

Ashlei Spivey, co-owner of Best Burger, said the business utilizes a local meat distributor for its burgers and sells Ital Vital Juice and Crum Cake Bakery desserts in the restaurant.

“Local economies are integral to thriving communities and we hope to be able to add value to our local economy through how we purchase,” Spivey said.

Dr. Joel MakovicSpivey ka, president of Makovicka Physical Therapy, said by being a locally owned and operated company, the business decisions are driven by the knowledge of where physical therapy services are lacking.

“There are no shareholders to respond to; each business partner brings a unique skill set to the table and continues to be involved with the day-to-day operation of the company, which has grown to 19 clinics strong in the metro Omaha, Lincoln and surrounding areas,” Makovicka said.

He said this is important because business decisions are made based on values, not a corporate mandate.

“It's important for people to support local businesses because local businesses support the community,” Makovicka said. “Locally owned businesses invest in communities through the services they provide, donations and the involvement of their staff. Makovicka Physical Therapy requires its full-time staff to participate in community activities as part of the structured Makovicka Cares! program. The program allows staff to learn about, become involved and become invested in the community; company leadership often works alongside the staff. It sends a powerful message and points to the integrity of the business partners.”

Brittany Armetta, vice president at Manna Industries, said the company is solely owned and operated by women.

“We feel that women empowerment is so important in this day and age, and as mothers ourselves, we want to teach our children the power and impact that women can make,” she said. “Having the ability to start a beauty company from the ground up has been

Nicole Wheeler, co-owner, Dundee Book Company. (Photo by Monica Sempek) extremely eye opening and this journey has extensive experience in the beauty industry, been one all of us have thoroughly enjoyed, including educating a lot of Omaha’s stylists,” despite the hardships and difficulties we have she said. “Shopping local is helping your faced along the way.” fellow Omaha business’ dreams come true.

According to Armetta, shopping locally Having the support of Omaha is and will conis extremely important to the team as they tinue to be a blessing to Manna Industries.” work to build a name for Manna Industries Nicole Wheeler, co-owner of Dundee across the nation.

Book Company, said the locally owned op“Not to mention, our owner, Marcie, has eration started as a mobile bookstore in 2017

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June 11, 2021

using a “roving” book cart to pop up events at various local businesses and organizations.

“The bookstore and a local literature community are important to us because we value thoughtfulness and the general sense of slowing down that books can bring,” Wheeler said. “Books can also bring a sense of understanding while bringing folks together. The impact is evident when we see our customers

Makovicka Armetta or event attendees meeting each other in our space to share ideas and experiences.”

Overall, she said shopping locally is important because it creates healthy neighborhoods and cities.

“We enjoy shopping locally because of the connections it fosters,” Wheeler said.

“We like knowing the proprietors of the businesses that we patronize, and we like knowing our own customers in the store. It brings strength to communities and grows civic participation.”

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • Locally Grown

Circle of support retains Greater Omaha community’s uniqueness

by Michelle Leach

“Local” means a lot of different things; from the organizations in our backyards that we choose to patronize, to the entrepreneurs who choose to partner with fellow local businesses, this notion supports vibrant communities in the good and bad.

“Bianchi Candle Co. partners with local businesses for many things, including sourcing products, working together on a variety of collaborations and donating to local causes,” said founder Nic Bianchi. “Throughout the pandemic, we as a small business had to learn how to overcome difficult situations, including sourcing our materials.”

He quickly learned sourcing locally was key to staying on schedule.

“Collaborating with other businesses helped us understand how to better market our products and support one another through the trying times,” he added.

The oft-cited “we’re all in this together,” applied here.

“We understood that all small businesses were facing the same problem of closed doors, and navigating the world of online marketing,” Bianchi said. “By networking with other small businesses, we had the opportunity to share our strengths with others, while also learning from them.”

So, he said the pandemic closed many doors.

But it also opened others.

“A key part of this success was Keep Local Alive,” a reference to a metro-born movement focused on taking “support local” from mere words to action. “They shared our story along with many other small businesses stories and

helped promote Bianchi Candle Co. “Many businesses were shutting down due to the pandemic, but Keep Local Alive reminded customers they needed to support local and small businesses. There was a major shift to shop local and support small businesses.”

The word spread; if the community didn’t support them, local small businesses wouldn’t be around much longer.

Additionally, a portion of its proceeds have supported local charities, such as Habitat for Humanity Omaha, Partnership 4 Kids and the American Cancer Foundation.

“Using local connections has helped us grow exponentially,” he said.

Bianchi encouraged would-be entrepreneurs to use their failures as “steppingstones to future successes.”

“Understand that failing is OK; it’s the getting back up and learning from your failures that is most important,” he said. “Utilize yourself and other small businesses to their full potential and don’t hold back. Be sure to ask for help when you need it and remember your neighbors are your friends. Stay involved in your community and use those resources.”

A “Chief Granola Gratification Guru,” Glenn Wigodsky said The Gourmet Granola sources products like honey through vendors such as Tripple Bee Honey, a company they met in 2014 at the Omaha Farmers Market.

Additionally, the granola artisans have played an active role in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“When we got started, we needed a kitchen space so we founded The Upstart Kitchen in Bellevue,” he said. “That kitchen is a shared space

that allows up-and-coming businesses to get their start without the costs associated with building a commercial kitchen. While we were there, we rented space to Matt Boshart from a new coffee company called Reboot Roasting. When we were able to move into our own space, we ended up selling The Upstart Kitchen. But we haven’t stopped partnering with people like Matt.”

In fact, its mocha granola features Boshart’s espresso blend.

“Additional partnerships we’ve been able to find mutual benefit in have come from more unlikely sources,” Wigodsky noted. “We’ve had organizations like PTA groups, camps and, most recently, Boys Town partner with us to provide healthy snacks to their participants for their special events.”

Boys Town reached out last year amid the pandemic, requesting his team’s assistance in supplying snacks for participants in their Memorial Day run.

“We look forward to continuing that partnership for several years to come and for it to grow into additional opportunities on their campus,” he said. “Most recently, we agreed to provide donations for an elephant baby shower at the zoo.”

Partnerships with not only the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, but UNMC, U.S. Cellular and others present “great exposure,” while local vendors enhance the overall quality and variety of product, according to Wigodsky.

Patrons have responded in kind.

“We’ve seen some people choose to really support local businesses by making conscious choices to purchase directly from us and other businesses,” he said. “We’ve also done things to encourage people to do that by offering local

delivery two days per week.”

Wigodsky encourages the idea of partnering for small businesses.

“You never know what can happen if we work together,” he said. “We started our business at the farmer’s market and we still rely on that model to get to know our customers and build relationships with local business owners.”

When Gaylene Steinbach founded Lulubee Artisanal Chocolates, the concept of collaborating and supporting local business was, and remains, a guiding principle.

“Early partnerships included Lincoln’s The Coffee Roaster and Glacial Till Vineyards, and The Grey Plume in Omaha,” she said. “From there, I’ve become a wholesale partner to florists, coffee shops, bookstores, hotels, restaurants, boutiques, wineries and breweries.”

While “terrified” to make that first call, today these business owners are dear friends.

These relationships transcend wholesale partners; for instance, she referenced the quality and assistance of everyone from her local printer and interior designer, to her local design agency and web team.

Offering more insight into her creations, Steinbach said being a chocolatier is like being an alchemist.

“I add a bit of this and maybe a splash of that — tweaking each recipe until it’s just right,” she said. “That said, I love working with local artisans and growers here in Nebraska to see what I can create with our collective ingredients.”

The Coffee Roaster lends roasted coffee beans to its mocha bonbon, while Twin Springs Pecans’ fresh pecans play a starring role in its Continued on next page.

Locally Grown • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

CSAs benefit both customers and farmers

by David Kubicek

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) helps farmers with cash flow and planning challenges and gives members a reliable and often less expensive way to get produce.

The community supports their local farmers, and the farmers support the community with local food, according to Paul and Amy Wenninghoff, owners of Wenninghoff Farm.

CSAs help customers learn about what is in

season in Nebraska.

“We try to educate with weekly emails about the produce by offering recipes and a little info about what it takes to get the produce ready for them,” Paul Wenninghoff said.

“Other benefits include trying new foods that you wouldn’t normally purchase on your grocery store shopping trips,” Amy Wenninghoff said. “The pandemic has forced people to look at where their food comes from more

Greater Omaha community’s uniqueness

Continued from preceding page. turtle square bonbon. Most recently, Fat Head Farms’ sweet, fresh honey complements its ginger honey bonbon.

“We get fresh herbs from Yum Yum Greens, and I’m lucky enough to have made custom pieces for our friends at Glacial Till Vineyards and Capitol View Winery,” she said.

As a small business owner juggling so much, Steinbach said it’s been invaluable to have others to reach out to. This support was underscored during the pandemic, as everyone sought how to enforce the likes of masks, or how to keep employees safe.

“We were able to brainstorm ideas, solutions and different options; identify what was and wasn’t working; and how to change quickly,” she said. “I cannot imagine going through the past year without them.”

Importantly, she reminds those customers who choose to spend their hard-earned money at her store (and other local businesses): “That money pays for our local employees who, in turn, support other small businesses with their

hard-earned money.”

From its global headquarters in Omaha, Scoular supports growers and producers near and far. It also contributes to the communities where employees live and work through the Scoular Foundation.

“The pandemic has brought to the forefront so much in our lives that we took for granted before,” said Ed Prosser, senior vice president for risk management. “Who knew how hard it was to predict the demand for toilet paper? Scoular participates in this allocation of resources every day.”

He characterized this process of supplying demand, efficiently, as a “ballet” that, in their case, feeds seven billion people across 90-plus locations, many of which are clustered in the five-state Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado region.

“Then it gets up and does it again tomorrow,” Prosser said of this process. “While not without hiccups, the agriculture supply chain should be proud of its resilience and malleability in the face of the pandemic.”

closely and also to cook rather than go to a restaurant.”

For Mike Von Weihe, owner of Old Tree Farm near Carson, Iowa, a CSA program helped save his farm during the pandemic.

“Lots of small farms market through a limited number of channels, many of which dried up at the beginning of the pandemic,” he said.

For instance, restaurants were running on tight margins and couldn’t afford to pay the price small farmers needed to charge, institutional sales — like schools — Lubbert also dried up, and even the Omaha Farmer’s Market was shut down for the first month last year.

A CSA program is a good model for startup farms, according to Brent Lubbert, executive director of Big Muddy Urban Farm.

“Each year we have a group of five residents ages 19 to 26 come tthrough the program,” Lubbert said. “They design a business, learn how to grow food and how to connect and serve the community. By knowing how to operate a CSA these folks can possibly start their own farms.”

CSA popularity ebbs and flows. During the pandemic, CSAs took off because they were a safe route to getting produce, and the farmer’s markets weren’t accessible.

“Right now, it’s a stable CSA market, but there are some challenges of connecting to consumers about what a CSA is and [availability

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of CSAs],” Lubbert said.

Most people sign up for CSAs through late winter and early spring when farms are purchasing seed, irrigation equipment and necessary tools and equipment for the upcoming season, according to Aaron French, manager of urban farm initiatives for City Sprouts.

“It helps with the cash flow, and helps [farmers] plan what to grow and how much to grow [for the summer growing season],” he said. “On the consumer side, it allows them to get a general understanding of what’s grown in their area, when it’s grown, the difficulties of growing it, and [buying from area farmers] helps support the local econFrench omy. It also introduces them to new veggies, which they might not ordinarily buy.”

There are a variety of CSA models in terms of how much members pay and how often they pay, but basically, members get a box of fresh vegetables every week for however long they’re connected with the farmer.

Consumers can find a local CSA to join through LocalHarvest, the University of Nebraska’s Buy Fresh Buy Local program, or finding a stand they like at the farmer’s market and asking if the seller has a CSA program.

“A CSA can be a great way for people who don’t want to wake up early on the weekend to get local produce,” Von Weihe said. “Our pickups are generally in the afternoon or evening after people get off work so it’s a more convenient way for them to get local produce.”

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • Locally Grown

Homegrown events are back, injecting life into local economy

by Brooke Strickland

After a year of being stuck inside and experiencing many things virtually, people all over are looking forward to getting back into the community to see people and experience the vibrant, creative talent that the Midwest is known for. Summer is right around the corner and people are gearing up for some of these fun and exciting local events. Here are some highlights on event going on this summer: CenterFest CenterFest began three years ago as a block party, as a way to highlight the neighborhoods that surround Center Street. The idea was to close down Center Street between 35th and 36th streets to create a party that engaged neighbors, built community, and started new neighborhood traditions.

CenterFest was officially started the next year and now, it includes a maker’s market, live entertainment, a children’s corner, and a beer garden. Businesses along Center Street also have the opportunity to highlight their products and services. This year, the event is led by the Hanscom Park Neighborhood Association and will be sponsored by Omaha Community Foundation, Vis Major Brewing Co., Sheelytown Market, Sunnyside on Center, and Carter and Rye. “We are spending the time and effort to invest in the small businesses and the creative community that is in Omaha,” said Amelia Rosser, CenterFest planning chair and owner of Sheelytown Market. “This south side of Midtown has such a vibrant history and a rich community, it's already become a beloved event.”

The event is family-friendly, and community centered. All are welcome to participate in planning and coordination.

Event date: September 12, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Omaha Summer Arts Festival The Omaha Summer Arts Festival (OSAF) is a community-wide event that celebrates various art forms including a artist’s market, live music, youth arts for kids and families, film, street performers, and other unique projects.

The festival dates back to 1975, where it began in Omaha’s historic Old Market district. Since its beginning, the festival has attracted more than two million people to downtown Omaha.

“The economic impact to the city of Omaha continues to be substantial, with more than $16,000,000 in art purchases, alone, over the history of the event,” said Elizabeth Balazs, senior project manager for Vic Gutman & Associates. “The Omaha Summer Arts Festival is a community tradition that offers something for everyone. Art for your home or office, music from genres across the world and opportunities for people to shop, dance, eat and create art-full

memories.”

This year, OSAF’s theme will be ‘Put the Heart in Omaha Art’ and will feature a mix of online, virtual, and outdoor activities. Programs will include an online shopping experience, a Mural Cube project scattered around the downtown area, a live music stream on KPAO and a series of pop-up concerts.

Event dates: June 4, 5, 6, with extended festival activities mid-May through mid-June.

Full details: www.SummerArts.org Maha Festival Maha is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to bringing people together. The main event, the Maha Festival, is a celebration of music and discovery that happens annually each summer. Since its beginning in 2009, the event has welcomed more than 100 music acts, dozens of speakers, and attendees from all 50 states. The festival is the result of the work of hundreds of volunteers, a board of directors, and

three full-time staff members. There are nearly 700 individuals that will bring Maha Festival to life this year.

“Maha’s vision is to evolve into an annual collection of experiences that reflect the diverse cultural aspects of our community and region, elevating Omaha's prominence and appeal on a national scale,” said Lauren Martin, Maha executive director. “From the volunteers to the sponsors, and the vendors to the attendees, this event and its growth would not be possible without the incredible individuals who continue to believe in the connection and impact that Maha catalyzes.”

In addition to the extensive music line-up, this year there will be comedy and spoken word features, craft beer and food offerings.

Event date: July 31st from 2 p.m. to midnight at Aksarben Village. Full details: mahafestival.com

Location, lifestyle keep native companies tethered to Omaha

by Dwain Hebda

Omaha native companies and businesses credit their hometown as an important factor in their ongoing success.

“Quite simply, Omaha is our home,” said Brian Petranick, CEO and president, Right at Home. “The area has been good to us as we have grown and we want the community to continue to be a part of our future.

“Personally, my favorite thing about the Omaha community is the genuine, honest and good-hearted people. I’ve found that the region is full of extraordinarily talented and hard-working people, making it an excellent place to build a business and raise a family. Simply stated,

Omaha provides a great quality of life.”

Right at Home was established in 1995 and has grown to more than 641 locations, employing more than 400, nearly 90 whom are local.

Petranick Mazzotta “I think most of the country underestimates Omaha,” Petranick said. “Part of me loves that Omaha is a secret and wants it to stay that way.”

Quality of place isn’t lost on very large Omaha companies, however. Liz Mazzotta, chief administrative officer for Mutual of Omaha, said the attachment to the city is personal for the Fortune 300 company.

“Omaha is a great, well-rounded community that offers affordable living that differs from the coasts and many other cities,” she

said. “Mutual of Omaha has benefitted from the talent in Omaha and the surrounding areas.

We have a great group of associates coming out of our strong educational systems, colleges and universities.

“We have also been able to attract associates from outside of Omaha as we have a strong employment value proposition and are a Fortune 300 company. We are also certified as one of Fortune’s Great Places to Work.”

With 5,500 emLechner ployees nationwide and 4,200 in Omaha, the insurance giant is one of the city’s largest and most recognized corporate citizens. Mazzotta said the lengths to which the company has gone to ensure those ranks reflect the diverse clientele they serve as part of their common-sense Omaha ethics.

“Mutual of Omaha takes great pride in our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and strategy, which are built with input from associates at every level and every area within Continued on page 11.

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

9

LSI Staffing expands territory with regional autonomy approach Continued from page 1. location in Crete that opened last year — is especially important to the workers and business clients served.

“It’s been crucial to our double-digit growth over the past year where the jobs we are filling are in general labor,” she said.

LSI Staffing Phone: Omaha, 402-554-1833; Lincoln, 402-261-6904 Address: 4228 S. 50th St., 68117 Omaha; 3814 Normal Blvd., 68506 Lincoln Services: staffing agency, professional recruitment Founded: 1986 in Wichita by brothers Ron & Rick King Employees: 12 in Nebraska One-year goal: Effectively manage growth with new offices opening in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids & Quad Cities.

Industry outlook: There’s a complete change in the industry, from clerical to the executive level.

Website: www.lsistaffing.com

Not all situations can be handled

by LSI Staffing’s rules and regulations contained in corporate manuals. Archer leads five employees in the South Omaha office in a former retail bay at 4228 S. 50th St., another five in Lincoln at 3814 Normal Blvd., plus three in Crete. Archer, a native of Barcelona, Catalonia, also has LSI Staffing responsibilities in Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Iowa.

Archer, who received a bachelor’s degree in hotel business and tourism management, said on the day of her interview LSI Staffing had about 400 open jobs to fill.

“There’s a lot of jobs and no people,” she said. “We have two multi-state clients and packing house and meat processing jobs are recession proof.”

That’s where the creativity comes in by not only finding workers, but often helping them trouble-shoot the obstacles that threaten their success in temporary positions.

For example, one worker in the packing industry notified his LSI Staffing supervisor that he had been robbed off the job site and that his relevant identification papers and cell phone had been stolen.

Archer said it’s not unusual for workers to call LSI Staffing supervisors as early as 4 a.m. to let them know they have no transportation to the work site. Perhaps a contracted van service missed some stops on a route or a bus driver got sick.

“This is where LSI Staffing’s branch managers run the show,” she said. “They are absolutely fantastic in how they respond.”

On a recent morning when she opened LSI Staffing at 6:50 a.m., Archer encountered a situation where an applicant was desperately seeking a job close to home in north Omaha. She called the firm and was asked “how soon can he be here because we open at 8?”

“From performing roles from a doctor to a mother I feel like I’m a parent to our workers placed,” Archer said.

She doesn’t complain and said such troubleshooting is necessary, especially when the largest share of the positions

being advertised are often general labor, such as cutting meat or moving it. Such positions range in pay from $10 an hour up to $17 an hour.

Archer said another important facet of LSI Staffing’s personalized and creative approach to worker development is the relationship the firm cements early-on with each client. For example, she or another LSI Staffing supervisor will tour a production plant that is seeking to become a client. In addition to establishing the bona fide occupational qualifiers of

the position, attention is also given to observing the workplace. Is there clutter around? What is the amount of interaction between assembly line workers?

LSI Staffing clients include companies with as few as two or three employees up to large facilities with hundreds of workers.

Positions staffed range from temporary work for a month to positions that last longer than a year.

Electronic verification of each LSI Staffing employee is required by federal

law, but additional client-specific checks and procedures are also performed by Archer’s staff.

LSI Staffing offers a benefit package to qualified workers.

Brothers Ron & Rick King, of Wichita, Kansas, own LSI Staffing. There are 16 regional offices, a talent pool of more than 6,000 associates, and about 1,000 clients.

Two related brands include Hire Principle — direct placements for professionals and recruiting services — plus 1:1 — handling industrial staffing.

New Northwestern Mutual exec embodies progress in leadership Continued from page 1. she went on to serve as a training consultant year” that also elevated conversations and in the home office in Milwaukee before takdiscussions around diversity of representa- ing on a series of leadership roles there and tion in one’s workforce, leadership circles in Indianapolis and Kansas City, Missouri over a roughly 16-year period during the and respective industries.

“Our company has been around since mid-1990s to late-2010s.

“Northwestern Mutual has given me 1857,” Brase said. “We’ve been through other pandemics, and we’ve responded quickly every opportunity to step up and grow as a to our clients and our financial advisers and leader,” she said. “It took some sacrifices and moves … in the their teams.” end, they were the The former vice Northwestern Mutual right decisions.” president of diversi- Phone: 402-390-8280 (Omaha) Notably, Brase ty and inclusion for Address: 9300 Underwood Ave., Suite transitioned from Northwestern Mu- 500, 68114 (Omaha office) vice president-agentual’s United States Services: wide-ranging products and cy development to VP operations, Brase expertise in areas such as financial planis now tasked with ning, wealth management, life insurance, of diversity and inclusion in 2011. She overseeing the sales, disability insurance, investment stratewould hold this role operations, recruit- gies, retirement planning, long-term care for more than eight ment, development planning, college savings plans years, before transiand growth, and strat- Founded: 1857 (companywide) tioning to associate egy for Northwestern Website: Omaha.nm.com managing partner of Mutual-Nebraska.

According to company information, the Northwestern Mutual-Nebraska in Omaha Nebraska ops represent one of the 13 stron- in April of last year.

She officially assumed the managing gest offices in the U.S. In addition to its Embassy Tower office at 9300 Underwood partner role this month.

“Our sales force and company has been Ave. in the Meadowbrook neighborhood, other locations within its network include traditionally white men,” Brase said. “One its west Omaha office at 13305 Birch Dr., of the first things that we have done is to its capital city office at 2900 S. 70th St. and invest heavily in our leaders, and in understanding how their experience was different a Columbus office.

In fact, Brase got her start with North- from the non-dominant group.”

She called this process one of “head western Mutual in Lincoln. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and heart;” by that, Brase indicated that the with a degree in business administration, business rationale to have more women and Brase launched her career with Northwest- people of color is the “right thing to do,” ern Mutual in 1990 as director of develop- alongside putting leaders through diversity ment. She would reportedly go on to develop and inclusion training.

Likewise, she indicated one cannot a track record in recruiting and developing ignore the differences among diverse team advisers.

“I was just six months out of college,” members that enrich one’s organization.

For instance, she referred to how women Brase recalled. “The thing that attracted me was the people. They loved their jobs and may not raise their arm to interject until they are 80% confident in what they are about to were having a great time.”

Thirty-one years on, Brase said it’s “still say or do, whereas men may only need to the people,” when asked about what kept her be 30% ready to raise their hands. “[Women] are not risk-averse,” Brase with the company.

“We’re surrounded by people who said. “They are more ‘risk-aware.’ Women are team-oriented,” she said. “They enjoy also tend to internalize rejection and to want coming to work every day. And, we build a sense of community. It’s a different way to coach and a different way to develop, and I long-term relationships with our clients.”

In fact, the company notes that the aver- have a passion for that.”

In her role leading the company’s diverage client remains so for 42 years.

“They return because of that consistent sity and inclusion strategy, she spearheaded value, our product value and benefits to the its field D&I and leadership development policyholder,” she said. “And, on the peo- efforts (including the launch of its Aspiring ple piece, as I look back on my career now, MP program). Brase also highlighted its emone of the things that sets us apart is that ployee resource groups. ERGs are designed we invest heavily in our own development. to inspire a more diverse and inclusive The company is very much committed to mindset “from the ground up,” while also our own personal growth, fun and culture.” supporting professional and personal growth As Brase grew through the organization, opportunities. Groups are formed around

commonalities not limited to ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, and gender identity.

Brase characterized that the women’s field association, which partners with senior leadership to set priorities, is a “first in the industry.”

These and other intentional initiatives are contributing to an increase in female hires.

“We recruit about 2,600 full-time [advisers] a year across the United States,” she said. “Last year, our hiring of women advisers increased by 50%.”

Leadership characterized this stage in the company’s long history as an exciting time to join the team. They noted last month that, one of the biggest transitions from a branding/communications standpoint, has been to reinforce that Northwestern Mutual doesn’t just “sell insurance” and sell risk. It is their extensive products and expertise in financial planning and wealth management that they attribute to the ability to retain clients for an average timeframe that exceeds four decades.

“We’re very much focused on generational planning,” Brase said. “That means not only accumulating wealth but also thinking about how you pass on your assets to the next generation. Our planning is very much foundational. We make recommendations based on your situation. So, the intent is very long term.”

Additionally, Brase referenced its investments in technology to support the client experience and the ability to access financial information that aids in holistic planning.

As Brase has evolved alongside the evolving Northwestern Mutual, she reflected on her personal journey.

“So, my entire career, I had male leaders until I started leading diversity and inclusion 12 years ago,” she recalled. “The chief head of HR was female.”

Now retired, Joann “Jo” Eisenhart, Ph.D., made an impression on the current MP. “She empowered me,” Brase said. “That was the first leader where I felt I could be myself with, and I want to do that for others and for all leaders. In particular, I want to help women to get that confidence.”

When Brase is not leading others at Northwestern Mutual, she can be found actively supporting the fight against cancer as a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Nebraska Chapter board.

“If my husband were here, he’d say that I’m obsessed with Orangetheory,” she joked of the fitness studio.

The mother of two also enjoys outdoorsy pursuits, such as camping.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Urban Slicer Pizza Worx announces new products on first anniversary Continued from page 1. order of 30,000 units last April.

“To put it in perspective, we just ordered 300,000 [units],” said owner and CEO Matt Frampton.

Of launching during a pandemic, Matt Frampton said “sometimes it takes dumb

Urban Slicer Pizza Worx Founded: 2020 Service: Premium, shelf-stable pizza dough mixes, canned pizza sauce, and seasonings Outlook: The company is in negotiations with a few restaurateurs to use their branded dough’s, sauces and seasonings. It is focused on remaining in momand-pop businesses rather than big-box retailers.

Website: urbanslicerpizza.com

luck, and there was no better time to put out a cook-at-home pizza.”

Starr Frampton, Matt’s wife who has taken over fulfillment and marketing for the company, said Urban Slicer’s success isn’t just rooted in good timing, but also Matt’s attention to detail.

“He spent the better part of eight years getting his dough just right, then he started working on the pre-packaged part,” she said.

Each dough blend is unique in composition, from the flour used to the seasonings added, and requires specific cooking instructions.

To guide customers, each package includes a QR code that takes them to a stepby-step tutorial. For customers with additional questions, Urban Slicer’s website has a FAQ section that is updated frequently. All social media messages and e-mail questions are answered within one business day.

“There’s a big educational factor, but I think that was kind of the point, to help people make quality pizzas in their backyard,” Matt Frampton said.

Matt Frampton’s journey to pizza making happened in a similar fashion. In 2011, pizza oven company KettlePizza gave Matt Frampton’s competition barbecue team a pizza oven and offered to sponsor them.

“We ended up using it on New Year’s

Matt Frampton creates a pizza using Urban Slicer’s Neapolitan dough and White Mojo seasoning.

Eve, and I seriously fell in love with making The quality and quick turnaround time pizza,” Matt Frampton said. has attracted the attention of restaurateurs.

Within two years the team was selling While Frampton couldn’t name the company, pizzas at barbecue competitions, and the he said Urban Slicer is in negotiation with a recipe was being shared online. The problem, national restaurant chain to carry the Urban he said, was that the process was a multi-day Slicer brand. venture that required fermenting the dough.

The chain will have six Urban Slicer Urban Slicer dough, on the other hand, branded pizzas on its menu and will place the takes only a cup of water and between 8-10 brand new seasonings on each table, replacing minutes of mixing before it’s ready to cook. the traditional red pepper flake shakers and Depending on the type of dough, cook time parmesan cheese shakers. is between 6-20 minutes.

Additionally, another local brewery is

interested in carrying the pizza.

Outside of expanding into the food service industry, Matt Frampton is working on new products that include a gluten-free, keto dough option as well as a desert dough.

Despite the demand, the duo said they are avoiding big box retailers. As Omaha natives who feel strongly about small businesses, they worry placing their product in a big-box store will undercut the mom-and-pop places that have made their brand a success.

In fact, Matt Frampton said the most expensive place to buy Urban Slicer is the brand’s own website.

“We want to value our partners first and our website second,” he said.

At a suggested retail price of $6.99, Matt Frampton said most stores are selling the product for $7.99, a price he was unsure of in the beginning.

“I’m a buyer too, and looking at the other options on the shelf, at first glance, you might not be able to tell the difference,” he said.

“You have to get people to try it, and I didn’t know if the price would be a turn off.”

A year into the venture, they have noticed their customers tend to be between the ages of 29 and 55 who have disposable income. In the future, Matt Frampton said those customers might become brand ambassadors.

For now the company is focused on staying lean, reinvesting into the company, and growing the product line.

Logistics technology moves toward increasing digitalization

by David Kubicek

Although the logistics industry was steadily moving toward digitalization before COVID-19, the lockdown accelerated technology solutions to enable shippers, carriers, warehouse workers, and truck drivers to work in a pandemic world.

“While supply chain digitization was in motion, the pandemic ramped up how and where the flow of information was needed,” said Matt Parry, senior vice president of logistics for Werner Enterprises. “This resulted in the increased adoption of digital — especially self-service platforms — providing more flexibility, an improved customer experience and the ability

SARPY COUNTY

GROWTH REPORT

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Topics may include the following: • Sarpy Economic update • Sarpy events • Construction projects • Real estatee • Banking • Data Center growth • Small businesses Issue Date: June 18 • Ad Deadline: June 10

to execute almost every function of a shipment for the dry bulk trucking industry. The firm without human intervention.” provides a mobile app infrastructure to its While many of these platforms existed customers, which includes both shippers and previously, the pandemic pushed sub-segments carriers, according to CEO Jeff Shreiner. of logistics workflows to go fully “Shippers in the command cendigital, resulting in more capabilities ter can see at a moment’s notice in less time. As in other industries, where all of their shipments are in-person interactions and comgoing,” he said. “Carriers have a momunications pivoted to allow for a bile app so they know where they’re digital or no-touch format. going and what their expectations are In January 2021, the firm introin the contract for how shippers want duced Carrier’s self-serve digital them to pick up and unload loads. carrier platform EDGE. Through It’s a byproduct of an industry that’s this platform, Werner alliance carvery fragmented [with] a lot of momriers can gain immediate visibility and-pop haulers and a lot of shippers to Werner freight, book loads at the trying to work together. Our goal is to Parry touch of a button, negotiate rates, make it much more simple for them maintain preferences, view tracking information to do business and find one another.”

24/7, buy or sell equipment, and communicate The technology can also be used to help directly with Werner associates. reduce carbon footprints and develop a better “This innovative platform, available for understanding of where food comes from. qualified carriers, provides load offerings and “When you’re doing it all by hand, it’s other great features with plans to introduce really hard to do, but when you have the data new capabilities in the near future,” Parry said. and technology to support it, that opens up a “Specifically, additional features launching later whole new world for folks that are in this space,” this year will enable carriers to view historical Shreiner said. load data and insurance, upload documentation Another advantage for both shippers and and manage available capacity.” carriers is that they can keep their trucks full.

Werner looks forward to developing ad- Once they deliver their cargo, they don’t want ditional self-service technology that enables to bring their trucks home empty. drivers and customers to log on and find the This advancement allows them to quickly information they are looking for themselves, find where their best routes will be and what will including shipment details and more. give them a full load from the first place, they Additionally, the firm is planning to imple- pick up to the last place they drop off, saving ment Mastermind, a cloud-based transportation time, energy, and fuel. management system (TMS) from Mastery.

“The eye-opening [technology] is the ma“This technology will improve the ability chine-loading and [artificial intelligence] that for Werner to execute new technology and we borrowed from other industries and put into solutions quickly through APIs (application pro- ours,” Shreiner said. “That to me is the longgramming interfaces), allowing for an improved term point of view. It helps both sides of the overall experience for all audiences,” Parry said. equation. You can use the power of all that data Roger, LLC, is a digital freight ecosystem to do better things for the industry.”

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

Three ways to know if your 401(k) is too aggressive

by James Royal

A 401(k) retirement plan is one of the most popular ways to save money for retirement and score some tax breaks for doing so. But often these plans don’t provide a lot of guidance on how to manage them, and participants end up with Investing wildly aggressive portfolios, or, what experts often see, a portfolio so conservative that it barely budges year after year.

Here’s how to see if your 401(k) is too aggressive and, if so, some steps you can take to fix it.

What is an aggressive 401(k) investment?

When experts speak of being aggressive, they generally mean how much of your assets are in stocks or stock funds. Stocks are an attractive long-term investment, but they fluctuate a lot in the short term. That’s problematic, especially for soon-to-retire investors. If all or almost all of your retirement account is in stocks or stock funds, it’s aggressive.

While being more aggressive can make a lot of sense if you have five or 10 years or more until retirement, it can really sink you CITY HITS

financially if you need the money in less than five years. To reduce risk, investors can add more bond funds to their portfolio or even hold some CDs. “A large downturn in the market immediately preceding retirement can have devastating effects on an individual’s standard of living in retirement,” says Dr. Robert Johnson, finance professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business.

Johnson points to those who retired at the end of 2008 and who were invested only in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), which contains hundreds of top companies.

“If they were invested in the S&P 500, they would have seen their assets fall by 37 percent in one year,” he says.

But those who had some investments in other assets such as bonds or even cash would have seen a much lower overall decline. Of course, any money in the S&P 500 would have declined by a similar amount, but by having fewer eggs in that basket, their overall portfolio declined less.

That principle of diversification is huge in making sure that your portfolio is not too aggressive.

But many workers make the opposite mistake, not investing aggressively enough.

If you have more than five years until retirement, and certainly if you have 10 or more, you can afford to be more aggressive, because you have the time to ride out the market’s ups and downs.

3 signs your 401(k) is too aggressive If you think your portfolio might be too aggressive, here are some signs to look for.

1. Your account balance fluctuates a lot

Location, lifestyle

Answers on page 12.

Continued from page 8. the company,” she said. “We are also a proud participant in the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.

“In addition, we support nine employee resource groups. Each ERG has a mission focused on creating awareness and programming for associates to enhance the diversity and inclusiveness of our workforce, workplace and business.”

Proximity to national markets is another major selling point for the city, according to Diane Lechner, vice president of sales for Midland Scientific, a 150-employee firm (40 in Omaha) founded in 1975.

“Omaha was chosen originally as a central distribution point for Midland Scientific’s industrial agricultural customer base in the Midwest,” she said. “Over our 45 years of growth, we have expanded to a national footprint, but our core business still resides in the Midwest and Omaha continues to service those customers well.

“We have stayed in Omaha because it provides that unmatched locational advantage and superior quality of life, lower cost of living and excellent local workforce. We have also benefited from the patronage of so many local businesses here in Omaha, and our company promotes many other homegrown companies whenever possible.”

Lechner also praised the community’s business climate, which allowed the company to grow in place.

“The business climate in particular offers lower taxes than other parts of the country, incentives to build and expand and an affordable cost of living,” she said. “This unique combination makes Omaha the ideal location for a budding business like ours.”

11

It can be exciting to see your balance run up quickly, but it’s important to realize that this could be an effect of a 401(k) that’s invested too heavily in stock funds and not enough in safer alternatives.

“If you take someone with an account balance of $100,000 and after one month their account is now $110,000, or 10 percent growth in a month, what that tells me is that they probably have most of their money in stocks,” says Matthew Trujillo, CFP at Center for Financial Planning in Southfield, Michigan.

“This will feel great when things are going up, but that investor needs to be prepared to see some significant paper losses when we experience a downturn like what we just saw in March and April,” says Trujillo.

2. You worry a lot about your 401(k) If downturns in your 401(k) cause you a lot of worry, then you may be investing too aggressively.

“If someone tends to move out of their investments because of volatility, then the portfolio is probably too aggressive for them,” says Randy Carver, president and CEO at Carver Financial Services in the Cleveland area.

But it’s key to understand that while stocks are more volatile and you may not always feel comfortable owning them, they are also one of the best ways to grow your wealth over time, especially in an era of low interest rates and low bond yields.

“If they are not invested to grow enough to meet long-term needs, it is too conservative,” says Trujillo. “The key is to look at longer periods of time, two or three years or more, to see trends, not just one or two months.”

3. You need cash soon, but your 401(k) doesn’t have any If you know you’re going to need cash in the next few years, your 401(k) needs to be factoring that in. That doesn’t mean you need to sell everything and go to cash now, but you can leave new contributions in cash or move them into lower-risk bond funds, slowly reducing aggressiveness.

To gauge your plan’s aggressiveness, use the rule of 100, suggests Chris Keller, partner at Kingman Financial Group in San Antonio.

With this rule, you subtract your age from 100 to find your allocation to stock funds.

For example, a 30-year-old would put 70 percent of a 401(k) in stocks. Naturally, this rule moves the 401(k) to become less risky as you approach retirement.

Pointing to the importance of a 70-year-old reducing risk, Keller says, “Losing half of your portfolio while at this age might have a huge impact on what your retirement looks like.”

Disadvantages of having a too aggressive 401(k) portfolio Having a 401(k) portfolio that’s too aggressive can come with a number of disadvantages, from the annoying to the financially destructive. Here are some of the most common: —Your wealth fluctuates a lot. If you’re overexposed to stocks, your portfolio will bounce around more than it will with less exposure. That can be ok if you have a long time until retirement, but it’s potentially much more costly if you’re close to retirement.

—You may need to access your money when the market’s down. If you’re too aggressive with only a few years or less until retirement, you’re wagering that the market will stay strong until you tap your money. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to take distributions in a down market, hurting your long-term retirement finances.

—A too-aggressive portfolio may scare you out of the market. The secret to scoring Continued on next page.

12

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Three ways to know if your 401(k) is too aggressive Continued from preceding page. big returns in the market is staying invested.

So if a volatile portfolio scares you out of the market, you lose the key advantage of investing in stocks.

—Less diversification may mean higher risk. A diversified stock portfolio can be useful, but if you’re in all stocks, your overall portfolio may not be as diversified as it could be. So if something negatively impacts stocks as a whole, your diversification among stocks won’t help you.

—If your portfolio is all stock, then you might not generate much cash. A portfolio with some bonds or CDs can produce cash, helping you weather a downturn or allowing you to stay invested in stocks, which usually

show better long-term returns.

Those are some of the largest disadvantages of being too aggressive in your 401(k).

What you can do if your portfolio is too aggressive Investors who find their portfolio is too aggressive have potential fixes for this issue that range from the simple one-time moves to an overhaul of your financial plan with a financial adviser.

The first step is to take down the risk in your portfolio by moving some exposure in stock funds (or even riskier options) into bond funds or even cash, depending on when you need the money.

One good path is to find an asset allocation between stocks, bonds and cash that meets

your needs and temperament. A more aggressive allocation might have 70 percent or more in stocks, while a more conservative one might have that much in bonds. Then stick with this allocation and rebalance it when it moves too far away from your target allocation.

“This means that often a market correction is a good time to shift more to stocks, not less,” says Carver. “The key is sticking with a target allocation which eliminates the need to make decisions based on market behavior or predictions.”

If you’re managing the portfolio yourself, Johnson recommends starting the risk reduction perhaps as much as five years before you’ll want to access the portfolio. That doesn’t mean you need to go all cash and

Another reason for men to work longer — increased longevity

by Carla Fried

If you’ve saved well enough to retire, but can’t quite decide which you’d enjoy more — retiring now or continuing to work — there’s a piece of research that suggests you might live Careers somewhat longer if you keep working.

This only applies to men; working longer doesn’t seem to deliver a similar health boost for women.

Work longer, live longer There has long been oodles of academic research to support the notion that people who continue to work longer live longer. But is that simply because people who are healthier in their early 60s are able to keep working? It has been unclear whether the work itself leads to better health.

Now, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, continuing to work in one’s early 60s seems to increase the health of men.

Researchers were able to tap into a real-world database. For a few years beginning in 2009, the Dutch government offered a tax credit to workers (across all occupations) who were age 62 if they kept working into their mid-60s. Those who chose to keep working were then tracked for a few years to measure their mortality rate. The researchers were able to use the raw data to build a model in which they could eliminate the impact of other potential reasons people might stop working, such as income level and whether they didn’t like their job.

What they found is that the odds of dying within five years dropped from 8% to 6% for men who worked from 62 to 65. In practical terms, that only added two months of longevity during that stretch, but that was just for the short period studied (from the ages of 62 to 65). The researchers note that if there is a continuing effect of working just a few more years, men who work longer could end up living an additional two years.

And good health — in one’s working years and in retirement — greatly enhances life satisfaction.

Reducing the financial anxiety In addition to the longevity boost, working longer for men — and women — is one of the most effective ways to squash financial worry demons. Every month, or year, you continue to work is a month or year where you can put off tapping retirement income sources.

The biggest payoff is for the highest earner in a household to wait until they are 70, to start receiving their Social Security benefit,

rather than start at age 62. The benefit at age 70 is more than 75% higher than what you get at age 62.

And if you’re still bringing in money, it reduces the need to start taking withdrawals from retirement accounts. That effectively adds more time for the money to potentially grow, and reduces the amount of time in retirement you will need to rely on the money. (That said, no one is assuming you are working till your last breath. Someone who is 65 today has a 50% change of still being alive in their mid-80s, longevity data shows. Work until 65 or 70 and there’s a good chance you’ll still have plenty of retirement years.)

The mental payoff If you know you will have the busiest, richest, chillest retirement, and you’ve got the money stuff figured out, then retiring sooner might be right for you. But if you have come to rely on your work as both a job and as a social network, and a place that gives you a sense of purpose on top of the paycheck, what’s the rush to retire?

If that’s your m.o., the goal should be to push yourself to find ways to start layering in new activities, and potentially new social networks so when you do stop going to the office, you will have new hobbies and friends in retirement to focus on.

Give serious thought to how you might spend your retirement days. Not the first month or two. That’s all about decompression, and just enjoying being on your own schedule.

But longer term, are there activities you are looking forward to having the time to enjoy?

A few years ago, a survey of recent retirees by TIAA found that people who were engaging in multiple activities were far more likely to report being happy than those with a limited dance card.

This is especially important for married men. Though typically it is the wife who becomes the surviving spouse, when men lose their spouses they are more prone to struggle emotionally for years, not just during the initial period of intense grieving.

Make it part of a plan Just wanting to work longer doesn’t make it happen. The Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that while the expected median retirement age is 65, the actual median age when people stop is 62.

In EBRI’s 2021 survey of workers’ and retirees’ experiences, about one-third said they stopped working earlier than expected due to a health problem or disability (not related to COVID-19). Many illnesses and

accidents are preventable, but not all. Working on your overall health/exercise/diet today is a retirement strategy that doesn’t typically get the attention of portfolio allocation. But it should.

In the EBRI survey, another 25% of participants said they stopped working earlier than expected because of “changes at their company.” Retiring rather than looking for other work is definitely easier in the short term. But you need to carefully consider if it works for you long term. Even a part-time job can be a terrific help with getting your retirement plan to the finish line in great shape.

And research suggests that for many people it makes them happier. ©2021 Rate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

bonds, but rather gradually move the portfolio toward lower total risk.

If you don’t want to make these changes yourself, then use a target date fund to manage the process for you. It automatically shifts money from stocks to bonds as you near your target date, which may be retirement, but could be any time when you need to start withdrawing some cash.

Another good option is to meet with your own adviser and your company’s 401(k) adviser each January, says Paul Miller, managing partner at accountancy Miller & Co. in the New York City area.

“It’s critical for an employee to hear what they have to say,” says Miller. “Take notes and then go to the web and read reviews about each fund. For example, you can use Morningstar to independently rate and review your funds.”

Finally, it can be useful to have a financial adviser review your 401(k), but you must find one who works in your best interest and not one who is paid to put you in certain financial products. Here’s how to find the right adviser for you.

Bottom line “It’s important to note that a retirement date is not the finish line – even if someone is going to retire at age 60 or 65 the funds could be needed for another 20-25 years,” says Carver. “They should continue to be invested in a diversified allocation that has growth potential.”

So even as you age and take a less aggressive investment approach, it’s vital to remember that you probably still need some exposure to stocks in your portfolio and to plan accordingly. ©2021 Bankrate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

SUPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle on page 11.

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 • Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES 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 the Legal Department at legals@mbj.com. 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).

As a publisher and not a legal advisor we print notices exactly as they are submitted and therefor only comp reruns when the notice was rejected or messed up due to a MBJ error. All companies submitting notices are responsible for ensuring the content fits with the State’s requirements and are responsible for the cost of republishing the notice if it is rejected due to misinformation or missing information 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 noon on 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 the first week it runs.

ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF C&E GRADING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that C&E Grading, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 4 Martinview Road, Bellevue, Nebraska 68005 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

DOWDING, DOWDING, DOWDING & URBOM 2121 N. Webb Rd., Suite 210 P.O. Box 5315 Grand Island, NE 68802-5315 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Notice is hereby given of the organization of FOR THE ONE, LLC. The designated office of the limited liability company is 3526 No. 124th Ave., Omaha, NE 68164. The name and address of the limited liability company’s registered agent is Morgan Knuth, 3526 No. 124th Ave., Omaha, NE 68164.

The limited liability company is organized to engage in and to do any lawful act concerning any and all lawful business, other than banking or insurance, for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of Nebraska. The limited liability company commenced business on May 19, 2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The business of the limited liability company is conducted by its members, Morgan Knuth and Dylan Knuth.

Dated May 27, 2021.

FOR THE ONE, LLC First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

Albert P. Burnes, Attorney BURNES LAW OFFICE 5017 Leavenworth Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68106-1438 In the District Court of Douglas County Nebraska: TO:WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: You are hereby notified that on May 18, 2021, Shirley Tina Morris as Plaintiff filed her Petition for Name Change in the District Court of Douglas County Nebraska at Case No: CI21-5464. The object of the Petition is for the Plaintiff so change her name from Shirley Tina Morris to Prisco Shirley Tina Morris.

You must file an Answer/responsive pleading with the Douglas County District Court on or before July 26, 2021 or said Petition will be granted.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 18, 2021.

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CONTOUR NAIL BAR, LLC Notice is hereby given that CONTOUR NAIL BAR, LLC (the "Company) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 4501 North 206th Street, Elkhorn, NE 68022. The Registered Agent of the Company is Steven P. Ahlf, 11590 West Dodge Road, Suite 1, Omaha, NE 68154.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

SMITH SLUSKY POHREN & ROGERS LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF AMENDED CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION On May 17, 2021, the Nebraska limited liability company originally formed as Baily Boo LLC amended its Certificate of Organization that was filed on April 27, 2021, to correct the spelling of the company’s name to Bailey Boo LLC and update its registered agent to Macy Robertson at 12905 Cady Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska, 68164. All other provisions of the original Certificate remain unchanged.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ELEMENT EXTERIORS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Element Exteriors, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 9720 Brentwood Road, Omaha, Nebraska 68114 and designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

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 FONNER CASINO GAMING, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is Fonner Casino Gaming, 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 May 18, 2021, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Matthew D. Maser, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

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 ONCARE HOSPICE HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that OnCare Hospice Holdings, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 16934 Francis Street, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. 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 May 19, 2021.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF AVANTE, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is Avante, LLC. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68164.

Jim Prchal, Organizer First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

MARY E. VANDENACK, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OFAMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF 11725 ARBOR ST. LLC Notice is hereby given that 11725 ARBOR ST. LLC has amended its Certificate of Organization as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The amended notice of organization reflects the change of entity name from 11725 ARBOR ST. LLC to ATRIUM PACIFIC SPRINGS LLC. First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

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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 ONCARE HOSPICE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that OnCare Hospice, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 16934 Francis Street, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68130. 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 May 19, 2021.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney JAKE T. HOULIHAN, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68144 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: NYAMAL DENG, 10655 Charles Plaza #513, Omaha NE 68114, you are hereby notified that on March 17, 2021, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI21-5038, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $14,098.51, 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 19 day of July, 2021, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 18, 2021

DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney JAKE T. HOULIHAN, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68144 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: ALLENIQUA WILSON, 5439 Fontenelle Blvd, Omaha NE 68111, you are hereby notified that on March 25, 2021, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI21-5670, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $4,542.30, 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 19 day of July, 2021, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 18, 2021

SMITH SLUSKY POHREN & ROGERS LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION KMR CONSULTING LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, with its initial designated office at 19678 Ontario Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68130, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The registered agent is Shaun M. James, Smith Slusky Law, 8712 West Dodge Road – Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114. The Limited Liability Company shall engage in any lawful business for which a limited liability company may be formed under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The perpetual existence commenced May 18, 2021. Its affairs are to be conducted by its Members pursuant to an Operating Agreement duly adopted by the Company.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

GNUSE & GREEN LAW OFFICES, P.C., Attorneys 11311 Chicago Circle Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF PURPOSE TRANSITIONAL HOUSING MINISTRIES, INC. (A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION) Notice is hereby given of incorporation of Purpose Transitional Housing Ministries, Inc. as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The corporation is not authorized to issue stock.

The name and address of the incorporator and the initial registered agent is Rodney G. Gnuse, 11311 Chicago Circle, Omaha, Nebraska, 68154.

The Corporation is a public benefit corporation and may engage in any lawful business for which a public benefit nonprofit corporation may be formed under the Nebraska nonprofit Corporation Act. Perpetual existence commenced April 14, 2021, when articles were filed with the Secretary of State. Affairs are to be conducted by the Board of Directors and Officers authorized by the Bylaws and the Board.

Rodney G. Gnuse Incorporator First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

14

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MAEN HADDADIN, M.D., P.C. Notice is hereby given that a professional company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is MAEN HADDADIN, M.D., P.C. The company is incorporated to render medical services. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery- Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 10705 Cedar Street, Omaha, NE 68124.

Maen Haddadin, M.D., Member First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF J GREENWALDT REAL ESTATE, LLC Notice is hereby given that a professional limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is J GREENWALDT REAL ESTATE, LLC. The company was organized to render real estate sale services. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 18324 Leavenworth Street, Elkhorn, NE 68022.

Jasmine Greenwaldt, Member First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

SUSAN J. SPAHN, Attorney Fitzgerald, Schorr, Barmettler & Brennan, P.C., L.L.O. 10050 Regency Circle, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3794 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR21-352 Estate of Cynthia A. McMillian Notice is hereby given that on April 23, 2021, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, C. Raymond Harris, whose address is 9011 Burt Street, #307, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, was appointed by the court as Personal Representative of the estate in formal proceedings.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 330, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before July 27, 2021 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MVMT PROPERTIES, LLC Notice is hereby given that a professional limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is MVMT PROPERTIES, LLC. The company, its members, managers and professional employees are authorized to render the following professional service: Sale of Real Estate. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128.

The designated office is located at 4328 N. 143rd Street, Omaha, NE 68164.

Tonya Moore, Member First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given of the organization of 2721 North 96th Street, LLC, with its registered office address at 222 South 15th Street, #316, Omaha, Nebraska 68102 and the registered agent at that address being Russell J. Kreikemeier. The designated office location of the Company is 4317 North 139th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. The purpose or purposes for which this Company is formed is to own, manage, lease, and deal with real property whether in this State or any other and to conduct all related activities thereto. The Company shall conduct the transactions of all or any lawful business or engagement in any commercial venture permitted by the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act, as amended, and all other applicable laws. The initial capital of the Company has been contributed and evidence of membership in the Company will be issued by the Management Board. The Company commenced doing business on May 3, 2021, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company shall be conducted by a Management Board and such other Officers and Managers as may be provided for in the Operating Agreement of the Company.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

ROBERT M. GONDERINGER, Attorney CROKER HUCK LAW FIRM 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DLP PROPERTIES, LLC The name of the limited liability company is DLP Properties, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 1604 South 79th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68124. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Robert M. Gonderinger, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JPHRY, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is JPHRY, LLC. The name and street address of the company’s initial agent for service of process is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 980 County Road W Lot S1237, Fremont, NE 68025.

Justin Yost and Paige Yost, Members First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

MATTHEW WURSTNER, Attorney CARLSON & BURNETT, LLP, Attorneys 17525 Arbor Street Omaha, Nebraska 68130 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Inline Capital, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company (“Company”), has filed Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State with dissolution effective as of the December 31, 2020.

The terms of the dissolution provide for the payment of liabilities of the Company and the distribution of any remaining assets. Joel Jacobs, Manager, is to manage the corporate affairs and distribute its assets. The Company requests any persons with claims against the Company present the claims in accordance with this Notice. Any claimant must submit the amount due, and description of the claim. Claims must be sent to Matthew Wurstner, Attorney, LLP, 2002 Douglas Street, Ste. 100, Omaha, NE 68102. A claim against the Company will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within 5 years of this notice.

Matthew Wurstner, Attorney First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

MATTHEW WURSTNER, Attorney CARLSON & BURNETT, LLP, Attorneys 17525 Arbor Street Omaha, Nebraska 68130 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Inline Capital Partners, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company (“Company”), has filed Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State with dissolution effective as of the December 31, 2020.

The terms of the dissolution provide for the payment of liabilities of the Company and the distribution of any remaining assets. Joel Jacobs, Manager, is to manage the corporate affairs and distribute its assets. The Company requests any persons with claims against the Company present the claims in accordance with this Notice. Any claimant must submit the amount due, and description of the claim. Claims must be sent to Matthew Wurstner, Attorney, LLP, 2002 Douglas Street, Ste. 100, Omaha, NE 68102. A claim against the Company will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within 5 years of this notice.

Matthew Wurstner, Attorney First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

MATTHEW WURSTNER, Attorney CARLSON & BURNETT, LLP, Attorneys 17525 Arbor Street Omaha, Nebraska 68130 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Inline Capital Partners | DRH, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company (“Company”), has filed Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State with dissolution effective as of the December 31, 2020. The terms of the dissolution provide for the payment of liabilities of the Company and the distribution of any remaining assets. Joel Jacobs, Manager, is to manage the corporate affairs and distribute its assets. The Company requests any persons with claims against the Company present the claims in accordance with this Notice. Any claimant must submit the amount due, and description of the claim. Claims must be sent to Matthew Wurstner, Attorney, LLP, 2002 Douglas Street, Ste. 100, Omaha, NE 68102.

A claim against the Company will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within 5 years of this notice.

Matthew Wurstner, Attorney First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROANOKE APARTMENTS LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Roanoke Apartments LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 530 S. 13th Street, Suite 100, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508. The Registered Agent of the Company is Registered Agents, Inc., 530 S. 13th Street, Suite 100, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF FLAVOR'D LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that FLAVOR'D, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 11718 Norwick Plaza #40, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. The Registered Agent of the Company is Misti Mitchell, 11718 Norwick Plaza #40, Omaha, NE 68164.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JPY, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is JPY, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Fremont, NE 68025. The designated office is located at 980 County Road W Lot S1237, Fremont, NE 68025.

Justin Yost, Member First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

SMITH SLUSKY POHREN & ROGERS LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION SCREENMOBILE OF AUSTIN TEXAS LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, with its initial designated office at 14805 Custer Road, Suite 1, Omaha, Nebraska, 68138, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The registered agent is Shaun M. James, Smith Slusky Law, 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114. The Limited Liability Company shall engage in any lawful business for which a limited liability company may be formed under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The perpetual existence commenced April 2, 2021. Its affairs are to be conducted by its Manager elected by the Members pursuant to an Operating Agreement duly adopted by the Company.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF CONVERSION OF SELDIN COMPANY AND ORGANIZATION OF SELDIN, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Seldin Company has been converted into Seldin, LLC under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office of the company is 2840 S. 123rd Court, Omaha, Nebraska 68144.

The Registered Office of the company is 5601 South 59th Street, Suite C, Lincoln, Nebraska 68516 and the Registered Agent at such address is C T Corporation System. The conversion of the corporation into the limited liability company was accomplished by the filing of Articles of Conversion and Certificate of Organization with the Nebraska Secretary of State on May 24, 2021, with an effective date of May 31, 2021.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

ERIN K. ARTZ, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF THE ORGANIZATION OF HOME CONNECT SOLUTIONS, LLC Notice is hereby given of the formation of a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the limited liability company is Home Connect Solutions, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 20210 Gate Dancer Street #3, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. The name and address of the registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc, 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The general nature of the business is any or all lawful business. The company commenced existence on May 18, 2021 and shall have a perpetual duration. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the Members, as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 • Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF AMENDED CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF MOTOKOMA, LLC Notice is hereby given that the Certificate of Organization of MOTOKOMA, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has been amended changing the name of the company to MATOKOMA, LLC. The Amended Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on May 19, 2021.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

KENDRA RINGENBERG, Attorney RINGENBERG & RATTNER LAW 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 204 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 700 OLSON DRIVE HOLDINGS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 700 Olson Drive Holdings, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 222 S. 15th Street, Suite 1404S, Omaha, Nebraska 68102. The Registered Agent of the Company is Kendra Ringenberg, 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 204, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

KENDRA RINGENBERG, Attorney RINGENBERG & RATTNER LAW 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 204 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ELISE RYAN, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Elise Ryan, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 107 Maple Street, Thedford, Nebraska 69166. The Registered Agent of the Company is Kendra Ringenberg, 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 204, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP, Attorneys 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION SABA 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 West 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 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF BCET PROPERTIES, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is BCET Properties, LLC. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164.

Taylor Ditoro and Britteni Rice, Member First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PPPL PROPERTIES, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is PPPL Properties, LLC. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 16025 N Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.

Joe Pachunka, Members First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that The Three Musketeers, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere.

The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that V Connections Home Services, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere.

The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Rainfall Home Rental, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere.

The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that DHT Rental, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that AVK Properties, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

BRENT NICHOLLS., Attorney KN LAW, P.C., L.L.O. 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION: Special Journeys Travel Companions Association has been exclusively organized as a public benefit corporation and incorporated pursuant to the provisions of the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 21-1901 et seq. The initial Board of Directors was appointed on May 18th and operations were first commenced as of that date. Its affairs shall be conducted by its President Thomas Mann acting pursuant to oversight and instruction of the board of Directors. The Incorporator and Registered Agent, Brent Nicholls, can be found at 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68102. The association’s principal office shall be 422 South 153rd Circle, Omaha, NE 68154.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

15

DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney JAKE T. HOULIHAN, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68144 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: ALLENIQUA WILSON, 5439 Fontenelle Blvd, Omaha NE 68111, you are hereby notified that on March 25, 2021, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI21-5670, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $4,542.30, 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 19 day of July, 2021, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 18, 2021

RADLEY E. CLEMENS, Attorney 5717 North 127th Street, Omaha, NE 68164 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR21-466 Estate of Rex E. Daywalt, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on April 1, 2021, 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 Donna Daywalt, whose address is 6814 Parkview Lane, Omaha, Neb., 68104, 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. 330, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before July 13, 2021 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication May 14, 2021, final June 4, 2021

AMANDA M. FORKER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CORE-DAVIS, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Core-Davis, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Core-Davis, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 5922 N 159th Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68116.

3. The name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Amanda M. Forker, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68111.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

Notice is hereby given that 96 Investments, LLC, a Nebraska Limited Liability Company has been organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska with its initial office located at 834 S 129th Ave, Omaha, NE 68154. The initial agent for service of process for this company is Registered Agents, Inc, 530 S.13th Street Ste 100, Lincoln, NE 68508. The company is member-managed and nature is Leasing.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION FOR BLUE LAKE INVESTMENTS, LLC A Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State for Blue Lake Investments, LLC (the “Company”) on May 24, 2021.

The address of the Company’s designated office is 7303 S. 171st Street, Omaha, NE 68136. The name and address for the Company’s registered agent is Carl J. Troia, Jr., 10703 J Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68127.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Amazing Four, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

16

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES MARK J. LAPUZZA, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MERINO DRYWALL, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Merino Drywall, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Merino Drywall, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 3558 S. 121st Ave. Omaha, NE 68144.

3. The name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Mark J. LaPuzza, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

BRENT NICHOLLS., Attorney KN LAW, P.C., L.L.O. 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION: Above All Custom Creations, LLC, was formed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act on February 18, 2021 and commenced business on February 19, 2021.

The purpose for which the Company has been organized is to engage in the transaction of any lawful business that a limited liability company may participate in under the laws of the state of Nebraska, including but not limited to the business of designing, constructing and selling custom tables and other furniture. The Company’s affairs shall be conducted by its Member, namely Bryan Gilbert, who may be contacted at the designated office, which is also the principal place of business, located at 5611 S. 152nd Street, Omaha, NE 68137. The Registered Agent, Brent Nicholls, can be found at 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68102.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

BRENT NICHOLLS., Attorney KN LAW, P.C., L.L.O. 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION: SeaShell Management Group, LLC, was formed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act on April 26, 2021 and commenced business on April 27, 2021. The purpose for which the Company has been organized is to transact all lawful business permitted under the act as determined by the sole discretion of the Manager or Managers. Further the Company is by this Certificate specifically authorized to engage in its business both within and without the State of Nebraska. The Company’s affairs shall be conducted by its Manger, namely Austin Compton, who may be contacted at the designated office, which is also the principal place of business, located at 9762 Ontario Street, Omaha, Ne 68124. The Registered Agent, Brent Nicholls, can be found at 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68102.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

Allan M. Ziebarth, Attorney to Personal Representative 1702 S. 10th Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR21-803 Estate of SYLVIA L. LOVE Notice is hereby given that on May 20, 2021, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent's estate and that SHIRLEY J. LOVE, whose address is 16636 Chicago Plz. #3, Omaha, NE 68118, has been appointed Personal Representative of this estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 330, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before August 3, 2021 or be forever barred.

KELLEY GOLDEN Clerk of the County Court First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Zhouse Investmentz, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of the Company’s designated office is 1910 S. 44th Street, Suite 101, Omaha, NE 68105, and the name of the registered agent at such address is Tran & Associates Law, LLC. The general nature of the business is any legal and lawful activity allowed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the laws of the State of Nebraska and elsewhere. The Company commenced business on 01/01/2021 and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be managed by its managers.

Khanh NgocLuu Tran, Organizer First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

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 SMPLANS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SMPlans, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 5117 North 139th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. 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 May 26, 2021.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

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 THINKING NET EAGLE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Thinking Net Eagle, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The limited liability company shall provide real estate services. The designated office of the limited liability company is 17838 Burke Street, Suite 102, Nebraska 68118. 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 May 26, 2021.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION AF Closing, Inc., a Nebraska corporation, filed Articles of Dissolution on May 27, 2021 with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. The terms of the dissolution provide for the payment of liabilities of the corporation and the distribution of any remaining assets. Thomas Schweers, as President, is to manage the corporate affairs relating to the dissolution of the Corporation. Any Corporation assets will be distributed in accordance with the Corporation’s plan of dissolution and it has no known liabilities.

The Corporation requests that persons with claims against it present them in accordance with this notice. Any claimant shall send notice of a claim to the Corporation to the above address. A claim against AF Closing, Inc. will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within three (3) years after the publication of this notice.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF IRC III, LLC Notice is hereby given that IRC III, LLC has been organized, with its initial designated office at 1044 North 115th St., Suite 500, Omaha, Nebraska 68154, under the laws of the State of Nebraska on May 27, 2021. The street and mailing address of the initial agent for service of process is 1125 South 103rd St., Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The name of the initial agent for service of process is Capital Corporate Services, Inc. Adam B. Kuenning Organizer IRC III, LLC First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is Watea Life, LLC. The name of its initial agent for service of process is Donald A. Hansen.

The street and mailing address of its initial designated office and of its initial agent for service of process is 14710 West Dodge Road, Suite 203, Omaha, NE 68154. The Company is not organized to render a professional service as defined in § 21-117(b).

Joseph J. Skudlarek, Organizer.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Antler Point Chiropractic Sports Rehab LLC has been organized as a professional limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The Designated Office of the Company is 3424 N 190th Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022.

The Registered Agent of the Company is Travis Bangert, 3121 South 11th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502. The Company's members, managers and professional employees are licensed or otherwise legally authorized to engage in the practice of chiropractic care and rehabilitation in the State of Nebraska. The Company was formed on May 28, 2021.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is Tri-Pole, LLC. The name of its initial agent for service of process is Kenneth J. Stoysich. The street and mailing address of its initial designated office and of its initial agent for service of process is 2532 South 24 Street, Omaha, NE 68108.

The Company is not organized to render a professional service as defined in § 21-117(b).

Joseph J. Skudlarek, Organizer.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is GCM Investments, LLC. The name of its initial agent for service of process is Juliana Mattea.

The street and mailing address of its initial designated office and of its initial agent for service of process is 2828 Bridgeford Road, Omaha, NE 68124. The Company is not organized to render a professional service as defined in § 21-117(b).

Juliana Matea, Organizer.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Mojave Drifter Motor Transport LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office of the Company is 1237 S 119th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Registered Agent of the Company is Perry K. Wiseman, 1237 S 119th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Company was formed on May 28, 2021.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

SCOTT D. JOCHIM, Incorporator and Attorney with CROKER HUCK LAW FIRM 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF LEGACY CREATORS GROUP, INC. Legacy Creators Group, Inc. has been incorporated under the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act. The Articles of Incorporation were filed on May 28, 2021. The street address of the corporation's registered office is 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, Nebraska, 68124, and the name of the initial registered agent at that office is Scott D. Jochim. The corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares of common stock.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION [RESTATED] Notice is hereby given that JMS AW LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office of the Company is 4331 S 90th Street, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68127.

The Registered Agent of the Company is Jeffrey M. Shoemaker, 11229 Sahler Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. The Company was Amended on June 1, 2021.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RETROGLO, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that RETROGLO, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of its designated office is 6015 Hartman Ave., Apt. N210 Omaha, Nebraska 68104. The street and mailing address of its agent for service of process is USCA, Inc. 1603 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF AFFIRMATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LTD CO ​AFFIRMATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LTD CO, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been dissolved under the laws of the State of Nebraska. Any and all persons having claims against the Company should present them in accordance with R.R.R. Neb. § 21-150.

All claims must include creditor name, address, phone number, account number, amount owed, and date of service. Claims should be mailed to PO Box 209, Boys Town, NE 68010. A claim against the Company is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five years after the publication date of the third required notice.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 • Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES 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 FONNER CASINO GAMING, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is Fonner Casino Gaming, 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 May 18, 2021, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: Matthew D. Maser, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MMJCLAT REAL ESTATE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MMJCLAT Real Estate, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 16303 Underwood Ave., Omaha, Nebraska 68118. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BENJAMIN J. PICK, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF RYAN KUEHL, P.C. Notice is hereby given of incorporation of Ryan Kuehl, P.C. under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: 1. The name of the professional corporation is Ryan Kuehl, P.C. 2. The number of shares that the professional corporation is authorized to issue is 1,000 shares of voting common stock.

3. The name of the initial registered agent is Benjamin J. Pick, 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 Ryan Kuehl, 12500 I Street, Suite 160, Omaha, Nebraska 68137.

5. The general nature of the profession to be practiced by the Corporation is real estate brokerage services.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

Notice is hereby given that Superior Workforce, LLC (the "Company") has been organized under Nebraska state laws with a designated office address of Company 5401 A St Omaha, NE 68106. The Registered Agent of the Company is Ryan McDonnell 5401 A St Omaha, NE 68106.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

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 LITTLE ITALY 10TH, LLC The name of the Company is Little Italy 10th, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 900 South 74th Plaza, Suite 303, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

This limited liability company commenced business on May 22, 2021.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

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 A M E N D M E N T T O T H E A RT I C L E S O F INCORPORATION OF SPEEDBINDER, INC. Notice is hereby given that the Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of SpeedBinder, Inc., a Nebraska corporation, were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on May 24, 2021, to amend Article I, changing the name of the corporation to Omaha Derby Covers, Inc. First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

Steven G. Ranum, Attorney CROKER HUCK LAW FIRM 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR21-749 Estate of Tanya Lynn Burnside, a/k/a Tanya Lynn Beacham-Whaley, a/k/a Tanya Lynn Whaley, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on May 19, 2021, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Appointment of Personal Representative in Intestacy and that Joyce Beacham, whose address is 2526 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68111, 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. 330, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before August 11, 2021 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is given that BURRO’S LAWN & LANDSCAPE SERVICES, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with the following registered agent and registered office: Orlando Arzate Martinez at 3919 S 33rd St. Omaha, NE 68107. The designated office is located at 3919 S 33rd St. Omaha, NE 68107. 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 1, 2021, 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 Orlando Arzate Martinez in accordance with the Company's operating agreement.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney JAKE T. HOULIHAN, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68144 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: NYAMAL DENG, 10655 Charles Plaza #513, Omaha NE 68114, you are hereby notified that on March 17, 2021, American Family Mutual Ins. Co., S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI21-5038, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $14,098.51, 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 19 day of July, 2021, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 18, 2021

AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), MARGARET JOHNSON

GARY W JOHNSON You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 12/16/2020 on Case Number CI20-22799, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $632.26, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 07/11/2021 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF CASTINADO COMPANY LIMITED, INC. Notice is hereby given that a corporation has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the corporation is CASTINADO COMPANY LIMITED, INC. The corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares of common stock. The name of the corporation’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery- Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., and the registered office address is 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164, The corporation’s incorporator is Brock Castinado, 919 N. 50th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68132.

Brock Castinado, Incorporator First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

17

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF WHEATGRASS, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Wheatgrass, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Wheatgrass, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 2842 Tucker Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68112, and the name and street address of the registered agent for service of process is Patrick M. Flood, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska, 68114.

First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), KEONAD VEASLEY You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 02/17/2021 on Case Number CI21-3192, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $270.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 07/11/2021 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), PATRICIA M CLOONAN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 01/26/2021 on Case Number CI21-2018, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $220.20, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 07/11/2021 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication May 28, 2021, final June 11, 2021

BRENT NICHOLLS., Attorney KN LAW, P.C., L.L.O. 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION: Legal Software Consulting, LLC was formed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 21-101 et seq. on March 3, 2021 and commenced business on that same day. The purpose for which the Company has been organized is to acquire, develop and license software and other intellectual property and engage in such other business activities as allowed under Nebraska Law. The company’s affairs shall be conducted by its manager, Tom Mann who may also be contacted at the principal place of business, which is 422 South 153rd Circle, Omaha, NE 68154.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

BRENT NICHOLLS., Attorney KN LAW, P.C., L.L.O. 300 South 19th Street, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68102 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION: Special Journeys Tours, LLC was formed pursuant to the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 21-101 et seq. on December 17, 2020 and commenced business on January 1, 2021. The purpose for which the Company has been organized is to act as a provider of chaperoned travel experiences for developmentally or physically disabled and special needs adults. The company’s affairs shall be conducted by its manager, Marywoods Enterprises, LLC and may be contacted through its Registered Agent, Brent Nicholls, KN Law, PC, LLO at the Registered Office, located at 300 S. 19th Street, Suite 300, Omaha, NE 68102.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

LINDSEY A. SCHULER, Attorney CROKER HUCK LAW FIRM 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PRIM PROPERTIES, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Prim Properties, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Lindsey A. Schuler, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

18

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Christina M. Smith Counseling LLC has been organized as a professional limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The Designated Office of the Company is 10826 Old Mill Road, Suite 103A, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Registered Agent of the Company is Christina Smith, 10826 Old Mill Road, Suite 103A, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Company's members, managers and professional employees are licensed or otherwise legally authorized to practice mental health counseling in the State of Nebraska.

The Company was formed on June 1, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF AMENDMENT OF LIVE LIFESTYLE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN the Certificate of Organization of Live Lifestyle, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has been amended to change the address of the designated office address to 10811 Elm Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Amended Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on May 26, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Unlimited Innovations Name of Applicant: PN Holdings, LLC Address: 3234 N. 161st Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: May 27, 2021 General nature of business: Cabinet manufacturing PETER G. NIPP Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative June 11, 2021

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Omaha Latino Name of Applicant: Orbital Global Media, LLC Address: 13233 C Street, Omaha, NE 68144 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: October 3, 2007 General nature of business: Marketing and advertising for live entertainment LINDSEY A. SCHULER Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is Daniel Miller dba Millard Auto Service and was acquired on June 1, 2008.

2. The Company was organized as a single member Nebraska Limited Liability Company under the laws of Nebraska on December 11, 2017.

3. The street address of the designated office is 13306 B Street, Ste. 2, Omaha, NE 68144.

4. The Company's registered agent and office is Andrea Miller, 3925 N. 66th Street, Omaha, NE 68104.

5. The affairs of the Company are conducted by the owner, Daniel Miller and consist of automotive repair services.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

MARY E. VANDENACK, Attorney VANDENACK WEAVER LLC 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 3 Omaha, Nebraska 68118 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GUZMANARTZ LLC Notice is hereby given that GUZMANARTZ 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 11702 Trumble Loup East, Bellevue, NE 68123. 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Blizzard Boys Truck & Trailer Sales Name of Applicant: Blizzard Boys, LLC Address: 7116 Irvington Road Omaha NE 68122 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: May 27, 2021 General nature of business: Truck and trailer sales CHRIS LYNCH Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative June 11, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Company Name: The Classroom Community Copilot LLC Initial Designated Office: 12635 Ames Plz, #309, Omaha, NE 68164 Registered Agent and Office: Alexandria L. Elliott, 12635 Ames Plz, #309, Omaha, NE 68164 Date of Organization: June 2, 2021 Modern Law Firm, PC, LLO, Organizer First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: STACI CARROLL You are hereby notified that on 03/08/21, the Plaintiff, Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska against you shown as Case Number CI21-4278. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of $2,963.61, plus court costs and prejudgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the petition on or before 07/25/21, at the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA, Nebraska.

BY: DANIELLE IHLE, #26177 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, Nebraska 68802 308 398-3801 Attorney for the Plaintiff First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP, Attorneys 13330 California Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CYBERTRAIN INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that CyberTrain, Inc. (hereinafter the “Company”) was organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska and commenced perpetual existence on June 3, 2021. The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of common stock and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The Company has designated its registered agent as Troy Cogswell with registered office at 16513 Longbow Loop, Omaha, NE 68136. The incorporator is Troy Cogswell with address at 16513 Longbow Loop, Omaha, NE 68136.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

AMANDA M. FORKER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ROYAL PROPERTIES, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Royal Properties, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Royal Properties, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 17005 Chutney Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68136, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Austin J. Toney, 17005 Chutney Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68136.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GRETNA PERFORMANCE CENTER, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is Gretna Performance Center, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara MedberyPrchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164.

The designated office is located at 212 W. Gruenther Road, Suite B, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.

Bryan Boyce, Members First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: ARICA SCHNEIDER You are hereby notified that on 01/04/21, the Plaintiff, Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska against you shown as Case Number CI21-179. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of $235.00, plus court costs and prejudgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the petition on or before 07/25/21, at the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA, Nebraska.

BY: MEGAN L. BISCHOFF, #25206 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, Nebraska 68802 308-398-3801 Attorney for the Plaintiff

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF Bultez Enterprises, Inc. The name of the Corporation is Bultez Enterprises, Inc. The address of the registered office of the Corporation is 16915 Camden Ave., Omaha, NE 68116 and the registered agent of the said Corporation is Richard Bultez.

The designated office of the Corporation is 16915 Camden Ave., Omaha, NE 68116. The Corporation has One Thousand (1,000) shares of common stock authorized, each having the par value of $1.00. The corporate existence began on May 11, 2021, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication June 4, 2021, final June 18, 2021

ERIN K. ARTZ, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF THE ORGANIZATION OF MOONSTRUCK TIMBERS, LLC Notice is hereby given of the formation of a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the limited liability company is Moonstruck Timbers, LLC. The address of the registered office is 2201 Platte River Dr., Bellevue, NE 68123. The name and address of the registered agent is LDM Business Services, Inc, 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The general nature of the business to be transacted is all lawful business, including providing review, analysis, and expert opinion of practice outcomes among nurses, advanced practice professionals, and other allied health care services. The company commenced existence on June 2, 2021 and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the Members, as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

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 QUANDARY PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Quandary Properties, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. 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 May 6, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is Moore Fit, LLC. The name of its initial agent for service of process is S. Scott Moore. The street and mailing address of its initial designated office and of its initial agent for service of process is 4550 North 216 Street, Omaha, NE 68022.

The Company is not organized to render a professional service as defined in § 21-117(b).

Joseph J. Skudlarek, Organizer.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HM PIPER, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that HM Piper, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its designated office located at 208 South 88th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68114 and designating its registered agent as Paul LaFave with its registered office at 208 South 88th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 • Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF BT ELECTRICAL SERVICES, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that BT ELECTRICAL SERVICES, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

The registered agent is ANTHONY L. GROSS. The general nature of the business is to operate a general electrical services 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 electrical services 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 June 1, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021, 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 ByLaws, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF CHAMPION ORTHODONTICS, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that CHAMPION ORTHODONTICS, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

The registered agent is ANTHONY L. GROSS. The general nature of the business is to operate a general dental supply 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 dental supply 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 June 1, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF A TEAM RENOVATION, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that A TEAM RENOVATION, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 11005 V Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. The registered agent is AARON HANCOX. The general nature of the business is to operate a general installer and renovations 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 installer and renovations 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 May 27, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 3, 2021, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DODS REAL ESTATE, L.L.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that DODS REAL ESTATE, L.L.C., is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a designated and regis¬tered office at 3010 N. Main Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by the manager and registered officer, JERRY L. DODSON. The Limited Liability Company is organized to transact any and all business, and perform services of every kind and nature whatsoever, which are not inconsistent with law. The Limited Liability Company commenced doing business on May 28, 2021, and filed Certificate of Organization with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021, and shall have perpetual existence.

JERRY L. DODSON, Organizational Member 3010 N. Main Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022 First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF EASY FINANCIAL & ACCOUNTING SERVICES, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that EASY FINANCIAL & ACCOUNTING SERVICES, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 6219 South 39th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68107. The registered agent is DIEGO DIAZ. The general nature of the business is to operate a general bookkeeping services 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 bookkeeping services 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 June 1, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021, 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 ByLaws, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF MAD 8 PRINT, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MAD 8 PRINT, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 11005 V Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. The registered agent is HANNAH HANQUIST. The general nature of the business is to operate a general print shop 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 print shop 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 May 27, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 3, 2021, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

ERIN K. ARTZ, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF THE ORGANIZATION OF LOUISVILLE MEDICAL CENTER, LLC Notice is hereby given of the formation of a professional limited liability company under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the professional limited liability company is Louisville Medical Center, LLC. The address of the registered office is 227 Main Street, Louisville, NE 68037.

The name and address of the registered agent is LDM Business Services, Inc, 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The general nature of the business to be transacted is all lawful business, including providing review, analysis, and expert opinion of practice outcomes among nurses, advanced practice professionals, and other allied health care services. The company commenced existence on June 4, 2021, and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the Members, as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF 1115 HARNEY CORP. Notice if hereby given that the Articles of Incorporation of 1115 Harney Corp. have been amended and restated in their entirety as follows: Articles 1 states the name of the Corporation as 1115 Harney Corp.

Article 2 states the registered Office of the Corporation is 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, and the registered agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Articles 3 states the purpose.

Article 4 states that the Corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares of common stock, having a par value of $1.00.

Article 5 states that the Corporation shall have perpetual existence.

Article 6 states the provisions relating to amending the Articles and Bylaws.

Article 7 states the provisions relating to director liability.

The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

19

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Adams Brothers Property Management Name of Applicant: Sujo Properties LLC Address:14424 Penny Drive Plattsmouth NE 68048 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: April 2021 General nature of business: property management JOSHUA ADAMS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative July 11, 2021

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 PAGE TRUCKING LLC The name of the Company is Page Trucking LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 605 2nd Street, Waterloo, Nebraska 68069. 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 June 4, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

SCOTT A. MEYERSON, Esq. LIKES MEYERSON HATCH LLC 444 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ON THE UP AND UP LLC Notice is hereby given that On The Up and Up LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The street and mailing address of the Company’s initial designated office is 707 Bellevue Blvd North, Bellevue, NE 68005. The street and mailing address of the Company’s initial agent for service of process is 707 Bellevue Blvd North, Bellevue, NE 68005 and the Company’s initial agent for service of process at such address is Russell Ehrlich.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals Omaha Campus Name of Applicant: Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital Address: 5401 South St. Lincoln NE 68506 Applicant is a Other: Nonprofit Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: New General nature of business: Health Care MICHAEL D. MUNRO Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative June 11, 2021

DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JW & DW PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that JW & DW Properties, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 17317 Madison Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

JAMES D. BUSER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF KEARNEY WAREHOUSE ONE, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Kearney Warehouse One, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Kearney Warehouse One, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is James D. Buser, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

20

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Legal notices LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES STATE OF NEBRASKA PAROLE BOARD HEARING NOTICE A total of 120 cases will be heard by the Board in May 2021. The following case(s) sentenced in Douglas County will be seen by the Board of Parole.

June 16, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, York, Nebraska Newson, Trennesha 392473 Robbery (2 counts) June 18, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Community Correctional Center – Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska Ross, Brandon 60318 Sexual Assault 1st Degree Pettis, Toro 71229 Domestic Assault False Imprisonment 1st Degree Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Burks, Quentin 77179 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I (3 counts) Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana (2 counts) Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Niebur, Montana 99647 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Fuccio, Stephen 211681 Driving Under Revoked License Cahlaway, Julie 392116 Theft by Deception Harden, Dvon 211402 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I (2 counts) Poss Deadly Weap Owens, Jade 80511 Manslaughter June 21, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, Tecumseh, Nebraska Powers, Johnny 65226 Murder 2nd Degree Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Lora, Jean 80736 Burglary (3 counts) Poss/Receive Stolen Firearm Milton, Javaris 83643 Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Garcia, Gabriel 87066 Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Wol, Dut 210432 Robbery (2 counts) Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel (2 counts) June 22, 2021– 8:30 a.m. Lincoln Correctional Center, Lincoln, Nebraska Cunningham, Alfuntize 54713 Assault 2nd Degree Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Terroristic Threats Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Waters, Nolan 86507 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Theft by Shoplifting Tinsman, David 212946 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug June 23, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Community Correctional Center - Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska Goos, Tristan 87358 Robbery Prinz, Danny 88767 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Woods, Ivan 88970 Theft by Deception Welling, Maggie 99876 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I Ulrich, Derek 211318 Burglary Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug (2 counts) Bass, Maurice 211968 Aslt Peac Ofcr/DCS Emp 3rd Dgr Assault 3rd Degree Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop (2 counts) Robinson, Jeremy 212069 Burglary Possession of Burglary Tools June 24, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Nebraska State Penitentiary, Lincoln, Nebraska Guzman, Alejandro 63335 Aslt Peac Ofcr/DCS Emp 1st Dgr Aslt Peac Ofcr/DCS Emp 3rd Dgr Assault 2nd Degree Operate Motor Veh/Avoid Arrest Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel McMorris, Kashaun 73508 Burglary Oduwo, Arnold 83966 Robbery Jakub, Jeremy 89140 Aslt Peac Ofcr/DCS Emp 3rd Dgr Criminal Mischief Viol of Financial Device Henderson, Nathaniel 89601 Robbery Durand, Anthony 210293 Operate Motor Veh/Avoid Arrest Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana Theft by Unlwfl Taking or Disp Docken, Steven 210460 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I Luellen, Devontai 210950 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Veland, Dayton 211686 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Poss/Receive Stolen Firearm June 25, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Community Correctional Center - Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska Gonzales, David 57093 Manslaughter Murder 2nd Degree Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Barntson, Steven 66327 Assault 1st Degree Robbery Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Straughn, Andrew 85542 Assault 1st Degree Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Pierre, Evans 85821 Driving While Intoxicated Keown, Darrius 86208 Poss Deadly Weap by felon/Fug (2 counts) Docken, Marc 88215 Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Brown, J W 88335 Poss Deadly Wea by Felon/Fug Wright, Kani 210265 Burglary Poss/Receive Stolen Firearm Hall, Ja’Don 210715 Pos Firearm by Fugitive/Felon Use Deadly Weap to Commit Fel Teeters, Robby 211287 Pos Cntrl Sub Except Marijuana Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Simmons, Taelon 211346 Robbery Valencia, Tovias 211620 Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Glover, Christian 212138 Burglary Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Robbery Terroristic Threats June 28, 2021 – 8:30 a.m. Omaha Correctional Center, Omaha, Nebraska Hines, Brandon 87688 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Theft by Receiving Stolen Prop Christell, Ky 88830 Poss Deadly Weap by Felon/Fug Casey, Ryan 211521 Manu/Dist/Del/Disp or Poss W/I Felder, Jason 212840 Robbery ROSALYN COTTON, CHAIR NEBRASKA BOARD OF PAROLE June 11, 2021

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 KAH-RE, LLC The name of the Company is KAH-Re, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 1505 North 203rd Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022.

The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Marilyn Ellingson, 1505 North 203rd Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. This limited liability company commenced business on June 7, 2021.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF S ANDERSEN’S HONEY, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that S ANDERSEN’S HONEY, INC., is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a registered office at 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The registered agent is ANTHONY L. GROSS. The general nature of the business is to operate a general bee hives and honey 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 bee hives and honey 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 June 1, 2021, and upon its Articles being filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 4, 2021, 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 June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DEEP CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of Deep Clean Automotive, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is Deep Clean Automotive, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 13935 Y Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68137, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is Sandy Kasada, 5820 S. 190th Terrace, Omaha, Nebraska 68135.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

MATTHEW WURSTNER, Attorney CARLSON & BURNETT, LLP, Attorneys 17525 Arbor Street Omaha, Nebraska 68130 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF NEXT LEVEL STORAGE, LLC Notice is hereby given that NEXT LEVEL STORAGE, LLC is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The initial designated office is 17416 Clay St., Bennington, NE 68007. The Company’s initial registered agent in the State of Nebraska is Matthew Wurstner, whose address is 2002 Douglas Street, Ste 100, Omaha, NE 68102. The purpose of the Company is to engage in any lawful business and activity, as may be mutually agreed upon by the Members from time to time, and which are not prohibited by the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. The Company commenced with filing its Certificate of Organization on June 7, 2021, and shall have a perpetual period of duration. The Company is a Member Managed Limited Liability Company.

Matthew Wurstner, Organizer First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

SCOTT A. MEYERSON, Esq. LIKES MEYERSON HATCH LLC 444 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF HELPING HANDS OF THE LYDIA HOUSE ASSOCIATION Notice is hereby given that Helping Hands of the Lydia House Association, a Nebraska nonprofit corporation (the “Association”), has filed Articles of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on June 7, 2021, and the Association has voluntarily dissolved. The Association’s sole assets are cash reserves held in financial or banking accounts maintained by the Association, and the Association has no liabilities. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the Association have been fully paid and satisfied and any remaining assets will be distributed in accordance with Association’s Articles of Incorporation. The President, Dustin West, will wind up the Association’s business and affairs. The Association’s remaining assets shall be distributed in accordance with the Plan of Dissolution.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION OF ELEVEN FIFTEEN, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Certificate of Organization of Eleven Fifteen, LLC has been amended and restated as of June 4, 2021.

The designated office was changed to 14450 Eagle Run Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. The registered agent and registered office was changed to Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is given that AZTECA TRUCKING LLC, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska with the following registered agent and registered office: Juan Luis Rodriguez Medina at 4212 S 36th Ave. Omaha, NE 68107. The designated office is located at 4212 S 36th Ave. Omaha, NE 68107. 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 May 14th, 2021, 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 Juan Luis Rodriguez Medina in accordance with the Company's operating agreement.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: MaxumStaffing Name of Applicant: MAXUM GROUP, LLC Address: 256 NORTH 115TH STREET, SUITE 2, OMAHA, NE 68154 Applicant is a Limited Liability Company If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: MAY 1, 2021 General nature of business: STAFFING MICHAEL WHEELOCK Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative June 11, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF REICHMUTH FUNERAL HOMES AND CREMATORY, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is Reichmuth Funeral Homes and Crematory, LLC. The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 21901 W. Maple Road, Elkhorn, NE 68022.

Aaron Janssen, Member First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

LINDSEY A. SCHULER, Attorney CROKER HUCK LAW FIRM 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TIMELESS EXPRESS, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Timeless Express, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 3075 South 41st Street #2, Omaha, NE 68105. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Lindsey A. Schuler, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103 Omaha, Nebraska 68164 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF R.A.H. CARRIERS, LLC Notice is hereby given that a limited liability company has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the company is R.A.H. Carriers, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 11102 Blondo Street, Suite 103, Omaha, NE 68164. The designated office is located at 1702 Diane Street, Papillion, NE 68046.

Rod Hansen and Angela Hansen, Member First publication June 11, 2021, final June 25, 2021

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

21

Black, Latinx and female entrepreneurs are still ignored by most venture capitalists

by Ronald D. White

As voices of protest rang out during the pandemic year, Jorge Rios had a front row.

The former high school teacher from Mexico wasn’t just watching crowds massing in the U.S. and elsewhere over George Floyd’s murder, Entrepreneurship Black Lives Matter, anti-government sentiment and other issues. Rios was monitoring rows of computer equipment and hearing his chief technology officer shouting things like: “We’re blowing up in Myanmar.

We need more servers.”

Rios created a messaging app called Bridgefy, an encrypted communications platform that relies primarily on Bluetooth and mesh networks, not the internet. In one 48-hour period of protests over the Myanmar coup, Rios said, the app was downloaded 1 million times.

But Bridgefy almost didn’t happen. Rios approached multiple venture capitalists seeking development money. His app had been built for low-income people who lacked an internet connection. The funding people weren’t interested.

“We had a hard time finding a venture fund that understood us and our mission,” Rios said. “We would hear: ‘How is this a problem? Everyone has internet.’ They just didn’t get it, didn’t consider poor people. We were constantly going through emergencies in Mexico, during earthquakes, concerts and large events, losing communications. We had a solution, but no funding.”

Ultimately, Rios’ eight-employee firm got the seed money it needed from Mac Venture Capital, a predominantly Black firm trying to help level the venture funding playing field.

The Los Angeles operation is one of several relatively new venture capital players — people of color interested in improving diversity in the founders they fund and the markets those firms hope to target.

For Rios, Mac Venture was the choir he didn’t have to preach to. “They understood immediately what we were trying to do,” Rios said.

Rios’ company is an example of what has and hasn’t changed in the venture capital world.

Bridgefy, which maintains offices in Mexico and San Francisco, received backing after years of trying. But for many entrepreneurs of color and women of all races, venture funding remains a mostly impenetrable barrier to success.

Venture funding is a major gateway to entrepreneurship, particularly in technology.

It is an important catalyst for the development of new technology companies, the nurturing of big ideas and the start of new technologies and services.

For many business founders and women of color, it’s still a closed door, experts said.

“The disparity in who the venture capitalists are and where their money goes is just phenomenal,” said Katherine Klein, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Klein cited a diversity study by review platform RateMyInvestor.com that examined the records of 135 of the largest venture capital firms. The review website found that from 2013 through 2017, women led just 9.2% of the start-ups that got money. Less than 2% had a Latino founder, and 1% was led by a Black person.

The funding level hasn’t improved since then, recent data from Crunchbase indicate.

Black- and Latino-owned U.S. companies, respectively, received $1 billion and $2.7 billion in venture funding during 2020, just 0.6% (for Black entrepreneurs) and 1.7% (for Latino entrepreneurs) out of a total venture funding pool of $161.4 billion to U.S. companies.

This year, from January through May 19, Black business founders surpassed the amount of venture funding they received during all of the previous year, with $1.6 billion, Crunchbase said. Still, it represented a tiny portion of overall venture funding over the same period, at 1.4% out of $110.4 billion.

Latino business founders’ share of venture funding has slipped in 2021, at $1.7 billion, or 1.5% of overall venture funding during the period.

“One of the things that we have begun to see, with the Black Lives Matter movement, was more investor interest, suddenly, in backing black founders in particular,” said Marlize van Romburgh, editor in chief of Crunchbase News.

“It’s a little too early to tell if that’s a long-term phenomenon that really moves the needle in any meaningful way. Because we’ve seen some years where that seems to increase, but isn’t really rising to any signifi-

cant proportion that would represent the U.S. population overall,” she said.

To attribute the funding gap to overt discrimination would be too simplistic, experts and entrepreneurs said.

There is a fundamental disconnect in communication and understanding, they said.

The predominantly white male investors fail to grasp who founders like Rios are and the value of the markets those entrepreneurs want to target.

“We always say internally that talent is ubiquitous, but access to opportunity and capital is not,” said Marlon Nichols, one of two co-managing general partners for Mac Venture Capital. “We’re set on being change agents that provide capital opportunities to very talented, qualified and driven entrepreneurs that are building solutions for challenges that we care about, and a lot of those challenges are going to be related to underserved communities.”

MacVenture, formed in 2019 through the merger of two smaller funds, raised $110 million for its inaugural fund. Very few Black-owned venture capital firms top $100 million in funding.

Among the largest Black-led venture capital firms is Los Angeles-based Sinai Capital Partners, which took a huge leap last year by raising $600 million to invest in tech, media

and entertainment efforts, bringing total assets under management to $800 million.

San Francisco-based Base10 Partners nearly tripled its size last year by raising $250 million for a new fund. Founder Adeyemi Ajao told Bloomberg that the fund was a response to the racial reckoning heightened

by George Floyd’s murder. The firm gives a portion of fees and profits to historically Black colleges and universities and to groups improving tech diversity.

Los Angeles-based Backstage Capital recently crowdfunded more than $1 million on private investing platform Republic to back firms led by people of color, women and LBGTQ individuals, according to TechCrunch.

The last year of upheaval has prompted some mainstream venture firms to examine their practices and records.

Among them is well-known funder Andreessen Horowitz, which highlights its long history of diverse hiring and investing on its website.

The firm already had the Cultural Leadership Fund, formed with money from Black cultural leaders largely in entertainment, media and sports, including Shonda Rhimes, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kevin Durant. The fund donates some of its fees and profits to nonprofits improving technology diversity Continued on next page.

US job growth picked up steam in May after disappointing April

by Olivia Rockeman and Reade Pickert

U.S. job growth picked up in May and the unemployment rate fell, signaling firms are making some progress filling a record number of openings as the economy Jobs powers up.

Payrolls increased by 559,000 last month after a revised 278,000 gain in April, according to a Labor Department report Friday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists was for a 675,000 rise. The jobless rate dropped to 5.8%, while the labor participation rate was little changed.

Long-term Treasury yields are little changed, the dollar declined and U.S. stock futures moved higher.

Employers are pressing to get headcounts in line with a resurgence in demand. May was an inflection point in the reopening of the economy because of increased coronavirus vaccination rates, more social activity and fewer business restrictions across most of the U.S. The payrolls gain leaves the U.S. labor market 7.6 million jobs short of pre-pandemic levels. A broader improvement in the labor market requires faster job growth among service providers, like the leisure and hospitality industry, that have suffered a more lengthy disruption from the health crisis.

The data are likely to calm any concerns at the White House that the labor market’s recovery had stalled and that policies such as extra unemployment benefits were keeping significant numbers of workers at home. At the same time, the uneven progress across industries suggest that challenges remain.

The recovery in employment may remain bumpy as childcare obligations, enhanced jobless benefits, skills mismatches and supply shortages impede hiring efforts.

The shortfall in the level of payrolls,

along with views that recent inflationary pressures will prove temporary, help explain why Federal Reserve officials will hold the line on their ultra-easy monetary policy.

“Remaining steady in our outcomes-based approach during the transitory reopening surge will help ensure the economic momentum that will be needed as current tailwinds shift to headwinds is not curtailed by a premature tightening of financial conditions,” Fed Governor Lael Brainard said Tuesday.

Restaurants reported the largest payrolls increase last month, with a gain of 186,000 jobs, the Labor Department’s report showed. Health care and education also reported notable increases, while employment in construction decreased for a second month.

The labor force participation rate, a measure of those working or looking for work and closely watched by the Fed, was 61.6% in May after 61.7%. The employment-population ratio ticked up to 58%.

More than 20 states have announced plans to phase out federal unemployment benefits before they expire in September, which could lure workers back into the labor force in the coming months.

Adding workers is “one of the most important issues because it is very difficult, particularly here in the U.S., to get labor,” Christopher Nassetta, CEO at Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., said on the company’s May 5 earnings call. “You just can’t get enough people to service the properties.”

Average hourly earnings rose 0.5% in May from a month earlier, to $30.33, the jobs report showed.

“The data for the last 2 months suggest that the rising demand for labor associated with the recovery from the pandemic may have put upward pressure on wages,” the Labor Department said in a statement. ©2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

General Mills cuts jobs, reshapes itself to prepare for post-pandemic change in eating

by Kristen Leigh Painter

General Mills is downsizing its workforce to absorb a financial punch expected as the pandemic ends and people eat at home less.

The Golden Valley-based food maker just finished its 2021 fiscal year, which was on pace to be one of its best for Trends sales after people, forced to stay home by coronavirus, ate more of its ready-made or easily-prepared products.

But that burst in sales could reverse as the pandemic ends. General Mills executives are moving to lower costs, including cutting jobs, on the expectation that the company will return to the slow growth that was normal before the pandemic.

General Mills told investors in a securities filing last month that it would undertake a restructuring but gave few details on scope and cost. It was only recently that it became clear to employees that the restructuring, dubbed

“Accelerate” internally, included layoffs.

“I know this isn’t easy and that there are real world personal impacts in us making this shift. And last week was especially hard as we shared that reshaping our organization meant that many of our colleagues will be leaving General Mills,” Jeff Harmening, the company’s chief executive, told employees in a memo recently.

Executives and directors learned their fate — be it a promotion, layoff or status quo — just before Memorial Day weekend, according to internal memos. Some were told they were losing their job at the same time their successor was named, employee e-mails showed.

The rest of General Mills’ U.S. and Canada employees will find out whether their jobs will be saved or cut by the end of this month.

International workforce cuts are targeted for the fall.

“I also want to be transparent: there are more hard decisions yet to come,” Harmening wrote in the memo. “Please know, none of these decisions are made lightly — and we are striving to do all of this quickly and respectfully.”

The company declined requests for a specific headcount reduction or cost-savings target.

“We are making organizational changes to ensure General Mills continues its momentum,” Mollie Wulff, a company spokeswoman, said via e-mail. “The goal of this initiative is to free up resources from parts of our organization and redeploy them in more growth-focused areas, such as digital, data & technology, e-commerce, strategic revenue management, and other capabilities that are critical to our future success.”

Harmening told investors at a conference in mid-May that the restructuring plan

Black, Latinx and female entrepreneurs are still ignored by most venture capitalists Continued from preceding page. but has taken some heat for backing only a few Black start-ups.

In June 2020, Andreessen Horowitz unveiled the Talent x Opportunity fund, led by partner Nait Jones, for entrepreneurs from underserved communities “who have the talent, drive and ideas to build great businesses but lack the typical background and resources to do so.”

The fund started with $2.2 million from Andreessen Horowitz partners and a solicitation for funding from others, who get tax benefits. Company co-founder Ben Horowitz and his wife, Felicia, have pledged to match up to an additional $5 million raised.

Felix Orwa and Meka Este-McDonald are the kind of entrepreneur Mac Venture looks for. The two run a company called Sote, based in Oakland, and they want it to streamline cargo movement in Africa, one seaport at a time.

“We often felt that Africa, with all of its resources, should be the breadbasket of the world,” Este-McDonald said, “and yet it still imports food, which is just completely backwards.

“One of the root cause problems is logistics, and the tremendous amount of friction that exists in moving goods between African countries and to and from the continent in general. We felt that the best way to be involved, touching all of the pieces of trade, was to create be a digital clearance and forwarding company,” he said.

Orwa, who is chief executive, and Este-McDonald, chief product officer, had plans that were continent sized, but often the pair didn’t get far enough along in meetings with investors to tell how they planned to succeed.

Africa just wasn’t a continent funders were interested in.

“Almost universally, people would say things like: ‘I don’t even know a single person who would invest in Africa. I don’t even know people who would take this meeting,’“ Este-McDonald said.

When Sote approached Mac Venture last summer, the response was quick.

Mac Venture led Sote’s seed funding with $1 million.

“To have an entire partnership group who was comfortable with Africa was a night-andday feeling,” Este-McDonald said. “We were hearing actual start-up-type questions, like

‘What are you going to do with the money?’

They were open to our ideas.”

Lori Shao was another entrepreneur who couldn’t find venture funding for her Los Angeles start-up, called Finli, which she hoped would free up daycare operators, martial arts establishments, tutors, afterschool programs and the like from the drudgery of paperwork.

“Like any service business with an education and enrichment angle, these small businesses always struggle to figure out who’s supposed to pay them, how much, when and on whose behalf,” Shao said.

“They fail because they can’t grow.

They can’t grow because they don’t have the time to go out and get new customers,” she said. “But they can outsource their entire back office to us. We handle everything the scheduling, the booking, the payments, so they can build up their customer base and focus on teaching.”

But before Shao could explain how she would accomplish this in a business plan, she was always stopped short; why did she want to work with a customer base like this, investors asked.

“Many times, investors have told me, ‘Why bother with first-generation and low-income businesses?’“ Shao said. “‘Why don’t you guys go up market? It’s the same technology anyway. You can go to the affluent communities. You can do all of those things, and you can get better traction.’“ When Shao said she wouldn’t make that change, the rejections came.

“I literally had email after email from venture capitalists who say they support equality and uplifting and this and that.

And they’re telling me, ‘Hey, we don’t feel comfortable about your space.’ Our space is exactly who they say they support, but I guess not,” Shao said.

Mac Venture provided Finli with $1 million of its initial round of $3.5 million of investment, the most it received from any single source. “It was a huge milestone for us,” Shao said.

In addition to Nichols, Mac Venture’s other managing partner is Adrian Fenty, a former District of Columbia mayor and special advisor to Andreessen Horowitz. The Mac Venture team also includes general partner Charles D. King, who was the first Black partner at the William Morris Endeavor me-

dia and talent agency, and venture capitalist Michael Palank, who worked with King at William Morris. King and Fenty met when they were in law school.

Mac Venture’s $110-million inaugural seed fund in the context of venture capital overall is relatively small, said Freada Kapor Klein, a partner at Kapor Capital, the venture capital investment arm of Oakland-based Kapor Center for Social Impact, itself a large investor in diverse founders.

“But to have a seed-stage or early-stage fund of $110 million run mostly by Black men is huge, and what it points to is the enormous gap and disparity in venture funding,” she said.

Bridgefy founder Rios said the company is looking to build its revenue stream now that it uses encrypted technology, which opens up opportunities for mobile payments, for instance.

Rios, who now lives in Florida, said Mac Venture “was the only fund that we found that was willing to make a significant investment into a problem that the majority of the First World ignores.” ©2021 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

included changes to his leadership team. The company’s Asia and Latin America segment president, Sean Walker, will also be responsible for Europe and Australia. Dana McNabb, who currently leads Europe and Australia, is being given a newly created title of chief strategy and growth officer.

Longtime chief supply chain officer John Church – who led the unit through one of its most challenging years — is being given a new title of chief transition officer and enterprise services officer.

Through the first nine months of the fiscal year, a period that ended February 28 and is the latest data available, General Mills’ revenue was 8% higher than in the comparable period a year earlier. Typically, the company, which has around $17 billion in annual revenue, is considered to be having a good year when sales are up 1% to 2%.

The infusion of revenue during the pandemic allowed General Mills to reduce its debt. And the rise of grocery shopping and in-home eating brought sales from consumers who were new to its foods or those who hadn’t eaten its products in awhile.

“We’ve come out of this pandemic stronger in a number of ways … We are in a much stronger financial position,” Harmening told investors last month.

Harmening told the investors he’s “not really the main driver behind the reorganization” but called it “not simply a cost-cutting exercise.” In the next month, General Mills will file an updated notice to securities regulators with financial details about the changes, he said.

North America retail, the company’s largest and most important business that accounts for more than 60% of overall sales, is consolidating its five operating units into three.It is also closing its offices in Berkeley, Calif., and Austin, Texas, which have been home to two of its successful acquired brands, Annie’s and Epic.

“While decisions like this are always difficult, the natural & organic space remains a strategic priority,” Jon Nudi, president of North America retail, told employees in a memo. ©2021 Star Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Luxury home sales soar as US recovery favors wealthy buyers

by Prashant Gopal

Luxury home sales in the U.S. are soaring faster than lower-cost segments as remote work, brimming stock portfolios and rising listings give wealthy buyers an edge.

In the three months through April, purchases of high-end homes Real Estate increased 26% from a year earlier, according to a report by the brokerage Redfin. Sales of the most-affordable properties — in high demand by first-time buyers, downsizers and property investors alike — rose 18%. Mid-priced homes gained 15%.

The rich are best-positioned to buy real estate, now that vaccines bring the pandemic’s end into view and the inventory crunch begins to ease. Listings of high-end homes in the threemonth period rose 19% from a year earlier, outpacing a 14% gain for affordable properties and a 9% increase for mid-priced listings, Redfin said.

“So far, the economic recovery from the pandemic has disproportionately benefited

Americans with bigger bank accounts,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in the report. “This means a lot of the demand for homes is coming from folks who are well-off, while many lower-income Americans sit on the sidelines because they’ve been priced out of the housing market due to surging prices.”

Redfin divided U.S. residential properties into three equal-sized buckets based on the homes’ market values. The year-over-year changes for prices and inventory were somewhat exaggerated because pandemic lockdowns froze transactions for a couple months starting in April 2020.

San Francisco led the surge in expensive home purchases, with an 82% jump, according to Redfin’s analysis of the country’s 50 most-populous metropolitan areas. Following were neighboring Oakland, with a 72% gain, and Miami, where high-end sales rose 70%. ©2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Tech startup wants people to ditch IKEA and rent its furniture instead. Is it a good deal?

by Brittany Meiling

A San Francisco furniture startup called Oliver Space has set up warehouses in a handful of cities full of elegant couches, dining tables and other trendy furnishings.

The company has modernized the process of buying — and renting — furniture, promising delivery in as Startups little as three days. The quality (and price) of the furniture is in line with companies like West Elm. But Oliver Space offers some options for those unwilling to fork over the big bucks for fashionable furniture that they may not need long term.

The startup allows customers to rent items and swap them out as their needs or preferences change, or rent-to-own with zero interest.

Founder Chan Park, an ex-Uber manager overseeing Asian territories, said he came up with the idea for Oliver Space while renting a stylish, furnished apartment in Singapore. He’d stayed in furnished places before, but this one was elegantly designed.

“I could be proud of my space, and enjoy it more,” Park said. “I wanted to host friends and family more often and cook more at home. That’s when the lightbulb went off in my head.”

People want something better than disposable, low-quality furniture, he said.

But for those who move frequently for job opportunities, like Park did early in his career, it’s hard to reinvest in nice furnishings that may not work in your next space or

next phase of life.

On average, Americans move 11.7 times per year, according to 2007 Census Bureau data (the most recent of its kind). Today, that figure might look a lot higher, as millennials are known for job-hopping more than any other generation before them.

Park said he can’t compare Oliver Space with the old furniture rental stores.

The demographic they’re targeting is different, as are the products.

“Our catalog is very modern, contemporary and stylish,” Park said. “I think it’s a completely different dynamic.”

Besides appealing to those who value modern and on-trend aesthetics, the company also has environmentalism on its side. Each year, Americans are dumping millions of tons of furniture and furnishings into landfills, and the rate is rapidly increasing thanks to fast furniture made by companies like IKEA. In 2018, Americans trashed 12.1 million tons of furnishings, up from 2.2 million tons in 1960, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“This is due to the proliferation of disposable furniture and the transient consumer,” Park said. “They don’t get disposable furniture because they want to. They do it because they have no other choice.”

Here’s how Oliver Space works. Shoppers use the company’s website to pick out single items or design entire rooms with not only furniture but art, lamps and more.

The consumer can rent items (for example, a couch can rent for as low as $33 a month),

LINCOLN BANKING Lincoln Business Journal Pages

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rent-to-own under 0 percent interest plans, or buy the item outright. The full price for couches and sectionals at Oliver Space is typically below $2,000. Park said the company can compete with prices at places like West Elm due to its lack of middlemen and brick-and-mortar stores.

Shoppers can also use an item for as long as they want, then send it back when the piece no longer fits their needs and swap it out for something different.

Oliver Space refurbishes each item that comes back to its warehouse, thoroughly cleaning and repairing the goods. Park said many of its items are things that don’t wear easily, like wood TV consoles and wall art.

The pandemic has fueled a lot of growth for the company, as furniture buying rocketed, supply chains slowed at

traditional retail outlets, and orders began taking months and months to be delivered to customers.

Oliver Space has local warehouses and can deliver in as little as three days.

The startup, founded in 2018, just raised $13 million in venture capital, bringing the total amount raised to $21 million. Park said Oliver Space is not yet profitable.

“This industry is ripe for innovation,” Park said. “We offer a different experience that consumers deserve.”

The company currently operates in San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, Calif., Dallas, Austin, Texas and Seattle. ©2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

American Airlines is asking employees to volunteer to help with the summer rush

by Kyle Arnold

American Airlines is asking its headquarters employees to volunteer at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport this summer as the carrier faces an influx of summer passengers due to pent-up pandemic deAviation mand.

American, which has its headquarters a few miles from its largest hub at DFW, is asking nonunion workers to give up their free time to help the front-line workers at DFW with tasks such as helping customers in the international terminal and returning wheelchairs.

“As we look forward to welcoming back more of our customers this summer, we know they’re counting on us to deliver a reliable operation and help them feel comfortable as they return after many months away from traveling,” American Airlines spokeswoman Sarah Jantz said in a statement. “That’s something our frontline teams are experts on as they regularly go above and beyond to take care of our customers. To ensure they have the support they need this summer and beyond, our corporate support teams will provide additional support at DFW.” Those headquarters employees, who work in fields such as network scheduling, planning and communications, won’t be paid for the additional shifts and must volunteer outside of their normal job duties.

But the airline isn’t requiring employees to put in the extra work, either.

Most of the work will involve helping customers find their way around the airport at entry points, TSA lines and getting off planes. The volunteers will be there to supplement full-time workers such as gate and ticketing agents, and the airline is only expecting to use the volunteers during the busiest period, from June until mid-August.

American Airlines has fewer support staff employees to pull from after a year of cost-cutting to help the company get back on firm financial ground. The carrier cut 30% of its support staff through voluntary separations, early retirements and layoffs of about 1,500 staff members.

But the airline and airports across the country have been stung by a shortage of

workers, from wheelchair transport workers to restaurant cooks.

Passenger traffic at airports across the country has spiked in recent months as more people get vaccinated and the global COVID-19 pandemic reaches into a second summer. Just shy of 2 million passengers traveled through security checkpoints at airports across the country on Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration reported. That’s the largest number since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Over Memorial Day weekend, DFW International Airport handled 88% as many departing and landing passengers as it did during Memorial Day 2019, airport CEO Sean Donohue said.

“Memorial Day weekend was very busy out here in DFW for the weekend,” Donohue said last week.

For its part, American is actually planning more flights from DFW this summer than it did in 2019. It also has 219 destinations from the hub airport, more than it did two years ago. ©2021 The Dallas Morning News.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Office Sustainability Trends 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:

Office space real estate update • Redesigning office spaces Navigating employment law • Tips for keeping teams efficient and on-task Workforces remaining virtual and the need for tech

Overview • Tech advances in sustainability A/E/C emphasis on going green • Environmental law Being a sustainable homeowner

Issue Date: June 25 • Ad Deadline: June 17

Issue Date: June 25 • Ad Deadline: June 17

Nonprofits Senior

Living

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:

• Nonprofit industry overview • Helping those in need during pandemic • Serving on nonprofit boards: What’s the right fit for you?

• Marketing/outreach for nonprofits: Methods in seeking donations and volunteers • Growth at local organizations: Local nonprofits share news on services, facilities

Senior Living overview • Financial planning post-retirement • Aging at home Legacy planning: the importance of planning for your family’s future Changing senior communities: the latest trends in senior living

Issue Date: July 2 • Ad Deadline: June 24

Issue Date: July 9 • Ad Deadline: July 1

To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact our Director of Advertising at karla@mbj.com.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

Surprising services truly help college students succeed

by Arianne Cohen

College is a great place to part with large portions of your net worth and self-esteem, all while exiting without a degree. Just a third of associate’s degree students graduate within three years, and only 62% of Education full-time students at f o u r- y e a r p r o g r a m s graduate within six years. Not surprisingly, weaker students are more likely to struggle.

Many smart minds are addressing this problem, through programs designed to fuel students to graduation. “At my university, part way through the semester, they ask professors to report students that are going to need some extra help, so that the university can flag them,” says Kevin Mumford, an economist at Purdue University. “Universities do a variety of things to help those students, like peer mentoring programs. But overall spending on these types of programs is very low, and it doesn’t seem that they’re highly correlated with the increase in graduation rates.”

So how can you choose a program known for actually connecting students with actual diplomas? Conveniently, researchers recently studied which programs really do lead to high graduation rates, so you know what to look for.

“While of course we want broad access, we want broad access to programs that work,” says co-author Rachel Fulcher-Dawson, associate director of research operations at Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.

She says that successful programs share a commonality. “They take a more holistic approach. There’s acknowledgement that yes, students need help with academics and tuition, but that that hasn’t been enough — just look at the numbers of low completion rates for students that do have academic supports and financial assistance.”

Fulcher-Dawson says that winning programs provide “wrap-around” services that address students’ real-life hindrances, such as car repairs, public transportation difficulties and childcare dilemmas, any of which could easily derail an education.

Many offer an assigned adviser who can help streamline school schedules or find nearby jobs. Here are top programs worth knowing about.

If you want an in-person program

with broad services: —Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). Low-income students receive a host of supports, including tutoring, a study-skills course, free use of textbooks, and an advisor with a small caseload who will address details like transferring to a four-year university or talking to faculty as needed. Started at the City University of New York, the program has been successfully replicated in Ohio, and is cropping up at a number of community colleges, with over 25,000 students enrolled in 2019. “This one has shown the most significant impact on students’ persistence and completion,” Fulcher-Dawson says.

If you want a nationwide, easily accessible program: —Inside Track. This virtual program assigns each student a coach who helps achieve goals and avoid barriers. This is a well-known and well-evaluated program, with over 2 million students in 20 years, and more than 4,000 current outposts. It’s run by a nonprofit, and, notably, serves students of all incomes, though it tends to cater to adult students.

If you want a program at a big public university: —MAAP. This program, aimed at helping low-income and first-generation

Mortgage borrowers’ credit scores rise to new record high

by Jeff Ostrowski

Americans with near-perfect credit scores are reaping the rewards of record-low mortgage rates, a trend that underscores the economic divide created by the coronavirus reFinancial cession.

The typical credit score for mortgage borrowers rose to 788 in the first quarter, a record high, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a quarterly report. That’s the highest level in at least two decades. During the era of loose lending that led to the Great Recession, the median credit score of mortgage borrowers fell as low as 707.

Meanwhile, only a quarter of borrowers who landed home loans during the January-through-March period had credit scores of less than 742. Just 10 percent had credit scores below 688, according to the New York Fed’s data.

The numbers have been skewed upward in part by the large share of mortgage re-

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students navigate university life, can be found at four-year public universities in 11 states. Students receive intensive academic advising, and are closely tracked so that help is offered before they veer off path.

If you want a healthcare job ASAP: Project Quest. This program’s strong end game helps students identify a health career path and secure a job upon graduation. It’s soup-to-nuts, starting with non-students and supporting them through degree programs via weekly meetings on college skills, creative financial assistance (tuition, transportation, tutoring, etc.), academic support, counseling, and referrals to useful programs like utility bill assistance.

If you want strong one-on-one support.

—Stay the Course. The calling card of this program is intensive, one-on-one case management by trained social workers who help students through academic and life events. This program is swiftly spreading to community colleges nationwide after a successful launch and evaluation in Fort Worth, Texas.

After years steeped in the details of these programs, Fulcher-Dawson says there’s no real downside in enrolling in a well-regarded program. “The odds are stacked against students for completing a degree,” she says.

A few pointers: —Don’t wait. Some programs only accept students early in their college careers.

Contact your student counseling office, and ask what programs are available.

More are generally present at two-year community colleges.

—Know that you’re probably “low-income.” Most full-time students are. Some programs have income caps. If your income will be plummeting once you start classes, get in touch with a support program and explain that.

—Seek programs that have been rigorously evaluated. Ideally, you want to see randomized, controlled trials. Typically programs that have undergone evaluation with good results will happily plaster this information on their websites.

—Consider picking a school with a well-known program. If you’re a borderline student, it’s worthwhile to hedge your bets and choose a college that works with one of the programs listed above.

“Don’t feel frustrated that college is not as easy as just signing up for school and then being done with it,” Fulcher-Dawson says. “There are lots of things that can get in your way, and these programs are really designed to navigate that.” ©2021 Rate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

financings in 2020 and 2021. People who already own homes generally have higher credit scores than first-time buyers.

What’s more, mortgage lenders grew more risk-averse during the coronavirus pandemic. In the early months of the recession, mortgage brokers described being required to complete near-obsessive verifications of borrowers’ employment and incomes.

A symptom of the K-shaped recovery Americans’ fortunes have diverged widely during this recession. Those who can work remotely have continued to collect paychecks. Home prices have soared, and stocks have recovered the value they lost earlier in the year.

However, lower-wage workers struggle as restaurants, hotels and other service-sector employers continue to be battered by the pandemic. Economists have invoked the K-shaped recovery to describe the disconnect — affluent Americans’ fortunes are rising like the top half of the letter, while the working classes are experiencing the downward slope of the bottom half of the K. “A symptom of the K-shaped consumer recovery is that those on steady financial footing or with higher incomes are able to buy a home or refinance the mortgage on an existing home,” says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate chief financial analyst.

“The pool of borrowers in 2020 seems to increasingly come from the upper leg of the K.” The highest possible credit score in the FICO system is 850. A score higher than 740 is considered excellent.

“A FICO score is not an indication of wealth,” says radio host and author Chris Hogan, a personal finance expert. “It’s more of an indication of how you’ve dealt with debt.”

Rising scores come with an upside for both lenders and borrowers: A homeowner with a credit score approaching 800 is exceedingly unlikely to default. For borrowers, that means little risk of a financially devastating foreclosure.

“If you sign on to buy a home before you’re ready, it can be more of a curse than a blessing,” Hogan says.

What you can do Your credit score is the single most important factor in determining your mortgage rate. Here’s how you can boost it — and what to do if your score won’t go any higher: Pay down credit card debt: If you have a choice between tackling debt or scraping together a larger down payment, it’s wiser to focus on the debt, because that should improve your credit score.

Pay monthly bills on time: Payment history plays the biggest part in your credit score. To keep from forgetting to write a check, automate your routine payments.

To avoid a missed payment, build your emergency savings.

Consider an FHA or VA loan: Compared to conforming loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs carry less stringent rules about credit scores. However, the upfront fees are higher.

Know when enough is enough: The best mortgage deals go to borrowers with scores above 740, but improvements beyond that point won’t do much to affect your rate. Keep an eye on your score, of course, but understand that boosting it from 790 to 800 won’t get you a better deal. ©2021 Bankrate.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

THE CRE PRESIDENTS PRESENT: A POST COVID CONVERSATION Beyond the Surface: Top CRE Presidents Discuss Key Factors Driving Commercial Real Estate!

On June 24th, 2021, the CRE Summit will host a one-hour virtual discussion comprised of our industry’s most valued CRE company Presidents. This panel will put together leaders of the Omaha and Lincoln communities who have spent 20-40 years developing and nurturing the real estate and businesses in their respective communities.

Insights will be shared on how COVID-19 has affected their business internally and externally, what their companies are doing to succeed and move forward in a post-pandemic era, and the different trends they see across the industry to stay relevant and get back to in person. “Attendees will gain additional expertise in the commercial real estate development process and insight for their practice into the trends, which will be critical to their success over the coming years,” says Founder and Chairman of the Commercial Real Estate Summit, Jerry Slusky of Smith Slusky Pohren & Rogers LLP. “We think this panel can be an excellent way to re-introduce and reinvigorate the CRE market and let our attendees know what the experts are thinking and doing.”

The virtual meet up will take place using Zoom on Thursday, June 24th at 10:00am CST at no charge to those that wish to join.

Continuing education credits will be offered to those that tune into the live discussion.

An invitation link has been shared via the CRE Summit’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages as well as emailed to all current and past Summit attendees. Checkout our Facebook page and other digital event communications to learn about our participating industry leaders.

For More Information For more information regarding this free virtual meet up please contact planit inc at cresummit@planitincevents.com.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

UPCOMING

SECTIONS

IN THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

JUNE 18

LBJ LINCOLN BANKING

SARPY COUNTY GROWTH REPORT

JUNE 25

OFFICE TRENDS

SUSTAINABILITY

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REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

Briefs…

Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal is the host of the new video and podcast series, Nebraskanomics. Nebraskanomics is available on YouTube and in audio format on platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The main focus areas of the Platte Institute’s research and advocacy include regulatory reform, tax policy, and government spending.

On each episode of Nebraskanomics, Vokal will offer a big-picture view of the economic barriers Nebraskans in all parties can work together to address in these areas, and host discussions with people who are working to create new opportunities in the state. An archive of past interviews and broadcasts can be found at platteinstitute.org/podcasts.

Black Hills Energy released its 2020 Community Impact Report, highlighting corporate contributions, volunteerism efforts and overall economic impact last year. In Nebraska, the company’s charitable giving in 2020 exceeded $1 million and direct economic impact totaled $142 million. This included charitable giving, compensation to 440 employees, franchise fees, payments to suppliers, and property, sales and use taxes paid to our communities. Black Hills Energy serves nearly 297,000 natural gas utility customers in 319 communities across Nebraska.

Great Plains Communications now offers direct and secure connectivity from enterprise on-premise networks to leading cloud service providers, through GPC Cloud Connect. To meet enterprise customer network and application performance requirements, GPC Cloud Connect provides a direct connection to bypass the public internet.

Processing time and latency are minimized, and employees can access virtual desktops and applications as if they were on-premise.

STATUS, a pre-used luxury handbag retailer, has opened in Aksarben’s InnerRail strip. The shop specializes in sustainable luxury fashion, providing high-end items at a more accessible price point. These goods are marked up to 50% off of their retail price.

Education notes…

Partnership 4 Kids was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Lincoln Financial Foundation in support of the agency’s College & Career Readiness program for students grades 6-12. This program cultivates young people who are prepared for post-secondary education and professional careers that will elevate them out of poverty. Currently, there are more than 600 students from 10 target Omaha Public Schools enrolled in the program. With curriculum-based lessons enhanced by mentor support and post-secondary, career exploration experiences and summer enrichment workshops P4K helps students navigate academic transitions.

Jillian Wallen has been named as the new dean of the Creighton University School of Dentistry, effective Aug. 1.

Wallen succeeds Mark Latta, who will step down July 31, after 10 years as dean. Wallen currently serves the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry as assistant dean for extramural activities and outreach and as chair of the Department of Growth and Development. In 2018, Wallen was named the Merritt C. Pedersen Professor of Dentistry.

The Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance has created a new scholarship to help University of Nebraska–Lincoln students pursue internship

opportunities at major trade-related organizations. The Yeutter Student Scholar Award will provide a stipend to Husker students who are awarded valuable, often highly competitive trade internships. A minimum of one $5,000 award will be granted each year beginning in fall 2021 to help pay the travel and living expenses of a student who secures an unpaid or modestly paid internship for a trade-related organization such as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Applications will open in September.

Health care notes…

A University of Nebraska Medical Center team finds that training the immune system is a safe option for therapeutic development. A team of researchers at UNMC, working with Partner Therapeutics of Lexington, Massachusetts, has completed a proofof-concept 12-month study demonstrating that Leukine treatment for Parkinson’s disease is well tolerated and safe. Disease signs and symptoms proved stable and secondary drug-related toxicities were near absent. The data proved promising, so that the study was expanded to 24 months and had enrolled additional subjects in the extended study.

Activities of nonprofits…

The Education Professional Network of the American Alliance of Museums presented awards to four museum programs demonstrating innovation and impact in the field. The Pandemic Innovation and Education Awards recognizes museum education projects that have been created, reinvented, or revamped in response to supporting audiences during the pandemic. The Durham Museum’s Museum Live! program was selected as the winner in the mid-sized museum category. Designed to connect students to history and to each other, Museum Live!, a weekly broadcast for students created by The Durham Museum, comprises multiple, short, recurring segments such as “Today in History” and “History Mystery.”

Humanities Nebraska is seeking nominations for the annual Sower Award in the Humanities, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the public understanding of the humanities in Nebraska. The Sower Award will be presented prior to the 26th annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities. Anyone may nominate an individual. The selection committee will consider nominees’ contributions to history, literature, culture and other areas of the humanities and how this has inspired and enriched personal and public life in Nebraska. Nomination forms can be completed on the HN website and must be submitted or post-marked by June 18.

Arts & events…

The Children’s Museum is hosting Poppy’s Happiest Weekend from June 11 through June 13. Activities will include: Escape from the Bergens Races and Ramps, DIY Trolls Headbands, and DIY Trolls Spiders.

The three-day Cinco de Mayo Omaha Festival will take place June 11 through June 13 along South 24th Street and Plaza de la Razza at 24th and N streets. The festival will feature live music and entertainment, carnival ride, a parade, food and more.

The NCAA Men’s College World Series kicks off on June 19 and will run through June 30 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. Tickets Continued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 • REGIONAL LANDSCAPES Continued from preceding page. are available at ncaatickets.com and prices vary.

The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is hosting the second annual Father’s Day Car Show from noon to 5 p.m. on June 19. The event will continue the following day. There will be make-and-take activities for kids, vintage care photo opportunities and a DJ. Tickets are available online.

The Omaha Freedom Festival & Concert is taking place on June 19 at the Malcolm X Birthsite, 3448 Evans St. in Omaha, from noon to midnight. This free event will provide cultural and historical celebration in addition

to entertainment, education and resource information. Local and national recording artists will provide live entertainment starting at 6:30 pm., tickets required. VIP tickets for the concert are available and include a food buffet, access to Top Shelf Bar, early admission and designated seating under tents.

The 12th Annual Polishfest will take place on June 19 from noon to 11 p.m. at Crescent Moon Ale House. There will be an outdoor beer garden featuring a variety of polish brews, live music, polish food from Ale House Grill, and Polishfest merchandise.

This is a family-friendly event, and leashed dogs are welcome.

Subscribe and pay online today at MBJ.com The Lincoln

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MEETINGS AND SEMINARS Tuesday, June 15 The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce will host the virtual 2021 State of the County from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Speakers will present on a range of topics including: legislative updates; sewer expansion projection; Sarpy County update; COVID-19 economic impact and recovery; and a federal legislative update.

Registration is available online.

Day one of the two-day virtual Grant Writing Palooza event will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Discussions, in order, include: The Psychology of Giving — Understand your donors, their intent, and how they view philanthropy, presented by Randall Hallett, Hallett Philanthropy; Online Fundraising Performance — Does Your Nonprofit Measure Up presented by Jay Wilkinson, Firespring; and Asking Thru Adversity presented by Matt Lehrman, Social Prosperity Partners. Registration is available online.

The Nebraska Enterprise Fund is hosting Member Talks with Grow Nebraska — How to Prepare For Financing starting at noon. The Framework “How To Prepare For Financing,” provides an overview of how to understand a lender’s position when asking for an investment.

Registration is available online.

Wednesday, June 16 Day two of the two-day virtual Grant Writing Palooza event will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue until 3:15 p.m. Discussions, in order, include: Utilizing the Logic Model in Grant Writing, presented by Agne Dizona, Joslyn Art Museum; Events in a Digital Age: How to Maximize Offline Events in an Online World, presented by Kiersten Hill, Firespring; The Anti-Small Talk Event, presented by Kevin Mahler, Contributed Line Fundraising Consultancy and Jessica Wolford, University of Nebraska Foundation; and Data and Funders — Demystifying Reporting and Evaluation, presented by Matthew Henkes and Malena Rousseau, Iowa West Foundation. Registration for the event is online.

The Nebraska Enterprise Fund is hosting Odee Ingersoll, certified valuation analyst with the NBDC, for a conversation on Fair Market Value of Business, Part II. Starting at 11:30 a.m., Odee will walk through a complete valuation engagement, and discuss what is needed, what is produced, and what it means. Registration is available online.

The American Marketing Association Omaha Chapter is hosting a virtual webinar on branding from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Keynote speaker Park Howell will present “How to Hook Your Audience in Under 15 Sections with Your Brand Story.” In this interactive workshop, attendees will learn the ABT (And, But and Therefore) foundational narrative

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framework. Howell, a 35-year branding veteran, will discuss applied science and storytelling techniques that have helped grow brands by as much as 600%. Registration is available online.

Thursday, June 17 The Professional Insurance Agents for Nebraska and Iowa are hosting a webinar on Adventures in Aging: Understanding Social Security and Medicare from noon to 3 p.m. Chris Amrhein will discuss topics such as eligibility, enrollment, changes, costs, benefits, limitations and more. This course is approved for three L/H CE Hours. Registration is available online and closes June 14.

Heartland Workforce Solutions is hosting its third Better Business Workshop virtually from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. This workshop will focus on Funding for Businesses to Train New Employees. In this session, participants will have the chance to learn about various government-funded programs that help youth and adults gain job experience through funding made available to businesses to hire and train these individuals. Registration for the class is online.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Business Ethics Alliance will host an in-person event. The Emerging Leaders Summer Speed Ethics Event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Corkscrew Wine & Cheese in the Blackstone District.

This networking opportunity enables young professionals to discuss important ethical topics with Omaha business leaders in a group setting.

Members of the Emerging Leaders, a group of young professionals who volunteer at the Business Ethics Alliance, will also be in attendance.

Tickets are $10 each, and are available online.

Tuesday, June 22 The Professional Insurance Agents for Nebraska and Iowa are hosting the webinar Personal Lines Coverage Concerns: Annoying But Important from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Scott Treen will review a variety of annoying but important auto and homeowner’s coverage concerns found in policies sold daily by agents everywhere. Three P/C CE hours are available for this course. Registration is online and closes June 19.

The Professional Insurance Agents for Nebraska and Iowa are hosting the webinar Nailed It: Understanding Insurance Requirements in Construction Contracts from noon to 3 p.m. Catherine Trischan will discuss common concerns regarding construction contracts, requirements, and the role played by the insurance agent. Contractual liability, waivers of subrogation, additional insured requirements and other issues will be discussed. Three P/C CE hours are available for this course. Registration is online and closes on June 19.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

In the Spotlight Paid Content

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING Appointed

Kim Cowman Vice President, Officer LEO A DALY

Kim Cowman has been appointed vice president and an officer of LEO A DALY. Cowman earned the appointment in just under 20 years with the firm, which acknowledges her stature, reputation, drive to achieve the firm’s strategic goals, and her embodiment of its vision, mission and values. An expert in mechanical design, Cowman leads complex design projects and is a skilled ambassador in dealings with clients, collaborators, and the

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING public, and as a change agent instilling a positive culture. The appointment follows her promotion in 2019 to the newly created position of National Director of Engineering. She holds Professional Engineer licenses in eight states and Guam and was recognized nationally in 2020 with a 40 Under 40 Award from Building Design + Construction.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING Promoted

Jeff Monzu Market Sector Leader — Healthcare

Appointed

Jason Galley Senior Associate LEO A DALY

Jason Galley has been appointed to senior associate, recognizing his exceptional professionalism, dedication, and constant demonstration of the firm’s vision, mission and values. After five years leading business development for the firm’s Omaha studio, Jason’s appointment recognizes his proven ability to consistently lead and manage teams, effectively forecast and respond to market drivers, develop new business and contribute to the community.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

limited basis, and who helped lead the firm to No. 11 in Modern Healthcare’s top architectural firms.

Promoted

Chris Rupert Market Sector Leader — Public & Institutional

LEO A DALY

Jeff Monzu, AIA, NCARB, has been promoted to Market Sector Leader – Healthcare. Jeff has led healthcare projects large and small, including the $110 million CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center – Bergan Mercy and the $86 million Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center. Jeff recently celebrated 27 years with the firm, and he succeeds John Andrews, who will continue to help lead projects on a

LEO A DALY

Chris Rupert, AICP, LEED AP, has been promoted to Market Sector Leader – Public & Institutional.

Formerly director of planning, and after 17 years with the firm, Chris will continue to lead planning efforts as well as manage projects for public and institutional clients such as Metro Transit Omaha, City of Omaha and national guard units in Nebraska. Chris also formerly led projects for federal clients, her

work spurring the need for a new position as both markets expanded.

Chris drives talent development, client relations, operations, project oversight and business development, and she continues to manage some of the firm’s most complex public and institutional projects.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING Promoted

Amy Schaap Market Sector Leader — Federal

others. She has developed extensive design knowledge and is conversant in the design language for each agency.

LEO A DALY

Amy Schaap, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, FHFI, has been promoted to Market Sector Leader – Federal. Amy was promoted to this newly created position following 18 years of managing projects for federal clients. Amy draws on experience with the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration and National Park Service, and several Submit your company’s employee announcements to Spotlight@mbj.com

Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

31

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• APRIL 26, 2019 ss Journal •

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in many local charitable organizations, some of which include GO Beyond Nebraska and the Heart Ministry Center.

He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Ollie Webb Center, Head Start, and Morningstar Lutheran Church. Chris and his wife, Cindy, a former Baird Holm attorney, have three children. “I knew the lawyers at Baird Holm for many years before I joined the Firm. I deeply admired the collegiality and talent of the lawyers and wanted to be a part of it,” said Chris. “When I was able to join Baird Holm, its culture was everything you could hope for in a law practice. I am proud of the Firm and grateful to my partners who have trusted me to do this. I look forward to

continuing the success Rick helped foster.” Baird Holm LLP's integrated team of 92 attorneys, licensed in 22 states, is committed to connecting each of its valued clients to the positive outcomes they seek. With extensive and diverse expertise, Baird Holm leverages each attorney's skills to respond efficiently to its clients' local, regional, national and international legal needs. Founded in 1873, Baird Holm proudly represents public and private companies, individuals, private funds and other investors, financial institutions, governmental entities and nonprofit organizations. Learn more at www. bairdholm.com.

32

• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal

A special section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Aug

HYBRID

Virtual + In-Person

conference.com

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference returns with hybrid format for 2021

by Michelle Leach

In its 40th year, the Institute for Career Advancement Needs (ICAN) is gearing up for its 28th installment of the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference. The annual event, now in a hybrid in-person/ virtual format, will explore the theme of “IN SIGHT: Step Up. Stand Out. Stand Together,” on Aug. 11 at CHI Health Center Omaha and through its virtual platform.

Additionally, there will be a series of virtual events June 16, July 14 and Sept. 8.

These new opportunities present learning supplements, additional touchpoints with speakers, leaders and attendees and largely keep the dialogue, energy and experience going to create a complete conference season experience.

“The ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference is always educational and inspirational for women in business,” said ICAN President and CEO Susan L. Henricks. “This year it will be all about how women must step up and advocate for

This is where the notion of “Step Up themselves and for their careers — and for and Stand Out” comes into play. The conthe women that follow.”

Henricks noted that women need to ference, via programming such as presentake on opportunities to gain visibility, tations featuring female and male leaders apply for big jobs, ask for stretch assign- in the community and national and global thought leaders, is helping atments and to seek true sponsortendees to define ways to step up ship. and stand out. Instead of waiting “Women need to be more for career-advancing opportuniconfident in believing they can ties to come to them, Henricks move up in their organizations underscored, women need to and define a career path that moseek out those next steps — be tivates them,” she said. “Women it mentorship, taking on projects need to sponsor/mentor others to outside their day-to-day role, or lift up all women leaders.” ways to grow skill sets.

She also emphasized men More to its programming, need to sponsor and/or mentor the conference will equip atwomen more than they do today.

Henricks tendees with examples, tools “We want women in busiand approaches on exactly how ness to understand that they own their careers and their career trajectories,” Hen- to ask, when to ask and what to ask to gain ricks said. “Their company or organization visibility and exposure in one’s career, does not own this; their boss does not own she said.

Henricks also indicated that this this. Each individual owns their career. stepping up and standing out not only There is wonderful potential in that.”

positively affects the individual doing the asking, but also has a positive effect on all fellow women leaders’ careers.

“A collection of our conference speakers will focus on the difference between a mentor and a sponsor,” she said. “A mentor can help make introductions and give valuable advice. So, that you can guide your career.”

The mentor/sponsor distinction is important.

“A sponsor can go a number of steps further by leveraging their reputation, their position and their personal capital to advocate for your success, to advocate for you to get to that next position,” Henricks said. “Women need true sponsorship in order to move up in their organization.”

In fact, the morning keynote featuring leadership authority Herminia Ibarra of the London Business School will explore: “The Spectrum of Sponsorship.” Other keynotes and skill-building workshops will feature the likes of Black Girls Code’s Kimberly Bryant, TEDWomen’s Pat Mitchell and The Cru’s Tiffany Dufu on topics about having a seat at the table, embracing risk to change the world and the future of women’s leadership, respectively.

“Another key element of our theme this year is the importance of volunteer experience in the community and/or sitting on nonprofit boards,” Henricks said. “Clearly this is win-win, for the community and important for businesses to support their employees in engaging in the community.”

She noted such participation provides a key avenue for women in business to give back, to learn and to develop skills in a different setting than the regular business environment. This notion supports both the women’s careers and allows for the business to stand out, too.

“Finally, the ‘stand together’ element is all about how we collectively support the pipeline of all women leaders,” Henricks said. “How do we also help others around and behind us to stand out, have access and be visible and empowered to elevate their career?”

When asked about the identification of “IN SIGHT: Step Up. Stand Out. Stand Together,” especially during a historical time of social transformation, Henricks indicated how ICAN leans into its own: its guru of conference development, Lisa Kaplan. “[Lisa] does constant and consistent research on what are the most important business trends and what are the current, most important skills and capabilities for women in business to succeed,” she said.

“This year, we looked at where women are succeeding, where women are falling behind and the still low percentages of women in leadership and executive leadership positions. So, how do we equip women to move into leadership? To move into executive leadership? And, overall, to make a difference in the pipeline of women leaders of the future?

“We equip women with the skills and tools to advocate for themselves to step up and advocate for themselves and their career, to cultivate a working relationship with a mentor/sponsor and to increase their skills and experience to stand out and to Continued on next page.

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

Hybrid format for 2021

Continued from preceding page. participate in and give back to their community to stand together and support all women leaders.”

Additionally, every year, the conference presents opportunities for women to learn new skills and ideas to inspire and to help maximize their career potential. Typically, 3,000-plus people attend (women and men).

“When the day is over the feedback is generally, ‘Wow! That was a really wonderful and empowering day of learning and growing,’” she said.

This year, the conference will be no less inspiring and empowering; however, to accommodate continued public health and safety precautions, in-person attendance will be at a socially-distanced 50% capacity — half of what would normally be accommodated in the venue space at CHI Health Center.

“We’re excited to provide another inspiring day, and for this year to have both an in-person and virtual audience,” she said.

Director of Marketing, Communications and Events Allison Schorr Zach said that ICAN is optimistic about the trajectory of the pandemic, current health conditions in the community, and access to vaccinations as August approaches. In consultation with industry and health experts, partners, vendors and board members, ICAN decided in early May to offer a hybrid format.

The decision was also informed by sponsor and attendee surveys that indicated interest in both options.

Alongside logistics vendor, planit inc, ICAN was also encouraged by safe and successful hybrid events across the country.

“We truly believe we can create an equally rewarding, robust experience for both our in-person and virtual audiences and, most importantly, a conference that meets the interests, comforts and safety expectations of all,” Zach said. “We’re

“We want to reinvigorate our attendees and their companies to be ‘IN SIGHT’ and refocused on their future and potential." -Allison

Schorr Zach, director of marketing, communications and events at ICAN. saying, ‘A fantastic conference experience from any spot — at the office, from home or down at the CHI Health Center Omaha!’”

She noted a renewed “spirit,” via both the format and by delivering keynotes and learnings in varied ways (i.e., mix of live on-stage and remotely from across the globe).

“It will be an engaging and dynamic mix of presentation styles, formats and interactivity for both our in-person and virtual audience,” Zach said.

Also new this year, are a series of pre-

conference and post-conference events in represents its largest speaker roster to date. the surrounding months to create a full “The learning potential, variety of ‘conference experience.” They will feature topics, high energy and access to discover speakers like Nicole Sahin of Globaliza- something new is going to be really special tion Partners, Chanda Chacón, CEO of this year,” she said.

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, There is opportunity presented by Bravium HD’s Nicole Bianmyriad delivery methods, no chi, SHARE Omaha’s Marjorie less reducing logistical barriers Maas, Omaha Public Power Disto content and connections. trist President and CEO Timothy “Our intention is to bring our Burke, and Blue Cross & Blue programs and conferences back Shield of Nebraska President to in-person,” Zach explained. and CEO Steve Grandfield.

“But, we definitely see the op“Both our in-person and portunity to integrate a virtual virtual audience will have acelement in a variety of ways cess to the virtual platform going forward through all of prior to and after the event, for our ICAN program and event a limited time, to connect with offerings.”

Zach other attendees and have acThe overall “mood” and cess to the on-demand speaker experience that Zach hopes readpresentation recordings for reviewing ers will share in is defined by words like for 30 days,” she said. “In addition, our “unifying” and “inspiring.” series of pre- and post-conference virtual “We want to reinvigorate our attendees events are open to our entire audience for and their companies to be ‘IN SIGHT’ more shared experiences, learning and and refocused on their future and potenconnections.” tial,” she said. “We think it will be quite In all, Zach said the 2021 conference special this year to feel like you are truly

3

part of a special event, bringing together women leaders from many, many locations — virtually and in the same room — to ‘stand together’ for themselves and each other.”

Her call to action? “Be inspired. Focus on your visibility and career path. Get out into the community to step up and serve and develop your skills, and take action to mentor/sponsor another woman leader to do the same.”

Even after the conference events are history, there are continued opportunities to keep the conversations and action going.

“In addition to the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, ICAN also holds a series of leader development programs for the individual, team and organizational level,” Henricks said. “Our four-month Defining Leadership program, kicking off again in September, is a great program and resource to develop and invest in a leader to rise and advance in the workplace and in life.”

In November, its Examining Unconscious Bias program will further help leaders, Continued on next page.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Experts bring elements of the Women’s Leadership Conference theme to life

by Gabby Hellbusch

Each year, the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference selects a variety of speakers to reflect a different aspect of its theme. For 2021, the event’s theme is ‘IN SIGHT: Step Up. Stand Out. Stand Together.’

“Through our speaker selection, we will put a spotlight on how women can increase control over their career trajectories through greater exposure and experience — using strategies like sponsorship, volunteer work, peer networking and seeking stretch assignments,” said Lisa Kaplan, conference development at ICAN. The first speaker at the event will be Herminia Ibarra presenting on ‘The Spectrum of Sponsorship,’ whose research explores why too few women are reaching the top of their organizations. In addition to Ibarra, speakers like Shadé Zahrai and Tiffany Dufu will inform and inspire the audience to view their career journey through a new lens.

With the presentation, ‘Step into your Power,’ Zahrai said she will share how by “combatting the self-limiting beliefs that keep them stuck and stagnant, becoming clear on the

unique value they bring and contextualizing how their strengths contribute to an organization’s bottom line, women will be ready to confidently communicate their vision and leadership pur-

Tiffany Dufu, a consultant and national strategist on leadership and women, will share her vision of female leadership in the future, and her belief in cultivating a peer network to

Kaplan Mitchell pose and to have greater clarity in their goals and aspirations.”

She will infuse motivation, psychology research and storytelling with practical strategies and solutions to shift mindsets and drive positive action in women to increase confidence and accelerate success — so they fully step into their power.

Zahrai Miller provide a long-term support system.

Additionally, Kaplan said the personal stories of speakers Kam Phillips-Sadler and Pat Mitchell will showcase success stories of sponsorship and mentorship.

Mitchell said a more inclusive team at the top of all organizations and institutions leads to better bottom lines and better relations with

Union Pacific celebrates the women who lead us — on the rails, in the office and everywhere in between.

That’s why we’re proud to be a sponsor of the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference.

Union Pacific supports diversity in the workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer inclusive of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

customers and citizens.

“Preparing women and, in particular, women of color who have disproportionately confronted barriers to leadership, is a priority for me and is the objective of my mentoring, sponsoring and advocating for women and women of color for leadership positions across all sectors of life and work,” Mitchell said. “In my remarks, I will share the learning gained from the cohort of global women leadBianchi ers, across geographies, generations, private and civil society — who work together for collective problem solving.”

Also, during the event, Kimberly Bryant, CEO and founder of Black Girls Code, will share her story on how she created the organization, and her vision of the future. Her keynote title, “What 2040 Means To Me,” references her goal to reach one million Black girls by 2040.

She will also share what her own next steps will be as a female leader looking for her next opportunity to Step Up and Stand Out. With workshop speakers Tara Jaye Frank and Jo Miller, Kaplan said the audience will receive tangible and tactical information they can immediately implement.

Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, Miller developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be.

“It’s been my observation that professional women are quick to recognize the value of having a mentor, and aren’t shy about seeking them out,” Miller said. “At the same time, there’s research showing that ambitious women underestimate the career-transforming impact that a sponsor can have, and that high-potential women can be over mentored and under sponsored relative to male peers — and their careers suffer as a result.”

Additionally, Kaplan said the event will explore the importance of men as allies for women with Brad Johnson and David Smith, co-authors of “Good Guys: How men can be better allies for women in the workplace.”

With its new hybrid virtual and in-person platform, she said the conference will provide Continued on next page.

Hybrid format for 2021

Continued from preceding page. by identifying blind spots, developing inclusive leadership and fostering equity, according to Henricks. ICAN’s line-up of custom programs built to run internally for organizations are offered year-round.

If, however, there was one thing Henricks would want prospective attendees to know about this annual conference tradition, they should be ready to open their minds to learn and open their thoughts to further shaping their leadership journey.

“And, to spend some time being mindful and intentional about their careers, and those behind them that they can also help to ‘stand out,’” she said. “So, we can all ‘stand together.’”

Read on for more information on all of the conference presenters and agenda, and visit the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference website at icanconference.com for more and to register.

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

Authors of 'Good Guys' book address role men can play in women's success

by Dwain Hebda

In their first book, “Athena Rising; How and Why Men Should Mentor Women,” authors Brad Johnson and David Smith outlined effective mentor relationships, played out across gender lines.

Now the former Navy officers are back at it. As one of the keynotes of the 2021 ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, they will delve into their latest work, “The Good Guys: How Men Can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace,” exploring the delicacies of cross-gender mentoring in the era of #MeToo. “Our methodology for both books has been to go interview lots of women and ask them, in behavioral terms, what it looks like for you in real life when a guy really shows up who’s an excellent mentor,” Johnson said.

“What are those behaviors that you most

Bring theme to life

Continued from preceding page. the most robust agenda it has ever had. In addition to offering the complete conference content for a full 30 days online, ICAN will offer two pre-conference events and a post-conference event to present a full conference season.

“Audience members will hear stories from senior leaders — both global and local — on how our theme resonates with them: how stepping up and standing out for themselves and others has led to their success,” Kaplan said. “Nicole Sahin, CEO of an international organization, offers a perspective for the June

5

appreciate? What are the things that some men do that you don’t appreciate? We really aggregated all of that data and came up with what women wish men knew about being better in the workplace.”

Smith said many men shy away from being a mentor to female counterparts due to the complexities of issues related to equality and appropriateness.

“There are two pieces to that for men as mentors,” he said. “One is remembering that it’s about treating women the same, but also recognizing how we all experience the workplace differently and not making assumptions about others. It’s meeting people where they are and where their career needs are in the same way.

“From the mentoring side of the street, it’s really easy to convey to your mentees

that this is the path you should take. This is what worked for me, you should do the same.

And if they go and do those things, it feels really good that they go off and they succeed and they look kind of like you. But the fact is, people have very different career goals and dreams. Developing awareness of how people experience the workplace differently and what their goals and dreams might be is a starting point.”

Both men admit to a personal motive for wanting to see more Smith effective male-female mentoring in the workplace.

“I’ve got one sibling and she’s a Navy captain, a total rock star,” Johnson said. “Three combat deployments, aircraft carrier tour, she’s a commanding officer right now. Yet as I’ve watched my sister’s career journey, I have to

say that she experiences stuff every week that I, as a naval officer, never experienced.

“Guys tell her that she should smile more often. If she gives direct feedback, she’s abrasive and emasculating. She’s actually been told, ‘You shouldn’t run quite so fast on the physical fitness test, because it makes the guys feel bad when you beat them.’ In David’s case, it was his wife, who was a classmate of his at the Naval Academy. And he’s had the same experience. He’s Johnson watched her career and it’s looked very different from his. So, for both of us, it’s the business case, the research that motivates us. But it’s also the personal side of the issue.”

Lisa Kaplan, ICAN conference developContinued on page 10.

16 pre-event (open to the public on icanconference.com) on what sets apart leaders with leadership experiences beyond traditional job parameters.

“And we have senior leaders within our own community whose examples of leadership and allyship serve as examples to our audience for the July 14 pre-event for conference registrants only. CEOs Tim Burke of OPPD and Steve Grandfield of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska need no introduction in the Omaha business landscape, and we are pleased to introduce our community’s newest female CEO: Chanda Chacón, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital and Medical Center.”

She said the post-conference event set for Sept. 8 has been designed to offer specific takeaways for audience members. Local leadership consultant and ICAN faculty member, Nicole Bianchi, will deliver a keynote on how to harness the teachings from the conference into an action plan for the audience members to map their own career trajectory.

Bianchi is a founding partner at Bravium HD, where she is a professional speaker, facilitator and International Coaching Federation executive coach leading leadership, team alignment and culture-building workshops. In her presentation, guests will learn how small brave moves made often will compound over

time creating a competitive advantage, both in life and business.

“With this foundation of bravery, leaders can then intentionally craft a thriving culture of bravery for themselves and others,” Bianchi said.

Kaplan said ICAN will also offer a Community Volunteerism Panel Discussion during the Sept. 8 post-event, hosted by Marjorie Maas, executive director of SHARE Omaha.

“SHARE Omaha will be showcased as a vehicle for emerging leaders to explore and put into action the tips and tools learned as part of our conference theme to Step Up and Stand Out in our community through volunteer opportunities and more,” Kaplan said.

YES YOU CAN Kiewit is a proud sponsor of the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Board of Directors Our Board of Directors share how they have exhibited the ‘Step Up. Stand Out. Stand Together’ spirit in their career journey through mentorship, sponsorship & community engagement.

SHASTA WRAGGE

Chair Bank of the West I am forever grateful for the mentors and sponsors I had throughout my career and it is my way to pay if forward. I always encourage my mentees to get out of their comfort zone but encourage them to do it in a safe space. ,Q RXU WLPH WRJHWKHU , ߔQG WKDW ZKDW , VD\ LV D pay it forward, I am gaining as much out of the relationship as they are.

MARSHA GRAESSER

Vice Chair WoodmenLife To support a culture where emerging leaders thrive, my two non-negotiables are: 1) Paying it forward 2) Following up and following through. Why? How else do you create a culture where people feel like they matter? Leadership is part sponsorship and part mentorship.

That means helping others have experience and exposure opportunities to help them grow for themselves and for the future state of the organization.

JACKIE PUEPPKE Secretary Baird Holm LLP

ADAM LANGDON

Treasurer FNBO Encourage and support people to TRY. More “at bats” = more opportunities for “hits” and “home-runs”. Everyone is better than you - at something. Tap into that experience by serving others.

JENNIFER CINTANI

Member at Large Nebraska Total Care I owe a debt of gratitude to the women and men who have guided me throughout my career, and the least I can do is pay that IRUZDUG ,W‫ڕ‬V DOVR VHOߔVK WKH EHVW IHHOLQJ LQ WKH world is seeing someone you helped (even in a small way) succeed!

MICHAEL GEARY Member at Large CMG Holdings

AILEEN WARREN

Member at Large University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha I truly believe in the concept of reaching back and helping others. I had so many great mentors and sponsors who were instrumental in helping me progress in my career that I know the value of this action and feel obligated to do the same.

MISSY BEBER

Metropolitan Community College

CECIL HICKS

Omaha Public Schools

HELEN HRDY

15& +HDOWK I encourage emerging leaders to take on an additional project, outside of their usual role, or work on a multi-disciplinary team that is tackling a problem or documenting a solution so that they are seen, heard and can interact with different individuals in the company to showcase the talents they bring to the team.

TONYA KAMINSKI

FNBO One of the most impactful things I can do as a leader in my organization is sponsor emerging professionals by giving them opportunities to “step up and stand out”. It is critical for these emerging leaders to get practice with a coach in their corner to guide them as they practice and grow. The organization gets the EHQHߔW RI GHYHORSLQJ D OHDGHU IRU IXWXUH LPSDFW WKH LQGLYLGXDO JHWV WKH EHQHߔW RI FDUHHU JURZWK and I get the privilege of watching them shine!

KRISTEN KAMPFE

NANDITA DALAL

Lincoln Financial Group Being a mentor and sponsor has made me a better leader allowing me to be more resilient and a compassionate individual. In a time of incredible change, professional disruption, and overwhelming challenges in the virtual work environment, mentorship has provided a sense of purpose and empowerment.

ALICIA EDSEN Kiewit Corporation

SHARI FLOWERS

Methodist Health System

DEBBIE HAMLETT Nebraska Public Media

KIMBERLY HESS

8QLRQ 3DFLߓF 5DLOURDG $V , UHߕHFW RQ P\ FDUHHU , KDYe had the opportunity to engage with VHYHUDO VWURQJ OHDGHUV ZKR LQVSLUHG PH WR ‫ߔژ‬QG my voice”, not only in my core work group, but PRUH VSHFLߔFDOO\ RXWVLGH RI WKDW JURXS 7KLV was a critical part of my leadership journey, and now, it is my turn to advocate for others who are beginning their leadership roles. Accepting challenges beyond the day-to-day duties provide excellent opportunities to further build and stretch leadership skills sets. Be intentional!

Scoular I have had many iQߕXHQWLDO PHQWRUV and sponsors who have helped to propel my career forward and foster my personal development. In mentoring and sponsoring others, I appreciate having the opportunity to “pay it forward” and help others reach their full potential.

MICHELLE EPPLER

Bellevue University Mentoring emerging leaders is the most rewarding thing you can do as a leader. Guiding and sharing lessons learned helps you as a leader as much as it helps them. Seeing them apply your guidance and succeed is priceless.

DANA KILLINGER

Fiserv I believe we all have value and talent to bring for the greater good.

If we all take the time to mentor and help that next potential leader develop their skills and foster their talent, we are essentially contributing to the overall potential for them as well as the company we support. I learn as much from the people I mentor and am inspired by their stories and struggles.

SHARLYN KONFRST

Farm Credit Services of America Serving others in our community helps me learn, grow and further GHߔQH ZKR , ZDQW WR EH DQG KRZ , DP DEOH WR VKRZ up in the world. Knowing myself and what I am most passionate about enables me to know when to step up to new challenges and opportunities in both my career and personal life.

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

LYNETTE LANE RYAN

Taking the time to mentor others is some of the most rewarding work I’ve done in my personal and professional life. When you take the time to share your experiences and passions with others to help them reach their full potential it is incredibly rewarding.

COLLEEN MACIEJEWSKI

Immanuel Communities Much of my career and free time has been dedicated to working in the nonSURߔW VHFWRU VWDUWLQJ D QRQ SURߔW DQG YROXQWHHULQJ LQ RU VHUYLQJ RQ JRYHUQLQJ ERGLHV IRU QRQ SURߔWV Throughout these experiences, the theme that remained consistent was the intention to do good things, to add to the good of the whole and to be a good person. This intention has always come back to me tenfold. The wish and intent to do good not only allowed me to experience the altruistic high of making a positive impact in others’ lives, but created new leadership skills, forged connections with like-minded leaders and strengthened my own capacity to be good and do good things - at work and outside of work. This is the true power of a growth minded outlook.

MELISSA NEWTON Olsson

AMBER PHIPPS

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Vulnerability takes courage and as a mentor it’s important to show that making mistakes is normal -- that’s how you learn and grow. Provide space and opportunities for others WR ߕRXULVK DQG QHYHU ZDVWH \RXU DELOLW\ WR FKDQJH someone’s life.

JENNIFER RICHARDSON

Boys Town I will be forever grateful for the experiences and opportunities provided to me by mentors throughout my career. Paying that forward to others is one of the highlights of my career.

MICHAEL ROGERS

Gilmore & Bell, P.C Volunteer service gives us the opportunity to step up and share our own skills and expertise with the community, while gaining diverse experiences for personal and professional growth. Dedication and hard work in volunteer service will make you stand out in unexpected ways, and will naturally lead to career advancement.

KATHERINE SANTANA

55th Force Support Squadron, Offutt AFB I encourage people to seek out opportunities or experiences that could expand their capabilities and further develop their skill set ZKLFK LQ WXUQ EHQHߔWV WKH ZRUN FHQWHU

TRACY SCHAEFER

Conagra Brands I have been given so much great advice and investment through my career thus far...paying it forward becomes the heart of my next career stage.

LORI SNYDER

State of NE Department of Health and Human Services Encouraging women to shine a light on their accomplishments helps them be recognized for their contributions. They step up DQG D VWDQG RXW :H DOO EHQHߔW

LINDSEY SPEHN

Gallup I mentor because the future success of our organizations and communities depends on it! To me, there is no better legacy to leave than to be a small part of someone’s personal development and leadership journey on their path to a fully thriving life.

Step up.

NINA SWANSON

Omaha Public Power District

KATHY TIBKE

Mutual of Omaha I have been fortunate to be a Board member and now an Executive Sponsor of our Women in Leadership (WIL) ERG. The programming and relationships I have built through my involvement in WIL has allowed me to help others in their career journey.

JONI WHEELER

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska I believe people are a company’s greatest asset and that if a company puts people at the center of their business, then their business will thrive. This doesn’t work unless a company has strong leaders that model what ‘great’ looks like for a successful organization.

I am extremely passionate about developing healthy leaders and I believe there is a leader in all of us and that you don’t have to be a manager or executive to make a difference and create a ripple of positive change.

I meet people where they are in their journey and help them step up and step out as a leader by helping them discover their super power or leadership strength. Then I work with them to EXLOG FRXUDJH DQG FRQߔGHQFH WR JR RXW DQG XVH their power to make a difference in their team, their organization, their community.

Stand out.

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SUSAN HENRICKS

Stand together.

TEAM TRACY STUART

AMY MCLAUGHLIN

LISA KAPLAN

JULIE BURRELL LILLIG

ERIN POTTER

ALLISON SCHORR ZACH

SAMANTHA FLYNN

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

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ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

Leading Women Fiserv is proud to be a Diamond Partner of the 2021 ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the advancement of women in leadership.

At Fiserv, we value diverse thoughts and opinions, backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities because we know diversity helps us arrive at the best answers to questions, the best solutions for clients, the best workplace for our people and the best engagement with our communities. We believe in creating an inclusive environment where the more than 44,000 individuals who constitute our global team feel welcomed and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work each day.

As a global leader in payments and fintech, we are working to redefine how people and businesses move money and information. Learn more about opportunities with Fiserv at fiserv.com/careers. © 2021 Fiserv, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

ICAN enables connections in leadership development programs through virtual

by David Kubicek

pants can develop and strengthen their relationships with top leaders. They also can learn “up close and in person” from those that have been there and done that and who have a sincere desire to help further the development of the students.

“The programs cause participants to concentrate on, or sometimes discover, their actual values and it's by doing so that they are better poised to move with intention, both personally and professionally,” Wilson said.

“Leadership is more than a position or title, it’s the action and example you demonstrate, and the way you intentionally influence others toward a common vision or goal,” said Laura Roccaforte, ICAN faculty member and president and CEO of The Learning Exchange. “We believe that knowing yourself is key to finding intention in your career path, and knowing yourself is a journey and an investment in continually improving your

Lillig Wilson or virtual, help individuals step up and stand out by helping each person find the leadership styles and strategies that are right for them. Our programs honor the individual by homing in on how they can lead authentically.”

Steven Wilson, founder of Zoned Strategies and an ICAN faculty member, called ICAN’s leadership development programs “top talent peer groups.”

“High-potential employees are brought together in a learning environment and as a result, are exposed to strategic thinking, new connections, and diverse skill sets,” he said. “One key to their success is their unshakable expectation that senior leaders not only support the efforts of the participants, but that they also engage with them, formally and informally, throughout the course.”

Through this level of involvement, partici-

Roccaforte Nimps self-awareness.”

During the pandemic, ICAN’s programs were delivered to groups as large as 45 people through virtual platforms, and program leaders were able to gain a level of depth and participation that was encouraging and impactful for a virtual format.

“While everyone would have loved to be together in person, we were able to facilitate extraordinary conversations in breakout rooms and participants were able to grow and develop to the leaders they needed to be during these challenging times,” Roccaforte said.

Investing in employees is part of the culture of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, which is an ICAN partner/customer, according to Director of Organizational Development Tom Nimps.

“Employees are a company’s most valuable asset and fostering an inclusive, employee-first environment helps us attract and retain top talent,” he said. “We believe that every employee, no matter their role or job title, can lead from where they are.”

Offering a variety of leadership development programs for all levels empowers employees to take ownership of their professional development and career path.

“Our leadership development programs equip employees with skills they can use inside and outside of our company,” Nimps said. “It’s incredible to see what employees can accomplish when they know they can make a difference right from where they are.”

The firm has had great success taking its programs virtual.

“Like many, there was a certain level of uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic, but our teams were able to quickly adapt and excel in working and learning from home,” Nimps said.

ICAN is excited about the new and beneficial service offering to deliver certain leadership program virtually, while also looking ahead to a safe return of the ICAN standard in-person experiences and connections for its program participants and customers.

ICAN worked hand in hand with each customer and the program faculty to identify key strategies to shift in-person programs to virtual.

“Companies have been incredibly committed to developing people in a very difficult year,” said Julie Burrell Lillig, ICAN vice president of strategic partnerships.

ICAN programs help organizations develop their pipeline of talent. Participants get a unique development experience focused on experiential learning, and organizations get authentic leaders who build strong teams, create solutions, influence cross functionally, navigate meaningful change, and accelerate what is possible.

“Virtual programs had the same interactive feel and were extremely well received,” Burrell Lillig said. “ICAN programs, whether in-person

podcast

with ANDEE Hoig Relentless about rehab.

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Role men can play

Unrivaled. Relentless. HERE.

Continued from page 5. ment, said the duo’s topic has never been more important in the workplace than now.

“Women in executive positions say the mentors and sponsors who guided them in their careers were critical to their success,” she said. “And yet, evidence consistently shows women face more barriers in securing mentorships, sponsorships and allies in the workplace, particularly in corporate America, than men do.

“As the majority of the power positions still remain men, women need male advocates in the workplace. You need a person in a position of power to advocate for you successfully.”

The Johnson and Smith keynote on Aug. 11 will be preceded by a local take on Omaha’s “Good Guys” for the July 14, registrant only, pre-event featuring a conversation with Omaha Public Power District’s Tim Burke and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska’s Steve Grandfield on their experience and efforts as workplace allies in our local business community.

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • JUNE 11, 2021 •

Agenda Agenda

June 16 16 || Pre-Conference Pre-Conference VIRTUAL VIRTUALEvent EventI:I:Insight Insighton onCommunity Community June 9:00-9:30 a.m.

CT / Publically accessible on ICANconference.com 9:00-9:30 a.m. CT / Publically accessible on ICANconference.com How Giving Giving Back Back Makes Makes Us UsBetter BetterLeaders Leaders How Nicole Sahin: Sahin: CEO CEO and and Founder, Founder,Globalization GlobalizationPartners Partners Nicole

July 14 14 || Pre-Conference Pre-Conference VIRTUAL VIRTUALEvent EventII: II:Insight Insighton onLeadership Leadership July 9:00-10:00 a.m.

CT / Open to registrants only via our virtual platform 9:00-10:00 a.m. CT / Open to registrants only via our virtual platform

How My My Personal Personal Volunteer VolunteerExperience ExperienceHas HasShaped Shapedmy my How Leadership Journey Leadership Journey Chanda Chacón, Chacón, President President &&CEO CEOof ofChildren’s Children’sHospital Hospital&&Medical MedicalCenter Center Chanda

The Good Good Guys: Guys: Omaha’s Omaha’sWorkplace WorkplaceAllies Allies The ICAN’s Susan Henricks interviews Timothy Burke,President President&&CEO, CEO,Omaha Omaha ICAN’s Susan Henricks interviews Timothy Burke, Public Power Power District District Steven StevenH. H.Grandfield, Grandfield,President President&&CEO, CEO,Blue BlueCross Cross Public Blue Shield Shield of of Nebraska Nebraska Blue

August 11 11 || Conference Conference Day Day August

Agenda is is the the same same for for the the virtual virtual and andin-person in-personaudience. audience.Speaker Speakerbios biosand and Agenda descriptions of of their their keynote keynote sessions sessionscan canbe befound foundatatICANconference.com ICANconference.com descriptions 9:00-11:55 a.m. a.m. CT CT MORNING MORNING GENERAL GENERALSESSION SESSION 9:00-11:55 Welcome + Opening Remarks: Susan Henricks,ICAN ICANPresident President&&CEO CEO Welcome + Opening Remarks: Susan Henricks, Herminia Ibarra Ibarra -- The The Spectrum Spectrumof ofSponsorship Sponsorship Herminia Kam Phillips-Sadler Phillips-Sadler -- IfIf You’re You’reNot Notat atthe theTable, Table,Be Beon onthe theMenu Menu Kam Pat Mitchell Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing RisktotoChange Change Pat Mitchell - Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk the World World the Brad Johnson Johnson and and David David Smith Smith--Good GoodGuys: Guys:How HowMen MenCan Canbe beBetter BetterAllies Allies Brad for Women in the Workplace for Women in the Workplace 2021 ICAN ICAN Leadership LeadershipAward AwardPresentation Presentation 2021 Shadé Zahrai Zahrai -- Step Step into into Your YourPower Power Shadé 11:55 a.m.-1:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. p.m. CT CT LUNCH LUNCH 11:55 1:00-3:15 p.m. p.m. CT CT AFTERNOON AFTERNOONGENERAL GENERALSESSION SESSION 1:00-3:15 Kimberly Bryant – What 2040 Means to Me Kimberly Bryant – What 2040 Means to Me Skill Building Tara Jaye Frank Workshops: - Stretch into your Future Tara Jaye Frank Stretch into your Future Jo Miller: Make Your- Value Visible Jo Miller: Make Your Value Nicole Bianchi - Stand Out withVisible Bravery Nicole Bianchi Stand of Out with Bravery Tiffany Dufu - The -Future Women’s Leadership Tiffany Dufu - The Future of Women’s Leadership 3:15 p.m. CT Conference Concludes 3:15 p.m. CT Conference Concludes September 8 | Post-Conference VIRTUAL Event September Post-Conference 9:00 a.m. CT8/ |Open to registrants VIRTUAL only via ourEvent virtual platform 9:00 a.m.

CT / Open to registrants only viaown our “In virtual platform Nicole Bianchi: Brave Steps to Your Sight” Journey Nicole Bianchi: Brave Panel Steps moderated to Your ownby“In Sight” Journey Community Volunteer Marjorie Maas, SHARE Omaha Community Volunteer Panel moderated by Marjorie Maas, SHARE Omaha

2021 ICAN ICAN Partners Partners 2021 EDUCATIONAL PARTNER DIAMOND

DIAMOND Bank of of the the West West Bank Methodist Health Health System System Methodist Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad Kiewit Kiewit Fiserv Fiserv

GOLD GOLD Markey’s Rental Rental & & Staging Staging Markey’s SILVER SILVER Blue Cross Cross and and Blue Blue Shield Shield of of Nebraska Nebraska Blue Children’s Hospital Hospital & & Medical Medical Center Center Children’s Deloitte Deloitte Emspace + + Lovgren Lovgren Emspace Farm Credit Services of of America America Farm Credit Services FNBO FNBO Fusion Medical Medical Staffing Staffing Fusion HDR HDR Lincoln Financial Financial Group Group Lincoln Metropolitan Utilities Utilities District Distric Metropolitan NRC Health NRC Health Omaha Steaks Steaks Omaha Omaha Public Power Power District District Omaha Public Valmont Industries Industries Valmont

EDUCATION BellevueUniversity University Bellevue MetropolitanCommunity CommunityCollege College Metropolitan Midland University MBA Program Midland University MBA Program MEDIA MEDIA NebraskaPublic PublicMedia Media Nebraska Midlands Business Journal& Midlands Business Journal metroMAGAZINE SPECIAL THANKS AIM Institute SPECIAL THANKS Baird Holm LLP AIM Institute Business Baird HolmEthics LLP Alliance Immanuel Business Ethics Alliance Immanuel

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• JUNE 11, 2021 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

The 28th Annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference sets its

sights on how increased visibility, advocacy and sponsorship of women leaders — from within their organizations and out in their communities — leads to career advancement and greater influence. It’s a win-win situation for leaders and their organizations, strengthening both company talent and social responsibility efforts.

Join our keynotes on

Speakers

Explore what actionable steps women can take to forge a path in their leadership. This diverse and powerful lineup of speakers will guide attendees in visualizing their aspirations, garnering the necessary exposure, and acquiring the experience and support to manifest them.

Together, we will illuminate how individuals, businesses and the greater community can reap the benefits of these achievements and advance the pipeline of all women leaders.

Shadé Zahrai

Step Into Your Power

Pat Mitchell

Kam Phillips-Sadler

Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World

If You’re Not at the Table, Be on the Menu

David Smith & Brad Johnson

The Good Guys: How Men can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace

Kimberly Bryant

Black Girls Code: What 2040 Means to Me

Nicole Bianchi

Stand Out With Bravery

Herminia Her minia Ibarra

Tara Jaye Frank

The Spectrum of Sponsorship

Stretch into Your Future

Tiffany Ti ffany Dufu

Jo Miller

The Future of Women’s Leadership

Make Your Value Visible

THANK YOU to our Conference Partners!

View the full list of partners at icanconference.com

REGISTER NOW at:

ABOUT : The mission of the Institute for Career Advancement Needs is to develop inspired, authentic leaders to transform the organizations and communities they serve. For 40 years, ICAN has developed leaders who create limitless possibilities for themselves and their organizations. We are your trusted and credible partner for all things leadership. ICAN inspires bold thinking, deepens self-awareness, expands capacity & builds leadership networks that define the future of business. Our leader development programs include Defining Leadership, Examining Unconscious Bias, individual and team development through on-site + virtual custom programs & services, coaching, assessment workshops and dynamic Leadership Exchange 7x7x7 events. Learn more at ICANglobal.net.