Midlands Business Journal March 15, 2019 Vol. 45 No 11. issue

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MARCH 15, 2019

THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS

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VOL. 45 NO. 11

Rob-See-Co eyes opportunities to strengthen market penetration

by Richard D. Brown

Mini salon Jazzy Little Ladies opens its doors, promotes health and wellness for young girls. – Page 3

40 er d Un 40 Clark leverages proximity, quality of life to promote Fremont.– Page 4

t en ym ing o l p aff Em& St

Competitive job market requires a departure from past approaches to hiring.

– Page 5

Elkhorn-based Rob-See-Co, a family-owned independent, regional seed company with roots that are 131-years deep, is seeking to grow its base by at least 700 new customers in its predominate 10-state trade area that extends from Illinois to the Rockies and from North Dakota to Southern Texas.

“We want to increase the penetration of our corporate marketing footprint and do that by selling more seeds to both existing and new customers,” said Chief Executive Officer Rob Robinson.

The western Douglas County firm with 70 employees has about 4,000 customers, a number that Robinson said the business seeks to increase by at least 700 each planting season.

Rob-See-Co’s office, for about 20 corporate employees, is at 1015 N. 205th St. In addition, agronomy and full-time direct sales representatives are located throughout the territory served.

“We cross all segments of our Continued on page 9.

CEO Rob Robinson … Increasing footprint to boost seed sales.

(Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)

New LGT Transport headquarters boosting opportunities for growth

by Becky McCarville

To accommodate the growth of LGT Transport, the Omaha-based cryogenic liquid and industrial gas transportation trucking firm moved into an 8,000-square-foot facility in the Hilltop Industrial Park near 132nd Street and Interstate 80 in August 2018.

Owner Pam Spaccarotella, who founded the company in 2012, said that the 20 office employees were

“stepping all over each other” in the previous space.

“We’re growing at about 20 to 25 percent a year,” she said. “It’s a good clip — doesn’t seem like there’s an end in sight.”

In addition to the modern office space, two heated maintenance bays add 5,000 square feet and the parking lot can accommodate 10 tractor-trailers. The acre-and-a-half Continued on page 9.

President Ashley Kuhn and Executive Vice President Maranda Adams … Seasoned real estate, finance and construction professionals fill need in market for transparent, consultative services irrespective of project type.

Blair Freeman Group building upon early wins in real estate market with comprehensive services

by Michelle Leach

Owner Pam Spaccarotella … Expanding product line of industrial gas and cryogenic liquids hauling capabilities.

Blair Freeman Group may have only recently launched in the latter half of 2018, however the Omaha-based general construction firm’s founders are leveraging a combined 30 years of commercial and residential real estate experience to have the robust workload that makes “When will we hire more people?” a daily conversation for partners Ashley Kuhn and Maranda Adams.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Is this real life? Are all these calls coming in ‘real life’?” said Kuhn, the former White Lotus Group executive and Blair Freeman’s president. “We will probably be adding [more employees] in the next 30 days.”

Kuhn and Adams, the firm’s executive vice president, are joined in the business based at 4616 Dodge St. by Director of Real Estate SerContinued on page 27.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

JH Design Interior Design Studio grows portfolio with national clientele

by Savannah Behrends

With the addition of another designer, Omaha-based JH Interior Design Studio has nearly doubled an even spread of commercial and residential projects. This, coupled with the curated showroom, has encouraged a repeat clientele and client referrals.

One such client invited the firm to de-

JH Interior Design Studio Phone: 402-934-3474 Address: 721 N. 98th St., Omaha 68114 Services: commercial design, residential design, project management, space planning, illustrations and styling.

Founded: 2007 Employees: eight designers Goals: Continue to grow national portfolio, adding designers while keeping the firm boutique.

Industry outlook: Despite national studies that suggest many interior designers are struggling to find new clientele, JH Designs flourishes as a result of customized solutions and designs, driving return clientele and referrals.

Website: juliehockney.com

sign multiple locations in Omaha as well as a Kansas City location and four properties in Denver, all with various design needs.

“I feel like [those projects] built our portfolio so we could do bigger projects here,” said President and Interior Designer Julie Hockney.

She believes return business is a result of the firm’s two-part process, the first of which is like an in-depth interview.

“We tell clients that we’ll ask more

President and interior designer Julie Hockney … Two-part process helps grow commercial and residential portfolios. questions than they will initially,” she said. sleeper to color and lighting choices, as Determining the needs for each inwell as durable flooring. dividual project in the highest detail is The second part of the process is the paramount to customer satisfaction. execution. While designers may not be “We can design something that looks hand-installing light fixtures or tiles, great, but if it’s not functional it’s not going Hockney said it’s important to have deto work for them,” she said. tailed instructions for those installing.

Considerations can include everything Designers must be able to tackle both from blackout curtains for a sensitive parts, but most tend to be better at one

The Midlands Business Journal's

Business Minute Name: Kris Loberg.

Title: Director of worksite benefits.

Place of employment: UNICO Group.

Hometown: Dodge, Nebraska.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in social work.

How I got into the business: I didn’t wake up one day and think, “I want to be an insurance agent.” I was visiting with a friend Kris Loberg, in the industry, and director of she said, “You belong in sales.” I in- worksite benefits, UNICO Group terviewed with Art Jetter & Co. 18 years ago and haven’t looked back since.

First job: My first job was with a collaborative program, which helped families with special needs. In addition to social services, the program provided intervention services, such as occupational, speech or physical therapy, to help infants and toddlers grow and develop with their families in the process.

Kris Loberg, director of worksite benefits, UNICO Group

The toughest part of the job: I offer supplemental benefits to employees through their employer. When an employee has a claim, it means they’ve suffered a significant accident or sickness, which is unfortunate. However, I am happy to know the extra money will help them through a difficult time.

The best advice I have received: Always treat others with respect regardless of the situation. You never know how that kindness will be repaid.

About my family: I have two amazing kids. Jacob is 18 and a senior in high school, and Skylar is 14 and in 8th grade.

They will both experience milestones this next year as Jacob goes to college and Skylar enters high school.

How my business will change in the next decade: Supplemental benefits will become an integral part of comprehensive benefit strategy as deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses threaten the financial wellness of today’s workers. In addition, more groups will adopt online enrollment. We will see fewer and fewer employees electing benefits

using paper applications.

Mentor who has helped the most in my career: Art Jetter has been one of the most influential people for me in my insurance career. He taught me the industry and how to write good business and have fun doing it.

Outside interests: I enjoy spending time with family, traveling, watching movies, and exploring new spots for dinner and drinks.

Pet peeves: People who walk on the wrong side of a hall or sidewalk. Stay to the right; just like you do when you drive.

Favorite vacation spot: I am impressed by the magnificence of the sea. A beach vacation with a view of the ocean is my favorite vacation spot.

Other careers I would like to try: I think I would enjoy industrial or organizational psychology. I would like to coach and inspire people to increased performance.

Favorite movie: “Shawshank Redemption.”

(Editor’s note: To nominate an interesting businessman or woman for the Business Minute, please e-mail information about the person to news@mbj.com.)

process, which is where the team environment comes in. While most projects can be tackled by one designer, larger ones require input from a few.

Currently a team of designers is working on a 10,000-square-foot new construction home, but the firm also works on individual rooms, like master bedrooms and kitchens, and remodels.

Having a showroom and offices under one roof helps save time for both the firm and clients. Having hand-picked items staged for clients to feel and touch can help in the design process.

A lack of local, unique inventory originally sent Hockney to markets across the country.

“When we would go out looking for something, we couldn’t find what we wanted and we were told that this was all we could get because it was the Omaha market,” Hockney said. “That’s why we started going to markets and buying our own stock.”

Now she visits multiple markets in cities such as Dallas, Chicago and Las Vegas and picks from different designers.

Keeping up to date on trends requires constant research but she said that’s just “part of the challenge.”

The continuous need for new processes as the firm continues to expand is another challenge.

Having a smaller staff allows Hockney to oversee almost all of the projects and lend a hand when needed.

“Even though we are growing and adding designers, I don’t really want to grow into a large firm,” Hockney said.

“We’d like to keep it more curated and like a boutique.”

Midlands Business Journal Established in 1975

PUBLISHER & FOUNDER, Robert Hoig

ADMINISTRATION VP OF OPERATIONS, Andrea “Andee” Hoig

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

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING CONSULTANT, Catie Kirby ADVERTISING CONSULTANT, Julie Whitehead OFFICE OFFICE ASSISTANT, Rosemary Gregurich BOOKKEEPING/LEGAL NOTICES, Beth Grube

(402) 330-1760 Zane D. Randall (1925-2006) Co-founder LeAnne M. Iwan (1932-1986) First News Editor

The Midlands Business Journal (ISSN 0194-4525) is published weekly plus one by MBJ Inc. and is available for $2.00 per individual copy or $75 per year. Editorial offices are 1324 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68144. Periodical postage paid at Omaha NE POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Midlands Business Journal, 1324 S. 119th St., Omaha, NE 68144. All submissions to the Midlands Business Journal become the property of the Midlands Business Journal and will not be returned.

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

-The Publisher.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

3

Mini salon Jazzy Little Ladies opens its doors, promotes health and wellness for young girls

by Gabby Christensen

Upon noticing a lack of options in the Omaha market for spa services catering to young girls, owner/founder Jazmyne McMiller made the decision to open the doors of Jazzy Little Ladies, a mini salon specializing in youth services that provides a kid-friendly atmosphere for girls ages 4 to 14.

Jazzy Little Ladies Phone: 402-612-0553 Address: 3610 Dodge St., Omaha 68111 Founded: February 2019 Service: spa and salon service catered to young girls in the metro area Goal: To help young girls understand the importance of self-care with an ultimate objective to expand in the future.

Website: www.jazzylittleladies.com

A grand opening ceremony was held Thursday, Feb. 14 at the spa location in Midtown, nestled at 3610 Dodge St., in which guests were invited to take a look at the new space.

Services were highlighted during the celebration, such as manicures, pedicures, hair braiding and styling and facial services.

The salon, which is open Thursday through Sunday each week, also offers birthday and party packages accommodating up to six girls per party.

Merchandise, such as friendship bracelets and all-natural lip balms, are also for

Owner and founder Jazmyne McMiller … Identifying a niche for for young girls to have their own space to get pampered. sale at the shop. don’t specifically focus on the needs and “I created the business to fulfill wants of little girls. Here at our salon, a need in our community,” McMiller everything is designed with young girls said. “There’s an abundance of salons in mind.” and spas for adults in the area, yet they Lately, health and wellness has been

a substantial trend and McMiller said she hopes to promote this movement through offering words of encouragement and organic treatments in a space where young girls can feel at ease.

“We are all about making personal wellness fun, affordable and accessible,” she said. “We don’t want parents to spend a fortune for their girls to have a great time — we aren’t about that. Above all else, our main mission is to create a completely kid-friendly atmosphere where girls can unwind, disconnect and feel truly comfortable by being surrounded by their peers.

I want my young clients to know what it means to have a lifestyle that encompasses health and wellness, both physically and emotionally.”

As a new business owner, McMiller is still working on getting orders processed while handling other miscellaneous tasks that pop up.

As the business grows, she said she hopes to add employees.

Ultimately, she said her goal is to expand and have multiple locations someday.

But for now, McMiller hopes to lay the groundwork for a thriving business.

“As an African American woman, I really love to see others in the black community do well,” she said. “I hope to be successful not just for myself, but for the community as a whole. Most importantly, I’m just so excited to meet and pamper all of the little princesses who walk through our doors.”

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Clark leverages proximity, quality of life to promote Fremont Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of profiles featuring Midlands Business Journal 40 Under 40 award winners — entrepreneurs, business owners, managers and professionals under 40 years of age.

by Dwain Hebda

Fremont, Nebraska, is a long way from our nation’s capital, but it’s a cultural and geographic transition that Washington D.C. native Garry Clark has made well. As executive director for the Greater Fremont Development Council, he sees a lot of potential in Fremont, a message he preaches to all who will listen.

“It’s location, location, location,” he said. “We are not only partners of the Omaha Economic Development Partnership, but we are close in proximity to the growth that’s moving in this direction from that region.

We have lots of workers that commute and we also have the additional landbank that’s available for growth.

“We now have to make sure that we engage all avenues of life. Quality of life is paramount now; if you want workforce, that’s got to be a key focus priority in your

organization. How people get heads in beds, needing space for people to live but also making it an experience for people, that’s key.”

Clark said the game-changer for smaller, outlying communities such as Fremont is to take a different approach to economic development, one that focuses on promoting quality of place as a means to attract new residents and businesses.

“I think it’s definitely a transformation paradigm shift for rural and economic developers,” he said. “No longer can we chase smokestack organizations and companies and walk away from them feeling that we have succeeded. We now have to make sure that we engage all avenues of life.

“We talk about the millennial push: A lot of the millennial reports show that people aren’t looking for jobs as much as they are looking for a place, so it’s become incumbent on economic developers to be educated in what place making is and translate that into jobs, workforce and a desirable community.”

Clark, whose work earned him an

Proud Sponsors of the 2018 40 Under 40:

Executive Director Garry Clark … Taking a different approach to economic development for the smaller community. invitation to present at the Nebraska Gov- Cornhusker State to attend Dana College ernor’s Economic Development Summit, in Blair, where he earned a bachelor’s said smaller communities hold certain degree in sociology. He also holds a masadvantages in this effort as various stake- ter’s degree in urban studies, earned from holders have a tendency to work together the University of Nebraska at Omaha in well to get things done instead of getting 2006. He said while his first exposure to caught up in turf battles or red tape.

Nebraska was one rife with culture shock “We are definitely engaged in tan- (detailed in his recently completed memoir gible results,” he said. “Last year, we “Unlikely Viking”), he’s long since settled established workforce housing, which into the Nebraska ethos. is under our quality of life effort, but “Coming from Washington, D.C., yeah we also plan to roll out a small business it’s a shift, but what can be applied here is incubator campaign. We are rolling out the fact that people are people,” he said. a countywide marking campaign. We “It’s about finding out that it’s not just that are engaging in the first-ever inclusion there are needs for our community but that organizational campaign for Fremont to there’s opportunity here as well. talk about diversity in the workplace and “We have those staples; we have esin the community. We have to be change tablished organizations that have made agents. We can’t wait for other people Fremont and Dodge County a place people to do it.” like to call home. I think we’re in a nice Clark has handled tougher challenges location to absorb and grow because we in his life, having been homeless for a big have that flexibility for space, people chunk of his growing up. He came to the and change.”

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

5

EMPLOYMENT & STAFFING

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

March 15, 2019

Competitive job market requires a departure from past approaches to hiring

by Michelle Leach

Just as one’s business evolves with industry trends, the nature of the market demands adaptation to attract and retain top talent.

“Our clients tend to seek out very specific skills and technology, which makes finding talent challenging,” said QAT Global HR Manager Brent Hodgen. “With low unemployment overall, staffing any position is a challenging effort. Ads placed are usually not producing solid candidates.”

Good caliber talHodgen ent may not be seeking work, and must be sought-out via social media or other methods.

InSearch Staffing’s Senior Staffing Manager Carrie White said, “We are blessed and cursed in Omaha when it comes to our current talent pool.”

“We have a stable economy with a lot of vibrant businesses,” she said. “With that comes a lack of qualified applicants to fill the needs of our clients.”

The need for contractual and full-time staff, White said, “changes our role for true headhunting and recruiting like never before.”

“Our clients find more value in using recruiting firms more than ever, as the majority of the sought-after candidates are passively looking at new opportunities,” she said.

Many won’t seek out advertised roles, and instead rely on a trusted recruiter.

“The best recruiters are capable of sourcing these candidates for employers without solely utilizing job boards that many employers rely on,” she said.

Carrie White, senior staffing manager at InSearch Staffing.

Smart companies realize Omaha has Antoniak said the firm has worked over great talent, and White indicated this calls the last year to create the likes of Better for resourcefulness.

Worklife Academy, a partnership with “The talent is not actively coming to Penn Foster to offer free, career-focused us as it did years ago,” she said. “By using course to all associates nationwide. speed, technology and networking, we “This initiative to underwrite courses keep one step ahead of the competition.” on behalf of our associates reinforces our In response to extremely low unem- company goal to help those who work for ployment and a “large skills-gap issue,” us to improve their skills, earn higher pay Director of Business Development Tabitha and better their lives,” she said.

Antoniak said Remedy Intelligent Staffing When asked about trends, Hodgen has launched programs to attract quality referred to social media and how to use employed or underemployed people — it in searching for talent: “Are candidates expanding the talent pool. turned off by approaching them through a “In today’s market, the companies social media tool? Or even texting a job that will have the edge in hiring are those solicitation?” helping to provide opportunity to advance “Data analytics is likely to continue to careers both professionally and financially be a talent trend that increases as we collect to those underemployed and in between data on so many items or interactions, but jobs,” she said. how do we present them to stakeholders

and dial in a message from all the static [data] that is being collected? Is it relevant? Can we use the data for predictive purposes?” he said.

Telecommuting is becoming more mainstream and, Hodgen said, tapping into flexible work arrangements is key to attracting talent.

“If the work is measurable and quantifiable, you should have some of it available for remote work or telecommute,” he said.

InSearch Staffing’s White referred to increased demand for higher-end conAntoniak tract roles, as clients are more willing to bring in temporary help for positions requiring higher skillsets.

“From the client side, we have seen an increasing trend of companies trying to buy back an employee who has just resigned,” she said. “The fight for talent is real and companies are more willing to increase their pay to keep the talent than ever before. Unfortunately, some candidates will use offers to get an increase from their current employers. It’s a frustrating trend for both hiring managers and recruiters.”

White noted many companies’ interview processes work against them.

“The timidity of hiring can cost you talent,” she said.

For the longest time, Antoniak said associates have been underpaid for the talent they bring to the workplace or for what makes sense for the cost of living in the area.

“We are starting to see companies raise Continued on page 6.

6

• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Employment & Staffing

Greater Omaha area job outlook remains steady as a workers’ market

by Jasmine Heimgartner

As Omaha continues to boast a low unemployment rate, it has created a need across industries that seems to be getting tougher to fill. For people seeking a career change or young adults entering the workforce, the job outlook seems to be a positive workers’ market.

“Right now, I see people don’t need to be looking for a job,” said Robin Arens, branch manager, Advantage Tech. “Recruiters are contacting them every day.

If I had to do it all over, I would put my faith in a recruiter.

Mayer They work with these companies daily and know the benefits and culture, and they can get you directly in touch with the hiring manager. Otherwise, a manger may never see your resume.”

For companies, filling the shortage often means rethinking how to attract and retain qualified people. Many are beefing up their benefit packages and offering professional development options, as well as internship opportunities to provide custom training for a future full-time employee.

So, where is the worker shortage? There are few industries that aren’t feeling the crunch, but some are feeling it more than others.

“Skilled trades are really struggling,” said Sam Mayer, branch manager, Nesco

Robin Arens, branch manager at Advantage Tech.

Resource. “This has been ongoing and boom of call centers in Omaha, administradoesn’t seem to be getting better. For years, tive jobs are also in great demand. people focused on sending their kids to get “That growth is only going to continue four-year degrees and didn’t pay attention to from companies that are currently building how successful someone could be in a trade. their staff and companies we know are comSo, there are now just not enough people ing to the area,” Mayer said. heading in that direction.”

New businesses coming to the area has Manufacturing professionals continue also resulted in a significant amount of to be highly sought after, especially main- construction. Finding experienced plumbers, tenance employees and mechanics. With the millwrights, electricians, carpenters and general construction personnel has become a difficult task.

“Industry-wise, there is a big shortage throughout the nation, and it is not slowing down soon,” said Scott Dwyer, general manager, Tradesmen International Omaha.

“It will continue to be a gap that grows. The more you continue to learn the better, but there are a lot of technical or trade schools that aren’t being used. You can come out of those with a fraction of the debt and have a fulfilling job using your hands.”

For those considering a career in a skilled trade, the future looks bright.

“There will always be a need in the

trade,” Dwyer said. “The next five years look very optimistic for these kind of careers.”

The evolution of technology has spurred a rapid need for professionals to fill various technical roles. From app development to leadership — especially software developers, architects in the IT space, quality assurance and business analysts — companies new and old are finding it hard to find and retain professionals.

“Companies are investing in their infrastructure and application development, which has increased the need for more talent,” Arens said. “If they had an older system that needed updated, that requires new talent. Companies are moving toward more specialization and looking for more specialized people.”

Across the board, the consensus seems to be that opportunities abound. The changing face of the working world is allowing more people to do what they enjoy in different realms.

“There are so many different opportunities and jobs that people aren’t aware of, and, especially in the technology space, the breadth is so large on what they can do,” Arens said. “Understanding these shortages makes it important for parents to help educate their child that they could have a great career in front of them.”

Approaches to hiring Continued from page 5. payrates in an effort to recognize the value that talented people bring to their organizations and the need to be competitive in a very tight unemployment market,” she said.

With low unemployment, Antoniak said finding talent with the exact skills the job requires may not be an option.

“Without having to compete at the highest wage for that talent, hire someone with the drive and train-up,” she said. “We do not always have the luxury of ‘exact skills’ walking in the door anymore. It’s so important to provide opportunity and good training for the underskilled, yet good talent out there.”

Employment & Staffing •

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

7

Employee development and training is important at all career stages

by Gabby Christensen

According to local experts, preparing current employees for management and leadership roles is a critical process involving significant development and training.

Victoria Novak, director of workforce and IT innovation at Metropolitan Community College, said companies of all sizes are looking for training that not only develops hard skills like fiber optics, but softer skills like team communication and leadership.

“Companies are finding solutions through MCC’s wide depth and breadth of programming revolving around non-credit competency-based training that can lead to industry certification, credentials and digital badging,” Novak said.

She said the MCC Workforce Innovation Division ‘Earn and Learn’ program works to identify and develop career skills that align with the right IT position, and then match those skillsets and education to help fill open positions from partner companies.

“So far, we’ve placed more than 200 students through our earn and learn program, and after one year, the program has an 87 percent retention rate,” Novak said.

Additionally, she said MCC’s project management academy starting this spring is designed for both those striving to become project managers and those looking to sharpen skills.

“We innovate to meet community and organization needs, so if, for example, a company came to us and wanted tailored leadership training to aid in developing specific skills, we have the ability to create training to provide that solution,” Novak said.

When it comes to development, Liz Hall, executive director of training and development at C&A Industries, said it’s critical to understand and treat each employee uniquely.

Additionally, she said it’s not just new hires that want time and attention.

“The most seasoned employees want to know where they stand, where they are going and how they are going to get there,” Hall said. “Employees want a coach, not a boss.”

Over the past few years, Hall said C&A Industries has implemented a series of assessments in order to provide employees an opportunity to connect with a career development coach.

“When an employee is confident in who they are, what their strengths are and what motivates them, it becomes very evident to all where their future lies,” she said.

Nuria Archer, Omaha branch manager at Robert Half, said many employers in Omaha are focusing more on hiring professionals for culture fit, making concessions on what were once considered “must-have” skills and opting to train workers more on the job.

Additionally, Archer said more local managers are offering regular feedback to their workers, and there’s an increase in mentoring relationships.

“For a business to weather change and continue to run smoothly, it's imperative to identify and train potential succes-

Novak Hall sors, not just for C-level positions, but for roles throughout the organization,” Archer said.

According to Archer, this is done by defining company leadership needs, identifying potential leaders, giving people a chance to prove themselves, setting clear goals, acknowledging achievements and keeping retention in focus.

“There’s no single path to becoming a leader,” Archer said. “You can’t design a one-size-fits-all leadership development program that will roll along like an assembly line, spitting out fully formed executives at the end. A smarter strategy is a flexible one that adapts to promising candidates’ needs as they progress along their professional journey.”

Chris Cottrell, recruitment and placement specialist at AIM, said organizations realize the importance of not only supporting their employees, but also developing skillsets to keep them from going elsewhere.

“People tend to stay when they feel cared for and, from an organization’s standpoint, the best way to demonstrate that is to offer opportunities for both professional and personal development,” Cottrell said.

Archer Cottrell “This has been a long-time practice, but an emerging trend we are seeing at AIM’s Interface Web School is organizations

providing IT certifications like web development, Java and .NET to associates in less specialized roles.”

Cottrell said initiatives like building internal IT pipelines are significant in preparing employees for management and leadership roles.

“Employees who demonstrate the initiative to advance their skills are typically stand-outs within their departments and potential candidates for leadership positions,” Cottrell said. “The drive to do and learn more coupled with additional training and company exposure are essential ingredients for preparing associates for leadership possibilities.”

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

• Employment & Staffing

Experts offer tips on finding, keeping the best employees

by Lee Nelson

It can be a challenge these days with low unemployment rates to not only attract quality employees but also retain them.

Bruce Stec, vice president of human resources at CQuence Health Group, said CQuence offers a full range of traditional benefits backed by a company-funded health savings account (HSA) plan.

“In addition, we’ve made it a strategic focus to provide additional, more unique perks that we believe help us recruit the best people in all kinds of roles,” he said.

“One of these benefits is an onsite gym with daily fitness classes, yoga and kickboxing.”

Their employees also enjoy volunteer time off and reimbursements for wellness-related activities.

“We’ve offered these benefits in large part because we’ve listened to what our employees say is important to them,” he said. “Our paid parental leave is one of the newest benefits that we believe separates us from other companies, as it signifies our commitment to not just employees but also their families.”

Given the many shapes that families can take in the modern world, the company felt it was only fair to apply this benefit to mothers, fathers and anyone who has gone the route of adoption or fostering, Stec said.

“The biggest draw I would say is just making sure that employees’ voices are always heard,” he said. “We take feedback very seriously here. Our leadership is also very committed to being transparent with our employees.”

Keith Peters, partner at Cline Williams, Wright Johnson & Oldfather LLP, has

seen employers using a variety of deferred compensation arrangements to attract and retain top talent.

Stec Peters “Some employers use their equity or an equity-like arrangement, to incentivize employees to improve company performance, while others opt for a more simplified approach that ties a bonus to certain performance,” he said.

At Cline Williams, Peters said in addition to competitive salary, the firm offers generous contributions toward health insurance and its retirement plan. To retain quality employees when unemployment levels are so low has become a team ap-

proach at Cline Williams, he said.

“We want new associates to understand how their work helps our clients to succeed and grow,” Peters s a i d . “ H o p e f u l l y, the associate can see how he or she can grow both personally and professionally as part of the team.”

Andy Dickmeyer, senior vice president at The Harry A. Koch Co., advises companies to ofDickmeyer fer insurance benefits that include multi-option medical offerings such as life, disability, dental and vision.

“Voluntary or employee paid benefits can be excellent options as well,” he said.

“Another area of financial wellness that companies can look to invest in a retirement plan and company match supported by regular financial wellness sessions for employees.”

In addition, companies should develop programs to reward and recognize employees for outstanding performance and

displaying the company’s mission, he said.

“Candidates are also looking for benefits such as personal development, volunteer opportunities and flexible workplace arrangements,” Dickmeyer said. “Benefit packages that allow employees to take care of themselves and their families are the most attractive in a competitive labor market.”

A company’s best “recruiters” are its employees, he said.

“Not only can they identify talent that fits with the corporate culture, but because they already have built strong industry connections and can effectively communicate the culture to top talent,” he said. “A referral bonus program can also incentivize the team to advocate for their company.”

Being a flexible organization doesn’t have to mean that the company takes a hit or loses productivity, he said.

“You can attract and retain employees by allowing them to get their work done, whenever and however it works best for them,” Dickmeyer said. “Examples of flexible work options can vary from a competitive paid time off policy to flextime or even telecommuting.”

Burning out at work? How to deal with the pile of pings, texts and emails

by Marcia Heroux Pounds

From work email and texts to that Slack message from your boss, technology has become entwined with our lives. For workers, tech tools can both help and hurt, making work-hours more flexible but also never-ending.

Workers may want to disconnect when

they’re with family or on vacation, but not all are convinced they can. South Florida experts in staffing, technology and psychology say if you don’t disconnect, you risk experiencing burnout. And that wouldn’t be good for you, or your company.

With the tight labor market, more employers are being Workplace flexible about how and where people work. While providing the tools that provide access to work, employers also need to be respectful of their employees’ time off, recruiters say.

“Everybody’s trying to seek that balance between professional life and personal life,” said Matthew Bourdeau, Florida manager for the Robert Half International staffing firm in South Florida. But with today’s technology access, “you’re switched on from the moment you wake up till the moment you go to bed.”

Striking a good work-life balance has been a hot topic, most recently drawing headlines in New York City. The Big Apple is considering a bill that would bar employers from requiring employees to check and respond to non-emergency emails, texts and other electronic communications sent outside of regular work hours, or retaliating against them if they don’t.

As a manager, “you want to make sure workers are able to disconnect, otherwise it leads to burnout,” Bordeau said. He said that job seekers today are asking about work-life balance at a company before they take a new opportunity.

Workers also need to monitor their addiction to mobile phones and other technology that allows access to email and other communications, experts say.

Robert Half International recently asked 2,800 IT managers and workers across the country if they could adhere to an after-work email ban. In the survey, three-quarters of the Miami-area technology managers believed they would be able to disconnect. But of IT workers surveyed,

only 40 percent of them said they could completely disconnect.

Tools a ‘double-edged sword’ Donna Kimmel, chief people officer at Fort Lauderdale-based Citrix Systems, which develops “work-anywhere” technology tools, said while technology has “transformed every aspect of our personal lives … technology can be a double-edged sword.”

Technology can fuel collaboration and lead to faster outcomes, it also “can distract, make us less productive, and in some cases overwhelm us,” she said.

But if used correctly, tools used to connect to work also can free us, Kimmel said.

Perhaps you want to take a vacation in May, but there’s a meeting on your calendar you can’t miss. With today’s virtual meeting tools, many workers can arrange to tune into that meeting and still take vacation, she says, as one example.

Kimmel said she makes sure she takes a meaningful vacation each year — advice from one of her former bosses. “Take care of yourself and you’ll be better able to take care of business at your company,” she wrote in Citrix blog post about her 2017 trip to Africa.

After 14 days of seeing “gorillas in the mountains of Rwanda to elephants and impalas on the Serengeti,” she came back with “new energy and fresh perspectives,” Kimmel said.

But to fully disconnect from work, communication with your manager is key, she said.

Sometimes people who are supposed to be on vacation, or taking other time off, keep on working out of guilt. If you communicate well with your manager, she said, “you can let go of that sense of guilt.”

Kimmel admits that even on a vacation or family trip, she brings along her mobile phone and laptop to do “quick checks” of her work email.

But the checks are infrequent, because Continued on page 10.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

9

New LGT Transport headquarters boosting opportunities for growth Continued from page 1. lot and building are designed for future expansion. Darland Construction was the builder and Schemmer provided architectural services.

The extra-wide, tree-lined streets and easy access to the interstate appealed to Spaccarotella when she was considering

LGT Transport, LLC Phone: 402-763-9653 Address: 13427 Lynam Dr., Omaha 68138 Services: transportation of cryogenic liquids, specialty gases and carbon dioxide Founded: 2012 by Pam Spaccarotella Employees: 20 at Omaha headquarters; 150-plus drivers Goals: Increase U.S. footprint in the southeast and expand internationally.

Industry outlook: Demand for LNG (liquefied natural gas) and other industrial gases is increasing as interest in alternative fuels grows.

Website: www.lgttransport.com

location.

“I wanted drivers to have access to the facility and I wanted it to be open — everybody wants an open concept in their homes — I wanted open concept and that’s why we have all the windows,” she said.

Facility amenities for drivers include showers and locker rooms, laundry, breakroom, an exercise room with 24/7 access, a driver’s lounge and free snacks and soda.

“Everything is focused on the driver,” she said. “They’re the ones who represent us — they’re the face of the company.”

The company has six locations: Baytown, Texas; Sacramento (northern California); Los Angeles (southern California); Memphis, Tennessee; Toledo, Ohio; and headquarters in Omaha. At Baytown, its second largest facility, the company started a trailer repair facility and then added ISO trailer repair services.

“We’re doing a lot of work on ISO containers, shipping ethylene overseas, which is used in the production of LNG (liquefied natural gas),” she said.

With 133 trucks, 100 trailers and 150plus drivers, including independent contractors, LGT Transport is expanding its customer base and product line.

“There are more and more opportunities,” she said. “When we started, we just did the straight oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide. But over time we’ve expanded into hydrogen and helium. Now we’re looking at LNG and ethylene — we bought an ethylene trailer this last year.”

Nitrogen brings in 40 percent of the company’s revenue, carbon dioxide 20 percent, oxygen 10 percent and everything else the balance.

“Everybody’s the end user [of industrial gases],” she said. “The products that we haul are used in everything you do, and you don’t have any idea it’s there.”

Carbon dioxide is used in soda, or in poultry or meat packing plants to freeze meat. Oxygen goes to hospitals, fisheries or water treatment plants. Nitrogen is currently being studied as a way to freeze foods and can be used in the oil fields for fracking.

The products the company hauls can also be used in the production of alternative fuels.

“The other reason why nitrogen’s so highly used is when you manufacture indus-

trial gases, you’re basically harvesting the air — nitrogen is the biggest component of the normal air that you breathe,” she said.

“So when you process that you take it into a tank and basically pressurize it and you lower the temperature and it comes out in liquid form. The biggest chunk of that is nitrogen, and then there’s oxygen and argon.”

Spaccarotella said the company plans to expand into the southeastern portion of the U.S. “You try to increase your footprint,” she said. “You try to expand it out so you can spread your resources. The more locations you have the less in and out miles for your customer, so that’s seen as a big plus.”

Spaccarotella is open to opportunities, including expanding internationally.

Currently, the company hauls into Canada and to the Mexican border, where the gas is loaded into Mexican trailers. There is a shortage of carbon dioxide in Mexico, she said.

Last year LGT Transport bought six container chassis to meet increased demand for hauling ISO containers to U.S. ports for international shipping. The company hauls to ports including Long Beach, Port Houston, the Port of Jacksonville and Port Elizabeth in New York.

LGT Transport promotes from within when it can and still employs its first five

drivers. She said the drivers help each other out when needed and go the extra mile for customers; for instance, a driver made a delivery to a company in Crete driving 12 miles per hour during the recent blizzard because the customer was running out.

As a feature wall in the lobby, Renze Display created a silhouette of LGT Transport’s first truck and trailer using photographs of employees. It’s been a hit with employees.

“These people still work here,” she said.

“Drivers come in and go up to the wall [looking for their photos]. It’s all about their lives.”

Rob-See-Co eyes opportunities to strengthen market penetration Continued from page 1. communities and serve the needs of those planting as few as perhaps 200 acres to those with 30,000 acres or more,” Robinson said.

“The key to our growth has been to develop strong relationships with our customers, offer them a simple, enjoyable buying process and to stress education regarding the performance of the products we carry.”

Rob-See-Co Phone: 855-450-1822 Address: 1015 N. 205th St., Elkhorn 68022 Services: independent seed company providing access to leading genetics and traits through Innotech seed brand, developing partnerships with customers to help plant the right seeds for long-term performance Founded: 1888 as J.C. Robinson Seed Co. by J.C. Robinson Employees: 70 Goals for 2019: Enhance sales numbers and overall experience for the customer; add at least 700 new customers.

Industry outlook: Niche exists for relationship-driven, independent seed companies as acquisitions have continued to change the landscape.

Website: www.robseeco.com

The field-ready training process is a differentiator, he added.

About 85 percent of Rob-See-Co’s sales are made through commissioned, independent sales associates. The remainder of transactions are made directly to producers.

Robinson, who credits growing up in a multi-generational Waterloo, Nebraska-based family who owned an ag-business enabled him to begin his “career” as a corn detassler at age 13. After graduating from Waterloo High, he attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he majored in ag studies and minored in business. After graduation in ’78, he started full-time in the Rob-SeeCo’s Waterloo-based firm as a production and warehouse worker. Later as production manager he headed a sales and marketing team of 60, plus another 1,100 part-timers.

The venture — under the corporate name of J.C. Robinson Seed Co. — steadily grew sales and by the late 1990s was competing successfully in a crowded field of more than 300 seed companies selling products in a relatively mature market. Midlands Business Journal reported in 1996 that J.C. Robinson was upgrading several of its structures in Waterloo, including a new $3.5 million con-

ditioning plant and storage facility, which tripled the amount of storage space available.

A 6,000-square-foot shipping and office structure was also erected.

In addition to the Waterloo facilities, plants were also operated in Fremont and Hastings, as well as Belmond, Iowa.

Robinson remembers the hectic growth years of the family business that also involved his older brother Doug and their father Ed Robinson, Jr., who retired about 20 years ago and still lives in Waterloo.

The Robinsons sold J.C. Robinson Seed Co. and its affiliates that made up the Golden Harvest brand in 2004 to Syngenta. Rob Robinson agreed to spend three transitional years with Syngenta. In 2007, he devoted six years working the family’s farmland in Waterloo and North Bend while launching Taste First, a firm that sold vegetables and

fruits with improved flavors that became one of the largest produce sellers in Omaha for two years.

Rob Robinson relaunched the Rob-SeeCo brand for the 2014 planting season.

Corn seed is about 75 percent of revenues, followed by soybeans at 20 percent.

Alfalfa seeds are about 5 percent of sales.

Sorghum products were added last year.

“We believe the timing is right as growers tell us they want choices,” Robinson said.

“When we can offer some of the best genetics in the industry, leading-edge technologies combined with an experienced sales force who have a personal connection to their customers … good things happen.”

He said Rob-See-Co’s footprint has been steadily increasing over the past five years.

Sales increased by 10 percent in 2018; Continued on page 16.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Young investors’ lifestyles drive investing decisions

by David Kubicek

The younger generation often has different values than its predecessor about living, and these values drive their investment decisions.

Younger investors value experiences, lifestyle and finding purpose for their lives, according to Dan Tucker, senior wealth advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors. They may not be as frugal as older investors and want to enjoy experiences now. They want financial stability without having to rely on family. They often change jobs more frequently than their parents, who have made their careers at one or two firms and deferred money into retirement plans.

“The older generation looks at wealth from a security viewpoint and as peace of mind, often deterring current gratification,” Tucker said. “Their focus often is not outliving their money and efficiently passing on their wealth.”

By contrast, younger investers are entrepreneurial and will take chances. They gather financial advice and information from the internet and then ask good questions of their advisers. Often, they will opt to find their own wealth adviser rather than using their parents’ adviser.

“Over the next several years, this generation will inherit their parents’ wealth, and although they are willing to take some risk, their focus will be on wealth preservation,” Tucker said. “The younger generation views wealth as a

Burning out at work?

Continued from page 8. the agreement among her team members is to contact one another only if there’s a crisis, she said.

Managers set example E. Carol Webster, a clinical psychologist in Fort Lauderdale who specializes in workplace issues, said one might think workers are more relaxed now that the job market has improved.

During the recession, workers were frightened of missing even an email from their boss, she said.

“How dare you didn’t get on it — the minute I sent you the message,” said Webster, mimicking what some told her when they failed to respond to their boss. “They just want their bosses off their back, and their colleagues, too.”

Webster said it’s up to top management to show by example that “this is a healthy workplace environment” and it is “important to de-stress and refresh.”

But if that’s not happening at your job, workers can take their own preventive measures to avoid burnout.

When off work at night or on a weekend, “cut off automatic notifications and any sound associated, so you can have an evening of peace and enjoy your loved ones,” Webster suggested.

Also limit social media such as Facebook or Twitter to off-work hours, to separate personal life from work life. “Enjoy it at the end of the day,” she said. ©2019 Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

gateway to happiness, associating wealth with success.”

Zac Ritchey, senior wealth advisor

Tucker Ritchey with Carson Wealth, said many young investors don’t really think about wealth.

“They think about advancing in their careers, figuring out the best way to be organized with their finances and the best savings and accumulation strategies,” he said.

Andrew Hunt, co-owner of Hiley Hunt Wealth Management, said millennials are much more interested in purchasing experiences and sharing with their community while sacrificing other traditional expenses such as a home.

“I find that millennials see small busi-

ness ownership and entrepreneurship as an attainable way to build wealth, whereas older generations often viewed this as the risk taker’s route to wealth,” he said.

“The older generation had a more traditional thought of building wealth through commitment to a company or profession, pension accumulation and real estate.”

Ritchey said Hunt young investors embrace technology.

“The first thing you see is adoption of investing through apps and using apps to keep track of things,” he said. “We’re also seeing interest in crypto-currencies and sustainable — more socially responsible — funds.”

Hunt said younger investors are interested in finding the balance of saving early to take advantage of compound interest while also paying down debt.

“Many young people are working to pay off their student loans but are aware that socking away some money in their

401(k) or other retirement account early will have big advantages down the line,” he said.

Carson Wealth communicates with young investors through social media networks.

“When young people have a question, they want it answered quickly,” Ritchey said. “They can get advice and education from us and consume it any way they want to — online, videos, articles, white papers. It might not mean they want to act right now, but we’re building trust with them.”

“Since I am a millennial, I find that I tend to attract my peers to our firm through my natural network and because I relate,” Hunt said. “We have also made major investments in our technology platform to be accessible to both young and old clients, allowing them to access real-time data with great transparency.

Mariner Wealth Advisors spends time getting to know its clients’ children.

“We hold family meetings and offer to have educational meetings where we discuss setting up a budget, insurance, asset allocation and other topics like advantages of Roth IRAs,” Tucker said. “We also educate our clients on how to help their children establish credit, develop a budget and manage their money.”

Paying people back is easier than ever using apps — but so is making accidental payments

by Mary Wisniewski

You just had dinner with a co-worker, and you want to pay her back then and there. So, you grab your smartphone to settle the debt via Venmo or Zelle or Square Cash. She’s not a contact, but no big deal, you think. These apps are made for moving money easily.

Technology It won’t be until tomorrow when you will realize, “Oops.” You accidentally mistyped the email address in the payments app. Now, your money has gone to a stranger.

With peer-to-peer payment services making it easier than ever to settle debts, with it come risks like typos triggering a payment to the wrong person. The stakes are high because these kinds of payments are often irrevocable.

“Once you push the send button, they are gone,” said Zilvinas Bareisis, a senior payments analyst at Celent, a research and advisory firm.

Resolving the issue could get tricky, too. The easiest fix is to request the money back from the stranger — but there’s no guarantee that you will get it. This particular risk has been getting more attention from lawmakers and consumer rights groups as the services surge in popularity. Most recently, a New Jersey bill was introduced in January that would criminalize the failure to return an accidental P2P payment.

Inside the accidental payments risk It’s hard to put a precise number on how often accidental payments happen.

Last year, the Consumer Reports investigated the issue by mining online data and holding focus groups on the subject.

While the consumer complaints weren’t vetted, the evidence suggests the issue isn’t isolated.

“It happened so often that all of the ser-

vices that we looked at made some mention of it, whether it was on their website or in their disclosures or in their FAQs,” said Christina Tetreault, senior policy counsel for Consumer Reports.

While the service providers recommend contacting the person who received the accidental money first, Tetreault said the onus ought to be on the companies.

“We think that type of mistake is covered under federal law,” Tetreault said.

“You should get help from the service provider.”

But that’s still unclear. Consumer Reports has asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for clarity on the law. The how is hazy, too — with some caveats. Venmo, for instance, said in an online post that it can reverse the funds with the recipient’s permission in some instances.

In a way, the issue is just the latest wrinkle on a long-standing payments risk.

Consider blowing the restaurant tip by scribbling in a number that is too much or too little.

“This is just a new medium in which it’s happening, and norms and care need to evolve,” said Tyler Griffin, a managing partner at Financial Venture Studio, a seedstage venture capital firm.

It’s also not the only risk of using a P2P app. Just like on any payments experience, there’s a chance of getting duped by a con artist. If scammed, don’t expect much if and when you ask for your money back.

“If they were a criminal deliberately misdirecting your payment, then they are not sending it back anyway,” said Craig Ramsey, head of real-time payments and product management at ACI Worldwide.

“So, you can ask who you like, it’s not going to happen.”

In the U.K., it’s an area of faster

payments that the industry is working together on to build in additional safeguards for consumers. For example, it’s creating a voluntary industry code that would reimburse victims in some instances. In the U.S., there is nothing quite so formal yet.

The good news is that the P2P apps are increasingly including features that could help prevent you from making payment mistakes. Venmo, for example, lets you scan QR codes to find a friend to pay back — reducing the risk of entering the wrong details. Zelle, meanwhile, added a feature last year that displays the name of the recipient that the funds are going to before you’ve committed to sending the payment, and also includes a pop-up on the send screen that reminds you to double-check that you’re sending the money to the right person. The list of technical intervention safeguards goes on.

Precautions you can take when using payments apps To help avoid payment mistakes, you can also embrace several best practices, including knowing who you are paying.

“First and foremost, only transact with people who you know and trust,” Tetreault said.

Equally important, double-check the details before tapping send. Here, you may also want to establish some ground rules, such as not sending money to someone after a night of partying. “Wait until the next day,” Griffin said.

Also, consider strengthening your privacy and security settings on the apps, such as setting a PIN or a fingerprint to unlock your account for something important.

“It’s your financial life that is at stake,” Tetreault said. ©2019 Bankrate.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

11

Millennials buried in debt can’t buy into American Dream

by Susan Tompor

Amanda Hill, 27, deals with big student loan debt by doing everything she can to keep her other bills small.

“I have cut out all the things that aren’t absolutely necessary,” Financial Hill said.

She eats out maybe once a month. She limits her driving to control how much she spends on gas. She lives in an apartment in Southfield, Mich., near her job as a community outreach coordinator for the Better Business Bureau.

SUPER CROSSWORD

Answers on page 12.

She avoids getting her nails done or shopping as a form of entertainment. She buys clothes about two times a year.

“Whatever you have, just make it work until the next season,” Hill said.

Hill — who is juggling $90,000 in student loan debt after graduating in 2015 from Hampton University in Virginia — figured she didn’t need a car payment on top of her monthly student loan payments.

So she bought a 2005 Saturn Ion last year from a woman at her church.

She paid $500 for her car.

SMALL FRUIT STARTERS

“And I was surprised it actually worked,” she said. “But I had to learn how to drive a stick shift.”

Dreaming of buying a new car when you get that first job out of college? Or maybe buying your first house? It used to be a rite of passage. Not so much any more.

“It’s not going to be you’re 30 and you’re married and you’re going to have kids,” Hill said.

She has no timetable for when she’d like to buy a house or make other big purchases.

She still hopes to go to graduate school but has delayed that until she has a better handle on her college debt for her bachelor of arts degree.

Right now, she said, it’s more about trying to stay afloat.

About $1.46 trillion in student loan debt has many millennials, as well as others, hiding their wallets and putting big ticket commitments on the back burner.

Plain and simple, many young consumers just aren’t ready to consume. And many sure don’t want to shop until they drop like their parents.

“This is really a pervasive trend and it will not be reversed any time soon,” said Richard Curtin, director of the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers.

In a special report released in late February, the U-M research team noted that consumers younger than 35 aren’t terribly optimistic about making big purchases — unlike previous generations.

In the past decade, younger consumers have viewed buying conditions for homes, cars and other large household items far less favorably, the U-M survey noted.

The survey has been conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor since 1946. The survey monitors consumer attitudes and expectations.

What’s going on here? Some of it is, no doubt, all that college debt. But other factors may be coming into play, too.

One reason many young consumers are holding back their spending is that they’re frequently worried about taking on new debt, according to U-M report released Feb. 22.

College debt holding consumers back Student loan debt in total is intimidating.

Outstanding student loan debt stood at $1.46 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Those ages 18 to 29 had the most college debt — more than $1 trillion.

“Average student loan debt at graduation is going to continue to increase,” said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research for Savingforcollege.com.

The average debt at graduation is a bit under $30,000 for bachelor’s degree recipients, Kantrowitz said.

Borrowers in bachelor’s degree programs are increasingly hitting the borrowing limits for federal student loans, causing them to turn to private student loans and parent programs, such as the federal Parent PLUS loan.

The aggregate loan limit for Federal Direct Stafford Loans is $31,000 for dependent students and $57,500 for independent students.

Annual limits depend on what year the student is in school, ranging from $5,500 to $7,500 for dependent students and $9,500 to $12,500 for independent students.

Many have much more than the average

amount of student loan debt.

In 2015-16, for example, 10.5 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with $50,000 or more in college debt, Kantrowitz said.

About 0.5 percent graduated with $100,000 or more in student loans. That’s counting both federal and private student loans but excluding Federal Parent PLUS Loans.

Baby boomers are far less likely than millennials to have ever faced such levels of student debt in the first place, in part because college costs were much lower for those who are now ages 55 through 73.

Even those baby boomers who had college debt, though, expressed much more optimism about taking on additional debt to finance homes, cars and other goods.

Half of baby boomers who have had student loan debt say it has not caused them to delay a major life or financial milestone, according to a recent Bankrate.com survey.

But only 27 percent of millennials felt the same way.

Baby boomers loved to shop Millennials, not surprisingly, may prove to have different spending habits than their parents.

“It could be that baby boomers were excessive in their material orientation,” Curtin told me in a phone interview.

Baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — dominated consumer spending in the United States. Many defined the word consumer — as they bought cars, took vacations and headed to the malls.

Boomers launched their careers during some strong economic expansions in the 1970s and 1980s.

The parents of boomers, by contrast, had lived through the Great Depression and World War II during a time when money wasn’t growing on trees, as many parents of the boomers told their kids, repeatedly.

So when baby boomers got out on their own, started making good money and had access to credit, they didn’t think twice about buying a new car or a home.

“Baby boomers thought ‘We’re living the American Dream,’ “ Curtin said.

Now, after watching their parents buy all kinds of stuff — and then fret over de-cluttering — millennials might to some degree be saying enough is enough.

Think about it: Marie Kondo is the new Martha Stewart of the era. Instead of telling us what kind of cookware and bedding to buy, Kondo’s Netflix series “Tidying Up” is forcing boomers and others to clean up their act. The message is to control your “joy” by only keeping what gives you “joy” and pitching the rest.

Millennials face their own set of unique spending challenges, too.

Many millennials found themselves burdened by student loans when better paying jobs were harder to find during an economic recovery that had been fairly weak early in the game. Some started careers at a time when it often was tough to negotiate a raise.

Nearly three out of four consumers ages 23 to 38 who had student loan debt delayed at least one major financial milestone as a result of those loans, according to a new Bankrate. com report.

More than one out of four put off buying or leasing a car. If you’re paying $300 or Continued on next page.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Why these colleges are recruiting retailers, not just students

by Ellie Silverman

Inside the Saxbys coffee shop at Drexel University, Alyssa Bennett, 21, makes deposits, sets schedules, and pitches in at the latte machine when the line gets long.

The third-year Drexel student is what the PhiladeleducaTion phia-based company calls a “Student CEO,” referring to cafe executive officer.

In locations on or near college campuses in Pennsylvania, Washington, Georgia, and New Hampshire, the coffee company hands over operations to a local student for the semester, paying them above minimum wage to run the cafe full time while also receiving class credits.

Drexel President John Fry called this twist on the campus coffeehouse “exactly the kind of thing that we want.”

“Another coffee shop? Who cares. But a student-run Saxbys? Great,” he said.

As academia becomes increasingly competitive in attracting top students and

staff, universities are turning to retail to create study, work, and play environments that set themselves apart. Even as brickand-mortar stores struggle to compete with online retailers, the upcoming generation of college students is fiercely brand-loyal and often prefers a hands-on shopping experience, research shows.

“It’s been a slow burn to get colleges to realize how critical the retail and restaurants scene plays on the college campus experience,” said Doug Green, a managing principal at MSC Retail, whose MSC University unit focuses on retail real estate in higher education. “But it’s really starting to snowball, and you’re starting to see more and more schools recognize what they have, recognize what they need.”

Take the Saxbys on 34th Street. It is within walking distance of a Wawa, 7-Eleven, and Starbucks. A Chipotle, Insomnia Cookies, Blaze Pizza, and Drexel’s food court Urban Eatery are nearby.

“Just having a campus environment where you know there’s so much available to you, you can walk down the street … and pass three coffee shops I think that really pushes people to come to college campuses,” Bennett said. “I know when I was touring campuses, I was, like, ‘well, is there a coffee shop in the business building?’ Because I want to be able to access coffee whenever I can. Especially a café like this with such a great environment for people to come meet and study and hang out. It really drives home that Drexel, or whatever college it’s on, is a place where you want to be.”

Tracking the college generation’s shopping habits could also be a good indicator of their future tendencies, experts say.

For Saxbys CEO Nick Bayer, the university locations gave the company insight into the emerging demand for cold brew coffee over regular hot coffee. This happened “far sooner” at college campuses, he said, and the company responded by

Millennials buried in debt can’t buy into American Dream Continued from preceding page. $400 a month on student loans, as many are, you think twice about whether you can really afford a car payment.

Hill pays $200 a month for her student loans but the payment was reduced based on an income-driven repayment plan. She’s paying $750 a month in rent; and $180 a month for basic car insurance.

She knows she’ll have to pay more toward those student loans one day as she makes more money and can afford it. So she doesn’t want to take on big bills now.

“There’s a real price for individuals across all age groups and our country as a whole from the mounting burden of student loan debt,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst for Bankrate.com in Washington.

About 38 percent of young consumers said they’re not saving for emergencies; while nearly one-third are putting off buying a home.

They’re also having trouble paying off credit card debt and saving for retirement.

Fewer than one in five even claim they’re delaying getting married because of their student loans.

The Great Recession triggers bad memories Some millennials may be more cautious about buying a home after coming of age during the Great Recession when they watched families in their neighborhood go through the painful loss of their homes.

“That exacts an enormous cost on people,” U-M’s Curtin said. “The biggest impact has been on home ownership.”

Among those under age 35, home ownership rates hit 36.2 percent in 2018. That’s a slight improvement over recent years.

Curtin said.

But the figure remains well below the peak of 43.1 percent recorded by the Census Bureau in 2004 and 2005.

Muted spending by millennials could be limiting the pace of economic growth now.

As a result, many policies are being discussed in Washington and elsewhere to help borrowers deal with college debt.

But Kantrowitz cautioned that some major changes may be unlikely.

“Student loan debt is unlikely to be forgiven en masse,” he said.

“Restoration of bankruptcy discharge is unlikely under split control of Congress,” he said, “although a bill to do this was reintroduced in the House by a Republican, which is unusual.”

At some point, Kantrowitz said, Congress might approve excluding employer-paid student loan repayment assistance from one’s taxable income.

Right now, though, the money some employers might give to pay off some student loans is taxed as income.

To be sure, having a college degree remains a ticket to a better paying job for many and it’s the first step toward a solid economic future.

A clearer understanding of the cost, though, could drive some to re-evaluate where they’d like to go to college, perhaps including community colleges, trade schools and lower-cost in-state colleges into the mix of options.

Many families, of course, will be using spring break to visit college campuses.

“We’d urge them to investigate all possible options for financial aid including scholarships to limit their borrowing,” Hamrick said.

How much debt you take on to get a college degree must be carefully considered before signing up for classes. Dropping out of college — after taking on debt — only makes things far worse.

Hill, who grew up in West Hollywood, California, said she’s thankful she was able to obtain some scholarships through the United Negro College Fund.

She worked three or four jobs at the same time while in school — including work study programs in the financial aid office, as well as jobs at Panera Bread, a Teavana store and a Francesca’s women’s clothing store.

If she offered advice to anyone, she’d recommend seriously considering focusing on a college degree that has a more direct relationship to a good-paying job, such as studying computer engineering.

But she acknowledges that student loan debt is part of many people’s lives.

Her brother and sister are both dealing

with college debt, as are her friends. Some of her friends are managing their student loans by living at home with their parents, she said.

Moving back to California, though, isn’t part of her getting-out-of-college-debt strategy.

“Once you go to college, the last place you want to be is back home.” ©2019 Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

creating a cold brew collection with signature flavors. This has since spread to the company’s noncollege locations.

“Our more urban cafes in places like Drexel, we’re seeing a nice glimpse into what sort of trends and buying profiles future consumers are looking for because we’re serving that 18- to 24-year-old so closely,” Bayer said.

Gen Z Penn has invested in commercial development for decades now, but it has adapted to provide amenities that meet the needs of its changing population. Although retail used to be mostly service-oriented, Ed Datz, Penn’s real estate executive director, said the university is now attracting more experiential retailers, expressed in some ways by the homegrown food hall, Franklin’s Table.

Penn courted Philadelphia-based companies and alumni to open locations at the food hall, resulting in a mix of cuisine, such as falafel from Goldie, breakfast sandwiches from High Street Provisions, burgers from KQ Burger, Kensington Quarters’ fast-casual model, and acai bowls from the Juice Merchant.

This gives local retailers exposure to a new market and insight into changing buying habits. Students also get access to diverse and unique Philadelphia foods.

“We have to make it an attractive place with needed amenities in order to be a magnet for talent,” said Tony Sorrentino, a Penn assistant vice president. “You can’t be in an ivory tower.”

Even while online shopping carves Continued on next page.

SUPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

Puzzle on page 11.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

13

She’s moved on, but boss still has her voice on his answering machine

by Carrie Mason-Draffen

DEAR CARRIE: Nine years ago I worked for a gentleman who asked me to create an after-hours message on his answering machine that would direct people to either his extension or mine. It has come to my attention that he is still using my recorded message. Should he have asked my permission to Workplace continue using my voice message after I left? Do I have any recourse?

-Lingering Voice DEAR LINGERING: My goodness.

You’d think he would have updated his greeting by now.

Unlike a previous reader whose former boss was illegally using her resume

to obtain contracts long after she left his company, you are in a different situation, in part because of an apparent lack of a commercial motive, according to Alan Sklover, a Manhattan author and attorney who represents employees.

Here’s a general explanation of why the company has a right to the continued use of your recorded voice: “Generally speaking, the employment relation is one in which employees perform services for their employers, and employers pay for those services; part of this employment relation is that employers can retain the value and products of those efforts after the employment relation ends,” Sklover said.

He offered an example: “If, while you

were employed, you designed and installed a new billing system for your former employer, he or she would be able to use that billing system forever, without additional payments to you, as it had been given and received as part of the employment relation. The same would go for anything you did, made or suggested while employed for your former employer.”

Sklover said that when it comes to questions like yours, laws and judges’ decisions over the years have recognized four elements that must exist to justify a legal case over the continued use of a former employee’s name, photograph or recorded voice: 1. An agreement to discontinue the use of your voice has been violated.

Why these colleges are recruiting retailers, not just students Continued from preceding page. out more of the market, a National Retail Federation survey showed that 67 percent of the younger generation, called Gen Z, said they prefer to shop in a store most of the time.

Big-name retailers have also taken notice of this trend. Target opened seven of its smaller-format stores on or near college campuses last year, and the company announced plans to open about 30 stores annually in the next few years. There are locations across the country, including the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Cincinnati, University of Texas-Austin, Florida State University, the University of Maryland, and Boston University.

Orange Theory Fitness, a boutique fitness studio chain, opened a location in University City this year, brokered by MSC. Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant Food Markets announced last month that it will be expanding its urban store concept, Giant Heirloom, to University City, among other neighborhoods.

“If you can hook them young, and you can get them engaged, you can be a presence in their lives during these formative years,” said Katherine Cullen, the NRF’s director of consumer and industry insights.

After the success last year at the Penn food hall, Michael Pasquarello, the owner of 13th Street Kitchens restaurant group, KQ Burger’s parent, said he hopes to open two more KQ Burger locations within a year.

“It’s turning people on to our 13th Street Kitchens brand as a whole, and we use that as a marketing strategy there for sure because these young students turn into young professionals and they’re Penn students, so they generally do pretty good out there,” Pasquarello said. “It’s a nice little circle of life.”

It hasn’t always been a virtuous circle for universities and their environs. While relationships have probably improved over the years, there continue to be tensions.

It’s important to think about development in a way that benefits both the university and surrounding community, said Tayyib Smith, principal at Little Giant Creative agency, which helped develop an exhibit called “A Dream Deferred,” to examine the effects of redlining, aka denying loans in Philadelphia neighborhoods,

including West Philly.

“The history of universities and the black communities that they border are extremely complicated,” Smith said, referring to the federal “urban renewal” policies of the 1950s and 1960s that Penn exploited to grab tracts of land in West Philadelphia and displace thousands of residents, mostly African Americans from the Black Bottom neighborhood.

Universities “ought to own up to the mistakes of the past and try to correct them moving forward,” said Omar Blaik, CEO of U3 Advisors, a real estate and economic development consulting firm that has worked with universities across the country.

Blaik, who was Penn’s senior vice president of facilities and real estate for nine years until March 2006, was instrumental in more than $2 billion in construction and real estate projects, including redevelopment of 40th Street and the Perelman Quad construction.

“Retail as a strategy is not a transaction. Retail needs to be curated,” Blaik said. Universities need to “create a market that is open to people from diverse backgrounds.”

University City hosts its annual Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll each summer, highlighting businesses between 43rd and 52nd Streets with $1 deals for the event.

Though it’s about a mile and a half away from campus, Penn included a description of the event on its university-run news page and mentioned such businesses as VIX Emporium, Black Hound Clay Studio, and The Nesting House. The university also promotes shopping around campus with its website, dubbed “Shop Penn,” with a list of retailers, including the Last Word Bookshop, Piper Boutique, and United

By Blue.

David Adelman, the chief executive officer of Campus Apartments, a student housing company that has worked on many projects near colleges, said that, ultimately, he looks for retailers with a broad appeal.

Keswick Cycle, a bike shop 500 feet from Locust Walk between 40th and 41st Streets, pays Campus Apartments below-market rate rent to operate in that location, said Brian Hackford, the shop’s managing partner. The store, which has been open since fall 2011, saw 15 percent growth last year, Hackford said, not necessarily from the students, but from other residents of West Philadelphia.

“We try to curate and kind of cater with a focus more on the community than just the students,” Adelman said. ©2019 Philly.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

2. The use is knowing and intentional.

3. It is material or essential to the business.

4. It is for commercial use, meaning that it somehow brings money to your former employer.

“All four must be provable in a court,” Sklover said.

As for legal element No. 1, there appears to be no formal agreement about discontinuing the recording.

“You have not mentioned that there was any agreement between you and your employer that he would remove your voice from his recorded office greeting message if you left the job for any reason,” Sklover said.

Regarding legal element No. 2, he said your ex-boss may be not even be aware the message is still on the phone.

“He probably does not use that message system himself,” he said.

Point No. 3 concerns whether your recorded message is key to the business or harmful to you. It doesn’t appear to be so, Sklover said.

“This use is not material, but merely incidental,” Sklover said. “That is, it is neither central to the business of your former employer, nor is this use of your voice on this recorded greeting likely to result in your being shamed, ridiculed or wrongly being taken advantage of as would, for example, a photograph of you eating a frog on a website.”

Finally, regarding legal element No. 4, “Your voice on this voicemail message does not seem likely to be considered for commercial purposes; that is, in itself, it does not bring any revenue to your former employer,” Sklover said.

For the above reasons, a lawsuit on the matter would “likely be promptly dismissed in court,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean you should keep mum.

“If you strongly prefer to have your voice removed from your former employer’s voicemail, “ he said, “nothing does the trick like ‘the three Rs.’ They are a request that is respectful, reasonable and based on an ‘understandable’ rationale, he said. ©2019 Newsday Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A Chicago-based marijuana company is being bought for $850 million

by Ally Marotti

With Illinois’ marijuana industry staring down massive growth as the state considers legalizing the drug for recreational use, a company based in Phoenix is paying $850 million for Chicago-based cannabis operator Verano Holdings.

The deal will give Harvest Health & Recreation the right to opTrends erate Verano’s cultivation facility and dispensaries in Illinois, as well as its operations in other states. Verano’s Chicago headquarters is expected to remain an operations hub following the acquisition.

Harvest Health, which owns dispensaries or cultivation facilities in five states and trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange, has been eyeing an entrance into Illinois for a long time, said CEO Steve White. Illinois is an attractive market

because it is a heavily populated state and lawmakers are drafting a bill to legalize adult-use marijuana, he said.

“We wanted to make sure we were participating in a meaningful way before those conversations were at a crescendo,” White said. “As that conversation starts moving forward, the price of assets in Illinois goes up.”

The deal is pending regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first half of this year. The combined company will operate 30 dispensaries, eight cultivation facilities and seven manufacturing facilities around the country.

Verano was formed last year as a holding company that consolidated ownership of several cannabis operations. In October, it raised $120 million in financing to fund expansion. Verano operates in Nevada, Maryland and Illinois, with other facilities

in development around the country.

Its cultivation facility in downstate Albion, Ill., is undergoing expansion to double grow capacity, said Verano co-founder Sam Dorf. It also has dispensaries in the Chicago and west suburban St. Charles, and has an ownership stake in a dispensary in Effingham, Ill. The company employs more than 350 people, about 140 of whom are in Illinois.

That number is expected to continue growing, Dorf said.

While Verano’s operations in Illinois and other states were tantalizing for Harvest, it was Harvest’s reach into Arizona and California that appealed to Verano.

“This gives us huge access now to all the western regions of the U.S.,” Dorf said.

Illinois pot companies, in particular, are making big moves to establish themContinued on page 16.

14

• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

The Democrats’ latenight pitch for 2020 A four-word phrase common on late-night television, exclaimed by announcers giddy about their offers: “Buy this kitchen knife that is so sharp it can slice and dice diamonds, and we’ll throw in a nonstick frying pan that can double as a satellite dish. BUT WAIT! THERE’S EORGE MORE! If you call immediately, we’ll include a homeopathic cure ILL for sciatica.”

Today’s Democratic presidential candidates sound like latenight infomercials: “A Green New Deal! Medicare-for-all!

Reparations for some! Free college for the young! Increased Social Security for the elderly! BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! At no additional cost, you get Modern Monetary Theory.”

MMT, which supposedly banishes nitpicking worries about how to pay for things, is the Democrats’ intellectual breakthrough du jour. Although the theory remains somewhat hazy (or, as Democrats say about their unempirical flights of fancy, MMT is beautifully “aspirational”), it is this: The nation has fiat money — currency whose issuer will not convert it into something valuable (e.g., gold) but that the public accepts is a reliable store of value. A government that controls its currency need never run short of it. Therefore (non sequitur alert), the government can borrow and expand the money supply sufficiently to allow opinion spending to proceed without reference to government revenue, as long as interest rates are, and are apt to remain, low. In the words of three MMT believers (Stephanie Kelton, economics professor and former Bernie Sanders campaign adviser; Andres Bernal, doctoral student and adviser to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.); Greg Carlock, a climate researcher): “Anything that is technically feasible is financially affordable.”

Actually, MMT teaches that everything, feasible or not, is affordable in the sense that government can always come up with fiat money with which to pay for it. So, it is not just that happy days are here again; it is that never in the long human story of intractable scarcities have there been days as happy as those that MMT promises.

Two more sober men, both Democrats, are too intelligent and experienced to have written what they did recently — a month before last week’s announcement that the budget deficit for October through January was 77 percent larger than in those four months a year earlier. They wrote a Foreign Affairs essay deploring what they, and surely they alone, see as Washington’s dangerous “obsession” with budget deficits.

Lawrence Summers, former treasury secretary and current Harvard economics professor, and Jason Furman, currently at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and formerly (2013-2017) chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, argue that “the economics of deficits have changed,” for plausible reasons that we shall come to. But first: In Washington, the behavioral (as distinct from rhetorical) “deficit hawk” is not a rara avis, it is extinct. The current president was elected after promising not to touch the major entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) that are drivers of the deficit. When the unsustainable trajectory of the entitlements was explained to the current president, he reportedly said, “Yeah, but I won’t be here.” With a nominal Republican president and rhetorical Republicans running all of Congress until 10 weeks ago, the deficit is approaching $1 trillion with the economy humming, and the national debt heading toward 100 percent of gross domestic product, which it last exceeded in 1946 in the immediate aftermath of a world war.

So, who is obsessed, and how does this obsession manifest itself? Try to name — as Summers and Furman do not — one Washington deficit obsessive. The political class, which is more united by class interest than it is divided by ideology, has a permanent incentive for deficit spending, which burdens future generations with a significant portion of the cost of today’s consumption of government goods and services.

Summers and Furman stop far short of MMT fantasy.

Good empiricists, they say only this: Because soaring deficits

G W

Is income inequality fair?

Some Americans have much higher income and wealth than others. Former President Barack Obama explained, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.” An adviser to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ALTER who has a Twitter account called “Every Billionaire Is A Policy ILLIAMS Failure” tweeted, “My goal for this year is to get a moderator to ask ‘Is it morally appropriate for anyone to be a billionaire?’”

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in calling for a wealth tax, complained, “The rich and powerful are taking so much for themselves and leaving so little for everyone else.”

These people would have an argument if there were piles of money on the ground called income, with billionaires and millionaires surreptitiously getting to those piles first and taking their unfair shares. In that case, corrective public policy would require a redistribution of the income, wherein the ill-gotten gains of the few would be taken and returned to their rightful owners. The same could be said if there were a dealer of dollars who—because of his being a racist, sexist,

W W

have not kindled inflation and the interest rate on government borrowing has declined and government borrowing has not crowded out private borrowing, we can safely have more government debt than has previously been considered prudent. Summers and Furman’s prudence, however, might be crowded out by MMT’s intoxicating effect on their party.

For decades, governing by both parties has been a practice in search of a justifying theory. Today, MMT rationalizes the Democratic presidential candidates’ bidding for progressives’ support, making the bidding entirely uninhibited by revenue considerations. So, to the list of memorable party slogans, from “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” to “It’s Morning Again in America,” add this: “BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!” The Washington Post

multinationalist and maybe a Republican—didn’t deal the dollars fairly. If he dealt millions to some and mere crumbs to others, decent public policy would demand a re-dealing of the dollars, or what some call income redistribution.

You say, “Williams, that’s lunacy.” You’re right. In a free society, people earn income by serving their fellow man.

Here’s an example: I mow your lawn, and you pay me $40.

Then I go to my grocer and demand two six-packs of beer and 3 pounds of steak. In effect, the grocer says, “Williams, you are asking your fellow man to serve you by giving you beer and steak. What did you do to serve your fellow man?” My response is, “I mowed his lawn.” The grocer says, “Prove it.”

That’s when I produce the $40. We can think of the, say, two $20 bills as certificates of performance—proof that I served my fellow man. opinion A system that requires that one serve his fellow man to have a claim on what he produces is far more moral than a system without such a requirement. For example, Congress can tell me, “Williams, you don’t have to get out in that hot sun to mow a lawn to have a claim on what your fellow man produces. Just vote for me, and through the tax code, I will take some of what your fellow man produces and give it to you.”

Let’s look at a few multibillionaires to see whether they have served their fellow man well. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, with a net worth over $90 billion, is the second-richest person in the world. He didn’t acquire that wealth through violence. Millions of people around the world voluntarily plunked down money to buy Microsoft products.

That explains the great wealth of people such as Gates. They discovered what their fellow man wanted and didn’t have, and they found out ways to effectively produce it. Their fellow man voluntarily gave them dollars. If Gates and others had followed President Obama’s advice that “at a certain point” they’d “made enough money” and shut down their companies when they had earned their first billion or two, mankind wouldn’t have most of the technological development we enjoy today.

Take a look at the website Billionaire Mailing List’s list of Continued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

15

This bull market has hit the 10-year mark. Will it keep raging or will bears spoil the party?

by James F. Peltz

In early 2009, a gallon of gas in California averaged $2.16 and the movie “Watchmen” was playing in theaters at an average ticket price of $7.50. “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” premiered.

Facebook Inc. was still a private firm.

On Wall Street, the stock market was mired in a deep slump stemming from the housing and financial crisis then gripping the nation. On March 9 that year, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at 676.53, down a whopping 45 percent from just six months earlier.

“The numbers are mind-bogglingly awful,” The Times reported the next day, but noted some aneconomy alysts believed the market was “overdue for a snap-back.”

They were right, and what a snap-back it proved to be, as stock prices then took off in what eventually would become a record long-term rally.

Investors on Saturday will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the longest bull market on Wall Street since World War II — defined as at least a 20 percent rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index from its previous low — and the rally has generated a gain of nearly $18 trillion in the index’s market value, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The S&P 500 has more than quadrupled in value during that span as the market repeatedly withstood a barrage of events that threatened to end the bull’s run. The index closed at 2,748.93 on Thursday, while the headline-grabbing Dow Jones industrial average closed at 25,473.23, up from 6,547.05 a decade earlier.

Many of those head winds have occurred in just the last few months, after the market reached record highs. They included the Federal Reserve’s raising of interest rates last fall, the escalating U.S. trade battle with China that lifted tariffs on both sides, fears that the nine-year U.S. economic expansion was about to end and a surge in market volatility, with the Dow swinging by hundreds of points each way in a single session.

All combined to send stocks sharply lower last fall and raised questions about whether the bull finally had run its course.

From Oct. 3 to Dec. 24, the S&P 500 at one point plunged 20 percent on an intraday trading basis and “we definitely had a bear market in my opinion” for a brief period, said Jason Ware, chief investment officer of Albion Financial Group.

But prices rebounded yet again as the market tried to ascend back to its record peaks. And some analysts contend the rally might just set new highs before it’s finally done.

“Despite its old age, we believe the 10-year-old bull market has quite a bit left in its tank,” John Lynch, chief investment strategist at LPL Financial, and Ryan Detrick, the firm’s senior market strategist, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. “The underlying fundamental backdrop remains quite positive.”

Why has this bull lasted so long? Analysts point to three main reasons: Interest rates have remained low during the last 10 years, inflation has remained subdued and the economy and corporate profits have kept growing.

The Federal Reserve engineered the low-rate setting in good part by purchasing more than $4 trillion in Treasury and mortgage bonds during and after the financial crisis in 2008-09,

Is income inequality fair?

Continued from preceding page. current billionaires (http://tinyurl.com/yd6mme37). On it, you will find people who have made great contributions to society.

Way down on the list is Gordon Earle Moore—co-founder of Intel. He has a net worth of $6 billion. In 1968, Moore developed and marketed the integrated circuit, or microchip, which is responsible for thousands of today’s innovations, such as MRIs, advances in satellite technology and your desktop computer. Though Moore has benefited immensely from his development and marketing of the microchip, his benefit pales in comparison with how our nation and the world have benefited in terms of lives improved and saved by the host of technological innovations made possible by the microchip.

The only people who benefit from class warfare are politicians and the elite; they get our money and control our lives. Plus, we just might ask ourselves: Where is a society headed that holds its most productive members up to ridicule and scorn and makes mascots out of its least productive and most parasitic members?

Copyright 2019 Creators.com

a move intended to bolster the economy. That move also drove down returns on low-risk assets such as Treasury securities and forced investors searching for higher returns into more risk-bearing assets such as stocks.

“Interest rates, in a sense, started at zero” after the financial crisis “and have taken forever to move higher,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.

With the economy growing again, the central bank has been shrinking its bond portfolio and lifting short-term rates. Some analysts suggested those moves have contributed to the market’s recent volatility, such as in December when stocks tumbled and the S&P 500 dropped 9.2 percent for the month.

There are secondary reasons cited for the bull’s duration as well. No external shock to the markets, such as the 2008-09 financial crisis, has been severe enough to halt the bull market in its tracks. Last year’s tax overhaul led by the Trump administration, which included a cut in corporate tax rates, also helped stimulate more earnings growth.

In addition, the returns on other assets such as Treasury bonds and gold haven’t come close to matching the stock market’s gains, so investors’ cash keeps flowing mostly to equities.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries, for instance, has edged up to only 2.73 percent from 2.62 percent a decade ago, resulting in a modest 27 percent gain over that span, because of the long run of low interest rates and low inflation.

Real estate? The median sales price of a house in Southern California has indeed doubled in the last decade, to about $505,000, but that percentage gain also trails the stock market’s advance.

“Investors are basically saying, ‘I’ve got nowhere else to go,’” Stovall said.

Although this is the longest bull market since World War II, it isn’t the strongest. During the bull market that stretched across the 1990s, the S&P 500 soared 417 percent, so that indicates this bull market still might have legs.

On at least three occasions, it appeared this bull rally was finished.

In 2011, for instance, the S&P 500 plummeted 19.4 percent between April 29 and Oct. 3, in response to Standard & Poor’s cutting its credit rating on U.S. debt and heightened concern about the European economy.

Stocks recovered in part because they were led by the widely held big technology shares, such as Facebook, Amazon.com and Netflix Inc., which charged ahead over the next few years and collectively surpassed $2 trillion in market value.

The market also was slammed in 2015 and early 2016 when the Chinese stock market plummeted, sending shock waves throughout the global economy, before rebounding again later in 2016.

And in December, as Wall Street fretted that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases and the growing U.S.-China trade battle could slow the U.S. economy, the S&P 500 at one point “fell 20 percent from prior highs, only to rally by the daily close to narrowly avoid entering a bear market,” Lynch and Detrick noted.

After that, investors again resumed buying when the central bank signaled that it would be less aggressive in lifting shortterm interest rates, and at the same time the U.S. economy and corporate profits continued to grow and consumer confidence remained strong. This month, for example, a Wall Street Journal story on employment was headlined “The Hottest Job Market in Half a Century.”

As a result, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 9.2 percent so far this year and the S&P 500 has gained 9.7 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index has gained 11.9 percent in 2019.

With all those economic fundamentals still in place, “I see no reason why the bull market cannot continue,” Albion’s Ware said.

“We have a strong economy, strong corporate earnings growth, low inflation, low interest rates and an improved investor mood.”

But expect more volatile swings, analysts said.

“We don’t think it will be an easy ride, but we continue to expect eventual new highs,” Lynch and Detrick wrote. “This bull market is indeed alive and well and could make it to 11 next year.”

Others are more cautious, including Josh Brown, chief executive of Ritholtz Wealth Management and author of the popular blog TheReformedBroker.com.

He noted that the S&P 500 not only remains 6 percent below its record high of 2,930.75 reached Sept. 20, it’s also still below its close of 2,823.81 at the end of January 2018. “We’ve gone nowhere in 13 months,” Brown said.

“If we don’t make a new high above the January 2018 high, and stay above it, there is a school of thought that we’ve already topped out,” he said.

Bull markets typically “don’t end because they get tired,” Brown said. “Usually the reason is people have taken on the maximum amount of leverage and risk because they forget about the bad times,” together with a major event such as the dot-com bust of 2000 or the financial crisis a decade ago, he said.

Sometimes the “event” that eventually kills the bull market isn’t even obvious at the time, he said.

And now? Brown never tries to forecast the market’s future, but he added: “If a bear market were already underway right now, I wouldn’t be shocked.” ©2019 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Foreclosure rates haven’t been this low since before the Great Recession

by Adrian D. Garcia

National foreclosure rates continued their recovery in 2018 from their peak during the Great Recession.

Foreclosure filings were reported on one out of every 215 homes last year. That’s down markedly compared with the filings on roughly one in 47 homes in 2010. Last year’s rate is the lowest since at least 2005. economy The 2018 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report shows the national foreclosure rate has been falling steadily for the last eight years, reaching a 13-year-low of 0.47 percent in 2018.

However, the foreclosure picture can look different at the state level.

Almost a third of states saw the number of foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — against homes climb last year, according to the report from ATTOM Data Solutions.

“Plummeting foreclosure completions combined with consistently falling foreclosure timelines in 2018 provide evidence that most of the distress from the last housing crisis has now been cleaned up,” says Todd Teta, chief product officer for ATTOM. But some evidence of distress was gradually returning to the housing market in 2018, Teta says.

The states with the highest foreclosure rates were clustered in mostly in the Northeast.

New Jersey has had the highest rate since 2015 and had

1.33 percent of housing units with foreclosure filings last year.

Delaware had 0.96 percent; Maryland 0.86 percent; Illinois 0.74 percent and Connecticut 0.72 percent.

North Dakota was among the places where foreclosure rates increased from 2017 to 2018. But the Roughrider State’s real estate economy remains strong comparatively.

North Dakota had the lowest rate of housing units with foreclosure filings last year (0.06 percent). South Dakota had 0.07 percent; Montana 0.11 percent and West Virginia 0.12.

Alaska’s economy has been struggling in recent years after oil prices dipped in 2014, but the state’s real estate market has proved fairly resilient, according to Terry Fields, assistant professor at the College of Business and Public Policy within the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The data from ATTOM shows homeowners in The Last Frontier may be starting to feel the pressure. A total of 1,145 properties were in the process of foreclosure in 2018 — up from 614 in 2017.

The foreclosure rate in Alaska grew the fastest of all 50 states, rising from 0.20 percent in 2017 to 0.37 percent last year, according to ATTOM. While local economists are keeping an eye on Alaska’s real estate market, foreclosures are still significantly below the levels they were during the Great Recession and previous bust periods in Alaska, Fields says. ©2019 Bankrate.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

16

• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

UnitedHealth Group expands prescription drug discount program

by Christopher Snowbeck

UnitedHealth Group said it is expanding a program to provide consumer discounts at the pharmacy counter via rebates from drug manufacturers — the very rebates that have been labeled by the Trump administration as a driver of high medication costs.

Drug companies have long provided rebates to pharmaceutical benhealTh care efit managers (PBMs) that administer the drug benefit portion of employer health plans.

UnitedHealth Group, based in Minnetonka, Minn., runs the nation’s largest health insurer. It says these rebates in the past have been passed to employers so they could decide whether to direct the savings to individuals or use them against overall health plan costs.

The announcement means UnitedHealth Group starting in 2020 would extend the value of these rebates to more individual consumers, building on a program announced last year for a subset of employers that buy the company’s health insurance.

“We’ve seen some really compelling results,” said Daniel Schumacher, the chief operating officer at UnitedHealthcare, in comments at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference in Miami, Fla. Consumers so far are seeing average savings of $130 per eligible prescription, Schumacher said, adding that the savings range from a couple of dollars to “one person who saved on a single

Marijuana company Continued from page 13. selves as the nation’s marijuana industry heats up. Last year, two companies debuted on a Canadian stock exchange, and another firm is set to be acquired for nearly $700 million.

Consolidation is becoming more commonplace, as cannabis companies that did not win licenses in state medical or recreational marijuana programs look to buy their way in. White said Verano won licenses in the states Harvest lost in, and vice versa.

“The way U.S. cannabis is evolving, we’re in the land-grab phase of that evolution,” White said. “There are two ways to acquire licenses. You have to essentially do both of them to win the land grab.” ©2019 Chicago Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

prescription $4,400.”

UnitedHealth Group, which is Minnesota’s largest company, runs both the UnitedHealthcare health insurance carrier and a growing health services business called Optum. OptumRx is one of the nation’s largest PBMs. Pharmaceutical benefit managers negotiate prices with manufacturers, create formularies that specify coverage levels for different medicines and establish networks of pharmacies where health plan subscribers can fill prescriptions.

The company’s announcement comes about six weeks after the Trump administration proposed eliminating legal protections for rebates between drug companies and PBMs, saying manufacturers attribute rising drug prices to the growing demand from PBMs for rebates. Drug companies say insurers and PBMs have been pocketing too much of the rebate money, but the companies insist they pass along savings to consumers.

Asked during the recent investor conference about the Trump administration’s proposal, John Penshorn, a UnitedHealth Group senior vice president, said: “We’re concerned that this is potentially a windfall for pharma. We don’t think that was an intention of the proposed regulation, and we’ll provide comments to that extent.”

With the announcement, new business proposals beginning January 2020 at OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare would incorporate what are known as “point-of-sale” discounts to consumers who use medications as part of their plan design.

While employers have had the option of adopting this approach for several years, UnitedHealth Group said it expects the change will accelerate adoption of point-of-sale discounts including in self-insured health plans run by large multistate employers.

Last year, UnitedHealth Group first announced the program, which took effect January 2019, for about 9 million people covered by fully-insured employer health plans. The expansion announced recently includes an exception for current customers.

When consumers do not have a deductible or large out-of-pocket costs, medication adherence improves by between 4 and 16 percent, the insurer says. Pharmacy accounts for about 15 percent of the total premium for an employer, Schumacher said, adding that point-of-sale discounts have a “low single digit impact on 15 percent of the spend.”

The per-person savings “in combination with better medical adherence rates we think drives to a better overall health outcome,” Schumacher said.

Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote recently on the social media website Twitter that her agency applauded the move and UnitedHealth Group’s push “to increasing transparency in the convoluted market for prescription drugs.”

In January, the Trump administration proposed a rule that would encourage manufacturers to pass discounts directly to consumers, and create fixed fee service arrangements between

Tech Q&A: Blocked malware download keeps trying

by Steve Alexander

Q: I’ve been getting a pop-up at the bottom of my screen that says, “Do you want to open or save ImgSync from image8. pubmatic.com?” My choices are open, save or cancel. I’ve clicked “cancel” or just closed the message box without responding, but the message always comes back. I’ve run the Malwarebytes secuTechnology rity software and another program called “Computer Cleaner,” but neither finds any malware to delete. What is this thing, and how can I get rid of it?

-Lana Luhm, Eau Claire, Wis. A: Your Norton antivirus software is protecting you from advertising malware.

You were right to click “cancel,” saying “no” to the download.

That should have been the end of it. The

recurring message means the malware is trying again and again to download to your PC. And that indicates the malware is coming from a website that you visit frequently.

The website that’s identified in your message belongs to Ads.pubmatic.com, a service that distributes advertising from many different companies to websites. However, some unscrupulous companies use the ad distribution service to place malicious software on otherwise legitimate websites. This malicious software is called “drive-by” malware because it automatically tries to download to any computer that visits the infected site.

Because your PC doesn’t appear to be infected yet, you can protect yourself against future download attempts by installing a free security add-on for your browser. The most popular one, Adblock Plus, blocks dangerous or intrusive ads (tinyurl.com/klmoy35).

Rob-See-Co eyes opportunities to strengthen market penetration Continued from page 9. projections for this year are for revenues and unit sales to grow by 20 percent.

“Our plan is to sell more seeds to existing and new customers in our current locations,” he said.

Robinson said an internal planning process, instituted in 2013 has been important in keeping growth more manageable, while allocating available resources to making the customers’ buying experience as simple and enjoyable as possible.

While additional sales representatives have been brought on, several bring significant experience to Rob-See-Co based on successful experiences with other seed companies.

Robinson said customer support — much of it from the Elkhorn office — enables custom-

drug companies and PBMs. The proposal was applauded by the trade group for drug companies, which argued patient co-payments and cost-sharing is often based on the list price of medications rather than the lower net price that factors savings from rebates.

“We need to ensure that the $150 billion in negotiated rebates and discounts are used to lower costs for patients at the pharmacy counter,” said Stephen J. Ubl, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in a statement. “This proposal would also help to fix the misaligned incentives in the system that currently result in insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) favoring medicines with high list prices.”

Insurers countered that drug companies were trying to deflect attention from their high prices “by convincing Americans that health insurance providers and their PBM partners are the problem, acting as so-called ‘middlemen,’” said Matt Eyles, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, in a statement.

“We are not middlemen — we are your bargaining power, working hard to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers,” Eyles said. “We cannot achieve those savings if our leverage and negotiating power is weakened through well-intentioned but misguided actions like this proposed rule.” ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

ers to access leading genetics and traits via its Innotech seed brand, working alongside other customers to help them plant the right seed while keeping the process straightforward and simple.

Rob-See-Co is owned by Robinson’s family and a few employees. Jim Robinson, a fifth generation member with a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical studies, has joined the firm as corn and soy products manager.

Last month Rob-See-Co announced Enlist E3 soybeans have received approval from the Philippines, a move that gives U.S. soybean growers a new choice for herbicide-resistant soybeans.

“Enlist E3 is the next generation option for farmers with problematic weeks,” Jim Robinson said.

Last summer LibertyLink GT27 was

approved for commercial availability to U.S. farmers. This trait combination gives producers a new soybean platform option with high yield potential, excellent flexibility of herbicide programs with non-volatile chemistries for greater safety and simplicity in application and cleanup.

Rob-See-Co in 2017 was able to give its seed customers greater options with China’s approval of the Agrisure Duracade corn rootworm trait. The firm has been offering Agrisure Duracade-tainted seed corn since 2014.

Rob Robinson, who is in his early 60s, said the research and product development process — while tenacious to navigate — requires the utmost patience while the regulatory wheels turn slowly.

“We’ve made a lot of progress since 2013 though,” he said.

For the benefit of other readers whose PCs may already be infected, Norton-maker Symantec Corp. suggests using the program to run a “full system scan” that should find any installed malware and delete it. As a second line of defense, Symantec recommends running the free version of Malwarebytes (see tinyurl.com/jsdacdk).

If Norton and Malwarebytes together can’t do it, try an alternate removal method that involves using your PC’s Control panel to uninstall any suspicious programs, then running Malwarebytes and the free versions of two other security programs, HitmanPro and AdwCleaner (see tinyurl.com/ya2djnvp).

Q: I’ve been trying to customize the appearance of different folders in Windows Explorer. I like to choose the file details that are displayed, such as “content type” or “authors.” But whenever I customize a single folder, Windows 7 makes that change in every folder on the PC. How can I customize some folders without changing all of them?

-Elizabeth Fry, Colorado Springs, Colo.

A: Before Windows 7, you could check a box in Windows Explorer to “remember each folder’s view settings.” For reasons that aren’t clear, Microsoft removed that choice in Windows 7, which means you can only choose one type of folder view for everything on your PC. But there are solutions. Microsoft offers some automated repair software for files and folders (see tinyurl.com/hoj6xub) that is supposed to fix several issues, including the customization of individual folders.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, there is a technical workaround (see tinyurl.com/ y2mnkcke). ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES MBJ legal notice instructions The following are some guidelines to consider when posting legal notices with the Midlands Business Journal: 1. Submit a written notice in either Microsoft Word or as a PDF document to Beth Grube at legals@mbj.com, fax to 402-758-9315 or mail: 1324 S. 119th St. Omaha, NE 68144.

For trade names, submit a copy of approved (bar code in upper right hand corner) Application For Registration of Trade Name from the Secretary of State to the same email address. Please include your billing address and the desired duration you’d like your notice to run (trade names run for only one week).

2. You will receive a confirmation and price quote. Legal notices, except for trade names, are charged per line. The flat fee for a trade name is $50.

Payment options are cash or check.

3. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday for a notice to start publishing that Friday.

4. All costs include fees to file the notice with the Secretary of State and/or any appropriate courts.

5. You will receive a paid invoice copy and a courtesy proof of the notice the first week it runs and a copy of the affidavit filed with the courts the last week.

NOTICE FOR REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Sealed Proposals will be received by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at the Engineering Division Office, 2200 North 33rd Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68503, for the following project at the time listed: DATE AND TIME: April 8, 2019 @ 12:00 P.M. PROJECT: Request for Qualifications for Design Build Services for Group Rental Facility LOCATION: Eugene T. Mahoney State Park NEAR: Ashland, Nebraska COUNTY: Cass, County RFQ Documents are on file at the Engineering Division Office, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 North 33rd Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, phone (402) 471-5571. Interested Proposers may obtain copies of the documents on our website at http://apps.outdoornebraska.gov/projects or request a copy by mail.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive any or all informalities or irregularities.

NEBRASKA GAME and PARKS COMMISSION BY: JAMES N. DOUGLAS - Director First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: EDWIN TAYE You are hereby notified that on 09/20/18, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI18 19421. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 590.29, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 04/14/19 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, COUNTY Nebraska.

Megan L. Bischoff #25206 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: CHERISH WHITEFACE, 6109 North 63rd ST, Omaha NE 68104, you are hereby notified that on December 26, 2018, AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE COMPANY S.I. filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI18-26880, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $6,163.11, 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 6th day of April, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication March 15, 2019, final April 5, 2019 DENNIS P. LEE, Attorney LEE LAW OFFICE 2433 South 130th Circle, Suite 300 P.O. Box 45947 Omaha, Nebraska 68145 NOTICE OF SUIT TO: CEMONE R. MATTHEWS, 4912 Magnolia St, Omaha NE 68137, you are hereby notified that on November 29, 2018, CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION filed a suit against you in the Douglas County Court at docket CI18-24777, the object in prayer of which was to secure a judgment against you in the amount of $8,960.47, 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 6th day of April, 2019, the Petition against you will be considered as true and judgment will be entered against you accordingly.

First publication March 15, 2019, final April 5, 2019

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

The designated office of the Company is 1934 S. 61st Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The registered agent of the Company is Britney Hansen, 1934 S. 61st Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The Company was formed on February 19, 2019.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Maguire Home Services Incorporated, whose registered agent is Robert E. Maguire and registered office is 2884 Martin Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68112, was formed on February 26, 2019 to engage in any lawful business.

The corporation has authorized 10,000 shares of capital stock.

Thomas E. Whitmore, Incorporator First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF KW LANDSCAPE & DESIGN, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that KW Landscape & Design, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 5080 S. 159th Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 13625 California Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HEARTLAND AG SYSTEMS MANUFACTURING LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Heartland Ag Systems Manufacturing 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 68154. 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 68154. The limited liability company commenced business on February 22, 2019.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 JOSEPH J. SKUDLAREK 1055 N 115 Street STE 301 Omaha NE 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LLC The Nebraska limited liability company’s name is Revive Innovations LLC. Its designated office is 12110 Windward Avenue, Papillion NE 68046.

Its purpose is any lawful business. It commenced on February 15, 2019. Its affairs shall be managed by a Member/Manager. Nic Novotny, Organizer First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF CARETECH NEBRASKA, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Caretech Nebraska, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 11904 Arbor Street #201, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 13625 California Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HAWTHORNE BASEMENTS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Hawthorne Basements, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 19201 Sahler Street, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 13625 California Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SUMMER SOLSTICE PUBLISHING LLC Notice is hereby given that Summer Solstice Publishing LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under Nebraska laws, with its designated office at 3009 N 76th Street, Omaha, NE 68134. It is organized to transact any lawful business for which a Limited Liability Company may be organized under Nebraska laws and its duration is perpetual commencing from February 21, 2019. Its affairs are to be conducted by the manager Lisa A. Quaites. Its registered agent is Lisa A. Quaites and her office is located at 3009 N 76th Street, Omaha, NE 68134.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019

17

AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), NATHAN C WEISE You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 10/31/2018 on Case Number CI18-22703, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $140.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/15/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), LYNN R NELSON You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 11/05/2018 on Case Number CI18-24207, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $428.80, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/15/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), MICHELLE L NORMAN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 110/30/2018 on Case Number CI18-22699, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $208.82, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/15/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), LINDSAY S ARENAS You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 11/05/2018 on Case Number CI18-21923, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $280.76, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/15/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 1 CHOICE HOME CARE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 1 Choice Home Care, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 11310 Davenport Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 13625 California Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 SHANNON G. MCCOY, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RYDER BEAR PHOTO CO, 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 RYDER BEAR PHOTO CO., LLC. The name and address of the registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc., 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, NE 68114. The general nature of the business to be transacted is all lawful business. The company commenced existence on February 22, 2019 and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the manager as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 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 KAASCH MONEY INVESTING, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Certificate of Organization of Kaasch Money Investing, LLC has been amended and restated. The limited liability company shall now provide real estate services. The designated office of the limited liability company remains the same at 503 South 36th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68105. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company remains at Koley Jessen, P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Amended and Restated Certificate of Organization was filed on February 26, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

18

• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

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 ORGANIZATION OF HIGHWAY 370 HQ, LLC The name of the Company is Highway 370 HQ, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Registered Agent and Office of the Company is: Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. This limited liability company commenced business on February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 4SEAMS ACADEMY, LLC The name of the Company is 4Seams Academy, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 8417 South 106th Street, La Vista, Nebraska 68128. 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 March 5, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HMWWC, LLC The name of the Company is HMWWC, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 7887 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. 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 February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RLZ COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, LLC The name of the Company is RLZ Communications Holdings, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2929 California Plaza, #5107, Omaha, Nebraska 68131. 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 February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF HMWF, LLC The name of the Company is HMWF, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 7887 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. 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 February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that Rend, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 12665 Meredith Ave, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. The registered agent of the Company is Thomas E. Whitmore, 7602 Pacific Street, Ste, 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Company was formed on February 28, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF JJM COMMUNICATIONS, LLC The name of the Company is JJM Communications, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 7887 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. 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 February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is Nebraska for Elephants, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares having a par value of $0.001 each.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is: 13407 Seward St., Omaha, NE 68154, and the Registered Agent at such address is Kari Ann Morfeld.

4. The corporate existence began on January 16, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

5. The name and address of the Incorporator is: LegalZoom.com, Inc., 101 N. Brand Blvd., 10th Floor, Glendale, CA 91203.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF M5 EXPERIENCE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that M5 Experience, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 3218 S. 184th Terrace, 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 68154. The limited liability company commenced business on March 4, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 JOHN C. WIELAND, Attorney SMITH, GARDNER, SLUSKY, LAZER, POHREN & ROGERS, LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DWBH, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on February 26th, 2019, DWBH, LLC was organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, with a designated office at 1242 South 116th Avenue Street, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska 68144. The Company’s initial agent for service of process is Thomas Mausbach, 1242S. 116th Avenue Street, Omaha, NE 68144.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MAA COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, LLC The name of the Company is MAA Communications Holdings, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2929 California Plaza, #5107, Omaha, Nebraska 68131. 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 February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 CHARLES E. DORWART, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-249 Estate of Kevin J. O'Reilly, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on February 26th, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of the Intestacy of said Decedent and that Jessica Predoehl, of 11858 Newport Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68164, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 8th, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SUNICE AD RETAIL, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Sunice AD Retail, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 2111 S. 67th Street, Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Dana Bradford, 2111 S. 67th Street, Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The limited liability company commenced business on February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 ABRAHAMS KASLOW & CASSMAN LLP, Attorneys 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION KEG 2 Properties, 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 1602 North 11th Street, Omaha, NE 68110. The name and street and mailing address of the initial registered agent of the company for service of process are R. Craig Fry, Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman LLP, 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 SMITH SLUSKY POHREN & ROGERS LLP 8712 West Dodge Road, Suite 400 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF ONE SPARK CLEANING AND SERVICES, LLC One Spark Cleaning and Services, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The registered agent and office is Danielle Dring, 8712 West Dodge Road, #400, Omaha, NE 68114. The 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 commences when the Certificate of Organization is filed with the Secretary of State. Its affairs are to be conducted by its Members pursuant to an Operating Agreement duly adopted by the Company.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF WOODSONIA 204 APARTMENT, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Woodsonia 204 Apartment, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68118. The Registered Agent of the Company is Andrew A. Snyder, 17007 Marcy Street, Suite 2, Omaha, Nebraska 68118.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GOOD BEAR, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Good Bear, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 16521 Douglas Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68118. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 9500 W. Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 JAMES D. BUSER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF THE TIPSY PIG, LLC Notice is hereby given of the organization of The Tipsy Pig, LLC. 1. The name of the limited liability company is The Tipsy Pig, LLC. 2. The street and mailing address of the initial designated office is 12910 Pierce Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68144, and the name and street address of the initial agent for service of process is James D. Buser, 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 JESSICA E. THOMAS, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF THE PRESERVE AT THE FARM HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION 1. The name of the Corporation is The Preserve at the Farm Homeowners Association.

2. The Corporation is a mutual benefit corporation.

3. The address of the registered office is 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the name of the registered agent at that office is James D. Buser.

4. The name and street address of each incorporator are as follows: William Douglas, Malibu Holdings, LLC, 21008 Cumberland Drive, Suite 110 Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022 R. Jeffery Lake, Malibu Holdings, LLC, 21008 Cumberland Drive, Suite 110 Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022 5. The Corporation will have members.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 SEAN D. MOYLAN, Attorney MOYLAN LAW, LLC 1010 South 120th Street, Suite 320 Omaha, Nebraska 68154 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 On February 27, 2019, Dr. Kristin Reed & Associates, P.C. filed an Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation changing its name to: ModernEyes Eyecare & Eyewear, P.C. First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF C3 RETAIL, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that C3 Retail, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 2111 S. 67th Street, Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Dana Bradford, 2111 S. 67th Street, Suite 400, Omaha, Nebraska 68106.

The limited liability company commenced business on February 27, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF RJL PROPERTIES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that RJL Properties, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

The Company was organized for the purpose of engaging in the transaction of any lawful business and the performance of any lawful activities that a limited liability company may engage in under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Company shall have perpetual existence unless dissolved in accordance with its Certificate of Organization, its Operating Agreement or the Limited Liability Company Act. Unless otherwise provided in the Company’s Operating Agreement, the affairs of the Company are to be managed by its member.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PARKER FINANCIAL ASSOCIATES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Parker Financial Associates, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 14802 Ruggles Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68116. The Registered Agent of the Company is DDLG Business Services, Inc., 13625 California Street, Suite 110, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Butterfly Maiden, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on February 26, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore.

Rebecca S. Luther will wind up the company’s business and affairs. The Company will have no remaining assets or liabilities.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF DT DELI, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that DT Deli, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 1417 N. 128th Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., 1125 S 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124. The Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on February 22, 2019.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SPRINGHILL DENTAL ASSISTING ACADEMY, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that SpringHill Dental Assisting Academy, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The designated office of the limited liability company is 4327 South 174th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The registered agent and office of the limited liability company is Yu-Ting Christina Chiang, 4327 South 174th Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The limited liability company commenced business on February 22, 2019.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9590 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that TruFit New Mexico, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on February 25, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore, and that the balance of any remaining assets are to be distributed to its Members. Tony Dahmen will wind up and liquidate the company’s business and affairs. If you have a claim against TruFit New Mexico, LLC, please provide the following information with respect to your claim: 1) your name or the name of your entity; 2) the nature of your claim; 3) the amount of your claim; and 4) the date your claim arose. All claims shall be mailed to TruFit New Mexico, LLC, c/o Dvorak Law Group, LLC, 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68114. A claim against TruFit New Mexico, LLC is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five (5) years after the publication date of the third required notice.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LEFT-BRAIN GIFTS, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Left-Brain Gifts, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (the “Company”), has been duly organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, designating its registered agent as Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. a limited liability organization with its registered office at 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

The Company was organized for the purpose of engaging in the transaction of any lawful business and the performance of any lawful activities that a limited liability company may engage in under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Company shall have perpetual existence unless dissolved in accordance with its Certificate of Organization, its Operating Agreement or the Limited Liability Company Act. Unless otherwise provided in the Company’s Operating Agreement, the affairs of the Company are to be managed by its members.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019

MARK GOODALL, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-265 Estate of FRANCES JOHNSON, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on 1st day of March, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Christoper P. Johnson, whose address is 2406bWindsor Drive, Papillion, NE 68046, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 8th, 2019 or be forever barred.

KELLY J. GOLDEN Clerk of the County Court First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is DO ALL HANDYMAN & REMODELING, LLC. 2. The street address of the initial designated office is 4624 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68132. The registered agent is Jessica L. Rowell and the Register Agent's address is 4624 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68132.

3. The general nature of the Company is general construction, remodeling and handyman services.

4. The Company commenced on March 5, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

5. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by Members, the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as the Members shall determine.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 3203 CORNHUSKER DRIVE, L.L.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 3203 CORNHUSKER DRIVE, L.L.C., is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a designated and registered office at 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by the manager and registered officer, KAREN LYNN BULLARD. 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 on January 19, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

KAREN LYNN BULLARD, Organizational Member 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF BS DENTISTRY, P.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that BS Dentistry, P.C., a Nebraska professional corporation (“Corporation”), has filed Articles of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on February 28, 2019, and the Corporation is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the Corporation are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore. Shane Sudman, President of the Corporation, will wind up and liquidate the Corporation’s business and affairs. The Corporation has no assets or liabilities as of the date hereof.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LEGACY QUILTING SERVICES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Legacy Quilting Services, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 17330 West Center Road, Suite 110-303, 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 March 4, 2019.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 3624 SOUTH 91ST STREET, L.L.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 3624 SOUTH 91ST STREET, L.L.C., is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a designated and registered office at 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by the manager and registered officer, KAREN LYNN BULLARD. 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 on January 19, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

KAREN LYNN BULLARD, Organizational Member 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

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NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF PARAMOUNT RENOVATIONS, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that PARAMOUNT RENOVATIONS, 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 MIKALA MCKEE. The general nature of the business is to operate a general construction 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 construction 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 January 24, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by a Board of Directors, the number of directors to be provided in the By-Laws, and the officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as shall be designated in the By-Laws.

ANTHONY L. GROSS, Incorporator CATHERINE L. WHITE, Incorporator 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68124 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF ALBACHIR CONSULTING, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that ALBACHIR CONSULTING, 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 ABDELKADER BELBACHIR. The general nature of the business is to operate a general consulting 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 consulting 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 January 19, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by a Board of Directors, the number of directors to be provided in the By-Laws, and the offi¬cers 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 March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 1117 LAPORT DRIVE, L.L.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 1117 LAPORT DRIVE, L.L.C., is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a designated and registered office at 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by the manager and registered officer, KAREN LYNN BULLARD. 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 on January 19, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

KAREN LYNN BULLARD, Organizational Member 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

PHILLIP A. BELIN, Attorney BELIN LAW FIRM, P.C., L.L.O. 12341 Westover Road Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that RYAN JAMES, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act. The address of the registered office of the company is 16726 H Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68135. The agent at such office is Deborah Cornwell.

The general nature of the business to be transacted by the company is any lawful business which may be carried on by limited liability companies organized under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act. The Company commenced on February 14, 2019, and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by its members.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF HAIR BY JAMIE LIGON, INC. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that HAIR BY JAMIE LIGON, 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 JAMIE L. LIGON. The general nature of the business is to operate a general hair salon 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 hair salon 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 February 7, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the corporation are to be conducted by a Board of Directors, the number of directors to be provided in the By-Laws, and the officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers as shall be designated in the By-Laws.

ANTHONY L. GROSS, Incorporator CATHERINE L. WHITE, Incorporator 3018 South 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68124 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is Curt Mantz Youth Foundation.

2. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the Registered Agent at such address is DDLG Business Services, Inc. 4. The name and address of the March 5, 2019 when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF SAMWAY SOLUTIONS, LLC Notice is hereby given that Samway Solutions, LLC has been organized as a limited liability company under Nebraska laws, with its designated office at 8028 Fillmore St, Omaha, NE 68122. It is organized to transact any lawful business for which a Limited Liability Company may be organized under Nebraska laws and its duration is perpetual commencing from February 4, 2019. Its affairs are to be conducted by registered agent Carol Samway.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: RICHARD BARCELONA You are hereby notified that on 09/27/18, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI18 20125. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 815.00, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 04/21/19 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA Nebraska.

Steven J. Morrison #24708 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 DEAN F. SUING, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MARK’S HOME AND TECH SERVICES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has formed a limited liability company under the Nebraska Limited Liability Company Act, as follows: The name of the company is Mark’s Home and Tech Services, LLC. The address of the designated office is 7608 N. 279th Street, Valley, Nebraska, 68064 and the initial registered agent is Mark W. McCleery, 7608 N. 279th Street, Valley, Nebraska 68064. The company is organized to engage in and do any lawful act concerning any and all lawful business, other than banking and insurance, for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of Nebraska. The limited liability company commenced existence on the filing and recording of its Certificate of Organization with the Secretary of State on February 26, 2019, and shall have a perpetual period of duration from the date the Certificate of Organization was filed with the Secretary of State. Management of the Company shall be vested in an initial board of one manager who shall serve until successors are appointed or elected.

Mark W. McCleery, Registered Agent First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 ALLAN M. ZIEBARTH, Attorney 1702 S. 10th Street, Suite 2 Omaha, Nebraska 68108 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF ALP INC. ALAN D. PFEFER, 1702 S. 10 St., Ste. 2, Omaha, NE 68108, President, will manage the wind up and liquidation of its business and affairs. Assets, if any, remaining after paying liabilities will be distributed pro-rata to the shareholders. All claims against the corporation must be forwarded to the corporation must be forwarded to the corporation at the foregoing address and contain the name of the claimant, the nature and amount of the claim, and the address and a contact person for the claimant.

A claim against the corporation is barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within three years after the publication date of the third required notice.

First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), SCOTT A LEWIN & AMY M LEWIN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 11/06/2018 on Case Number CI18-24203, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $2,718.56, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/22/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

C.E. HEANEY, JR., Attorney LAMSON DUGAN & MURRAY LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF OMAHA DISCOVERY TRUST Notice is hereby given that a nonprofit corporation has been formed under the laws of the State of Nebraska, and that the name of the corporation is OMAHA DISCOVERY TRUST. The corporation is a public benefit corporation and will not have members. The name and street address of the corporation’s initial office is 10050 Regency Cir., # 101, Omaha, NE 68114.

The name and address of the registered agent and incorporator is LDM Business Services, Inc., 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, NE 68114.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Incorporator First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GCP II CUPPLES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that GCP II Cupples, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

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

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF GCP II CLEVELAND, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that GCP II Cleveland LP, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

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

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MDC CAREFREE, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that MDC Carefree, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska.

The Designated Office Address of the Company is 11550 I Street, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. The Registered Agent of the Company is John Hughes, 11550 I Street, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68137.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION 1. The name of the Corporation is All We See Is Gold, Inc. 2. The Corporation is a public benefit corporation.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114, and the Registered Agent at such address is DDLG Business Services, Inc. 4. The name and address of the incorporator is M. Thomas Langan II, 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100, Omaha, Nebraska 68114.

5. The Corporation shall not have members.

6. The corporate existence began on March 7, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DVORAK LAW GROUP LLC 9500 West Dodge Road, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF MERGER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Articles of Merger merging MF Holdings, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, into Metl-FAB, Inc., a Nebraska corporation, were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on March 11, 2019, in accordance with the Nebraska Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act. The surviving entity in the merger is Metl-FAB, Inc. First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that HI Phoenix, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, filed its Statement of Dissolution with the Nebraska Secretary of State on March 6, 2019, and the company is in the process of voluntary dissolution. The terms and conditions of such dissolution are, in general, that all debts and obligations of the company are to be fully paid and satisfied or adequate provision is to be made therefore, and that the balance of any remaining assets are to be distributed to its Member. Keeley Lammers will wind up and liquidate the company’s business and affairs. If you have a claim against the company, please provide the following information with respect to your claim: (1) your name or the name of your entity; (2) the nature of your claim; (3) the amount of your claim; and (4) the date your claim arose. All claims shall be mailed to 13323 California Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. A claim against the company is barred unless an action to enforce the claim is commenced within five (5) years after the publication date of the third required notice.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MORFELD RESEARCH & CONSERVATION, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Morfeld Research & Conservation, LLC has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the limited liability company is 13407 Seward Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. 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 March 6, 2019.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT OF DS HOMES, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Certificate of Organization of DS Homes, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company, has been amended as follows: the limited liability company has changed its name to Ruck Cabinet Doors, LLC. The Amended Certificate of Organization was filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State on March 11, 2019.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF LOLA’S CATERING, LLC The name of the Company is Lola’s Catering, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 2204 Country Club Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska 68104. 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 March 6, 2019.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF PANORAMA WELLNESS PRODUCTION, LLC The name of the Company is Panorama Wellness Production, LLC. The Designated Office of the Company is: 13030 Pierce Street, Suite 300, Omaha, Nebraska 68144. 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 March 6, 2019.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF MEURET AG, INC. 1. The name of the Corporation is Meuret AG, Inc. 2. The Corporation is authorized to issue 10,000 shares of common stock, having a par value of $1.00 each.

3. The Registered Office of the Corporation is 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska, and the Registered Agent at such address is Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. 4. The corporate existence began on March 7, 2019, when Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State.

5. The name and address of the incorporator are Jeffery R. Schaffart, 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, Omaha, Nebraska 68124.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF TLN Farms, LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that TLN Farms, LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 508 Devonshire Dr Gretna, NE 68028. The Registered Agent of the Company is Thomas Newman of 508 Devonshire Dr Gretna, NE 68028.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that LogicPath, LLC, has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska on 02/27/2019 with its initial designated agent and office: Robert D Richardson 21501 Honeysuckle Dr, Elkhorn, NE 68022. The general nature of the business is Software Consulting. The business shall be Member-Managed.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 BROWN & WOLFF, P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1925 North 120th Street, One Bennington Place Omaha, Nebraska 68154 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF H204Less LLC NOTICE is hereby given that H204Less LLC is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The address of its registered office is 13520 Discovery Dr., Omaha, Nebraska 68137. The purposes for which the Company is organized are to engage in any and all lawful businesses for which a limited liability company may be organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska including but not limited to sales, marketing and distribution. The Company commenced on the 5th day of March, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by its Members and/or Managers as set forth in the terms of the company’s Operating Agreement from time to time.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 • LEGAL NOTICES AMANDA M. FORKER, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF THE NEBRASKA COALITION FOR LIFESAVING CURES Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Nonprofit Corporation Act, the Articles of Incorporation of Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures (the "Corporation") have been amended and restated in their entirety. The substantive amendments to the ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION effected by the AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION are described as follows: 1. Update the principal office location.

2. Revise provisions applicable to appointment and service of Directors and Officers of the Corporation.

3 . T h e A M E N D E D A N D R E S TAT E D A RT I C L E S O F INCORPORATION were filed with Nebraska Secretary of State on January 11, 2019.

4 . T h e A M E N D E D A N D R E S TAT E D A RT I C L E S O F I N C O R P O R AT I O N s u p e r s e d e t h e o r i g i n a l A RT I C L E S O F INCORPORATION and all amendments thereto.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF 10217 OHERN STREET, L.L.C. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that 10217 OHERN STREET, L.L.C., is organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with a designated and registered office at 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127. The affairs of the company are to be conducted by the manager and registered officer, KAREN LYNN BULLARD. 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 on January 19, 2019, and shall have perpetual existence.

KAREN LYNN BULLARD, Organizational Member 6330 South 95th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127 First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION Notice is hereby given that TJAM Enterprises, L.L.C. (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The designated office of the Company is 5025 N. 142nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164.

The registered agent of the Company is Troy Meade, 5025 N. 142nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164. The Company was formed on March 6, 2019.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 MIDTOWN ROWS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., a Nebraska non-profit corporation, Notice is hereby given that Midtown Rows Homeowners Association, Inc. is incorporated under the laws of the State of Nebraska, with its principle office located at 12040 McDermott Plaza, Suite 200 La Vista, Nebraska, 68128. The name of its initial registered agent is Allen Grimes. The general nature of its business is to provide for the maintenance, preservation and architectural control of the improvements and common areas within the Midtown Rows subdivision, a residential subdivision in Sarpy County, Nebraska. The corporation is a mutual benefit corporation and shall have members. The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State on February 15, 2018. The affairs of the corporation shall be conducted by a Board of Directors, a President, Secretary and Treasurer as may be prescribed by the bylaws or appointed by the Board of Directors. The name and address of the initial incorporator is as follows: Allen Grimes, 12040 McDermott Plaza, Suite 200, La Vista, Nebraska 68128.

Allen Grimes, Incorporator and Initial Director First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF SML ENTERPRISES, 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 SML ENTERPRISES, INC. The corporation is authorizied to issue 10,000 shares of common stock. The name and street address of the corporation’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128, and its incorporator is Sean Lewis, 410 N. 14th Street, Fort Calhoun, NE 68037.

Sean Lewis, Incorporator First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Buck’s Sales Optimization Consulting, 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 Buck’s Sales Optimization Consulting, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128.

The designated office is located at 3126 Fillmore Street, Omaha, NE 68112.

Danny Buck, Member First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Maverick Empires, 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 Maverick Empires, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 17403 Bondesson Street, Bennington, NE 68007.

Jake Romero, Member First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF Maverick Enterprises, 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 Maverick Enterprises, LLC The name and street address of the company’s initial registered agent is Law Offices of Barbara Medbery-Prchal, P.C., L.L.O., 10305 Joseph Circle, La Vista, NE 68128. The designated office is located at 17403 Bondesson Street, Bennington, NE 68007.

Jake Romero, Member First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 DEAN F. SUING, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INTENT TO DISSOLVE ABSOLUTE GUTTERS, CORP. Pursuant to the Nebraska Business Corporation Act, the undersigned corporation hereby publishes notice of its voluntary dissolution. The stockholder adopted a resolution to dissolve on March 1, 2019. The resolution received the unanimous vote of stockholder in attendance at said meeting. Michael Humphrey, 5517 N. 149th Street, Omaha, NE 68116, President of the corporation, is the person who is to manage the affairs during the dissolution of the corporation. The plan of dissolution will be to pay creditors of the corporation and then distribute the remaining assets of the corporation to the shareholder in accordance with the stock ownership in the corporation.

Absolute Gutters, Inc. Michael Humphrey, President First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 MATTHEW T. PAYNE, Attorney PANSING HOGAN ERNST & BACHMAN LLP 10250 Regency Circle, Suite 300 Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3728 NOTICE OF ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF FLB SAFETY ENTERPRISES, INC. Notice is hereby given of Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of FLB Safety Enterprises, Inc. as follows: Article I of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended so that, as amended, said Article shall provide that the name of the Corporation shall be Safety Restraint Chair, Inc. The Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State of Nebraska on March 5, 2019. In all other respects, the Articles of Incorporation remain unchanged.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION CHANGE OF NAME The Articles of Incorporation of Advanced Endodontic Therapy, P.C. has been amended, changing the name of the company from Advanced Endodontic Therapy, P.C. to AET HOLDING COMPANY, P.C., effective March 5, 2019. All other provisions of the Certificate of Organization remain unchanged.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 STEVEN G. RANUM, Attorney C R O K E R , H U C K , K A S H E R , D E W I T T, A N D E R S O N & GONDERINGER, L.L.C. 2120 S. 72nd Street, Suite 1200 Omaha, Nebraska 68124 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF EMPIRE SERVICES, LLC The name of the limited liability company is Empire Services, LLC. The address of the initial designated office is 410 South 48th Street, Omaha, NE 68132. The name and address of the initial agent for service of process is Steven G. Ranum, 2120 South 72nd Street, Suite 1200, Omaha, NE 68124.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Roberta and Bob Rogers Gallery Name of Applicant: Art Omaha Address: 1806 Vinton Street Omaha NE 68108 Applicant is a Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: March 1, 2019 General nature of business: Art education and artwork sales JOHN ROGERS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative March 15, 2019

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SHANNON G. MCCOY, Attorney LAMSON, DUGAN and MURRAY, LLP 10306 Regency Parkway Drive Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3743 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF MIA KAY COMPANY, 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 MIA KAY COMPANY, LLC. The name and address of the registered agent and office is LDM Business Services, Inc., 10306 Regency Parkway Drive, Omaha, NE 68114. The general nature of the business to be transacted is all lawful business. The company commenced existence on February 26, 2019 and shall have perpetual duration. The affairs of the company shall be conducted by the manager as prescribed by the Operating Agreement.

LDM Business Services, Inc., Organizer First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 KELLOGG & PALZER, P.C. 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6 Omaha, Nebraska 68154-2647 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION 1. The name of the Company is THE ASCENSION CENTER, LLC. 2. The street address of the initial designated office is 1907 Petersen Drive, Papillion, Nebraska 68046. The registered agent is Jeffrey T. Palzer and the Register Agent's address is 10828 Old Mill Road, Suite 6, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.

3. The general nature of the Company is Licensed Mental Health Specialist.

4. The Company commenced on February 13, 2019 and shall have perpetual existence.

5. The affairs of the Company are to be conducted by Members, the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers as the Members shall determine.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), JEREMY R ALLEN You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 11/05/2018 on Case Number CI18-24187, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $1,877.63, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs. You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/29/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019

KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., Attorneys 1125 South 103rd Street, Suite 800, One Pacific Place Omaha, Nebraska 68124-1079 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: Midwest Oral Surgery & Dental Implants Name of Applicant: Midwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, P.C. Address: 14625 California Street, Omaha, NE 68154 Applicant is a Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: upon filing General nature of business: maxiofacial surgeon RICHARD D. VROMAN Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative March 15, 2019 BARBARA MEDBERY-PRCHAL, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney 10305 Joseph Circle La Vista, Nebraska 68128 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: FORT BAR Name of Applicant: SML ENTERPRISES, INC. Address: 401 N 14TH STREET, FORT CALHOUN, NE 68023 Applicant is a Corporation If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: NEBRASKA Date of first use of name in Nebraska: 07/09/2018 General nature of business: BAR SEAN LEWIS Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative March 15, 2019 APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF TRADE NAME Trade Name to be registered is: KABIL ROOFING Name of Applicant: MANUEL PEDRO JUAREZ Address: 856 S. 27TH ST., LINCOLN, NE 68510 Applicant is an Individual If other than an Individual, state under whose laws entity was formed: Nebraska Date of first use of name in Nebraska: UPON FILING General nature of business: ROOFING SERVICES MANUAL P JUAREZ Signature of Applicant or Legal Representative March 15, 2019

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

LEGAL NOTICES NICK R. TAYLOR, Attorney FITZGERALD, SCHORR, BARMETTLER & BRENNAN, P.C., L.L.O. 10050 Regency Circle, 200 Regency One Omaha, Nebraska 68114-3794 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-308 Estate of DONALD R. BOHNENKAMP, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on March 8, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Adrienne O. Bohnenkamp, whose address is 6347 South 104 Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68124, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 15, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 WHITMORE LAW OFFICE LLC 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 200 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION Rice Noodle Thai, Inc., whose registered agent is Max Lau and registered office is 10685 Bedford Ave, #120, Omaha, Nebraska 68134, was formed on February 28, 2019 to engage in any lawful business. The corporation has authorized 10,000 shares of capital stock.

Thomas E. Whitmore, Incorporator First publication March 8, 2019, final March 22, 2019 ERICKSON l SEDERSTROM, P.C., Attorneys 10330 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 NOTICE OFAMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION COLLABORATIVE NP, LLC The Certificate of Organization of Collaborative NP, LLC has been amended to acknowledge the rendering of professional services for medical consulting, effective March 1, 2019. All other provisions of the Certificate of Organization remain unchanged.

First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 CHARLES E. DORWART, P.C., L.L.O., Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-325 Estate of Eddie Lee McCreary, Jr., Deceased Notice is hereby given that on March 12, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Intestacy of said Decedent and that Wanda R. McCreary, of 7828 King Street, Omaha, NE 68122, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 15, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 MARK GOODALL, Attorney GOVIER, KATSKEE, SUING & MAXELL, PC, LLO 10404 Essex Court, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-311 Estate of Jeraldine Sparano, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on March 12, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that John Sparano, Jr., whose address is 5314 Holmes Street, Omaha, NE 68117, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 15, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 AMANDA M. BARRON, Attorney P.O. Box 597 Fremont, Nebraska 68026 LEGAL NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT(s), NATHAN C WEISE You are hereby notified that Credit Bureau Services, Inc., a corporation, filed its complaint in the County Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska on 10/31/2018 on Case Number CI18-22703, the object and prayer of which is to recover the sum of $140.00, plus interest, attorney fees and court costs.

You are required to answer the complaint of the Plaintiff on or before 04/29/2019 or the allegations in said complaint will be taken as true and judgment entered accordingly.

CREDIT BUREAU SERVICES, INC., A CORPORATION First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: ZACHARY EBERHARDT You are hereby notified that on 10/11/18, the Plaintiff Credit Management Services, Inc., filed a Complaint in the COUNTY Court of DOUGLAS County, Nebraska, against you shown as Case Number CI18 20854. The object and prayer of which is a judgment in the amount of 860.50, plus court costs, pre-judgment interest and attorney fees, if applicable.

The Complaint prays that judgment be entered against you. You are hereby notified that you must answer the Complaint on or before 04/28/19 at the COUNTY court of DOUGLAS County, OMAHA Nebraska.

Steven J. Morrison #24708 P.O. Box 1512 Grand Island, NE 68802 (308)398-3801 Attorney for Plaintiff First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 ROBERT J. LIKES, Attorney LIKES MEYERSON HATCH LLC 444 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-316 Estate of Rosemary Allen, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on March 11, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Linda Dugan, 1186 Spring Valley Dr, Fort Calhoun, NE 68023, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 15, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 ROBERT J. LIKES, Attorney LIKES MEYERSON HATCH LLC 444 Regency Parkway Drive, Suite 100 Omaha, Nebraska 68114 LEGAL NOTICE In the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. PR19-306 Estate of Helen M. Hays, Deceased Notice is hereby given that on March 8, 2019, in the County Court of Douglas County, Nebraska, the Registrar issued a written statement of Informal Probate of the Will of said Decedent and that Donna J. Snowdon, 3105 South 117th Street, Omaha, NE 68044-4543, was informally appointed by the Registrar as Personal Representative of the Estate.

Creditors of this estate must file their claims with this Court, located at Courtroom No. 30, Third Floor, Probate Division, Douglas County Hall of Justice, 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, NE 68183, on or before May 15, 2019 or be forever barred.

CARROL L. MILLS Registrar First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019 NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION OF EMPOWERED PREVENTION LLC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Empowered Prevention LLC (the “Company”) has been organized under the laws of the State of Nebraska. The Designated Office Address of the Company is 8811 Webster Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. The Registered Agent of the Company is USCA. Inc., 1603 Farnam Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102.

First publication March 1, 2019, final March 15, 2019 WESLEY E. HAUPTMAN, Attorney 11605 Arbor Street, Suite 107 Omaha, Nebraska 68144 NOTICE OF INCORPORATION OF TNL NAILS, INC. NOTICE is hereby given that the undersigned has formed a corporation under the laws of the State of Nebraska as follows: 1. The name of the corporation is TNL NAILS, INC. 2. The address of the initial registered office is 15254 California Street., Omaha, NE 68154 and the initial registered agent at that address is Amanda Thai.

3. The general nature of the business is to engage in the business providing nail and waxing services, and any other lawful activity allowable under the Nebraska Model Business Corporation Act. 4. The corporation shall consist of duly elected members and shall hold an annual meeting to transact the corporate business.

5. The corporation commenced existence on the 5th day of March, 2019a and shall have perpetual existence.

6. The affairs of the corporation shall be conducted by a Board of Directors, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and subordinate officers and agents as may be prescribed by the Bylaws, or appointed by the Board of Directors.

WESLEY E. HAUPTMAN, Incorporator First publication March 15, 2019, final March 29, 2019

As a manager, you should help team members share information and experiences

by Liz Reyer Q: I like sending team members to conferences, panels and other learning activities. But no matter how much I ask, they are not good about sharing the information back for the benefit of the rest of the team. How can I get them to comply without taking the fun out of going?

A: Create structure to make it easy, and be firm in following up on your expectations.

Emphasis on easy.

If someone has a term paper hanging over their head, it’s likely to be procrastinated upon.

Workplace So think about what you really want from this sharing.

Realistically, simply sharing one kernel of insight from a particularly good presentation may be the start you need.

You can help by providing a quick format for people to follow if they wish.

How simple should it be?

All you really need is what they heard and why it was interesting.

Then give them a venue to tell about it.

As soon as they are back, either use your next team meeting as a forum or set up a special quick call for “news of the world” that they have heard.

It will be like exercising; sometimes the hardest part is getting started. As soon as they start telling about what they heard, they are likely to get excited and more will come out.

If you are not having regular team meetings, that’s a problem at many levels.

Regular interaction, especially if you have people working from multiple locations, is essential to forming strong connections.

Yet team meetings can become dry, focused just on mundane matters and something that people may be tempted to multi-task through.

If you put some of the responsibility for the content on your team, you can prevent this, while also accomplishing the information sharing you seek.

For example, if you are meeting as a team twice monthly for an hour, assign a 10- to 15-minute slot to a team member.

They can start with the simple insight discussed above, if they have attended some type of session.

They could also share a topic they read about, or even a learning from a recent project that others might not know about.

Their update can be quick, and then you should be prepared to guide some discussion.

Be available to help them prepare, as they may not be comfortable at first.

If you have a fairly quiet team, this could be a barrier.

However, this activity will also give them a safe space to get used to speaking out in a group.

Use social media as another channel.

Some of your team may be keen to tweet or post on other platforms while they are in sessions.

If this works for them, get hashtags out to team members so they can learn with them in real time.

Plan ahead if agendas are detailed enough.

If there’s a topic of specific interest, you can provide questions in advance to the attendee to follow up on.

This structure may help encourage sharing.

The key is to not let it slip. It’s easy to do when things are busy and when this type of activity is more of a perk, but everyone will benefit if information is shared. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

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Office Omaha’s Services Districts Guide A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Topics may include:

A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Topics may include:

Office Services Guide overview • Temporary help services Staying up-to-date on office technology • Furnishing an Office/Office Design Accounting/Bookkeeping/Legal Support • Office supplies/vendors

Omaha’s Districts overview • Commercial, office and retail Shopping, dining and attractions • Housing projects • History

Issue Date:March 22 • Ad Deadline:March 14

Issue Date:March 22 • Ad Deadline:March 14

Environment Industry A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

The Midlands Business Journal is excited to once again be working with Jerry Slusky and the leadership team of the CRE Summit to publish a special section about this year’s 30th annual event in our March 29 issue.

Topics in this section may include the following: • 2019 CRE Summit overview, including event highlights, keynote speakers and award winners • Hall of Fame 2019 inductees • Development and Deal of the Year honorees • Breakout sessions/Panel

Topics may include: The Environment Industry overview • Area environmental projects • Latest in recycling Integrating sustainable strategies • Energy management/audits • Water conservation Building Green • Environmental consultants, engineers and site assessments

Issue Date:March 29 • Ad Deadline:March 21

Issue Date: March 29 • Ad Deadline: March 22

To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below.

Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Catie Kirby - ads@mbj.com

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

UPCOMING

SECTIONS

IN THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MARCH 22

OMAHA’S DISTRICTS

OFFICE SERVICES GUIDE MARCH 29

THE ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY

CRE SUMMIT

To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our MBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email addresses below.

Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Catie Kirby - ads@mbj.com Space and materials deadline is the Friday prior to the publication date.

You may email us your insertion orders directly, or fax them to us at (402) 758-9315. We will acknowledge receiving your instructions.

REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

Briefs…

Deka Lash is opening its newest studio and the first in Nebraska. The studio is located in Omaha and is owned and operated

by Moriah and Rob Brookshier. Deka Lash provides semi-permanent eyelash extensions featuring online booking and extended hours. The Brookshiers will be opening two additional studios in the Omaha area.

Deka Lash – Omaha location is at 14505 W. Maple Road in the Shoppes at Grayhawk.

The studio is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

R. Scott Darrah, a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Council Bluffs, has achieved membership in the Million Dollar Round Table. Darrah has achieved Million Dollar Round Table status 13 times with four Court of the Table qualifications and five Top of the Table Honors.

Darrah attained MDRT membership based, in part, on professional success, client service, and adherence to a code of ethics, professionalism and involvement in at least one other industry association. Attaining membership in MDRT is achieved by less than 1 percent of the world’s life insurance and financial services professionals.

Great Plains Communications CEO Todd Foje has been elected as the 2019 chairman of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Foje began his official duties as chairman during the chamber’s annual meeting in Lincoln on Feb. 7. Throughout 2019, he will lead the organization’s key legislative priorities, including strengthening workforce development, promoting tax relief and improving Nebraska’s overall business climate. An Omaha resident, he has lent his time in volunteer and board roles with the American Red Cross, Creighton Prep High School and Duchesne Academy, and as a mentor through the TeamMates youth mentoring program.

Mayor Jean Stothert was recognized as a finalist for the 2019 Excellence in Mentoring Awards in the Public Elevation category, a national award presented by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. The award recognizes individuals who use their influence and public platform to support mentoring opportunities for youth. Stothert helped MENTOR Nebraska recruit more than 50 businesses for the Corporate Mentoring Challenge. Stothert further supports the mentoring initiative through her continued participation in Mayors for Mentoring. In addition, she has awarded MENTOR Nebraska a $10,000 grant to be used for mentor recruitment events.

The Human Resource Association of the Midlands named Lynn Owen the 2018 Volunteer of the Year. The award is given annually to a member who has made outstanding contributions to HRAM, its membership, and the community during the year. Owen is a HRAM board member and co-chair of the government affairs committee. With her past co-chair, Cheryl Pignotti, Owen strategically planned over the past three years how to bring more and better programming to the HRAM membership.

Five Nines has been placed on the CRN Managed Service Provider 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category for the sixth time. The Pioneer 250 list highlights the top providers

whose business models are centered on delivering exceptional managed services to the SMB market.

Beginning with the 2019 season, RobSee-Co will have Enlist E3 as a choice for U.S. soybean growers looking for a herbicide-resistant soybeans. These soybeans tolerate applications of 2,4-D choline, glyphosate, and glufosinate, which gives farmers multiple post emergence modes of action. Enlist E3 offers a near-zero volatility weed control option with for non-target vegetation. The technology was developed jointly by Corteva Agriscience and MS Technologies.

Health care notes…

WellCare of Nebraska has donated $50,000 to support Live Well Omaha, a local coalition and its Healthy Homes inspections pilot. The donation will assist with identifying homes that have tested positive for lead paint or asthma triggers impacting children and families living in Douglas County. Approximately 678 children in the county have blood lead levels exceeding the Center for Disease Control’s level of concern. WellCare’s donation will support the Wyatt Tool, a Healthy Home assessment tool used to identify unhealthy triggers within a property and refer the inhabitants to resources for abatement.

Pottawattamie County Community Foundation received a donation for its new field of interest fund, which focuses on mental health and substance abuse in southwest Iowa. The Mental Health & Substance Abuse Network, a former nonprofit organization, provided the donation for this new fund. The network dissolved in late 2018, providing the opportunity for the PCCF to continue the mission of providing support to mental health and substance abuse services in southwest Iowa. The PCCF will make annual distributions to support charitable organizations in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties that support community education, training, and prevention related to substance use.

Education notes…

Mercy High School’s FIESTA 2019: Destined to Shine on Feb. 16 was a record-breaking fundraiser that raised money for the school’s Negotiated Tuition Program, which gives deserving students the opportunity to attend Mercy. More than $400,000 was raised, one of the highest totals in recent years, and more than 490 people attended.

Marian Standeven, vice president for mission integration at College of Saint Mary, will be a recipient of the 2019 College of Public Affairs and Community Service Alumni Award for Excellence in Public Service. The award is presented to University of Nebraska at Omaha alumni who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to the public. In her current role at CSM, Standeven ensures the understanding and application of the mission in all facets of the CSM community. She leads the Leadership Formation programming for staff and faculty leaders, oversees the inclusive campus strategic direction and the office of multicultural initiatives, and chairs the Institutional Sustainability Committee.

Kimiko Krieger, a graduate student fellow in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the UniContinued on next page.

Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

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REGIONAL LANDSCAPES Continued from preceding page. versity of Nebraska Medical Center, has been selected as one of 16 early-career cancer scientists from around the country to participate in Early-career Hill Day through the American Association for Cancer Research. This marks the second straight year Krieger has been selected to participate in the event. Krieger works in the laboratory of Nick Woods, Ph.D., assistant professor and program director of proteomics and systems biology research in the Eppley Institute.

The Nebraska Library Commission awarded $12,164 in grants for continuing education and training. The purpose of the Continuing Education and Training Grants is to help Nebraska librarians as they pursue learning opportunities to advance their skills and knowledge. Successful applications addressed how the continuing education and/or training proposed will support the library’s mission and improve the library services provided to their communities. The recipients are: Atkinson Public Library, Atkinson; Hoesch Memorial Library, Alma; Keene Memorial Library, Fremont; Morton-James Public Library, Nebraska City; and Three Rivers Library System in Omaha.

Activities of nonprofits…

Midlands Community Foundation’s sixth MCF Matching Charitable Program, that ran from Nov. 27, 2018 through Jan. 7, 2019, raised nearly $740,000, with $429,680 qualifying for matching funds.

MCF provided matching funds for new contributions made to existing and newly created Affiliated General, Designated, Donor Advised, Field of Interest and Scholarship Funds. Matching donations were made up to a limit of $5,000 per individual donor, and subject to a maximum of $100,000. Because more than $100,000 was contributed on an aggregate basis to all funds, the matching dollars were pro-rated among such donors based on the total contributions made.

United Way of the Midlands has been awarded a grant of $66,661 from Kellogg’s Twenty-Five Year Employees’ Fund, Inc. In alignment with Kellogg’s global purpose platform “Breakfast for Better Days,” these funds will support UWM Community Care Fund programs that address hunger and provide other crisis supports, such as access to stable housing and affordable health care.

Omaha-Metro YMCA volunteer coaches, parents and officials raised almost $28,000 to support the YMCA’s youth sports scholarship program: Get A Kid In The Game. The campaign relied on donations from participants during halftime at youth basketball games, when coaches from the opposing teams squared off in a free throw-shooting contest. Get A Kid In The Game supports the Y’s ability to provide financial assistance to children who might not otherwise have opportunity to play youth sports. Last year, the Y gave more than $40,000 worth of assistance to Omaha youth.

Arts and events…

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts has selected Sylvie Fortin as its next curator-in-residence. She will serve as a professional resource to Bemis Center artists-in-residence and the Greater Omaha arts community and organize exhibitions

and public programs at Bemis Center through Jan. 31, 2021. Fortin’s work at Bemis will be part of her current, long-term curatorial inquiry into the contemporary currencies of hospitality. Fortin is an independent curator, researcher, critic and editor based in Montréal, Canada and New York, New York.

Amplify Arts announced two recipients of the Amplify Arts’ 2019 Artist Support Grants. Sarah Hummel Jones is the recipient of a 2019 Artist Support Grant and Corson Androski is the recipient of the 2019 LGBTQIA+ Artist Support Grant.

They will each receive unrestricted cash awards of $5,000. In addition to the grant award, each recipient will receive special recognition throughout 2019 on Amplify Arts’ social media accounts, website, special events, and a year-end exhibition and celebration. Artist Support Grants are awarded by an external jury of artists, arts professionals, and qualified community members to an individual artist, collaborative group, collective, or duo.

Omaha Performing Arts welcomed award-winning choreographer Ray Mercer to kick off OPA’s first artist-in-residence program. The program will help OPA bring more dance opportunities to Nebraska schools and communities. In addition to his work with Disney’s “The Lion King,” Mercer is resident choreographer for the Ailey/ Fordham BFA Program. He has set works for companies across the U.S., including Philadanco, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, New Jersey Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Ballet Pensacola and more.

Mercer’s work has been recognized by The New York Times, Chicago Sun Times and Movement Magazine. He has also been commissioned to choreograph a work for the Smithsonian Museum.

The Spring Arts & Crafts Show will take place on March 16-17 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

The show is billed as one of Iowa’s largest shows, with over 150 exhibitors presenting handmade products. Among the various products are furniture, paintings and prints, ceramics and more. Exhibitors will also be selling coffee cakes, dips, salsa, soups, jams, jellies and cheese. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 and children 10 and younger are free. All patrons who attend the show on Saturday will receive a two-day re-entry stamp.

Alliance Française d’Omaha and Kaneko will host a lunch on March 16 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Alliance Française d’Omaha member Sam Tepanossian will describe some of the cultural differences that are a part of everyday life in France, such as having a meal, going on a date, listening to music, spending time with family, decorating a home, and having friends over.

Attendees should have taken some French classes or know some French. Tickets are available online.

Opera Omaha Conductor Sean Kelly, and Holland Community Opera Fellows Jessica Johnson Brock, mezzo soprano, Kate Pomrenke, soprano, and Chabrelle Williams, soprano, with guest Drew Duncan, tenor will perform a selection of arias and duets at All Bagels and Sometimes Bach. The event, which will take place on March 17 starting at 11 a.m., is free and

open to the public. Registration is suggested but not required.

Well Mama is hosting Bellies + Brunch on March 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the studio. Bellies + Brunch will include an ultra-chill Prenatal Yoga class taught by Steph and followed by an informative prenatal and postpartum nutritional talk by Kelly, nutritional therapist from Nurturing Lives. Guests will be making postpartum “padsicles” and two essential oil roller bottle blends for mamas to use during pregnancy, labor & delivery, and the postpartum period. Baby Face Photography will be there to take professional photos.

Registration is online.

The Nebraska Brass Band will celebrate the music from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s on March 16 at 6 p.m. at the Marian Performing Arts Center. The concert will include special guests Karly Jurgensen Daniel (Mannheim Steamroller) and actor Ron Chvala who will also present music from Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, The Beatles, and many others.

Tickets are available online.

Metropolitan Community College at Do Space will host the discussion “Wellness & the Built Environment” on March 20 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event is part of the Hubbard Sustainability Series, and will feature guest speakers Stuart Shell,

senior associate from BranchPattern, and Tristan Cleveland, urban planner from Happy City. The discussion will include topics on urban development, planning and sustainable practices. A question and answer session with the speakers will follow. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.

Big Canvas and Kaneko will present Improv Art on March 22 at 7 p.m. The evening will explore the creative process of art improv. Three artists will come together to create three unique pieces of art guided by Big Canvas and the audience’s creativity. Each one-of-a-kind painting will be auctioned off at the end of the night to support a local charity. Tickets are available online for $10.

Junktoberfest returns on March 22 through March 24 at Southroads Mall. The three-day event is for junkers and antique treasure hunters of all ages. Junktoberfest is a vintage and artisan gift market featuring junk, collectibles, memorabilia, furniture, antiques, gifts, primitives, handmade or repurposed pieces, crafts and amazing home décor. Guests will be able to visit vendors and sample food as they discover their next collectible conversation piece.

Things kick off with Early Bird Shopping Friday, March 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission at $5 per.

MEETINGS AND SEMINARS Tuesday, March 19 Heartland Women’s Network is hosting a meet-and-great with Andrea Batten, employee benefits strategist with Gallagher and a certified coach, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Security National Bank at 1120 S. 101st St. Batten has a background in the insurance and benefit industry including experience with local and national carriers, pharmacy benefit management and benefit management for a large university.

She strategically advises clients on plan direction and development-all with the employer and employee in mind. Registration is available online.

FranNet of the Heartland is hosting a seminar on “Insider’s Guide to Buying a Franchise” from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Thrive Space, LLC., 800 North Front St. in Waterloo. Discussion topics will include: why semi-absentee opportunities are prevalent; research questions to ask franchisors & franchisees; current trends and fastest growing sectors; average investment ranges; and tools to structure research. Research is online and the cost is $10.

The third annual Hastings Nonprofit Leadership Conference will take place at the Hazelrigg Student Union at Hastings College. The full-day conference includes topics like: collaboration and innovation, effective volunteer recruitment and engagement, grant funding and nonprofit advocacy. The full agenda and registration is available online.

Wednesday, March 20 The Business Ethics Alliance will be hosting its Spring Executive Breakfast from 7:10 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The keynote address will be given by Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center’s (since 2014) and the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (since 2017)

chancellor. He will be discussing the Ethics of Corporate Governance. Registration is available online.

The Nebraska State Bar Association is hosting a Health Insurance Consortium Lunch and Learn from noon to 1 p.m. at 1415 Meeting Space. Law firms of all sizes face significant challenges in relation to the affordability of health insurance. NSBA has established a new health insurance option for its members, the NSBA Health Insurance Consortium. The Consortium consists of multiple employers, with NSBA membership, pooling together to obtain affordable health insurance coverage on terms similar to those currently available only to large employers.

The Society of Marketing Professional Services will present Bold Brand 2.0 at 11:30 at Spezia. Bold Brand is a framework and best-practices approach to help professional services firms identify a niche, position themselves within that niche, and build a compelling brand. This framework guides professionals step-by-step through the process, illuminating potential pitfalls along the way. Josh Miles developed Bold Brand 2.0 as a way of sharing and teaching that framework in a way that applies to a broad cross-section of professional services and B2B clients. Registration is available online.

Thursday, March 21 The Nebraska Recycling Council is hosting a Construction and Demolition Mixer from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lancaster County Extension Office. Local vendors that accept a variety of scrap materials from builders will be on hand to provide information on what materials they accept, quality standards and tipping fee, if any. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. Registration strongly encouraged.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

Taute

Opfer

Duncan

Howarth

Lueder Construction adds Taute, Opfer, Duncan, Howarth to team Lueder Construction has hired Brian Taute, Cameron Opfer, John Duncan and Ed Howarth.

Taute, named project engineer, graduated from Wayne State College with a bachelor’s degree in construction management and drafting, planning and design.

He worked in the construction industry throughout college and has over a year of commercial construction experience in the Omaha area.

Opfer, project engineer, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He worked in the construction industry throughout college as a field engineer. As a field engineer, he performed many different tasks ranging from field layout and surveying, to document control on design build projects.

Duncan, appointed director of safety, has more than five years of experience in the planning and implementation of safety programs within the construction and oil and gas industry. He has experience leading, training and supervising personnel in safety procedures and regulations. Duncan also has experience in completing hazard analysis for clients on remote worksites,

Knoell

Carlson

Omaha’s Great Western Bank promotes Knoell and Carlson

Great Western Bank has promoted Janae Knoell and Jamie Carlson on its wealth management team in Omaha.

Knoell has been promoted to wealth management administrator II. Knoell has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 10 years in wealth management. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and holds a designation in the School of Trust & Financial Services from the School of Banking.

Carlson has been promoted to wealth management administrator I. Carlson has over five years of experience in the financial services industry in the areas of credit, business banking, cash management and most recently in wealth management.

She received an undergraduate degree in business analytics and strategic communications from the College of Saint Mary and an MBA from Midland University.

oil refineries, offshore production platforms and other large construction sites.

Howarth, project manager, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He has been in the construction industry for six years working as an estimator, scheduler, project engineer and project manager.

Kastrick

Garman

Legacy Design Strategies adds Kastrick, Garman and Berryman

Legacy Design Strategies Law Firm, a part of Andrew C. Sigerson, P.C., L.L.O., has added three attorneys.

Colin Kastrick is a native of Papillion.

He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an investment science and land use Berryman economics specialization. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2017. Kastrick works with new clients in counseling and designing comprehensive estate plans.

Charles Garman works in the Omaha office and focuses primarily on administering wills and trusts. He attended Creighton University School of Law, where he served as president of the Federalist Society and graduated with a J.D. in 2005. He subsequently practiced in the area of debtor creditor law and taught courses in real estate and business law at Metropolitan Community College. Prior to Legacy Design Strategies, he worked for the Nebraska Legislature as committee legal counsel.

Scott Berryman has worked in private practice, government practice and has done significant pro bono work in the nonprofit world. In addition to legal work, Berryman has founded a nonprofit, a public affairs firm, a real estate holding and management company, as well as a health and wellness service company. He has extensive experience in nonprofit board development and issue advocacy at the state and local level.

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Blair Freeman Group building upon early wins in real estate market with comprehensive services Continued from page 1. vices Chelsea Malone. The 100 percent women-owned and operated and 100 percent minority-owned and operated brand, a reflection of Kuhn’s and Adams’ maiden names, provides comprehensive construction, development and project owners’ representation and property management solutions and expertise across project types.

In an August social media post, Kuhn noted: “We are the first of our gender/race to hold a Class A Contractors license in the city of Omaha (for those of you that don’t know, that means we can build/work on any structure from a hut to a skyscraper).”

Albers

Cox

The partners starting discussing what would become Blair Freeman Group in fall/early winter 2017.

“Maranda and I ran into a lot of similar situations on the investment and development side of things,” Kuhn said. “There are a lot of missing pieces of information that make it difficult to navigate through the construction and real estate side of things, pieces that make it difficult to see the broad picture.”

Adams brings 15 years of real estate investment, finance and construction experience to the firm, while Kuhn started Blair Freeman after 15 years with local real estate development firm White Lotus Group, most recently as EVP.

with Home Instead in 2008.

Froendt has been promoted to vice president of human resources, responsible for human resources at global headquarters and affiliated entities. Her role includes strategy, employee engagement, talent selection, retention, employee experience, learning and development, performance management, compliance, employee relations, compensation, benefits and wellness. Froendt joined Home Instead in 2010.

Morrison has been promoted to vice president and general counsel. In her role, Morrison will lead a team responsible for all domestic and international legal matters for Home Instead Inc. and affiliated entities. In addition, Morrison will lead the franchise standards team, responsible for ensuring North American and international franchises deliver quality care. Morrison joined Home Instead in 2011 as a member of the legal team.

From this experience, a need was identified. projects a reality.

Kuhn indicated when one is doing a con“We’re always available as needed on both struction project and things start to get delayed, the residential and commercial sides, and the or the budget starts to increase, transparency may construction and real estate sides,” she said. “And be lacking in terms of, Omaha in particular for instance, how a bill Blair Freeman Group it’s either one or the was adjusted.

Phone: 402-819-6200 other — homebuilders “You can’t see be- Address: 4616 Dodge St., Omaha 68132 or commercial.” hind the curtain,” she Services: general construction company Leadership desaid. “I felt like there with streamlined construction process, scribed an “overwhelmwas a disconnect.” development and project owners’ repreing and humbling reAdams added that sentation, property management sponse” from the comservices are designed Founded: 2018 by Ashley Kuhn and munity and amid a busy to make it easier for Maranda Adams market. Kuhn recalled clients to navigate the Website: blairfreeman.com how their first contract process, from getting involved a familiar permits from the city to the actual construction face: White Lotus Group CEO Arun Agarwal. phase.

“To support us the way he has, it speaks to “Our primary focus is construction,” Kuhn Arun’s leadership,” she said. said. “What we found is with construction, you Kuhn said Agarwal had also encouraged her need to be knowledgeable in the real estate side in the new venture. of things, you approach the construction com“He said, ‘I want to see you build a legacy pany first to see how much it will cost to build for your family,’” she said.

‘X,’ and before you have your ducks in a row.”

The founders met each other in college, and The wide breadth of real estate expertise can continued to keep in touch even after Adams help clients identify and secure tax increment moved away. financing and other programs to help make “We rekindled our friendship when I came back to Nebraska two or three years ago,” Adams said.

Kuhn said they got connected with Malone Tigerpaw Software taps McDonald on social media years back, through a “friend of Tigerpaw Software has named managed a friend of a friend.” print services industry expert West Mc“When we heard things about her with Donald its new vice president of business friends in real estate, we never heard a bad development. thing,” she said. “In business, there are only McDonald spent so many things that you can teach people. the past 15 years in The important components you can’t teach the office equipment them. You can’t teach hard work or customer channel, sharing his service. And Chelsea is so incredibly hungry expertise on alternato get clients … and she just has this innate tive billing models business sense.” to help partners and The partners’ family members in construcclients excel in mantion and graphic design have also assisted with aged print and conthe launch of the business, including with the development of the Blair Freeman logo. verged services. In Kuhn also credits CREW [Commercial Real his role at Tigerpaw, McDonald Estate Women] Omaha Metro with giving her his main responsibilities will include establishing and enhanc- the “confidence to make the leap.”

“That is my tribe,” the board member said. ing relationships with partners, assisting “There are 150 women in an industry that is in the refinement of product offering and positioning, representing Tigerpaw at male-dominated … we have to be able to find industry events, and creating educational our voices.” content in the form of webinars, blog posts and how-to guides.

Goosmann Law Firm hires

Goodwill Industries names Ellis dir. of retail operations

Cobalt Credit Union selects Rodgers for leadership role

Froendt

Morrison

Home Instead promotes Albers, Cox, Froendt and Morrison Home Instead has promoted Erin Albers, Katie Cox, Jackie Froendt and Tanya Morrison. As members of the senior leadership team, they will assist in shaping and leading strategic initiatives for the company.

Albers has been promoted to vice president of social purpose and creative services. In this new role, Albers will set the strategic vision for social purpose through giving, learning and serving. This will include development, program design, and implementation and operations. She will also oversee local public relations programs and services, which build brand awareness.

She joined Home Instead in 2005.

Cox has been promoted to vice president of marketing. In her role, Cox will be responsible for Home Instead Senior Care’s marketing and advertising strategy, marketing and competitive research, client and caregiver lead experience and global brand management. Cox started her career

Lockton’s Omaha’s office adds Smith, SVP, employee benefits consultant

Lockton has added Brad Smith as senior vice president and employee benefits consultant in Nebraska.

Smith has over 20 years of employee benefits experience. His designation as a registered health underwriter provides him with a clear understanding of how state and federal laws that impact health care as it Smith relates to compliance and regulation. He is also a member of Health Rosetta, an organization that supports transparent and non-partisan fixes to the health care system. He is based out of Lockton’s Omaha office.

Goodwill Industries Inc., serving Eastern Nebraska & Southwest Iowa, has named Janelle Ellis as director of retail operations.

Ellis began her career with Goodwill as an assistant store manager in September 2006. Serving Goodwill in various roles throughout her tenure, she now leads as director of Ellis retail operations. She oversees 14 traditional retail stores, three specialty stores, warehouse operations, transportation and logistics, facilities maintenance and custodial contracts. Ellis is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Cobalt Credit Union has promoted Haylie Rodgers to vice president, internal audit and compliance.

Rodgers will be serving on the credit union’s senior management team, providing cross-functional collaboration on matters of compliance, auditing, rules and regulations. Rodgers’ role will allow her to work with deRodgers partments throughout the credit union. She has been with Cobalt for four years working first as internal auditor. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bellevue University in accounting, and is a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Credit Union Internal Auditor.

attorney Eckel in Omaha

Goosmann Law Firm has added Attorney Gene M. Eckel in its Omaha location.

Eckel is a real estate attorney who helps landlords and property management companies resolve problems with tenants.

Eckel has 18 years of experience as a local Omaha attorney, practicing in real estate, landlord and tenant, and fair Eckel housing. His background in public policy, litigation and general practice of law provides his clients with answers to unexpected problems and advocate on their behalf, enacting laws to resolve issues that affect them. Throughout his career, Eckel has successfully drafted and passed legislation in Nebraska that protects landlords and tenants.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal

The Lincoln

MARCH 2019

BUSINESS Vol. 22 No. 3 $2.00

Journal

Construction Industry ............... Pages 4-6 Home Trends ...... Pages 8-9 GWorks acquires Omahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Data Technologies to deepen government services.

Page 3

Knots Kneaded relocates to larger space, rolls out esthetic services.

Page 2

Business Succession & Transitions.....Pages 16-17

Nebraska Book Co. nears completion of its 50,000-square-foot expansion.

Page 7

2

• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Knots Kneaded relocates to larger space, rolls out esthetic services

by Michelle Leach

What started as rave reviews from former co-workers for Ariel Christensen’s shoulder massages has resulted in Knots Kneaded, a two-year-old massage and bodywork business operating out of a new location as of early February.

“The new space is over twice the size [of the old space],” said Christensen, owner and Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), when comparing the former small, loft location. “There are

Knots Kneaded Massage & Bodywork Phone: 402-979-3130 Address: 3900 Yankee Hill Road, #103, Lincoln 68526 Services: Swedish, therapeutic, deep tissue, prenatal, hot stone, seaweed wrap massage; skincare products and spa treatments such as facials and peels Website: knotskneaded.biz

no stairs here, and it’s not on the back side of the building, so people can find us easily. The space itself feels more inviting.”

The expanded space at 3900 Yankee Hill Road in Lincoln also presented an opportunity for Knots Kneaded to expand its services into esthetic offerings, such as natural skincare, comprehensive facials and advanced chemical peels delivered by Esthetician Christopher Fiala.

“He and I met through mutual friends,” Christensen said. “Skincare just makes sense with massage.”

She referred to doing “mixed services,” for instance, a combination visit may include massage and a facial.

“Or you can ‘purchase this many massages and get a discount on a facial,’” she said.

Christensen’s specialty areas include intense, deep tissue massage.

“It takes some expertise; you have to take additional classes to be able to work deeper into the body and have a good foundation in anat-

Owner and Licensed Massage Therapist Ariel Christensen … Specialized expertise in deep tissue, therapeutic massage among drivers for expansion into a larger location that also boasts new esthetic services. omy,” she explained. “It’s also very physically be an issue with being on her feet up to six hours a day. demanding.”

Formerly, Christensen worked “double full Christensen noted she burns 300 to 500 time” for three years. calories within just one hour of deep tissue “Full-time is three to four hours, five days massage.

“It’s all the movement and trying to break a week,” she said. “I was doing eight hours of massage, six days a week.” up the knots,” she said.

Before Christensen was an LMT she worked The benefit for Christensen is two-fold: She’s able to provide relief to patients living with at a small medical office doing insurance.

“I would be working on my co-workers’ chronic pain or other chronic medical issues, and all the physical activity benefits her health — as shoulders and they’d say, ‘You need to go to she was diagnosed with autoimmune disease school for this,’” she said. “Two weeks later, I was in school.” lupus after she became an LMT. A full listing of Christensen’s and Fiala’s She was told early in her diagnosis that there services can be found on its website. Alongside is a concern with lupus patients not moving around enough to remain healthy and manage each service offering are details about what it symptoms; however, she knew that wouldn’t entails, benefits, how much time it takes and

the cost.

“A lot of places don’t tell you how much their services are, and everybody knows it’s about $60 an hour on average around Lincoln for a massage,” she said. “Massage therapists are a little higher than that, but don’t want to say anything because they don’t want to compete, but we’re not competing for pricing, we’re competing for skill.”

Christensen said clients often comment on how clear the website is — a testament to her first degree in programming.

“I always hated if websites weren’t crisp and clear,” she said.

Additionally, Christensen offers massage offsite. Her clients include companies such as Zillow, Nelnet and Omaha Steaks, as well as a number of smaller dental offices.

She can accommodate both chair and table massages.

“It helps to boost employees’ morale and to let them know that they’re cared about,” she said.

Christensen is also open to talking with companies as part of their wellness packages; for instance, on topics such as minimizing stress.

“The other thing I’m starting to do is working with Chiropractor Dr. Jacob Tucker,” she said.

As both a specialist in massage to alleviate chronic conditions and a lupus sufferer, Christensen also noted that she can empathize and relate to what her clients are going through in a way that some therapists can’t.

As it relates to getting her name out, Christensen credits Knots Kneaded’s early and fast growth partly to the Lincoln Chapter of referral network, Center Sphere.

“Every week I go to a meeting with other professionals and we get to trust each other and trade services with people that we trust,” she said. “I’ve been a part of that for six years.”

The Lincoln Business Journal Established in 1996

PUBLISHER & FOUNDER, Robert Hoig

ADMINISTRATION

The Lincoln Business Journal's

Business Minute Name: Jeff Cunningham.

Age: 58.

Title: Executive director.

Place of employment: Lincoln Haymarket Development Corp.

Hometown: Norfolk, Nebraska.

Education: Associate degree from Northeast Community College and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

How I got into the business: I am co-owner of Burlington Antiques in the Haymarket, and then I became a board member of the Lincoln Haymarket Development Corp. I was recruited to become business manager of the Haymarket Farmers’ Market, then executive director of LHDC. Accomplishments or milestones: Receiving the 2008 Downtown Lincoln Impact Award for Business Leadership for Haymarket Farmers’ Market. Also, receiving the 2012 Downtown Impact Award for Business Leadership at Burlington Antiques.

First job: A busboy at King’s Food Host.

Jeff Cunningham, executive director, Lincoln Haymarket Development Corp.

Biggest career break: Being promoted to executive director of LHDC. The toughest part of the job: I actually really enjoy my job, so I can’t pinpoint anything that is really that tough. Maybe I would say lack of time to get everything accomplished that I would like.

The best advice I have received: Approach each day as a new beginning.

About my family: My wife, Diane, has been my partner in life for 30 years and at our store Burlington Antiques for 23 years. We have a furry child named Sophie, a Havanese poodle mix that is also our shop dog.

Something else I’d like to accomplish: Take a cruise.

Book I finished reading recently: “150@150 Nebraska’s Landmark Buildings.”

Something about me not everyone

knows: Ashamed to admit, but I like Hallmark Christmas movies.

How my business will change in the next decade: The changing climate of fundraising for my organization.

Mentor who has helped the most in my career: Larry Small.

Outside interests: Antiquing for breweriana and vintage Christmas items.

Pet peeves: Being late for a meeting.

Favorite vacation spot: Rocky Mountain National Park.

Other careers I would like to try: Retirement Favorite movie: “Dances With Wolves.”

Favorite cause or charity: Capital Humane Society.

Favorite app: SimCity Build It. (Editor’s note: To nominate an interesting businessman or woman for the Business Minute, please e-mail information about the person to news@mbj.com.)

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The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

3

GWorks acquires Omaha’s Data Technologies to deepen government services done with previous transactions.

The focus is on improving upon existing solutions. Heieck rewound to 2015, when gWorks had three city clients. The client base has since grown to more than 115.

by Michelle Leach

When Joseph “Joe” Heieck first acquired the company that would be branded as gWorks in 2015, the Lincoln-based firm served around 120 local government clients across three states. By the end of last year, gWorks had grown to serve 400 clients in 32 states. It’s growing by leaps and bounds again, with the acquisition of Omaha-based Data Technologies.

“When we bought Data Tech, they had 800 clients, so we are now at roughly 1,200 with the combined companies,” said Heieck, CEO and president. “Data Tech’s clients are also in nine of the 32 states [gWorks] is in.”

The business headquartered at 4949 NW 1st St. in Lincoln is onboarding 32 employees to its staff of 20. And, with the acquisition of Data Tech, gWorks is also adding 22 or 23 applications to its dozen existing apps. The firms have been in operation more than 50 years combined.

“I knew I wanted to grow part of this business through acquisition and with companies that provide complementary services to … cities and counties,” Heieck said. “Whereas, with a competitor, you’re buying a book of business and replacing their client software, and destroying a lot of that value.”

Heieck said Data Tech got on his radar about a year ago.

“I had a target list of more than a dozen companies and Data Tech was definitely near the top of that list,” he said. “They’re complementary and served critical functions just like we do, and they’re based just 40 minutes from my office here in Lincoln.”

The culture that is reflected in client

gWorks Phone: 888-608-7666 Address: 4949 NW 1st St., Suite 1, Lincoln 68521 Services: local government GIS, asset management and professional solutions (i.e. data creation, conversion, consulting) Employees: around 52 (combined companies) Website: www.gworks.com

CEO and President Joseph Heieck … Lincoln-based firm poised for relocation to Omaha metro following acquisition. service and retention numbers was comple- were available as references for Data Tech leadership; the seller this go-around is rementary as well, Heieck indicated.

“GWorks has averaged 98 percent for maining with the company to assist with the as long as I’ve known of it,” he said. “Data transition.

“He really understands their software Tech’s [client retention] is 99 percent. And the Net Promoter Score is similar, 74 for inside and out,” he said.

Heieck also indicated that he wasn’t gWorks and Data Tech’s is 70.” “there to destroy everything they did,” proFurthermore, Heieck noted that the sellers from the first two companies he acquired tecting the legacy that has been built as he’s

“Our software evolved from just a web viewer where you viewed infrastructure assets to track job costing and maintenance activities … to having a full-fledged product,” Heieck said; for instance, he referred to the ability to edit data and to have an audit trail.

“We stay close to clients and markets, and the product has grown as clients have told other people about us.”

There are three consistent drivers behind its growth.

“The public is clambering for data to be accessible,” he said. “People don’t want to have to drive and sit there for two hours looking up a parcel when it could be available online,” Heieck said.

In turn, he said they’ve had “remarkable web traffic” for their county GIS [Geographic Information System] program — consistent Continued on page 10.

4

• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Construction Industry March 2019

A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

Labor resources the only drag on Lincoln’s booming construction industry

by Dwain Hebda

Lincoln’s construction market is booming with no sign of anything slowing down soon, say contractors. Business has been so good, they say, it’s outstripping available labor.

“Our biggest challenge is people,” said Rick Wintermute, vice president of Kingery Construction. “I sit on a committee for Associated General Contractors, the Nebraska Building Chapter. We realized several years ago that relying on bringing people up from laborers to carpenters and developing them through the trades really doesn’t do it anymore.”

Wintermute said companies and various trade groups have tried to spread the word about the career possibilities in skilled fields.

“When you go into construction, it’s one of the highest-paying entry level positions that you can get today, and it is a good career,” he said. “We’re trying to attract younger people and make sure that their parents are aware this is a good industry to get into.”

Scott Lockard, president of construction for Hampton Construction, said his firm is constantly looking for ways to

Wintermute Lockard be better recruiters. He said job fairs are as much of a part of operations today as bidding jobs or ordering supplies.

“All the trades are there, and we’re trying to help encourage kids on what they can do, how they can see construction as a career,” he said.

“We’re going to a career fair this weekend and we were there last year showing some of the technology we use. Kids definitely enjoy technology, so we’re showing how we use technology on our construction projects and sites and that [construction’s] not just somebody swinging a hammer or using a shovel.”

Recruiting people to the trades has

long been a priority for Southeast Community College, said Ron Petsch, program co-chair for the Building Construction Technology program in Milford. The college has stepped up those efforts, including partnering with Lincoln Public Van Horn Schools to provide concurrent credit through The Career Academy, among other initiatives.

“My whole career here, which has now exceeded 40 years, recruitment has been our mission to provide trained individuals for the construction industry,” Petsch said. “Just the other day, we had a career fair on campus, our first specifically for the construction fields. We had over 110 employers on campus. I think that in itself proves the need for skilled, trained people.”

Other challenges exist in the construction fields, aside from the labor picture. Denny Van Horn, owner of Van Horn Custom Homes and president of the Homebuilders Association of Lincoln, said

cost containment is another issue.

“We’re all trying to find ways to keep the cost under control,” he said. “The National Homebuilders Association found 30 to 35 percent of the cost of a new home is government regulation. We all understand there are building codes and safety things that we have to do and we should do, and there’s nothing you can do about the cost of that.

“But there are things required locally related to these — silt runoff and things like that — that are really costly for us to deal with and we think are overburdensome.”

Van Horn said a priority for the Homebuilders Association going forward is helping lawmakers understand how to increase builders’ ability to produce affordable housing.

“We’re going to continue to work with city government to try to get them to understand what all goes into the cost of housing,” he said. “We’d like them to look at the things they are requiring that cause delays or increase cost and don’t deal with health and safety issues or the rights of the consumer. We’re going to cover a broad front trying to work on affordable housing.”

Construction Industry •

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

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• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

• Construction Industry

Builders, contractors stress importance of energy efficiency

by Gabby Christensen

Energy efficiency is at the forefront of many business owners’ and homeowners’ minds today, and builders and contractors say it’s important to consider efficient options to reduce cost and carbon footprint.

Mike Rezac, president of Rezac Construction, said when building a new home or business, energy efficiency should be No 1. on the priority list.

“It is always harder and more costly to improve energy Killeen efficiency after the fact,” he said.

When it’s time to upgrade HVAC systems, Rezac said looking at geothermal system can be a smart move because typically they will qualify for both utility provider and federal tax credits.

“I don’t care if you believe in global warming or climate change,” he said. “We all should be good stewards of our resources during our short stay on this earth, and why not save money on energy costs while you’re at it?”

Pat Killeen, president of Engineered Controls, said energy use in a commercial building is becoming an ever-increasing financial concern for building owners.

“Building owners are looking for reliable, cost-effective solutions to answer these new energy challenges and manage overall energy cost,” he said. “Engineered Controls has an Energy & Environmental Optimization (EEO) program to address these concerns of building owners that provide their employees, customer or tenants the building energy efficiency they are looking for.”

In order to obtain a building’s maximum energy and environmental efficiency, Killeen said the selection of building control equipment is more important than ever before.

“This is accomplished by selecting control equipment with open protocol communications capability,” he said. “Common open protocols we use today are BACnet,

LonWorks and Modbus. It will be very important that the control system be capable of integrating multiple control systems to a common network.”

Lea Barker, co-owner at Heartland Homes, said it’s also important to have a professional check insulation, furnace, windows and doors of a building.

“All of these can affect the energy efficiency of your home or office,” Barker said.

“In addition, make sure your furnace filters are clean, that allows the furnace to do its job.”

Barker said energy efficiency is important on many levels, as it keeps utility bills low

and uses less resources.

“Some of these energy efficient fixes, such as clean furnace filters and a properly working furnace, work together to make sure your indoor air is healthier, as well,” Barker said.

Linda Potter, architectural sales representative at NEBCO, said it’s critical to consider using masonry for structural elements as well as the cladding for the building.

“You get what we call ‘thermal lag,’ which delays the heat transmission through a wall,” Potter said. “This allows you to cut down on energy consumption. The masonry is delaying the heat from outside from en-

tering your building until after people have gone home for the day and vice versa in the winter. It’s keeping that warm air inside longer so you have a comfortable workspace without paying high energy costs during peak hours.”

She also agreed that energy efficiency means less energy used, which of course saves money.

“But you also are protecting the environment,” Potter said. “The less energy we consume, the less energy we need to generate at power plants. The quality of our air greatly improves when we control the amount of energy that needs produced.”

New York co-living company plans $100 million expansion with Los Angeles developer

by Roger Vincent

Co-living is one the newest trends in urban housing, and it has prompted a New York operator to join with a Los Angeles developer to create $100 million worth of shared, furnished apartments to help meet a projected deep demand in Southern California.

Residents in a co-living complex typically have their own bedroom and bathroom but share kitchens, living rooms and other common areas with fellow tenants. It’s a small but growing segment of the apartment market, mostly serving Real estate young professionals who can’t afford the rent in hip, desirable neighborhoods.

New York-based co-living operator Common and its Los Angeles partner Proper Development tested the waters in Los Angeles with a 24-unit complex on Melrose Avenue completed in November that got 9,000 applications from would-be tenants, Common founder Brad Hargreaves said.

“We see huge demand in Los Angeles,” Hargreaves said, for shared furnished apartments that rent for $1,300 to $1,800 per month.

At Common Melrose in Hollywood, monthly rent of $1,550 includes utilities, wi-fi and housekeeping services to keep the common areas clean.

When the costs of such services are included in price comparisons, units at Common properties can be rented for 20 percent

less than competing new studio-style units nearby, according to Hargreaves.

Proper Development will build seven co-living apartment buildings over the next two or three years that Common will operate with a combined total of 600 beds, he said.

The beds are full or queen, he added. “No bunk beds here. Everyone gets their own room.”

The companies are planning projects in Mar Vista, Echo Park, Koreatown, Larchmont and Playa Vista, he said.

“The urgency to develop market rate housing at accessible price points is tremendous,” said Daniel Pourbaba, founder of Proper Development.

The units are meant to serve people who are making about $40,000 to $80,000 per year. The median age of Common tenants is 29, Hargreaves said, “which is a little bit older than most people expect.”

That’s because demand extends beyond millennials early in their careers, he said.

Tenants include empty-nesters in their 60s.

Formal co-living complexes — in some ways a new take on old-fashioned boarding houses — are still a novelty in Southern California but stand to emerge as a new property category, like assisting living complexes designed to serve the growing numbers of wealthy seniors.

A portfolio of buildings in an established property class can get funded by banks, purchased by pension funds and even securitized

in real estate investment trusts.

Justin Mateen, co-founder of dating app Tinder, has invested more than $25 million in Proper Development’s co-living projects over the last few years through his Beverly Hills real estate company JAM Capital Real Estate and plans to double that investment figure this year.

“Multifamily development has been slow to adapt to the needs of modern renters, but now that lenders are increasingly recognizing co-living as an attractive asset class we are seeing an influx of institutional capital entering the market looking to co-invest with us,” Mateen said.

Co-living competitors in the Los Angeles area include Starcity, which operates a recently opened complex near Marina del Rey built by California Landmark Group, and co-living company Node, which operates newly renovated bungalow court apartments in Echo Park.

Starcity is based in San Franciso. Node is headquartered in London and has properties in multiple countries.

“Common is making a major commitment to Los Angeles,” Hargreaves said, “which is on track be our second biggest market after New York.” ©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

7

Nebraska Book Co. nears completion of its 50,000-square-foot expansion

by David Kubicek

After several months of negotiations, Nebraska Book Co. inked a deal in mid-August 2018 to assume Follett Higher Education Group’s wholesale business and become Follett’s primary provider of used textbooks.

Nebraska Book Company Phone: 800-869-0366 Address: 4700 S. 19th St., Lincoln 68512 Service: wholesale book dealer Founded: 1905 Employees: 200+ Goal: Expanding its distribution footprint.

Website: nebook.com

With that growth, the Lincoln-based firm picked up a few hundred new wholesale accounts and Follett’s 1,200-retail-store operation.

On Nov. 15, the firm held a groundbreaking ceremony on a 50,000-square-foot expansion of its distribution center, which is scheduled to be completed about mid-March, depending on weather.

“We need all the expansion room we can get to bring that inventory in and out of Lincoln,” said Peter Grenier, Nebraska Book SVP of operations and strategy. “After we take occupancy, we’ll start putting in equipment and standing up racking, and it should be live in mid- to late April.”

Nebraska Book was founded in 1905 as a bookstore. In the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, it evolved into a wholesaler and reseller of used books because of wartime paper shortages.

The firm excelled at its new business model and started distributing books to other locations.

In the 1960s and ’70s, it became primarily a wholesaler with a handful of retail stores, then it embarked on an aggressive growth plan, acquiring hundreds of retail operations over the past 20 to 25 years.

“In 2015, we sold all of those stores and went back to our roots, which is wholesale distribution,” Grenier said.

According to Grenier, the firm is the second largest wholesale distributor in the United States — Follett was the third largest — and its company PrismRBS is the largest supplier of retail technology to college campus stores.

Currently, the firm has about 200 employees, but it varies seasonally. Its busiest times are from November through January, and June through August. During those peak seasons the firm more than doubles its staff — over the winter season peak it had 370 temps in addition to its permanent staff.

With the new addition and new business, the firm will bulk up its full-time staff in the distribution center because even the low season is bigger than it used to be.

“We added 30 to 40 new full-time jobs to the Lincoln market and close to 100 permanent part-time jobs, especially in the distribution center,” Grenier said.

Nebraska Book currently has about 1.3 million units in stock, which will ramp up to 2.5 million during its summer peak capacity.

At one end of the break room are shelves filled with books that for one reason or another have been taken out of circulation, which the employees may buy for $1 each. They are on the honor system, dropping their donations in a jar rather than paying a cashier. There are a variety of titles, ranging from novels to textbooks. The firm donates the proceeds — $1,000 to $2,000 each year — to Lincoln Literacy.

Grenier is originally from Springfield, Missouri. His father was in the military, so the family moved around often. He earned his master’s degree in economics from Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). He was recruited by Sears Holding, so he and his wife moved to Chicago. From there, he joined Follett Higher Education Group, where he ran the Notre Dame division.

When his wife, who is from Kansas City, became pregnant with the couple’s first child, they wanted to live closer to home, so Grenier joined Nebraska Book to run the general merchandising division for its 225 retail stores.

He advanced to textbooks then to running the distribution center and finally to running entire supply chain.

“It was never our intention to stay,” Grenier said. “We were going to Kansas City, but we fell in love with Lincoln.”

The Greniers have been in Lincoln for 11 years and have three children.

Peter Grenier, senior vice president of operations and strategy … Ramping up to accommodate new business.

8

• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Home Trends March 2019

A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

Builders, agents look forward to spring; ‘grays’ take backseat to sunnier features

by Michelle Leach

While the weather certainly hasn’t done the residential real estate community any favors, local professionals throughout various corners of the industry are remaining busy and anticipate continued activity into the spring and beyond with a mix of highend remodels, new developments in the city, demand from millennial buyers, and properties spanning various square footage, even as inventory overall remains low.

“The market in Lincoln is very unique right now,” said Bob Benes, owner and founder of Aspen Builders and its Remington Homes division. “The weather has a lot to do with how the market responds to home sales, and this has not been the best winter for Lincoln. Typically, this means

‘look out!’ We predict this spring to be one seller’s market, low inventory — in the beof the most active springs we’ve had in a low $200,000 price point especially (current long time.” median price is $150,200) — and Benes said the custom good rates when discussing the home-building team is “excited Lincoln market,” she said. “Anabout the new areas of Lincoln other phrase you will continue to that we are opening up for growth hear is ‘one of highest property and development.” taxes in country.’”

“We see a larger migration She said millennial buyers from the apartment dwellers into will continue to rise. a residential home, even if it’s “New construction is up over smaller and more affordable,” 900 permits in the last year — he said. rates slightly higher,” Glasco SimpliCity Real Estate Agent said. “I do feel the cold will set Benes Sheilah Glasco said Lincoln’s our spring rush back some. Lingood economy and solid, steady growth coln has added over 5,200 new jobs in past is a plus for the local real estate industry. year. Similar markets, homes may stay on “You will continue to hear the phrases: market a tad longer, but I feel Lincoln will hold at our 60-day average.”

When it comes to industry trends, she referred to an increase in “team-oriented agencies,” as well as the influence of social media.

Owner Jason Woita said Woita Homes has been busy over the past handful of years, with a trend toward remodels versus new construction in the past six to 12 months.

“Some of the remodels that we’ve been doing are very high-end remodels,” he said; for example, he referred to features such as a flip-up door with a spiral staircase going down to a wine cellar.

“In that house as well, we did an extremely large skylight — eight feet by 18 feet,” Woita said.

Generally, he said remodels have not

been the “typical bath and kitchen remodels,” not that there haven’t been upgrades in these areas.

“They’ve been more unique, higher-end,” he said.

With new construction, he referred to largely modern, clean lines and slightly warmer colors.

“There is definitely lots of glass and keeping things open,” Woita said.

Bringing the “outside in” remains in demand, though as it relates to the outdoors, Woita can’t recall such a hostile winter for builders, tradespeople and, well, everyone.

Aspen Builders Interior Designer/Marketing Director Rachel Gleason said light and bright colors are definitely becoming more prominent in design trends (as opposed to the grays we were seeing a couple years ago).

“Clients are fans of ‘white on white’ looks, especially in kitchens and bathrooms with Carrara marble-look countertops, white clean/shaker cabinets, and white subway tile backsplashes and showers,” she said.

Glasco characterized “home features to be excited about,” such as smart lighting and technology.

“Millennials want charm/character and tech,” she said. “Careful consideration to the term ‘open concept,’ high-efficiency, hardwood floors still big, more fun in the kitchen, two-tone cabinets — say, hardwood on base, white on top — not the all grey we have seen.”

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• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Spaces and atmospheres plentiful and diverse for wedding venues

by Lee Nelson

Fancy, casual, vintage, rustic or modern — brides and grooms can find the right space for their dream receptions and weddings in Lincoln.

White said couples like being in the country and outside without hearing the city noise.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, several spaces are available to add ambience to whatever event is desired, said Justy Bullington, assistant director of venues.

“We have a lot of different spaces to offer, including a garden that is available for cocktail hour, a side room for ceremonies or food and beverage displays, and a mezzanine for a kid zone, extra seating or a dynamic photo opportunity,” she said. “We allow day-before setup, take care of all setup and takedown of building items, have access to an HD video wall and unlimited meetings with our event coordinator during the planning process and unparalleled day-of assistant. Our space also has dramatic three-story cathedral ceilings and tons of natural light.”

You should pick a venue that fits your vision, guest count and also provides as many items as possible at no extra cost, she said. You also have to trust the event coordinator at the venue. Make sure you feel confident they have your best interest in mind and will take care of you and your guests.

Elli White, general manager at Country Pines, said the facility offers one main facility that is an indoor/outdoor space.

“There are two ceremony sites set up that are both outdoors — one is a tree-lined site with a long brick walkway that offers more of a traditional look, and the second site overlooks the vineyard with more of an intimate feel with guests surrounding the arbor on all

GWorks acquires Data Technologies Continued from page 3.

20 percent growth each year.

“Second, the local government we serve often includes rural counties — we’re in 88 of Nebraska’s 93 counties — and these cities and counties are often less than 30,000 in population,” he said. “These organizations have tight budgets. We develop tools for them so they can do more with less … saving them time and money.”

Third, Heieck indicated data is driving operations and decision-making, which leads to demand for services that capture, format and visualize this explosion of information.

“These are often thankless, stressful jobs and we want to help them succeed,” Heieck said.

The team that is contributing to clients’ successes will soon be working out of a new space.

“We are currently in two separate offices,” he said, a reference to the Lincoln and Omaha locations. “Culture is important to me. By combining the two offices into one building, that can really build the bonds and cohesiveness of the team.”

Heieck said gWorks will settle in Omaha by end of year.

“We’re still scouting locations,” he said.

“It will probably be southwest Omaha metro, just to make it easier for people who have to commute.”

Heieck said two-thirds of employees live in Omaha at present.

sides,” she said.

The main reception space is outside on a covered patio area so guests can enjoy the view of the country landscape as well as the vineyard.

The barn offers some inside seating, but is mainly used for the catering and dessert Bullington tables.

Included in the rental is the setup and takedown of tables and chairs for the ceremony and reception, along with tablecloths. They also offer rental items including barn doors, side board table and chalkboards.

“Our catering is one of the things we do that gets complimented the most at our venue,” she said. “And while we are the exclusive

caterers here, we also strive to accommodate each and every customer, without compromising what you envision for your wedding. Try to keep things simple so you can really enjoy your day. What matters at the end of your wedding is that you got married to the person

Richardson you love,” she said.

When couples come to the venue, White hears them say how much they like being in the country and outside without hearing the city noise.

Shelly Richardson, designer, planner and owner at Event Design, said couples want options when it comes to outside vendors.

They want to know their guests will fit comfortably in the space and that it is all within their budget.

“The right atmosphere and design of the space means the décor they need is minimal and that it’s able to adapt to their specific style and design,” she said. “Couples like to know what’s included such as tables, chairs, linens, setup and teardown.”

The flexibility, attention and friendliness of the staff are also very important. The less they have to worry about, the better, she said.

Richardson offers a free consultation where the couple discusses their wishes and budget, and she then makes recommendations of which venues are best suited to their event.

“Barn weddings are sweeping the nation,” she said. “It is a trend that is highly sought after in just about every state and projected to continue being popular the next 5-10 years.”

Baltimore developers pitch a new, carless way to live

by Meredith Cohn

When tenants begin signing leases for apartments in the Wheelhouse in Federal Hill this July, the landlord plans to give them a bike along with the keys.

The developer of the 28-unit, five-story complex on South Charles Street, 28 Walker, hopes to discourage tenants from even owning cars and needing a place to park.

“We’re taking a step further than providing a bike room,” said Scott Slosson, development director for 28 Walker. “We’re giving everyone a bike.” tRends Slosson said that will remove “a major barrier for people who maybe just moved here, haven’t ridden in awhile, want a bike but don’t know what to buy. … We don’t think anyone living here will have a car.”

Around the country, developers like 28 Walker have decided it’s good business to build close to bike lanes and trails, as well as public transit. Their buildings often offer places to store, fix and wash bicycles as amenities beyond a pool, pool table — or parking space.

Slosson said he ordered a fleet of 92 low-maintenance Priority brand bikes “for the cost of building a parking space or two,” which can exceed $25,000.

Wheelhouse apartments in Federal Hill plan to give each tenant a bike when it opens in July.

Developers and other businesses are starting to join cyclists and advocates in calling on Baltimore to complete its master plan for a bike-pedestrian network. They say delays likely have to do with money, logistics and an entrenched car culture that produces a “bike-lash” when precious asphalt and concrete is diverted from roads and sidewalks for a relatively small constituency that seems dominated by more well-to-do residents.

Still, developers say the movement is likely to accelerate because many younger professionals don’t want to drive to work, and see walkability as a key reason to live and work in a city.

Kate Drabinski, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County professor who has commuted by bike for a decade, said she’s already noticed an uptick in riders on Baltimore’s streets since the city began adding protected lanes in recent years. Every morning, the 43-year-old Charles Village resident rides about three miles to the University of

Maryland Medical Center downtown where she locks her bike and catches a shuttle to her office.

Despite road hazards, angry drivers and gaps in the lane network, she views riding as a joy and expects people moving into Wheelhouse will feel the same way. She thought the idea of living among other cyclists sounded appealing.

“My bike makes me feel free,” said Drabinksi, who also rides to the gym in Harbor East, doctor appointments at Johns Hopkins Hospital and most everywhere else because she rarely drives. “I wish everyone could have the feeling.”

Developers want tenants like Drabinski because it eventually could mean they don’t have to build expensive, space-consuming parking decks. And city life, and their projects, become more appealing.

At McHenry Row in nearby Locust Point, where 28 Walker began opening housing, offices, shops and traditional parking garages in 2012, Slosson said he’s noticed fewer residents own cars. Zoning required 1.5 spots per apartment, but experience has shown only spot one is used.

Amelia Neptune, director of the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program, said developers are taking advantage of the trend and getting ahead of cities in many cases on bicycle-friendly development. She praised Wheelhouse for handing out bikes with leases, which she said is uncommon.

“There’s been an uptick recently in cities and businesses offering these things,” Neptune said. She thinks that could be because climate change — and the contributing role of cars — “has become a bigger piece of the public consciousness.”

Other developers in Baltimore say demand is making bike amenities standard.

Time Group has included bike storage in each of three buildings it’s developed in the past five years, two downtown and the Fox Building in Hampden. Some also have repair tools and air pumps, said Dominic Wiker, the firm’s development director.

Developers also anticipated demand for bike storage from tenants in the recently opened 414 Light Street, an upscale glass apartment tower developed by Questar Properties, said Ruthie Schuchalter, a company representative. She said Questar built storage

rooms on six floors inside the building and bike racks outside.

“The bike storage rooms are well-utilized by our residents, although we can’t say for sure that this has impacted demand for parking,” she said. “Our sense is that many residents choose to have bikes in addition to, not necessarily in lieu of, their cars. But bike storage has certainly been popular among our residents.”

Nonetheless, Liz Cornish, executive director of the advocacy group Bikemore, said developers are discovering there are marketing and financial benefits to encouraging biking that go along with the well-known health and environmental benefits.

She estimated most major developments in Baltimore in the past five years include bike amenities such as storage, racks and maintenance areas.

“We consult with developers all the time on how to make their developments more accessible and friendly to those using and arriving by bike,” Cornish said. “They are ahead of the city on this. They see a lot of their garages downtown are at 30 percent of capacity, and not just residential but commercial. Yet most are required by zoning to have all this parking, and they have to bundle the cost with the rent.”

Caroline Paff, a principal at VI Development, consults on a major project at Clipper Mill in Woodberry and said the developer wanted to take advantage of nearby trains, trails and bike lanes. They planned for bike racks inside and outside of garages and stands for tools and pumps.

The developer wanted to reduce the number of costly parking spaces, enabling a rent rebate for tenants without cars. But after an outcry by neighbors worried about the large number of new apartments and the effect on limited street parking, the project won’t cut the spots.

The developer of a smaller project nearby also plans to limit parking, offering bike storage and parking for car-sharing and ride-sharing services.

Paff also worked on Port Covington in South Baltimore, the planned mixed-use community where developers have already built protected bike lanes. Those lanes, however, remain cut off from the rest of the city.

The gaps are frustrating and discourage Continued on page 12.

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 • REGIONAL LANDSCAPES

UNL’s Clayton Yeutter Institute names advisory council members

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance has announced 13 inaugural members of its advisory council. The advisory council members will provide strategic counsel to the director on the institute’s formation and programming. The inaugural members are: Edward Alden, Tim Andriesen, Kelly Brunkhorst, Andrea Durkin, Dan Fulton, Veronica A. Haggart, Mark Jensen, Katrin Kuhlmann, Kenneth I. Levinson, Warren H. Maruyama, Joe Stone, Darci Vetter and Cristena Bach Yeutter.

Briefs…

This year marks the 30th anniversary of UNICO Group, a nationally award-winning independent insurance agency headquartered in Lincoln. UNICO was established Oct. 1, 1988, as the result of a merger between two property/casualty insurance brokerage firms — Reynolds-Simmons-Nelson Insurance and Chambers Dobson. Over the last 30 years, UNICO has grown from a small local agency to the largest locally owned insurance agency in Lincoln and one of the largest in Nebraska, with more than 130 employees. In 2016, UNICO was awarded “Top Performing Agency” by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.

Prosper Lincoln presented Sampson Construction with the Prosper Lincoln Step Up award. Sampson Construction donated its expertise, time and talent to Dimensions Education Programs, which remodeled a building near 77th and A streets to serve an additional 120 babies, toddlers and preschoolers, including one-third of placements for lower or

moderate-income families.

A chemical compound typically cast as a supporting actor in corn’s defense against a tiny pest might instead take a leading role, says a research-based rewrite from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Nebraska study showed that spraying a corn plant with one of its own compounds — 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid, or OPDA — can help deter the virus-carrying, pollination-disrupting insect known as the corn-leaf aphid. But experiments suggest that OPDA alone, minus the aid of the plant’s two more famous safeguards, can protect against the pinhead-sized insect by triggering a buildup of callose.

MOVING FORWARD! UPCOMING SECTIONS IN THE LBJ

April

Real Estate

Health…

Tabitha was voted the Best Home Care Provider by area residents, marking the 10th consecutive year that Tabitha’s Home Health Care program has landed at the top in KFOR and sister station’s annual Best of Lincoln’s rankings.

Tabitha also was awarded runner up in Best Place to Work and Best Retirement Community, as well the top three for Best Physical Therapy.

Arts and Events…

The Nebraska Innovation Campus is hosting mixologist Morgan Mason on March 22 and March 29 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Mill Coffee & Bistro. Mason will be hosting an interactive experience as he explains the what and why of select cocktails.

The Great Plains Gaming Festival 2019 will take place at the Scottish Rite Temple on March 22-24. There will be over 1,000 board games for families, college students, couples and friends to try. The festival will also include vendors, meals and concessions, as well as organized events. Those who purchase tickets prior to the event will receive a free game.

Banking

MEETINGS AND SEMINARS Thursday, March 21 The 2019 Nebraska Climate Summit will take place at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Innovation Campus. The one-day information session on climate and climate change will be led by Martha Shulski, director of the state climate office; Tyler Williams, Nebraska Extension climatologist; and partners across the university and state. Highlights of the summit include a panel discussion; climate projections and impacts; future of climate and expected affects for Nebraskans; weather and climate monitoring; climate scenario planning by Nebraska Extension; agricultural impacts; climate and health; and details on how climate change will affect municipalities. Registration is available online.

The 2019 Agricultural and Water Law Seminar will take place at the University of Nebraska College of Law McCollum Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The seminar will feature practice-focused presentations on agricultural law topics, including legal issues associated with water, the environment, land use, technology, taxation and finance. Approximately eight hours of CLE credits will be available. Registration is available online.

Friday, March 22 The 2019 Annual Estate Planning and Probate Seminar will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Nebraska Innovation Campus. Topics will include: estate planning, probate disputes, personal injury cases, probate appeals and professional responsibility in probate matters. Registration fees vary and are available online. The program has been approved for seven hours of CPE, including one hour of ethics, by the NE Board of Public Accountancy. Webinars will be conducted online and printed materials will be available

for those unable to attend the program. This program is put together by the Nebraska State Bar Association.

Wednesday, March 27 The Nebraska Health Care Association is hosting a LPN IV Therapy Course. There are new state regulations that require all licensed practical nurses to complete an IV therapy eighthour didactic course prior to Oct. 31, 2021. All LPNs must complete the training whether they will be performing IV therapy in their work setting. This course meets the didactic portion of the new requirement and counts toward the annual continuing education requirement for an LPN license. LPNs who have been previously licensed as LPNCs or graduated after May 1, 2016, have already fulfilled the new requirements Registration is online.

Thursday, April 4 The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce will host Women in Business, the annual half-day conference with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business. The event is geared toward visionary men and women who want to discover the tools for success, make strategic business connections and feel empowered. This year’s event theme is “Embracing Change.” Registration is available online and the cost to attend the event is $65.

Monday, April 15 The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the 2nd Annual Duncan Lecture on Constitutional Law from 12:05 p.m. to 1:05 p.m. at the UNL College of Law. Professor Rick Garnett from Notre Dame Law School will deliver the 2nd Annual Duncan Lecture on Constitutional Law. Garnett will address issues involving religious freedom in America today.

It’s approved for one hour of CLE. Registration is available online.

11

Startups

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• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Getting employees on board with change demands planning, tact

by Liz Reyer

Q: What do you do when executives support a change initiative but individuals (and even some mid-level managers) resist? How can I get people to adopt the new approach?

-Lee, 36, strategic WoRkplace launch director A: It’s the proverbial carrot and stick combo.

First, be very clear on what your mandate is from above. This includes understanding how your initiative fits within your company’s overall strategy.

On the flip side, what are the implications if your initiative fails? Setting aside risk to your career, does this failure imperil the company?

The more important this initiative is, the better. But if people don’t grasp the connection, they won’t buy into your message.

It’s worth spending time to develop clear and simple explanations so that people have “aha moments” about the importance of change to your company.

It’s not sufficient to explain at an intellectual level. The heart will rule the head, so you must connect to their emotional side and sense of well-being. At that moment, they will be able to truly invest in the new direction.

This goes for explaining benefits, too.

Find a way to describe the benefits that will address the needs of the person or people you are speaking with. Otherwise, the words

will have little power to persuade.

It’s also vital to understand the resistance. Yes, change is hard, but if you ask — and truly listen — to concerns, you will be able to alleviate at least some of the issues people raise.

For example, they may be worried that it will take them longer to do their work while they learn the new approach (often a concern in software implementations).

In this case, work with the management teams to provide some short-term flexibility on productivity standards.

If people need to learn new skills, be sure to provide sufficient training and support. Timing is important; too many training programs are held in advance, and

years by bike from his home in Canton to 28 Walker’s Locust Point offices.

He’s seen the gaps in the system but said South Baltimore is particularly suited to those without cars because of its proximity to bike lanes, trails, bus and rail stops, the water taxi and the central business district.

Wheelhouse’s zoning allowed developers to forgo offering parking. It’s on Charles Street, a main neighborhood thoroughfare, across from Cross Street Market, a popular city market that is being renovated. Skipping a parking garage left space for three ground-level retail storefronts, including one already leased to BRD, a fried chicken shop.

Slosson believes the building will attract graduate students and young professionals with rents of $900-$1,000 per bedroom, which is how the units can be leased in the building that emphasizes “co-living.” The landlord can find roommates and provides some furnished apartments, as well as a lot of common areas and planned events — maybe some on bikes.

“I think the bikes will create awareness as people ride around the city on them,” he said. “And change perceptions about how you can live in the city.” ©2019 The Baltimore Sun Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Baltimore developers pitch a new, carless way to live Continued from page 10. “most riders who are less than expert bike commuters,” she said.

Baltimore has 162 lane miles for bikes, including some shared with buses and some that are buffered, according to the city’s Department of Transportation.

There are more than 41 miles of trails.

The department is requesting $1 million in funding annually through 2025 to build at least 30 lane miles, which represents about 15 miles running both ways. Advocates say that is more than a previous projection but well short of outlines in a 2015 Bike Master Plan.

Cornish said the city needs to fill the gaps in its lane system and connect its trails, which she said would cost around $60 million. She also called for dedicated funding for building and maintaining the system.

That may seem like a big commitment for the fewer than one percent of Baltimore commuters who cycle to work, though it’s been rising, according to a recent report from the League of American Bicyclists that analyzed U.S. Census and other data.

For biking commuters, Baltimore just beats the national average but lags the 50 largest cities, which average 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the report found, 6.7 percent of Baltimore commuters walked to work and the city ranked 9th among big cities for non-car commuters when all foot, bike and public transit commuters were considered.

Cornish, who rides a bike to work, said Baltimore’s figures likely undercount bike commuters and would grow if the lane system were complete and safe.

Paff agrees the city could do more.

“Bringing usable, safe and convenient bike trails to neighborhoods throughout the city can enable a really transformational change in commuting,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of Baltimoreans who have never owned a bike and don’t know how to ride,” Paff said. “We could do a huge service to communities across Baltimore with bike donations, maintenance workshops and instruction.

Then bike trails become highways and connections to schools and jobs. There’s no reason we can’t do this in Baltimore.”

Developers like 28 Walker and Slosson could lead the way with projects like Wheelhouse.

Slosson said a bike-friendly building wasn’t a stretch for him. He commuted for

by the time people use the skills, they have forgotten what they learned.

Don’t count on one-shot training, either.

Repetition is important for retention, and if you can provide coaching and mentoring, people will learn how to use the new program in their job in practice, not just in theory.

Now, what about the management resistance? You can confront this head-on by tying performance incentive programs to cooperation with your program. If their bonus depends on your initiative’s success, you can bet they will be on board. This isn’t a long shot if your program truly is a top business priority.

You can also use peer pressure. This will work across all levels without pointing fingers or being accusatory. All you really need to do is find a way to publicly acknowledge those who are leading the way on adoption.

Those who are visibly lagging will not like seeing their names displayed on that part of the list, and likely will change their ways.

Watch out for active saboteurs, and be sure you have the authority to call them on it. Anyway, even if you don’t, they may not know it. If they are bullies or are resisting for resistance’s sake, you are best served by being strong.

Be resolute, be compassionate and be creative. Persistence will help you get this change accomplished. ©2019 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

If Lyft can’t keep its drivers as independent contractors, it may never be profitable

by Johana Bhuiyan

Lyft’s entire business model is predicated on its relationship with its drivers.

It hinges on recruiting them, keeping them happy, ensuring the company never has to provide them health insurtRends ance and other benefits, and eventually finding a way to replace some of them with self-driving cars so Lyft can keep a bigger chunk of the check after every ride.

Unfortunately for Lyft there is great uncertainty at each juncture of that driver relationship.

In filings recently initiating a planned initial public stock offering, Lyft — which lost $911.3 million on $2.2 billion in revenue in 2018 — acknowledged it may never become profitable. That’s due in part to both long-standing limitations and new external threats that have left Lyft’s relationship with its drivers in flux.

“Lyft definitely faces more material risks than the average company going public,” said John Engle, president of private equity and venture capital firm Almington Capital.

A major point of uncertainty is whether Lyft will be able to maintain the flexible nature of its relationship with drivers. It’s in Lyft’s best interest to make sure drivers remain classified as independent contractors, not employees who qualify for benefits and other company-sponsored perks.

But that flexibility is at risk. An April California Supreme Court ruling, for instance, assumes any worker is an employee if his or her job is central to a company’s core business.

“We continue to maintain that drivers on our platform are independent contractors in such legal and administrative proceedings, but our arguments may ultimately be unsuccessful,” Lyft’s filing reads. “A determination in, or settlement of, any legal proceeding, whether we are party to such legal proceeding or not, that classifies a driver of a ridesharing platform as an employee, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

With Lyft and its larger competitor Uber vying for market share, competition over prices will remain fierce, Engle said. “Add the lack of pricing power to Lyft’s nearly $1-billion net loss in 2018, and I don’t see a profit inflection point on the cards nearterm,” he said. “As for the independent contractor model, any tightening of the legal or regulatory framework could put the entire business model in jeopardy — and that affects Uber, too.”

In major markets such as New York City, regulators have imposed protections for drivers that cut at many of the cost-related benefits of using independent contractors.

Although Lyft has settled past lawsuits filed by drivers alleging they were misclassified as contractors, laws in the biggest ride-share market in the U.S. impose minimum wage requirements for drivers that are often reserved for employees.

Any threat to the ride-share business in New York City is critical for Lyft and Uber, which is also eyeing a 2019 initial public offering. But the bigger threat is the precedent these new rules may set for other jurisdictions.

“Our industry is relatively nascent and

is rapidly evolving and increasingly regulated,” Lyft’s S-1 filing to the SEC reads.

“We have been subject to intense regulatory pressure from state and municipal regulatory authorities across the United States and Canada.”

“Adverse changes in laws or regulations at all levels of government or bans on or material limitations to our offerings could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations,” it continues.

Even if attempts to enforce laws that impose employee-like protections for drivers fail, Lyft still faces the increasingly difficult task of recruiting those drivers in the first place.

The pool of eligible drivers who want or need to drive for either Lyft or Uber and have not had some experience doing so already is dwindling in the U.S., where Lyft conducts the majority of its business.

Up against Uber’s substantial war chest of funding and its desire to goose up its valuation ahead of its own IPO filing, Lyft will continue to have to spend greatly to attract and retain drivers both with bonuses and other perks.

That’s probably part of the reason the company is offering shares of its stock to drivers who have completed a hard-to-reach number of 10,000 rides.

“Our continued growth depends in part on our ability to cost-effectively attract and retain qualified drivers who satisfy our screening criteria and procedures and to increase utilization of our platform by existing drivers,” the company’s filing reads. “If we Continued on page 14.

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

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14

• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Change in appraisal practices could make mortgage shopping much easier

by Jack Guttentag

This is the second of two columns explaining how simple changes in financial regulation, which could be implemented by executive action, would pay huge dividends to homebuyers. The policy I advocated last week was requiring lenders to pay for the title insurance that protects them, which would sharply reduce title insurance costs to borrowers.

This week I propose another change: that borrowers acquire ownership of the appraisal they pay for. This Real estate would allow them to shop multiple lenders effectively. Whereas the president would implement the first proposal through the Federal Housing Finance Agency, he could implement this one through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Mortgage shopping under the current appraisal system Lenders ordinarily will not commit to (“lock”) the price of a mortgage until the property has been appraised. If a borrower tries to shop multiple lenders, each lender will order its own appraisal, billing the borrower for it, receiving the appraisal from the appraisal company at different times. Meanwhile, mortgage prices are being reset every day with changes in the market. Hence, even if the shopper were willing to pay for multiple appraisals, it would be difficult to obtain locked price quotes from different lenders at the same point in time.

The difficulty arises because appraisals are issued in the name of the lender who orders it, which effectively makes it the property of that lender. That never made any sense.

Since the prospective borrower pays for the appraisal, it should belong to the borrower, which would make it useable with any number of lenders. That would generate major benefits to borrowers.

The benefits -Effective shopping. With a portable appraisal, a mortgage shopper could begin the process by getting an appraisal, then applying to several lenders, with the appraisal included with each application. The borrower would invite each lender to make a firm offer at a specified date and time. The borrower would

accept one of the offers that day — offers will lapse at the close of business — and pay the lock fee of the selected lender.

A lock fee will be necessary to discourage shoppers from walking away from deals when interest rates decline and starting the process again with another group of lenders. But lock fees would be subject to the same competitive pressures as the other components of the mortgage price.

-Reduced processing time. In the present system, appraisals are not ordered until the borrower has selected and made application to a lender, which increases processing time by the period required to obtain the appraisal — ordinarily about two weeks but longer when appraisers are in short supply. This delay

increases the cost to borrowers of locking the price. If borrowers could order appraisals before applying for a loan, this cost would be eliminated.

-No costs of aborted applications: Under existing arrangements, loan applicants are denied the opportunity to see the appraisal before they apply for a mortgage. The result is that sometimes consumers incur needless costs when the property value turns out to be insufficient. If borrowers could order appraisals before applying for a loan, they could avoid the costs incurred when a low appraised value aborts a transaction.

Integrity of appraisals An objection to this proposal is that the integrity of appraisals will be eroded as ap-

praisal management companies compete for consumer clients by inflating values. In reality, lenders will not be obliged to accept appraisals from companies they don’t respect, and in competing for consumer clients, appraisal firms will emphasize the acceptability of their appraisals to lenders.

Under the existing system, many appraisals come from companies in which the lender ordering the appraisal has a financial interest. That arrangement does not encourage appraisal integrity. If appraisals become the property of borrowers, those arrangements would die out. ©2019 Jack Guttentag Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

If Lyft can’t keep its drivers as independent contractors, it may never be profitable Continued from page 12. do not continue to provide drivers with flexibility on our platform, compelling opportunities to earn income and other incentive programs … that are comparable or superior to those of our competitors, we may fail to attract new drivers, retain current drivers or increase their utilization of our platform.”

Uber spent the better part of 2018 attempting to win back the trust of drivers by introducing a suite of new features and improvements including the long-sought-after in-app tipping option — which Lyft has had since its inception.

Retention became a core focus as drivers fled the platform. As of February 2018, 30 percent of Uber drivers stopped driving for the company every quarter.

With Uber’s newfound focus on bettering its platform for drivers, Lyft may have a harder time positioning itself as the driver-friendly ride-hailing service.

The company contends its brand has always centered on the needs of drivers. But save for a few exceptions — most notably amid a call to boycott Uber in 2017 — there’s little brand loyalty in the ride-hailing industry among passengers and drivers.

“Lyft definitely has a history of being the more driver-friendly service, but Uber has really caught up in that department,” said Harry

Campbell, author of the Rideshare Guide, who also drives for both Uber and Lyft. “I think both companies are becoming more similar than ever these days, though, which is a good thing for drivers since they’re adding more features and benefits to try and retain drivers. I do still think Lyft cares more about their drivers, but it’s getting tougher and tougher to prove that.”

In the long term, however, the bet many ride-hail and transportation companies have made is that they won’t need to rely on drivers as heavily.

The development and progress of self-driving technology have been a beacon of hope for many companies that rely on drivers. As former Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick once said, “The magic of self-driving vehicles is that the reason Uber could be expensive is because you’re not just paying for the car, you’re paying for the other dude in the car.”

“If we are unable to efficiently develop our own autonomous vehicle technologies or develop partnerships with other companies to offer autonomous vehicle technologies on our platform in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected,” the Lyft filing reads.

But the reality is neither company may ever

fully get rid of drivers because of the slowing pace of progress of self-driving cars. The only company that is testing without a human safety driver in the front seat on public roads is Alphabet-owned Waymo, which has been working on its autonomous technology for more than a decade.

These days, Lyft and Uber say there will always be at least some human drivers on their networks to ensure demand is met if there aren’t enough autonomous vehicles available.

Lyft’s self-driving strategy, which is to partner with other companies building autonomous cars while also trying to develop its own technology, may prime the company to have such vehicles regardless of whether it is able to develop the technology on its own and at scale.

But even in that case, the rollout of self-driving vehicles may be limited.

“Many of the big auto and tech giants have poured billions of dollars into developing the technology,” Engle said. “But it is important to understand that road-legal, safety-validated autonomous vehicles are many years from hitting the road.” ©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Tech talent shortages aren’t as big as you think

by Shelly Hagan

Economists at the hiring website Indeed say user data indicate that the technology job market may not be living up to some expectations about how hard it is to find workers.

Assertions that technology jobs change so fast that job seekers can’t keep up, and employer grumblings about a skills shortage, don’t match the evidence based on the company’s job seeker resumes and employment postings from 2014 through 2018, an Indeed study shows. caReeRs “While the tech labor market does face some unique challenges, the rhetoric is more dire than the reality,” economists Martha Gimbel and Tara Sinclair wrote in a report published by the Austin, Texas-based company Thursday. “Compared with recruitment in the overall economy, it has become easier for employers to find tech talent in recent years.”

Tech job seekers are actually better matched to current job opportunities in their industry than employment seekers in the broader economy. Jobs in the overall economy are changing faster than job postings

for tech positions, according to the report

by Gimbel, research director at Indeed’s Hiring Lab and a former Labor Department economist, and Sinclair, a senior fellow at the lab and economics professor at George Washington University.

Listings on Indeed were 25 percent different for the study period versus 18 percent in tech, and within the sector, demand for software engineers and some kinds of developers jumped the most over the four years.

Another surprise was that employers found it easier to find tech talent compared with four years earlier. The training industry that caters to aspiring programmers and developers grew, and as a result employers were better able to find workers with the right skill sets.

Though the skills gap in tech was smaller than the overall economy, the shortfall has increased in recent years as companies struggle to find data scientists and software engineers.

Meanwhile, positions for tech support roles and IT technicians were easier to fill. ©2019 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

Banking

15

A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

Topics may include the following:

Banking overview • Mobile banking and mobile payment services Mortgages, refinancing and loan activity • Bank branches of the future Small business banking products, services in demand Issue Date: April • Ad Deadline: April 11

Real Estate A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

Topics may include the following:

Commercial/Office/Industrial Space Market Overviews • Retail space update Downtown Lincoln • Residential market overview • Building renovations Workspace design • Mortgage trends/refinancing Issue Date: April • Ad Deadline: April 11

Startups A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

Topics may include the following:

Current Entrepreneurial Climate • Capital Raising Business Plans • Starting a Small Business • Franchising Issue Date: April • Ad Deadline: April 11 To advertise your company’s products or services in one of our upcoming sections, contact one of our LBJ advertising representatives at (402) 330-1760 or at the email address below.

Julie Whitehead - Julie@mbj.com • Catie Kirby - ads@mbj.com

16

• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Business

Succession & Transitions A section prepared by the staff of the Lincoln Business Journal

March 2019

It’s never too early for business owners to plan an exit strategy

by Dwain Hebda

Experts say it’s never too early for business owners to plan a business exit strategy. In fact, some suggest that knowing how a venture will end should be part of its beginning.

“The biggest mistake I see is that clients do not have an exit strategy when they form businesses,” said Kent Endacott, attorney with Endacott Peetz and Timmer.

“I believe every person should put the exit strategy into the formation documents before strife arrives. This is in the form of a buy-sell agreement. These agreements are typically incorporated into operating agreements for limited liability companies.

The agreements provide up-front how the business should be valued.”

Endacott said in addition, company ownership should perform annual maintenance on the plan, a process that should also be spelled out in writing.

“If the owners agree to agree annually on the fair market value, then there needs to be a mechanism built in to make sure this happens,” he said. “Even if the annual valuation method is utilized, there needs to be a fallback formula that typically will call for a qualified business appraisal that may or may not take into account discounts for lack of marketability and, if applicable, minority interests.”

Succession plans should also be laid out as early as possible. Darby Vannier, director of operations and technology for Leadership Resources, said this provides a business owner with several key advantages.

“It is imperative that leaders outline a clear succession plan that not only includes financial and operational issues, but also how they plan to hire and develop a leader to replace them, and how long that will take,” he said. “The answer to these questions will be different for every company, depending on size, location, candidate pool and even the leader themselves.

“Business leaders often underestimate the time it takes to get someone up to speed, as well as the importance of the years of experience they have. This can be extraordinarily dangerous to the future of the organization and its employees. By continuing this thinking, leaders put the company’s future growth, and even existence, at risk.”

Starting early also helps current own-

business transition is assemership better evaluate the ideal bling the right team of outside successor and provide additionprofessionals, said Mike Owens, al leadership coaching where president of Strategic Legacy needed.

Advisors.

“New leadership can be “I would highly recommend trained and developed, so that that the legal team consist of they don’t necessarily have legal counsel that is doing to learn things the hard way,” [succession planning] almost Vannier said. “By proactivedaily,” he said. “It’s specialized ly developing new leaders, a planning. You have cancer, you business owner is leveraging really try to deal with the onteaching and coaching leaders Endacott cologist to try to help you solve for success versus letting new leaders struggle to figure out these skills your problem. This is no different.”

Finding the right professional in one on their own.”

Another critical piece of a successful area often makes assembling the rest of

the team easier, for instance, a good lawyer is likely to recommend an accountant proficient in the skillset needed for the task as hand.

Owens said a good financial planner should also be a part of the team, a professional that is often overlooked.

“A financial planner who really understands aspects of true financial planning, risk management, tax management and has worked in that arena brings a special stewardship to the process,” he said. “A good financial planner works with that attorney and that accountant as part of a team. They collaborate to the best possible end result for that client.”

Experts recommend annual business valuations

by David Kubicek

Business valuations are needed when a company is being sold or in transition, such as an exit strategy for retiring owners, but Jethro Hopkins, managing partner at No Coast Business Advisors, recommended businesses have a valuation done annually so the owners will know the value of their firm at any given time.

“This gives you benchmarks and data,” he said. “Businesses run off data.

If you don’t have the right data, you can’t make the right decisions. It will Hopkins also help you when you’re seeking bank financing. You can leave the valuation with your commercial loan agent, so they’ll get an idea of how the business is growing.”

As they age, owners should do a valuation to put in a file for their next-of-kin, so if they die suddenly, their family — who may not in be in the business — will have names, contact information and pertinent information about the company.

There are three types of valuations — by a CPA, by an appraiser, and by a business broker — and each of them values the business in a different way. CPAs determine the book value, appraisers determine absolute value — which is much more in-depth — and business brokers give

an idea of what your firm should net the owners on the open market.

“An appraisal will cost you an arm and a leg,” Hopkins said. “A CPA evaluation will be fairly pricey as well, but it will give you some fairly good data. A broker opinion is probably the cheapest option of the three and also the quickest, especially if you’ve already had your first valuation, then they’re just updating your file. That’s true of the CPA and broker valuations — you’re just updating it to make the numbers show the Cook current year. With an appraisal, you have to start over every year.”

If the owners are selling the company, they should use a business broker.

“It’s like selling a house,” Hopkins said. “A CPA and an appraiser can tell you what the house is worth, but a real estate agent can tell you what it will sell for, which is a different thing. Just like a house, businesses can and do sell for much more than they’re worth on the books.

Don’t spend money on an appraisal if it’s going through an SBA loan. They’ll have an appraiser look at it. Why spend the money to have an appraisal done that the bank won’t accept?”

Ryan Cook, audit and consulting

shareholder with Lutz, said valuations are typically done because the owner is planning to sell the business internally to management or to an outside third party, for estate or transition planning within the immediate family, or for life insurance coverage related to owner buy-outs.

Business valuation is a process in which the valuation expert will analyze the company usually from three different approaches — asset, market and income — and will ultimately select an overall method to apply based on various factors.

This requires the expert to gather and review historical financial information, pro forma financial information, industry specific facts, economic outlook, as well as company specific factors like key man risk and customer concentration. All of these variables impact the valuation of the business, so business owners should seek out professional help from an expert who is certified in business valuation.

“It’s inevitable that every business owner at some point in their career will be faced with transition,” Cook said. “It’s never too early to start thinking about exit strategy, which ultimately includes understanding the valuation of your business along with the specific factors that drive or hinder value. Taking this step allows owners the ability and time to reduce company specific risk factors, which eventually leads to increased company value.”

Business Succession & Transitions •

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

Take the time to build a business succession plan

by Lee Nelson

Business succession planning is a hot topic as of late, said Blake Johnson, attorney at Bruning Law Group in Lincoln.

“In part, this may be due to the significant number of firms that are owned by members of the baby boomer generation who are reaching an age where they might seek to obtain some of the capital that has been developed and allow themselves the time to enjoy life’s other pursuits,” he said.

That doesn’t mean succession planning is only for those nearing retirement age, Johnson said.

Succession planning is not a one-sizefits-all concept, and it also is a process and can be time-consuming. As a first step, it is important for the business owner to have a clear understanding of who they are as an organization, a task which increases in complexity along with the size of the business, he said.

“Numerous human resource software programs are available which can assist in

charting the organization of the business to allow owners to look at their entire organization and evaluate the highest-potential employees,” he said. “Advances in technology have certainly made succession planning an affordable reality for a larger number of business owners.”

It has also allowed professionals to identify the most effective exist strategies with more accuracy. The process can now be done with a degree Johnson of in-depth planning that allows for greater ability to manage and achieve objectives and make multi-generation wealth transfers a possibility for more business owners, he said.

Clark Bellin, president at Bellwether Wealth, said owners of companies are starting to plan five years or more ahead of time to

have a successful transition when planning their exit strategy.

“There are essentially only four ways to transition a business — pass it to a family

Bellin Turnage member, sell it to an inside employee, sell it to an outside person or group, or maximize revenue and squeeze out all the profits with the plans of shutting the doors,” he said.

Each one of these transitions has steps and plans that need to be laid out ahead of time. The sooner the planning starts, the more

17

options there are and the chances of having a successful tax-efficient outcome increases, Bellin said.

Things can be complicated, especially if you are passing to a family member. They may not want to actually run and be responsible for the business, or other family members may resent the decision, he said.

“Having all the parties be aware sooner versus later is best,” Bellin said.

Just like all other types of planning, succession planning isn’t something you set in stone and wait for the day to come. It needs to be constantly reviewed, he said.

Kim Turnage, senior leader consultant at Talent Plus, said when someone is planning for succession they have questions around timing, financial considerations, transfer of authority and responsibility, and many other issues.

“But the biggest question is who?” she said. “Who has the right mix of talent, experience, temperament, drive, creativity and other desirable qualities to take the reins and ensure an organization’s future growth and success?”

She said to begin any succession effort Continued on next page.

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• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

Lutz’s Lincoln office adds Morley as staff accountant

Lutz, a Nebraska-based business solutions firm, has added Chase Morley to its Lincoln office.

With more than three years of experience in the financial and accounting industries, Morley joins the firm as a staff accountant in the tax department.

He is responsible for preparing individual and business income Morley tax returns. In addition, he will provide general accounting assistance to clients. Morley graduated from the University of Nevada with a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Girls Inc. of Lincoln selects Penas as operations director

Girls Inc. has hired Maura Penas as the new director for its growing presence in Lincoln.

Penas will begin serving as the director of Girls Inc. of Lincoln. Prior to her position with Girls Inc., Penas was a team lead at Lincoln Electric System. She received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership Penas and communications from Nebraska Wesleyan University and recently received her Master’s of Management from Doane University. Girls Inc. of Lincoln plans to launch after school programming this fall, and with support from a grant from the Girls Inc. national office, plans to establish a robust and sustainable Girls Inc. presence in Lincoln by the end of the three-year grant period.

The Schemmer Associates hires Hind, senior architect in Lincoln

Burney

Meyer

UNANIMOUS hires Burney, Meyer

Lincoln marketing firm UNANIMOUS has added Kelsi Burney and Lindsay Meyer.

Burney is taking the lead as digital marketing specialist. She attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she studied communications. She will be using her agency experiences in both B2B and B2C markets to help clients develop data-driven digital marketing strategies that increase conversions. Utilizing social media, Google Ads, analytics, and other forms of digital media, she will create and launch measurable campaigns.

Meyer has joined as a copywriter and content specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

She will be writing content for clients and internal marketing projects. She uses strategic and modern writing techniques to craft messages and stories that drive client’s customers to take action.

Business succession plan Continued from preceding page. with a commitment to objectivity.

“Eliminate any process that relies solely on recommendations or individual judgment,” Turnage said. “Decision by committee or consensus isn’t much better. In the bestcase scenario, use a validated assessment instrument or structured interview that measures potential for top leadership performance.”

The pace of change in business is accelerating at a breakneck pace, she said.

“Identifying high potential is important because top performance in your business 10 years from now is likely to look very different from top performance in your business today,” she said. “Look for people who demonstrate both high performance and high potential.”

The Schemmer Associates Inc. has added Peter Hind as a senior architect in the Lincoln office.

Hind has 20 years of experience in residential, commercial and multi-family design. Prior to Schemmer, he was principal and founder of his own architecture and construction firm.

Hind also served as a professor, visiting Hind instructor and lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for nearly a decade. At Schemmer, Hind will be responsible for architecture services on multiple project types. He has a Master of Architecture degree and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies degree from UNL.

U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Lincoln adds Davis as manager

U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Lincoln has added Jill Pershing Davis as a trust relationship manager.

Davis will work with clients and families to build and transition wealth and achieve their financial goals. She has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. She received a Davis bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Davis is a Certified Financial Planner and a Certified Public Accountant.

She was the past vice president and board member of the Cornhusker Chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and is a member of the Lincoln Estate Planning Council.

The Lincoln Business Journal • MARCH 2019 •

19

Pinnacle Bank promotes Jamrog

Davison

Turner

UBT elevates Davison, Turner, Howard to leadership positions

Union Bank & Trust promoted Seth Davison and Nora Turner to vice president-agricultural lending and Andrea Howard to business development officer in health benefit solutions.

Davison works to gain an in-depth understanding of his customers’ financial position to provide innovative and workable solutions for their Howard farming operations. He began with UBT in 2009 as a part-time teller and also has served in the college savings and credit administration departments. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and is a graduate of the Nebraska Bankers Association intermediate and advanced agricultural lending schools. He also serves as a member on UBT’s Agricultural Loan Committee.

Turner, vice president of agricultural loans, oversees agricultural loan operations

Pinnacle Bank has promoted Jared Jamrog to full-time credit analyst.

Jamrog works from the Downtown Lincoln branch at 14th and N streets. He assists with loan request preparation, providing financial trend analysis and underwriting. He is also tasked with the ongoing monitoring of the bank’s loan portfolio.

Jamrog has been with Pinnacle Bank since 2017, serving as a teller Jamrog and part-time credit analyst. He recently graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

and manages business development efforts across the state. She has more than 32 years of experience and has spent all of those with UBT. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNL, and is a graduate of NBA’s agricultural banking program.

In her new role as business development officer, Howard will work to identify business opportunities for the health benefit solutions department. She will educate employers on the products and services available to them, provide customized education solutions, and build relationships with current and prospective clients. Howard has more than 20 years of financial industry experience, serving most recently as an education program manager within health benefit solutions. She received a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Doane University.

More homeowners are opting to remodel

by Steve Brown

After several years of booming sales and soaring prices, the U.S. housing industry is starting to cool down.

But one residential sector is bucking the trend.

Home remodeling is expected to grow over the next two years as more of the nation’s homeowners elect to fix up rather than sell off the roofs over their heads.

Residential remodelers spent more than $300 billion nationwide in 2018. And industry forecasts call for an increase in home redos and repairs this year.

Real estate Housing economists are predicting a 4 percent to 5 percent increase in home remodeling this year, while nationwide preowned home sales are expected to drop about 3 percent.

“As houses get older and affordability becomes an issue, remodeling the existing house is a more reasonable option,” said Danushka Nanayakkara, a top forecaster and analyst for the National Association of Home Builders.

She said that almost 40 percent of U.S. homes are 48 years old or older.

Traditionally, most home remodeling work is done to improve a home before a sale or to upgrade one after it’s purchased. But with homeowners staying put longer, more of the remodeling jobs are by owners who want to step up the quality of their house.

“If you have equity in your home, because there are so few homes for sale and the cost of building has skyrocketed, a lot of the times it makes more sense to remodel the home you are in,” said Joanne Theunissen, a top officer in the homebuilding industry’s remodeling council. “We are seeing a lot more whole-house remodels and large additions to homes.”

A report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies estimated that total dollar value of home remodeling projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was up 11 percent in 2018. That was one of the highest growth rates among the more than two dozen major U.S. metro areas Harvard researchers studied.

“The last two years were really good years for us, and 2019 is looking good for us, too,” said Botond Laszlo, who heads the Dallas chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

“The selling in the real estate market has slowed down. That’s typically helping the remodeling business.”

Along with cosmetic upgrades and necessary repairs, older homeowners are spending remodeling dollars to allow them to stay in their homes as they age. Remodelers — like all contractors — are struggling with higher construction costs and a shortage of labor.

“The past three years, we’ve seen an increase in materials from 10 percent up to 37 percent, depending on the finishes,” Theunissen said. “Labor costs and availability is a major challenge for us.

“We saw a lot of our trades leave the industry during the recession, and they chose to retire or enter a different field.”

The higher mortgage rates that have made it tougher for buyers to afford new homes could bring remodelers more business.

Housing analysts predict many homeowners will be reluctant to trade current lower-interest mortgages for a higher-priced home purchase loan.

“You have a large number of people entrenched with very low mortgage rates that don’t want to give up those mortgage rates,” said David Berson, chief economist with Nationwide Mutual Insurance. ©2019 The Dallas Morning News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Biggs

Brase

Schaffer

Post

Cornhusker Bank promotes Biggs, Brase, Schaffer, Post and McGill Cornhusker Bank has promoted Matthew Biggs, Matthew Brase, Nicholas Schaffer, Sherla Post and Lynda McGill.

Biggs has been promoted to vice president/relationship manager. His duties as a commercial relationship manager include development of new commercial business, the growth and expansion of existing business relationships, and ongoing service of customers. He has knowledge of commercial loan policies and procedures and the ability to provide financial consultation to customers to help them reach their goals.

Brase has been promoted to vice president/financial operations officer. He supports

Merrick Medical Center selects Clark for president and CEO role

Merrick Medical Center in Central City, Nebraska, a branch of Bryan Health, has named Paul A. Clark president and CEO. Clark previously served as interim president and CEO since the departure of Julie Murray in August after four and a half years of service. Clark received a bachelor’s degree from Faulkner UniClark versity in Montgomery, Alabama, and juris doctorate degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He moved to Central City in 2013, where he practiced law and served as the city attorney for Central City, St. Paul and Palmer, Nebraska.

bank management and all departments with his abilities in statistical analysis, identifying trends, solving issues and developing forecasts in different areas of the bank. He completes required regulatory reports and supports the entire financial operations team, ensuring the accuracy of bank financial data.

Schaffer has been promoted to vice president/operations McGill officer. He manages the operations center team and all tasks they complete in accordance with bank policies and applicable laws. His department is responsible for providing backroom technical support for the bank’s retail division in the areas of customer and account management, electronic funds transfer, and item processing.

Post has been promoted to executive vice president/human resources and talent.

She develops and leads all human resource functions, as well as the human resource staff for the bank, including all talent development-based efforts. Post collaborates with management to develop a talent-based organization, which cultivates the bank’s culture and operating model.

McGill has been promoted to vice president/audit manager. She leads the bank’s internal audit function and supervises internal audit staff. Her responsibilities include conducting internal audit risk assessment, determining the annual audit schedule, and coordinating the department’s activities with applicable regulatory agencies and examiners.

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• MARCH 2019 • The Lincoln Business Journal

ICANGLOBAL.NET

2019 ICAN CONFERENCE

For more on the conference experience, speakers and registration for individuals, corporate tables and exhibitors, visit:

http: // ICANconference.com

GET READY TO Explore how adapting is pivotal to leadership in the digital age and how those who stay human will stay relevant in business and society.

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

Add to calendar 2019

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference balances digital theme with interactive, human elements

by Michelle Leach

As the 26th annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference grows by 200 seats to a record 3,000 attendees, it’s staying true to the experience that has attracted world-class speakers and programming, and participants from 30-plus states. The Institute for Career Advancement Needs is also celebrating the human element while exploring “ADAPT: Leadership in the Digital Age” May 15 at CHI Health Center in Omaha.

“We’re taking this grand idea of ‘What is this digital age?’ and ‘What is this Fourth Industrial Revolution?’ and presenting it in ways that people can feel open to adapting and learning about it. So, it’s not scary and can become more relatable and experiential,” said ICAN Senior Manager, Marketing, Communications and Events Allison Schorr. “It’s not a tech conference; it is still very much a business leadership conference.”

ICAN leadership emphasized maximizing opportunities. Yes, some parts of jobs may change or go away, but Schorr noted that can free one up to do new things and develop higher level skills.

Branding also reflects ICAN’s “spin” on the topic, summed up by “Stay Human, Stay Relevant.”

Schorr referred to theme graphics that merge technology terms and other digital elements into human faces and the focus on human capital being so critical.

“Characteristics of staying human — compassion, confidence, creativity and collaboration — are more important,” she said.

From left, President and CEO Susan L. Henricks and Allison Schorr, senior manager, marketing communications and events.

“They’re the secret sauce to stay relevant.”

Henricks also highlighted its digital ICAN considered live-streaming the zone, anchored by the University of Nedigital-themed conference, but felt like the braska Medical Center’s Interprofessional experience may have suffered without that Experiential Center for Enduring Learning physical presence. (iEXCEL) Augmented Reality and holoPresident and CEO Susan L. Henricks gram technologies. Imagine, for instance, indicated the digital theme will be present virtually exploring the structures of the in myriad ways for in-person attendees; heart. Omaha’s pioneering digital library, for instance, one immediately encounters Do Space, will also feature 3D printers and huge screens, lights and activity, and digital robots. branding “all over the stage.”

The conference welcomes back panels “It is sensory overload,” she said. with: “A Regional Revolution – How are we

of

adapting to the digital age?,” moderated by keynote speaker, Judy Woodruff. Greater Omaha Chamber’s SVP-Economic Development, Dee Baird; Deloitte Consulting’s US Human Capital Leader, Erica Volini; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska’s EVP Operations, Business Process and Shared Services, Susan Courtney; and Do Space’s Executive Director Rebecca Stavick will explore topics like the heavily networked, crossfunctional executive model: the “symphonic C-Suite” and digital initiatives of note in our communities and businesses.

Tasked with conKaplan ference development, ICAN’s Lisa Kaplan noted that theme emerged during research on World Economic Forum conversations over the past couple years. ICAN started hearing the phrase, “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” coined by Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab. From there, she said they brainstormed what this revolution meant for society, businesses, governments, average workers, and especially for leaders adapting to this new business landscape.

“What separates this year’s theme from past themes is that since we began our conference planning for 2019, we noticed a significant rise in the attention of this topic around the world,” she said. “We seem to Continued on page 4.

ICAN Women’ s Leadership Conference

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

Omaha Public Schools

DISTRICT

2017-18 Highlights

#OPSProud

served in the largest spoken 52,881 students 119 languages 2,711 graduates Nebraska school district by students (2017) Scholars recognized certificates credits earned by OPS 156 AP 740 industry 4,750+ college District-wide earned by career Center students students within the past four years

Benson High Magnet School

1,362 students* Focus Areas: Career Academies In: Freshman, Construction & Design, Health Professions and Business & Entrepreneurship • $3.67 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • Nearly 10 percent of the graduating class received Susan T. Buffett Scholarships • SkillsUSA students received 14 medals at the state competition

Bryan High School

Burke High School

1,918 students* Focus Areas: Advanced Placement (AP)/Dual Enrollment (DE) Program. FOCUS Academy and Air and Space Academy • $9.19 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • 44 juniors and seniors earned a 30 or above on the ACT • Production of “Crazy For You” was awarded Outstanding Musical Production at the Nebraska High School Theatre Awards Showcase

Central High School

North High Magnet School

Northwest High Magnet School

1,755 students* Focus Area: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) • $14.06 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • One National Merit Scholar • The Varsity football team won the Nebraska Class-A State Championship

1,797 students* Focus Areas: Urban Agriculture and Food Science Academy and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Academy • $3.36 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • Urban Agriculture Career Academy earned National Model Status from the National Career Academy Coalition • The Newspaper staff earned their second consecutive Nebraska High School Press Association Cornhusker Award 2,520 students*

Focus Area: International Baccalaureate • $21.98 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • 2 National Merit Scholars • Students received 70 Scholastic Art Awards

1,613 students* Focus Areas: Law, Government and International Diplomacy • $3.87 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • Individual state Poetry Slam Champion and team State Runner-up • Vocal music students performed at Carnegie Hall

South High Magnet School

2,529 students* Focus Areas: Visual Performing Arts, Information Technology and Dual Language • $12.81 million in scholarships awarded to class of 2018 • Recognized as Dual Language School of the Year by the Spanish Embassy and the International Spanish Academy • 22 students received various full ride scholarships

CONNECT WITH US: OmahaPublicSchools @OmahaPubSchool

*2017-18 official enrollment Burke Focus Academy is an integration of extra-value standards: Leadership, communication and technology in to English, U.S. History and FACTS (freshman academic career and technical seminar) courses.

National Merit Scholars are students recognized and honored nationally by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as academically talented students of the United States.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Keynote speakers address digital age leadership

by Gabby Christensen

This year’s ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference will feature a lineup of topical experts focusing on elements of digital age leadership.

Bree Groff, breakout keynote speaker, will deliver the presentation, “Leading Through Change: How to Change when you MUST.” Groff said she will lead the audience through understanding resistance, naming the six different types of loss employees feel when going through change and discuss a framework for leading change in an authentic, human way.

“The thesis of the talk, and more broadly, of my career, is that organizational change is just individual change, at scale,” she said. “So to change an organization, you first have to understand what compels an individual to change, or not. And then, lead them from where they are.”

Groff said she will also share client examples to bring the framework to life,

as well as practical suggestions for leading change.

“Leading change is an exercise in extreme empathy,” she said. “And therefore, my goal is always to challenge attendees to understand the perspectives of those they lead with greater clarity and compassion. People won’t change if they don’t first feel understood.”

Through this presentation, Groff said Groff she hopes to help people and companies survive change and actually enjoy it.

“Although change will always include loss, there's also pleasure in fresh starts, in new chapters,” she said.

Mike Walsh, opening keynote speaker, will present “Reinventing Leadership to

Drive Transformation” at the conference.

The presentation is based on his new book, “The Algorithmic Leader: How to Be Smart when Machines are Smarter Than You.” “The big idea in my presentation is how the rise of algorithms, automation and AI is changing the expectations of customers, and this has to translate into organizations that are more responsive, agile and adaptable,” Walsh Walsh said. “Whether you work in retail or logistics, insurance or health care — in the future, consumers will want hyper-individualized, personalized product offerings that are simple to access, sophisticated in scope, and that constantly learn and improve through data.”

Rather than focusing on whether or not

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.

www.up.com

automation will destroy jobs, Walsh said his presentation is designed to encourage people to explore how technology will change jobs.

“The big challenge for leaders in the future, however, is also around ethics and values,” he said. “Now is the time for leaders to make sure that they have selected the right moral compass to guide their actions and technology decisions, rather than waiting until it is too late, and they are forced to work out their position with their legal time in the court of public opinion. My goal is to inspire the audience to be excited and optimistic about living and working in the algorithmic age, so that they walk away with the belief that they have a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine their organizations, their role as leaders and the world around them.”

ICAN Conference

Continued from page 2. have hit upon our theme at the ‘tipping point.’”

ICAN approached the theme with how technology and the internet of things will be a workplace “disruptor,” and how to lead a newly vulnerable and volatile workforce.

True to brand, Kaplan said speakers present on different aspects of business disruption.

“We begin with Futurist Mike Walsh giving an overview at a macro level, and end with Curt Steinhorst, who will talk about the individual challenge of the focus with all our technical distractions,” she said.

Returning conference attendees may recognize Steinhorst as the popular 2016 keynote presenter of “Crossing the generational divide.”

“We will have leadership examples in Judy Woodruff and Jenny Fleiss, as well as a millennial success story in Andrea Gonzales,” Kaplan said.

Readers may know Fleiss as co-founder of Rent the Runway, while Gonzales is the 20-year-old author of “Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done.”

Veteran journalist Woodruff will also discuss “The Fourth Estate Meets the Fourth Revolution,” “Our breakout speakers will be talking about the increased need for innovation and creativity in the digital age; the practical steps to lead a workforce through change; and the ethical impact of big data and algorithms, how women in particular may be impacted,” Kaplan said.

Topics are presented by Natalie Nixon, Bree Groff and Tricia Wang respectively.

“ICAN wants to make this conference informative for all our attendees, providing practical tips and tools to take back to their offices the next day,” she said.

Henricks also emphasized digital age leaders must still understand how to build successful teams, and create and drive culture and opportunities for innovation.

“The idea of the conference is to allow the leaders in the room to hear and see all the different ways they can engage in technology,” she said. “At some point, the manager could be managing people as well as computers that are AI and are doing the jobs of people. That could be very scary, but it is the way of the future. How do you learn to deal with all of the change? More importantly, how do you capitalize on it?”

Visit ICANConference.com for more information.

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

Stay Human, Stay Relevant promotes importance of face to face interaction

by Jasmine Heimgartner

While the benefits and reliance of technology continue to evolve, the human element of leadership remains a vital component within the digital landscape.

Stay Human, Stay Relevant is the tagline of the 2019 ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, addressing the need for promoting humanity in developing leaders.

“We chose the Adapt theme and the Stay Human, Stay Burrell Lillig Relevant tagline because the right answers today may not be the right answers tomorrow,” said Julie Burrell Lillig, ICAN vice president of strategic partnerships. “ICAN believes that the human element and investing in personal connections have become even more critical to leadership in this digital age.

Building relationships and being able to tap into a trusted network quickly will become increasingly important.”

First National Bank is a longtime sponsor of the ICAN conference and regularly sends its leaders through ICAN programs, as well as works with ICAN to develop internal programs. For Jessica Heineman, director of employee experience at First National Bank, this year’s tagline is more relevant than ever.

“We’ve asked our employees to share feedback on their experience at First National Bank, and they have expressed that their direct manager is the most important lever in the day-to-day,” she said. “Now that we have received that feedback, we are expressing to managers how important their job is in creating the employees’ experience. Although technology drives a lot of what we do, that one-on-one with a manager is critical. Regardless of all the tools, as employees, they want a connection to co-workers and management.”

Staying relevant requires adaptability to continuously evolving processes. ICAN programs, such as IMPACT and Defining Leadership, help businesses better capitalize on human assets by providing transformative leadership development experiences and skills — whether in terms of productivity, self-awareness, leadership agility, decisionmaking, attitudes or teamwork.

“Our employees give us great feedback about ICAN,” Heineman said. “The conference topic in 2017 was work-life balance, which was one people had really thought about and wanted to talk about. We held our own internal women’s conference to capitalize on that learning with employees who went and those who didn’t. ICAN is good about picking themes, so I think this one will also resonate with employees.”

Sharing insight into this theme and other aspects of leadership will be the closing keynote speaker, Curt Steinhorst, and Dr. Tricia Wang, breakout keynote speaker.

Steinhorst, an audience favorite that ICAN is bringing back after serving as the opening keynote speaker of its 2016 conference, has long been on the forefront of studying technology’s impact on human behavior.

“Human attention relates to the world in wildly different ways than technology does,”

he said. “This sounds obvious, but it's actually really hard to remember. Especially as leaders, it’s vital that we avoid the trap of rewarding humans for acting more like machines.”

He founded a consultancy agency, Focuswise, that assists organizations in meeting the challenges of a constantly connected workplace. Through his company, he has coached leaders from many industries in enhancing their communication skills to Wang better lead and engage employees and customers. He is the author of a new book, “Can I Have Your Attention? Inspiring Better Work Habits, Focusing Your Team, and Continued on next page.

Jessica Heineman, director of employee experience at First National Bank.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Influential speakers, timely topics grow national following for ICAN

by Dwain Hebda

Sarah Lake, vice president of communication strategies and public relations at Emspace + Lovgren.

Impactful speakers and timely topics continue to build the reputation of the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, both in the state and across the country.

“The ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference continues to grow because we believe organizations trust us to present a theme and line-up of topics that are truly inspirational, motivational and relevant to being a leader today,” said Julie Burrell Lillig, ICAN’s vice president of strategic partnerships. “The speakers are experts in their field and talk about national and globally related-issues that appeal to both women and men.”

Last year’s event set a new record for out-of-state representation with attendees from 34 states making the trip to Omaha.

“Organizations outside of our state use this conference as an annual develop-

ment experience and invite key clients to come along with them,” Burrell Lillig said.

“We’ve had a team from California fly in the last few years and tell us this is a milliondollar conference.”

A growing trend is local companies dovetailing the ICAN event with their own annual meetings or larger leadership initiatives. Farm Credit Services of America is one such company.

“What we do is, we have a half-day debrief session the day after the conference,” said Ann Finkner, senior vice president and chief administrative officer. “That half-day debriefing session gives time for their takeaways, for some reflection on what they are going to do with what they learned.”

Finkner, an ICAN board member, said the debrief is critical for attendees to absorb and apply what they experienced at the ICAN conference.

“When people have an opportunity to discuss, they get new thinking,” she said.

“There is accountability that is created where our team builds into that programming, ‘What did you learn? What are you going to do?’”

Rhonda Maun, CEO of Consortia Group, said the relevance of ICAN’s subject matter makes it a useful resource around which the company builds its annual leadership Continued on page 11.

Face to face interaction

First Data is proud to sponsor the

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference First Data is committed to building next-generation commerce solutions for millions of businesses and financial institutions worldwide. We enable frictionless shopping experiences securely and at scale across all channels, globally. With superior technology solutions and data analytics, we solve unique business challenges. Helping clients grow is at our core. Whether optimizing the economics of payment acceptance or enhancing consumer loyalty with mobile apps, First Data delivers.

FirstData.com © 2019 First Data Corporation. All rights reserved. The First Data name, logo and related trademarks and service marks are owned by First Data Corporation and are registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. 529136 2019-3

Continued from preceding page.

Getting Stuff Done in the Constantly Connected Workplace.”

Wang is a global technology ethnographer who helps companies innovate and grow by balancing quantitative data with the human element. She is a co-founder of Sudden Compass, a firm helping companies leverage data to move at the speed of their customers. She also has heavily researched the impacts of youth culture and social media. Her experience has led her to become a leading authority on digital transformation, operationalizing data science, customer experience and ethics of personal data usage in artificial intelligence.

“Excellent leadership is always about balancing — balancing power, balancing team personalities, balancing trade-offs in decision-making,” Wang said. “Leadership has also always been about balancing humans and technology. With each technological innovation comes a set of impacts on human collaboration from the cotton gin to electricity and now computing. An excellent leader doesn’t just adopt a new technology without understanding how it impacts the entire system and assess the trade-offs holistically.”

Besides being a tagline, Stay Human, Stay Relevant is truly at the heart of the conference, which brings together a diverse group of people from all over the country for an impactful in-person experience.

“Our good customers tell us the conference is a valuable way to empower and develop people,” Burrell Lillig said. “Many use it as a day to build relationships and network with internal and external contacts — and make new ones. Take a day to be inspired and invest time in learning from national thought leaders on topics that are timely and relevant to being a leader in today’s world.”

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

Conference Agenda Wednesday, May 15, 2019 Times subject to change. Current agenda can be found at ICANconference.com 7 a.m.

Doors Open for Registration, Coffee/Breakfast and Exhibits 8:30 – 10:15 a.m.

Opening General Session – Exhibit Hall C • Keynote: Mike Walsh - Reinventing Leadership to Drive Transformation • Welcome and Opening Remarks: Susan Henricks - President & CEO, ICAN • Keynote: Judy Woodruff -The Fourth Estate Meets the Fourth Revolution • Panel Discussion: A Regional Revolution: How are we Adapting to the Digital Age? Moderator: Judy Woodruff of the PBS NewsHour Panelists: Dee Baird (Greater Omaha Chamber), Erica Volini (Deloitte), Rebecca Stavick (DO Space) and Susan Courtney (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska) 10:15 – 10:55 a.m.

BREAK - Exhibit Booths, Digital Zone, Bookstore & Networking 10:55 – 11:45 a.m.

Morning Breakout Keynote Sessions • Bree Groff: Leading Thru Change - How to Change when you MUST • Natalie Nixon: Leadership in the Creative Economy • Tricia Wang: Personal Data - The Battlegrounds of our Humanity 11:45 – 1 p.m.

LUNCH - Exhibit Hall B&C Exhibit Booths, Digital Zone, Book Signing and Networking Welcome by City of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert Presentation of the 2019 ICAN Leadership Award 1 – 1:50 p.m.

Afternoon Breakout Keynote Sessions • Bree Groff: Leading Thru Change - How to Change when you MUST • Natalie Nixon: Leadership in the Creative Economy • Tricia Wang: Personal Data - The Battlegrounds of our Humanity 1:50 – 2:30 p.m.

BREAK –Exhibit Booths, Digital Zone, Bookstore & Networking 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Closing General Session – Exhibit Hall C • Keynote: Andrea Gonzales - Girl CODE: Gaming, Going Viral and Getting it Done • Keynote: Jenny Fleiss - Leadership Lessons: Using Technology to Innovate • Keynote: Curt Steinhorst - Can I Have your Attention?

4 p.m.

Conference Concludes Curt Steinhorst to hold Book Signing.

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Mainstage Keynotes MIKE WALSH, Futurist Reinventing Leadership to Drive Transformation Author and Futurist Mike Walsh will present a vivid portrait of the companies, technologies and global forces shaping the age of machine intelligence, and how tomorrow’s leaders can upgrade their capabilities to survive and thrive in an age of accelerating technology, providing a set of tailored next actions on how to redesign organizations, reimagine roles and reinvent the way leaders make decision.

JUDY WOODRUFF, Anchor and Managing Editor of PBS NewsHour The Fourth Estate Meets the Fourth Revolution The digital transformation is already changing the way that news is gathered and reported. The Associated Press has been publishing automated news stories since 2015, and China debuted the world’s first AI News Anchor last year. What does it mean for the future of our various news delivery platforms? Just as with the rest of society, it will have to adapt to changing technologies to remain relevant. Will “robot journalism” replace human journalists, or make them better?

Having covered politics and other news for more than four decades at NBC, CNN and PBS, celebrated News Anchor Judy Woodruff will share her insights as a journalist and managing editor.

PANEL DISCUSSION: A Regional Revolution: How are we Adapting to the Digital Age? MODERATOR: JUDY WOODRUFF PANELISTS: Dee Baird (Greater Omaha Chamber), Erica Volini (Deloitte), Rebecca Stavick (DO Space) and Susan Courtney (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska) Panelists from the business and educational sectors of the Nebraska region will be selected to share developments and partnerships that are preparing our workforce and community to meet our growing technical and digital age demands and opportunities.

ANDREA GONZALES, Computer Science and Journalism Student, Video Game Creator, Intern at Microsoft, Author Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral and Getting It Done While attending a Girls Who Code summer program, Andrea and her team partner devised an idea for a computer game that would address a social justice issue. Hear her story about how that game went viral, has led to a book, and now, at age 20, her story is just beginning…

JENNY FLEISS, CEO and Co-Founder of Jetblack and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway Leadership Lessons: Using Technology to Innovate As new technologies drive change faster than ever, finding quick ways to drive change from within is critical. Intrapreneurs are important drivers of innovation within successful businesses and are the fastest rout to scale-able impact. Co-Founder and past CEO of Rent the Runway, Jenny Fleiss was hired by Walmart to lead its first incubated start-up.

Through her firsthand experience in a start-up that changed consumer behavior and the retail landscape, Jenny has created a template for innovation within the world's largest retailer. Jenny lays out a roadmap for companies to decode the path to innovation while leveraging undeniable assets of the world's largest companies, and shares leadership lessons she has learned along the way.

CURT STEINHORST, Author and Founder of Focuswise Can I Have your Attention?

For the first time in history, we live in a world without any barriers to connection or communication. This has fundamentally altered the way people work, engage, communicate, and relate to one another. The same technology that simplifies processes compromises our focus. We are asked to process four times the information that Americans dealt with in 1986, but with less space and time to actually think. Advertisements, alerts, emails, constant notifications—no wonder the average American struggles to make it three minutes without being interrupted! Curt Steinhorst discusses the great challenges we face in a constantly-connected world. He pulls back the curtain to reveal: How did we get here? How deep does this distraction issue go? And where do we go from here?

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

Breakout Keynotes These experts will provide a more focused presentation on content themes that relate to Leadership in the Digital Age, along with the opportunities to learn and adapt in business and leadership. Attendees will decide which two topics and expert speakers interest them most that day and attend one keynote session in the morning and a second keynote session in the afternoon. What will help you ADAPT?

BREE GROFF Leading Through Change: How to Change when you MUST Organizational change is just individual change at scale. And, so to transform a team, a company, or the world, we must first understand change at the human level. In this interactive keynote, Bree will explore resistance to change, as illustrated by real client stories and a case study from the wine industry. She’ll share the six types of loss employees experience during change and offer a framework for leading teams through adaptation in a world that isn't slowing down.

NATALIE NIXON Leadership in The Creative Economy In the 4th Industrial Revolution, where digital and cloud technology is ubiquitous, amplifying what is uniquely human is increasingly essential. Humans are hard-wired to be creative, and creativity is the engine for innovation. Leadership is a practice, not something with which you are born. In the creative economy, where services and experiences must give value and meaning to people, it is important that leaders develop a high “Innovation IQ". This session will equip you with tips on practicing the top 3 components necessary to have a high aptitude for leadership in business environments that are increasingly complex and ambiguous.

TRICIA WANG Personal Data: The Battlegrounds for our Humanity Tech ethnographer Tricia Wang dismantles the popular notion that Big Data is the New Oil. Wang, an expert on the intersection of people and technology, believes this mistaken comparison blurs the true value of personal data, and inhibits us from protecting it from theft and exploitation. Those who are most at risk of having their data used in exploitive ways are people who are marginalized, such as women and minorities. Furthermore, the metaphor of comparing data to oil perpetuates the false prioritization of "big data" inside enterprises, expanding the gap between corporations and people. Unlike raw oil, personal data is an asset rich with the stories that define who we are. Wang suggests that integrating a practice around ethics and a model for treating data as property is part of the solution to undoing the harmful effects of personal data in a world increasingly being driven by artificial intelligence technology. It’s time to reclaim and control our data, Tricia argues, or risk losing what makes us human.

ICAN Conference Advocacy Committee Kelli Lieurance Mayura Latenser Geri Mason Tara Friesen Jaci Stuifbergen Brenda Kann Celia Ferrel Tracy Schaefer Chris Stanczak Kayla Snow Kelsey Kelly Sarah Lake Peggy Dunn Rachel Bellinghausen Joanne Sebby Livia Biskup Gayle Hoybook Dena Stevenson

Baird Holm LLP Bank of the West Bellevue University Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska Borsheims CapStone Technologies Children's Hospital & Medical Center Conagra Brands Creighton University Creighton University Heider College of Business Creighton University Heider College of Business Emspace + Lovgren Farm Credit Services of America First Data First Data First National Bank Gallup Immanuel

Paige Ulozas Stephanie Gutierrez Tricia Robinson Claudia Bohn Danielle Richter Debbie Hamlett Tracy Roe Rana Schreiber Sarah Hampton Caitlin Gruis Sara Lueth Abra Thompson Amy Fox Melanie Krings Emily Poeschl Giovanni Jones Christy Hayduk Jennifer McKern

Kiewit Lincoln Financial Group Lincoln Financial Group Methodist Health System Midland University MBA Program NET - Nebraska's PBS & NPR Stations NET - Nebraska's PBS & NPR Stations NRC Health OPPD planitomaha TD Ameritrade Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad University of Nebraska at Omaha - Executive MBA University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska Medical Center Valmont WoodmenLife

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Conference Partners

* as of March 8

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

ICAN’s following

Continued from page 6. conference.

“What I have learned over the years with the conference that we host is, women network differently than men do. A lot of the traditional business networking opportunities are really more geared toward men,” she said.

“It’s nice for women to get in an environment with other women and to create some of those networks for themselves where they can find other women from whom to draw support in their careers.”

Kellie Claudio, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Sweda USA, said she utilizes the event to deepen the relationship with her largest accounts, from Seattle to Boston.

“We all left with a feeling of empowerment and excitement that stayed strong in our hearts, our minds and most importantly, our guts,” she said. “Each of my guests sent beautiful thank-you notes and passionate pleas for an invite to 2019’s ICAN conference.”

Claudio said the event not only provides information, but does so in a motivational way.

“I attend numerous leadership conventions every year that are not ‘wow’ like ICAN,” she said. “It delivers an emotional, spiritual and motivational high that has lasted for the past three years. I have used practices learned from the incredible speakers and have been constantly teaching my teams the lessons learned.”

Sarah Lake, vice president of communication strategies and public relations with Emspace + Lovgren and a member of Continued on next page.

Scenes from the 2018 ICAN Women's Leadership Conference (Photos courtesy of ICAN)

YES YOU CAN Kiewit is proud to sponsor this year’s ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference.

KIEWIT.COM

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Embracing and exhibiting the newest technologies at The Digital Zone at ICAN

by Lee Nelson

Some area businesses and organizations will be showcasing their newest digital age practices and inventions in The Digital Zone, an experiential area of the exhibit space at the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference. They also will be highlighting stories about what it took to get there, the opportunities the digital age has produced, and the changes ahead.

The University Boyers of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) will be featuring iEXCEL (Interprofessional, Experiential Center for Enduring Learning) and some other hands-on virtual/augmented reality

technology, said Pamela Boyers, associate vice chancellor for UNMC’s clinical simulation.

“We hope participants walk away with a good understanding of how iEXCEL is adopting

Stavick Sebby digital technologies — especially visual, immersive and interactive — to transform the way in which health care professionals are taught,” she said. “The overall goal is to help

improve patient care through using simulation technology to teach and train health care professionals at all levels of training.”

The major digital challenge for iEXCEL has been the lack of accurate visual content related to health care, she said.

“Therefore, we have created a small team of individuals consisting of a medical artist, 3D animator, computer programmers and graphic designer. This team works closely with the clinical subject matter experts to create relevant and meaningful medical digital images that can be viewed in 2D, 3D or in holographic form,” she said.

Rebecca Stavick, executive director at Do Space, said people are living in a time of hyper-connectivity with disruptive tech tools at their fingertips.

“But in the grand scheme of things, many innovative technologies are still new. So it can be a challenge to raise awareness of all these incredible tools that are now available,” she said. “Do Space directly addresses another digital age challenge — the digital divide — which describes the gap in Omaha between those who have access to technology and those

Proud Planner of the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference.

who do not.”

Access to computers, internet and software at Do Space helps narrow this gap and create opportunity for everyone in the city, she said.

“Do Space is the center of tech and innovation in Omaha,” she said. “But in order for us to make that claim, we must continually keep up with new technologies so we can offer Omahans the very best software and hardware available on the consumer market, and sometimes even before it’s available to most consumers.

“A lot of people have some form of tech anxiety, and they talk a lot about what they don’t know when it comes to technology. I hope conference attendees will feel welcome to jump in and interact with technologies that could just become useful tools in their personal and professional lives,” Stavick said.

First Data in Omaha will be showcasing two of its businesses that understand digital very well, said Joanne Sebby, chief internal auditor.

“The first is Clover, First Data’s cloudbased point-of-sale platform for small businesses. In the last five years, Clover has re-imagined the traditional payments terminal that was used to simply process transactions and developed a robust point-of-sale system that helps small businesses run their businesses more effectively,” she said.

Clover has a proprietary app market with nearly 400 small business applications. Each Continued on next page.

ICAN’s following

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Unrivaled. Relentless. HERE. 6404 N 70th Plaza | Omaha, Nebraska

Continued from preceding page. the conference Advocacy Committee, said she expects the ICAN brand to continue its upward arc in popularity.

“The ICAN team does an excellent job staying on top of the pulse of leadership development,” she said. “ICAN is much more than a one-day conference, offering professional development programs throughout the year that organizations can send their employees to for an in-depth understanding of themselves as a leader. ICAN also offers custom leadership development programs directly to companies through small group sessions, as well as one-on-one coaching.”

ICAN Team Susan Henricks Amy McLaughlin Julie Burrell Lillig Tracy Stuart Allison Schorr Lisa Kaplan Erin Potter Natalie Olsen

ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference • Midlands Business Journal • MARCH 15, 2019 •

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ICAN Leadership Award now in its fourth year honoring those redefining leadership

by David Kubicek

For the past 30 years ICAN has worked with leadership experts throughout the country and in 2015, in partnership with Kiewit Corporation, the organization established the ICAN Leadership Award.

“We believe that current leaders and leaders of the future need to develop skills that represent the four Cs — collaboration, compassion, confidence, and creativity — in order to successfully lead their organizations and communities in a complex changing global environment,” ICAN VP of Programs

The Digital Zone Continued from preceding page. app is available for download through the Clover devices, and each app can help a business owner manage a task such as payroll, social media or more, Sebby said.

“The second is First Data’s security and fraud capabilities, which help our clients conduct commercial transactions safely and securely,” she said. “In a digital age where data breaches and compromised information make headlines on a large scale, First Data puts an emphasis on helping our clients combat fraud and keep their customers’ information secure.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to visit these Digital Zone exhibits for various interactive experiences. They will have digital tools available for attendees to try out, play with and see these digital age practices ‘come to life’ in a variety of industries.

and Operations Amy McLaughlin said.

ICAN focuses on the soft skills — selfawareness, emotional intelligence, communication, coaching and mentoring — and developing effective techniques to allow leaders to live more authentically with their values.

“We believe these types of skills will propel companies into the future,” McLaughlin said.

The Leadership Award honors either a man or a woman who has taken the necessary steps to redefine leadership in their organization and community through the four Cs. Kiewit partnered with ICAN to develop the criteria for the ICAN Leadership Award and continues to sponsor the award each year.

“We have the privilege of helping ICAN announce and recognize the Leadership Award winner at the ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference,” Kiewit Director of External Affairs Tom Janssen said.

Nominations can be made through a form on ICAN’s website. Nominators write their responses to questions highlighting the four Cs. The selection committee is made up of business and community leaders, including past award recipients, who read the nominations and, as a group, select the winner. This year’s deadline for nominations is March 25.

Nominees are evaluated based on how they exhibit the four C’s in their organizations and in their communities.

“They’re people we can all look to as role models in their positions as business and community leaders,” Janssen said.

McLaughlin

Janssen

McLaughlin said the number of nominations depends on the year, but she estimated that ICAN receives an average of 20 nominations annually.

In 2015 when the award was announced, the Women’s Leadership Conference theme was “Redefine,” which dealt with how to redefine leadership — rooted in the 4 C’s — and how it will change in the future, and the following year the first Leadership Award was given to Gail DeBoer of Cobalt Credit Union.

In 2017 it went to Tim Burke of OPPD and in 2018 to Patricia Kearns of QLI. All of the recipients were president and CEO of their respective organizations, however the award recognition is open to leaders at any level.

OPPD has been actively involved with ICAN programs for many years. Mart Sedky and Scott Focht — both former ICAN board members — offered some insight into why OPPD President and CEO Tim Burke was chosen to receive the 2017 Leadership Award.

Sedky is VP of human capital at OPPD and Focht is senior director of corporate strategy & governance at OPPD. “Tim has been an inspiring leader

Sedky

Focht

throughout his career at OPPD, setting a vision for excellence and ensuring that OPPD achieves its mission on behalf of those we serve,” Sedky said. “As both a participant in and supporter of ICAN’s leadership programs, Tim has championed and inspired leaders at OPPD for many years. As President & CEO, Tim’s collaborative, compassionate, confident and creative leadership, has guided and inspired significant, transformative changes across all areas of company. Tim has championed the definition of leadership, reflecting ICAN’s vision of leaders — building and sustaining strong, healthy organizational cultures and communities who are inspired to make their boldest and best contributions for the good of all.”

“This type of recognition and acknowledgement sends a clear message to both our workforce and the community about what OPPD looks for and expects from its leaders,” Focht said. “Being considered for and receiving such recognition from an external group confirms the fulfillment of OPPD’s core values and reinforces OPPD’s commitment to ensuring it is a best place to work.”

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

FINANCIAL & TAX PLANNING SELF IMPROVEMENT IN THE NEW YEAR WEDDINGS BUSINESS ANNUAL/PREVIEW RETIREMENT & SENIOR ISSUES OMAHA REAL ESTATE BUSINESS PLANNING IN 2014 SPORTS & RECREATION AIR HUB OMAHA VALENTINE’S GIFT GUIDE FINANCING STARTUPS TECHNOLOGY HEALTH INSURANCE PRINTING & GRAPHICS ENGINEERING PROFESSION BUSINESS SUCCESSION & TRANSITIONS WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE HOME TRENDS INVESTMENTS OFFICE SERVICES GUIDE FASHION BANKING IN THE MIDLANDS GUIDE TO COMPANY PICNICS COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE WORKSHOP AG TRENDS IN THE MIDLANDS SAFETY & HEALTH SUMMIT BUSINESS APPEARANCE: INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR TECHNOLOGY SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT HOTELS AND TOURISM LEGAL PROFESSION BIG O! 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Exhibitors

as of March 8

Assisted Living Locators & Ascent Audiology Baird Holm Bank of the West Bellevue University Borsheims College of Saint Mary College Possible CommonGround Nebraska c/o Brokaw Marketing, INC Creighton University Heider College of Business Edward Jones First Data Indiana Tech Kendra Scott Kiewit LeafFilter North, LLC. Mary Kay Methodist Health System Midland University Master of Business Administration Office Interiors & Design Project Pink'd ReRUNS TD Ameritrade The Loft at Remlo Studios Thrasher, Inc. Union Pacific Railroad University of Nebraska at Omaha & the University of Nebraska Medical Center Xtreme Recognition

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• MARCH 15, 2019 • Midlands Business Journal • ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference

Just as quickly as technology changes, you won’t be the same leader at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, as you will be at 4 p.m. that same day. Prepare to ADAPT at the 26th Annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference. We’ll explore how adapting is pivotal to leadership in the digital age and how those who stay human will stay relevant in business and society.

ICAN brings you another impactful day of learning, inspiration, connection and career advancement through the leadership stories in this digital revolution. How can you relate? How can you contribute?

How can you learn new skills? How can you think futuristically? How can you maintain the human and personal connections? How will you adapt? Join us to find out this and more.

#ICAN2019

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REGISTER AT ICANconference.com

Visit our conference website for speaker bios, more details on what’s in store, and to reserve your individual registration, corporate table or exhibit booth. LIMITED SEATS REMAIN!

ICANGLOBAL.NET

2019 ICAN CONFERENCE

http:// ICANconference.com

Keynote Speakers

Search Results

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Mike Walsh FUTURIST Reinventing Leadership to Drive Transformation Judy Woodruff ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR PBS NewsHour The Fourth Estate Meets the Fourth Revolution Andrea Gonzales VIDEO GAME CREATOR Intern at Microsoft AUTHOR Girl CODE: Gaming, Going Viral and Getting it Done

REGISTER

Jenny Fleiss CO-FOUNDER Rent the Runway CEO AND CO-FOUNDER Jetblack Leadership Lessons: Using Technology to Innovate Curt Steinhorst AUTHOR

FOUNDER

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 over 35 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 and IMPACT, along with individual and team development through on-site custom programs & services, coaching, assessment workshops and dynamic Leadership Exchange 7x7x7 events. Learn more at ICANglobal.net

2019 PARTNERS

Focuswise

Can I Have Your Attention?

Breakout Session Keynotes Bree Groff CEO, NOBL COLLECTIVE

Leading Through Change: How to Change When You MUST Natalie Nixon, PhD DESIGN STRATEGIST

Leadership in the Creative Economy Tricia Wang, PhD GLOBAL TECH ETHNOGRAPHER

Personal Data: The Battlegrounds for our Humanity

Thank you to our Partners!

View a full listing at ICANconference.com