September/October/November 2014 B2B Omaha by Omaha Magazine

FALL 2014

FINDING PEACE WITH A NEW PROJECT AND MEANINGFUL CHARITY

INTRODUCING:

THE FIRM HUDL EXPANDS TO OMAHA DIANE DUREN MECA’S NEWEST BOARD MEMBER U.S. $3.25

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

Publisher

TODD LEMKE executive editor

contributing writers

DAVID WILLIAMS

LINDSAY ANNE BAKER JAYLENE EILENSTINE ANTHONY FLOTT JASON FOX ALLISON JANDA BEVERLY KRACHER, PH.D. JASON KUIPER DANA MARKEL MELISSA MCELROY TRACI OCUNA WENDY WISEMAN

managing editor

ROBERT NELSON editorial intern From left: From left: Kevin Welsh, Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor; Dawn Bonacci, Senior Registered Associate; Patrick Friesen, CFP® Financial Advisor

JILLIAN HUMPHRIES creative director

For Life’s Most Important Goals

JOHN GAWLEY

With an experienced professional and the right resources,reaching your most important goals can be less challenging and more rewarding. We are ready to help you meet your goals, by combining our insight into your needs with the resources of Morgan Stanley.

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& interactive media

account executives

BILL SITZMANN

GREG BRUNS GIL COHEN GEORGE IDELMAN GWEN LEMKE VICKI VOET

KRISTEN HOFFMAN graphic designer

RACHEL JOY

assistant to the publisher

SANDY BESCH MATSON contributing

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER FE ATURE

56 DENNIS CIRCO

FINDING PEACE WITH A NEW PROJECT AND MEANINGFUL CHARITY FEATURES

HORSE HEAVEN Omaha lands the FEI World Cup

DIANE DUREN MECA’s newest board member.

DEPARTMENTS

08 ON THE RISE 10 HOW I ROLL

It’s Easy Being Green. Hot Rod Cop

HUDL UP

Sports video pioneers grow into Old Market.

SPECIAL SECTION

12 BIZ + GIVING 20 omAHA!

24 IN THE OFFICE 52 omAHA!

34 51

55 OFFICE FURNITURE 61 BUSINESS ETHICS

66 THE KNOW-IT-ALL

Action for Autism

Tonsorial Traditions

Rebirth of a Landmark

THE FIRM Deal Review

Kevin Welsh crafts customer relations.

COLUMNS

07 FROM THE EDITOR 15 THE BRAND BRIEF Play Ball!

Boring your brand to death

B4B Renzineering OMAHA CVB Omaha in the palm of your hand

The importance of office design Story of a small business owner

A Consumer-Focused Zoning Model

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

E C N E I R AL E R U P G EX INAUBEST OAF H A M O L A V I T FES 11, 2014

OCT. ARENA ON -8p.m. ALST 3

T S E B E H T

ES RVIC E S D AN UCTS D O R EST P THE B TAINMENT NG I S R ENTE NE SAMPL OCKTAIL G C I AG BA CUIS BEERS & W S E T EI V CRAF E REC L P O PE 1,000 E T S R LU FI 0+ VA A $10 TS TICKE KETS S E S F Z I E R IC HI WIN P S CITY C OTBALL T L TICKETS TS A E O L K ANS HUSKER F ASKETBA BALL TICK B CORNAY MEN’S ’S BASKET N J E E BLU AY WOM ! E J BLUE ANY MOR Q. M 2nd & 7 T AND W A R NO L SALE ONLINE O/FESTIVA N O • OM ETS TICK ON ARENAMAMAG.C T RALS INFO AT O MORE

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FROM THE EDITOR

BY ROBERT NELSON

PLAY BALL! FROM HUDL TO HOLLAND BASHAM, B2B IS LOADED WITH AN ALL-STAR LINEUP OF OMAHA POWER HITTERS. Last year, my oldest son accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball at the University of Kentucky. He was thrilled with the idea of competing in the ever-powerful SEC (I mean, CWS Champ Vanderbilt only managed sixth in conference play this year). But for mom and dad, Lexington was a long, long way away. We’d maybe see him play once, if we were lucky. Tough hop for a dad.

Rob Childress could get game footage to build a dossier on my kid (The Aggies seemed to know what pitch he was throwing every time!).

Sometime in October, my son emailed me a link to a site run by a company called Hudl. I had been bellyaching about not getting to see the guy in action. But, after logging into a website Hudl established for Kentucky’s baseball program, I was able to view a collection of videos of Andrew throwing bullpens. Later, I watched the team’s fall “World Series.” What a priceless gift.

We’re thrilled to tell you the story of Hudl and many more exciting local businesses and personalities in this edition of B2B. Besides Hudl, among others, we also visited with longtime Omaha businessman and philanthropist Dennis Circo, Union Pacific Railroad Vice President and new MECA board member Diane Duren, the folks at Holland Bascham Architects and—for a bit of a changeup—retired-traffic-cop-turned-hotrodaficionado Roger Hartman. (He teaches traffic classes. He admits to speeding on occasion. Call him a lovable hypocrite if you dare.)

Hudl’s web-accessible sports video—now seemingly ubiquitous throughout all levels of sports—was not created for fathers too poor to be helicopter dads. It was created so scouts could see prospects even continents away, so coaches could help players with mechanics, and, dangit, so guys like Texas A&M coach

I didn’t know until late last year that this burgeoning tech monster was born in Lincoln. And I was excited several months later to learn that Hudl soon would be opening a new office here in Omaha.

As part of our continued effort to expand and improve B2B, you’ll notice a fresh new look to these pages, the work of award-winning

Omaha designers Dave Webster, Drew Watts, and Derek McClure at the Webster firm. Jason Fox, Webster’s executive creative director, also is contributing The Brand Brief, a new column focusing on business branding. In addition, we’re debuting a 16-page special section called “The Firm,” which spotlights several interesting deals brokered by The Firm Business Brokerage along with myriad tidbits of expert advice for business owners and those striving to be business owners. Can you suffer one or four more baseball references? From Hudl to the inside-baseball of branding, I hope you agree the team here at B2B played some serious long ball with this fresh, new edition of our magazine. B2B Robert Nelson is managing editor of B2B, a publication of Omaha Magazine, LTD. Nelson can reached at robert@omahamagazine.com.

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

ON THE RISE | BY ROBERT NELSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN Scott Kleeb, owner of Energy Pioneers

Scott Kleeb spent countless hours crisscrossing Nebraska as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and U.S. Senate in 2008. He was the Democrat in a Nebraska election, so he lost both times. But, he says, he learned much in the process and learned much from the thousands of Nebraskans he met. One comment in particular by a man in Scottsbluff reverberates to this day. “I was talking about cleaner energy sources and this old guy raises his hand,” Kleeb says. “The man says, ‘You’re wrong. What we need to do is focus on conservation.’” A seed was planted and later, a business was born. Kleeb’s company, Energy Pioneers, which recently moved its headquarters from Kleeb’s hometown of Hastings, Neb., to Omaha, is dedicated to helping homeowners and the utilities that serve them significantly reduce consumption. The goal for homeowners: Reduce energy bills. The goal for utilities: “Make it so they don’t have to build more power plants,” Kleeb says. The global goal for this longtime voice for cleaner air: “Fewer greenhouse gasses,” Kleeb says.

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN DO WE NEED MORE POWER PLANTS? SCOTT KLEEB AND HIS ENERGY PIONEERS SAY ‘NO.’

Of course, Kleeb’s business model is, in a broad sense, nothing new. OPS has had energysaving incentives for years. Several companies provide energy evaluations for homes and then help homeowners remove their energy hogs. But Energy Pioneers takes a holistic, one-stopshopping, (sorry for the following business cliché) “turnkey” approach to the process. That’s why they’re growing so briskly, with satellite offices now from Oklahoma to Chicago. (The company has 60 employees with a plan to reach 100 employees in the near future).

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Here’s how it works: Energy Pioneers inspectors come into your home and conduct a free assessment of your energy efficiency. During a follow-up consultation, homeowners are given a detailed breakdown of deficiencies, solutions, and the cost of the overhaul. Homeowners can hire outside contractors, or, the company can set up the work for the homeowner. The kicker comes next: After establishing a financing program in conjunction with the local utility, Energy Pioneers can help homeowners set up financing through area banks that they can pay off in installments as part of their monthly utility bill. Thanks to the energy savings (which Energy Pioneers guarantees), the homeowners pays less per month even though they are paying off the cost of the home upgrades. Another cliché alert: “Yes,” Kleeb says. “It’s a win, win.” Or win, win, win. The utilities are adding a sustainable energy program to their portfolio. And, in the long run, the utilities could be making some very tangible reductions in our carbon footprint. Specifically, by reducing the amount of electricity utilities produce, Energy Pioneers can help utilities handle growing usage demands by increasing efficiency. With enough eco-friendly homes, that next 300 megawatt power plant may not need to be built. “People want to be greener, those who run the utilities want to be part of a progressivethinking utility,” he says. “We make it seamless for everyone involved. We really believe we’ve reached the point where we’ve taken out all the reasons a homeowner could give for not making their home more energy efficient.” B2B

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

HOW I ROLL | BY ROBERT NELSON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN Retired policeman Roger Hartman and his 1926 Ford T-Bucket.

HOT ROD COP RETIRED POLICEMAN ROGER HARTMAN SAYS HE DOESN’T SPEED—MOST OF THE TIME.

For longer than Roger Hartman has been involved in law enforcement, he has loved hot rod cars. So as he taught a driver’s safety class on a recent Sunday morning in Omaha—a class attended mostly by sullen Omahans trying to nullify the impacts of a speeding ticket on their driving record—he couldn’t help but sprinkle in the fact he owns a 1926 Ford T-Bucket.

“It’s fast,” he tells the class. “But I can’t tell you how I know it is fast.” Sadly, the writer was in this class not as a journalist, but as an unwilling student. Prodded in a later interrogation, Hartman broke down (actually he’s pretty quick to confess):

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

He has broken the speed limit several times in his heavily-modified Ford Model T— or T-bucket—perhaps the most iconic of the post-WWII American speedsters. “Highway 2 outside of Nebraska City,” he says like someone recalling halcyon days. “Cruising along on a perfect day. Nobody in sight. Maybe I push it a little bit.” Under further questioning, the perp sings: “I’d be lying if I tried to plead the fifth. I mean, I don’t poke the dog on a regular basis. But, well, as far as a ticket? It’s the same for all of us: It’s not a matter of if. It’s more a matter of when.” While Hartman and his surprisingly effective good cop/gruff cop traffic-safety classes are well-known to a certain segment of Omahans, he has spent most of his law-enforcement career south of the metro. Hartman was a long time police officer in Nebraska City and Independence, Mo. He has also assisted in drug-related investigations in other Nebraska counties and with the Nebraska State Patrol. Hartman, who graduated high school in 1969, says he has always been in love with American street rods, particularly those made popular in the 1960s. He owned a 1965 Impala Supersport, for one. He is one of those guys that babies his car—perhaps obsesses over them. “You could fry an egg on the manifold and eat it.”

Since high school, he has always had a soft spot for the T-bucket. “It’s the original hotrod,” he says. “Guys coming back from the service could afford to buy some old Model T and have some fun stripping them down and making them their own.” The intricate “Rat Fink” drawings of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in particular brought the car into the broader culture. Hartman watched a lot of the late 1950s, early ’60s television series 77 Sunset Strip. Guys of a certain age might remember feelings for “Kookie’s car.” Hartman bought and restored his T-bucket eight years ago. Instead of dropping a cheap Chevy short-block engine into his car (“a Chevy engine in a Ford? Come-on.”), he chose a Ford Mustang Boss 302. Now, no longer feeling comfortable on a motorcycle and, also, with two ex-wives in the rear-view mirror, Hartman’s T-Bucket is arguably his first love.

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And unlike some folks with a beloved car, Hartman likes to take his on dates. “This isn’t a trailer queen,” he says, referring to show cars that are never driven. “We get out on the road. If it’s warm, I’m out there. It’s just a feeling like no other.” B2B

www.bbeomaha.com 402.393.6666

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

BIZ + GIVING | BY ALLISON JANDA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN Lisa Meridith and her son, Colton

The dentist. The doctor. The supermarket. Taking a child into these situations isn’t always pleasant. For parents of children with autism, these and most any other foray into public can, on occasion, devolve into chaos. “Children with autism usually have problems transitioning from a preferred activity to a new situation,” says Lisa Meridith, mother of 6-yearold Colton, who was diagnosed with autism at age three. “Many children are highly sensitive to sensory stimulation like smells, lights, noises, and textures. A trip to the grocery store may be quite stressful for a child. Meltdowns are very common over the slightest things.” Caring for a child with autism has long been a lonely road for parents. Gail Werner-Robertson and Scott Robertson, who themselves have two sons diagnosed with autism, wanted to change that. In 2008, they founded the Autism Action Partnership, a nonprofit foundation that provides programs and information for parents of children with autism across Nebraska. “They understood the difficulties of finding good services for their kids,” says Sara Barada, interim executive director and program manager for the Partnership.

ACTION FOR AUTISM THE AUTISM ACTION PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES HELP FOR THE GROWING NUMBER OF NEBRASKANS COPING WITH AUTISM.

Meridith says she became involved with the Autism Action Partnership, known as AAP, because she didn’t want other parents to feel as helpless as she did when Colton was first diagnosed. Once she became involved with the foundation, she says, she knew she had found her “life mission.” She wanted to be an advocate for those impacted by autism. Besides offering programs, AAP also funds programs that augment autism services throughout the state. Circle of Friends, which began with just five schools, has now expanded to 190 schools statewide. Teachers in the program not only work with autistic children on social skills, they also educate children with

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

whom the child with autism associates. When children know more about autism, they tend to be more supportive of the child with autism. “We’ve found that once you explain to children the reasons why someone might be [acting differently], you see a reduction in bullying,” Barada says. “This group has allowed Colton to make some lasting friendships with his classmates,” Meridith states. “Before this, Colton could not name one person he could call a friend.” Other helpful services offered by AAP include the Resource Center, which is available on their website, www.autismaction.org. Whether families with an autistic child need to find a dentist understanding of autism or language therapy services, the AAP website is a sort of one-stop shop. The Resource Center also includes services for those with autism over the age of 18, which, Barada says, can often be difficult to find without help. “With the AAP programs and the in-home ABA therapy he is receiving, Colton has overcome many obstacles since he was diagnosed,” Meridith says. “I have one wish: that people educate themselves and their children about autism. Teach them that different does not mean less.” B2B

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

volume 14 | issue 3

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

THE BRAND BRIEF

BY JASON FOX

BORING YOUR BRAND TO DEATH Depending upon which study, source, anecdote, or observation you wish to rely, the average American’s attention span averages six to nine seconds. (So the fact that you’re even reading this sentence means you are—rejoice—above average). Whenever this statistic pops up on Twitter or in a TED talk or at Cannes (the advertising festival, not the Gathering of All Things French and/or Clooney), marketing and ad types of a certain stripe work themselves up into seven different kinds of lather. Then, nearly instantaneously, the industry produces an allegedly paradigmshifting remedy to the public’s increasing need for the new and shiny. After many blogs are written, books promoted, and conferences spoken at, the cycle begins anew. While I have nothing scientific to refute the Incredible Shrinking Attention Span hypothesis, nor the power to single-handedly stop the bloviating of the self-appointed marketing gurus (or is it ninjas?), I do posit that we—specifically, owners and caretakers of brands—are looking at the wrong side of the coin. The real problem is not that consumers have short attention spans. It’s that we give them so little of interest to look at. In other words, we’re boring. Okay, maybe we as people aren’t boring. Maybe our companies or products aren’t boring. Maybe our newest offering even has lasers. Lasers have never been boring. But our marketing too often is. Instead of telling compelling

mini-stories that prod a chuckle, jerk a tear, or elicit a smile, we reformat PowerPoint slides to make the most bullet-point-intensive print ad ever. We run Twitter feeds that do nothing but push deals and make occasional-yetstill-self-serving references to winning sports teams. We pore over spreadsheets trying to figure out how many impressions a banner ad will get without giving a second thought to the type of impression it will make. Boring is never a good adjective nor, unless you’re drilling for shale, a good verb. The only action you can bore someone into is ignoring you; therefore, boredom never equals sales. And if you really want to spend 10 percent of your revenue (the rule-of-thumb for establishing growth-oriented marketing budgets) simply to go unnoticed, I’d recommend saving up for a stealth fighter or passel of ninjas instead of blowing it on an ad campaign. The ninjas, at least, can keep Bob in accounting from absconding with all the donuts. Too many marketers—and that doesn’t just mean CMOs or ad agency types; if you own a small business, guess what, you’re a marketer— mistakenly believe that an ineffective marketing message does them no harm. But, aside from being an absurd justification for anything, that isn’t always true. Just because a message wasn’t acted upon doesn’t mean it wasn’t seen. Whether stuck in rush hour looking at your billboard, staring at a TV in a sports bar as your commercial interrupts the game, or clicking “skip this ad” (as in yours) on their way to read an online op-ed, people often do witness boring messages. And here’s the rub: While no one remembers boring ads, they never forget how boring your brand is. So a boring campaign not only wastes time and money, it can squander whatever brand equity you already had. Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. Even a boring product is no excuse for a

boring ad. After all, everything serves some relevant purpose to someone. And that’s the key. What is your relevant message? Not the message you want to say, but the message your target might actually care about and respond to. It doesn’t matter if that message is the same one it’s been for the past quarter century—if it’s still relevant, just do it. So relevance is the foundation of your message. Without it the most interesting piece of information in the world will evaporate seconds after it’s viewed, yet relevance alone does not equal interesting. That is where the artistry comes in. The combination of personality, tone of voice, skillful storytelling, and respect for the audience that keeps people from hitting the triple-speed fast-forward button on their DVRs. Or has them smiling in traffic. Or retweeting 140 characters of something with actual value to them, their followers, and you. Or even reading the copy on your product packaging because it, too, holds their interest. The good news is that you don’t have to be Apple or Target or Harley-Davidson or Chipotle to pull this off. You do have to put in the effort to define your brand’s core characteristics, hone a personality and voice, and deliver both interesting messages and a great experience. Do this consistently (that’s consistently, not perfectly) and one day you’ll discover your brand—instead of dying the slow death of 10,000 yawns—is championed by the very people who once wouldn’t give it the time of day. Let alone their cash. B2B Jason Fox is the Executive Creative Director at Webster, a design and advertising agency in Omaha, and the voice behind the popular Twitter feed @leeclowsbeard.

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volume 14 | issue 3

FEATURE | BY DAVID WILLIAMS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

OF OMAHA, OATS, AND OVATIONS THE INTERNATIONAL OMAHA LANDS THE FEI WORLD CUP.

Lisa Roskens, leader of the successful push to bring the 2017 FEI World Cup to Omaha.

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

Three years from now, a very special group of athletes will board a chartered flight in Belgium bound for Eppley Airfield. And when the cadre of world-class competitors strap on the proverbial feedbag for an in-flight meal somewhere over the Atlantic, they’ll be strapping on…well, actual feedbags. Belgium will be the embarkation point for the European contingent of horses that will vie for the 2017 FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals at the CenturyLink Center Omaha.

HAVANA GARAGE CIGAR LOUNGE

Omaha beat out London, Hong Kong, and the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenboscht to land the event—the grandest stage in the world of equestrian jumping and dressage (pronounced dress-AHGE). The World Cup will be hosted by The International Omaha, which has held equestrian jumping events

CONT. PAGE 18 1008 Howard / The Old Market / Omaha / TheHavanaGarage.com

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volume 14 | issue 3

B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

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FROM PAGE 17 of the same name in each of the last three years at the CenturyLink Center Omaha. “I care about horses and I care about Omaha,” says Lisa Roskens, “and I wanted to bring the two of them together.” Roskens is the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Burlington Capital Group. “These are two things that I’ve worked really hard to develop— my sport and my city—and now people all over the world are excited about Omaha. To host the sport’s premier event in our own little town is a feeling that is…indescribable.”

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ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER In preparation for the World Cup, The International Omaha 2015 will introduce dressage for the first time. Dressage is the sport where horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of intricate, predetermined movements—think something akin to ballet, but for horses. The 2015 FEI World Cup will be held in Las Vegas the week before The International Omaha, and Roskens expects a strong presence of international competitors anxious to check out the facilities, city, and vibe of the site of the next American-hosted World Cup. “Every year of the International Omaha has been better than the last,” Roskens says, “Next year’s event will be huge for us, and 2017 will be off the charts.”

Roskens’ passion for horses perhaps explains how a fledging group could launch an event like The International Omaha and—a mere three short years later—find themselves being awarded the bid for the most luminous spotlight in the world of equestrian sports. “Every instinct of a horse is to shed anything that attempts to climb up on its back,” Roskens says. “But they allow us to do just that. We climb on their backs to do all the crazy things we ask them to do. It goes against the very essence of their being, but the result—that harmony when horse and rider are one—is absolutely magnificent.”

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volume 14 | issue 3

omAHA! | BY LINDSEY ANNE BAKER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

TONSORIAL TRADITIONS 18/8 FINE MEN’S SALON OPENS AT AKSARBEN VILLAGE

The best place to start an experience at 18/8, a new men’s salon in Aksarben Village, is, perhaps, with the name itself, a reference to stainless steel—steel plus 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. “When it was transformed, stainless steel was better—it performed better, it looked

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

CRUISIN’ FOR A CURE “The Car Show That Saves Mens Lives”

September 14, 2014

Methodist Health System parking lot - 8601 W. Dodge Road Gates 8:00 AM, Show Noon to 3:00 PM, Rain or Shine No Registration Fee • Cars, Trucks, & Motorcycles Welcome Goodie Bags • People’s Choice Award • Door Prizes • Entertainment • Food better, it worked better,” says Omaha 18/8 owner Michael Wohlgemuth.

Free PSA Test for Men 40 & Over [ Clinic Hours 9:00AM to 3:00 PM]

Proceeds will benefit the Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center | In Memory of Earl Taylor

“That’s kind of the metaphor we use for 18/8. We want to transform the male to be better—to look better, to be better performing, to get better results in how they feel about themselves.”

CONT. PAGE 23

Contact: Harold Pharoah 402-578-3336 • cruisinforacureomaha.com

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

FROM PAGE 21 It’s a metaphor for 18/8 itself, too, which, since its opening in May, is striving to transform the Omaha man’s professional grooming experience. “We try to cater to men in a semi-private atmosphere where they get the opportunity to relax and enjoy the experience,” Wohlgemuth says. “Most barber shops and salons line up chairs or cubicles. We turn ours at angles and have walls between stations. In our salon, the highest number of people getting services at one time would be three, and they would be protected—they don’t have 10 or 12 other men staring at them.” It’s a formula that’s proved popular in other locations. More than 20 18/8 salons have opened or are slated to open in California, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, and Texas.

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

Prime Steak Fine Wine Premium Service

Scott Griffith and Ron Love started the franchise in California. Wohlgemuth and his wife, Debbie, decided to bring 18/8 to Omaha (likely soon in more than one location beyond the existing one at 1920 S. 67th St.) because they felt the salon’s approach was a new one for the city. Men can book services—including haircuts, hair and beard coloring, shaves, facials, manicures, scalp treatments, and waxing— online or via phone. They can walk into the salon, too, though clients with reservations receive priority. In any case, every visitor is greeted first by a DOFI—a Director of First Impressions—who confirms services to be received and leads guests to the first semiprivate area of the bright, modern salon: a couple of sleek arm chairs flanked by a mini fridge and mounted flat-screen TV. The DOFI makes a note of clients’ preferred beverages for future visits, Debbie Wohlgemuth says, then escorts men to the back, where they

can remove and hang their shirts and put on a robe. A stylist or barber will put on an additional cape when clients get to a chair. “We don’t want hair anywhere on a man when he leaves,” Michael Wohlgemuth adds. “When he leaves, he can go right out on a date or to a wedding or back to work without having to worry about going home first.”

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The salon’s team of stylists and barbers (barbers are able to provide a clean shave with a straight blade) are trained to tailor hairstyles to men’s individual heads, Michael Wohlgemuth says. They won’t simply snap on a guard and cut the hair around it, for example. Every client gets a hot towel upon arrival and a shampoo and conditioning before and after hair services. “We think the experience is kind of a lost art, and we’re trying to revitalize it,” Michael Wohlgemuth says. “We think we’ve just taken the experience up a notch.” B2B

Top 100 Restaurants in America

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

IN THE OFFICE | BY MELISSA MCELROY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

Holland Basham’s main office space occupies what once was the sanctuary of the Beth El Synagogue.

volume 14 | issue 3

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

REBIRTH OF A LANDMARK HOLLAND BASHAM ARCHITECTS GAVE NEW LIFE TO THE OLD HUB OF JEWISH LIFE IN MIDTOWN.

The south side of Dundee is a piece of Americana from generations past. Early 20th-century homes with neatly manicured yards lining tranquil, tree-lined streets. A Norman Rockwell scene off the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.

CONT. PAGE 26

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FROM PAGE 25 The Holland Basham Architects building, once the Beth El Synagogue, is the crown jewel of this thriving Midtown neighborhood. The massive 1938 Art Deco brick building commands an impressive, monumental presence. Awe-inspiring, vaulted ceilings. Clean lines. A front entrance with a towering arch atop a steep staircase. Abundant windows provide a shower of natural light. The structure was designed by John and Alan McDonald, the renowned father-son

architecture team that designed many of Omaha’s landmarks, including Joslyn Castle, Benson High School, and Joslyn Art Museum. The Holland Basham firm was created in Tim Holland’s basement, where a single, pivotal project launched their business. They initially rented a downtown office. After seven years and a growing roster of clients, they needed more space. The current space is so large that they currently rent out space to some long-term clients, including the League of Women Voters. Keith Basham says that in addition to more space, they were looking for something

particular. “We didn’t want to be another generic architecture firm in a generic building.” There were numerous obstacles to overcome in acquiring the space. When the firm first considered buying the historic structure, it was in shambles. Fortunately, restoring buildings is one of the team’s strengths. They had to overhaul the entire infrastructure. Because of zoning issues, turning the building into an office was a gargantuan effort. It required six months of work with the city of Omaha and the planning board.

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There were also concerns about transforming a former synagogue into an office space. In addition to being respectful of the architecture, it was important to the firm that they respect the history and the religious relevance of the building. They reached out to the Jewish Federation and The Jewish Historic Society of Nebraska to accomplish this, even donating some the old lighting fixtures. They also gave the local synagogue damaged religious texts to be buried, the proper way to dispose of

CONT. PAGE 28

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them according to Jewish law. This respect they showed earned support from religious leaders, who favored the building going to good use rather than being torn down, which was one of the proposals prior to the one presented by Holland and Basham. People all over the country still visit the building to pay homage and to remember important rites of passage that occurred there: weddings, bar mitzvahs, and bat mitzvahs. Technology, sustainability, and thoughtful restoration are three concepts that drive the firm, Holland says. They played a key role in The Midtown Crossing project and restoring the Midtown area. Holland says

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

The Beth El Synagogue as it appeared in 1940. Photo courtesy of the Bostwick/ Frohardt Collection of the Durham Museum

such projects have a ripple effect, sparking reinvestment in the community. They were among the first to get a 3-D printer and a drone to survey work sites. The choir room turned conference room boasts modern technology that allows for live work sessions across the globe. Holland says that all those values are embodied in the building they now occupy. “We wanted to create a space for ourselves that inspired,” he says. “We wanted a space that inspired clients.” B2B

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

FEATURE | BY ANTHONY FLOTT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN Diane Duren outside the Union Pacific headquarters.

BUILDING A MECA NEW MECA BOARD MEMBER DIANE DUREN WANTS TO HELP TAKE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

Diane Duren remembers the desert days of Downtown Omaha. “I was here when there was not much happening, even after work and on weekends,” says Duren, who’s either studied or worked in the area for nearly 40 years, today as an executive vice president at Union Pacific.

that runs CenturyLink Center Omaha, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and the now closed Omaha Civic Auditorium. According to a recent economic study, the CenturyLink Center Omaha has generated nearly $5 billion in economic benefit for Omaha. As the newest member of the MECA board of directors, Duren wants to spread the good word.

Now, Downtown is dynamic. That’s thanks in large measure to the work of Omaha’s Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, the nonprofit

“I’ve spent 10 years watching the growth and development,” Duren says. “Seeing what MECA has done…has been truly amazing. It’s made downtown more vibrant.

The biggest MECA-related story earlier this year wasn’t exactly good press. The MECA board voted to extend board-member terms from five to seven years. That would have lengthened the stay of existing board member Jim Vokal. Instead, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, who asserted the board didn’t

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“The MECA Authority itself, I think, is doing a lot of things very, very well. I don’t always think that we are telling the story as well as we should. We need to tell the story very broadly and the public needs to understand what’s happening and what we’re doing.”

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FROM PAGE 31 have the authority to change member terms, appointed Duren to replace Vokal. That was a way, Duren says, of getting some “diversity of thought” onto the board. A Creighton graduate, Duren joined Union Pacific in 1985 after starting her professional career with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in Omaha. She’s held a variety of roles with the railroad, working for departments including finance, marketing and sales, and agricultural products. The Omaha City Council voted unanimously to support Duren’s nomination. The MECA board conceded, and in May, Duren joined the five-member board.

Duren is no stranger to board play. Among her main responsibilities at Union Pacific as corporate board secretary is facilitating the railroad giant’s board meetings. She also oversees Union Pacific’s human resources department, its strategic planning and administration of resources such as its heritage fleet and planes (yes, Union Pacific still owns trains). “It’s not a 40-hour workweek,” she says. “My iPad is on all night long.” When it’s not on, she’s spending time with her husband, Drew Collier, and their four sons, ages 20 to 29. When extended family comes over, Duren does all the cooking, often for two dozen or more people. To get away, she and Drew head for snowshoeing, skiing,

fishing, and other outdoor pastimes in Sun Valley, Idaho, where they own a home. But Omaha is home base. “The things that have impressed me is really the sense of community that’s here, the philanthropic work that’s done,” says Duren, who is extensively involved in the community, serving organizations including the WCA, Arthritis Foundation, Girl Scouts, American Red Cross, and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. “If you look across any city in America, you don’t see that kind of giving back.” Duren is just starting to tell the story. B2B

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

B4B

BY WENDY WISEMAN

“RENZINEERING” ROOTED IN B4B CONCEPT In the last issue of this magazine we explored the notion of B4B, the idea that the relationship between businesses doing business with each other is markedly improved when it is interactive and supportive, rather than one-way as the traditional “B2B” acronym connotes. In that issue I invited you to tell us about your B4B business practices to showcase in this column. We received several edifying submissions, but this one really stood out as one to pass on to readers: Renze Display has been working with businesses locally for more than 119 years. Started by Gus Renze, the company once designed amazing floats for the Ak-Sar-Ben extravaganzas of the earliest days, and the company was instrumental in the development of the faux city that put Omaha on the map when we hosted the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition. Through the years the company has maintained the ability to develop “really crazy things for people who don’t know where else to go, and very effective mainline display products, too,” said Mike Compton, executive vice president of the firm.

“Our key to longevity and growth to national stature has been our can-do mantra,” Compton added. “We approach every project with the notion that it can be done in some fashion and go from there.” How they do this at Renze Display is where the B4B theme comes in. He told me that when their customers come to them with problems and need solutions, the account people simply will not parrot out answers with assigned costs for off-the-shelf products. They take a minute, draw together all the experts they’ve got, and brainstorm the best solution. They liken their process to what some may know from Disney and “Imagineering,” but at Renze they call it “Renzineering.” “Renzineering is our way of engineering a solution,” Compton said. “We have great printing equipment, but not that much greater than our competitors in bigger markets. The difference is that the people in those markets have come to count on Renze Display in the Midwest because they know they get better attention from us and collaboration and care about their goals.” He said that when he read the article about B4B it resonated with him. “Never once in my career have I considered myself a salesperson,”

he said. “People come to us because they need something and, like my peers at Renze Display, I am here to help them solve their problems. In fact, so many of my conversations are talking my clients out of buying things because it’s not in their best interest. I may be actually an anti-salesperson! But in the end when I recommend a smarter solution that costs less and performs better (as I believed it would), the customer trusts me and comes back to me tenfold in a collaborative, businessbuilding relationship. That’s why the phrase B4B strikes a chord with me. We are for our customers.” When I asked Compton if he thought the phrase had legs, he told me, “If any market can turn this phrase, it’s Omaha.” I’m with Mike on that one. Let’s turn that phrase. B2B Wendy Wiseman is creative director at Zaiss & Company, a customer-based planning and communications firm. What’s your B4B story at your company? Let us hear from you and you may be our next feature. Contact our editor, robert@omahamagazine.com

Post Labor Day Boom & ITS EFFECTS ON OMAHA PG. 14

Next Chapter JAYE MCCOY’S RISE TO CEO PG. 8

John Perlebach HOW ONE ENTREPENEUR’S ROOTS LED TO SUCCESS PG. 5

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The Bottom Line

Her Own Business Jaye McCoy proves it’s never too late to buy your own business.

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Special Section

Departments

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Negotiated

Net Worth

Fresh Off The Firm There are 75+ opportunities on the selling portfolio such as specialized medical clinics and ground maintenance.

Setting a Trend Buying Nu Trend Dry Cleaners was the right step for budding entrepreneur.

A Positive Outcome

Motorhead to Company Head Andy Oelkers’ life-long love of cars led him to his dream business.

Some things to consider before buying your first business.

Wendy and Barry Richey realize everything happens for a reason.

Construction is taking off again!

Executive Impact

Cash Flow

The Post-Labor Day Boom

The Pros and Cons of SBA Lending

Sells Insights

Turning Blueprints into Skyscrapers

e’ve collaborated with Omaha’s deal-making experts to bring you the most insightful, impactful business transaction content. Whether you are white collar, blue collar, or no collar at all, our mission

is to provide you with professional guidance in the volatile world of mergers and acquisitions. Allow us to lead you through a first-class tour, where daily Omaha’s local entrepreneurs turn their dreams of blueprints into skyscrapers. Where company revenue size is relative to the business owner’s constant struggle of profit margins and cash flow. Let us take you closer to the deal-making world that is happening right outside your front door. The FIRM

by Cortney Sells president/editor

Fall 2014

The Firm Deal Review

Negotiated:

The Weitz Company’s construction is taking off again! written by Chris Harrison, President of The Weitz Company

verywhere you look the scrapers and cranes are moving in next door to your home and your office. Guys like me in the commercial construction business love it as it’s been several long years coming to get our businesses jump-started again! With all of this new activity around us it might be time to make a move to either sell or buy a construction product or subcontracting type business. Right now, the future looks bright. In all seriousness, it feels and looks like the residential and commercial construction markets are booming again in Oma-

The Firm Deal Review

Fall 2014

ha and the surrounding areas. If you look around, many businesses, developers, and institutions are either in the middle of construction or are working with designers planning expansions, renovations, or new buildings altogether.

ucated work force, low cost of living, great schools, lower cost labor, and a favorable business climate. This will continue to attract new businesses and people to our great state, thus fueling the design and construction market.

The University of Nebraska system has numerous projects lined up as does the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Metro Community College, and many other higher education institutions. Many of Nebraska’s K-12 schools are or will be going through renovations, additions, and repurposes now and in the future— for many years to come.

I’m not the “buy and sell” type business magnate, just a simple guy growing a commercial construction business here in town. But I remain very optimistic that as Omaha grows, businesses in the construction world will also grow. So maybe, if you’ve always wanted to own your own small business related to construction, now may be the time! The FIRM

Data Centers and other large companies continue to be attracted to Omaha, which is located in the center of our nation logistically with great resources such as an ed-

Setting a Trend

Buying Nu Trend Dry Cleaners was the right step for a budding entrepreneur. written by Anthony Flott • photos by Keith Binder

Amy Anzalone, Jeff Lovely, John Perlebach

The Deal Review Days on the Market: 52 Law Firms: Abrahams Kaslow & Cassman and Douglas W. Ruge & Associates Reason for Sale: Seller’s father passed away Number of Locations: 7 Purchase Price: $740,000 Year Established: 1986

ohn Perlebach has always believed in working hard.

In high school, he ran his own snow removal business. He worked at nursing homes his family operated. In college he sold jet skis, four-wheelers, and other fun rides at a family-owned sports store. After college he chose to pursue something different from the family business and moved to a different industry: gas stations. That choice eventually brought him to his current position directing acquisitions for Buchanan Energy, a family-owned and operated chain of 200 convenience stores and gas stations that Steve Buchanan began from a single outlet in Omaha.

In addition to his position with Buchanan Energy, Perlebach now runs his own business, having purchased Omaha’s Nu Trend Dry Cleaners in March. “I kind of knew what I was getting into,” says Perlebach, 33. “I’ve been around small business all my life. Working with Steve Buchanan has been another experience that kind of led me to know a lot about small business.” Now he’s getting to know a lot about the laundry business. Nu Trend features six locations, maintains a plant which launders over 500,000 pieces of clothing per year, and offers delivery service to its customers. With over $1.9 million in sales in 2013, it appealed to Perlebach as a recession-resistant business. And, he said, the previous owner “had kind of a well-oiled machine put together.” Previous owner Michael McKernan actually didn’t have any intention of turning over that well-oiled machine to another owner. His father, Tom McKernan, started the company with a single location in 1986. When he died nine years ago, the reins fell to his son. Wanting the business to continue, he made the decision to operate it with his mother, wife, and cousin.

Competitors had often inquired about purchasing Nu Trend, but McKernan always refused. But, nearly a decade after assuming his role, McKernan was ready to focus more on the company he founded in 2009, Dynamic Equipment and Consulting. After much thought, in December 2013 he was ready to sell and Perlebach was ready to buy. “It was one of those offers hard to refuse,” McKernan says. “The most difficult thing was taking care of the employees that were with us for a long time. We had employees with us for 25 years. Finding the right fit that the new owner would keep them aboard and let them finish their career was probably the hardest decision. This owner has been willing to do that, and so it made things really a lot easier.” And it all happened in about 90 days. McKernan was impressed with the services provided by the professionals of The Firm Business Brokerage who facilitated the transition. “They’re very professional and the way they expedite things, there’s no messing around,” McKernan says. “They say what they’re going to do and it’s done.” The FIRM

Fall 2014

The Firm Deal Review

A Positive Outcome

Wendy and Barry Richey realize everything happens for a reason. written by Connie Barker • photo by Bill Sitzmann

Wendy as Zurlos was being presented and she said “I should buy that!” Everyone agreed it would be a great fit and a buyer/ seller meeting soon ensued.

Zurlo’s general manager Richard Mach, head chef Vicky Schwartz, and owner Wendy Richey.

The Deal Review Law Firms: Koley Jessen and Brodkey, Peebles, Belmont, & Line Deal Challenge: Chef leaves two days before closing Multiplier: 2.4 Financing: Promissory Note from seller Reason for Sale: Sellers wanted to spend more time with grandkids

“W

hy would you buy a restaurant?” is the first question out of everyone’s mouth when Wendy and Barry Richey announced to family and friends that they are now the new owners of Zurlos Bistro Italiano as of May 1, 2014. They both smile and reply “Why would you not?” Of course given that question on May 1st the answer may have been different…..

Zurlo’s was the brain child of Lori and Steve Stangl almost four years ago when

The Firm Deal Review

Fall 2014

the prior existing restaurant was closing. They had established a great friendship with the current chef and admired his talents, backed by strong business skills, they ventured into Zurlos together. Over the next 4 years they created a great environment for customers and a quality reputation. They added on catering services that boosted sales. Like everything in life circumstances changed and Lori wanted to spend more time with kids and grandkids. It was time to starting exiting the business. Lori and Steve approached The Firm about confidentially listing the restaurant for sale. They had been referred to The Firm from a respected colleague. The process then began and after a few interviews with potential buyers the Stangls had not met the right ones. Wendy and Barry Richey were contemplating buying a business to add to their investment portfolio. By chance, Wendy was a business broker at The Firm. In a lighthearted staff meeting the listings were being discussed and lights went off in

Lori and Steve. Wendy and Barry. It was uncanny reflection of personalities and talents, both sides being comfortable with each other. The offer was made, accepted and the wheels were set in motion by The Firm to complete a transaction in 30 days. There were so few obstacles along the way that when a few days before closing Lori decided it was time to tell her head chef what was about to happen. She had the utmost confidence that she was handing her ‘baby’ over to new owners. To her surprise her head chef did not see this transaction as a positive move. So, 24 hours before the closing day the Richey’s were forced to accept the reality that they were buying a restaurant without a chef!

Despite that obstacle they knew there were 20 other employees that depended on their jobs and, with the help of The Firm and their connections, it only took a day or two to line up a talented new chef, Vicki Swartz, to fill a much needed void. General Manager, Richard Mach and a strong talented team of kitchen and front house staff all remained on. Amazingly, the first month with the new team was one of the best the restaurant had seen. As Wendy stated “We didn’t buy just a business, we bought an entire team of talent.” The FIRM

Fresh Off The Firm Fashionable Women’s Clothing Boutique

Omaha Pain Clinic

$139,000 FOR SALE

$1,800,000 FOR SALE

This is a unique women’s clothing store that has had a terrific following for the last seven years. It also boasts exclusivity on much-in-demand but hard-to-find brands. It’s in an ideal location in Sarpy County, the fastest growing county in the state.

With 1,700 active clients and an owner’s profit of $767,414 last year, this business listing is sure to not last long. The office is set up and equipment is all in place for a qualified buyer.

Animal Care Clinic

Interpretation Services Company

$515,000 FOR SALE

$380,000 FOR SALE

In business for over 30 years, this business is profiting $157,287 a year and has had continuous growth over the years, serving over 2,000 families.

With 45 contract translaters providing interpretation services in 240 languages, this business is profiting $100,677 a year and has gross sales of $561,090.

Custom IT

Sports Bar with Volleyball

$2,020,000 FOR SALE

$229,000 FOR SALE

This business has a cash flow of $523,528 a year and has over $2,000,000 worth of equipment and intellectual property, all included in the sale of the business.

With volleyball courts and a beer garden, this business is producing an owner’s profit of over $90,000 a year. With a new buildout and plenty of room for parties, this business is perfect for an owner-operator.

Ground Maintenance

Specialty Transportation

$2,250,000 PENDING

$360,000 PENDING

Founded in 1985, this family-owned business has over $600,000 worth of equipment and an owner’s profit of $761,484/year.

With all the special events in the area, this business is constantly busy. Having 10 drivers and eight transporting vehicles—this business is certainly turnkey for a new owner.

Lawn & Landscaping

West Omaha Private School

$1,490,000 SOLD

$257,500 SOLD

Doing almost 50 percent to the bottom line, this business is fully equipped and has a strong cash flow of $325,106 a year. Being in business for over 30 years has certainly built up the business’ name and reputation.

A well-prepared environment for children is exactly what this business has. With all the necessary equipment and curriculum for the business, this school will not be on the market for long.

No actual businesses names are used on this page. Fall 2014

The Firm Deal Review

Fall 2014

Her Own Business

Jaye McCoy learns it’s never too late to go into business for yourself. written by Anthony Flott • photos by Bill Sitzmann

AS ITS NEW OWNER, TODD NELSON IS EAGER TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY OF DIAMOND LAUNDRY’S SUCCESS. The Deal Review Reason for Purchase: Sold their 26 year old company in efforts to start life’s next chapter. Financing: Conventional loan by Access Bank Profit Margins: 33% Days on the Market: 51 Growth: 16% year over year Transition: Seller agreed to work for 1 year

hen asked about the genesis of Diamond Laundry Service, Jaye McCoy says, “We realized there was a niche there [in healthcare], especially for smaller offices.” Thinking back to the beginning, she recalls, “We did anything from a one-person doctor or dental office to gigantic clinics with 17 doctors.”

With the introduction of OSHA regulations on the laundering of materials such as lab coats, gowns, and surgical towels, Bernard McCoy saw an opportunity for success and launched Diamond Laundry. The business was established in 1994, and Jaye McCoy worked as Vice President to help her husband build the growing brand. By January of 2014, Diamond Laundry had moved into a large commercial facility at 146th and Grover, and had 120 clients seeking their services. Although business was at its peak, Jaye could not shake the growing desire to try something new.

Helping seniors makes Jaye McCoy’s

The ultimate decision to sell their business was not easy. As Jaye puts it, “Your life is that business. I grew up in my family business, and our kids helped us in ours.” However, at age 56, she could not shake the urge to do something different with her career.

new endeavor “so, so meaningful to me.” Jaye McCoy and her husband, Bernard, sold their business, Diamond Laundry, to entrepreneur Todd Nelson.

The McCoy’s listed their business with The Firm Business Brokerage in January, with no particular urgency Continued > Fall 2014

The Firm Deal Review

or request for a speedy sale. Within a week of listing, however, Todd Nelson had submitted his mutual confidential disclosure agreement, reviewed financial and operatory information, and submitted a contingent offer to purchase for Diamond Laundry. Nelson had an impressive resume. Founder of Energy Grid Solutions and an engineer at Kellogg’s, he was eager to add Diamond Laundry to his repertoire. After meeting with Nelson, the McCoys felt confident that he was a savvy entrepreneur and businessman they could trust with the business they had worked so hard to establish. On March 7, 2014, the day of closing, Nelson recalls that Bernard McCoy, “Was a little choked up,” and adds “Anyone who builds a company from scratch gets Jaye McCoy at home.

The Firm Deal Review

Fall 2014

some attachment to it.” As its new owner, Nelson is eager to continue the legacy of Diamond Laundry’s success. During the three months it took to negotiate the terms of sale and finalize the closing documents for Diamond, FirstLight HomeCare, a Cincinnati-based company specializing in companionship and in-home care for seniors, went on the market. Jaye jumped at the opportunity to do something meaningful for herself and the community

Sales • Service • Rentals

Abe’s Trash Service, Inc. “Serving Omaha For Over 50 Years”

It was a quick turnaround. “They literally did this whole thing in six weeks,” says Jaye, “My mind was spinning. It was a challenge trying to sell one, buy one, and balance it all.” Clearly, it was worth it in the end.

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Today, she is the proud owner and President of FirstLight, where she leads 46 people on her team. The experience has been a triumph for everyone involved, but especially Jaye McCoy. With the continued support of her husband, Bernard, she has managed to serve as an example for anyone ready to jump into business ownership.

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in which she lives. Within six weeks of signing her Contingent Offer to Purchase, she was sitting on the other side of the closing table finalizing the paperwork to start her new venture.

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WITH THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HER HUSBAND, BERNARD, JAYE MCCOY HAS MANAGED TO SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE FOR ANYONE READY TO JUMP INTO BUSINESS OWNERSHIP.

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Net Worth:

Things to consider before buying your first business written by Rob A. Randels, CFP®, MBA, ChFC®, CLU®, CLTCWealth Management Advisor Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company

ave you ever thought about buying a business? Many of my clients already own one or more, and many more flirt with the idea on a regular basis. Questions to ask yourself include “Am I buying a job?” or “Is this an investment?” Maybe both? Many of the most successful businesses have significant owner involvement or a trusted individual directly involved in the day-to-day operations, which is critical. Owning a business can be a form of diversification to an already successful investor. You may have personal investments, a retirement plan, rental property, or other assets. Entrepreneurs have a unique ability to manage multiple ventures at a time. When you ask business owners about their decision, many will tell you it was the best decision they have ever made. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a lot of hard work and added stress at times. Remember, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Benjamin Franklin quipped.

Your vision. Our experience. Bob Kmiecik 316 . 2 6 8 .7 9 4 3 bkmiecik@stinson.com 1299 Farnam Street Suite 1500 Omaha, NE 68102

Omaha Kansas City St. Louis Phoenix Denver Washington, D.C. Wichita Overland Park

How will the financing transact? Are you able to pay cash? Will this transaction be financed? Remember, you are likely to need at least 10 percent down in order for your friendly banker to partner with you. The bank will like to see you have some “skin in the game” to demonstrate your true commitment. Having a great relationship with a commercial banker is a must and, with their experience, they can often protect you from a deal that they recognize is just “not right.” “Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle, and a victory,” as Gandhi said. I wish you the best with your pursuit. Have a happy, successful and profitable 2014 and beyond! The FIRM

The Firm Deal Review

Fall 2014

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Motorhead to Company Head

Andy Oelkers’ life-long love of cars led him to his dream business. written by Connie Barker • photo by Bill Sitzmann

Andy Oelkers is very much at home with his new business, Auto Air Plus.

The Deal Review Reason for Purchase: Buyer moved from Arizona to Omaha with family for new business opportunity Multiplier: 2.4 Financing: Combination loan from Pinnacle Bank and 1st State Bank Reason for Sale: Seller divorce

ndy Oelkers has been a gearhead and grease monkey since before he could drive. He was working at the co-op gas station in Cozad, pumping gas, changing oil, and doing basic service work when he was 15. Back then, his primary goal was to save enough to buy his first car.

After high school, Oelkers went on to complete auto-body repair classes at Southeast

Community College in Milford. He found a job in Mesa, Arizona, doing something he loved: restoring high-end automobiles to their former glory. Although he loved

he could not find the right fit in someone else’s business, he thought about owning his own. He reached out to The Firm Business Brokerage.

“OBVIOUSLY, I’M A CAR GUY. THIS IS THE WORLD I KNOW. SO AUTO AIR PLUS WAS PERFECT FOR ME.”

“We worked together to figure out the best fit with what I know and what was available,” he says. “Obviously, I’m a car guy. This is the world I know. So Auto Air Plus was perfect for me.”

- Andy Oelkers, Auto Air Plus

the job, Oelkers and his wife, former high school sweethearts and Nebraska natives, wanted to raise their family in the Midwest. Last year, Oelkers started looking for opportunities that would bring them back home to Nebraska. The jobs he found did not fit the needs of his growing family. Since

Oelkers has been running the store at 4910 L St. since March. His family is back in Nebraska. At some point, he hopes to buy other businesses in Omaha. And yes, they will surely be related to his passion for cars. “Honestly, I wouldn’t feel comfortable if there weren’t cars and trucks involved,” he says. “That’s just who I am.” The FIRM

Fall 2014

The Firm Deal Review

Executive Impact:

The Post-Labor Day Boom written by Susanne Miller J.D., In-House Legal Counsel, The Firm Business Brokerage

TOTAL LISTINGS 2012 & 2013 (COMBINED)

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Activity picked up almost immediately after Labor Day, and the trend continued into the following months. Ultimately, we saw a 22% increase in deal flow from the combined first and second quarter totals to the combined third and fourth quarter totals. The same trend appeared in 2012 thanks to the anticipated tax hikes set to occur at the end of the year, deal flow still trending upward after Labor Day. The first week

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

of September was sluggish, but deal flow picked up in the following months. Activity continued to surge, with a particularly active month of November. If the Post-Labor Day Boom from past years holds true in 2014, the business community should begin to see increased activity in the coming weeks. In 2012 and 2013, there was a marked difference between the pre-Labor Day low and October’s peak deal flow. With Labor Day signaling the middle of the third quarter, it makes sense that more deals occur in anticipation of the

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

fast-approaching year end. The distinct ebb and flow of ready buyers and sellers finally come together and businesses can be successfully transitioned. With that in mind, the industry experts of The Firm Business Brokerage predict that the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter in 2014 will see more deals closing in the Midwest market and more businesses operating under new ownership at year end. If you have been thinking about selling or buying a business, now is the time to act by initiating a confidential and complimentary business valuation with a member of our executive staff. The FIRM

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ith Labor Day upon us, the business community is preparing for transition out of the summer slowdown. In both 2012 and 2013, the mergers and acquisition community saw a real Post-Labor Day Boom in deal activity. After summers filled with vacation, deal-makers returned to have a productive and profitable fall deal season.

Cash Flow:

The Pros and Cons of SBA Lending written by Marie Allely, TS Bank

hether a person is just starting a business or has been established for years, a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan can help turn business owners’ dreams into reality. The U.S. SBA 7(a) loan is the program of focus today. The 7(a) is the SBA’s primary, most flexible program and partners with commercial lending institutions. To be considered for an SBA loan, a business must demonstrate that it has less than $15 million in tangible net worth and two year’s net income after taxes of less than $5 million. It is perhaps the most widely used, but before diving in, here are some pros and cons of this specific program. Pros: 1. Offers longer maturities of up to ten years for working capital and up to 25 years for real estate and fixed assets, which can free up more cash flow because the payments are lower. 2. Rates are capped at the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal plus a spread. • Loans with maturities of seven years or less—spread is maximum of 2.25% over Wall Street Journal Prime Rate. • Loans with maturities of more than seven years - spread is maximum of 2.75% over Wall Street Journal Prime Rate. • Have access to capital where traditional commercial loans may not be available. 3. Businesses that lack sufficient collateral for a traditional commercial loan may find SBA loans useful.

Cons: 1. Generally, an SBA loan requires more information than a traditional commercial loan and all available collateral, including personal assets and personal guarantees from the principal owners. 2. SBA loans can take more time to approve and fund. 3. Some businesses are ineligible, such as nonprofit organizations, lenders, passive businesses, life insurance companies, and limited-membership private clubs. 4. SBA loans may require guarantee fees that do not apply to conventional commercial loans. • Loans under $150,000 have a fee of 0% of the guaranteed portion of the loan. • Loans over $150,000 but shorter than a one year term have a fee of 0.25% of the guaranteed portion. • Loans $150,000 to $700,000 and over with a one year term have a fee of 3.0% of the guaranteed portion. • Loans $700,000 or greater have a fee of 3.5% of the guaranteed portion, additionally 0.25% on any guaranteed portion over $1 million. Community banking institutions, like TS Bank, recognize how important small businesses are, and specialize in local decision-making, so clients work directly with the people approving their loan. Small business owners should pursue community banking institutions who meet their unique needs of seeking capital, whether it is to expand or provide the working capital to grow, and want to be their financial partner.

Connect with Marie on LinkedIn and visit tsbank.com to learn more. The FIRM

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OMAHA CVB

BY DANA MARKEL

OMAHA IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND Think how many times you used your cell phone today. According to research from the Pew Institute, 90 percent of all Americans own a cell phone and 44 percent of us sleep with it next to our beds so we don’t miss any calls, texts, or emails. So it’s no surprise to hear that more than 40 million consumers have used their phone to figure out and plan their next vacation. The VisitOmaha mobile site has seen explosive growth in just the last two years. In 2011, a little more than 11,000 visited the mobile site. Last year that number grew nine-fold to almost 200,000.

To answer the growing mobile demand, the VisitOmaha site is now enhanced with new user-friendly features including: •

Yelp reviews providing the visitor access to independent restaurant recommendations.

•

Intuitive mapping features that allow visitors to search for what’s nearby.

•

A comprehensive calendar of events making it easy for users to find out what’s going on in Omaha.

•

An online booking engine, which provides visitors the ability to search a

variety of Omaha hotel options all at once and then book directly with the hotel of their choice. This feature also allows users to view hotel availability two months at a time so they can compare rates surrounding their selected dates—all from their cell phone. •

The VisitOmaha mobile site is also a great resource for locals, providing them with an easy way to find new places to eat and different things to do.

Despite our mobile society and our desire to have instant access to information, you may find it interesting that, in addition to the growth of the VisitOmaha mobile site, requests for the printed Omaha Visitor Guide are up more than 9 percent over last year. The visitor still values that printed brochure. Mobile or print, as long as visitors are holding Omaha in the palm of their hand, we’re happy. B2B Dana Markel is Executive Director of the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau. Questions or comments? Email the Omaha CVB at info@visitomaha.com

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

omAHA! | BY TRACI OCUNA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH BINDER

HEARTFELT AND HANDMADE FINANCIAL PLANNER KEVIN WELSH TAKES CUSTOMER APPRECIATION ONE STEP FURTHER. It’s often the little things in life that mean the most, like those simple gestures made to show appreciation or concern. Those gestures most often come from family and friends. They perhaps least often come from your financial advisor. Well, unless your financial advisor is from the Welsh/Friesen Group at Morgan Stanley.

Above: Kevin Welsh makes custom wooden pens for his customers. Left: Welsh and his business partner, Patrick Friesen.

“I have personal issues with my own industry,” says Kevin Welsh, Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Morgan Stanley of Omaha. “I think the industry spends all day, every day, talking about finance, and I don’t think many clients care only about the financial aspect of their relationship with their advisor.” “The process that we take them through is important,” he says, “but I think the reason people choose us is because of the time we take to spend with them.” Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner Patrick Friesen joined Morgan

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

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As a self-described extrovert, Welsh says, he enjoys the opportunity to meet with and learn about clients as much as he can. “We make a complementary team for the client because I spend the whole time trying to get to know them and their needs, and then we work together to interpret it.” Not only does their process help Welsh and Friesen to advise clients on their financial futures, but also allows the team to show their appreciation for both the business and the personal relationships they have created. Some ways that the team has engaged their clients or shown their appreciation is by organizing creative events such as wine tastings, golf outings, family photo sessions, and cooking lessons with a professional chef. Personal gifts that reflect a client’s upcoming event or personal interest also help the team show its gratitude, such as travel books or magazines related to an approaching vacation and handmade pens, crafted by Welsh himself, for signing important documents. The advisors even give the gift of time, such as when they have helped clients negotiate a new car purchase. Friesen describes the group’s philosophy: “It is less just going through the motions and more of engaging with the client,” he says. “I think a lot of businesses just go through the motions because there’s a template for everything; I think ours is more than a template.” B2B

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

volume 14 | issue 3

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omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

OFFICE FURNITURE

BY JAYLENE EILENSTINE

THE IMPORTANCE OF OFFICE DESIGN FIVE TRENDS TO CONSIDER An inspiring office space is crucial to motivating and engaging staff. By combining a good office design with environmental considerations, you can improve productivity, profitability, and reduce your carbon footprint. Office environments are ever-changing. From height-adjustable desks, to mobile work surfaces and LED lighting options— the possibilities are endless. Today’s best offices are designed to reflect the shifting expectations and needs of their employees. Here are five current trends in office design. 1.

Technology is key. Technology is now integrated into office environments. Interactive white boards, electrified surfaces and ‘touch down’ areas that allow for mobile devices to be used are just a few examples of how technology is breaking down barriers of the traditional workplace. Open workspaces. The lowering of panels or even the removal of all dividers between people can enhance the ‘teaming’ of groups and sharing of information without even moving away from their work areas. Open spaces can make people feel more comfortable and

not so “boxed-in,” which can create greater productivity and efficiency. 3.

Collaboration. Collaborative areas are designed to get people more involved and connected with one another. Meeting spaces are being created to encourage collaboration between staff members. This might include lounge areas, bench and tables, or even café areas. Collaborative areas can take the place of formal reserved conference rooms or even private offices.

Fewer private offices. Having fewer private offices provides useful space for more collaborative areas. Today, furniture that is mobile, adjustable, multifunctional, and adaptable is just as important as private offices.

When companies incorporate modern design into their workplace, they will retain and attract the best talent and increase their overall productivity. B2B

Decline in available space. The economic recession has led to companies purchasing smaller offices or downsizing current offices, which means individual workspaces are shrinking.

Jaylene Eilenstine is the Director of Marketing at All Makes Office Equipment.

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

56 C OVER FE ATURE

volume 14 | issue 3

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

COVER FEATURE | BY JASON KUIPER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

FINDING PURPOSE DENNIS CIRCO FELT LOST WHEN HE LET GO OF HIS BELOVED COMPANY. BUT A NEW PROJECT AND MEANINGFUL CHARITY HAS REJUVENATED HIM.

From the outside, Dennis Circo’s Enterprise Center at 96th and L streets looks like a lot of other buildings under construction. But once you walk through the temporary entrance, you’re immediately struck by the intricate beauty of what is becoming one of the city’s most upscale office buildings. The Enterprise Center once housed Circo’s company, Precision Industries Inc., a longtime Omaha company that was a giant on the international scene of integrated supply-chain management and industrial distribution. It served dozens of the country’s top Fortune 500

corporations. Circo sold the company in 2007 but retained numerous properties throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee. The sale was surprising, he says now, since the company was never actually for sale. Circo said he was hesitant to sell the company—it defined who he was. But when the eventual buyer, DXP Enterprises, came to him with an offer and met every demand Circo could raise, he decided the time might be right to sell. CONT. PAGE 58

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B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

COVER FE ATURE

Dennis P. Circo ‘65 Memorial Plaza honors teachers, Jesuits, past presidents and principals, and 72 alumni from Creighton Prep High School who made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country.

FROM PAGE 57 “I was one of those people who I thought would die at my desk,” he says. “I was traveling four days a week, putting in a lot of hours, and my health wasn’t great.” The sale, though fortuitous since it happened just months before the country’s headfirst dive into recession, was hard on Circo. Harder than he ever imagined it would be. “I was like those football players who retire and then get lost in the foggy wilderness,” he says. “They don’t know what to do with themselves. The game defines who they were.” The company was founded in 1945 by his father, Sebastian “Seb” Circo, who died in 2005. The company had survived tough times, particularly in the early 2000s. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, one of Precision’s clients, Delta Air Lines, went bankrupt. Several large steel mills that Precision worked with closed. Precision Industries defined Circo for most of his life. He started driving the delivery truck during the summer as a 16-year-old and joined the company full-time after graduating from Creighton University when sales were at $2.9 million. He saw it grow to $300 million annually when it sold. The company’s 700 employees were family to Circo. He says he was close to selling Precision in 2005 after his father’s death, but couldn’t do it. But in 2007,

Circo’s thinking began to change. “I looked in the mirror and thought maybe this is what I’m supposed to do,” he says. The years following the sale affected Circo in ways he didn’t expect. For several years, he says, he suffered from an identity crisis. The Enterprise Center project, buildings in other states, and the new challenges they bring has helped to re-energize Circo. Space in the Center, which already has tenants working in the building’s first of three planned phases, already is in high demand. Circo marveled how Mark Simonson, vice president of marketing and management, leased all 30 available spaces in the first phase in less than 45 days. During a tour of the building the two joked that a lot of those customers didn’t need much prodding to sign on—simply walking into the building and seeing the interior often was enough. “This is a different concept in Omaha, a total concierge environment, where all services are provided,” Simonson says. “We’ve taken it to a different level, a level of elegance that isn’t offered elsewhere in Omaha.” Circo and Simonson agreed that it helped that Omaha’s business community knows Precision Industries and the Circo family had over 60 years of service and success in the industrial community, and that this new venture would be a first-class operation.

The interior features lots of wood, crown molding, high ceilings, granite, marble floors, and an event room that will handle up to 100 guests. Tenants also have access to a full-time, live receptionist, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, high-definition video teleconferencing capabilities, and full-time IT support. There are board rooms, conference rooms, and event rooms. A variety of floor plans is available, and tenants can choose between furnished and unfurnished offices. Tenants can choose from long and short-term leases. In addition, the building is located on one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares and is only minutes from the interstate. Among the early tenants are AFLAC, a mediator, and a number of insurance agents and attorneys. The second and third phases are about 90 days away from completion. The building will house about 160 offices and cost about $4.5 million to renovate. “It’s been a fun project,” Circo says. “It has genuinely rejuvenated me.” The Enterprise Center isn’t all that has kept Circo on the move lately. Over the last few years, he has become more open about his philanthropic ventures. In May, the Dennis P. Circo ‘65 Memorial Plaza at Creighton Prep was dedicated. Circo, a graduate of Prep, noticed the name of Circo’s mother’s first husband, John Cantoni, was missing from a wall memorial honoring Prep grads who had died in

omahamagazine.com FALL 2014 |

battle along with 333 Jesuit Priests, Brothers, teachers and mentors. From there grew into a larger outdoor memorial that he funded. Circo’s mother, Olive, passed away in July. Circo also sponsors 55 scholarships that allow minority students to attend private schools across the metro. The scholarships cover all their costs. Photos of many of those students are displayed prominently in his office area inside the Enterprise Center. Circo also has started numerous scholarships at Creighton University, his alma mater, in the name of some of the priests there. And in the Enterprise Center, Circo has donated space to one of his favorite nonprofits, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue and Delivery, which collects food donations with a truck and delivers it to Omaha’s needy.

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Circo also gave Saving Grace the money to purchase the refrigerated truck that is used in gathering and delivering food donations. He says that, for years, he helped charitable organizations behind the scenes, choosing to remain anonymous and shun attention for his giving. But, he says, that changed a few years ago after meeting with a priest at a school located in one of Omaha’s most impoverished areas. “The priest told me a story about a well-known, very wealthy local Omaha businessman who he approached for a donation. The priest told this businessman that when he came to this particular school and neighborhood it was a very dark place with little or no hope for the students and he was trying to bring some hope there. He asked this kind and generous businessman if he would consider sponsoring one child all the way through high school up into college. The businessman told the priest, ‘No. I won’t do it for one student; I’ll do it for all students that meet certain minimum criteria.’” Circo says that act of kindness was the inspiration for the Circo Scholarship Program. “So you see, there is an upside to not remaining anonymous,” Circo says. “Generosity is contagious.” B2B

T: 402-403-4334 3828 Dodge St • Omaha, NE 68131 kschaphorst@sandler.com

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BUSINESS ETHICS

BY BEVERLY KRACHER, PH.D.

STORY OF A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER He was raised in Scottsbluff, but made his way to the big city to seek his success. He was sure he could show everyone that he could do better. He never dreamed that things would turn out the way they did. ... As a kid, he was taught the traditional Midwestern values. He learned about independence, honesty, and loyalty. He learned about kindness and generosity, too. When it came to money, he worked hard for every nickel he earned. He was accepted at the University of NebraskaLincoln, where he studied hard to get into optometry school. He had 20/20 vision, you see. He thought it was a sign about the kind of profession he should go into. So he became an optometrist. He worked for a chain. But this didn’t satisfy his thirst for success. He wanted freedom to do things his way. And he felt lucky to live in a capitalist system that allowed him, no, tempted and prodded him, to set out on his own. Which he did. For 20 years he has run his own business. He has five employees. They deliver the best eye-care service they can provide. They are responsible and caring professionals. Stories abound about the breaks he has given to patients and the special treatment he has

provided. He has helped employees buy cars and he has provided the financial support to help them get custody of children. And he has sponsored a boys’ baseball team or two. The American Dream came true. He worked from nothing to something. And when I say worked, I mean worked. As every small business owner can attest, he has worked seven days a week since he opened his store. Though he grumbles about the hours, it has been a labor of love. He is proud of his hard work and rightly proud of his business. He has made enough money to buy a good home and invest. His wife would love for him to retire, but there is always something that comes up—a downturn in the economy, higher costs—that derails any grand retirement plans. But he’ll get there. And then he will do the things he has worked so hard to have money to do. But you see it coming, don’t you? The cancer they found in his fit body? The speed at which it took him? He never dreamed that he would be one of the early ones, the ones that die in their 50s before they got a chance to quit work,

retire, and do the things they had been working so hard to have money to do. He never dreamed that he would die before he was finished. This is a story of a small business owner. Not one of the ones that is to blame for rising anti-business views. It’s a story about the kind of people who make our American values come to life, the ones with a deep kindness in their hearts and a rabid desire for freedom to do it their way. These are the people who make our hearts, and economy, sing. B2B Beverly Kracher, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Business Ethics Alliance, and the Daugherty Chair in Business Ethics & Society at Creighton University.

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62 B2B OMAHA MAGAZINE

FEATURE | BY JASON KUIPER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL SITZMANN

HUDL UP PIONEERING LINCOLN-BASED SPORTS VIDEO COMPANY CHARGES INTO THE OLD MARKET.

For Hudl CEO David Graff and two other friends at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, it was important to find the right fit in starting a business right out of college. What they found was the perfect merger, the combination of two passions: sports and technology. Now, after eight years of rapid growth, Hudl, the cutting-edge, sports-video company they began in Lincoln, will soon open a new location at 10th and Jones Streets in Omaha’s Old Market. Graff, an Omaha native and Millard North grad, started working with the Nebraska football team in 2003 to improve their CONT. PAGE 64

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David Graff in front of Hudl’s new offices in the Old Market.

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FROM PAGE 62 use of video. Three years later, right before his graduation, he created Hudl. Here’s the angle: At the time, Graff says, players and coaches could only watch video at the team’s facilities. To watch videos away from the facilities, the footage had to be burned to DVDs, a time-consuming and redundant process. Graff and company were able to put the video online for quicker access and easier use. And later, Hudl was able to allow users to add captions and messages that could be displayed on video. The prototype presented to Husker Coach Bill Callahan in February 2006 made a big impression. “Coach Callahan said when he was coach of the Raiders he was approached by a lot of people from Silicon Valley with tech pitches, but this was the first product that would make a difference for teams and help them win,” Graff says.

Hudl keeps a loose, Silicon Valley vibe at their headquarters in their Lincoln offices, shown below.

Callahan loved it and wanted to start using the technology the next month for the team’s spring practice. However, what Graff presented to Callahan was “more smoke and mirrors then Callahan realized,” but the impression was enough that the team signed on as Hudl’s first paying customer. The company was given access to coaches and players over the next year to fully develop the product. Graff graduated that spring. Over the next year, he and two classmates from UNL’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management went to work on building a business around that prototype. Hudl is headquartered in Lincoln. Its leadership team includes Graff, chief product officer John Wirtz, and Brian Kaiser, chief technology officer. Over the next several years Hudl hired more people and started hitting coaching camps and clinics to recruit more users. They also partnered with CBS MaxPreps in 2010 and

added 2,000 teams that year. Graff said they also built a sales team around some of the MaxPreps personnel. More than 20 professional teams, including the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Boston Celtics, and Washington Capitals, as well as more than 80 percent of college football teams, now use the company’s services. They’ve been contacted by numerous other general managers also interested in signing onto the Hudl team. But it’s not just pro teams and major college programs like the Husker football team that benefit from Hudl. Early on, Graff says, Hudl kept hearing from high school and smaller college coaches who had the same needs as the Huskers initially did, the desire to easily upload game and practice film and allow their athletes to use that video anywhere. So now Hudl’s clients range from elite professional athletes to colleges across the country to many of the metro area’s top teams like Bellevue West, the defending state champions in Class A boy’s basketball.

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“Hudl has provided us at Bellevue West with the opportunity to be proactive in addressing team and individual improvement,” says boys basketball coach Doug Woodard. “Hudl has also provided the chance to scout opponents exhaustively while cutting down the amount of time and video the players must watch. They get to watch selected video that is crucial to prep.” Woodard says his team also uses Hudl to send out video on their players to colleges for recruiting purposes. Hudl’s website has three main sections: athletes, coaches and recruiters. Graff says one of the advantages for coaches using Hudl is the ability to access and break down video anywhere, allowing for more opportunities for teaching, adding notes and sharing with athletes, exchanging film instantly, and sharing video with recruiters. “For athletes, it is the ability to create highlights to share with family, friends, and recruiters, as well as the opportunity to receive more direct coaching,” he says. Those features make it evident why the company is growing so fast. Over the last few years, Hudl has purchased two competitors, APEX in 2012 and Digital Sports Video in 2011, and now have more than 14,000 teams using its products. That growth means the company needs qualified employees.

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Graff says the company’s goal is to double the product team. Increased demand and growth means the company needs to hire developers, designers, quality analysts, and project managers. Graff says that, like anywhere else, it’s a challenge to find the right people to fill those roles, especially experienced designers and developers. But he is confident the company will be able to fill those needs with local hires.

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“There is a very rich talent base in Lincoln that we have been tapping into, and a great flow of talent from UNL,” he says. “Adding the Omaha space increases the size of that talent base, and opens up opportunities with strong universities in the Omaha area as well.” B2B

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THE KNOW-IT-ALL

WAKING UP FROM CITY PLANNERS’ UTOPIAN DREAM.

A CONSUMER-FOCUSED ZONING MODEL It seems that the push into new urbanism has cost cities and developers a lot of money. All money spent in an effort to create from whole cloth a new Utopian form of urban-density design. From apartments with ground-floor retail, to new idealized communities where the form-based zoning pushed dense urban public space designs. They are designs that appear to make money only where consumers don’t have alternatives. Contradictions between the theory and reality become apparent when driving up to one of these new urban-planned projects. I can think of two examples that show how poorly city planner ideals conflict with the realities of consumers. The use of compact parking stalls despite the fact that half of U.S. auto sales are for ever-larger pickups. Also, that notion of “walkable” developments despite the realities of weather-challenged cities such as Omaha. Even the Lifestyle Mall concept is often a money loser. Yet the redevelopers of abandoned traditional malls where the focus is creating fun gathering places are making money. The trick here is pretty simple: Know one’s local market and design the shopping experience to match instead of using a cookie-cutter approach.

The idea of careful targeting of what consumers want is rewarding developers and cities. Rather than nudging consumers with idealistic regulation, rather than relying on what always worked with the baby boomers, successful development targets the actual marketplace of consumers in all the diversity of wants and needs. Just as states and cities compete to attract new employers with subsidies, successful communities work to attract the entire marketplace of those who will engage and energize their local community. What appears to be working, and very well in many cities, is the revitalization of historic communities. Reuse of historic structures, rebuilding of historic neighborhoods, and support for the historically successful developments have a proven history of success. These redeveloped neighborhoods and areas appeal to a market segment nostalgic for a pre-suburban lifestyle. One could say: What’s old is new.

Here you have suburban zoning, which recent generations are accustomed to, separating each use. Euclidean zoning. Segregated clusters of similar homes, all linked by big roads. The mini McMansion with a yard, the soccer-mom Suburbans. Homeowners associations with strict enforcement of uniform appearance. The suburbanite exemplifies the notion that bigger is better, or if some is good, more is better. Then there is the rental lifestyle found in well-located, high-end apartments. Here is a demographic that doesn’t look to homeownership as any sort of investment. This is a demographic focused on convenience and ease of social engagement. Often this lifestyle is a convenient walk, or bike ride, to work, restaurants and nightlife. As opposed to cheap apartment life of the ubiquitous suburban three-story walk-up units, the upscale apartment lifestyle often comes at a price point higher than home ownership, per square foot. Another trend starting to gain momentum is the tiny-house movement. Despite minimum size requirements in most zoning codes, people skirt the requirement by building very small homes on trailers. Cities might consider embracing the tiny-home movement because it allows for a very affordable housing product. Much like incubator businesses, this affordable housing allows residents to become part of a community without financial risk. Think of underutilized infill locations being offered as temporary, or permanent, locations for communities of tiny homes. These folks tend to consider their lifestyle focused on quality as opposed to quantity. Instead of imposing Utopian new urbanism on consumers, focusing on the different lifestyles consumers desire is the successful model. Seek the bottom-up, consumerdriven model as opposed to the top-down, authoritarian model we now see so often. B2B

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