B2B Omaha - December 2018 / January 2019 by Omaha Magazine

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS KEEPING WOMEN SAFE

SELF-DEFENSE AND KICKBOXING CLASSES ON THE RISE

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

14 PERCENT OWNERS, 100 PERCENT INVESTED

BEST OF B2B BALLOT

VOTE YOUR FAVORITES FOR 2019

FORGING A MEDIA EMPIRE

02 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

MARKETING WHERE IT COUNTS

EXECUTIVE publisher Todd Lemke

CREATIVE creative director Matt Wieczorek

vice president Greg Bruns

senior graphic designer Derek Joy

associate publisher Bill Sitzmann

graphic designer II Mady Besch

operations Tyler Lemke

photographers Katie Anderson Keith Binder Scott Drickey Ariel Fried Sarah Lemke Jeremy Allen Wieczorek

EDITORIAL executive editor Doug Meigs managing editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman

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associate editor Tara Spencer

SALES executive vice president sales & marketing Gil Cohen

editorial assistant Lindsay Wilson

senior branding specialist Mary Hiatt

editorial interns Megan Fabry Dylan Longwell Justine Young

senior sales executive Gwen Lemke

contributors Keith Backsen Leo Adam Biga Tamsen Butler Jason Fox Jared Kennedy Beverly Kracher Andrew J. Nelson Carol Crissey Nigrelli Lisa Lukecart Sean McCarthy Kara Schweiss Wendy Townley INFORMATION advertising information 402-884-2000

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subscribe online omahamagazine.com/ subscribe B2B Magazine is published six times annually by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha NE 68046-1208. Telephone: 402-884-2000; fax 402-8842001. Subscription rates: $12.95 for 4 issues (one year), $19.95 for 8 issues (two years). Multiple subscriptions at different rates are available. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of B2B Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted, however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER

CATHY HUGHES

FORGING A MEDIA EMPIRE BY DISRUPTING THE STATUS QUO

FEATURES

ASID AWARDS

BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS DESIGNS

WOMEN’S SAFETY

SELF-DEFENSE AND KICKBOXING BUSINESSES

WOMEN IN AG

14 PERCENT OWNERS, 100 PERCENT INVESTED

DEPARTMENTS

06 AFTER HOURS

12 HOW I ROLL

18 LEADERS

22 omAHA!

10 BIZ+GIVING

14 IN THE OFFICE

21 ROUNDTABLE

24 ON THE RISE

OMAHA ROLLERGIRLS’ SWAMP THANG

TRACY MADDEN-MCMAHON

COLUMNS

NANCY OSBORN’S 2017 CTS LUXURY ESCALADE WOMEN’S CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT

20 WOMEN’S NETWORKING GROUPS

53 OMAHA CVB

28 WOMEN IN BUSINESS

53 ETHICS

55 BEST OF B2B BALLOT

OMAHA IS A HOLIDAY DESTINATION

SHE SAID/HE SAID

WOMEN MENTORING WOMEN

LIFELOOP

QUETZALLI PLIEGO OMAÑA

SPECIAL SECTIONS

05 FROM THE EDITOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS

B.C. CLARK

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

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FROM THE EDITOR

WOMEN IN BUSINESS his past September, one of my favorite TV shows from the 1990s, Murphy Brown, returned to the small screen. The show was about a journalist who rarely (if ever) took no for an answer and had risen through the ranks of network TV to host her own show, FYI. It ruffled many feathers with its politically-charged weekly episodes. Our cover story is about an amazing woman named Cathy Hughes, who started working in the news industry at the Omaha Star, then advanced to radio. Like Murphy Brown, Hughes often had to stick to her guns and stand up for her principles, but in doing so, has created the East Coast media conglomerate Urban One.

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Media is a subject that is dear to my heart, and I know several former journalists who work in public relations, as this is often a natural progression for media professionals (although Murphy Brown would have shunned this idea). My friend Wendy Townley wrote about former WOWT anchor Tracy Madden (now Tracy Madden-McMahon), who recently became the CEO of Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation. Several episodes of Murphy Brown ended with her belting out hits of Motown, most famously Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Murphy Brown, I am sure, mourned with millions of others this past August, when the Queen of Soul died. Two businesswomen from Nebraska drove to Detroit in August to attend the funeral in their pink Cadillacs. This is our annual Women in Business edition, and the aforementioned stories are just a few of the articles that identify and explain how women are making waves in many businesses. I enjoyed working on them, and I hope you enjoy reading them. B2B

Daisy Hutzell-Rodman is the managing editor of B2B, a publication of The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.

Omaha Magazine LTD. She can be reached at daisy@omahamagazine.com.

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

AFTER HOURS | STORY BY TAMSEN BUTLER | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

THE EVOLUTION OF KAYLAH LALONDE FROM “DELICATE FLOWER” TO SWAMP THANG

THINKING AND STRATEGIZING COME NATURALLY TO DR. LALONDE, WHO SPENDS HER WORKDAYS AT THE CENTER FOR HEARING RESEARCH AT BOYS TOWN NATIONAL RESEARCH HOSPITAL AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH LAB.

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aylah Lalonde describes roller derby as a football game on roller skates combined with full-contact chess. In other words, there’s aggressive physical contact but players also must think and strategize quickly throughout the game. Thinking and strategizing come naturally to Dr. Lalonde, who spends her workdays at The Center for Hearing Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital as the director of the research lab. While researching her Ph.D. dissertation in speech and hearing sciences at Indiana University Bloomington she began searching for “a good outlet for social and physical activity,” she says. After a pause and a grin, she adds “and aggression.”

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She attended a skills camp with a friend offered by the local roller derby team. “I was a delicate flower,” jokes Lalonde. “I’d never played sports before, and I didn’t think I was going to compete and fall in love with it.” Although she did not play sports, she enjoyed exercise—going out dancing with her friends was one of her favorite activities, and she once began working towards running in a half-marathon before she began hurting from a lack of proper training. But roller derby was different. Primarily, she discovered she loves being part of a team, and the challenge and camaraderie that came with competing. After the skills camp she moved on to the boot camp offered by the team—a common sequence of events for roller derby athletes. Boot camp is where would-be players learn the minimum requirements of the game as governed by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

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08 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

“MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE ROLLER DERBY FRIENDS” -KAYLAH LALONDE

FROM PAGE 07 The Omaha Rollergirls host a similar boot camp where women can learn the skills they need to join the team. “It’s one of the few sports you can start as an adult and play competitively,” says Lalonde, adding that the boot camps are for all skill levels. “Even if you don’t know how to skate—even if you have to grab the wall to stop, we’ll teach you.” Finding a local roller derby team was a high priority for Lalonde when she moved to Omaha. She’d competed with teams in Indiana and Seattle. These days, she’s known as Swamp Thang on the Omaha Rollergirls. It’s a nickname she earned from her upbringing in southern Louisiana. “If you’ve ever seen the show Swamp People on the Discovery Channel—that’s where my family lives,” says Lalonde. The team is a tight-knit group and active within the community. “Most of my friends are roller derby friends,” says Lalonde. “It’s a great way to meet people.” Her research colleagues sometimes attend games to cheer her on, and her boss loves to tell people about Lalonde’s pastime. When not playing, she does a great deal of crosstraining and weightlifting, which helps her avoid injuries. So far, she’s gotten away with an impressive collection of bruises and one broken finger (which happened in boot camp, not during competition) and estimates that she dedicates around six hours a week to training and competing.

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Luckily, her employer encourages a well-rounded work-life balance, so she has time to research during the day while spending her time off competing or preparing to compete. She’s also become more confident.

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“There’s also something very empowering to learning to take up space in derby,” Lalonde says. “In our daily lives, I think it’s relatively uncommon for women to literally be told to take up space. And I’ve seen that mentality transfer to my daily life. On crowded sidewalks, for example, I think it’s fairly well known that women are more conditioned than men to move aside to make room for others.”

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And she has become more assertive. “We train ourselves/each other not to apologize for things all the time when we’ve done nothing wrong,” Lalonde says. “Derby has helped me learn not to apologize unless I truly feel that I’ve wronged someone. That’s a skill that transfers well to being a woman in science. I guess they both are: not apologizing, being more assertive.” But her favorite part of derby is that it is inclusive.

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“My favorite thing about roller derby is that you get to use the body type you have,” says the petite Lalonde. “Every body type can do something.” If that means being a scientist by day and Swamp Thang by night, Lalonde is not likely to give up her sport anytime soon.

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10 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

BIZ+GIVING | STORY BY WENDY TOWNLEY | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

STORYTELLING FOR TELEVISION AND PHILANTHROPY TRACY MADDEN-MCMAHON

“WE RAISE THE FUNDS, WE PROTECT THE FUNDS, AND WE DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS.” -TRACY MADDEN MCMAHON

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 11

rom life-altering surgeries to routine doctor visits, health care in the United States has become increasingly complicated. Regardless of the discourse that this far-reaching industry has produced, one simple truth remains: people get sick; and to get better, they need quality health care close to home. Maintaining that level of care for the Greater Omaha area and surrounding states is often only possible by the generosity of private dollars. This is where Tracy Madden-McMahon and her team at Methodist Hospital Foundation get to work. Madden-McMahon serves as president and CEO of the foundation, which is at the helm of raising private dollars large and small to help fund sizable hospital projects. Since 2001, for example, the foundation has secured nearly $130 million for six capital and renovation projects. This year, the foundation has a $25 million goal, which will go toward renovating and expanding the Methodist Hospital Emergency Department. Madden-McMahon is well suited to share stories from Methodist Hospital, its clinics, and its programs. Many in Omaha may recognize Madden-McMahon from her nights behind the anchor desk at WOWT. For 15 years she covered a variety of local, regional, and national news events for the station’s viewers.

The Chicago-area native’s roots in storytelling run deep: her mother worked as a writer and columnist for the Suburban Tribune newspaper. MaddenMcMahon says she did not have aspirations of working in broadcast news, but she longed to tell other people’s stories in the same way as her mother. This is why, after a successful career in television news, it made perfect sense to chart a new path in a profession that tells stories while also making a sizable and tangible impact. By the early 2010s, with a young family to raise, Madden-McMahon was ready to make a transition.

THIS YEAR, THE FOUNDATION HAS A $25 MILLION GOAL, WHICH WILL GO TOWARD RENOVATING AND EXPANDING THE METHODIST HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. “Changing jobs was a process—not an ‘a ha’ moment,” she says. “When looking at our children’s schedules and their needs, [my professional transition] was an evolution. I became the parent who was saying, ‘I would be there so long as there wasn’t any breaking news or severe weather.’” The Methodist Hospital Foundation is the philanthropic arm for Methodist Hospital, Methodist Women’s Hospital, Methodist Physicians Clinics, and Nebraska Methodist College. Throughout the year, the foundation works alongside hospital leadership to determine how to best support patients, employees, and the community.

“We raise the funds, we protect the funds, and we distribute the funds,” Madden-McMahon explains. “We take all three roles very seriously. It’s mission in action.” Cultivating new donors, maintaining current ones, and telling the Methodist Health System story is all part of a day’s work. One such funder—the Dr. C.C. & Mabel L. Criss Memorial Foundation—is proud to support the Methodist Hospital community. “I have been fortunate to work with Tracy MaddenMcMahon and her team at the Methodist Hospital Foundation for several years,” says Andy Davis, a Criss Foundation trustee. “They are some of the most dedicated and compassionate people I have had the privilege of working with. Their enthusiasm for both Methodist and the Omaha community is inspiring.” Madden-McMahon says philanthropy is an important part of her work, and home, life. “[Many believe] only people who have lots money have legacies, but we all do. And it’s the way we live every day, and it’s what is important to us,” she explains. “Living that every day is pretty meaningful.” Visit methodisthospitalfoundation.org for more information about the foundation. B2B

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

HOW I ROLL | STORY BY LISA LUKECART | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

PRETTY IN PINK NANCY OSBORN’S 2017 CTS LUXURY ESCALADE

From left: Nancy Osborn and Annaka Krafka

OSBORN REALIZED THE COMPANY WAS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A TUBE OF LIPSTICK, AND SHIFTED INTO HIGH GEAR AS A FULL-TIME BEAUTY CONSULTANT WITH MARY KAY IN 1999.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 13

IF THE $100,000 MARK IS HIT BY THE END OF THE YEAR, MARY KAY WILL CO-OP A CADILLAC FOR TWO YEARS. To earn the iconic vehicle, consultants must build a sales team of 12 members and reach a sales goal of at least $18,000 within four months. If the $100,000 mark is hit by the end of the year, Mary Kay will co-op a Cadillac for two years, or the consultant can opt for a monthly cash payment. Other sales-goal perks include all-expense paid trips, jewelry, and clothing. ancy Osborn drops the pedal and rolls down the freeway in her pink Cadillac. Osborn, along with her sister, have the wind against their backs as they cruise to Aretha Franklin’s funeral. The radio plays the Queen of Soul’s hits, including “Freeway of Love,” the lyrics of which mention the blush-colored automobile. Osborn’s “trophy on wheels” is her symbol of success, freedom, and female empowerment.

“Let me borrow your face,’’ she would say.

The week prior, Crisette Ellis, an independent national sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, called on her fellow beauty consultants to cruise to Detroit. Ellis thought a line of pink Cadillacs seemed a fitting tribute to R-E-S-P-E-C-T the late singer. Osborn, along with another 99 pink Cadillac owners, parked on Seven Mile Road outside Greater Grace Temple on Aug. 31.

The business paved a road to independence. She ditched her non-supportive husband and former job. Osborn realized the company was much more than a tube of lipstick, and shifted into high gear as a full-time beauty consultant with Mary Kay in 1999. She rose through the ranks until she hit the top tier as an independent senior national sales director.

“Who would have thought this small-town farm girl would be driving to Detroit to celebrate Aretha Franklin?” Osborn asks.

“It’s a vehicle to change one’s story,” Osborn believes.

Osborn believes in livin’ right, seein’ places, and drivin’ full speed. Her license plate proudly displays her credo—LIVE LRG. “Go big or go home,” Osborn says.

Osborn left small-town Nebraska many years ago, and for a time, felt stuck in neutral. She shifted into low gear after someone invited her to a Mary Kay party. Osborn fell in love with the product and positive environment. Although Osborn worked full-time, she sprinkled 10 hours a week into selling makeup.

The company’s most coveted incentive dates back to 1969, when founder Mary Kay Ash first bestowed the powdery pink ride on her top sellers. Mary Kay is a multi-level business, leasing the Cadillacs to those who have sold at least $100,000 worth of products in a year. Some critics have dubbed the company’s sales methods a “pyramid scheme,” but the system has worked for Osborn.

As each member steps up the leadership ladder, the coveted car comes closer to reality. The company reports that only 1,000 sales reps have earned the right to the pink Cadillac. And Osborn’s daughter is following right behind her—down the Mary Kay path and along I-80 to Detroit. Annaka Krafka and Osborn are the 11th mother and daughter duo to become national sales directors in Mary Kay Cosmetics. Krafka and her mother picked the 2017 CTS Luxury Escalade. The vehicles are both fully loaded, including rainsensing windshield wipers, air-conditioned seats, and the automated ability to parallel park. “The pink car is about as close to a Barbie dream house as you can get,” Krafka says. On that rainy August day, the few miles to the cemetery took over an hour because thousands of people gathered on the streets. The crowd screamed, high-fived, danced, and sang, belting out Franklin’s iconic words: “We goin’ ridin’ on the freeway, of love, in my pink Cadillac.” Visit marykay.com for more information. B2B

14 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

IN THE OFFICE | STORY BY JUSTINE YOUNG | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

CIRCLES OF SUPPORT, CYCLES OF LIFE WOMEN’S CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 15

giant ‘3801’ sign—the one hanging off the sleek new headquarters of Omaha’s Women’s Center for Advancement at 38th and Harney streets—stands out against the gray brick backdrop of this recently renovated property. Bold, rounded numbers point to the nonprofit’s updated building, where they provide aid to victims of domestic abuse.

The boutique at the WCA

The roundness of the numbers’ font is one of the organization’s many ways of telling the public there is an ongoing cycle of violence, while the size screams “We’re here.” The oversized loops of text were so large, the WCA needed to convince the city council that the sign’s height is appropriate, despite city codes restricting its placement. “They have to know where it is!” CEO Amy Richardson explains, referring to clients and WCA supporters alike. “It’s really important that we’re identifiable. We’re not hiding this problem.”

WAVES AND ARCHES LOOP INTO THE CEILING OF THE FIRST-FLOOR, GUIDING VISITORS PAST WALL EMBELLISHMENTS MADE FROM RECLAIMED WOOD AND THROUGH A MODERN NEUTRAL PALETTE COMBINED WITH POPS OF COLOR. Walls of rectangular glass panels wrap around the eastern corner of the building, reflecting that sense of transparency as sunlight passes though them and into the curved lobby. “Light is very healing,” Richardson says, and cites a need for it as the incentive behind a custom window film used throughout the building. Patterns of opaque dots, rings, and circles balance brightness with a sense of privacy, providing a oneway mirror effect for meeting rooms. That circular theme is built into the very heart of the WCA’s home, where a cylindrical beam sprouts from the center of the building and through the middle of the client lobby, Richardson’s favorite addition to the new digs. Halos of light hang from a curved ceiling above various seating options arranged with intention—it’s almost impossible to look at one another while sitting in them—another piece of privacy in the clients-only space. CONT. PAGE 16

Chairs purposely face away from each other in this waiting area to avoid awkward conversations.

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6 Conference room

IN ITS COMFORTABLE, INVITING NEW SPACE, THE WOMEN’S CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT WORKS ROUND THE CLOCK TO MAKE OMAHA A SAFER PLACE FOR ALL. FROM PAGE 15 Waves and arches loop into the ceiling of the firstfloor, guiding visitors past wall embellishments made from reclaimed wood and a modern, neutral palette combined with pops of color. New additions include a clothing boutique, an emergency entrance with an attached medical clinic, and legal workshops. Director of Marketing and Public Relations Elizabeth Powers points out how these services empower victims.

The on-site medical room

Richardson credits the vision behind the space in large part to project manager Andrea Kathol. “She was the conductor of all of it.” Other key players included RDG designer Alysia Radicia and Lund Ross Construction. Kathol says her favorite part of the project was getting to work closely with such a great team. “And the day the doors opened—just to see how proud everybody was of what we accomplished,” she says. “To understand what this means to Omaha to have a beautiful, healthy place for victims to go.” The organization also realizes they need a circle of donors and volunteers from the community to help provide a vast array of services, including a medical clinic, legal workshops, temporary housing, and more. As a sign of gratitude, names of those who contribute are added to their donor wall, a collage of circular wooden art showcasing dozens of supporters. On the upper floors, open office doors show comfy puppy beds and bouquets of birthday balloons orbiting staff and volunteer spaces, all pieces of a positive workspace intended to lessen the strain of dealing with trauma on a regular basis. Their goal? To unmask this issue, to provide a safe space for those in need, and to break this cycle of violence. In its comfortable, inviting new space, the Women’s Center for Advancement works round the clock to make Omaha a safer place for all. For more information, visit wcaomaha.org. B2B

WCA’s board room

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

LEADERS | STORY BY KARA SCHWEISS | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

B.C. CLARK ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN IN ANY BUSINESS Clark officially retired from her successful information technology management career in 2005, but these days, she is actually busier than ever. .

Clark is president of The Business Connection, Leading Edge Group LLC; Leading Edge Group comes from Leading Edge Consulting, which she founded in 2003. “The Business Connection” is a weekly talk show she’s been hosting for the last five years on community television station KPAO to bring visibility to small companies and provide viewers with information on various services and resources. She also serves as the director of business development in North Omaha for Nebraska Enterprise Fund, which connects small businesses and microbusinesses to resources. She’s a co-founder of Metro Omaha Women’s Business Center (MOWBC), established in 2007, and has also been the president since 2008. Plus, she’s a volunteer counselor/mentor through the Omaha chapter of SCORE, an organization that pairs experienced business owners and managers with current and budding entrepreneurs. Business is clearly one common element to all her endeavors, but Clark says there’s also what she considers her higher calling.

“Generally, I am an advocate for women,” Clark says. She not only believes in helping women become business owners and managers, but also says women in behind-the-scenes roles should be appreciated, too. She’s been known to call service staff forward at big events for acknowledgement and applause. “Everyone, not just business leaders, is worthy of respect.”

“IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WOMEN LIKE B.C. ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH WOMEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE JUST AS SUCCESSFUL AS MEN, IT’S EVEN MORE MOTIVATING TO HAVE OTHER WOMEN ON YOUR SIDE WHO SHARE A MUTUAL DESIRE FOR YOUR SUCCESS.” -GENIECE BROWN “During the time I’ve known B.C., she always adds a segment of encouragement for women at all levels of business, whether speaking and training at her own events or otherwise,” says Geniece Brown of Brown Virtual Assisting LLC, adding that Clark was her business mentor through SCORE Omaha. “She not only serves as a speaker, trainer, and mentor but she also ‘walks the walk’ as an entrepreneur and frequently gives back through MOWBC start-up assistance grants and many other ways to new and budding women in business.”

MOWBC supports emerging women entrepreneurs and small business owners. The organization strives to empower women to become economically selfsufficient through targeted education, workshops, job training, networking, legal advice, and other resources. A $100 annual membership gives members access to a host of services from professional consultations to eligibility for entrepreneur grants. MOWBC monthly business forums are open to anyone, with discounted registration for members. “It’s important that women like B.C. advocate for women in business, because although women have the ability to be just as successful as men, it’s even more motivating to have other women on your side who share a mutual desire for your success,” Brown says. Clark says she thrives on helping others find success, but she emphasizes that she doesn’t do it alone. She’s quick to name mentors, colleagues and partners, and also says she believes her faith has been a factor in her own achievement. “I’m who I am because of who I believe in.” And she encourages other women, especially young women, to also believe in themselves. Or, like she’s told her own granddaughters: “You don’t have to wait for a man to give you a diamond ring. If you want it, you can work for it.” Visit mowbcf.org for more information. B2B WOMEN’S NETWORKING GROUPS LISTED ON PAGE 21

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 19

“EVERYONE, NOT JUST BUSINESS LEADERS, IS WORTHY OF RESPECT.” -B.C. CLARK

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 21

ROUNDTABLE | STORY BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | PHOTOS PROVIDED

ROUNDTABLE: WOMEN MENTORING WOMEN

Vasquez: I like to see them having the confidence to do things, and if they make a mistake they own up to it. I want young women to be their authentic selves. Accepting who they are and what they can contribute to the workplace. Robino-West: Last year, there was a Girl Scout who has risen through the ranks, and I asked her what she wanted to do after college. She looked right at Fran [Marshall, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska] and said, “I want your job.” That was so empowering.

B2B DISCUSSES MENTORSHIP WITH FOUR BUSINESSWOMEN (FROM LEFT): DR. MARIA VAZQUEZ, VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS AT METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE; MELISSA FARRIS, MARKETING MANAGER AT BOYSTOWN; ANNE BRANIGAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF INNOVATIVE SERVICES AT GREATER OMAHA CHAMBER; AND SHARON ROBINO-WEST, COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT COORDINATOR AT THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IN OMAHA.

ccording to a 2016 study done by the Women’s Fund of Omaha, women make up only 19 percent of the board members at S&P 500 companies, and 25 percent of executive or senior level positions at those same companies. That same study found that 42 percent of women in Nebraska work in management, a better figure yet. And one method of increasing those numbers may be for women to mentor other women in the workplace. In this abridged roundtable discussion, B2B talks about mentorship with four businesswomen from Omaha—Anne Branigan, senior vice president of Innovative Services at Greater Omaha Chamber; Melissa Farris, marketing manager at Boystown; Sharon Robino-West, community employment coordinator at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Omaha; and Dr. Maria Vazquez, vice president for Student Affairs at Metropolitan Community College.

B2B: As a female mentor, what do you bring young women that benefits them as younger women in the workplace? Vasquez: I am just in awe of the young women I mentor. They are dynamic, further along than I was at that age. Farris: I’m open to being OK to saying “I don’t know.” I want you to be able to collaborate. I want you to find the answer to better the team. Robino-West: To be able to say I am weak in this area and I need your help. Branigan: The younger women have been able to adapt to technology so well. The acceptance of that new technology, to me, is something else. Farris: We have grown up with technology. There is an expectation that this is going to work. B2B: What do you gain from being a mentor to young women?

Branigan: I really enjoy learning from them. You think of mentoring, and you think it’s one way. But I always appreciate someone making me think, or learn something, or showing me a new way to do something. Farris: I’ve been on the receiving end. I’m still close to one of my mentors from college [Dr. Eileen Wirth of Creighton University]. One thing that always stuck out to me was her availability. The fact that I maintain that relationship 12 years later is a success. B2B: Can you give us an example of a great experience with mentoring? Robino-West: I did a TEDx Talk last year, and I partly did it to challenge myself. I didn’t think I’d get picked. It was about healing by writing. I got done, and I got in the elevator, and there was someone right there, wanting to know if I could speak to a different group. Rita [Paskowitz, a TEDx Omaha coach] “get ready, you’ll be asked to speak on a regular basis.” so I could see him paying it forward and spoke out. I thought “Wow—you just never know what kind of an impact you will make.” Vasquez: About 10 years ago, I was contacted by someone [Amanda Ponce] to speak in a Latina sorority. We stay in contact, and now she works at MCC. Her growth has been quite dynamic. We’ve always collaborated informally, but now we can do so formally as colleagues. That has been rewarding.” B2B

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

omAHA! | STORY BY ANDREW J. NELSON | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

CONNECTING FAMILIES WITH THEIR LOVED ONES FROM OMAHA TO CANADA LIFELOOP

THERE ARE NOW 11 PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH LIFELOOP, WHICH IS IN 28 STATES AND CANADA.

Amy Johnson

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 23

he idea for an app-based start-up came to Amy Johnson during a stressful transition for her family. In the early 2010s, her husband’s grandmother was in declining health and placed in memory care. The family was unable to keep track of what was happening to Grandma. “We experienced…gaps in communication with her but [also] with the staff, just understanding her daily life…What activities is she going to? What meals is she going to? And more importantly, what is she not going to?’” Johnson says. “Life’s busy for everybody, and being able to have something in place to fill the gaps of her day as well as continue to build kind of a productive relationship with her was the problem we saw.” Amy’s father-in-law provided the inspiration when he asked, “shouldn’t there be an easier way?” That was why, in 2015, Johnson, her husband Kent, and friend Phil Lee founded LifeLoop, an app and a service designed to connect families, engage residents, and streamline senior living operations with a user-friendly platform. Johnson is the CEO. This was her first entrepreneurship. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources and family science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. After graduating in 2004, she found a job at Mutual of Omaha, working there until 2011 in a variety of roles. She then worked for Mid-American Benefits, her father-in-law’s firm until 2014. Johnson volunteered in skilled nursing and senior living communities to learn about the business. It became apparent that the staff needed tools to make their jobs easier and feed information to families in real time.

“IF THE FAMILIES AND THE CARE CENTER ARE TRACKING BEHAVIORS, IT CAN LEAD TO IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS EARLIER.” -COURTNEY SCHMMITZ They built an app that can be used by both senior living communities and the families of their residents that features: • Calendar management • Resident engagement • Family engagement • Photo/video sharing • Transportation management • TV displays of calendars and photos It took about six months to develop the app, which is constantly evolving. Behavior tracking is a key component. It can help residents and families see behavioral changes early. If a resident is not taking part in once-pleasurable pursuits like playing cards or watching The Price is Right, that means something. “Charting all of those things allows you to chart where somebody might be slipping,” says Courtney Schmitz, Life Enrichment Coordinator for Vetter Health Services, one of LifeLoop’s first customers. If the families and the care center are tracking behaviors, it can lead to important conversations earlier. “It’s very much just bridging that gap of what’s going on,” Johnson says.

The service is helpful to family members who live a long way from their loved one. “It has allowed them the ability to have a little bit of peace of mind,” Johnson says. “There is a huge sense of guilt when you move your loved one into a community.” The service is free for families. The company charges the communities, $2 to $6 per resident per month, depending on the size of the community/company. At Vetter, LifeLoop allows staff to chart attendance and rate the engagement of the residents. It beats the chicken-scratch notes of the past. And it is a real time-saver. “It got us out of the office and into the residence more,” Schmitz says. In October 2016, LifeLoop participated in the Rise of the Rest pitch competition and won a $100,000 investment from AOL co-founder Steve Case. “They have been a great support group for us,” Johnson says. “Raising money is definitely a challenging thing to do while you are also growing the company. So that was a wonderful thing.” There are now 11 people involved with LifeLoop, which is in 28 states and Canada. “The possibilities are really endless for the senior industry,” Johnson says. “The baby boomers are coming.” Visit ourlifeloop.com for more information. B2B

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

ON THE RISE | STORY BY SEAN MCCARTHY | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

MAKING A BETTER LIFE FOR HERSELF QUETZALLI PLIEGO OMAÑA REALIZES HER DREAMS

Caption

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 25

ne month after the twin towers fell in New York City, Quetzalli Pliego and her three younger siblings crossed the boarder of Mexico into the United States to reunite with their mother and father. It took Quetzalli (now Quetzalli Pliego Omaña) and her siblings five tries on chilly October nights to finally meet up with her mother and father. Omaña said they were usually detained in the middle of the night by Immigration and Naturalization Services agents and sent back to the border. Finally, they were able to travel in a vehicle. Omaña remembers leaving the vehicle, getting into a bus, and traveling to a town near the border where her mother and father were waiting for them. She hadn’t seen either of them in two years. Omaña said it took about 10 days from their first attempt to cross the border until they were finally reunited as a family. Omaña now hears similar stories from other undocumented citizens as a bilingual paralegal at Blackford Law. She is also one of the 800,000 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, which was announced by former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, at the direction of former President Barack Obama. The policy allows Omaña to continue to work in the United States, and defers any deportation action for two years (provided the recipient is not convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanors).

“I LOVE WHAT I DO AND WHERE I WORK.” -QUETZALLI PLIEGO OMAÑA

WITHOUT A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, SHE COULDN’T FIND A TRADITIONAL FULL-TIME JOB. In September 2017, President Donald Trump moved to end DACA. However, three U.S. district courts have challenged the Trump administration’s move to end the program. Under DACA, Omaña is able to both stay in the United States and obtain a work permit. Recipients need to renew their status every two years. While those under DACA’s protections will not face deportation, the program is not a path to citizenship. Those wanting to become citizens must first apply to become a lawful permanent resident and obtain a green card. While DACA’s fate is in the courts, people who currently have protection under DACA can apply to renew its protections, says Jacob Huju, an immigration lawyer for the Immigrant Legal Center. Huju recommends applicants contact the Nebraska Immigration Legal Assistance Hotline if they are concerned about their DACA status.

Unlike many undocumented citizens who come to the United States for a better life, Omaña did not want to move to the United States when she was 12. She was already in middle school and had her own group of friends. “At the time, my friends were everything to me,” Omaña says. Things didn’t get much better during her first years in Omaha. At the beginning of middle school, she only knew some basic words. Her mother and father took night classes to learn English, leaving Omaña to not only learn a new language, but help her siblings with their homework. “We were just alone,” Omaña says.

“It’s important to seek advice as soon as possible,” Huju says. Omaña’s father, Armando Pliego, moved to Omaha in 1998. Her mother, Micaela Dominguez, came to Omaha in 1999. Armando, who was a professor in agriculture in Mexico, started bussing tables at an Omaha mall before finding a job in construction. While Armando and Micaela were establishing their roots in Omaha, Omaña and her siblings were living with her uncles and cousins in Cuernavaca, which is about 60 miles south of Mexico City. While she was away from her mother and father, Omaña said she was physically abused by some extended family members.

Things changed when she started at North High School. Soon, she was becoming active in community groups like Omaha Together One Community. Omaña started thinking about college, but her guidance counselor said she couldn’t secure scholarships or student loans because of her status as undocumented. Still, her community activism gained the attention of the College of Saint Mary, specifically Maria Luisa Gaston, who was the admissions counselor for Latinas in 2006. CONT. PAGE 26

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VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

FROM PAGE 25 Gaston thought the College of Saint Mary needed to reach out to the Latina community. Specifically, she wanted to target undocumented high school graduates. Gaston began working on securing funding for the Misericordia scholarship, which provides tuition for high school graduates who are also undocumented. Omaña was one the scholarship’s recipients.

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Gaston says at least 50 scholarships have been awarded since she began raising funds for it in 2007. According to Daniela Rojas, admissions adviser at the College of St. Mary, 36 students are currently on the scholarship. Gaston said Omaña’s leadership skills were one of the reasons why she was awarded the scholarship. “She’s always been one of my shining stars,” Gaston says from her home in Miami, to where she retired in October 2014. Omaña graduated from the College of Saint Mary in 2010 with a degree in paralegal studies. However, the degree couldn’t secure her a job because of her status. Without a Social Security card, she couldn’t find a traditional full-time job. Instead, she set up her own business, Pliego Translation Services. For a few years, she worked as a translator for a few law firms in Omaha. Then, in 2013, she applied for DACA, which grants recipients work permits. In early 2014, she got a job as a paralegal at Peck Law Firm, where she met attorney Brian Blackford. Blackford established his own firm in October of that year, and he reached out to Omaña to take a paralegal position. Even though Omaña still had several months left on her DACA eligibility, she applied for a renewal in May 2018. She was approved in August, and her status is now protected until August 2020. Omaña chose to proactively renew her status because she was uncertain of DACA’s fate in the courts. “With our current president, anything could just end,” Omaña says.

8 Consecutive Years ®

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OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 27

Omaña’s other family members are now permanent residents—her parents are both citizens, sister Xochitl became a lawful permanent resident in November 2012, brother Armando in June 2014, and sister Citalli gained permanent resident status in July 2017 after she married a U.S. citizen. Omaña wasn’t able to become a citizen after her parents obtained their citizenship because she was older than 21 at the time. She could have become a lawful permanent resident in the United States when her father and mother were applying for their green cards; however, while her parents were in the process of becoming permanent residents, an Omaha attorney, who Omaña refused to identify, said her father couldn’t put Omaña on his application. Omaña said the attorney later confided to her that he wished he knew the law better when he was advising her family. “I think it was malpractice, honestly,” Omaña says. “I’ve talked to multiple attorneys now, and it’s pretty obvious what the law reads.” Omaña has married, but the man she married is a lawful permanent resident (not a U.S. citizen). As a result, her application to obtain a visa is given a lower priority than people who marry U.S. citizens. While she waits for her resident status to improve, she plans to continue to help people in similar situations. “I love what I do and where I work,” Omaña says. Visit blackfordlawllc.com for more information about the firm employing Omaña.

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28 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS STORIES BY KARA SCHWEISS PHOTOS BY JEREMY ALLEN WIECZOREK, KATY ANDERSON, AND PROVIDED

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According to a 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Labor, women comprised 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force. That same study found that women comprise 91.1 percent of registered nurses, but also 66.1 percent of tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents, and 59.3 percent of all insurance writers. The National Association of Women Business Owners revealed in 2015 that women-owned firms account for 31 percent of all privately held firms. The women on these sponsored pages own or represent a variety of businesses, from those that have been traditionally male-dominated, to those run by all-female teams, to those that encourage diversity in the workplace. They are advertising professionals, real estate agents, urban planners, and more. B2B

DECEMBER · JANUARY | 29

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COX COMMUNICATIONS ASHLEY PERKINS After

earning a degree in journalism, Ashley Perkins was expecting to work in one kind of communications field, but ended up in another.

“Early on in my career I was one of a few women in technology,” she says. “I was hired for a Southwestern Bell management program, and my very first job was in their information systems data center. I read a lot of manuals.” In hindsight, it turned out to be a perfect path. Perkins works for Cox Communications today, serving as the Cox Business Vice President with responsibilities for Nebraska, Iowa, and Idaho. “It’s interesting when I look back, because I was no longer intimidated by technology from that point on. You just never know what experience is going to lead you to something else,” she says. “It’s been fascinating and I’ve loved learning and getting to interact with different businesses for so many years. There are some amazing people out there doing some cool and exciting things. I get a lot of joy in seeing what is going on in our community.”

Cox supports its commercial customers of all sizes by solving problems and finding solutions through technology, Perkins explains. “I find it funny that people still call us ‘Cox Cable.’ We’re really more than your grandma’s cable company, especially in my world, where I have some of the smartest and brightest technology folks on my team,” Perkins says. “When you look at the litany of things we provide, we’re definitely more than internet and cable. We provide hospitality services for conference centers and hotels. We provide cloud services from Outlook 365 to all kinds of network and computer security. We provide health care solutions through a company we own called Trapollo. We offer sensor automation sensors for communities, like the ability to monitor water meters.” Perkins says she’s proud of how her team can relate with business owners and representatives to explain complicated concepts in simple, accessible terms. “While it’s very technical, when you get right down to it, it’s still consulting with a company and talking about how they can make money, save money, and build a business,” she says.

While the technology field has evolved, the familyowned Cox Communications has remained unchanged in some fundamental ways, including being involved in the communities where it provides services. “We support STEM education, especially for females, in the community. It’s a passion for us,” Perkins said, explaining that the company provides grant funding and direct services for local schools and various youth-serving groups like Boys & Girls Clubs. Another important initiative is diversity. Perkins herself serves on the board of directors of Urban League, and her team is involved with 75 North’s development efforts. “I am amazed at what Urban League and 75 North are doing,” she says. “And we are focused on the talent and mindset that comes with having a diverse workforce. Part of that is trying to make sure Omaha looks that way, too. I think we are on the right track and I’d love to see more.” 11505 W. DODGE ROAD OMAHA, NE 68154 402.934.3223 COX.COM

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COBALT CREDIT UNION GAIL DEBOER Guiding

her company to a banner year and crossing the elusive $1 billion in assets mark isn’t enough for Cobalt Credit Union CEO Gail DeBoer.

After tirelessly championing growth through authenticity and collaboration, DeBoer wants more—more growth, more branches and more members—so she can expand Cobalt’s model of people helping people into more communities, which she believes will bring hope, growth, and opportunity to cities and towns across America. Collaborative Culture Critical to Success One of only about 40 female CEOs of 3,000 credit unions with over $750 million in assets, DeBoer is seeing the banking industry slowly become more diverse in its leadership. Since being promoted to CEO in 2007, DeBoer has filled about half of open leadership positions during her tenure with women, by focusing not on candidates’ gender, but their qualifications and fit with the collaborative culture she’s been careful to craft.

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Culture has been important to DeBoer since she was working as a senior internal auditor for Enron. After meeting then-CEO of Enron Kenneth Lay, DeBoer had a sense that he and the culture he was bringing to the company couldn’t be trusted.

“Most people still thought you had to be in the military to join our credit union, which isn’t true,” she says. “We had to overcome that perception.”

Following her gut proved to be worth the pay cut she took to leave Enron and become the first internal auditor in Cobalt’s history. Over the next 20 years, DeBoer would see her company grow from five to 25 branches, and from $100 million to $1 billion in assets.

More research and plenty of honest, internal discussions led DeBoer, board members, and DeBoer’s team to conclude that a new charter and a name change were the ingredients necessary for growth.

Three Important Decisions While her first step in achieving such success was a decision to leave Enron, three critical moves as CEO helped DeBoer set Cobalt on its current trajectory. “I felt that investing in training for our employees; opening more branches, specifically in retail locations to make our services more convenient for members; and conducting market research to understand what people thought of us would be critical for our growth,” she says. DeBoer and her team learned that they were Omaha’s best-kept secret—members trusted them completely but non-members didn’t even consider them.

DeBoer’s Growth Strategy Starts with Her Team

“You need a team who trusts you and people who are willing to share what’s on their mind without fear of retribution for dissent,” she says. “At the end of the day, my team knew I had the final decision on proposing our charter and name change to the board, but everyone had input into that decision so it really was a rich, collaborative process.” After leading her company to a historic precipice, DeBoer’s intuition and the collaborative culture she has created should propel Cobalt to yet higher levels of success. 7148 TOWNE CENTER PARKWAY PAPILLION, NE 68046 402.292.8000 COBALTCU.COM

DECEMBER · JANUARY | 31

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REVELA REVELA TEAM Revela is all about helping others succeed, says Andrea Fredrickson, who founded the company in 1989 with her father, Wayne Nielsen. “We work with businesses who are looking to have a culture of continuous improvement, who are looking for ways to add value for their customers,” she explains. Throughout the year, Revela schedules classes at the company’s Omaha office for its most requested supervisory, leadership, and productivity programs. However, the company has a nationwide clientele, including some businesses with multiple locations, so facilitators will travel to provide training, consulting, and assessment services customized for each client. “We don’t do a lot of ‘tell-you-how-it-is’ thinking… It’s not just going to be one way,” Fredrickson says, explaining that Revela facilitators strive to be passionate, authentic, partner-centric, transparent, and empathetic mentors. Methods are founded in research and experience, and proven by real-life situations. “Our process is more that of discovery. We give people information and then they determine how it relates to them and what they can or should do with it.”

In addition to its founders, the Revela team includes Cameron Van Hoose, Courtney Fisher, Jessica Vangrud, Michelle Hill, and Lona Smart. All facilitators have a degree in business, management, or organizational behavior/psychology, but each brings specific professional experience to the table. “Our people have different, unique skills. So you will probably have more than one person involved with a client,” Fredrickson says. “Our facilitators have either owned a business or run a business for an absent owner.”

Company doctrine includes the belief that everyone has value, that everyone deserves a chance at success, and in the untapped human potential. Revela’s approach to development “goes beyond the expected” to help individuals discover their strengths, transform their weaknesses, and experience an even greater level of personal and professional growth. Development is not a one-time effort, Fredrickson adds. Companies and people evolve. “A culture of continuous improvement” means being open to always moving forward and looking for ways to do better and be better.

The facilitators have managed across multiple areas of a company, with responsibility for employees, budgets, systems and procedures, outside inspections, and more, she adds.

“It’s an ongoing process. As soon as we hit the mountaintop, there’s another,” she says.

The team represents not only a diversity of experiences and industries, but also a cross-section of generations, and employee turnover is unusually low, Fredrickson says. “People don’t want to leave.”

And that goes for the Revela team, too. The company strives to constantly improve and for its people to grow professionally, or as she puts it, “We absolutely make sure we walk the walk.”

“We’re collaborative and we challenge each other for the betterment of each other but also for the betterment of the client. And we’re not afraid of fun,” she adds. “We’re a group of people who are driven but are fun-loving, professional, and individually unique, and we have common values.”

1508 LEAVENWORTH ST. OMAHA, NE 68102 712.322.1112 REVELAGROUP.COM

32 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

OBI CREATIVE MEDIA BUYING TEAM To create a company at all is a precarious endeavor wrought with perseverance and tinged with equal parts fear, failure, passion, and improvement. To then grow that business from a small cluster of close-knit colleagues to a crew approaching 50 professionals is an equally perilous venture. Yet that is exactly the adventure that Mary Ann O’Brien has led her talented team of industry veterans (Pictured here: front row, from left: Lana LeGrand and Valerie Sutko; and back row, from left:- AnnMarie Fereday, Mary Wajda, Mary Ann O’Brien and Teri Vierregger) on over the past two years. Through strategic acquisitions and smart hiring, OBI brought media buying, web development, and digital services in house, complementing its existing strengths in research, integrated PR and communications, integrated marketing planning, account services, and of course, creative execution. From its new home in the Lumberyard District, this female-led enterprise champions bold, informed, results-oriented marketing and advertising. While nearly all of OBI’s departments are helmed by women, the media department, which is the agency’s most recent addition, adds a critical capability to OBI’s wheelhouse.

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OBI’s Female-Led Media Buying Department Stacked with Industry Vets Led by industry veteran and former MediaWorks owner Teri Vierregger and OBI Director of Planning and Activation AnnMarie Fereday, OBI’s media buying team closes the loop opened with research by sealing campaigns with results. They, along with Account Director Mary Wajda and Resource and Reporting Manager Valerie Sutko, direct traditional and new media planning and buying activities for clients in Omaha and across the globe. “We have the full resources of the Customer Research & Data Science Department at our disposal to hone exactly who we need to target with our ad buys,” says Vierregger. “Add to that our expertise in knowing where to find those ideal audiences and we are creating immensely effective campaigns for businesses.” Integrity is Essential to Results at OBI From inception through execution, OBI has the professionals in place to ensure it targets the right people at the right time with the right message for its clients. OBI pairs that excellence with a strong commitment to transparency in its operations, a reality that was affirmed recently with an Integrity Award from the Better Business Bureau.

“I am honored every time someone entrusts us with their business and was deeply moved when we won an Integrity Award,” says OBI CEO and Founder Mary Ann O’Brien. “Nothing matters more to me than acting with integrity as we achieve results for clients. What that looks like on a daily basis when it comes to media strategy and buying is reconciling every ad buy after it runs to ensure our clients got what they paid for. It means choosing placements that generate results from real humans and not bots, but in a larger sense, beyond media buying, a genuine commitment to integrity means acting in our clients’ best interest at all times.” At OBI, year-over-year double-digit growth, an ever-expanding team, and burgeoning client base show that acting with integrity, delivering intelligent communications plans, and achieving serious results for businesses in media buying and beyond go hand in hand. 4909 S. 135TH ST., SUITE NO. 200 OMAHA, NE 68137 402.493.7999 INFO@OBICREATIVE.COM OBICREATIVE.COM

DECEMBER · JANUARY | 33

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AUCTION SOLUTIONS, INC.

ELMAN PRINT

SHAYNE FILI

KELSEY ELMAN GOLDSMITH

As its name suggests, Auction Solutions is an auction marketing service

When Kelsey Elman Goldsmith describes her workplace as a “family,” she’s not

provider. But the company actually fills multiple niches, President and Owner Shayne Fili says.

talking about just the people there who happen to be related to her. Although she’s the third generation involved in the company founded by her grandparents 40 years ago, when she says “family,” she means everyone at Elman Print.

“We are a full-service real estate brokerage,” she says. “We are USPAP-certified appraisers. We perform appraisal services for personal property, from a divorce valuation household to a college that has closed and is seeking valuation of the donation to a complete farm operation which is having difficulty financially; I have counted chickens.” Auction Solutions handles all facets of an estate, starting with the initial walkthrough, then the auction preparation, execution, and follow-up. The company also prepares the property for showing and manages the real estate transaction. “Our auctioneers are also benefit auction specialists, which adds a professional touch—and many times, insight—to the benefit auctions we work closely with to exceed their expectations for a gala event,” Fili adds. “And we have many licenses to provide professional and lawful liquidations for our clients: we hold liquor, federal firearms, auto auction dealer, and real estate broker licenses.” The company has cultivated longstanding relationships with appraisal clients who rely on Auction Solutions to value items which may be disagreed upon for a trial. “Our long-term clients like our consistency and rapid response time,” Fili says. The woman-owned Auction Solutions has a nearly all-female team, aside from Vice President Mark Beacom. Fili says the women of the company represent a wide range of professional expertise and have created a friendly and accepting workplace. “The workplace atmosphere at Auction Solutions is relaxed, but consistently produces great results.” 7811 MILITARY AVE. OMAHA, NE 68134 402.571.0393 AUCTIONSOLUTIONSINC.COM

“It’s very much ‘all for one, one for all,’ a team atmosphere with everyone working together toward a common goal. Everyone is here for the same reason: to put out a quality product the client is going to be happy with,” she says. “It’s a cohesive group where everyone is looking out for each other and the client.” Printing was once a male-dominated industry, Goldsmith says. Not so much anymore. “We have women throughout our whole operation here. We have women who are sales representatives, women in our prepress department that work with graphics, and a couple of women out on our [production] floor. They are just part of the team,” she says. Striving for perfection with every single piece is why Elman Print has thrived for four decades as other printing companies have come and gone, Goldsmith says. “What differentiates us from the competition is our customer service, our attention to detail, and the quality of product we put out,” Goldsmith says. “We have the capability to print any project, whether it would be 250 business cards or 50,000 64-page catalogs. Companies need a little bit of everything, and we’re able to fulfill any need they have for printing…They can say, ‘Elman’s got it. Elman will take care of it.’” 6210 S. 118TH ST. OMAHA, NE 68137 402.346.0888 ELMANPRINT.COM

34 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES VICKI KOVAR As a Realtor since 2005, more than 80 percent of Vicki Kovar’s business comes through referrals from previous buyers and sellers. “I am helping so many of them now buy their second or third home as their needs, or their family’s needs, grow. Some of my buyers and sellers recommend me to their parents who are downsizing or moving to assisted living,” she says. “I especially love working with veterans. I offer them a discount through our Military Advantage Program whether they are buying or selling.” She also enjoys meeting with people who have relocated, or are considering doing so. “I love showing off Omaha and neighboring communities to them. They are absolutely amazed at what a gem this area is.” For the third year in a row, Kovar has received the Omaha’s Choice Award for Realtor. “I really feel my clients appreciate that I care about their transaction from all aspects. I know and understand what a huge undertaking it is to move,” she says. “Nothing is trivial; it is all important in the process.” 331 VILLAGE POINTE PLAZA OMAHA NE 68118 402.660.9300 VICKIKOVAR.COM

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BLOOM COMPANION CARE GRETCHEN RADLER Gretchen Radler understands what her clients are experiencing. It was the challenges and lessons in finding the right kind of care for her own beloved in-laws that inspired her to create Bloom Companion Care in the first place. “Every household is unique,” Radler emphasizes. Rather than assigning any available caregiver, Bloom uses an interview process to really get to know clients, with the objective of matching them up with the right caregivers. Opening one’s home to a caregiver is a big step, and trust is important, she says. “We build up the relationship gradually, more naturally,” Radler says. Services are similarly customized so the companion care is unique to the client’s, and family’s, needs and schedules. Respect and dignity are emphasized at every step, and conscientious communication ensures that adjustments are made to continue connecting aging loved ones to the outside world as their abilities shift. “It’s a wonderful thing to assist somebody in staying as autonomous as possible,” Radler says. “They still have so many things to teach us.” 9290 W. DODGE ROAD, SUITE NO. 102 OMAHA, NE 68114 402.342.3040 BLOOMCOMPANION.COM

LEYDEN, THOMAS AND ASSOCIATES ANGELIA THOMAS As

a financial adviser with Leyden, Thomas & Associates, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Angelia Thomas helps her clients determine both their financial goals and how to achieve them.

“It might be early retirement, it might be educating kids, it might be purchasing a second home,” she says. “I work with a lot of professional women. Women are a special niche because we live longer than men, we traditionally are paid less than men and we have a tendency to be the caregivers. So it is important that women become financially educated…and I am a very big proponent of financial planning, especially when it comes to retirement. We have to be in a position to finance our living expenses for 20-30 years, maybe more.” The emphasis is on finding the best financial solution for a client’s specific goals rather than focusing on the investments, Thomas says. And she makes sure she knows her clients well by meeting with them regularly for “financial planning meetings.” “Each household is like a business, working toward its financial goals,” Thomas explains. “We help families get there.” 17310 WRIGHT ST., SUITE NO. 102 OMAHA, NE 68130 402.697.7320 AMERIPRISEADVISORS.COM/TEAM/ LEYDEN-THOMAS-ASSOCIATES

DECEMBER · JANUARY | 35

SPONSORED CONTENT

HEARTS AND FIRE LORI KIRKPATRICK TAHNEE CHEDEL Hearts and Fire

INGERSOLL RAND

TLR COACHING

BARBARA CHRISTIANSON

ROBIN SPENCER

Barbara Christianson already had industrial sales experience when she joined

Life Coach Robin Spencer does not want return

Ingersoll Rand Compression Technologies and Services in 2000 as a sales coordinator, but her clients—spanning sectors from retail to medical to manufacturing—were nevertheless often surprised at that first meeting or phone call.

business. Because TLR, which stands for The Lifestyle Resolution, is about transformation.

“People would say to me, ‘How did a girl like you get to selling air compressors?’” she says. Her outstanding product knowledge and exceptional communication and interpersonal skills not only made her a successful salesperson, but led to advancement. Christianson now serves as the business manager for the busy Omaha office, which provides sales and service covering Nebraska, Iowa, and the Dakotas. And Christianson’s title isn’t the only thing that changed in her workplace over the years. “Back in the days after I was hired, there were only two of us women: the business manager and me. Everybody else was male,” she says. “But now we have more women than men.” Everyone is treated with respect, Christianson says. “The seven women that are here in the office, we get along well,” she says. “It’s a small office, so we have to.” Christianson says she’s proud to work for a company that offers both men and women opportunities for career development. “What I’ve noticed since I’ve been here is that it isn’t a man’s world,” she says. “There are women in (executive) and management positions, and it’s based off experience and fit, not because a person is male or female,” she says. “It’s the personality, and the experience, and the ability to work with your team.” 13205 CENTENNIAL ROAD OMAHA, NE 68138 402.330.5831 INGERSOLLRANDPRODUCTS.COM

“I’m really hoping they don’t come back,” she says, explaining that her guidance helps clients reach their potential by transforming issues that stand in the way of a more fulfilling life. “It’s my desire to equip them with the resources to be that awesome leader they are supposed to be.” That leadership can be for families, organizations, or even one’s own life, Spencer says, adding that her education and professional background enhance her skills as a life coach, but faith is also an important piece of it. “All of that makes me who I am and empowers me to do the things I do for God.” One treasured niche is a program she developed for Christian leaders. “It equips them to be the forerunner on behaviorand action-oriented changes so they can get the desired result they want for their team,” she explains. “It’s for those want to lead and those who want additional resources to take them to the next level.” ROBIN@TLRCOACHING.COM TLRCOACHING.COM

is owned and operated by motherdaughter team Lori Kirkpatrick and Tahnee Chedel, who offer furniture, accessories, and one-of-a-kind pieces. “I have studied the Omaha market for several years, and we feel there was a need for a little drama, excitement, and personality mixed into this city,” explains Kirkpatrick. She is a Nebraska native who also owns a successful furniture store in Arizona and yearned to move back to her home state to be close to her children and grandchildren. Chedel plays an active role in the buying and operations of the company. The stores are known for appealing to every demographic. 11015 ELM ST. OMAHA, NE 68144 402.884.1106 @HEARTSFIRECO ON FACEBOOK

36 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

NAI NP DODGE

RDG PLANNING & DESIGN

STEPHANIE CLARK

CRYSTAL CUNNINGHAM, LEA SCHUSTER, AMY HAASE

“There’s no mistaking the fact that commercial real estate is a male-dominated industry,” says Commercial Real Estate Broker Stephanie Clark. “But each year, more and more women get their start in the field.” Clark joined NAI NP Dodge in 2016 and is proud to be part of a company that values diversity, she says. “Women bring a certain dynamic to the table. At NAI NP Dodge, men and women are supportive of each other and we partner on deals particularly when it’s needed at the beginning of one’s career. Agents helping agents is a wonderful thing.” The company’s president, Deb Graeve, is also female, Clark points out. “To my knowledge, she is the only female president of a commercial brokerage in Omaha,” Clark says. “Deb hires for competency and is supportive of our career goals.” It’s a good time to be in what she calls a “dynamic industry.” “Omaha has a great deal of development happening right now,” she says. “Unlike stocks or bonds, commercial real estate is a tangible asset. People like to own real property.” As a broker, Clark’s focus is to help owners find tenants for their buildings and to help businesses of all sizes find spaces to fit their unique needs. “I think like an owner when it comes to buying and selling. People generally want to do business with people they like and trust,” she says. “In addition, I work with the long term in mind. Long-term relationships are important to me. I’m not looking for a deal as much as a valued relationship with my clients.” 12915 W. DODGE ROAD OMAHA, NE 68154 402.255.6070 NAINPDODGE.COM

RDG is a multi-disciplinary firm of architects, planners, interior designers, landscape architects, artists, and graphic designers. “Our diversity fosters purposeful problem-solving and design solutions for places, spaces, and things from an atmosphere of energy and engagement that is special to RDG. What also makes RDG unique is our deeply seeded belief in collaborating with mission-driven clients for the betterment of our communities. We seek meaning in all we do. We ‘Create. Meaning. Together,’” Environmental Graphic Designer Lea Schuster says. ‘Create. Meaning. Together.’ is the company’s ‘Why’; the core of how the RDG team works together with its clients. Interior Designer Crystal Cunningham says, “This, along with RDG’s culture and collaborative nature, continually raises the bar to produce the best solutions. The space at RDG matches the company’s effort to collaborate,” she says. “RDG is creative with open communication. Our office is designed for staff to work together, with communal space to swap ideas, which is important as the best projects come from collaboration.” Principal and Urban Planner Amy Haase says that company culture is one of RDG’s best assets. “The culture a leadership team creates is one of the most important aspects of a successful business. It must be part of every decision. Creating a strong culture where people feel engaged and valued is what we strive to do every day,” she explains. “Equally, if not more important, is RDG’s staff. RDG employees are some of the most creative problem solvers I have ever had the pleasure to be around, many of those being women. They take great pride in their work, communities, and families.” 900 FARNAM ST., SUITE NO. 100 OMAHA, NE 68102 402.392.0133 RDGUSA.COM

DECEMBER · JANUARY | 37

SPONSORED CONTENT

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NOREEN THELEN

KELLY BURNS

Lombardo’s

is a family-owned independent restaurant, but its husband-and-wife owners, Noreen and Jeff, actually have the surname Thelen. The Lombardos were Noreen Thelen’s maternal grandparents.

Since she founded Payroll Professionals, Inc. in 2004, President/Owner Kelly Burns has offered a full spectrum of services: accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll. She also offers QuickBooks consulting, setup, and training.

“They were full-blooded Italian, so when we were talking about naming the restaurant, that was the first thing that came to mind,” Thelen says. “We’re an Italian bistro with an American flair. We wanted to have a place where people could go to have really good Italian food, but also have other options.”

“We handle full accounting [services], and we can even set up new businesses from the ground up,” she says. Burns—a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree from College of Saint Mary— and her all-female staff have decades of collective experience that makes them well-equipped to tailor services for a diverse group of local and regional clients.

Great food, attentive service and a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere have built a loyal clientele for the two-year-old business, Thelen says. Within a broad selection of entrees that also includes some gluten-free fare, the menu features Grandpa and Grandma Lombardo’s recipes for spaghetti sauce and meatballs. “My grandfather would never go into a restaurant and order any kind of spaghetti sauce because it was never as good as his,” she says. “Both he and my grandma were great cooks. So as a tribute to him, I wanted to have a restaurant my grandfather would have wanted to come to.” 13110 BIRCH DR. OMAHA, NE 68164 402.884.9800 LOMBARDOSOMAHA.COM

Burns has a special understanding of the needs of small business owners, who use her company’s services so they can focus on their day-to-day operations. She also works with corporations and larger businesses. Her loyal clients, big and small, praise Payroll Professionals’ reliability, accuracy, and quality. “I think what distinguishes us is that we give the client personal attention,” she says. “We’re a smaller office, so when clients call, email, or drop by they’re always dealing with one of the three of us versus always reaching a different person.” 2829 S. 88TH ST. OMAHA, NE 68124 402.618.2804 PAYROLLPROFESSIONALSOMAHA.COM

TEAM SOFTWARE JILL DAVIE TEAM

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Respect, integrity, and excellent service govern all interactions with customers, explains President Jill Davie. Those qualities also create a great place to work. “TEAM is an intriguing company to women because of our culture and values. One of our three original founders was a woman and we have embraced women in leadership roles throughout the history of the company. Tech is a traditionally male-dominated industry and we’re proud of our strong representation of women on our executive and management teams, many of whom have been promoted from within,” she adds. “We also recognize the importance of family and our people’s passions outside of work. We provide flexible work arrangements so that our team members are able to strike a healthy balance between their career goals and spending quality time doing the things they love.” 407 S. 27TH AVE. OMAHA, NE 68131 800.500.4499 TEAMSOFTWARE.COM

38 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 5

ASID AWARDS BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS INTERIOR DESIGNS ASID WINNERS

Great interior design can turn any workplace into a showcase. From large corporate offices to small mom-and-pop storefronts, whatever the tone that proprietors desire for their office space, professional interior designers can turn ideas into reality. Here are the Nebraska/Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers’ 2018 commercial winners of the chapter’s annual design contest, impactFULL.

HILTON GARDEN INN

Location: Iowa City, downtown Designers: Marilyn S. Hansen, FASID & Evan Thompson, Allied ASID Company: The Designers Photographer: Marilyn S. Hansen This new-build hotel, the tallest building in downtown Iowa City, is popular with students and young professionals because of its 12th-floor bar and restaurant. The designers created a unique and welcoming ambiance for both locals and tourists who visit.

THE LUND COMPANY, BLAND & ASSOCIATES EXPANSION

Location: Omaha Designers: Julie Hockney, Allied ASID & Rachael Cavanaugh, Allied ASID Company: jh Interior Design Studio Photographer: Tom Kessler Bold patterns in neutral colors provide a stunning backdrop layered in pops of “wow” colors and space full of textures: planked wood walls, wall coverings, mixed flooring patterns, and 3D wall panels just to name a few. The sight lines were crucial, and the designers carefully studied and designed each one.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 39

WESTPORT CLUBHOUSE

Location: Omaha Designers: Lisa McCoid, AIA, ASID & Alexis Trout, Allied ASID Company: D3 Interiors Photographer: Kipp Abrescit The design solutions implemented into the space have created an open and inviting clubhouse space for the tenants to enjoy and use on a daily basis. The concept was to create a “contemporary coastal” design while still appealing to the Nebraska residents. The design solution was met by creating a neutral base color pallet with shades of grays, white, and blues layered with persimmon and teal. Gold accents were then added with the use of a dimensional wall panel behind the TV, cabinet hardware, lighting, and accessories.

ALLEN CAPITAL GROUP

Project name: Allen Capital Group Location: Omaha Designers: Julie Odermatt, ASID & Rachel Costello, Allied ASID Company: D3 Interiors Photographer: Amoura Productions This financial planning company wanted the initial impact as clients walked in to reflect the level of service they provide. To achieve that, the designers incorporated high-end finishes, modern-style furnishings, and accessories.

40 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

FEATURE | STORY BY LEO ADAM BIGA AND DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

CATHY HUGHES FORGING A MEDIA EMPIRE BY DISRUPTING THE STATUS QUO

HUGHES ALSO JUMP-STARTED LAGGING ADVERTISING SALES, TAKING THEM FROM $250,000 TO $3 MILLION IN THE FIRST YEAR.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 41

isruptors don’t ask permission. Omaha native and media mogul Cathy Hughes built the first leg of her Urban One media conglomerate by being a disruptor. Nearly 40 years after purchasing her first radio station, Hughes has built an empire that includes 54 radio stations with 15 million weekly listeners; TV One, which serves 59 million households; Reach Media, home of the Al Sharpton Show; and a variety of digital platforms. She has a reported net worth of more than $450 million. None of it would have been possible, she says, without what she learned in her hometown of Omaha, where she was born to a family of high achievers. “My mother, father, and grandfather were very committed to trying to improve the plight of our people, and I inherited that,” says Hughes. She started working in media as a teenager at the Omaha Star newspaper. She learned from Star publisher Mildred Brown and editor Charles Washington that information is power, and that black media is not just about a business, it is about a community service. In her early 20s, she began volunteering for KOWH, which had recently been bought by a group of prominent African-Americans in Omaha who changed the station’s format from edgier, independent music to jazz, R&B, pop, and soul music that appealed to African-Americans. “I had always, as a child, aspired to be on the microphone,” says Hughes. “With KOWH, I was, for the first time, exposed to management positions, sales positions, and others, performed by AfricanAmericans. Their example inspired me to become a broadcast owner of what, ultimately, became the largest black media company in the world.”

Tony Brown, host of the PBS show Black Journal, which became Tony Brown’s Journal, once appeared in Omaha and was so impressed with Hughes that he invited her to be a lecturer at Howard University despite the fact she was not a college graduate herself. “He saw that I was so hungry for the opportunity and that this was a passion for me,” Hughes says. Hughes parlayed that opportunity to become D.C.’s first female general manager of a radio station when she took the reins at the university’s radio station, WHUR, in 1973. She grew ad revenues and helped WHUR go national after creating the program The Quiet Storm, which hundreds of stations across the country adopted. The ambitious Hughes advanced from manager to owner when, in 1980, she and then-husband Dewey Hughes purchased radio station WOL in a distress sale, an FCC sale in which the price is discounted by 33 1/3 percent if the station is sold to a woman or minority. In this case, the station was appraised at $1.4 million, so Hughes paid $1 million. The down payment was 10 percent, or $100,000. The FCC also required the new owner to have a year’s worth of operating capital, in this case, $600,000. “I raised $100,000 from 10 investors—each putting in $10,000 a piece, and then I borrowed the rest,” Hughes says. Hughes wanted to take the station in a different direction. The new owners conducted a format search in this heavily populated radio market and discovered that, while Washington had several black radio stations, there was a hole in the market for news and talk radio specifically programmed for the black community. With this information, Hughes found her market, and her dollar amount. CONT. PAGE 42

42 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

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“Because I was changing formats, I wanted a $250,000 cushion [on top of the $600,000], so overall I was looking for $1.8 million,” Hughes says. “This was turned down by 32 different banks. The 33rd presentation was to a Puerto Rican woman banker—and she said yes. She was the one that made the difference.” She dubbed her new 24-hour-a-day news format “Information is Power.” Hughes also jump-started lagging advertising sales, taking them from $250,000 to $3 million in the first year. Although she knew she could make it work, her lenders were not so sure once they started seeing numbers. “The prime interest rate at that was in the mid-20s. My loan was 2 points over prime, so there were months when I was paying close to 30 percent interest on $1 million, and I could not always make the payment,” Hughes says. She was told she needed to go back to an allmusic format because it was a lower cost. Hughes said no. She loved this market, and she wanted to fill the need. She initially scaled back on the news talk programs, but added them back in as money allowed. But she was not content with owning WOL. “I always wanted more than one station,” she says. In 1987, Hughes purchased her second station, WMMJ in Washington, which began to turn a profit once she converted it from an easy-listening station into a rhythm-and-blues station. Her vision and ambition helped her to create a radio network, seeking opportunity where others saw failure.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 43

“Keep your eyes on the prize,” Hughes advises other business owners. “Don’t let anyone discourage you. The best way is to keep the hard times to yourself. You have to be very careful if you are a woman, especially a woman of color, to not let people know about the hard times.”

Serving Omaha

YEARS

That stoic attitude, combined with understanding that challenges will come, has helped her persevere. “Anyone who goes into business is going to have challenges,” says Hughes. “You have an up cycle, you have a down cycle. The key is figuring out whether or not you have longevity.” Hughes’ business has mostly been in an up cycle. In 1999 she became the first African-American woman to chair a publicly traded company. After the multi-billion dollar company went public, the ever-driven Hughes kicked into high gear, purchasing more than 20 radio stations in 2000 alone, 12 of them in a package deal with iHeart Radio (then ClearChannel) in a $1.3 billion deal. At the time, it was the largest business acquisition by a black business owner. “I hope that record has been broken,” says Hughes. The media magnate added a television network to her holdings in 2004 when her son, Alfred Liggins III, launched TV One. The company again saw opportunity within the black entertainment community, aiming to serve African-Americans over age 30 as BET, the other major black TV station, primarily serves African-American youth. Though Liggins now runs things on a day-by-day basis, Hughes is still involved with the business, and remains the public face of the company, now known as Urban One. She says she will keep working on bringing media opportunities to her community. “I don’t see it as success yet; I still see it as a work in progress,” Hughes says. Visit urban1.com for more information. B2B

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44 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

FEATURE | STORY BY CAROL CRISSEY NIGRELLI | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

THE GROWING BUSINESS OF KEEPING WOMEN SAFE SELF-DEFENSE AND KICKBOXING CLASSES ON THE RISE

AN ESTIMATED ONE IN FIVE WOMEN HAS BEEN THE VICTIM OF RAPE, OR AN ATTEMPTED RAPE, THE MAJORITY AT THE HANDS OF A DOMESTIC PARTNER.

n the wee hours of March 1, 2017, a masked intruder entered a west Omaha hotel near 180th and Dodge streets, lurked around corners, stalked the lone female desk clerk, then pounced on her. With his pants below his waist, the predator groped the woman as he dragged her down a hallway toward a restroom. Then the narrative changed. The woman fought back. In the struggle, she ripped off the man’s black ski mask, giving his face as much exposure as his genitals on the surveillance cameras. She broke away from him, ran back to the desk, and called 911. Police captured the suspect the next day.

The reason has a lot to do with stories of violence that come in waves with every news cycle. “The Mollie Tibbetts tragedy brought the single biggest spike in inquiries we’ve seen yet,” says Whittington, referring to the disappearance and murder of a 20-year-old University of Iowa student in July. Whittington, an Omaha firefighter and paramedic, helped field phone calls and emails for several hours each day in the weeks following the discovery of her body. “It got a lot of people thinking, ‘Maybe I need to take my personal safety more seriously,’” he says. Serious statistics have fueled the burgeoning selfdefense business nationwide and in Omaha.

“Statistically, you’re more likely to be a victim just because you were born a female. I know it sounds terrible, but it’s a fact,” says Shawn Whittington, an instructor for the Women’s Primal Self-Defense classes at Omaha’s 88 Tactical Group, an elite training and educational state-of-the-art facility with a firing range. “Predators are looking for easy targets. But they’re not looking for a fight.”

Sexual attacks against women constitute an epidemic in this country, according to several health organizations. An estimated one in five women has been the victim of rape, or attempted rape, the majority at the hands of a domestic partner. Department of Justice statistics show one in three experience some sort of sexual violence.

Instructors at 88 Tactical teach the basics of verbal and physical responses to help ensure a woman under assault achieves the ultimate goal: to get away.

In Omaha, reports of sexual assaults against women in 2017 grew almost 12 percent from the previous year.

Since January 2017, almost 500 area women have taken the Primal defense class, a rigorous fourhour training session that costs $80. Hundreds more participate in the intermediate and co-ed self-defense courses.

CONT. PAGE 46

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 45

Thomas Todd of Championship Martial Arts, which teaches a women’s self-defense class.

46 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

SINCE JANUARY 2017, ALMOST 500 AREA WOMEN HAVE TAKEN THE PRIMAL DEFENSE CLASS. FROM PAGE 44 While a victim’s trauma lingers long after the sexual attack, Amber Crawford, co-founder of Impact Kickboxing and Fitness Center in Omaha, has seen how increased physical strength can help the healing process. “I’ve worked with some women who have left an abusive relationship, but the intimidation and insecurity are still there,” says Crawford. “They come here to get their confidence back.” Confidence becomes the primary byproduct of kickboxing for every member, even though most women who sign up at Impact do it “because they want to get skinny,” says Crawford. But as they lose inches executing jabs, cross hooks, spinning back fists, elbow slashes, and the always-effective well-placed kick, “many of our members will go into martial arts training because they think, ‘What else can I do to protect myself?’’ Crawford and her business partner, Jodie Daniels, opened Impact two years ago in the L Street Marketplace complex. Kickboxing may not qualify as a self-defense discipline, but the muay thai style taught at Impact emphasizes both punching and kicking, which can come in handy. “What they learn here is how quick and strong the strikes should be,” explains Crawford. Word began to spread about this unique fitness program and membership soon outpaced the space. Fortunately, another storefront with double the square feet recently became available next to Kirkland’s, directly across the street from the original site. The spacious new gym consists of one large room with about 30 freestanding punching bags distributed evenly along the mat in an atmosphere best described as unintimidating. With more than 300 members (70 percent of them women) ranging in age from 13 to 67, Crawford and Daniels see one, possibly two new locations in their future.

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 47

Most women’s self-defense programs represent only part of a larger business model, often included under the umbrella of the $4 billion-a-year martial arts industry and taught by professionals like Thomas Todd of Championship Martial Arts in Omaha.

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A highly ranked black belt in both taekwondo and karate, Todd began training at age 10 and later came under the guidance of K.H. Kim, known to thousands of Omaha youngsters as Master Kim.

· · · ·

Todd began his own school in his native North Omaha before moving 13 years ago to the current 6,000 square-foot facility at 88th and Blondo streets, “so we can do a lot more for the community,” he says. The women’s $25 self-defense classes, held once a month for an hour-and-a-half, reflect Todd’s belief in community service. He gives deep discounts to those who struggle financially. And, like the instructors at 88 Tactical, he often takes his skills outside the studio. “We’ll go to schools and work with teachers and staff or sometimes they’ll come here,” he says. “We go to real estate offices, churches, college sororities, women’s groups, and corporations. We also hold a lot of mother-and-daughter classes. Demand gets bigger every year.” Todd devotes a lot of class time on ways to defuse a situation. He trains how to use body language to look strong. He tells women to be alert and aware of their surroundings, to quit texting, and to scream at the top of their lungs to scare off a predator. As for more aggressive measures, “we teach them how to strike the ‘big four’ soft spots: eyes, nose, throat, and groin,” he says. As a self-defense tool, where do guns fit in? “One complements the other,” says Shawn Whittington, who also serves as a firearms instructor at 88 Tactical. “But a self-defense class is the best place to start, because you may have to fight to get to your gun.” Whatever the training, survival remains the primary objective. Visit 88tactical.com, gofierceimpact.com, and martialartsomaha.com for more information. B2B

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48 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

FEATURE | STORY BY JARED KENNEDY AND DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN | PHOTOS BY BILL SITZMANN

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE 14 PERCENT OWNERS, 100 PERCENT INVESTED Hilary Maricle

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 49

farmer driving a tractor is a common sight in Nebraska. According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska’s farms and ranches utilize 45.2 million acres—91 percent of the state’s total land area. It is often a man driving the tractor, but certainly not always. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 census (the latest available statistic), 14 percent of the nation’s 2.1 million farms had a female principal operator. In total, the 2012 census stated that women account for about 30 percent of farm operators, often as the co-owner of a family-run farm. These women are working hard to make a difference in their fields, and their field. Hilary Maricle is part of that 30 percent. Maricle has farmed most of her life, currently alongside husband Keith on their sixth-generation-owned family farm. She also teaches agriculture, and was a teacher and assistant dean of agriculture at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. As an agriculture teacher at NCC, she taught young agrarians, who often came from farming backgrounds, ways of improving their businesses. “To see their eyes light up when they took in a new idea was the best,” Maricle says. She taught courses such as international agriculture and ag law. She coordinated summer internships and worked with the agriculture department’s college transfer program, which has agreements with University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wayne State College, and South Dakota State UniversityBrookings, including developing and implementing online courses.

Beyond teaching agriculture, Maricle is on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s promotion and education committee, working alongside committee members from Utah to Pennsylvania to assist and support state Farm Bureau efforts. She is also the Boone County Commissioner, and answers questions for interested persons, teaching them about the source of their food and how it affects them. “I am most excited that people care where their food comes from,” Maricle says. “Ten years ago, we didn’t have this interest in where our food comes from. Moms in particular want to know what they are feeding their kids. We need to change our perspective to building relationships perhaps more than just going out and educating. People want to understand agriculture, and to do that, they need to know there’s people behind it.”

“I’VE BEEN TO PACKING PLANTS IN SIX DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. IT NOT ONLY HELPS MY BUSINESS, BUT IT HELPS YOU SEE A DIFFERENT PICTURE. ” -JACLYN WILSON Sustainable, local food production is in vogue, and with this movement comes the natural rethinking of how people think about food production. Charuth Van Beuzekom is a local farmer who operates Dutch Girl Creamery and grows a variety of specialty crops on Shadow Brook Farm near Lincoln. She owns the farm with her husband and is also a mother, which she says makes her aware of people’s increased desire for organic food. “My children grew up right next to me, either strapped to my back or waddling alongside,” Van Beuzekom says. “If you’re in that position, you can’t have pesticides around, you know, because you have little babies right there.”

Jaclyn Wilson is the fifth generation to work a cow-calf operation near Lakeside, Nebraska, that began in the 1880s. In 2013, Wilson began Flying Diamond Genetics as a project of her own while helping on the ranch currently owned by her father and uncle. Flying Diamond Genetics is essentially a bovine surrogate business. Her clients send embryos, which Wilson calves out, taking the young animals from embryos to birth to weaned calves before sending them back to the client. She has overseen nearly 400 embryo-transfer calves over five years, which is successful enough that she dropped from nine clients to two large clients, a large genetics company (which she could not name due to a non-disclosure agreement) and McCormick Beef of Caledonia, Minnesota. Along with working on the ranch and running her company, Wilson is passionate about politics, especially as it relates to agriculture. She was appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts to serve on the Brand Committee, a state organization that oversees cattle branding in Nebraska, and has worked with Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association and other organizations. The 38-year-old discovered that while these organizations were sometimes maledominated, they were more noticeably populated with people older than her. “Usually I would find out that I’m the youngest,” Wilson says. “Sometimes I’d be the youngest and the only female, but it’s not as novel now as it used to be.” CONT. PAGE 50

50 | B2B MAGAZINE · 2018/2019

VOLUME 18 · ISSUE 6

“PEOPLE WANT TO UNDERSTAND AGRICULTURE, AND TO DO THAT, THEY NEED TO KNOW THERE’S PEOPLE BEHIND IT.” -HILARY MARICLE

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FROM PAGE 49 Through her civic involvement, Wilson has discovered another passion, which is international travel. In 2005, she graduated from the University of Nebraska Extension’s Leadership Education/ Action Development program, for which she traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. “That opened things up for me,” Wilson says. Because of that trip, I was able to go to Brazil with Rotary.” Even while traveling, she maintains an eye towards agriculture. She has seen a combination beef/hog plant in Brazil, a poultry plant in China, a small wild-game processing operation Wilson described as “very mom-and-pop” in South Africa, sheep and beef operations in New Zealand, and a beef operation in Australia.

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“People always laugh when I travel,” Wilson says. “I’ve been to packing plants in six different countries. It not only helps my business, but it helps you see a different picture. About half of the trips have been because of something that comes up in the industry, and half of them have been because of my love of travel.” Because of her passionate work in agriculture, in June 2016, she was named in Farm Journal Media’s 40 under 40 list. As traditional farming practices are being questioned and looked at in a different light, and consumers are taking more charge of where their food comes from, women continue to take charge and build themselves into the framework of agriculture. Visit @mariclefamilyfarms on Facebook or flyingdiamondgenetics.com for more information about the women featured in this article. B2B

OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 51

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE

it’s about all of us. Connect With Your City

Feb. 21-22, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 S. Second Ave. in Kearney. Nebraska Women in Agriculture is the Nebraska Extension Office’s annual two-day conference designed to educate and uplift women involved in Nebraska’s agricultural industry. Through workshops and presentations, attendees will learn how to better manage risk, improve their farms and ranches, and become more successful operators and business partners. The theme for this year’s conference is, “Take Charge of Change.” Over 30 concurrent workshops during the twoday event will focus on production decisions, commodity marketing, finance, human resource topics, and legal challenges women face in the agriculture industry. Featured speakers at the event include Marji Guyler-Alaniz, president and founder of FarmHer, and Joan Ruskamp. Guyler-Alaniz is a lifetime Iowan and lover of photography. She has degrees in graphic design, journalism, and photography from Grand View University, and an MBA from Drake University. Her experience in these fields, combined with an 11-year career with a crop insurance company, led her to launch FarmHer in spring 2013. Through FarmHer, she is updating the image of agriculture by showing the female side of farming and ranching, creating community among women in agriculture and outreach to young women interested in agriculture. Ruskamp and her husband, Steve, operate a feedlot and row-crop farm west of Dodge, Nebraska, that has been in Steve’s family for more than 100 years. On the farm, Joan’s main jobs include walking pens, cattle doctoring/processing, and being the office manager. Joan has been active in the beef industry, with service to local and national organizations. She currently serves as chair of the Cattleman’s Beef Board (CBB). Joan actively shares her farm’s story on social media and through a personal blog. Registration for the Women in Agriculture Conference opens Jan. 7, 2019. For more information, and to register, visit wia.unl.edu/. B2B

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OMAHA CVB BY KEITH BACKSEN

OMAHA IS GROWING AS A HOLIDAY DESTINATION maha has a long history of welcoming visitors during the holidays. In the 1930s Omaha’s Union station was considered one of the busiest train stations in the nation, welcoming more than 10,000 travelers a day. During that time, the station started a tradition of raising a 40-foot-tall Christmas tree in the middle of its main waiting room to welcome travelers during the holiday season. The Durham Museum continues the holiday tradition today, displaying the region’s largest indoor Christmas tree each year. Families have been known to drive for hours to take part in the museum’s annual tree lighting ceremony, and it is one of the many highlights that attracts motorcoach groups to the city during the holidays. Last year, during a three-day period, the city welcomed 22 motorcoach groups from states such as Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Texas to experience Omaha during the holidays. These bus groups were here to feast on ethnic Christmas dinners, enjoy music and dancing at places like the Greek Orthodox Church and the German-American Society, and travel to the Renaissance era for a Madrigal Christmas Feast (kings and jesters included). Each group enjoyed a performance of A Christmas Carol at the Omaha Community Playhouse and a holiday concert with Omaha’s symphony. Also on their itinerary was a stroll through Lauritzen Gardens, a botanical wonderland that displays more than 5,000 poinsettias through the holiday season.

While here, these bus groups stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants, supported the arts, and shopped in Omaha stores. During that single three-day period last year, those 22 motorcoach groups spent more than $250,000 in the community. As the CVB looks ahead, bus groups like these will be driving in even more dollars. In January 2020, Omaha is hosting the American Bus Association (ABA) Annual Meeting and Marketplace. This one meeting will bring in more than 3,400 tour operators, travel industry suppliers, and exhibitors, who will spend more than $7 million while they are here. Holding the ABA meeting in Omaha gives Omahans the opportunity to convince these tour operators to plan future bus tours to Omaha. Other states that have hosted the ABA Annual Meeting have booked more than $100 million worth of additional business during the event and immediately afterward. So, the next time you notice a motorcoach bus full of visitors, think of it as a holiday gift for our entire community. B2B

ETHICS BY BEVERLY KRACHER

SHE SAID/HE SAID rett Kavanaugh is a supreme court judge. There were so many dimensions to this situation. Emotions ran high. I put politics aside because I am angry at both parties that seem to put themselves before country. Instead of politics, when I thought about what played out in the media, I focused on the question, “What are the ethical implications of the Ford/ Kavanaugh testimonies for women and men in the workplace?” First, for some people, the Ford/ Kavanaugh testimonies were an in-your-face example of the double standard that exists. It appears that how she reacted was measured with a different ruler than how he reacted. Let me explain. For Christine Ford to be credible she had to maintain a calm, measured, unemotional demeanor. If she cried as she testified, she would be seen as weak and unreliable. Yet Kavanaugh could be credible even when he raised his voice and interrupted others. When he showed emotion as he testified, he was perceived as passionate and strong in his convictions. This disparity in gender norms is striking and exists in the workplace. But it puts females at a disadvantage if males are allowed a wider range of acceptable behaviors. For some people, the highest hope was that the process for making a decision about what she said versus what he said would be fair. Procedural justice should be served. The stakes, the reputations of individual people, are too high for anything less.

exhaustive evidence would be sought, red herrings would be sorted out, and facts would be found. If it came down to she said/he said then clear-headed, fair-minded leaders would calmly and rationally make the best decision based on the exhaustive information gathered in a timely fashion, and then be accountable for that decision. If we believe that the process is fair, we can live with an outcome with which we disagree. Many believe procedural justice did not take place. Exhaustive evidence was not sought. Red herrings were not identified and put aside. Expectations were not met. If the senate judiciary system is not just, can we hope that corporate institutions will do better? We must. We cannot let the distrust and anger felt from watching the senate judiciary process bleed into the workplace. The implications for women and men, working together, will be devastating. This is a call to action. Our corporate systems must be fair. We must each be able to expect that when we step up to speak up, or when we defend ourselves against allegations, the process used to reach a decision is rigorous and unbiased. If nothing else comes from this horrible mess, let’s at least have this one thing happen. Let’s re-examine our organizational processes and ensure that they are just, noble, and true. B2B

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