EVERY VOTE IS A STORY

Throughout it’s 31-year history, a chord has strummed at the heart of Omaha Magazine ’s Best of Omaha contest: one of harmony and mutual appreciation between local consumers and their favorite area businesses.

For example, Clearview Pet Care Centre regular Kari Longo had this to say about her preferred pet boarding facility, and more:

“When I settled on Clearview, it was an obvious choice. [Manager] Andrea and her team are completely focused on providing a happy, healthy environment for pets. I then learned about Best of Omaha because Clearview had the contest seal proudly displayed at their entry. The contest is vetted fairly, and votes are placed by consumers. It was obvious that the contest spotlighted the best of the best. I have used the contest results in choosing auto-repair shops, home-repair services, and others. I have found the ‘Best’ choices to be all I hoped for in quality,” she affirmed.

On why Longo takes the time to vote in Best of Omaha year after year, she said:

“I use Clearview weekly and have for many years. I want folks to know what I know: that Clearview offers the Best of the Best in pet boarding and daycare. That is why I continue to vote, because that BOO seal confirmed what I found to be true about the business at Clearview, and I wanted others to know.”

As for metro businesses, the feelings are very much mutual.

“It means a lot to us when our clients show their appreciation by voting. We try our best to be the best and it feels good when our clients think the same,” said Clearview Lodging Manager Andrea Delisi. “Most people think ‘this must be a good, trustworthy place’ when they see the BOO signage at our facility and on our social media. So, I definitely think that by being voted in the top three every year gets us more and more new clients, which is amazing. We want people to know they can trust their pets with us.”

Omaha Magazine is proud to present the longest standing—and most reliable—contest of its kind in the metro. Every vote has a story, and we hope you’ll continue to add yours to Best of Omaha each year. Thank you to all who participate.

“ My name is Joe, but what does that mean? I’m everything that’s ever existed. Same with you. We’re gold, silver, and space dust. We have receptors for sound and taste and all that. So we’re part of those things. ” -Joe

Benson

Omaha Teacher, Farmer, and DJ Joe Benson

Waxes Poetic on Music, Spirituality

rom vibrant highs to serene lows, music conveys the spectrum of emotion in its purest form. So strong is this allure for Joe Benson an Omaha teacher, farmer, and DJ that it extends to every aspect of his life.

On the length of his career, Benson said, “I started about 10 years ago. But I’ve been into music my whole life. The way that DJs play on the radio is kind of how I think about play ing music.”

Performing weekly at the Kimpton Cottonwood Pool Club and at Benson First Fridays, his intimate understanding of theme and melody lend coherence to his sets.

“When you can blend sound you can make a continuous thing. It’s a little different than a jukebox, for instance, where there’s one song and then it’s over, and then the next song plays and then that song is over. It’s more like a soundscape,” B enson said.

The skills required to mix and present music onstage are more complex than simply pushing buttons, twisting dials, and spinning discs; the interplay between DJ and audience entails a fine-tuned ear and a talent for showmanship. Thanks to Benson’s eclectic tastes and active lifestyle, he’s developed a wide pool of inspiration to draw from.

Elaborating on what it takes to be a DJ, he explained, “Math is important; understanding timing, reading the crowd kind of being a psychologist, if you will. Telling stories, listening to stories, stuff like that. I’m inter preting it.”

Benson’s personal connection with music is illustrated by his staggering vinyl library approximately 3,000 LPs and several thousand 45’s, ranging from well-known classics to obscure, underg round cuts.

“It could be from somebody in Russia or from somebody in Finland or Iceland or whatever like that. Everybody has something to say,” Benson noted of his expansive collection. “I have this really interesting 7-inch record. I can’t even remember the name of it, but it’s really dark and it’s nothing that I would have ever found on YouTube or anything. I would have never ran into that. So that’s where having records are really important because you can discover something somebody made in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1984, and now I have it here, and I can share it with people.”

Benson doesn’t amass records to boast, as he ends up selling many of them. In his eyes, music is as necessary to existence as any vital commodity.