​LINCOLN – Applications are now being accepted for the NE Chamber’s Leadership Nebraska – the statewide leadership program that prepares Nebraskans who want to play a key role in helping their community and state thrive.
 
Applications must be received in the NE Chamber office on or before April 15, 2022. Applications can be completed online and submitted, e-mailed or mailed. 
 
Leadership Nebraska is beginning its fourteenth year of developing informed leaders who wish to gain more in-depth knowledge about Nebraska issues, define the problems, develop solutions and achieve positions of higher responsibility. Those who participate in this unique leadership program are selected from different regions of the state. They possess varied backgrounds and diverse talents. Participants should have demonstrated community and professional leadership experiences and should have an abiding interest in Nebraska and its future.
 
The year-long program consists of six sessions, each of which lasts two and a half days. The sessions cover a broad range of key Nebraska issues – such as economic development, health care, education, agriculture, government and policy.
 
“The depth chart of strong leaders in our communities and state is a key factor in Nebraska’s ability to compete and win in the race for talent, new residents, new employers and even new markets,” said Bryan Slone, president of the NE Chamber. “Leadership Nebraska truly helps develop and connect our next generation of great leaders.”
 
Leadership Nebraska’s next class will begin with an orientation retreat in June at Lied Lodge in Nebraska City. Other sessions will be held in August, September, October, November and January. A commencement ceremony will be held in Lincoln in February 2023. The application form and all session dates are posted at www.leadershipnebraska.com.
 
Tuition for the 2022-2023 class is $3,500, which includes all meals and lodging. Individuals not sponsored by an organization or employer may be eligible for a scholarship, based on financial need. For more information, please contact Leadership Nebraska’s executive director, Roberta Pinkerton, at the NE Chamber, 402-480-6918.

LINCOLN – The NE Chamber and News Channel Nebraska are hosting gubernatorial candidates’ forum for community business leaders, broadcast on the television network across the state on Thursday, February 3, at 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Central.

Six announced candidates plan to participate, including:

• Carol Blood
• Charles Herbster
• Brett Lindstrom
• Jim Pillen
• Breland Ridenour
• Theresa Thibodeau
  
  

“We face a major crossroads coming out of the pandemic, both in business and as a state,” said Bryan Slone, NE Chamber president. “We need to make some game-changing moves to address workforce, innovation, community-building and taxes. We appreciate the time our candidates are making to meet with us and discuss their views.”

In-person attendance is limited to candidates, a few staff and news media covering the event. News Channel Nebraska will stream the forum live across its statewide network of television stations, as well as online at central.newschannelnebraska.com/watch. NE Chamber members and community business leaders across the state are invited to register for free at nechamber.com to add the online event to their personal calendars or simply tune in.

The forum will include short opening and closing statements from each candidate, with opportunities to respond to a list of questions shared in advance. Tara Lea, executive director of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce and NE Chambers Association executive, will moderate the forum. Although News Channel Nebraska holds exclusive rights to livestreaming and television broadcast, additional media passes are available. Contact Holley Salmi at the NE Chamber to reserve a pass.
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As the largest statewide business association since 1912, the NE Chamber promotes and protects Nebraska’s free enterprise system by ensuring a competitive business climate, economic growth and greater prosperity for all Nebraskans. In January, the NE Chamber unveiled the “Good Life Game Changer” policy priorities in partnership with several chambers and economic developers across the state. The priorities take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime economic opportunities and federal recovery funds to help Nebraskans, their communities, and their employers compete better globally over the next three decades.  Learn more at nechamber.com.

​McCarthy, Sampson, Thesenvitz to be inducted February 3 at NE Chamber Banquet
 
LINCOLN – The NE Chamber and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Business today announced the 2022 inductees into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame, including:

• Mike McCarthy, McCarthy Capital of Omaha;
• John Sampson, Sampson Construction of Lincoln; and
• Gloria Thesenvitz, Nova-Tech, Inc. of Grand Island.

 
The three will officially be inducted at the NE Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Hall of Fame Banquet Thursday, February 3, at a 5 p.m. reception and 6:30 p.m. banquet held at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. To join in honoring these individuals and their families, register at web.nechamber.com/events or contact the NE Chamber at 402-474-4422. To sponsor, contact James Berringer at 402-474-4717 or [email protected].

“Our honorees this year really embody the ingenuity, determination and service to community and neighbor that characterize the Good Life,” said Bryan Slone, NE Chamber president. “Their personal drive and vision of growth have literally brought about game-changing opportunities in both their communities and the quality of life for others.”

McCarthy, Sampson and Thesenvitz join a distinguished group of more than 120 business leaders whose work to grow their businesses in Nebraska have made a significant impact on the free enterprise system, Nebraska’s economy, overall job opportunities and quality of life in their communities. Candidates are nominated by individuals from the business community, business associations and academia. The program was established in 1992 by the NE Chamber and UNL College of Business. 

“Our three inductees are leaders in their industries and great examples for our students and other entrepreneurs who want to lead the future of business. Gloria, John and Mike also give back to their communities and the state through advocacy, service and support,” said Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Dean of the UNL College of Business.

“Celebrating the success of strong, civic-minded members of our business community means celebrating strong communities and decades of growth and good jobs,” Slone said. “They give us an example to which we can aspire.”
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The NE Chamber is the largest, statewide business association, proudly serving as the voice of Nebraska’s business community since 1912. The organization promotes and protects Nebraska’s free enterprise system by ensuring a competitive business climate, economic growth and greater prosperity for all Nebraskans. Learn more at nechamber.com.
 
 
NEBRASKA BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
2022 HONOREES
 
MIKE MCCARTHY, McCarthy Capital, Omaha
Mike McCarthy is founder of McCarthy Group, a private equity firm headquartered in Omaha since its founding in 1986.  The investment firm, with affiliates, manages more than $10 billion in capital, with roots in construction and contracting, expanding to agricultural and real estate development and property management over the years.  Mike serves on the boards of the Joslyn Art Museum, the Omaha Community Foundation, United Way of the Midlands, the Omaha Zoo and Creighton University, among others. He is the current chair of Heritage Services and a board member of Lasting Hope Recovery Center. He has also held numerous professional directorships on corporate boards, including Kiewit Corporation, Union Pacific, Cabela’s, HDR and Election Systems & Software.
 
JOHN SAMPSON, Sampson Construction, Lincoln
John has been the President and CEO of Sampson Construction since 1995.  Under his leadership, Sampson Construction has completed over $3 billion in commercial building projects in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Nevada and Illinois.  Throughout his commercial construction career with Sampson, John has served in all types of project management and development roles.  His day-to-day focus is to manage the assignment, deployment, and use of the firm’s resources at each of its five locations.  As a result, he forms strong, ongoing relationships with project management teams, project owners, subcontractors, and community leaders.  These relationships allow Sampson Construction to stay on the leading edge of the market and continue to deliver high-quality construction services across the Midwest.
 
GLORIA THESENVITZ, Nova-Tech, Inc., Grand Island
Gloria Thesenvitz is founder and board chair for Nova-Tech, Inc., a nationally recognized provider of custom aseptic fill manufacturing services and private label IV fluids to the animal health industry throughout the United States and Canada.  In 2011, the site transfer of manufacturing into a new plant located in the Platte Valley Industrial Tract in Grand Island laid the foundation for three additions, each bringing significant growth through growing production and technical capabilities. A strong advocate for education, quality jobs, women entrepreneurs and rural Nebraska, Gloria has reinvested her talents, time and resources serving on multiple community and state boards. Gloria is the recipient of the Governor’s Bioscience Award and the Grand Island Independent’s Woman of the Year in 2017.

LINCOLN – The NE Chamber and key state senators today outlined 2022 legislative measures to make game-changing progress in developing and attracting talent, bolstering infrastructure, driving innovation and enhancing quality of life for all Nebraskans through 2050.
 
“Ask any sector, any community, what is the #1 challenge holding you back? It’s people,” said Bryan Slone, NE Chamber president. “We need everyone we have and more, and we need them right now.”
 
This year, state leaders face unprecedented opportunities to leverage $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, healthy state revenues and strong public-private partnerships to accelerate the state’s economic recovery through 2026.
 
“Our big ideas for a stronger, more vibrant Nebraska can happen. The time is now,” Slone added. “Bold moves in 2022 will break the status quo, boost quality of life and grow the economy at a size and scale not seen in a century.”
The NE Chamber, with local chambers of commerce (Lincoln, Omaha, and the NE Chambers Association), as well as the Nebraska Economic Developers Association, are asking state leaders to prioritize programs that:

1. Solve workforce
2. Redefine infrastructure
3. Drive innovation
4. Empower communities
5. Modernize Nebraska’s tax system

 
Proposals, developed in concert with several state senators, focus on one-time, game-changing investments in existing programs that already have significant impact in communities of all sizes across the state. They also align with initiatives in the Blueprint Nebraska strategic economic development plan.
 
Solve Workforce
 
Senator Mike Flood of Norfolk will introduce a $120 million workforce proposal to boost the talent pipeline and retain and attract young people in Nebraska, including:

• five times more funding ($50 million) for thousands of new high school and student internships;
• 60% more funding ($20 million) in apprenticeships and customized job training; and
• Five times more funding ($50 million) into Nebraska’s national talent recruitment campaign, The Good Life is Calling.

 
Redefine Infrastructure
 
Senator John Arch of Papillion will introduce a $195 million package to ramp up both public and private investment in infrastructure to bolster domestic supply chains and spur economic growth, including:

• 50% to 60% more funding ($30 million) to three infrastructure and industrial site development programs used heavily by communities statewide;
• Fully funding the ImagiNE Nebraska Revolving Loan program with an added $15 million to encourage private investment in job training, talent recruitment, childcare or transportation; and
• One-time investments in mega-site development (500 -1000+ acres) to compete for the largest supply-chain projects shopping for a home now.

 
Drive Innovation
 
Senator Mark Kolterman of Seward introduced a $100 million proposal to invigorate the state’s transformation to tech-enabled commerce through one-time research and development, modernization and technology grants to businesses.
 
Senator Anna Wishart of Lincoln will sponsor legislation to infuse an additional $20 million into Nebraska’s Business Innovation Act to boost prototyping, product development and commercialization, and scaling of startup sectors.
 
Empower Communities
 
Chambers of commerce and economic developers across the state have joined in coalition with other advocates to support policies that ramp up every community’s ability to attract new families, including:

• Existing housing development grant programs (Rural Workforce, Middle Workforce, Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits);
• Community Vitality Grants, such as the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund;
• Childcare infrastructure and workforce, such as WAGE$, T.E.A.C.H., public-private partnerships, and addressing the benefits cliff;
• Large-scale recreational investments, such as those being investigated by the Legislature’s STARWARS Committee;
• Statewide electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and
• Statewide broadband and high-speed internet access.

 
Modernize our Tax System
 
Blueprint Nebraska proposed a framework for modernizing Nebraska’s tax code to better match our 21st Century economy, lower tax burden for all Nebraskans and sustain revenues necessary to meet commitments to public services and education. The NE Chamber supports this framework in concept.
 
“The combination of fiscal restraint, keeping Nebraska’s economy open as much as possible during the pandemic, and increasing demand for Nebraska goods and services has resulted in hundreds of millions in excess tax revenue and a healthy cash reserve – opening a rare opportunity to modernize,” Slone said.
 
The NE Chamber is focused on modernization that prioritizes talent and capital attraction, economic growth, income tax rates comparable with peer states, and safeguards against high consumer prices and property tax increases.
 
The NE Chamber is the largest, statewide business association and has proudly served as the voice of Nebraska’s business community since 1912. The organization promotes and protects Nebraska’s free enterprise system by ensuring a competitive business climate, economic growth and greater prosperity for all Nebraskans. The Good Life Game Changer agenda is available at nechamber.com.