Honoring the Past and the Future

2023 Nebraska Business Hall of Fame Inductees

Mildred D. (Millie) Brown
Omaha Star
Omaha
(Awarded posthumously)
Jim Clifton
Gallup
Omaha
​Jane Miller
Gallup
Omaha
​Ralph & Beverly Holzfaster Family
Agribusiness / Community Development
Paxton
​Anthony O. Messineo, Jr.
Valentino’s
Lincoln
​Wilfred H. “Dick” Tegtmeier
Encore Mfg. Co., Beatrice
(Awarded posthumously)

2023 Honoree Biographies

Mildred D. (Millie) Brown
Omaha Star
​ Omaha
(Awarded posthumously)

Mildred D. Brown was the owner, publisher and editor of the Omaha Star, the nation’s longest-operating black-owned newspaper run by a woman.  

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Mildred attended Miles Memorial Teachers College and taught grade school.  She married Dr. S. Edward Gilbert and the couple moved to Chicago, Des Moines and then to Sioux City, Iowa.  It was in Sioux City that Mildred began her career in journalism when she founded the Silent Messenger.  

In 1937, the couple moved to Omaha and Mrs. Brown was hired to sell advertising for the Omaha Guide.  After 18 months, she started her own newspaper and adopted the motto: “Dedicated to the service of the people that no good cause shall lack a champion and that evil shall not go unopposed.” 

Dr. Gilbert and Mildred were divorced in 1943.  Mrs. Brown continued to steer the Omaha Star through racial segregation, the civil rights movement in the 1960s and racial unrest in Omaha in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. She provided the community with news and commentary for more than 50 years.  

For decades, Mrs. Brown – who always wore a fresh corsage – ran the paper from the historic Omaha Star building in the Near North Side neighborhood. Today, the Omaha Star is the only remaining African American newspaper in Omaha and the only one still printed in Nebraska.  The Star featured positive news about the black community, celebrating family stories, role models and accomplishments.  The Star won national respect by reporting the community’s perspectives on local and national news.  

Readers were encouraged to vote and run for office.  As publisher, Brown used pressure to persuade advertisers to accept blacks in more positions.  Her coverage of civil rights and riots in the 1960s earned her commendations from President Lyndon Johnson.

Mildred Brown died in 1989.  Her niece, Dr. Marguerita Washington took over leadership until her own death in 2016.  In 2019, the newspaper assets were purchased by the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center.  The paper continues today as a biweekly print and digital subscription publication with a circulation of approximately 30,000 and is distributed to 48 states. 

Jim Clifton
Gallup 
Omaha​

Jim Clifton is the chairman of Gallup, a global analytics and advice firm. Mr. Clifton served as the organization's CEO from 1988 until 2022. Under his leadership as CEO, Gallup expanded from a predominantly U.S.-based company to a worldwide organization with 30 offices in 20 countries and regions.

Mr. Clifton is the creator of The Gallup Path, a metric-based economic model that establishes the linkages among human nature in the workplace, customer engagement and business outcomes. This model is used in performance management systems in more than 500 companies worldwide. Another of his innovations, the Gallup World Poll, gives the world's 7 billion citizens a voice on virtually all key global issues.

In June 2015, the Clifton Foundation and Gallup announced a $30 million gift to the University of Nebraska to establish the Don Clifton Strengths Institute. The gift supports the early identification and accelerated development of thousands of gifted entrepreneurs and future business builders.

Mr. Clifton is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller Wellbeing at Work, released in 2021, a book that explores how to build resilient and thriving teams in organizations. He is also author of the No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller It's the Manager, the bestseller Born to Build, and The Coming Jobs War, as well as many articles on global leadership. His blog appears regularly in the Influencer section of LinkedIn and on Gallup.com's Chairman's Blog.

Mr. Clifton serves on several boards, including the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, is Chairman Emeritus of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Chairman of the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice. He has received honorary degrees from Medgar Evers, Jackson State and Bellevue Universities. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University.

Mr. Clifton lives and works in Washington, D.C.

Jane Miller
​Gallup
Omaha​

Jane Miller is the retired president and chief operating officer of Gallup. In her role, she oversaw worldwide operations, ensuring all systems, resources and – most importantly – people were in place and aligned to achieve the goals of the organization across all client servicing and market direct functions.

Jane is committed to creating strong communities that begin with strong businesses and workplaces. Her community leadership includes the following director and trustee roles: the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the TeamMates Mentoring board of directors, the Kiewit Luminarium board of directors, the Omaha Zoological Society, the Board of Directors Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Foundation. Jane is the recipient of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership Award and has been inducted into the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.

Past community leadership positions have included the following roles: Commercial Federal Bank board of directors and compensation chair, Creighton University board of directors, Children’s Hospital board of directors and board vice-chair, Business Ethics Alliance board of directors and board chair, and the Knights of Aksarben board of directors and board chair.
Ralph & Beverly Holzfaster Family
Agribusiness / Community Development
​Paxton
R​alph Holzfaster was born in North Platte in 1930.  He received his private pilot’s license and driver’s license on the same day at the age of 16.  After graduation from Paxton High School, he attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado before entering the service as an Air Force pilot in 1951.  He served in the Air Force until 1954 during the Korean War and later was appointed as a Missile Launch Officer at Cape Canaveral, Florida.  He returned home in 1956 to the homestead eleven miles south of Paxton which was established by his parents, Frank and Clara Holzfaster.  In a matter of months, he met a Paxton school teacher, Beverly Long.  They married in 1959 and had five children, Timothy, Patrick, Francis Jon, Michael and Amy.  

Ralph’s early ag career included a seven-year stint of custom harvesting throughout the Midwest and proving new stubble mulch practices on dry land wheat.  This led to farming with Morrison-Quirk in British Columbia, Canada.  In 1969, Ralph embraced the center pivot irrigation technology with a successful Lindsay Manufacturing dealership in Ogallala, NE.  

His commitment to agriculture, economic development and the promotion of ethanol, included an appointment to serve on the Nebraska Ethanol Authority & Development Board, liaison member to the Omaha Chamber Ag Committee and elected board member for the Nebraska Public Power District from 1980-2004.  He served on the Keith County Economic Development Board and foundation, board member for Mid Plains Community College Foundation, and was a trustee for the Nature Conservancy and the Platte River Advisory Committee.  Ralph currently serves on the board of the Mid America Bio Energy Corporation and MAAP Wheatland Ethanol LLC. He also worked with Natural Fibers Corporation to promote alternative crop production.

In 2013, Ralph, Beverly and family co-hosted the Cattleman’s Ball charity event to raise funds to support the UNMC/Eppley Cancer Center.  

Their children continue the family’s commitment to agriculture and economic development through housing development and tourism in Paxton with Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse & Lounge, managing the center pivot operation in Ogallala and serving on the Dry Bean Commission, Nebraska Corn Board and the National Corn Growers while supporting the farming operations.  
Ralph has received numerous awards including the Aksarben Court of Honor, Nebraska Land Foundation’s Wagon Master Award and the UNL College of Business Alumni Association Business Leadership Award.
Anthony O. Messineo, Jr.
Valentino's
​Lincoln
​​
Anthony “Tony” Messineo is a graduate of Pius X High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Business Administration.  In 1963 he married his wife, Carmen.  Together they raised three children, Debbie, Michael and Anthony.  They are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren.

Tony’s career began as General Manager of his uncle’s restaurant – Tony & Luigi’s.  In 1971, he was approached by Val and Zena Weiler about purchasing a pizza business that they had started near UNL’s East Campus.  Tony and his brother Ron trained with them and in 1972 purchased Valentino’s.  A year later, Tony’s cousin Mike Alesio joined the partnership.  
The original Valentino’s location only seated sixty, but the take-out pizza business boomed. They soon opened a second location at 70th and Van Dorn.  The first franchise store opened in 1976 and a new location in Omaha opened in 1978.  In the mid-80’s, Valentino’s introduced buffet dining and entered into more franchise agreements to expand the concept. Next came carryout and delivery, express lunch and family value packs.  

In 1994 Valentino’s entered into an agreement with UNL to be the official pizza of the Huskers where they now sell over 22,000 pizza slices during a single game.  Premier Catering offers catering service in the skyboxes.  

Valentino’s currently employs more than 500 people at 40 locations across the state.  They ship frozen pizza nationally and internationally and offer bottled sauces and frozen pizza in grocery stores across the state.  

Tony is an active philanthropist contributing his time and talents to charities including Cedar’s Home for Children, Catholic Social Services, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lincoln Public Schools’ High Five program, TeamMates, Rotary International and more.

He has served on the Wesleyan Board of Governors, Malone Center board and Nebraska Restaurant Association. He was Vice President of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Board of Health and Chaired the Pius X Endowment Drive.

He has been named Restauranteur of the Year (twice), Rotarian of the Year, and Nebraskan of the Year by Rotary International.  He has also been recognized with the Benemerenti Award from Pope Benedict XVI and the Board of Health-Regional Directors Award, in addition to being inducted into the Omaha Hospitality Hall of Fame. 
Wilfred H. "Dick" Tegtmeier
Encore Mfg. Co.
Beatrice
(Awarded posthumously)
W​ilfred H. “Dick” Tegtmeier was born in 1938 in Odell, Nebraska, and graduated from Hollenberg High School in Hollenberg, Kansas.  He moved to Beatrice in 1961.  Dick was a pioneer in the lawn mower industry, turning sketches drawn in his basement into two successful businesses. Because of his entrepreneurship, Beatrice became known as the unofficial “Lawnmower Capital of the World”, employing more than 600 Nebraskans in three separate manufacturing facilities.  

He started working with Kees Manufacturing in Beatrice in the 1970’s, where he designed a line of lawn mowers. He left Kees in 1983 and, along with partners, started Exmark Manufacturing.  Exmark began with sketches in the founder’s homes before a prototype was made and displayed at trade shows.  Exmark became one of the first businesses to locate in Beatrice’s Industrial Park.

Known for making bold business decisions, Dick left Exmark in 1988 when he formed a new mower company, Encore Manufacturing.  The Beatrice Daily Sun quoted Dick Tegtmeier saying, “When we started Exmark, people said, ‘You’re crazy’.  When we started Encore, they said, ‘you have to be a complete idiot.’” At the time that Dick made that comment, Encore’s business had grown 640% since its first year, and the building needed expansion in 1993.  Encore employed 42 people at its peak, but after 23 years, a harsh economy took its toll on the business.  Dick sold Encore Manufacturing to the China-based World Lawn Power Equipment, on the condition that the factory continue operating in Beatrice.  Exmark is now a division of the Toro Company and continues to serve as a strong driver to Beatrice’s economy. 

Tegtmeier was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Beatrice Optimists, Gage County Economic Development and the Nebraska Diplomats.  He participated in trade missions promoting Nebraska, along with elected representatives and Nebraska industry leaders. 

Dick was married to Rosalie.  They had a son, Douglas, and daughter, Julie.  Tegtmeier died in 2013 in Beatrice.
 Each year, nominations for the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame are solicited from the general business community, statewide associations, and from academia. The Nebraska Chamber is proud to salute the accomplishment of the individuals that have been chosen by their peers to be included in this prestigious hall of fame.
     View past honorees as they are inducted into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame here.
     ​The Nebraska Chamber celebrates Nebraska's business leaders each year with newly honored inductees. The Nebraska Chamber is also proud to honor those deserving young adults that will be the business leaders of the future. Each year, students who meet the established criteria will be awarded scholarship assistance.
For other videos, please visit the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame web page.