In May 2018, a new, statewide economic development initiative was unveiled by some of Nebraska’s key leaders in business, agriculture, government and higher education.
Blueprint Nebraska seeks to establish a comprehensive plan aimed at stimulating economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity, while building on Nebraska’s existing strengths.
The Nebraska Chamber has played a key role in getting Blueprint Nebraska up and running.
Chaired by Lance Fritz, chairman, president and CEO of Union Pacific Corp. in Omaha, and Owen Palm, president and CEO of 21st Century Holdings in Scottsbluff, Blueprint Nebraska is overseen by a steering committee that is composed of a broad coalition of leaders from the private sector.
Former State Senator Jim Smith, who led the Revenue and Transportation Committees in the Nebraska Legislature, is the organization’s executive director.
Over the course of several months, Blueprint Nebraska will embark on a collaborative process to solicit input from a cross-section of industry stakeholders. The initiative will utilize industry councils comprised of Nebraskans from across the state to help analyze current strengths and challenges in areas such as manufacturing; agriculture; health care; education; workforce; taxation and incentives; housing; community vitality; and technology and innovation. The stakeholder input will be combined with research from higher-education institutions to produce a comprehensive, long-range economic plan for the state.
“The business community wants to continue to make Nebraska the very best place in the nation to live, work and raise a family,” said Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber. “Looking forward, we face new competitive challenges in continuing to grow our state. Blueprint Nebraska has the potential to be a landmark statewide collaboration to help drive a new era of growth throughout our state. The State Chamber is proud to support this collaborative and visionary effort.”
More information is available at www.blueprint-nebraska.org.