by Jill Bruckner
Communications/Public Relations Manager
Put your party hats on, Chamber Member Champions, it’s time to celebrate: Omaha is lucky No. 7 in U.S. News’ annual “25 Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. in 2018,” ahead of such locales as Kansas City (No. 21), Baton Rouge (No. 17) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (No. 9) – and the good news doesn’t stop there. The St. Louis Business Journal recently named Omaha the 2018 No. 1 Best City for College Grads, edging out No. 2 Minneapolis-St. Paul and No. 3 St. Louis.
Make no mistake, my friends, your community contributions are circling the globe, powering our potential in this aspirational place. Winning is teamwork, and here in Greater Omaha, winning is for everyone. Accolades for all!
Take Nebraska & Iowa’s Vetter Senior Living, for example, Fortune’s No. 17 “Best Workplace for Aging Services.” In a region where the U.S. Census reports aging is on the rise (with a 37 percent increase in Omaha Council Bluffs adults age 65 and over in the past decade), it’s no wonder services are expanding in this sector – just as opportunities for up-and-coming tech talent are exploding here at home thanks to a $32 million economic development campaign and The Startup Collaborative’s fellowship formula for success. The goal: Cultivate 250 new tech start-ups and 10,000 tech workers in the next five years.
No doubt about it, unprecedented ideas are flowing right here in River City; and if your mouth is watering with a taste for helping kids, don’t miss Partnership for Kids’ October 26 Hops & Grapes Festival to benefit programming for more than 6,000 underserved students, Duchesne Academy’s “Brinner” and a Show October 19 or Omaha Conservatory of Music’s Food for the Soul series.
Clearly, Magnificent Members, you have an appetite for engagement – an effervescent attitude that shines in all you do. For you, it’s not just about leadership, it’s about enriching community, elevating everyone and knowing things are better when we’re growing together.
That’s why Greater Omaha is more than just a place. It’s our place; and, your efforts make it exceptional.
Now, whether you plan to prepare for Goodwill’s BOO!Dwill Halloween Costume contest or are clearing your October 16 calendar to attend the 2018 Nebraska Chamber Legislative Forum, know that you, Inventive Members, are the tie that binds, the hand the helps and the spark that ignites ambition.
Go get ‘em, Chamber Members!