To be innovative, central Nebraska must face its own risk-averse culture and diverse community identities.

In our series on entrepreneurship in central Nebraska, several themes recur:

• A strong foundation of pride in seeing local companies succeed and grow, tempered by a conservative and somewhat risk-averse culture
• Space and support resources for entrepreneurs in place or planned, but not always known or understood
• While each major community in the region has unique attributes, there is a growing sense that some level of collaboration is needed

There are many large companies in the region that were started and grown locally over a period sometimes stretching to decades. In some cases (often in manufacturing) the larger, more established companies create a market for specialized products that leads to other enterprises.

Much of the other current entrepreneurial activity in the region is focused on retail (including e-commerce), as well as food and beverage businesses like coffee shops and microbreweries. While these are not typically considered high-growth/high-wage businesses, they do contribute to a more entrepreneurial culture.

Risk tolerant and open-minded?

Culture came up often in conversations with community and business leaders in central Nebraska. Pride in local company success is counterbalanced by concerns that the region’s conservative and risk-averse culture impedes a more robust climate for startups.

“The hardest thing to accept in rural Nebraska is being more risk tolerant,” said Dave Rippe, Executive Director of the Hastings Economic Development Corporation (HEDC).

The need to make communities attractive to young talent is also a consistent theme.

“The cities in central Nebraska struggle with attracting new community members,” said Lisa Tshauner, Owner of Open for Business Magazine. “Younger, trendier and talented people desire open-mindedness, activities and more opportunities to directly impact their own peer group.”

There is no lack of programs in the region to train and assist entrepreneurs, as well as provide financing options.

“There is a great deal of support and focus on a state and local level to encourage business development,” Tschauner said. “The challenge is that they are not marketed in a way that really delivers on the message and mission.”

A regional accelerator (or something like it)

The challenge in central Nebraska is equipping potential entrepreneurs with knowledge of business fundamentals.

“The research tells us that our economy is not lacking for ideas,” said Dan Shundoff, CEO and President of Intellicom in Kearney. “But we need successful business models to apply to the idea, help with how to find a customer, determine willingness to pay, defining margins and production costs.”

Accelerators like Straight Shot in Omaha and NMotion in Lincoln are designed to offer this, and community leaders in central Nebraska have talked with them about creating something similar. But doing so may require collaboration across communities.

“You bet we do,” said Rippe in response to a question about consulting with these programs. “Their density and number of projects allow them to do that. It may require a collaborative project with Hastings, Grand Island and Kearney to fill a class.”

It is clear to some regional leaders that a larger initiative will require cooperation among communities to be viable.

“It’s going to have to be a regional effort”

“It’s going to have to be a regional effort,” said Vern Powers, Hastings Mayor and entrepreneur. “Mayors from about 7 communities have had discussions about banding together as a region.”

Shawn Kaskie, Director of UNK’s Center for Rural Research and Development, isn’t sure the concept can gain traction in central Nebraska.

“An accelerator may not be a perfect fit for this market,” Kaskie said.

And there is still the challenge of fostering collaboration among diverse communities.

“The flavor and culture is different in each community,” said Cindy Johnson, President of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce. “Things might not work in all three.”

In the end, the success stories of the region rarely receive the attention they warrant.

“These groups of people generally don’t publicize their successes in a way that creates attention or publicity,” Tschauner said. “There isn’t a clear solution, but we try to publicize, utilize and see success on the individual business level, local community level and as a state overall.”

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This story is the last in a 4-part series on the state of startups and entrepreneurship in central Nebraska, beyond the region’s major urban centers.

Rod Armstrong is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for AIM in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is a regular contributor to Silicon Prairie News.