Two Nebraska leaders in entrepreneurship and economic development shared insights on strategies for sustainable and equitable economic growth during the State of Our Union event, which was organized by The Atlantic in partnership with the Flatwater Free Press. The event, hosted in Lincoln on Oct. 23, featured many discussions with local Nebraska experts from a variety of fields, journalists and policymakers. 

The panel, Grassroots Growth: Entrepreneurship and Economic Equity, included moderator Stefanie Monge, editor of Silicon Prairie News, Omaha Innovation Hub CEO Trevon Brooks, and e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Co-founder Don Macke. 

Brooks and Macke discussed the challenges and opportunities of fostering entrepreneurship in urban and rural communities across the state.

Brooks, a military veteran and former chief strategy officer at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, said he discovered his passion for entrepreneurship in Nebraska. Having spent a significant portion of his career working in disinvested urban communities, he highlighted the barriers to building businesses with economic equity at the forefront.

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“It’s ridiculously difficult,” Brooks said. It’s also difficult to do in a way that creates access to people who have been knocked out in a way that works with rural Nebraska as well as urban Omaha,” he said.

Macke, who has worked extensively with rural communities, noted the higher rates of entrepreneurship outside urban centers, driven by limited job options. “If you want to live in a rural community and have a better life, chances are you’re going to go into business or work for somebody in a local business,” he explained.

Both panelists emphasized the need for collaboration among local governments, private sectors and local community leaders. Macke pointed to the success of initiatives like the Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E3) initiative in Keith County, where the local economic development corporation actively partners with aspiring entrepreneurs.

Brooks discussed the importance of incorporating entrepreneurship into broader economic development strategies rather than treating it as a standalone priority. 

“Entrepreneurship quickly became a topic of conversation everywhere, and we started talking about different things that helped communities, whether it was Scottsbluff…whether it was North Omaha,” Brooks said. 

Access to resources like capital, networks and partnerships emerged as a critical factor in empowering entrepreneurs, particularly in underserved communities. Macke suggested reallocating a portion of traditional economic development funds to ecosystem-building efforts, while Brooks emphasized alternative financing models and community engagement as essential tools.

Both panelists shared a vision for a resilient economy grounded in local entrepreneurship. Macke said, “If we would just take five or 10% of that billion dollars and invest it in community-centered entrepreneurship…the kind of stuff that you’re trying to do, I would argue we would build a much better economy, but also more equitable accommodation with people progressive.”