Corporate Innovation
“Walk with, not by.” So goes the motto for Samaritan, a mobile app that helps users fight homelessness via direct, case-managed giving. It’s a slogan that eschews slacktivism for what might awkwardly be called “app-tivism”—the use of consumer apps to generate meaningful social action. More than just sharing news of a cause or signaling one’s…
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It wasn’t so long ago that the railroad ran on paper. Stacks and stacks of paper were used to keep track of the hundreds of thousands of rail cars that flowed through Union Pacific’s 23-state system. A slip of paper captured the customer’s property, each rail car’s schedule and final destination. It was the train…
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Leadership is defined in times of crisis. A leader earns their mark when they “gird and inspire people through difficult times,” wrote historian Nancy Koehn. Valmont Industries President and CEO Stephen G. Kaniewski has learned this firsthand through the trial-by-fire method. The tireless researcher, people person and technology leader at the helm of the Nebraska-born…
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Originally posted on the AIM Institute blog No one knows how the coronavirus pandemic will evolve, how long the economy will stay underwater, or even what recovery looks like. But the radical workplace upheaval and sudden ad hoc shift to remote technology over the past month suggest two truths: We need more tech talent. We…
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Erica Wassinger, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation for the Greater Omaha Chamber, exerts considerable energy and influence helping entrepreneurs weather the storms of starting up. Her work as cofounder of The Startup Collaborative often brings her as close to founders as public health guidelines currently allow. For the past month, she’s been speaking with…
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When CEO of Symphony Workforce Todd Smith speaks about Discover Your Genius, a workforce development challenge for high school and college students, enthusiasm brightens his voice. When he describes what DYG (“dig”) has done for underserved youth across Nebraska—particularly in rural areas where food deserts, poverty and lack of mental health services persist—it’s hard to…
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Andrew Glantz embodies the spirit of altruistic entrepreneurship. As a teen, Glantz served for 4 years as VP of the Southern California children’s charity Jr. Variety, planning fundraisers that obtained over $400,000 for various children’s causes. In college, he co-owned a nonprofit storefront promoting reuse and sustainability. And in October 2015, while still a junior…
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Many of us can only dream of working from home. No more rush hour. No more sack lunches or $11 takeout sandwiches. And especially no more long, drawn-out conversations about the loose floor tile by Kelly’s office. Well, now we have to miss all of those things. Many of us are struggling with the reality…
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Some might not realize it yet, but the arts and culture nonprofit KANEKO has fans all over the world. “KANEKO puts Omaha on the map,” said Samuel Bertino, KANEKO’s Individual Gifts & Community Engagement Manager. “It’s a place to come and see new and exciting things that are happening. Whenever we have people come in…
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At the very top of the Nebraska State Capitol building stands a 32-foot tall bronze statue of the Sower, a figure representing agriculture’s vital role in the development of modern civilization. Maybe it wasn’t the best fit for the state license plate, but the Sower is an undeniable symbol of Nebraska. According to the Nebraska…
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