SPN In-Depth

  • Feeling isolated? Omaha Gives! 2020 has launched. Here’s why you should give

    Feeling isolated? Omaha Gives! 2020 has launched. Here’s why you should give

    Michael Young knows the importance of giving, how it can change a life.  Young grew up in a family that struggled financially. After his father died prematurely, his mother had trouble coping with the loss, and the family dealt with worsening housing and food insecurity. Even in the midst of the economic hardships his family…

  • “At Home in a Crisis Trying to Work”: Cheered on by the Startup Collaborative, Founders Face Grim Future with Hope

    “At Home in a Crisis Trying to Work”: Cheered on by the Startup Collaborative, Founders Face Grim Future with Hope

    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…

  • Hybrid85 passes profits onto farmers

    Hybrid85 passes profits onto farmers

    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…

  • Send in the Clowns: An Experiment Outsourcing to Fiverr

    Send in the Clowns: An Experiment Outsourcing to Fiverr

    Outsourcing used to be a dirty word. To some extent, it still is. That’s probably due to public confusion with offshoring, the migration of company operations to other countries to capitalize on cheaper labor. Offshoring connotes economic devastation: factories closed, jobs lost, communities destroyed. On the other hand, outsourcing—contracting work to a third party—is having…

  • HerHeadquarters enriches women-owned businesses through powerful brand partnerships

    HerHeadquarters enriches women-owned businesses through powerful brand partnerships

    Carina Glover owned and operated a successful event planning business. She built her company from the ground up, working for free in the early stages of development, because she wanted to build a reputable name for her company. And she did. In her second year of business, she landed event planning contracts with the Grammy…

  • Special Series Wrap Up & Thoughts: ‘Talent and Innovation Initiative’

    In this four-part series, Tom Chapman, director of innovation and entrepreneurship for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, broke down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s “Talent and Innovation Initiative.” Here’s a run down of the bills and links to the posts: LB 386: Nebraska Internship Bill – Special Series…

  • Special Series: ‘Talent and Innovation Initiative’ – Angel Tax Credit Act

    (Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Tom Chapman breaks down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s “Talent and Innovation Initiative.”) The new Nebraska Angel Investment Tax Credit Act would create Nebraska’s first angel investment tax credit for investments of more than $25,000 for qualified individuals and $50,000 for qualified funds.…

  • Special Series: ‘Talent and Innovation Initiative’ – Site & Building Dev. Act

    (Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Tom Chapman breaks down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s “Talent and Innovation Initiative.”) This bill will set aside $3 million for the development of industrial, business and commercial sites. It allows for numerous uses of the money including demolition, infrastructure, construction and renovation/rehabilitation…

  • Special Series: ‘Talent and Innovation Initiative’ – Business Innovation Act

    (Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Tom Chapman breaks down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s “Talent and Innovation Initiative.”) The purpose of LB 387 is to encourage and support the transfer of technology and innovation to create high growth, high tech companies in the state. There are essentially six…

  • Special Series: ‘Talent and Innovation Initiative’ – Internship Bill

    (Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Tom Chapman breaks down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman’s “Talent and Innovation Initiative.”) The Nebraska Internship Bill provides a matching grant to private, for-profit employers who add internship jobs that did not exist prior to the program. The goal of the program is…