by Jill Bruckner
Communications/Public Relations Manager
Happy Wednesday Chamber Members!
Bold, brave and courageous: That’s how you, Greater Omaha Chamber Members, roll; and, thanks to moxie and muscle, you’re making a splash in this no-coasting community one exciting week (and wave) after another.
From the Sept. 19 SmartAssest announcement of Omaha-Council Bluffs as the No. 3 best place in the nation for teachers, to Military Times naming Omaha the No. 9 best large-city for vets to live, you, Members Extraordinaire, know when to show up, shout out and create a culture that is as welcoming as it is inspiring. Talk about weaving winning into a way of life!
No doubt about it, you are a community that knows how to connect. Case in point: Conagra Brands, Kitchen Council and regional champions, such as Iowa West Foundation, are partnering to fuel food entrepreneurs’ dreams with donations and support, while Kitchen Council is engaging others for a warm evening with restaurateur Willy Thiesen Sept. 24.
Plus, you kept the community-connection momentum moving as educators kicked off sign-up for 2019’s Careerockit, the nation’s largest experiential learning endeavor of its kind; just as Better Business Bureau (BBB) announced it was taking learning to a new level with Josh Linkner and the 2018 Integrity Awards October 9, while Google rang the Local U school bell, announcing Local University October 17.
Education on all levels? We got that. Maybe that’s why this region is rocking it with a with 3.4 percent median household income growth (outpacing our peers) and a cadre of creatives who power professional development at the region’s only international chapter of CreativeMornings.
The result: abundant opportunities and a determined commitment to advancement.
Here at home, it’s no wonder that “determined commitment” means remarkable change; and thanks, in part, to accomplishments such as Boyd Jones’ receiving national recognition as a 2018 Best Project in Renovation/Restoration for their renovation of former Burlington Mail Terminal (now known as the thriving Rail & Commerce Building), and community leaders re-imagining transportation in the Metro, our region is thriving.
This week, Marvelous Members, whether you plan to take your bold, brave and courageous selves on a Riverfront walk, or are thinking about launching your next big idea with the Metro’s largest tech-entrepreneurial incubator, The Startup Collaborative, know that you are the reason for Greater Omaha’s cohesion. Your Midwestern allegiance to each other has global implications and your good work ripples, precisely because you don’t coast.
Go get ‘em, Chamber Members!