Growth doesn’t always start with a groundbreaking or ribbon-cutting.
More often, it starts with a conversation.
For businesses across Greater Omaha, that conversation is often a Growth Consultation with the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Economic Development team.
Designed to be confidential, one-on-one and practical, a Growth Consultation helps local business leaders clarify what’s next, work through barriers and leave with clear, actionable steps to move their business forward.
A Practical Conversation, Built Around Your Business
Open to all businesses in the Omaha area, a Growth Consultation is not a formal consulting engagement or a one-size-fits-all assessment. Instead, it’s a focused conversation tailored to your business, your goals, and your challenges.
“The Growth Consultation is a simple, practical conversation designed to help businesses navigate whatever they are facing: opportunities they want to pursue, challenges that have held them back or questions that do not have clear answers,” says Alec Gorynski, Senior Vice President of Economic Development at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
The Growth Consultation team meets directly with business owners and leaders to understand where the business is today and where it wants to go next. That might include growth and expansion plans, but it can also mean addressing obstacles that make progress feel harder than it should be.
“Many people assume the Growth Consultation is only for companies planning expansions, but it is also incredibly useful for those dealing with obstacles,” Gorynski says.
Learn more or request a Growth Consultation.
What the Growth Consultation Experience Entails
Each Growth Consultation is structured to help businesses gain clarity and momentum. During the conversation, the Chamber team works alongside business leaders to:
- Identify growth-limiting challenges
- Clarify business goals and priorities
- Explore opportunities for expansion, adaptation or improvement
- Connect you to relevant partners, programs and resources
- Define realistic, actionable next steps
At its core, the process is designed to move your business forward, whether that means planning a new facility, hiring and training talent, navigating regulations or simply figuring out the best next decision.
“Often the most valuable part of the discussion is simply identifying the core issue and naming the goal,” says Gorynski. “From there, the Chamber team helps outline realistic next steps.”
To make the consultation tangible and useful, the Chamber’s Economic Development team can support businesses across a wide range of needs, including:
- Workforce solutions, including talent attraction, retention, training programs, and workforce data
- Sites & expansion, such as location exploration, site readiness, and development considerations
- Incentives & policy guidance, including navigating available programs and regulatory questions
- Partner introductions, connections to trusted regional organizations and service providers
Research & data such as insights on workforce trends, demographics, market conditions and competitiveness
Because the Chamber’s Growth Consultation team works with organizations of all sizes and across all industries, they bring a broad understanding of what’s changing in the local business environment and what resources many companies don’t realize are available.
“They have a broad understanding of what is changing, what is possible and what resources exist that many companies do not even know to consider,” Gorynski says.
Why Growth Consultations Matter for Businesses and the Region
The Growth Consultation is a key part of the Chamber’s broader Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) approach, which is focused on supporting the businesses that are already rooted in Greater Omaha.
“Our region’s economic strength depends on the strength of our local businesses,” says Gorynski. “Growth does not arrive from outside forces alone. It starts from within.”
While attracting new companies is important, most job creation and investment comes from businesses that already call Greater Omaha home. Helping those companies grow — even incrementally — creates ripple effects that strengthen the entire region.
“When local businesses grow, even modestly, the region becomes more resilient,” Gorynski says. “When they face barriers, the effects ripple outward.”
The Chamber helps businesses find the right people, the right programs and the right next steps at the right time.
Start the Conversation
If your business is planning an expansion, working through a challenge or simply looking for a trusted sounding board, a Growth Consultation is a meaningful place to start.
“If your business is planning for its next chapter, working through a challenge, or simply needs a sounding board, I encourage you to connect with our Growth Consultants and start the conversation,” says Gorynski.