Greater Omaha Chamber Releases Omaha COMPETES, a Practitioner-Driven Agenda to StrengthenOmaha Competes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2025

CONTACT
Aron Wehr
Greater Omaha Chamber
402.978.7920
awehr@omahachamber.org

Greater Omaha Chamber Releases Omaha COMPETES

A Practitioner-Driven Agenda to Strengthen Nebraska’s Economic Competitiveness

Omaha, NE — The Greater Omaha Chamber today released Omaha COMPETES, a comprehensive, data-driven policy agenda designed to modernize Nebraska’s economic development tools, accelerate job creation, strengthen workforce competitiveness, and ensure the state can compete and win in an increasingly aggressive national marketplace.

Developed in collaboration with employers, economic developers, workforce leaders, educators, utilities, and public partners, Omaha COMPETES outlines a clear path forward to restore Nebraska’s competitive edge and sustained growth that benefits communities statewide.

“For generations, our strength has come from a simple truth: when we invest in growth, our communities have a better future,” said Heath Mello, President & CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “This work is about the Nebraska we aspire to build — one where young people choose to stay, where companies choose to expand, and where every region benefits from the growth generated in our economic engine.”

A Clear Case for Action

Once a national leader in economic development, Nebraska has fallen behind peer states in job creation, population growth, and project wins — not because of a lack of fundamentals, but because of slower tools, reduced flexibility, and a less proactive posture. Omaha COMPETES responds with practical, real-world solutions grounded in how projects are actually won today.

The Omaha COMPETES Framework

The agenda is organized into four integrated sections:

Part 1: Nebraska’s Current Competitive Reality

  • Outlines how Nebraska has lost ground to neighboring states that have moved faster and invested more strategically in economic development.
  • Demonstrates that if Nebraska had simply kept pace with peers, the state would have tens of thousands more jobs, billions in additional wages, and significantly higher tax revenues today.
  • Establishes the urgency for modern tools that signal Nebraska is open, competitive, and ready for business.

Part 2: Modernizing Economic Development Tools & Site Readiness

  • Recommends updates to Nebraska’s core incentive framework – including ImagiNE Nebraska – to improve speed, flexibility, and real-world usability.
  • Calls for expanded site readiness, infrastructure financing, and utility investment tools to deliver truly shovel-ready sites.
  • Emphasizes a more proactive, partnership-oriented posture at the state level to accelerate approvals while maintaining accountability.

Part 3: Growing Nebraska’s Workforce Competitiveness

  • Addresses talent attraction, retention, and development as critical economic development priorities.
  • Proposes coordinated relocation strategies, stronger retention metrics, and expanded leadership and early-career pathways.
  • Calls for reinstating and modernizing workforce programs, strengthening employer-driven training, and preparing for emerging technologies like AI.

Part 4: Learning from Winning States

  • Benchmarks Nebraska against states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Texas, and Virginia.
  • Highlights proven models, including discretionary closing tools, customized workforce training, site development funds, and enhanced local authority, that are already delivering results elsewhere.
  • Demonstrates that these recommendations are not theoretical, but tested strategies Nebraska can adapt and deploy.

Omaha COMPETES is intended to inform policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders as Nebraska considers the next generation of economic development policy.

To read the full Omaha COMPETES agenda, visit here.

###

About the Greater Omaha Chamber

The Greater Omaha Chamber is one of the country’s largest, strongest chambers with nearly 3,000 members and a 5-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to champion a thriving business community and a prosperous region through visionary leadership and collaboration.