OMAHA, Neb., March 4, 2019 – Six counties, two states, one win: For the fourth year in a row, and the fifth time since 2014, Site Selection named Omaha – Council Bluffs No. 1 for new and expanded corporate facilities among areas with populations between 200,000 and 1 million in 2018.
Site Selection, published by Conway Inc., is the senior publication in the corporate real estate and economic development fields, and is the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC, at www.iamc.org). Site Selection’s yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard.”
“There’s no question our investors played a substantial role in this success,” says David G. Brown, president and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber. “Over the past 25 years, in a series of five-year campaigns, stakeholders have provided more than $77M in funding – all of which we’ve reinvested in the community to create growth, expansion and forward momentum. Our No. 1 status really illustrates a remarkable partnership between businesses, the city and the people who power this region. Thanks to everyone who invested in order to achieve this ambitious goal.”
“Building great partnerships is the way we get things done in Omaha,” said Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. “Our neighboring cities are also doing well and that is so important to grow our regional economy and create jobs. We are a vibrant, thriving community with a bright future.”
Presented today at the Greater Omaha Chamber by Adam Bruns, managing editor, Site Selection, the win included such regional projects as:
- MetLife – Opening a 300-person service center in Downtown Omaha
- Fywheel – Expanding headquarters to 65,000 square-feet in Millwork Commons, North Downtown
- Warren Distribution – Expanding in Council Bluffs: $12.8M, 211,000 square feet, creating 30 jobs
- i2c Inc. – Expanding to Omaha, creating 300 jobs
- Toast – Expanding to Omaha with a potential of creating 500 jobs
- Facebook Expansion – Growing to 2.6M square feet in Sarpy County
“As I interviewed former U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker for this article, one thing she told me was ‘Mayors matter a lot,’ says Adam Bruns, managing editor of Site Selection. “Institutional and civic leaders are also crucial to the economic development prowess demonstrated in regions like Greater Omaha. They are busy doing what James Fallows described to the International Economic Development Council audience here in Atlanta last fall as making positive advancement, getting traction and having agency. Omaha is as good an example as any of what he and his wife Deb observed in flying their small plane across America for their book “Our Towns” — a practical-minded functionality in local government and civic life that not only runs counter to the negative national narrative but may be ignoring it completely, in the service of getting things done and improving people’s lives.”
In addition to the Omaha – Council Bluffs’ win, Texas and Nebraska have won the 2018 Site Selection Governor’s Cups. This is the sixth year Site Selection recognizes the state with the most qualifying new and expanded facilities per capita, which Nebraska claims for its capital investment activity in 2018. Texas wins for having the most qualified projects of any state.
About the Greater Omaha Chamber Economic Development Partnership
The Greater Omaha Chamber Economic Development Partnership (https://www.omahachamber.org/economic-development/) represents a six-county area from two states (Nebraska and Iowa) that includes Cass, Dodge, Douglas, Pottawattamie, Sarpy and Washington Counties. This seamless regionalized partnership operates as a comprehensive resource, driving growth and championing collaboration.