When Costco Wholesale set out to build its first fully integrated poultry operation, the company searched widely for the right place to call home. After an extensive site selection process, the retail giant found what it was looking for just outside Omaha in Fremont, Nebraska.
“They looked at locations in Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska,” said Jessica Kolterman, Director of Administration for Lincoln Premium Poultry. “Costco ultimately decided they liked the site in Nebraska and the partnership that they found here.”
Lincoln Premium Poultry was born.
That partnership was key to the final decision. Economic development officials from Omaha, Fremont and the state of Nebraska recruited the company, and the collaboration on display between business and government was evident from the beginning.
“Everyone in the room knew each other and had already worked together,” Kolterman said. “Around here, everything feels like one or two phone calls away. If someone doesn’t get the answer that you need, they know exactly who to call. And I think that’s exactly what they found.”
Their unified approach gave Costco confidence that its ambitious vision could succeed here.
“One of the great things about our location is we’re close enough to Omaha to have very high-level, sophisticated business partners that maybe you wouldn’t typically find in a smaller town,” Kolterman said. “But also in a small enough town that we can run this like it’s a small family business.”
Close coordination even helped accelerate major infrastructure projects that would enhance Lincoln Premium Poultry’s build. State departments and local governments worked together to speed up infrastructure projects to help things along.
Lincoln Premium Poultry officially opened its doors in September 2019, with approximately 1,200 team members producing 2 million chickens a week for Costco.
“We are providing rotisserie chicken for families all over the country, as well as other fresh products that are sold in the Costco warehouse store,” Kolterman said.
But perhaps the company’s greatest success has been the people behind it. Company executives, who have run similar operations across the country, maintain it’s the best workforce they’ve encountered.
“The commitment of the people to show up and work is unmatched,” said Kolterman. “Turnover is below what we’ve ever seen.”
She credits that to the Nebraska work ethic.
“It’s kind of like whatever the situation is, it’s all hands on deck to get the job done — even if you need to scrap it together with duct tape and baling wire,” she said. “That extends all the way from the top people in the company down to the person who comes in at the entry level.”
Since its founding, the operation has exceeded expectations. Before the plant was constructed, economic impact studies estimated a $1.2 billion annual impact. Five years later, a Nebraska State Economic Development Association and University of Nebraska–Lincoln study validated that impact.
Kolterman said that success is shared across the entire region.
“Without the partnership of the Omaha Chamber, the State of Nebraska, the local partnership with the Economic Development Group, the City of Fremont and Dodge County, we would not be here today,” Kolterman said.
For companies considering where to grow, the message is clear: Omaha and its surrounding communities offer the collaboration, talent and infrastructure to make big ideas succeed.