For companies weighing a multi-million- or even billion-dollar expansion, uncertainty can be a dealbreaker. A site that looks promising on paper can quickly fall apart once hidden issues emerge, delaying projects, driving up costs, or killing deals altogether. In the Greater Omaha region, economic development leaders have spent more than a decade working to eliminate those unknowns before they ever reach a site selector’s desk.

Through the GO Ready site certification program, the Greater Omaha Chamber’s economic development team identifies and vets development-ready sites across the region, helping developers and site selectors move faster and with greater confidence. 

The program has helped land major projects, reduce risk for investors and strengthen Omaha’s competitive position by ensuring a diverse inventory of certified sites that meet real-world business needs.

Too often, communities show off raw land and expect companies to trust that it could be developed.

For risk-averse companies making major capital investments, trust alone isn’t enough.

“If you’re a complete stranger to a particular area and looking to make a multi-million dollar decision, you are very risk-averse and so you are going to take the path that has the least risk,” said Mark Norman, vice president of site development for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s economic development team.

GO Ready meets that reality head-on by providing sites that have already gone through the same due diligence a buyer would perform.

So, what does “GO Ready” really mean?

Omaha’s GO Ready program functions as a virtual shovel-ready certification, with some sites fully shovel-ready and others able to be developed within a defined timeframe.

For each site, the Chamber’s team conducts extensive analysis.

“We will do all the due diligence that a buyer would typically do on a site,” Norman said. “We do an ALTA survey, a title search, a wetlands delineation, phase 1 environmental study, geotechnical investigations and endangered species research.”

The work doesn’t stop there.

GO Ready sites look at utility availability, utility capacity, associated costs and timeframes to present as much information as possible to site selectors and developers. 

“We’re going to have a master site plan put together that shows them how it could be developed,” Norman said. 

For companies considering a GO Ready site, the result is clarity and speed.

“This is a site that you can develop in 12 months or less and you’re not going to have to worry about it,” Norman said.

In short, a GO Ready site has risk removed. 

Unknowns can kill site development. Issues uncovered during GO Ready certification are the kind that can quietly derail a deal if discovered too late.

Norman gave an example: An old 1940s AT&T telephone easement ran diagonally through the site. Norman and his team took the time to clear it up before showing it to developers. Once it was resolved and other certifications were obtained, the site was certified GO Ready. 

The work paid off.

“When we presented it to a client, they bought the property. And so it was a success,” Norman said. 

Over time, GO Ready sites have helped land high-profile projects across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Successful examples include Travelers Insurance data center, Dollar General warehouse, South Point Business Park in Council Bluffs and Vireo in Plattsmouth.

“We’ve had very positive responses from clients and site selectors when we let them know, ‘This is a GO Ready site,’” Norman said. “They know it’s gone through a certain level of vetting, so they feel more comfortable presenting it to their clients.”

Another strength of the GO Ready program is the diversity of available sites.

That includes urban, suburban and rural sites, large and small parcels, rail-served locations and sites with major utility capacity.

“Having a variety of available sites gives us the opportunity to be more competitive on more projects,” he said.

The region’s central location further strengthens that pitch.

“You can access like 95% of the US population within two days of trucking,” Norman said, pointing to interstate, rail, river and air connectivity from the Greater Omaha region.