2022 Annual Report

Omaha’s growth continued to thrive in 2022, thanks to our focus on key industries such as finance and insurance, logistics and manufacturing, agribusiness, medtech and biosciences. These commitments solidified Omaha’s national reputation and attracted significant investment to the region.

Our eight-county region provided a competitive edge in attracting businesses. As a leader in full-service, coordinated economic development partnerships, Omaha saw over $2 billion in capital investment in 2022, creating 7,871 jobs with an estimated annual payroll of $112.4 million.

In addition, Omaha was chosen by MIT to participate in their Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program, where a diverse team representing Omaha’s startup ecosystem worked alongside other communities to identify and amplify key elements for entrepreneurs. The REACH program provided countless hours of education and support to business owners, helping them achieve greater success. In all, we remained dedicated to providing tools and resources to small and medium businesses throughout the community.

Omaha’s employers continue to invest in their employees’ personal and professional development through a variety of leadership programs and events, such as Leadership Omaha and the YP Summit. These programs were highly attended and well-received in 2022.

To meet the needs of our member businesses, the Commitment to Opportunity Diversity and Education expanded their education series and supported the work of the Employer Coalition for CODE and The Conference on Opportunity, Diversity and Equity. We are committed to promoting equity and inclusion across the region through these and other opportunities.

The Greater Omaha Worklab (GROW) also onboarded new employer-clients and increased the reach of their Navigators program, which supports the personal and professional wellbeing of employees to help them stay engaged in the workforce. Our Navigators met with numerous employees, providing assistance with everything from daily needs to long-term planning.

With the flagship announcement from Mutual of Omaha, key elements of our Urban Core Strategic Plan are already coming to fruition. The foundation is being set for future development. Growth in the urban core will power the economic strength of the region, leading us confidently toward our 2040 goals.

Advocacy is a major part of our placemaking efforts. In 2022 we help shaped how unprecedented funding from the American Recovery Plan Act would be invested. With an eye toward supporting workforce and underserved communities, the Unicameral directed funds toward internships and economic development in important areas of Omaha.

With a strategic plan in place and policy to support economic growth, Omaha is poised to pursue lofty goals. To add 30,000 new residents and 30,000 new jobs in the next two decades, it will take all of us working together.

Throughout 2022, we realigned our internal teams to help better serve our members. Despite this realignment, we were still able to add 293 new members and maintain our existing members at a 91.6% rate. We’ll look to grow our base throughout 2023 with a focus on being “the first stop for all things business.”