Omaha National is one of the most successful workers’ compensation insurance companies in the country — and its CEO, Reagan Pufall, is clear about why the company chose Omaha as its home base. The city offers a rare mix of regulatory strength, exceptional talent, affordable growth and stability that makes it an ideal location for scaling a national insurance business.

That makes Omaha one of the nation’s best places for insurance companies.

Omaha’s workforce stands out in a way that Pufall believes few places can match.

“The talent pool here in Omaha, when you’re just really focusing on hiring high quality people, is truly exceptional. I haven’t experienced anywhere else like it,” Pufall said. 

Omaha National has thrived by tapping into Omaha’s deep well of talent, seeking “brains, character and aptitude,” Pufall said, rather than insurance industry expertise. 

“We just really want to hire high quality human beings, who are smart and wonderful people to work with,” Pufall said.

Omaha’s affordability and infrastructure add to the advantage for the company.

“We have beautiful office space at one of the most prominent locations in the state, and yet we’re paying just a fraction of what we would pay in most metropolitan areas,” Pufall said.

And unlike markets that rise and fall, Omaha offers something harder to measure but equally valuable: stability. 

Omaha just grows at a steady pace. It’s not boom and bust,” Pufall said. “Everything you have to do goes better here. It’s easy to forget how lucky we are when everything works so smoothly.”

That stability extends to quality of life, with short commutes and a connected community that supports in-office collaboration. Most of Omaha National’s employees come to the office five days a week, and a short commute and nice office space are among the reasons that it works. 

“If we were in New York, we’d have had to make a different choice,” he said. “Here, most of our employees can work together every day, and we think that gives us a significant advantage.”

As Omaha National scales nationally, Pufall believes the company’s foundation in Omaha will continue to fuel its growth.

“When people join us, one of the phrases we hear a lot is, ‘I didn’t know there were companies like this,’” he said. “We’re proud that we can create careers, grow talent and do it all here in Omaha.”