2019 Annual Report

David G. Brown

President and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber

Big stories and small stories abound for the economic development of the region. We continued to support and invest in small businesses and startups through The Startup Collaborative, Kitchen Council and REACH. These unique programs empowered entrepreneurs to realize their dreams and earn a living. REACH members landed more than $4 million in contracts, while The Startup Collaborative generated 48 tech-based startups.

Those entrepreneurial wins alone would be a success, but there’s also the gorilla in the room. Or, the Google in the data center. The announcement of their $600 million investment in Sarpy County headlined another prolific year for the region. We landed 36 new projects for the year across the region and built a significant backlog of quality projects for 2020 as we hosted 72 prospect visits. We also called on more than 400 local firms to seek opportunities for growth or problem solving.

As promised in the Prosper 2.0 strategy, we spent significantly more time and resources focusing on direct foreign investment. The relationships that were developed in Japan, France, Italy and Israel last year will pay dividends as we move forward with specific targets this year and beyond.

This past year saw a huge investment in the people that live and work in the Greater Omaha region. We worked with businesses, schools and nonprofit partners to deliver programs and services that support the area’s workforce. The goals we worked toward on behalf of the region’s people are crucial components of our five-year Prosper 2.0 strategy.

These visionary programs include the launch of the Commitment to Opportunity, Diversity and Equity (CODE), the kickoff of the Greater Omaha Worklab (GrOW) and the regional partnership of the OPTiN tech-talent recruitment campaign. Together, these efforts represent an intentional effort to attract, engage and retain our strong, empowered workforce.

We continued to build on the success of our classroom-career pipeline with the expansion of Careerockit. This unique program grew once again, providing students from more than five school districts with exposure to a wide range of vocations across the region. Connecting these students with our engaged young professionals creates a powerful funnel for tomorrow’s workforce.

As always, the Greater Omaha Chamber continues to be at the forefront of Leadership Development, with more and more opportunities for area professionals to grow their skills. With an expanded Mindset Leadership Series, strong event attendance and another class of Leadership Omaha graduates, there is no shortage of dynamic personalities ready to take Omaha into the next decade.

Not only did our region expand, but it also took steps toward being better connected. In October we added Otoe County to our economic development partnership, bringing Nebraska City and several other communities into the Greater Omaha fold. We also launched ConnectGO, a transportation initiative that is focused on crafting a long-term strategy for building a fully integrated city of the future.

In partnership with the transportation strategy, our Urban Core Committee continued to guide the transformation of the heart of the city. The group initiated studies of Governance, Housing, Retail and Site Design, all of which will be completed by early 2020.

Continued emphasis on building Omaha’s brand and telling our region’s story paralleled efforts in public policy, military outreach and economic development site preparation. The combined initiatives represent a commitment and investment in building a vibrant, inclusive community that supports workforce and business growth.

Public Policy Initiatives

Approved Legislation

• Metro transit expansion:  LB 492 authorizes creation of a truly regional transit system for Metro Omaha. 
• Highway construction:  LB 616 provides for accelerated construction of large, high priority highway projects through innovative financing.  
• Flood control and area development:  LB 177 extends the Papio-Missouri NRD’s critical bonding authority for flood control projects.   
• Development planning:  LB 452 provides authorization for economic development partner Cass County to join MAPA. 
• Economic development:  LB 334 directs additional dedicated funding for the Business Innovation Act. 
• Military:  Two bills that will make Nebraska an even more military friendly state were approved.  LB 12 streamlines real estate licensing for military personnel, and LB 115 eases school enrollment for children of military families assigned to Nebraska bases. 

Defense: 

A number of proposals that would be very damaging to Nebraska’s employers and employees were successfully held off.  First among those would be repeal of the Sub-S/LLC out-of-state income and special capital gains exclusions. 

We continue to operate our organization efficiently and effectively. The beginning of our Prosper 2.0 initiatives meant that core services focused on preparing a sturdy infrastructure for expansion. A new customer database system and implementation of standard operation procedures helped solidify a foundation on which to grow.

Employee engagement remained high through this growth period, with 62% of employees reporting they feel involved and enthusiastic about their work. This places the Greater Omaha Chamber in the top third of Gallup’s international database of Q12 participants.

The Greater Omaha Chamber’s visibility in the community was punctuated by thousands of people in attendance at our wide-range of events, growth and engagement across social media platforms and steady mentions in unpaid media throughout the year.

Most important of all, our members were given every opportunity to grow their networks, develop their skills and expertise, make an impact on their community and earn recognition for the work they do. From our Small Business of the Month honors to the Business Excellence Awards, the Chamber increases visibility and access for all our member businesses.

Of particular note were the 2019 Business Hall of Fame and Member Appreciation Holiday Party, both of which gave membership an opportunity to meet, greet and connect with fellow members and area business leaders.

We accomplished not just the core service functions, but also the totality of our 2019 programming, with an emphasis on fiscal responsibility. We ended the year with our books balanced and a strong membership base. 

Membership

• Total Number of Chamber Members: 2900
  • New Members for the Year: 415
  • 86% Member Retention Rate

Events 

• Signature Events Hosted: 6
• Signature Event Attendees: 7,274
• Networking Event Attendees: 2,556
• Total Event and Program Attendees: 10,000+
• Event Satisfaction: 4.6/5 Satisfied/Very Satisfied

Financials

• Total Revenue (Estimated Through Nov. 2019): $9,703,000
• Total Expenses (Estimated Through Nov. 2019): $9,698,000

Prosper Omaha 2.0

• Investors: 204
• 5-year Investment/Fundraised: $26,613,177 (Goal $32M)

Gallup Q12

• 62% Overall Satisfaction