I want to take a moment to thank everyone that came out to support LIBA’s (liba.org) Free Enterprise Celebration! We had an incredible turnout, and we appreciate Lincoln and our business community’s continued support. With the ‘FEC’ and Nebraska’s Legislative session behind us, we can get back to focusing on several changes that are coming to our organization.

As many of you know, when I took over LIBA in January, the first thing I did was send out surveys to current and past members to see what you liked about LIBA, what you didn’t like about LIBA and what you’d change about our organization. From our surveys, the number one reason our members joined LIBA and expect the most from our organization was you wanted representation in government. That’s why I am compelled to reiterate and emphasize the incredible progress we’ve made in representing our members’ interests. During this legislative session, we acted on a record number of bills, a testament to our dedication to being the voice of small businesses in the political arena. We monitored a total of 76 bills, providing testimony on 49 bills that directly impact our members’ businesses. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed, and I am sure they will be called to action again when the legislature is called for a special session.

The second largest reason people join LIBA is to add value to their business. We want to offer more value to members than ever before. Some businesses are brand new and need help just navigating through the “red tape” of running a business. Other members are focused on networking. Several need help marketing and connecting. Several members just want a watch-dog representing their best interests in government. We’re going to restructure membership levels to be tailored to our members’ interests. In addition to the individualized touch, LIBA members will soon have access to:

Educational Content: We’ll be offering more informative articles, guides, and tutorials related to business topics. We will provide insights, tips, and strategies that can help our members improve their skills or knowledge.

Better Opportunities to Network: We’re reforming our networking events and activities to be more seamless, targeted, valuable, and fun!

Q&A Sessions or Expert Interviews: LIBA has members that have been with our organization since the beginning. They are truly some of Lincoln’s best and brightest business minds and we want to make them accessible to members as trusted sources of success in business.

Interactive Content: We will use more frequent polling, surveys, instructional videos and business information requests to engage members and help them move their business forward.

We’re excited to continue improving our organization and even more excited to see how much this benefits our members. Call us to see how we can help your business today!

LIBA studies and promotes these types of issues that are important to businesses and our community. If you have an interest in joining, please call LIBA at (402) 466-3419. LIBA membership is not restricted to just businesses. We also have “individual” memberships for those who want to help influence our local government decisions.