Building a Better Lincoln

I know we are all continuing to ask ourselves what we can do to ensure positive change within our community. That is the first step, but we have work to do. Each and every one of us will play a role in the changes we make as a community and a country.

As business leaders, I encourage you to continue asking questions and engage in meaningful conversations that make an impact. I can assure you this is a top priority at the Chamber, as we heighten our focus on inclusion and diversity and explore opportunities to provide platforms, resources, and direction. We are eager to listen, learn, and take action and hope that you will join us in doing so in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead.

With this at the forefront of our minds, it is also important to recognize signs of optimism and celebrate the positive strides we are making together. Embarking upon the path to recovery for our community, one of the most crucial needs is the connection of employers to potential employees. Following the success of our first Drive-Through Career Fair on May 5, we are excited to announce three additional career fairs on July 14. The fairs will run simultaneously from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gateway Mall, Lincoln Northeast High School, and F Street Community Church. Future events of this nature are likely as we continue in our efforts to connect people to employers and the hopeful discovery of new careers.

Partnering with University of Nebraska–Lincoln Industry Relations and Innovation Campus, the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development helped bring a Canadian company, JCA Electronics, to Nebraska. JCA Electronics, which specializes in developing mobile machines for agricultural applications, opened its first American office at Innovation Campus earlier this year and continues to connect with the innovation and research possibilities that UNL has to offer.

As we continue our outreach to companies interested in potentially building new projects in Lincoln, we are seeing an increase in inquiries from businesses who recognize our location and logistical advantages bring great value and are beneficial to development. Lincoln remains on the national map when it comes to opportunity and the current pandemic has not negated that fact. Our city continues to make waves as a community that attracts people to it as they seek out a high quality of life. This was recently highlighted by Business Insider magazine, which listed Lincoln as the 14th best city in the country to live in after the pandemic.

Governor Ricketts recently announced plans to allocate Nebraska’s just over $1.15B in federal funds, courtesy of the CARES Act. The state also has received over $9B in other federal coronavirus relief. The ‘Get Nebraska Growing’ initiative will focus on infrastructure, small business recovery, workforce, and learning, as the recovery begins. I want to thank Governor Ricketts, Nebraska DED Director Tony Goins, and our other state leaders who have demonstrated great leadership, ensuring our state is on a safe path toward recovery and stability.

There are signs of hope, but we know our hard work must continue for our community and for each other.

The Chamber’s mission is to improve the lives of Lincoln residents by providing increased economic opportunity and can only be accomplished together. For more information on the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, (www.lcoc.com) please contact Jaime Henning at jaimehenning@lcoc.com.