The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Celebrate Business Awards Luncheon acknowledges those companies and individuals that contribute to Lincoln’s continued prosperity. Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2014 Celebrate Business Awards!
Burnham Yates Citizenship Award
Tom Henning Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Assurity Life Insurance Company
Tom Henning is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter, Charted Financial Consultant, and the Chartered Financial Analyst designations.
Tom’s been active in many civic organizations including past chair of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and the University of Nebraska Foundation. Tom continues to serve on the Foundation’s investment committee and their donor advised board. He is chair of the Lincoln Chamber Economic Development Corporation, co-chair of the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development and on the steering committee of Lincoln’s Vision 2015 group. Tom also serves on the University of Nebraska’s Innovation Campus Governing Board.
Roger T. Larson Community Builder Award
Tom Lorenz General Manager – SMG Lincoln
Tom and his family came to Lincoln in 1996 to take the position of Assistant General Manager of Pershing Center. In 2000, he took over as General Manager. Tom began his arena and events management career in 1976 at Hilton Coliseum at Iowa State University as a student foreman and later, full-time technical director.
Tom and the SMG staff have been involved with the Lincoln community discussions surrounding entertainment venue development, the expansion of event activities and creating new events and event partnerships since 1996. As an arena operator, it was important to the conceptual process, the design and the operational parameters for Tom and his team to provide input throughout the Pinnacle Bank arena discussion process.
Cornerstone Award
Olsson Associates
Olsson Associates is a successful engineering and design firm that has been creating public and private projects throughout the United States since 1956. Founded in Lincoln by John E. Olsson, the firm has grown from humble beginnings to nearly 900 people. Olsson Associates offers comprehensive design and consulting services in water/wastewater, municipal, water resources, land development, landscape architecture, urban planning, environmental resources & compliance, transportation, technology, mechanical & electrical, survey, geotechnical and field services.
Currently, Olsson has 176 University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates working in various roles firmwide from engineering to business operations. In 2012, Olsson Associates designated $260,000 for the University of Nebraska’s Campaign for Nebraska, specific to fund scholarships, teaching awards, special events, and physical improvements at the College of Engineering.
Manufacturer of the Year
Hexagon Lincoln
Hexagon Lincoln operates one of the world’s most advanced facilities for designing, testing and manufacturing composite Type 4 pressure vessels. After 50 years of fabricating advanced filament-wound composites and 20 years building Type 4 compressed natural gas tanks, they are the global leader in this industry. Their tanks set the standard for excellence in efficiency, safety and durability. Hexagon Lincoln produces TUFFSHELL® cylinders for use in commercial and passenger vehicles that run on natural gas or hydrogen, TITAN™ and SMARTSTORE™ products used for distribution of natural gas. They also provide natural gas infrastructure storage with their TUFFSHELL® Ground Storage modules.
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
Paul and Stephanie Jarrett & Bulu Box
Bulu Box is like having a personal trainer and a nutritionist as a best friend. Each month, a box of healthy discovery is shipped directly to your door to fit into your individual healthy lifestyle.
Paul Jarrett’s work experience spans the country. From NYC to San Francisco, Paul has launched million-dollar brands, such as Neebo, and executed multi-faceted campaigns for Lowe’s and Nike. In 2010, Paul joined Complete Nutrition where he became the vice president of marketing. He positioned them for success and the company’s growth skyrocketed. Paul’s experience at Complete Nutrition was the precursor to starting his own company. In 2012, Bulu Box was born.
Stephanie Jarrett has made a name for herself as a multi-tasking master who defines creativity and success. Stephanie built her portfolio as an art director and interactive designer for big brands like LeapFrog, TD Ameritrade and Complete Nutrition. Her varied marketing background, management ability, killer creativity and online/offline skillset propelled her into the startup world.
Green Business of the Year Award
Sadoff Iron and Metal Company
Sadoff Iron & Metal Company is proud to be making a difference for the benefit of our community and environment. Started in 1947 as Sadoff & Rudoy Industries, LLP, the company has been in the business of recycling scrap metals throughout our nation for over 65 years. They employ over 240 hard-working individuals that take pride in what they do. The company operates nine branch locations and has been serving the greater Lincoln area since 1999. In 2013 they purchased an existing recycling business (Midwest Metals) in Omaha. Sadoff I&M often partners with schools and other nonprofit organizations in the communities they operate in support of education, as well as providing opportunities to raise funds through recycling.
Tourism Development Award
Lied Center for Performing Arts
The Lied Center for Performing Arts is a spectacular, state-of-the-art performing arts venue designed to attract, entertain and inspire a statewide audience. Established as “Nebraska’s Home for the Arts,” the Lied Center is recognized as one of the top 100 performing arts centers in the world, and attracts 150,000 visitors per year – 30,000 of those from outside the city of Lincoln. As a truly versatile space, and for the past 25 years the Lied Center has hosted some of the greatest artists and thought leaders in the world including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Isaac Stern, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bernadette Peters and Bill Cosby.
The Lied Center is more than just a venue to see world-class performances in every genre. Its walls have provided a space where UNL students and community members alike can engage with world leaders and hear the insights of political and religious scholars, is a setting where new artistic works are created and developed, is a place where Nebraskans can relate to and learn from the greatest artistic minds of our time and the site where thousands have experienced the arts for the very first time.
Small Business of the Year
Zipline Brewing Co.
Zipline Brewing Co. was formed in 2012 and began producing beer in late November 2012. Since that time, the brewery has soared to the third largest production brewery in Nebraska. Dubbed the ‘Best Brewery in Nebraska’ by the Omaha World Herald in 2014, Zipline pushes the boundaries by delivering high quality, innovative beer to Midwest taste buds. Internally, Zipline promotes a spirit of employee-driven innovation and safety. Beyond the walls of their brewery, they support a myriad of local projects and non-profit associations to make Lincoln a better community. Whether in their taproom, your patio, or a local cafe, they hope their beer can serve as catalyst for conversations between neighbors to promote a stronger community.