Our bi-annual Women-Owned Businesses feature gives us the wonderful opportunity to highlight female entrepreneurs, risk-takers, role models and leaders in the Lincoln business community, as well as inspire other women with entrepreneurial ambitions. As a women-owned and run business ourselves, there is a certain pride we take in seeing so many other women leaders emerging in Lincoln. When women rally behind each other, amazing things happen.
So, please join us in celebrating the following woman powerhouses in Lincoln. Read their story, support their work and do business with them. Who knows, one of them might even become your future mentor! If you are a women-owned business and want to be included in the next feature, please contact our Writer and Editor Shae at shae@strictlybusinessomaha.com / (402) 466-3330. We love to promote female entrepreneurs, and would love the opportunity to work with you!
Welcome to Cafe Botanica (cafe-botanica.com)! We are excited to share that we are embarking on a new journey. Our customers in Lincoln and Omaha voiced their opinions, and we listened. After being with a national franchise for four years, we have decided to branch out independently. We are proud to offer a locally sourced, curated menu with lower prices while continuing to serve our community with healthy food and drink options.
Our menu features Smoothies, Fresh and Cold-Pressed Juice, Wraps, Salads, Toast, Smoothie Bowls, Overnight Oats, Waffles, Tea, Coffee, Superlattes, Snacks and Baked Goods. Remember to inquire about our beneficial superfoods for additional nutritional value. We also provide take-out, catering, dine-in and delivery.
Our locations have a fresh look and feel with a warm, inviting vibe. It is popular among customers who want to work, study, or hang out with friends amidst the plush greenery. Healthy never tasted better!
Follow us on Facebook/Instagram (@cafe.botanica.heartland), Tiwtter (@cafe__botanica) and TikTok (@cafe_botanica), and learn more at www.cafe-botanica.com.
Cheers, Angela & Sarah
Health at Home Consultants (healthathomeconsultants.com) (HAHC) is not only woman owned, but HAHC is also the FIRST Nurse Practitioner-owned house-call practice in the state of Nebraska, and was founded by Jamie Peters MSN, APRN in 2009.
Live at home? Live in a facility? Live on the very top floor of an apartment building? HAHC can see you, wherever you call home, as your PCP or on an as needed basis. Take advantage of HAHC to the fullest extent possible! HAHC offers Urgent Care visits, Lab Services, Psychiatric Care, Wound Care and many more services that can be implemented when needed, such as vaccines!
Already have a PCP? That’s okay! Let us become part of your healthcare team too. The Health at Home team can coordinate care with the patient’s primary care provider to provide a more comprehensive plan of care.
Those who benefit most from house calls are elderly, chronically ill, disabled and people suffering from psychiatric conditions. Let the HAHC team take care of you. Jamie and her team provide compassionate, coordinated and cost-effective care that you don’t want to miss out on. Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance are all accepted.
Jamie is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Academy of Home Care Physicians and the Nebraska Nurse Practitioners.
To learn more, visit healthathomeconsultants.com or contact Jamie at (402) 440-5268 / admin@healthathomeconsultants.com.
Jilly’s Socks ‘n Such (jillyssocks.com) is a local novelty sock shop in Lincoln. It has been owned and run by women all of its five years of business. Lori Goff, Owner and retired LPS teacher, opened Jilly’s with one of her former students with the goal of sharing her love of silly socks and giving Lincoln a uniquely different gift boutique. Jilly’s currently employs three former teachers and two former students all from Lincoln Southeast High School.
“We are so grateful to our community for supporting our local business and giving us the opportunity to lift up so many women through our business,” said Lori. “Whether it be the women we employ or the organizations we work with, we are blessed to impact women around us. Like we always say, ‘Let your socks do the talking!’”
Jilly’s Socks ‘n Such is located at 3900 Old Cheney Rd. To learn more, visit jillyssocks.com or call the store at (402) 261-8308.
Alicia Chrastil’s goal is to guide seniors from being overwhelmed to being overjoyed. She has been touching the lives of countless individuals and families since 1981. Her journey is not just about transactions but about fostering positive change in the lives of her clients.
With a distinguished GRI designation and specialized certifications in senior transitions, including MSRP, SRES and CSHP, Alicia meets the unique needs of seniors in the real estate market. She understands that these transitions can be daunting, and her mission is to guide seniors seamlessly through this challenging process.
In her unwavering mission to serve seniors, Alicia founded the Nebraska Savvy Seniors Empowerment Seminars (NeSavvySeniors.com). This free community outreach initiative is a testament to her genuine desire to equip, educate and empower seniors to make informed decisions that lead to happy, active lives.
Alicia Chrastil is proud to be associated with Nebraska Realty, the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in the state, and now the largest real estate office in Lincoln.
For Alicia, the real reward is witnessing seniors’ transitions from feeling overwhelmed to overjoyed. Her passion for making a positive impact in the lives of her clients is a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence in real estate. Alicia can be reached at (402) 499-8147 or Alicia@NebraskaRealty.com and more information can be found at AliciaChrastil.com and NeSavvySeniors.com.
Oak Electric (oakelectriccompany.com), your local premium contractor, is 100% owned and operated by Crystal Collins. Did you know that less than 10% of electrical contractors nationally are owned by women (according to NECA) As the leader of Oak Electric, Crystal has intentional focus on her team to ensure everyone has what they need to be successful. This includes anything from a new tool in the field to skills and safety training to administrative support.
What sets Oak Electric apart from other contractors is not only the belief, but the initiative, that if you take care of your employees, the employees will take care of your business.
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” – Richard Branson.
Oak’s team of experienced electricians not only care about precision and craftsmanship, but value the real relationships that come with working with their customers. Oak Electric prides itself on delivering quality customer service on every single job and finding the best solution by tackling every problem with creativity and experience. Electricity, done right, guaranteed! Learn more online at oakelectriccompany.com or call (402) 440-5969.
Marcie is an Investment Adviser Representative for Primerica (www.primerica.com/marcieyoung) Advisors and owner of Marcie Young & Associates, LLC. With over 40 years of valuable experience, she finds great fulfillment in helping people create workable solutions to their personal financial challenges.
In working with clients throughout Nebraska and the United States, Marcie infuses her farming background values of work ethic, caring and pragmatism into her relationships with her clients. Marcie and her team listen to your needs, provide financial literacy education first, then work to find personalized solutions. The game plans her clients receive are at no additional cost, and are delivered with attention to detail.
You can rely on Marcie to be accessible, to support you in your investment decisions and to be there to help you implement changes as they become necessary. With Primerica, a wide variety of investment solutions are available including Managed Investments, IRAs, College Savings plans, 529 Plans, Mutual Funds, Annuities, Individual 401(k) and Cash Balance Plans. Other offerings include term life insurance, Pre-Paid Legal Services, ID Theft Protection, Smart Home and Security.
Learn more at www.primerica.com/marcieyoung or contact Marcie at livemore.net/marcieyoung. Her office is located at 3701 O St., STE B-3, Lincoln, NE 68510. She can be reached at (402) 476-6778.
Ashley Tobias, a passionate entrepreneur, originally hails from Springfield, IL, where her journey of determination and innovation began. Ten years ago, she and her husband made the decision to call Lincoln home, setting the stage for the birth of T Square Movers (tsquaremovers.com) in 2016.
Before venturing into the world of moving services, Ashley had already amassed significant expertise in her career. She holds an associate’s degree in graphic design, a testament to her creative spirit and a bachelor’s degree in business psychology, underscoring her commitment to understanding the intricacies of human behavior and business dynamics. Her pre-T Square career spanned an impressive 13 years in human resources, making her well-versed in the intricacies of personnel management.
What truly sets T Square Movers apart is their unwavering dedication to providing accessible and professional moving services. Their target audience primarily includes middle-class individuals who can enjoy substantial cost savings by choosing T Square, all while benefiting from the expertise of their extensively trained and rigorously vetted staff.
As T Square Movers marks the completion of its seventh year in operation, it proudly stands as a testament to Ashley’s relentless pursuit of excellence. The company boasts a team of 12-14 movers, with a significant portion having faithfully served for over a year. This reflects not only the company’s commitment to experience but also the strong sense of camaraderie within the team, which undoubtedly contributes to their continued success.
Should you desire a deeper dive into their inspiring journey or wish to enlist their exceptional services, please visit tsquaremovers.com or reach out directly to Ashley at (217) 720-2763 / contact@tsquaremovers.com
Christine Dwinell and Karina DeBoer purchased the Southeast Nebraska territory of Transworld Business Advisors (www.tworld.com/lincoln) in 2021. Their vision is to provide current and future business owners with a method of realizing the American dream by becoming a business owner or selling the business they have worked hard to develop and grow. The hallmark of their tried-and-true system is to keep all information completely confidential.
With the generous growth they have realized since, they have added five agents to their team, making them the largest business brokerage in Southeast Nebraska. Along with this growth comes the ability to guide even more business owners through the often difficult journey of selling their business.
Transworld Business Advisors is a global company with a world-wide network of over 700 brokers and a database of over 400,000 buyers. This gives them the ability to find buyers from all over the world. In addition, they can create a franchise out of your unique business or find a desirable franchise to buy.
Christine, Karina and their agents focus on filling a void in Southeast Nebraska and helping business owners with an often very difficult task, requiring discretion, empathy, diligence and knowledge of the market to help.
If you are interested in buying or selling a business, or creating or purchasing a franchise, give us a call!
For more information about Transworld Business Advisors, visit www.tworld.com/lincoln or call (402) 413-1095.
In 2012, Ela was referred to Cory Schlisner to install carpet in one of her rental properties. Ela and Cory had an instant friendship. In 2013, Ela joined Cory’s PureCare Dry Carpet Cleaning and Services team. She helped grow PureCare from a two-man owner-operated business to now a staff of five with two full-time cleaning crews. On Decemer 31, 2016, Cory and Ela were married and joined their two families. Ela learned the flooring trade by participating hands on, joining the installers on jobsites and getting her hands dirty. She not only fell in love with Cory she fell in love with the customers and the flooring industry.
In 2020, a mutual friend introduced Ela to the owners of Underfoot Flooring Solutions, Marc and Kayla Dickenson. Marc was wanting to retire and Kayla was getting her real estate license. On June 28, 2021, Ela Schlisner purchased Underfoot Flooring Solutions. Underfoot Flooring Solutions is a commercial and residential floor covering business. We have a 5600-square-foot warehouse where we have in-stock products, a full sample library and showroom.
Underfoot provides flooring materials and labor for contracted commercial and multi-family projects, property management, residential remodels and investors. We are proud to be the contracted flooring professionals for both UNL and Doane.
If you are looking for an exceptional floor installation experience give us a call (402) 483-1502, where we “Purely Care What’s Under Your Foot.”
As the CEO, Founder and Managing Member of Vandenack Weaver, LLC (VWTLawyers.com), Mary E. Vandenack, J.D., ACTEC, CAP®, COLPM®, Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished) Nominee, is a distinguished legal professional and visionary leader in the fields of law, taxation and estate planning.
Her legal practice caters to a wide spectrum of clients, including businesses and their owners, high-level executives, real estate developers, investors, healthcare providers, financial institutions and tax-exempt organizations. Her involvement in prestigious legal associations underscores her commitment to excellence and innovation in the legal field. Mary is an active member of the American Bar Association Tax Section and the Council of Real Property Trust and Estate Section, serves as the Chair of the ABA Law Practice Division and is a distinguished member of the American College of Trust and Estate Council.
Beyond her legal practice, Mary is a prolific writer and sought-after speaker, addressing diverse topics including tax law, asset protection, estate planning and law practice management. Mary is also the host of “Legal Visionaries,” a weekly podcast covering the latest legal news and evolving methods of providing legal services.
For more information or to listen to her podcast, visit MaryVandenack.com or VWTLawyers.com.
Natasha Lundy (formerly Salem), owner of Willow Key Interiors (www.IHDNE.com), is a Lincoln-based interior designer whose focus has always been to create spaces that clients will love for years to come. The business was established in 2014 and they specialize in new construction and residential design.
“My passion is creating a comfortable, functional living space that is tailored to my client’s personal taste and needs,” said Natasha. “I offer approachable, flexible design services that will cater to just about any design project or style. The focus is on educating our clients on their options so that they can make decisions that they feel confident about; all while being budget conscious.”
Natasha is a Lincoln native and graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University. Her background includes interior design, project design management, lighting design and property management. Natasha’s small and personalized approach to interior design services is focused on creating a living space that will be both functional and beautiful. She couldn’t provide the service she does without her dedicated team who are equally as passionate about design as well as customer service!
To learn more about Willow Key Interiors and connect with Natasha and the other talented ladies on her team, email Manager@ihdne.com and they will answer your questions and provide you with their pricing structure. You can also visit www.IHDNE.com or Follow along on Instagram @DesignWithGrace to see beautiful project photos (including some fun before and afters)!