Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Anthony L. Goins will be a featured speaker during the kick-off ceremonies for this year’s OnRamp Agriculture Virtual Conference on July 9.
Goins was appointed Director of the state’s lead economic development agency by Governor Pete Ricketts in August 2019. His extensive background in finance and operations has seen him employed as a high-level executive for some of the world’s most successful firms, including CertusBank, JPMorgan Chase, Ford Motor Credit Company, Cabela’s World’s Foremost Bank, American Express and others.
A small business owner, Goins founded Capital Cigar Lounge, in Lincoln, in 2018. He sits on numerous boards, including both the Lincoln and Omaha Chambers, Bank of Bennington, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, the Lincoln Community Foundation and Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Since joining the Department, Goins has overseen the agency’s COVID-19 relief efforts, spearheading the development and/or administration of new programs designed to provide relief and support to impacted individuals, businesses and communities. Meanwhile, he has implemented a strategic plan for the Department that emphasizes, among other elements, promoting a robust climate for technology and innovation to support the Governor’s vision of growing the state and creating enhanced economic opportunities for its people.
Being held virtually this year as a result of COVID-19, the OnRamp Agriculture Conference brings together the agriculture and food industries’ leading corporations, investors and startups to highlight innovations that are disrupting agriculture and the future of food. It features the leaders who are making such innovations possible, while touching upon ways new technologies and business models will reinvent the industry. Panel discussions and product demos will be accompanied by a Virtual Startup Track featuring one-on-one pitch sessions between select startups and venture capital/innovation executives.
OnRamp is being presented in collaboration between DED, The Combine and gener8tor, and will feature dozens of participating corporate organizations — including some of the nations’ top global ag firms — as well as hundreds of rising ag startups. Registration can be accessed on the conference website at https://onrampagricultureconference.com. Registration for the Virtual Startup Track is now closed, but plenary sessions are open and start at 9:00 a.m. CDT on July 9.