By Andy Roberts
It only takes a couple of minutes – well, maybe 10 when traffic is busy – to see the economic potential in South Omaha.
But for many the community has only begun scratching the surface of the potential that is waiting to be unleashed.
To turn potential into growth, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development has established a new office at 2909 Edward Babe Gomez Avenue in the Automotive Training Center Building on the Metropolitan Community College Campus. Now, with this new office in the community, an intense effort is underway to put ARPA dollars to work to take this rich melting pot to another level.
Anthony L. Goins, Director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, said the time is right to grow South Omaha.
“With the creation of the Economic Recovery Division through LB 1024, DED is investing tens of millions of dollars into the South Omaha community,” Goins said. He added that DED had been looking at developing a strategic South Omaha presence since before LB 1024, but passing the bill accelerated the creation of the office.
With the new DED office open, Goins credited previous Gov. Pete Ricketts for his support and thanked newly elected Gov. Jim Pillen for prioritizing it.
“The goals of the office are to promote economic inclusivity, create high-paying jobs, and support the overall growth of South Omaha,” Director Goins said, citing Metropolitan Community College as a key partner in the targeted effort.
He said DED brings a lot to the table to support development, and will work with organizations, businesses, and leaders based in South Omaha to further identify needs within the community.
“South Omaha is home to one the largest concentrations of small businesses in the State of Nebraska. DED recognizes the rich diversity of South Omaha,” Director Goins said. “Our new field office staff is fully bilingual in English and Spanish to best serve the community.”
DED has numerous programs that communities can use to develop housing, spur small business growth, and support overall community development, Director Gains pointed out. “I invite leaders in South Omaha to visit our webpage at opportunity.nebraska.gov to learn more.”
DED’s presence in the community comes as great news to Armando Salgado of LingoDocs, a marketing company based in South Omaha.
Salgado said he’s been working on economic development in the area for years. He also taught construction courses at Metropolitan Community College and was one of the founders of the Latino Economic Development Council.
COVID-19 hit the community hard, but South Omaha showed amazing resilience, he said, and the future looks very exciting.
“We see a lot of economic development opportunities coming in different parts of the city,” Salgado stated.
As for the DED commitment: “That’s huge.”
And it’s a big commitment, according to Director Goins.
“Through numerous programs within DED, we have already committed millions of dollars to support the development of South Omaha,” he explained.
He pointed to some recent examples that included providing funds to renovate El Museo Latino, money to help Canopy South develop affordable housing, and more funds to help The Simple Foundation create internships.
Listening to Director Goins, there is a feeling that the DED knows what it needs to do, and the department is just getting started.
“Our team must continue to work with the community to identify projects that make the most of opportunities to benefit South Omaha,” he stressed.