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New strategy convenes leaders to design and implement collaborative economic development projects.
Today, the Governor’s Office, Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), and Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry held a press conference in Omaha prior to the inaugural meeting of 6 Regions, One Nebraska in the Metropolitan Community College region.
The initiative is convening leaders in each of Nebraska’s six community college districts to design and implement collaborative, regional economic development projects.
At the request of Governor Jim Pillen, the Nebraska Legislature allocated $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to DED this year to fund the regional effort. The State’s financial investment, supplemented by private dollars, is helping to establish a core work team in each region. DED-administered grant funding is also supporting research on the workforce, housing, childcare, and educational resources within each region. Dr. Josie Schafer, director of the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska Omaha, is leading the research initiative and presenting data to each regional team.
“Economic development has fundamentally changed in ways that need to be reflected in our strategies to grow the state,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz. “6 Regions, Once Nebraska is a vehicle for leaders to cooperate on cross-community initiatives to address complex challenges like housing, childcare, and workforce shortages. I’m encouraged by the partnerships being forged as this initiative launches in regions across the state.”
The State’s investment into the initiative will provide financial incentive for regional projects in one of the following areas:
- Resident Recruitment
- Youth Engagement
- Entrepreneurship
- Technology
- Infrastructure
- Selected Regional Project
“As a state and as a metro, a lot of progress has been made to expand economic opportunities, but a lot more has to be done before Nebraska and the Omaha Metro are in position to compete for people and jobs and to grow our workforce,” said Dana Bradford, CEO of C3 Brands and regional co-chair. “Among other things, it is necessary to link our communities through a shared strategy for economic development. 6 Regions, One Nebraska is a transformative initiative that is uniting leaders to solve the dramatically evolving challenges we face.”
Each regional team is meeting twice annually for work sessions. The biannual gatherings will include a presentation of data to inform regional decision-making. Each region will also conduct asset mapping to identify the strengths it can draw on to drive growth.
“I’m excited to join forces with area leaders to help our communities prosper,” said Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg, co-chair for the region. “We’re seeing extraordinary growth, but we can’t take its continuance for granted. We have lots of work to do, and it will take teamwork across the region to fulfill our mission to ensure a brighter future for our kids and grandkids.”
The goal of the 6 Regions, One Nebraska initiative is to catalyze cooperation among communities so that regional partnerships become the norm for how Nebraska pursues economic development.
“In recent decades, the state and our metro region have been economically successful, and Nebraska remains without peer in terms of quality of life,” said Nebraska Chamber President Bryan Slone. “But we are facing growing headwinds related to the kind of population and workforce growth necessary to compete. We also need to speed our transition to becoming a ‘technology state’ to better attract people to high-paying jobs. In this global competition for young people and families, coming together to leverage our regional assets is essential.”
Today’s work session was hosted by Metropolitan Community College at its Fort Omaha Campus. Nebraska’s community colleges are key members of 6 Regions, One Nebraska.
“At MCC, we are all about partnership,” said Metropolitan Community College President Randy Schmailzl. “Our industry partners generously provide resources and input to support MCC in building a pipeline of career-ready talent. We also work closely with high schools and other institutions of higher education—partnering together to prepare students for high-demand jobs. We’re excited for how 6 Regions, One Nebraska will strengthen MCC’s ability to meet regional workforce needs.”