NE Diplomats host 46th Passport Weekend

The Nebraska Diplomats Passport Weekend got underway Friday afternoon and evening with 530 people attending the CEO Roundtable and evening banquet at The Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.

The 2013 CEO Roundtable panelist include Terence Bowden, Accelerator Director of the Nebraska Innovation Campus, Lincoln; Paul Eurek, CEO of Xpanxion, Atlanta, Ga., and Kearney; Jeff Korengel, Vice President of Processing/R & D of ConAgra Foods Inc., Omaha; and Thomas White, CEO of Phynd Technologies, Kearney, talking about Nebraska’s Talent and Innovation Program, including Angel Investment Groups and Tax Incentives for Innovation.

The Diplomats hosted representatives from Arizona, California, China, Iowa, Japan and Kansas.

Governor Dave Heineman and Diplomats President Edy Patterson presented the following Diplomats’ annual awards during the Friday evening banquet:

Diplomat of the Year—Jeff Scherer, Beemer
Communities of the Year—City of Blair and City of Kearney
Business of the Year—ADM Corn Processing, Columbus
Power In The Partnership—ConAgra, Omaha

The 2013 Banquet also marked the induction of the following new Diplomats:

• Arlington—Katherine Rhea, Rhea Cattle Company
• Axtel – Wayne Anderbery, Seven A Farms
• Gothenburg—Scott McPheeters, SPMC Inc.
• Imperial – Brad Moline, Allo Communications
• Kearney—Trevor Aden, Brown Transfer Company; Chad Henning, Cash-Wa Distributing; Bradley Holbrook, Jacobsen, Orr, Lindstrom & Holbrook, P.C., LLO; Theresa Holtzen, Kearney Crete and Block Company; Randall Jensen, Principal Financial Group; Daniel Lindstrom, Jacobsen, Orr, Lindstrom & Holbrook, P.C., LLO; Jason Picket, Source Gas; Dennis Schardt, Exchange Bank; Paul Younes, Younes Hospitality
• Lincoln—Daniel Duncan, Nebraska Innovation Campus; Paul Ludwick, NebraskaLink; Jeff Sylvester, Black Hills Energy; Daniel Vokonn, Sampson Construction
• North Platte—Byron Barksdale, Pathology Services, PC; Alan Erickson, Erickson Investment; Tom Hansen, Hansen 77 Ranch; Greg Wilke, First National Bank of North Platte
• Omaha—Bill Luttrell, Werner Enterprises, Inc.; Michael Moylan, Shamrock Development, Inc.; Tim O’Brien, OPPD; Sylvester Orsi, Baird Holm LLP; Steven Penning, KPMG LLP
• Riverdale—Philip Jossi, State Bank of Riverdale
• Shelton—Rodney Gangwish, Rod Gangwish Farms LLC
• Sutherland—Roric Paulman, Paulman Farms
• Wisner—Herb Albers, Herb Albers Feedlots Inc.

With a membership of more than 325 business executives and community leaders, the Nebraska Diplomats Inc. is the largest economic development organization in Nebraska. For more information, visit www.nediplomats.org.

CONTACT: Patty Wood at 800-426-6505, 402-471-1559, or patty.wood@nebraska.gov