In the News

Small business thrives in Phelps County because the environment is right for success. Just ask local merchant Erin Sandy, owner of The 308 Boutique. “The Holdrege community, along with Phelps County Development Corporation (PCDC) and The Chamber, have been my company's backbone,” said Sandy. “They have provided the continued support whic...Continue Reading

Tony Goins, Director of Nebraska’s Department of Economic Development, inspired Phelps County residents with his energetic keynote address at the 2022 PCDC Business Hall of Fame Banquet. Goins has served as NDED’s director since 2019 and is determined to continue to strengthen Nebraska’s business climate and workforce. Goins engaged the 134 peopl...Continue Reading

Escape the corporate world. Be your own boss. Help fill a community gap in services or products. Create an opportunity to move back to Phelps County or help a younger generation move back with a new business. These are just a few of the benefits of franchise ownership presented at ...Continue Reading

The United States was founded on the idea that its elected officials are the voice of the people; however, dissatisfied with the polarized political divisiveness and the near gridlock in Congress, the people are looking towards other forms of representation — their employers. It has become increasingly common for employee...Continue Reading

A few years ago, running into colleagues on their way to the break room was a mundane workplace happenstance. Now, plenty of employees—and their supervisors—long for those kinds of casual meetings. Telecommuting from home is a lot more isolating than working in the office. And when people aren’t regularly interacting...Continue Reading

More than 13,000 farmers have benefited from nearly $800 million in federal debt relief, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday. The assistance came from a new federal initiative to erase farmers’ loan delinquencies to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private lenders or to resolve their remaining debts afte...Continue Reading

Ken Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director, General Catalyst and Penny Pritzker, Founder and Chairman, PSP Partners; Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce share their insights on the economic and business outlook for 2023, and share where they’re placing bets now. Click here to read the full article. Continue Reading

The path to success as an entrepreneur can take many different forms, and no matter what path you choose, difficulties will always exist. It's easy to become a bit of a skeptic when it comes to doing business. The truth is, it's not easy — and it's not for everyone...Continue Reading

Goal setting is one of those things that seems like it would be fundamental to success. If you’ve read any books or articles about getting ahead in your career or life, you’ve probably come across tips on setting goals (like SMART goal setting) so that you can successfully meet them...Continue Reading

As it was making its way through Congress, I wrote a piece on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that showed economic benefits from economists, policy experts and small business advocates. Last week, the Senate passed the IRA and on Friday, the House of Representatives passed it, sending it to Presiden...Continue Reading

The NAHTF’s 2022 recipients will receive assistance for housing projects and non-profit technical support for a total of 40 projects statewide. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) is pleased to announce the recipients of approximately $17.5 million in awards under the 2022 annual cycle of the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trus...Continue Reading

Nebraska is a land of pioneers.  Our state was settled by hardy homesteaders who ventured across windswept prairies in search of opportunity.  While we often celebrate the grit and determination of these early Nebraskans, they deserve equal credit for their ingenuity.  Their inventiveness helped transform the Great Plains into som...Continue Reading

We’re successfully growing Nebraska and creating jobs here in the Good Life.  Nebraska had the nation’s lowest average unemployment rate in 2020 and 2021, and we do again so far in 2022.  In fact, we currently have the lowest unemployment rate in state history at 1.9%.  As of Sunday, Augus...Continue Reading

Over the past three years, we’ve dealt with shortages of many goods, from lumber to cars to toilet paper.  Supply chain shortages have shown that the United States is overreliant on foreign suppliers.  Instead of depending on China for medicine, Taiwan for computer chips, or Russia for fertilizer, we nee...Continue Reading

Terms like "sustainability," "ESG," and "socially conscious" have become quite the corporate buzzwords. However, if you're tempted to simply check the box, think again. A sincere commitment to sustainability can pay off in a myriad of ways — not to mention preserves trust, because a lack of integrity where sustainability i...Continue Reading

I knew something serious was up when South by Southwest (SXSW) was canceled in March 2020.  I use design tools and process to teach people of all ages to design their lives. But for one beautiful pre-COVID-19 year, I traveled across the United States to help older people, 65 to 90...Continue Reading

In a time of workforce shortages, offering child care is a way to distinguish your business. The coronavirus pandemic exposed the previously invisible and forgotten link between child care and the economy. It boils down to being the lifeline for women to stay employed. In 2020 alone,  2.5 million wome...Continue Reading

Remote work is here to stay. The pandemic has now made working from home the new normal, and many employees around the world now consider the requirement to work in the office a deal-breaker. And while it's become much easier to find remote job offerings, it's still important for jo...Continue Reading

By helping build resilient workforces and retain quality talent through personnel disruptions, caregiver-friendly workplaces are more competitive and successful. Employees are looking for employers that understand the need for work-life balance and the need for flexibility to address family issues. Employers that embrace caregiving-friendly strategies and solutions will be abl...Continue Reading

“Education is now the #1 economic priority,” according to Don Gilman, CEO of Ignite College and Career Academy in Georgia. In the past, most economic development organizations focused their efforts on creating jobs and capital investment. Today, the pandemic’s “Great Resignation,” coupled with the high level of Baby Boomers retiring...Continue Reading

Marketing your quality of place, local events, and community brand are crucial to an economic development strategy because they can help with workforce and business recruitment. Forbes reported in 2017 that "Millennials want a better everything." Years later, that remains true, and other generations are joining them. People demand bette...Continue Reading