Holdrege Recognized as Community of the Year

The Nebraska Diplomats honored Holdrege with a Community of the Year award at its annual banquet on Aug. 9 in Kearney.

“The award recognizes the benefits that flow to a community when everyone is pulling an oar, together,” PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery said. “One oarsman just goes around in circles; Holdrege is on a path forward and others are taking notice.”

Gov. Pete Ricketts presented the award to Holdrege representatives Ron Tillery and PCDC Board President Phil Hinrichs. Several other PCDC and community representatives also attended the event to celebrate the award.

A Nebraska Department of Economic Development staff member nominated Holdrege for the award.

“Holdrege is an amazing community that is thriving. The community has more than 5,500 residents who are positioning themselves for growth,” the awards emcee said.

Community’s highlights mentioned during the event included:

• BD’s recent $100 million investment and expansion and its celebration of calling Holdrege home for more than 50 years
• Creation of new BD spin-off company, embecta, which is now its own publicly-traded company and is Holdrege’s largest employer
• Recent $8 million expansion by Allmand Inc./Briggs & Stratton
• $634,000 in gap financing loans provided by PCDC for area businesses
• PCDC commissioned the final engineering designs for Iron Horse Industrial Park and is actively marketing this site
• Phelps Memorial Health Center being named a top critical access hospital for many years in a row and being named an exceptional place to work by Gallup
• New Cobblestone Hotel
• Recent $2 million expansion of the VA clinic in Holdrege

The Nebraska Diplomats is Nebraska’s largest economic development organization. It works to provide a connection to Nebraska leaders without political, organizational or geographic restrictions. More than 286 business executives and community leaders are Nebraska Diplomats.