Ron Tillery Honored as "Professional of the Year"

Ron Tillery has been named the 2023 Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) Professional of the Year in the Community Category.

The award was presented by NEDA, the largest association of economic development professionals in Nebraska, at its 50th Anniversary Annual Conference in Lincoln on May 18, 2023.  Tillery is the Executive Director of Phelps County Development Corporation (PCDC). He is recognized for his accomplishments and dedicated service to economic growth in the State of Nebraska.

Tillery has been with the Phelps County Development Corporation since May 2016. He is the primary contact for companies considering south central Nebraska as a new home or additional location. While recruiting new businesses to Phelps County is one of his most visible roles, he is also responsible for conducting retention and expansion programs, processing loans, and managing the operations and marketing of the organization.

“Ron has the ability to lift others up, he has a desire to share what has been successful for him, and how to replicate that success. He is top of his game when it comes to recruitment, he can sense if a project is not going to be right for Holdrege, but he works his hardest to make sure there is a place in Nebraska where the project can go. Ron has been involved with the improvement of the Holdrege downtown, housing, childcare, and industrial park development.” Jen McKeone, Cozad Development Corporation.  

Some of Tillery’s notable achievements include a thriving Downtown Holdrege - a new brewery, theater, shopping, and dining. The new Iron Horse Business & Industry Park has exciting projects slated. Tillery’s team enticed BD (Becton Dickinson) to invest $100 million to expand operations in Holdrege in 2021.  Expansion of the VA clinic, expansion of Briggs & Stratton, a new hotel, and administering of $634,000 of small business loans. Tillery was instrumental in Holdrege being named the Community of the Year in 2022.

McKeone also noted, “Ron is the best mentor anyone can ask for. He always makes sure that no matter what he is working on, he is first and foremost promoting Nebraska. Ron works harder behind the scenes than anyone in our profession, attending all trade shows, networking events, and regional meetings to further economic development.”

ABOUT NEDA:
The Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) was originally established in 1973 with the mission of supporting Nebraska’s economic growth through professionals that work daily to promote growth. NEDA’s mission remains the same today for its 300 members utilizing their expertise to continue to grow Nebraska's economy.

NEDA is able to accomplish its mission by encouraging its members to further advance their knowledge, build relationships among economic development professionals, and by providing a collaborative learning environment for its economic developers. Similar to Hurley, all of NEDA's members are committed to NEDA's mission to further Nebraska's economy.

For more information please contact:

Trevor Lee
President
Nebraska Economic Developers Association
Trevor@growbuffalocounty.com