Marquardt Selected as Newest PCDC Board Member

Tye Marquardt is a Phelps County transplant, but he is now rooted here and is working to ensure the area stays prosperous for several generations of his family who now call Holdrege home.

Marquardt, owner of Nebraskaland Aviation, is the newest PCDC board member, beginning his service in October. He was appointed to fill a vacancy created when Allison Fritsche resigned due to a career change. Marquardt’s company was inducted into the PCDC Business Hall of Fame in 2023.

“Economic development is very important to me,” Marquardt said. “I am raising a family here, so it is important to me that my kids, my grandkids, and all the people who live in our community continue to enjoy the opportunities provided to us by those who came before us. I am hopeful to contribute in some meaningful ways to the continued success that the people in Phelps County and South-Central Nebraska enjoy today.”

Marquardt was born in Colorado Springs and moved to Indianola, Nebraska as a child. He graduated from Republican Valley High School. His early career was in ag retail. He worked at United Agri Products in Kearney in 1999 before moving to Holdrege to work at Nebraskaland in the spring of 2007.

At that time, Nebraskaland was owned by Jim and Sue Lindstrom. It was started in the 1960s as Westerlin-Harrington Flying Service by Dennis Westerlin. After Marquardt joined the operation, he learned everything he could from Jim and Sue. He and his wife, Aimee, purchased the remaining shares of Westerlin-Harrington Flying Service in 2012.

Nebraskaland, now owned by Tye and his wife, Aimee, and their children, provides aerial application services to farmers and ground liquid custom applications, dry fertilizer custom applications, and chemical and fertilizer sales to growers who do their own spraying. Nebraskaland serves a 22-county area in South-Central Nebraska and North-Central Kansas and employs nearly 40 full-time employees, several pilots, and a dozen seasonal part-time employees. 

Nebraskaland has locations in seven other communities (including its partner businesses), but the headquarters remain in Phelps County, a place Marquardt said has several advantages.

“We enjoy the community we live in, the kindness of the people, and the rare opportunities our natural resources provide,” Marquardt said. “Phelps County has become our home, and we are very happy here. Our unique mixture of fertile farmland, abundant irrigation water, extremely talented and motivated farmers, and the kind-hearted nature of the people who live in our community are the county’s greatest assets.”    

Marquardt began his career as an entry-level hourly employee working in ag retail. Now, as a business owner, he has a unique perspective on business recruitment.  

“I remember well the days of living from paycheck to paycheck, and as a business owner it drives me to do all that I can to make sure the people I work with are prosperous,” he said. “Prosperity comes in many forms, but good pay and a friendly, healthy work environment are critical. I think this perspective is important when making decisions about the types of businesses we recruit to make sure they provide quality jobs for our workforce. As a business owner, I also understand the challenges that go along with owning a business. I am also raising a family here, and one of my granddaughters goes to school here, so this adds a family dimension.”

Marquardt said PCDC is already doing a great job of providing housing opportunities, recruiting a workforce, and creating a business environment that brings prosperity to its citizens.      

He said one of the challenges will be to maintain a reasonable cost of living for the workers who make doing business in Phelps County possible.  Another challenge will be to recruit businesses that complement each other and create synergistic outcomes for business owners, employees, and customers.  

As part of the PCDC board, his goals will be to create “a fair, healthy, and equitable work environment for the Phelps County workforce, a friendly business environment, stewardship of our environmental resources, and maintain or improve the quality of life in Phelps County.”

Besides PCDC, Marquardt also serves on the Holdrege Airport Authority and on the Five Points Bank advisory board.  

Tye and Aimee’s family includes twins Derrek and Taya, who are juniors at Holdrege High School; son Austin Marquardt and his wife, Paige, of Holdrege; daughter Alexis and her husband, Travis VanEperen, and their children, Paisley and Ellie, of Juniata; son Tony Marquardt and Laurie Lyons, and their daughter, Collins, of Holdrege. Tony, Austin, and Travis are all involved in the daily operations at Nebraskaland. Derrek, Taya, Paige, Lexi and Laurie all contribute when and where they are able.