Rite Way Milk and Dairy Queen Inducted into Business HOF

Two Holdrege businesses were honored, and guests gleaned expert advice on growing rural economies at the 2025 PCDC Business Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Holdrege Country Club.

Richard Baier, president and CEO of the Nebraska Bankers Association, gave the keynote address to a crowd of nearly 120 guests after they enjoyed a meal catered by The Speakeasy.  

Rite Way Milk and Dairy Queen were inducted into the PCDC Hall of Fame at the event.

Honored Businesses

PCDC Board President Jared Engelbert said this is an exciting time for Phelps County.

“When I look at Phelps County, I see people who care,” Engelbert said. “I see people who care about the businesses they own and their employees. People who care about their professions and a job well done. And people who never thought they’d care too much one way or another about Phelps County until they got here, and now they can’t believe how much they care.”

He said the two businesses honored this year “really care about doing things the right way, which is why they’ve been so successful and why they are slam dunks for our Business Hall of Fame.”

Dairy Queen was selected for the Expansion Champion Award. In 2024, the restaurant moved from 4th Avenue to a new, expanded location at 924 Burlington. The Holdrege Dairy Queen, owned by Kelly Morton and Stacy Johnson, is number one in sales growth this year in its region, which includes 32 stores from York to eastern Colorado.

“When I asked Kelly about the new store, he said it wasn’t just a financial decision,” Engelbert said. “He believes the community deserves a new store, and they want to provide the best possible experience for every customer who comes in.”

Morten thanked the PCDC staff and board for the award and co-owner Stacy Johnson and Micheal Kimberly for their dedication and hard work.  

The second business honored at the banquet was Rite Way Milk, which was named the Legacy Business of the Year.  

“No business can thrive for eight decades without being consistently reliable for their customers,” Engelbert said. “And the Stewart family has truly achieved greatness with Rite Way Milk.”

The company was founded by Carrol (Curly) Geer, and the current owners are Norm and Corliss Stewart and James and Katherine Stewart.

Rite Way Milk has 10 full-time employees and manages pick-up and delivery logistics for five regional dairy processing plants. The Stewarts recently invested in their downtown Holdrege headquarters by creating an Airbnb, named after Corliss, on the upper level. They also partnered with the Iron Horse Arts District to paint a new iconic mural on the east side of their building.

“In my short time as PCDC president, I think my favorite memory so far is telling James and Katherine Stewart that we are inducting Rite Way Milk into the Business Hall of Fame,” Engelbert said. “They were so incredibly grateful, and it was a pleasure to visit with them about their business and endeavors in Phelps County.”

In his acceptance speech, James Stewart gave credit to his parents and to Curly Geer for their leadership in getting Rite Way to where it is today. James and Corliss both spoke of their gratitude to the Holdrege community.  

“I would challenge anybody to find a better community to raise a family in and operate your own business that’s better than Phelps County and Holdrege,” James said. “It’s the best place you can be.”

Corliss, who was born in Phelps County and graduated with the Holdrege High School Class of 1966, said Holdrege is “a wonderful community and a wonderful place” to raise a family.

“Thank you for this recognition,” Corliss said. “It means a lot. We hope we can continue to give back to the community that means so much to us.”

Ron Tillery, who is transitioning out of his position as PCDC Economic Development Director at the end of the year, started the PCDC Hall of Fame awards and banquet in 2018, and so far, 13 businesses and one individual have been honored.

Keynote Speaker Richard Baier

Engelbert introduced the keynote speaker for the event, saying, “It would be hard to find anyone in Nebraska as widely respected as Richard Baier. He has experience across many industries, including economic development.”

Baier previously worked as the executive vice president at the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and as the director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development under governors Mike Johanns and Dave Heineman.

Baier spoke about planning for growth and the next generation.

He began by praising Holdrege and saying that when people drive into Holdrege, they would think it had a population of 15,000 because it is well-kept and progressive.

To be successful at economic development, Baier said a community must tackle housing shortages, create a place where people want to work and live, support entrepreneurship and small businesses, create new primary jobs, and support tourism and recreation efforts.

Baier said most of the population growth in Nebraska is concentrated in urban areas, however, those areas are still losing population to other states. Incomes are growing more slowly than the cost of housing in Nebraska, and the housing stock is old.

He shared lessons learned from 30 years of observing economic development trends:

• Encourage private investment and leadership rather than waiting on government solutions and grants.  
• Communities should dream big but also be realistic and understand their numbers.
• Review your region like an outsider.
• Actively seek input from the next generation.
• Be cognizant of trends like AI and remote workers.
• Get engaged at the state level.
• The highest potential exists in tourism and recreation, value-added ag and higher education.

Engelbert said PCDC continues to focus on supporting production agriculture and supporting services, manufacturing, healthcare and professional services, and retail services. He cited the following recent successes spearheaded by PCDC:

• 66 downtown business facades improved with GO! DREAM grants
• 323 new residents added with GO! HOME downpayment assistance
• 85 start-up or expanded businesses with the GO! BUSINESS program  
• 46 new homes in the CREW and Northern Meadows subdivisions
• 109 high-demand jobs scholarships awarded ($303,500)

“We aren’t slowing down, and we are incredibly excited about the future of Phelps County,” he said.

Leadership Transition

Engelbert also introduced new PCDC Executive Director Jeff Hofaker. He officially started on October 1.

“I am extremely humbled to be the new executive director of PCDC,” Hofaker said.

“Economic development is a community sport which involves teamwork,” Hofaker said, and he is looking forward to working together with area citizens, businesses and organizations to continue to help Phelps County thrive.  

He said he already feels at home in Phelps County due to the friendly welcome he has received.

Engelbert closed the evening by presenting Tillery with artwork by a Nebraska artist featuring a rocking chair and encouraged him to rest a bit after all the hard work he has dedicated to PCDC and growing 37.