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1 Catalyst The Issue 389 March rd Avenue Columbus, Nebraska (402) RURAL RECOGNITION BANQUET APPROACHING Recognizing Today and Tomorrow s Ag Leaders The Chamber Agribusiness Committee is set to host the 2017 Rural Recognition Banquet, which will honor these outstanding ag professionals: Agribusiness Pioneer: Preferred Genetics (Phil Buhman) Outstanding Senior Farmer: Jerry Gleeson Outstanding Woman in Agriculture: Tracey Hagerbaumer Outstanding Area Farmer: Terry Beller Also at the banquet, Platte County 4-H will honor their outstanding volunteers and youth participants. You won t want to miss this great evening of celebrating the impact our region makes in helping to feed the world! Get your tickets now. Sponsored by: Tuesday, March 14 th Ag Park, th Street Social: 6:00 p.m. Dinner and program: 6:30 p.m. $20 general public, free for all ag producers. Tickets are available at the Chamber office, rd Ave. Or call or visit thecolumbuspage.com to

2 Board of Directors Bill Flint, Chairman of the Board Steve Line, Chair-Elect Chris Langan, Community Development Division Chairman Chad Dyhrkopp, Business Development Division Chairman Pat Pope, Internal Affairs Division Chairman Dianne Wall, Treasurer Joe Steffensmeier, Past Chairperson Russ Freeman Dennis Grennan Ben Hellbusch Sharee Jedlicka Lisa Kaslon Vanessa Oceguera Kurt Shevlin Chad VanCleave Ex-Officio Members Mayor Jim Bulkley, City of Columbus Jerry Engdahl, Platte County Brent Bond, Commodores Bernie Hansen, NE Dept. of Labor WELCOME BONNIE! New Office Manager Joins Chamber Staff The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the hiring of Bonnie Esslinger as Officer Manager. Bonnie is a native of Leigh, and has lived in Columbus for 11 years. She is a graduate of Mt. Marty College from Yankton, SD. Bonnie began her position on February 20th. Please make sure to introduce yourself to Bonnie next time you re around! March Hospitality Sponsor Business After Hours Our Mission: Enhancing the economic well-being and quality of life in the Columbus Area. This publication is distributed to stakeholders. Dues include $2 per year subscription for your Catalyst. Hospitality sponsors provide beverages for meetings held in the Chamber conference room and also have a table to showcase their business! NE Department of Labor Monday, March 27th 5:00-6:30 p.m rd St #22 All employees of any Chamber member are welcome! Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and networking. Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Staff Kara Asmus K.C. Belitz Bonnie Esslinger Sandie Fischer Deb Loseke Amanda Polacek Sharyle Sands Workforce Coordinator President Office Manager Events Planner, Entrepreneur/Membership Developer Director, Convention & Visitors Bureau Marketing Director Vice President Thank you Diamond Level Sponsors! 2

3 NORTHEAST NEBRASKA DAY AT THE CAPITOL Last Chance to Attend! Tuesday, March 7th, Lincoln Educational sessions begin at 3:00 p.m. Meet the new and incumbent Nebraska Senators at a series of educational sessions, and enjoy an evening reception. Call , or chamber@megavision.com to register. Please specify if you would like transportation to Lincoln. Hosted by the Blair, Columbus, Fremont, Norfolk, O Neill, South Sioux City, Wayne & West Point Chambers of Commerce. Sponsored by Loup Public Power. FARM TRANSITION PLANNING WORKSHOP What Every Ag Family Needs to Know About Taxes, Transition and Timing March 14th, Ag Park Club Room 4:30 p.m. cocktails and appetizers 5:00 p.m. discussion and Q&A Prior to the Rural Recognition Banquet, Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisors Nathan Karges and David Darlington will outline important information about taxes and timing for those planning a transition of the family farm. important information on how to successfully plan a transition of the family farm. Who should attend? All generations of the family farm. Learn how to position yourself for success. Call , or chamber@megavision.com to register. Nathan and David's combined 25+ years of generational planning experience will provide HOW TO SET UP AN ONLINE SHOP Learn How to Sell Your Products or Services Online Wednesday, March 22nd 12-1 p.m. at the Chamber, $5 for lunch. Learn the basics of selling your products or services online from setting up a simple website, to starting a full-blown business selling on Amazon! Featuring Clark Swihart, Author, Inventor, CEO and Founder of CAS Enterprises, Inc. Call , or chamber@megavision.com to register. 3

4 THANK YOU DRIVE FOR FIVE SPONSORS! Preparing Tomorrow s Future Leaders Thank you to this year s Drive for Five Workforce Initiative sponsors. Through the support of these sponsors, Drive for Five is able to continue the important work of recruiting, retaining and developing skilled employees in the Columbus area, and training students to be workforce-ready. To become a part of this very important program or for more information on the Drive for Five, contact Kara Asmus. drive45@megavision.com. Partner: Columbus Public Schools Lakeview Community Schools ADM Behlen Mfg. Co. BD Medical Systems BD Pharmaceutical Systems Cargill Meat Solutions Cargill Value-Added Meats Loup Power District Pillen Family Farms Platte County Board Contributor: Preferred Sands of Genoa Pinnacle Bank City of Columbus Columbus Hydraulics Columbus Community Hospital Aegis Therapies/AseraCare Valmont Supporter: ARL Credit Services Associated Staffing Black Hills Energy Central Confinement Service, Ltd. Columbus United Federal Credit Union Cornhusker Public Power District Duo-Lift Manufacturing Company FLEXcon Company HOME Real Estate John Crane Orion Samson, LLC - Ramada HOLIDAY BASKETBALL GIVES BACK Supporting Our Area Schools Holiday Basketball Committee Co-Chair Todd Halligan had the opportunity to distribute checks last month to schools that participated in the Chamber s annual tournament. The tournament generates retail revenue for the community, and event proceeds are always distributed back to the participating teams. This year s participants, pictured below: Lakeview Kurt Frenzen Scotus Merlin Lahm Schuyler Dr. Dan Hoesing Twin River- Tod Heier Thank you to the committee for making this event another success this year! 4

5 COMPLETING THE QUALITY OF LIFE PROJECTS Collaboration is the Key In 2008, the City of Columbus conducted a study to identify improvements to keep the community flourishing. Among the recommendations was the construction of a new: YMCA, library, health department, and high school/middle school. Fast forward nine years, and all four of these projects are in process totaling roughly $94 million in capital investments from public and private dollars. How was this possible in a community of 25,000? Collaboration. Rather than pursing options on their own, members of these groups formed a committee through the Chamber to share project and fundraising updates with one another regularly. By working together in this manner, the projects attracted a catalytic $2.3 million challenge grant from The Sherwood Foundation and two local donors in The grant, administered by the Columbus Area Community Foundation Fund, offers a dollar-for-dollar match proportional to the amount of fundraising left for each project at the time of the grant. To date, three of the four partners have met their fundraising goal. If the challenge grant is met by December 31st, all partners will also receive part of a $500,000 bonus from the funders. If you would like to give toward the final project, the Library/ Cultural Arts Center, and receive a dollar-for-dollar match, please contact Drew Brookhart at The committee thanks everyone who has supported all four projects that will benefit the community for many generations to come. 5

6 FEBRUARY COMMODORE CALLS The Goodwill Arm of the Chamber Columbus Arts Council, Member Visit, Commodore Lynda Lempke & Rodney Magg JC Penney Company, New Member, Jeff Winkelbauer and Skipper Brent Bond Thank you to everyone who made a referral and/or contact during our membership drive last month. We added 17 new members in February & hope to add many more before the fiscal year ends. Sip Espresso Bar, Member Visit, Commodore Tonya Wemhoff and Sam McBride BOARD COMMITTEE CHAIRS NAMED Leading the Way The following slate of Chamber Board officers was confirmed at the February Board meeting. They will take office April 1st with the start of the new fiscal year. Chair: Steve Line Chair-Elect: Dennis Grennan Promotions Division Chair: Vanessa Oceguera Community Development Division Chair: Lisa Kaslon Business Development Division Chair: Chris Langan Internal Affairs Division Chair: Ben Hellbusch Treasurer: Kurt Shevlin Past-Chair: Bill Flint Congratulations to all and thank you for serving! 6

7 JANUARY INVESTMENTS Thank You For Your Membership Investment! A Wireless - Verizon Wireless Retailer, Brandon Cepel Affirmation Chain Jewelry by Rosetta, Rosetta Jantzen Affordable Overhead Door, Bob Lewis Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Associate, James Friedlander Amigo's, Doug Samuelson Becher Place Properties, LLC, John Curry Behlen Mfg. Co., Philip Raimondo BMC Transportation, Shandy Hand Bob's U-Save Pharmacy, Bob Ellsworth Bo's West, Brad & Rod Baker Camp Luther, Bruce Wall Capstone Realty, Steve Miller Centro Hispano Comunitario De Nebraska, Karina Perez CharterWest National Bank, Nick Brion C-K-C, Inc., Roberta Saalfeld Columbus Christian School, Dave Mitchell Columbus Metal Industries, Brian Dolesh Columbus Morning Rotary Club, Prent Roth Columbus Noon Lions Club, Jean Karnik Columbus Women's Healthcare, Amy Wemhoff E. I. P., Inc., Charles & Douglas Ewert Earley Real Estate, Bob Earley Edward Jones, Tom Kratochvil Financial Advisor Fast Mart, Mike Gokie First Impressions, Dave Harrington Huskerland Communications, Matt Sandoz Iron Steel Co. Inc., Cesar Garcia Jensen, Neil Jones Insurance Agency, Inc., Michael Jones JP Trucking, Darrell & Pat Janssen Kirkham Michael, Roger Helgoth Leffers Electric and Telephones, Eric Hollatz Mueller Sprinklers, Mark Hanson Nebraska Vault Co., J.D. Scow Norfolk Ear, Nose & Throat, P.C., Brenda Rueb North Central Radiology, John Beauvais Office Systems Company, John Boyd Paraclipse Systems, LLC, Brad Harse Platte Valley Playhouse, Suzi Zwick Schumacher, Paul Sew What Needle Arts & Quilting, Jo Johansen State Farm Insurance, Shelley Stempek Sweet Harvest Popcorn Shoppe, Dale & Patty Dolezal Ten Minute Oil Change Center, Chad Arens Tracy's Sport Line Auto Sales, Tracy Willard Union Pacific Railroad, Kelli O'Brien Wayne State College, Marysz Rames White, Robert NEW MEMBER Say Hello! Spectrum Business Enterprise Solutions Richard Laswell 809 Central Ave. Kearney NE, (308) Telecommunications Service & Equipment Sponsor: Sandie Fischer 7

8 March 2017 Calendar of Events 02 Commodore Call Columbus Telegram 10:00 a.m. 07 BIE Chamber 7:00 a.m. 07 Northeast Nebraska Day at the Capitol Lincoln 3:00 p.m. 08 Quality of Life Centers Chamber 8:00 a.m. 08 Entrepreneurship Chamber 9:00 a.m. 09 Commodore Call City Hall 10:00 a.m. 09 Legislative Chamber 2:00 p.m. 14 The Family Farm Transition Workshop Ag Park 4:30 p.m. 14 Rural Recognition Banquet Ag Park 6:00 p.m. 15 Transportation Ramada 12:00 p.m. 16 Chamber Planning Session Chamber 8:00 a.m. 21 Finance Chamber 7:00 a.m. 21 Admirals Picket Fence 7:30 a.m. 23 Commodore Call Papa Murphy s 10:00 a.m. 23 Legislative Chamber 2:00 p.m. 27 Engaging Immigrants Chamber 10:00 a.m. 27 Activities & Entertainment Chamber 11:30 a.m. 27 Board of Directors Chamber 12:00 p.m. 27 Streetscaping Chamber 1:30 p.m. 27 Business After Hours NE Dept. of Labor 5:00 p.m. 28 Housing Chamber 10:00 a.m. 28 Columbus Days Committee Chamber 10:30 a.m. Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce rd Ave. Columbus, NE Fax: Chamber@megavision.com PRSRT STD PO PAID COLUMBUS, NE PERMIT #500 Feeling green? Simply contact our office if you d like to switch from the printed version of the Catalyst to the electronic version that can be ed to you. Call us at The Catalyst