Growing Nebraska’s Economy By Governor Dave Heineman Article found at www.Governor.Nebraska.gov Here. January 27, 2011 Dear Fellow Nebraskans: We are fortunate in Nebraska to have one of the strongest economies in the country. Our unemployment rate is 4.1% while the national average is more than double at 8.5%. Nebraska is recognized nationally as a top state in which to do business and we continue to grow and create jobs in...

Behind the scenes work generated key results for the Greater Fremont Development Council in 2011. "This last year was a busy year, but progress has been made, some of it visible, much of it is not," outgoing president Steve Hull said Wednesday during GFDC's annual membership meeting at the Fremont Golf Club. "Much of the visible progress this year is a result of the not-so-visible progress of...

"The tag line, Nebraska Pathfinders, was carefully chosen as our identifier," Bill Vobejda said during a Rotary Club lunch Friday at the Fremont Golf Club. "It gives homage to our past, but more importantly it defines the direction for our future. "A pathfinder," he explained, "is someone that we see as explorers, discoverers, leaders, innovators, people who create, and they take risks."   ...

Have you heard about Fremont, Nebraska Pathfinders? I hope so. It's really not a new identity. It fits who we are and where we've been. I think it's a great way to celebrate our history and look toward a promising future. Despite some challenges, we have momentum to keep our city growing. In 2012, let's focus on new business, new housing and new faces in...

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Service recognized a Fremont city official Thursday for his efforts in instituting a biosolids distribution program with area crop producers. Extension Educator Dave Varner presented the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Dodge County Extension Agriculture Education Programming to Wastewater Plant Superintendent Keith Kontor during a crop production clinic at the Midland University Event Center. "Keith initiated a partnership with the local Extension...

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented a Patriot Award to Overland Products General Manager Bill Ekeler Thursday. The company, which received a similar award in 2005, was nominated by U.S. Army Reserve Master Sgt. Todd Schueth, an Overland employee for 25 years and soldier for 26 years. The Patriot Award is given to an employer nominated by a service member for their support of...

Union Pacific said Friday it plans to invest $1 billion in railroad projects in Nebraska over the next several years to upgrade the capacity of its network. Jim Young, the CEO of Union Pacific Corp., said he expects the investments to help create at least 1,000 jobs in Nebraska. The company plans to invest the money over about seven years, but the projects could be accelerated if...

Fremont residents have the third-lowest consolidated property tax rate of all Nebraska's First Class cities in 2011, an informal survey compiled by the City of Norfolk shows. The report lists the consolidated levy for Fremont residents at $1.973428 per $100 of assessed valuation - lower than all first class cities except York ($1.773721) and Columbus ($1.908209). ...

Omaha.Com article quotes John Boyd Jr., principal with the Boyd Cos. Inc. of Princeton, N.J.: ..." Nebraska's new Nebraska Innovation Fund, which provides incentives for a wide range of advanced technology businesses including data centers, is an advantage for the state because it specifically aims at high-tech companies. "This is a neat way for companies to access capital directly." "And governors in Iowa and Nebraska are talking...

The Greater Fremont Development Council and the City of Fremont commissioned a Comprehensive Site Assessment of Fremont Technology Park which concluded the site well-suited for locating a Data Center operation and other technology businesses due to access to four carriers of redundant fiber providers and access to Omaha carrier hotel. Another benefit for industries located in Fremont is its 100% public power system which provides...

Developing upper level housing in downtown is a top priority. That attitude was clear during a Tuesday night meeting to help craft a downtown revitalization plan, but it's also been a focus in previous downtown revitalization studies....

Downtown Redevelopment Meeting Posted on: October 14, 2011 on www.FremontNE.gov-- A community workshop for the downtown redevelopment plan will be conducted at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18, at Country Traditions, 330 North Main. The meeting will begin with a presentation of the project process and schedule. There will be an open discussion about the future vision for Downtown Fremont. Michael Alley of Alley Poyner Maccietto Architecture...

Looking across the lobby of the Midland University Event Center, Gov. Dave Heineman saw more than 80 of the Fremont area's next generation of business and civic leaders. ...

A new program in Fremont is hoping to match businesses with future employees. Dan Demuth of Christensen Lumber shared information about the Dream It. Do It. program with business and community leaders during a Thursday luncheon at Metropolitan Community College's Fremont Area Center. "We've got our companies and our future labor force, and Dream It. Do It. is here to connect those two groups," said Demuth, who...

A couple years ago, Runza sent its general managers to Disney World. It wasn't a vacation. Runza wanted them to go through a Disney training program emphasizing the value of customer service. Jeff Wacker, area manager for Fremont's two Runza restaurants and another in Bennington, said his company being named the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year for businesses with 25 or fewer employees,...

Hero Automotive LLC is already making sales and the company expects to be fully operational before the end of summer. Xinyu Li, president of the company, hired Cathy Sabata in December as office manager, and began setting up shop at 1145 S. Schneider St. in the former Railworks building. ...

Platte Valley Equipment will receive the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce's 2011 Agricultural Business of the Year award during the Chamber's annual Membership Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Fremont Opera House. ...

Major expansions at some of Fremont's largest employers took place in 2011. Natura Pet Products completed phase one of a $10 million, 40,000-square-foot expansion over the summer, including construction of a second tower east of the original tower at the plant. The second phase is on track to be commissioned in January.   ...

'Study: Nebraska No. 6 in Job Creation Competitiveness' (Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.) --   ...

Officials from Fremont and Columbus were thrilled when the director of the Nebraska Department of Roads shared news that could move the U.S. Highway 30 expressway project years closer to reality.   ...

We're ending the year with many changes intended to make Fremont a great choice for new and expanding businesses. Here are two important developments: * Fremont Technology Park: Design work begins soon now that an engineer has been hired. Thanks to the investment and support of Great Plains Communications and American Broadband, our community now has a redundant fiber network. We truly appreciate their commitment. In...

The Center for Rural Affairs announced that the sixth annual MarketPlace rural entrepreneurship conference will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska. “Entrepreneurship and small businesses are the economic backbone of Nebraska's rural economy and especially important during times of economic hardship,” said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs and the...

Fremont still has the best tasting water in the state, the third annual Best Drinking Water in Nebraska taste test showed.   ...

Great Plains and American Broadband each announced in October their intentions to run fiber optic lines to the Fremont Technology Park at no cost to the city, and both providers already have the first businesses hooked up.... ...

If you take a close look around our City of Fremont, you'll see signs that we're taking the right steps for business growth and expansion. ...

Construction of a new hangar and taxiway extension are expected to start soon at the Fremont Municipal Airport. City Engineer Clark Boschult said the north-south taxiway will be extended 300 feet ...

American Broadband expects to have fiber optic cable buried as far as Luther Road by the end of the week, weather permitting, and company representatives said some Fremont businesses may be hooked up by the end of the year. ...

Fremont Municipal Airport is the state's 2010 General Aviation Airport of the Year. A contingent of Fremont people, including Mayor Scott Getzschman, Airport Advisory Committee member Gene Acklie, City Engineer Clark Boschult and former Advisory Committee member Eric Johnson, accepted the award from the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics Thursday evening at the Kearney Holiday Inn. "There were a total of five airports that submitted applications for Airport...