Gov. Ricketts Announces First Annual Governor’s Summit on Economic Development

The first annual summit will be held on July 12^th in Lincoln

LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts announced that the Governor’s Office and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) will host a first-of-its-kind “Governor’s Summit on Economic Development” in Lincoln on July 12, 2016.  This summit will serve as an annual avenue for Nebraska’s business and economic development community members to share ideas and provide input to state government in key policy areas including workforce development, tax policy, and business attraction.

“The summit will bring together Nebraskans who are dedicated to growing our state,” said Governor Ricketts.  “This event will provide an annual opportunity for Nebraska’s business and economic development community members to carry on a conversation about how to attract new businesses, retain existing ones, and create good-paying jobs for the next generation.”

This year, the Governor’s Summit will focus on the results of a study by SRI International regarding the state’s existing economic development programs.  SRI is a nonprofit, independent research center hired earlier this year to update and expand upon the Battelle Report, a similar study written for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in October 2010.  SRI’s study will be finalized in conjunction with the summit.

“The state is continuously evaluating Nebraska’s business climate in areas that include taxes, regulatory issues, transportation, access to markets, supply chain, roads and infrastructure, and more,” said DED Director Courtney Dentlinger.  “We expect that SRI’s research results will help us break these areas down even further and find ways to streamline and perfect delivery systems, and target specific legislation that improves and expands on existing laws.”

At the summit, SRI will conduct several sessions focusing on findings from their study as related to the state’s target industries, housing and community development, and workforce and talent.  SRI will also offer an analysis of the state’s innovation ecosystem.

Lunch and keynote speaker Julie Curtin, executive vice president and partner at Development Counsellors International, will speak about how communities across Nebraska can build and implement talent attraction campaigns to attract and retain skilled talent.

“As Nebraska’s economy continues to prosper and diversify, making it one of the most stable in the country, there is a growing need for communities across the state to position not only available jobs, but the availability of a desirable lifestyle, great schools, rich and diverse cultural assets, and in many Nebraska communities—a cool, hip, millennial vibe that is attractive to so many in that targeted, skilled talent pool,” said Julie Curtin.

For more information on the Governor’s Summit, Nebraskans can contact Lori Shaal at 402-471-3780 or lori.shaal@nebraska.gov.  Registration information will become available in the coming weeks.