The Nebraska Examiner Highlights Nebraska Business Development Center at UNO

The Nebraska Examiner recapped the impact of the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) over the last 50 years. The NBDC, established in 1977, is helping to open doors and create new jobs in the Omaha metro area by offering business support to community members.

Based at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), the center specializes in one-on-one guidance with entrepreneurs, connecting them with financing resources and providing free loan advice. While the center is affiliated with UNO, they do partner with other University of Nebraska campuses, as well as other state colleges.

In 2022 alone, the NBDC's clients secured nearly $133 million in government contracts, invested $42 million in their operations, and created or saved around 250 jobs. The NBDC's direct and indirect economic impact on the state reached $343 million last year. The center, with a roughly $3 million annual budget, plays a crucial role in assisting homegrown businesses with access to resources and financing opportunities.

A rural Nebraska couple started by selling barn kits and now run a national company involved in constructing Omaha's first modern mass timber commercial building. Behind their journey, there's the NBDC.

The husband-wife team that operates Timberlyne Group, Julie Goeller and Len Dickinson, were mentored by the NBDC as they turned their business dreams into a reality. Timberlyne Group's custom wood products have since been used in various places across 49 states, including Vala's Pumpkin Patch in Gretna and the San Antonio Spurs' practice facility.

“It’s really a valuable resource and, in my opinion, largely unknown,” said Goeller, “If you’re a young business, you don’t know what you don’t know — you don’t even know things that are possible.”

The Nebraska Examiner recently published an article detailing some of the work that the NBDC is doing behind the scenes with businesses in the area. To learn more, check out the Nebraska Examiner’s website. For details regarding the NBDC, visit their page on UNO’s website.