All contractors in Nebraska must register

An expanded state law that goes into effect July 18 requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in Nebraska to register with the state. The expanded law also increases the registration fee, from $25 to $40, said Bill Hetzler, director of safety and labor standards for Nebraska Workforce Development/Department of Labor in Omaha.

Failure to register can result in a fine up to $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 for a subsequent violation, Hetzler said. A person who is self-employed and does not pay more than $3,000 annually to employ others in the business is exempt from the $40 fee, but must fill out an affidavit with an application.

Contractors can fill out the registration application under the “labor/safety laws” section at www.nebraskaworkforce.com, but the application must be printed out and mailed in with a check for the $40 fee, Hetzler said. More information is available by calling 402-595-3095.

Flooding Sinks in for Central Neb. Farmers

The sound of waves isn’t soothing to the ears of farmers. Not when the water is in their fields. “Oh my gosh, when’s it going to quit?” asked farmer Virgil Byerly, who grows corn and soybeans north of Grand Island. Farmers like Kenny Clausen and Larry Knuthe haven’t seen their fields this bad since 1967. The impact may hit Dawson County farmers the hardest.

Cozad received almost eight inches in two days. Randy Schneider of Cozad has some crops covered with up to two feet of water. “I haven’t seen this much rain in all my life,” he said. That’s almost 60 years.” He’ll have to replant. “That’s not going to be real good with the price of fuel,” he said.

Reinke a big part of Nebraska’s irrigation

Forty years ago last week, a Ruskin, Neb., farmer pushed the button to start up the first “Electrogator” center pivot irrigation rig built and sold by Reinke Manufacturing of Deshler, Neb. Over the years, the Reinke business grew to become one of four leading irrigation equipment manufacturers in the world. The company, still family-owned and based in Deshler, employs about 400 people. The other three leaders, Valmont Industries Inc., Lindsay Corp. and T-L Irrigation Co., also are based in Nebraska. Reinke, founded by farmer and self-taught engineer Richard Reinke, was not the first company to manufacture a center pivot.

Competitor Valmont Industries, now based in Omaha, bought the center pivot patent from Colorado inventor Frank Zybach and began manufacturing its version in 1954. But the Electrogator included two crucial innovations, according to Reinke CEO Chris Roth — who, at 39, is younger than the invention that launched the company’s irrigation business.

It was the first electric center pivot that was reversible, meaning it could be installed in a field too small to allow the pivot to turn a full circle. The 1960s were a crucial time of development for Nebraska’s center pivot industry, with the Lindsay Corp. of Omaha developing its “Zimmatic” system and T-L Irrigation Co. in Hastings developing its hydraulically powered pivot at about the same time Reinke developed the Electrogator.

In 1968, there were probably more than 100 companies seeking a foothold in manufacturing various center pivot irrigation mechanisms, industry leaders said. Only four major manufacturers survived and prospered, all in Nebraska, in part because the state’s semiarid climate creates a demand for irrigation in the area and in part because the Ogallala aquifer provides a ready water supply. The Nebraska Pivot Irrigation Manufacturers’ Association says that pivots now irrigate 4.6 million acres in Nebraska and that, based upon a study by Charles Lamphear of the Nebraska Policy Institute, each pivot results in $76,000 of economic benefit each year.

Roth and other pivot manufacturers said there’s room for growth in their industry, even though much of the state is more carefully managing water usage and many western areas have put moratoriums on additional wells, irrigated acres and new appropriations from streams, rivers and lakes. Pivots waste less water than “flood” methods of irrigation, in which water is delivered into fields via gated pipes and furrows in the crop rows.

Reinke Manufacturing honored for innovative efforts

Reinke Manufacturing Co. has been named the recipient of the first-ever Nebraska Innovation in Manufacturing Award. The Deshler company that makes mechanized irrigation systems and chassis equipment was honored at the annual meeting of the State Chamber’s Manufacturers Council on Wednesday. Presented by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry and professional services firm RSM McGladrey, the award recognizes Nebraska manufacturers demonstrating new ways of conducting business.

Reinke was selected based on its workforce training and retention efforts. The company has partnered with local schools and community colleges to create career opportunities for those who want to remain in the Thayer County area. “Reinke has devised a solid model to attract and retain employees,” State Chamber President Barry Kennedy said in a news release.

“The company is proving the skeptics wrong when they say it’s impossible to find enough skilled labor in rural Nebraska.” Reinke employs about 400 employees in a community of nearly 900.

Northeast Nebraska mailbox project invites grads to return home

Each of the 172 seniors who graduated this year from one of the six high schools located in Holt County received an identical present — a congratulatory note offering graduation wishes and an open invitation to remember the communities where they grew up. And the invitation came inside a personalized mailbox. Nicole Sedlacek, Holt County Economic Development (HCED) director, said the mailbox project urged graduates who are entering the work force to take an active role now in the community.

Students who plan on attending college were asked to consider placing their mailboxes in their hometowns and Holt County following graduation from college. Sedlacek said most youths have hometown and school pride. Showing graduates the career and entrepreneurial opportunities that are available or needed in the region might help reverse trends in regard to population of rural communities. Making a connection with youths while they are still in high school is a key to success.

Sedlacek said that giving youths a sense of ownership instills a sense of community, which helps develop an attitude of wanting to return home. With the popularity of online networking, HCED can keep individuals updated via their e-mail. The development office has created an online presence at Facebook and currently has more than 100 members.

Nebraska building relationships for global investment

Nebraska is the first state to make detailed business development presentations to the Chinese cities of Xi’an and Hangzhou. More than 300 Chinese attended the sessions in Xi’an (pronounced SHE-ahn), which has a population of 2.7 million, and in Hangzhou (pronounced HANGH-joe), with 6.4 million residents, said Joe Chapuran, international development manager for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. The stops at the two cities were highlights of six Nebraskans’ recent 18-day trade mission to China and Japan, aimed at finding new business relationships and enhancing existing commercial connections between Nebraska and the two Asian giants.

Also on the trip were representatives from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Public Power District, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Werner Enterprises and JZW International, a trade firm. Many of the discussions centered on farming. Manufacturing, distribution, importing and exporting were big topics, too, said Marisa Ring, international business developer for the Omaha chamber.

“We were answering questions about work force, on incentives, on operating environments, about the full scope of questions you get when someone is seriously evaluating an opportunity,” Ring said.

In Japan, the group visited Kobe, Saitama, Shizuoka and Tokyo, mostly for individual talks with business contacts built up over years of commerce between Japan and Nebraska. By being first in the two Chinese cities, Chapuran said, Nebraska’s economic developers hope to compete with larger states that have more resources to focus on foreign trade. The Nebraska group was also promoting the state’s first “reverse trade mission,” Sept. 10-12, which is expected to draw 100 or more business officials from Brazil, China, Japan, Germany and other countries.

Currently, there are 350 oreign-owned businesses in Nebraska, with 19,000 employees.

Recruiters let workers know there are plenty of jobs — in Nebraska

William McDill is one of about 35 people who visited the local Michigan Works! office in Cadillac, Mich. Wednesday looking for work. Fortunately, recruiters there told him about hundreds of jobs available — in Columbus, Neb. “There are a lot of good things that are going on in Nebraska,” said Angie Ramaekers, the Drive for Five Coordinator for the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Drive for Five” refers to the Columbus Chamber’s efforts to recruit 500 workers for businesses in Columbus. They are searching nationwide. “We have 40 significant employers, said Columbus Chamber President K.C. Belitz. “In the past one or two years, most of them have grown to one degree or another,” he said. Belitz and Ramaekers came to Cadillac for one day, accompanied by a recruiter from BD Medical, a manufacturer of syringes and medical supplies.

Columbus also boasts an Archer Daniels Midland ethanol facility as well as affordable, plentiful power from a large hydroelectric plant fed by the Loup River. Unemployment in Columbus’s Platte County was 2.9% in March. “Jobs are just getting scarce in Cadillac,” McDill said. Allen Johnson of Ovid drove two hours to Cadillac to hear about Nebraska jobs. He said Michigan will always be his “hometown,” but moving to Nebraska could be worth the chance.

Nebraska’s cheap, in a good way: as a vacation spot

Nebraska has been named the second-least-expensive state for a vacation in 2008, according to a new survey from AAA. The survey looked at lodging and meal costs for two adults and two children in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nebraska had a combined daily cost of $159.65, less than a dollar above the least-expensive state, North Dakota.

The most-expensive state in the survey was Hawaii, at $792.76. In fact, all of the top five — Hawaii, Washington, D.C., New York, Nevada and Florida — are major vacation destinations.

Rose White, a spokeswoman for AAA Nebraska, said the states with higher vacation costs have popular attractions and a higher cost of living anyway. Sarah Baker, media relations coordinator for the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism, said Nebraska has a range of activities for couples and families. They include outdoor options such as camping and canoeing, and entertainment such as major concerts in Omaha.

Other activities and attractions, Baker said, such as bird-watching, bed and breakfasts and wineries, have grown in popularity. Dana Markel, director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Omaha draws in people for events such as the College World Series, concerts and conventions. The city also draws leisure travelers with places such as the Henry Doorly Zoo, art galleries and the Old Market.

Nebraska businesses and industries get their own day in Grand Island

Nebraska Diplomats, along with company, community and government officials came together Monday to recognize the tremendous economic contributions of the state’s many businesses and industries.

Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy welcomed guests during lunch and presented a plaque to the newest Economic Development Certified Community — Kearney — and Diplomats President Tim White presented the Diplomats President’s Awards to representatives of Principal Financial Group and Standard Iron, both in Grand Island.

Dave McCracken, quality engineer with Tenneco in Seward, Neb., a former Edgerton Award recipient, announced the recipients of 2008 Edgerton Quality Awards for ongoing efforts in quality and performance excellence. The Edgerton Quality Award recipients are Bellevue University in Bellevue; Alegent Health in Omaha.

State Chamber Manufacturers Council Annual Meeting Set for May 14

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry Manufacturers’ Council will sponsor a special meeting for all Chamber members on Wednesday, May 14 at Quarry Oaks Golf Course near Ashland. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with an update from Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy on issues affecting the state’s manufactures. Attendees will also hear from a nationwide consulting firm on how small- and medium-sized manufacturers can thrive in today’s global economy.

The program also features an informational session on Reinke Manufacturing’s partnership with Deshler Public Schools to provide a modern welding technology program for students and adults. The program will conclude at 11 a.m., following the Innovation Award ceremony.

Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m.. There is no charge for this meeting, but reservations are requested. For information or to register, call 402-474-4422 or e-mail cvolnek@nechamber.com.