June 6, 2005

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

I recently had the chance to visit several communities as part my tour of Nebraska following this year’s legislative session, and I’m pleased to share with you some of experiences from the trip.

While I hoped the visit would provide an opportunity to talk in-person to local residents about the many accomplishments made during the session, what I took away from each stop was the real potential that measures like the Nebraska Advantage have to benefit our rural communities.

I visited Grand Island and North Platte to discuss the new jobs-creation package and to talk about how local communities can serve as models of growth for the state. These are certainly two communities on the move. Local leaders have taken an active role in addressing development needs in recent years and have had clear success in attracting new businesses to their towns.

I am encouraged by the grasp of sound economic development principles, combined with the new opportunities for businesses of every size offered as part of the Nebraska Advantage and the passion I’ve seen for continuing to move forward.

A stop at the ethanol plant in Trenton highlighted the importance of the ethanol component of the Nebraska Advantage. I’ve talked in previous columns about the many benefits ethanol has for our state and our environment, and this visit was a chance to applaud the efforts of employees and the entire community for what they’ve done to improve the pay and standard of living for many workers and business partners in the area.

The highlight of the visit to Trenton for me was having the opportunity to see first-hand the quality inspection process as semi-tractor trailers delivered corn by-products to the plant. I actually signed in several of the loads. The science behind the conversion of our crops into energy for our cars and trucks is truly something to behold, and it was clear how much pride local residents have in being home to such an important economic force like the ethanol plant that has helped bring jobs to their community.

One of my last stops was a visit to South Sioux City, where a local beef processing company announced plans to add an additional 200 jobs as part of an expansion here in Nebraska. Company officials had the opportunity to select from neighboring states but choose Nebraska, citing the improved business climate as a reason why the decision to set roots in our state was the right one.

The tour was also a chance to visit Chadron State College and the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha about the new opportunities for job training and the role our higher education institutions will play in attracting businesses to the state. I also had the chance to speak to residents in Lexington and Broken Bow about the importance of maintaining the strength of their local hospitals to provide quality health care for rural areas.

I was impressed by the spirit of collaboration I saw in each town, and the commitment of leaders in every sector of each community to improving the services available to residents. Whether it was providing more hospital beds, helping businesses access the specialized training they need to move forward, or developing new products that will keep Nebraska on the cutting edge of alternative fuel production, our state is responding to the needs of our communities.

As we move forward, I am hopeful that by continuing to work together we will address the challenges that remain and that our state will remain an example of cooperation, collaboration and hard work. From all I’ve seen, I know our state has the potential to develop even stronger communities throughout Nebraska.