Gov. Heineman Awards $865,000 to Support Business Expansion in Kearney

 (Kearney, Neb.) Gov. Dave Heineman today presented $865,000 in Community Development Block Grant Recovery (CDBG-R) funding to Kearney officials for infrastructure improvements leading to a new 200,000 square ft. distribution center being built by The Buckle.

The announcement was made during a groundbreaking ceremony held for the distribution center, which will create 40 full-time jobs in Kearney.

“We appreciate the investment The Buckle has made in Nebraska and we are pleased to be a partner in this expansion that will help this retailer continue to grow in our state,” Gov. Heineman said. “This is great company and we are excited to see this project get underway.”

Nebraska received more than $3.3 million in federal CDBG-R funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development is administering the funding.

The funding will help prepare the 40-acre site near The Buckle’s current facility for a new distribution center to support the company’s other retail stores. The infrastructure improvement project involves installing new water and sanitary sewer lines, pavement and storm sewers. An additional $3.15 million in matching funds will complete the project.

David Hirschfeld founded the first store, “Mills Clothing” in 1948 in Kearney, with his son, Dan, taking over in 1965. A second store was purchased and operated as the Brass Buckle in 1967. The company began selling more casual men’s clothing and by the early 1970’s had developed into a denim-based retailer with women’s apparel added in 1977.

The company became The Buckle in 1991 and went public on the NASDAQ one year later. In 1997, The Buckle moved to the New York Stock Exchange. Today, the company is headquartered in Kearney and operates 401 retail stores in 41 states.