LINCOLN, NEB. (September 9, 2005) – The Nebraska Diplomats hosted government, industry and economic development leaders from across Nebraska, 11 states and three countries at the 38th annual Passport to Nebraska Banquet. Gov. Dave Heineman presented the Diplomats’ annual awards.

The Governor welcomed representatives from Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Texas, as well as from Germany, Netherlands and Spain.

“This group of business leaders has such tremendous enthusiasm for shaping and growing Nebraska’s economy, and we are truly privileged to have this dynamic group working with us to advance our development goals for this great state,” Gov. Heineman said. “I want to commend this year’s honorees for their contributions in advancing the economic vitality of Nebraska.”

The following presentations were made during the banquet:

Ambassador Plenipotentiary Award (the highest Diplomat honor) went to Kay Orr of Lincoln. Orr served as Governor of Nebraska from 1986-1990. She was both the first woman to serve as Nebraska’s Governor and the first Republican woman elected Governor in U.S. history. During her tenure as Governor, LB775—economic incentives legislation, was enacted. From 1981-1986, she served as Nebraska State Treasurer. Currently, she serves on the Advisory Board of Family First, the Board of State Council of Prison Fellowship, and is rejoining the Board of Directors of the Crisis Pregnancy Center. For a period of time, she served as a Board of Director for the Williams Companies and The ServiceMaster Company, two Fortune 500 companies, and VanCom, a privately held company.

Diplomat of the Year Award went to S. Michael “Mick” Jensen, CEO, Great Plains Communications, Inc., Blair. For decades, Jensen has championed economic and community development efforts throughout Nebraska as CEO and as a long-time Diplomat. His company, which serves 76 Nebraska communities with telephone, Internet and cable television services, has one of the highest percentages of high-speed Internet access of any rural telecom company in the U.S. with 100% of its customers having access to broadband services. As a member of the Nebraska State Chamber Board of Directors, Jensen has contributed funds to the Diplomats and other state and local economic development organizations. Under his direction, Great Plains has provided economic development grants, guaranteed loans for start-up businesses, and sponsored legislation to promote small town job creation at the state and national levels. Great Plains also co-sponsored the new Knox County Development Agency, which has provided scholarships for EDGE graduates, sponsored and promoted GROW Nebraska’s efforts, and contributed thousands of dollars to community betterment projects.

Community of the Year Awards went to Knox County and Hastings.

Knox County typifies a “regional community,” breaking ground for what many see as a model for individual communities banding together to achieve regional success that in turn benefits separate communities. With nine communities and a population of 9,374 within its borders, Knox County is a rural county with no single, large population center. The largest community is Creighton (pop. 1,270). The county organized and formed the Knox County Development Agency to foster job creation and community development throughout the county. As a result, two new service centers have located there—the Nebraska Child Support Customer Service Call Center in Wausa, and the First National Bank of Omaha Service Center in Bloomfield providing more than 50 jobs for employees commuting from other nearby communities. The county also has embraced the Hometown Competitiveness program, which focuses on adult and youth leadership, business succession transfer, charitable wealth endowments, and helping new businesses succeed. Partnering in this effort are the Nebraska Community Foundation, Heartland Center of Leadership Development and Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

Hastings (pop. 23,536) has experienced significant growth during the past 25 years. It is home to major industry locations and expansions that include Dutton Lainson Co., Flow Serve, Inc., T-L Irrigation (in business in Hastings for more than 50 years), Hastings Irrigation Pipe, Gibraltor Packaging, Inc., Thermo King Corp., Centennial Plastics, Sara Lee Bakery, Van Diest Supply, Con Agra Foods, Nebraska Aluminum Castings, Chief Ethanol Fuels, and Ag Procession, Inc. Ed Loutzenheiser, an active Nebraska Diplomat, has helped build a half-dozen spec buildings housing some of the city’s largest companies. The Hastings Economic Development Corporation has been responsible for the creation of more than 3,000 jobs and more than $550 million capital investment for the Hastings/Adams County area.

Industry of the Year Awards went to Kawasaki Motors Mfg., Lincoln, Neb., and Your Selling Team/Technologent, Ainsworth, Neb.

The Consumer Products Manufacturing facility in Lincoln was established in April 1974 as a division of Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. (KMC). Kawasaki Motors Mfg. was established as a separate entity from KMC in December 1981. Located on 335 acres of land, the Lincoln facility has grown from 286,000 sq. ft. to nearly 1.3 million sq. ft. in which the company’s signature motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercrafts, and utility vehicles are manufactured. In 2001, a rail car plant was constructed at the site, adding 437,000 sq. ft. A KMM Research and Development Center also is located at the Lincoln site to help quickly meet customer demands. More than 1,000 people work at the two facilities, making KMM one of the city’s top employers. The plant incorporates the “just in time” supply method that eliminates expensive warehousing and over-ordering of parts. For example, certain parts and pieces are made on special presses located right on the assembly line, resulting in no item shortages or excess inventory, and ultimately, streamlined efficiency and less cost. Many employees also are responsible for actually crafting parts that they assemble, leading to high quality products made with pride.

Your Selling Team/Technologent, a Sun Microsystems iForce partner, was founded in 2002 in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. In 2003, owner and CEO Tom Gallaway began exploring rural regions for setting up a technical support and sales-call center. Ultimately, he chose to locate the center in his hometown of Ainsworth, Neb. During the first month of operation, the center made 100,000 outbound calls to customers with Sun services contracts that were about to expire. The effort resulted in soaring renewal rates, making Technologent one of the fastest-growing Sun VARs in North America. Currently, the company is developing several new call centers.

The Power is in the Partnership Award went to the Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Neb. Founded in 1895, the Henry Doorly Zoo today spans more than 130 acres, features 2,000 major animals on view, and pursues cutting edge research and projects, earning it Reader’s Digest’s designation as “Best Zoo in the Country”. The zoo’s partnerships include: Omaha Public Power District’s (OPPD) Fuel Cell Project where the zoo is testing a fuel cell produced by OPPD to warm its tropical ponds, irrigate its plants and humidify the Lied Jungle; Omaha Cultural Academic Cooperative, which consists of a partnership of five nonprofits committed to teaching students about the work of nonprofits; Union Pacific Railroad that helped build the zoo’s railroad, aided in the creation of the Engine House, and provides track, locomotive and equipment maintenance, signals, etc.; Zoofari—the zoo’s bi-yearly fundraiser chaired by a corporate community couple; zoo membership drive assisted by nearly 1,000 volunteers helping sell memberships; medical resources provided by Children’s Hospital (nurses for the Zoo’s Health Hut), Clarkson Hospital and the Nebraska Medical Center (assists with medical techniques and lab work for Conversation and Research Center and Hospital), and Poison Control and Boys Town Hearing Institute (perfecting further research); and Adopt a School where the zoo has adopted Bancroft and Ashland-Park Robbins Elementary Schools and South High School. Special programs and tours are offered to the students to supplement regular schoolwork. The zoo also houses a Bancroft Elementary kindergarten class during the school year, providing needed resources and space.

The 2005 banquet also marked the induction of the following new Diplomats:

· Albion—Charles A. Christenson II, Sentinel Building Systems

· Arnold—Al Gunther, Great Plains Communication

· Auburn—Robert B. Engles, Engles Agency, James W. Grant III, Auburn State Bank

· Columbus—Lyle Burbach, Behlen Mfg. Company, Ronald E. Hostetter, Cornhusker Public Power District

· Cozad—Edward J. Boos, First Bank & Trust Co., DeEtta Hartman

· Grand Island—Gerald A. Huismann, Lacy Construction Company, William Westering, Westering Enterprises Inc.

· Grant—Kevin Poppe, Great Plains Communications

· Hartington—William D. Dendinger, Hartington Telecommunications Co., Inc.

· Hastings—Jack A. Schreiner, Bruckman Rubber Co.

· Holdrege—Donovan Walsh, BD (Becton Dickinson)

· Kearney—Michael E. Kalb, BD Construction, Inc., Marge Lauer, KAAPA-Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance

· Lincoln—Connie Jensen, Jensen Money Management, Larry A. Johnson, Nebraska Trucking Association, James B. Milliken, University of Nebraska, Steve Pella, Aquila, Robb Shull, The Cornhusker-A Marriott Hotel, Boyd Smith, State Farm Insurance, Dave Snitily, Snitily Carr

· Marquette—John D. Ferguson, Marquette National Company

· Norfolk—Janet Dunlap, The Ballard Group, Joe C. Ferguson, Northeast Community College, Donna L. Herrick, Divots Conference Center, J. Paul McIntosh, McIntosh, Inc., Vaughn A. Wiebusch, Soda Crackers, Inc.

· Omaha—Patrick J. Bourne, Blue Cross Blue Shield, W. Gary Gates, Omaha Public Power District, Terry J. McMullen, T.L.K. Air Care, Inc., Tom L. Whalen, Silverstone Group Inc.

· Wahoo—Zean Carney, Carney Enterprises, Stuart Krejci, First National Bank of Wahoo

· Wausa—Douglas Cunningham, D&D Consulting, Doug Johnson, Commercial State Bank

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Lori Shaal at 402-471-4592, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it