University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds, Ph.D., on Friday joined leaders in business, agriculture and government to launch Blueprint Nebraska, a citizen-led, statewide economic development initiative.
The effort seeks to establish a comprehensive and pro-active plan to stimulate the state’s economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity, while building on its many strengths.
Lance Fritz, the chairman, president and CEO of Union Pacific Corp. in Omaha, and Owen Palm, the president and CEO of 21st Century Holdings in Scottsbluff, are co-chairs of Blueprint Nebraska. Dr. Bounds, along with Gov. Pete Ricketts and representatives of the chamber of commerce community, joined the co-chairs for Friday’s announcement, staged jointly in Lincoln, Omaha and Scottsbluff and live-streamed to citizens across the state.
Dr. Bounds, who brought the idea for Blueprint Nebraska to the state after leading a similar effort in his native Mississippi, noted that the University of Nebraska and other higher education colleagues will play a vital role in providing the research and future workforce necessary for the initiative’s success.
“We’re at a defining moment in Nebraska’s history, where we need to decide together what kind of future we want for our children and grandchildren,” Dr. Bounds said. “I’m thrilled to work alongside Nebraska’s business leaders, policymakers and all citizens on a path forward for our state. We’re going to decide what great looks like, and then build a plan to get there.”
In the early stages of Blueprint Nebraska, a steering committee — comprised of a broad coalition of leaders from the private sector — will oversee the analysis of 15 areas that are vital to Nebraska’s long-term economic success and quality of life. These include manufacturing; agriculture; health care; education; workforce; taxation and incentives; housing; community vitality; and technology and innovation.
The initiative will utilize “industry councils” made up of Nebraskans from across the state to help analyze current strengths and challenges. The coalition will also develop a process to identify Nebraska’s competitor states.
An initial report summarizing the research and a detailed action plan will follow. The plan will be continually revised based on new analysis, citizen input and emerging opportunities for Nebraska.
“Nebraska’s business community has a duty to help bring out the best in our state. Blueprint Nebraska’s vision is to engage all Nebraskans in a process to collectively determine what our state’s future should be,” Fritz said.
“I see this as an honest and intense assessment of our state’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re going to identify economic development opportunities based on those advantages and not waste time and money pursuing opportunities that don’t play to our strengths,” Palm said.
Palm and Fritz urged Nebraskans to begin thinking about their ideas for the state’s future in preparation for the road tour, which will include stops in about 30 communities and an electronic survey for citizens unable to participate in person. Details regarding the road tour, which will be hosted with local chambers and community leadership, will be forthcoming.