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Public Private Partnerships

Partnerships strengthened by the phenomenal philanthropic commitments from prominent citizens, corporations and foundations sustain and create the business, educational and artistic opportunities that exist here,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber.

The Chamber partners with the City of Omaha, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, other county and state government leaders and agencies, small and large businesses, and academic and medical communities. In turn, these entities form partnerships of their own. “It’s how we have turned so many dreams into reality,” said Brown.

Many generous individuals and foundations have contributed to Omaha’s growth. Among the most prominent dream-building entities are the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the Dick and Mary Holland Foundation, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Jr. Foundation, The Mammel Family Foundation, Durham Foundation and Heritage Services.

… partnering on some of Omaha’s most high profile projects.

Since its inception in 1989, the nonprofit Heritage Services has raised nearly $400 million in private funds to support landmark facilities like Qwest Center Omaha, the Holland Performing Arts Center, Joslyn Art Museum, The Durham Museum and the Strategic Air and Space Museum.

Heritage Services is currently raising $43 million for the new TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha; $15 million for the Salvation Army’s $30 million Kroc Center in South Omaha and almost $9 million for Omaha South Magnet High School’s new Collin Stadium.

“We are a very unique community, and the beneficiaries of this generosity are all the citizens of this city,” said Sue Morris, president of Heritage Services. “I hope we never take for granted what kind of community treasures and projects have been created because of our donors.”

While it is adept at raising money, the scope of what Heritage Services provides extends beyond fundraising. As project developers, it handles financing, construction management and public relations, as well as legal and accounting functions.

“Often, before we embark on a new project, we partner with architects and construction firms to do a ‘pre-design’ to determine the need in the community. Is it going to fit the need? How is it going to be funded after the project’s been built? We don’t want to create organizations or facilities that can’t sustain themselves,” said Morris. “I think the biggest gift we give to organizations we partner with is retiring the debt, allowing the organization to focus on the operations."

Heritage Services’ board of directors is comprised of some of Omaha’s most influential business and civic leaders: Walter Scott Jr., chairman; John Gottschalk, vice chairman; Mogens Bay, Richard Bell, Howard Hawks, Charles Heider, Gary Gates, Bruce Lauritzen, Michael McCarthy, Daniel Neary, Kenneth Stinson, Michael Yanney and James Young.

Morris and the rest of the Heritage Services team are quietly transforming generosity into permanent assets for the community and the region.

Partnerships Ensure Quality Education and Development Opportunities

Educational opportunities also have sprung from public- private partnerships. The Building Bright Futures education initiative, for example, supports disadvantaged youth from preschool through college and ensures they receive the education and training needed to attain economic success. It is backed by prominent Omahans who have pledged to act as donors and to raise additional federal, state and private funds.

Omaha 21st Century: Education and Workforce Development, a council of the Greater Omaha Chamber, is creating partnerships among business, education and workforce development communities that ensure quality education and development opportunities exist to prepare people for the workplace.

The University of Nebraska’s Peter Kiewit Institute of Information Science, Technology and Engineering (PKI) fully integrates the business component of the institute through an advisory board of CEOs and more than 1,000 global business partners ranging from Union Pacific Railroad and the U.S. Strategic Command to IBM and Johnson Controls.

Meanwhile, the Scott Technology Transfer and Incubator Center, which shares UNO’s south campus with PKI, First Data and the new Aksarben Village mixed-use urban development, has facilities for the development and commercialization of ideas emerging from PKI.

Another unique partnership is the Greater Omaha Alliance for Business Ethics. Creighton University College of Business Administration, the Better Business Bureau, the Greater Omaha Chamber and leaders from the Omaha business community work together to further improve Omaha’s business ethics atmosphere. The Alliance is now looking for ways to share their resources and expertise with other business communities across the U.S. and the world.

The power and positive affect of these partnerships help make Greater Omaha the envy of the nation.

World-Class STADIUM

In 2011, the first pitch of the NCAA Men’s College World Series (CWS) will fly in the brand new TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha, another bold result of public-private partnership. The new state-of-the-art stadium ensures that Omaha’s 59-year-old tradition will continue.

“The annual $41 million economic impact the CWS brings to our city and the 25-year agreement with the NCAA solidifies Omaha’s place in the national spotlight each summer,” said former Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey at the time of the signing.

The stadium, owned by the City of Omaha and managed by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), will blend with the adjacent Qwest Center Omaha and Hilton Omaha hotel. “Bringing the College World Series to downtown Omaha brings fans within walking distance of hotels, restaurants and shops. For the first time in CWS history, many fans will be able to leave their hotel rooms and stroll to the ballpark,” said Roger Dixon, president/CEO, Qwest Center Omaha.

The stadium, designed by HOK Sport, HDR, Inc. and the DLR Group, will be fan-friendly with entrances on the four corners and an open air, 360-degree walk-around concourse. It will include 24,000 seats and 26 luxury suites, team clubhouses, administrative offices and approximately 5,000 square feet of available retail space.

The price tag on the project is $140 million. And, once again, Omaha philanthropy is stepping up to the plate. The nonprofit group, Heritage Services, has raised $43 million in private donations for the stadium.

KIEWIT: 125 Years Strong

As a company, Kiewit has called Omaha home since 1884, when brothers Peter and Andrew Kiewit formed a masonry contracting business here.

From its earliest projects, such as the historic Livestock Exchange Building, to recent and unique projects, like several developments at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Kiewit’s record is filled with some of Omaha’s most notable landmarks. That continues today as the company proudly builds the city’s new baseball stadium.

From the Kiewit brothers’ humble roots, this Fortune 500 construction company has helped shape the landscape of North America. Some of Kiewit’s other well-known Omaha projects include:

• Joslyn Art Museum, completed in 1931, an Omaha landmark once listed among the 100 finest buildings in the U.S.

• Completed in 1969, the 30-story Woodmen Tower was Omaha’s tallest skyscraper for more than 30 years.

• The Tower at First National Center, completed in 2002, is now Omaha’s tallest skyscraper at 46 stories.

• Completed in 2003, Qwest Center Omaha covers the equivalent of 100 city blocks and has quickly risen to national prominence in the entertainment and convention industries.

• The Holland Performing Arts Center, completed in 2005, is truly state-of- the-art in both architectural terms and acoustical engineering.

Kiewit Corporation operates through a network of more than 25 subsidiary offices located throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company’s decentralized structure enables Kiewit’s subsidiaries to operate as local contractors with the security and backing of a multi-billion dollar corporation. Kiewit is among the top 10 U.S. contractors in markets such as oil and gas, highways, bridges, water resources, mass transit/rail, electrical, aviation and marine/port facilities. The company is known for a remarkable record of safety, quality and performance that’s both on time and on budget.

VILLAGE within the City

Located in the heart of Omaha, Aksarben Village has breathed new life into the grounds where the thundering hooves of racing horses once were heard. Today, businesses, retail, residential and academic institutions have the inside track along with entertainment venues and a new hotel.

Still under construction, Aksarben Village, developed by Noddle Companies, promises to be one of Omaha’s most dynamic new communities, a $300 million development featuring 70 acres of office, retail, entertainment and residential spaces.

Wohlner’s, Omaha’s oldest grocery store, was the first retailer to move in, in October 2008. They were soon followed by Security National Bank, Grubb & Ellis/Pacific Realty and Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. with their cadre of attorneys.

Olsson Associates knew it had outgrown its office space in the Travel and Transport Building on 72nd Street and Mercy Road. In its 12 years of business in Omaha, Olsson’s ranks had grown from three employees to a staff of more than 70. The staff had already expanded its geographic reach in the metro area to include an office in Sarpy County. So when Olsson Associates began looking for new offices in Omaha, its approach was much the same as the approach the firm uses for its clients; it embraced innovation and progressive design and landed in Aksarben Village, the first commercial resident in the mixed-use development.

“Aksarben Village is such a unique project. It’s the kind of land development project we promote as a firm,” said Lou Lamberty, Omaha office leader. “We’re happy to be a part of it.”

Proximity to the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s engineering college is an added plus for Olsson Associates, which regularly hires UNO students as interns.

In early 2011, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska will stretch out in its new $98 million corporate headquarters, a 10-story, 315,000-square-foot facility anchored near Aksarben Village. “We are very excited to move more than 1,000 employees into the Aksarben Village area to work, shop, eat and play,” said Janet Richardson, Blue Cross’ senior vice president, Business Process and Corporate Services. “Some may even choose to live in the Village.”

The Blue Cross Centre will be the tallest corporate headquarters built in Omaha since Union Pacific headquarters opened in 2004. With space for up to 1,200 employees, it will feature a wellness education area, employee cafeteria and expanded training space. The building is targeted to carry a Silver LEED certification with environmentally sound construction material, lighting and mechanical systems.