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A Reliable Infrastructure

Omaha has a solid communications and utility infrastructure dedicated to supporting all commercial and residential needs. There is an extensive fiber optic infrastructure available from several providers to business parks throughout the area. Omaha is one of the few U.S. cities at the intersection of both east-west and north-south fiber-optic networks.

In April 2009, Pacific Interpreters decided to bring their medical customer care center here. “In our analysis,” said Pacific Interpreters President David Porter, “Omaha was chosen for the strength of its telecommunications infrastructure...”

Cox recently invested more than $1 billion upgrading its infrastructure in the Omaha metro area to continue offering advanced voice, video and data services and to ensure customers are receiving the best product possible.

Other communications service providers and utilities include Qwest, the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and the Metropolitan Utilities District. Each works closely with the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, providing details on utility rates and services to potential new businesses.

Low Power Rates Help Generate Business Growth

High on the list why a business would chose to expand operations in Omaha is the area’s low public power costs.

Power is economical in Omaha—and the state of Nebraska—when compared with most of the rest of the country. The reason why is simple.

“We’re the only state where electric utilities are customer-owned,” said Rod Moseman, vice president for economic development at the Greater Omaha Chamber. “As a result, there’s not a profit motive for the utility, nor a dividend issued each quarter, and the utility, as a governmental entity, is borrowing money at tax exempt rates—all of which enhance savings to the customers.”

With rates that average up to 39 percent below the national average, and a 99.988 percent reliability, companies contemplating locating in Omaha or expanding current operations have a solid incentive.

“For high-end electrical users, the power rates can sometimes be the deciding factor on where the project locates,” said Paula Hazlewood, executive director, Gateway Development Corporation.

At the Novozymes press conference in June 2008, announcing their new facility in Blair, Peder Holk Nielsen, executive vice president and head of enzyme business, said below average power rates helped in their decision to locate the plant here.

Industries with a need for data centers, like Yahoo!, Moseman said, have been sold on Omaha as a place to expand.

“When a company has a plant located in Omaha, and it’s vying for new equipment or a new product line with their sister plants around the country, our less-costly power helps build the case that Omaha is the best location,” added Moseman.