Business & Industry
Sidney and Cheyenne County offer a unique and enterprising county for businesses of all types and sizes – a county that has and continues to enjoy a diverse and expanding economy. Don’t let the small-town environment fool you; Cheyenne County is recognized among one of the fastest-growing areas in the state and is home to many successful companies and organizations. The region hosts a solid base in industry, agriculture and services in an employment hotbed recognized throughout Nebraska, with new industries finding their niche as well.
The focus is definitely on the future in this region, as Sidney has undertaken a strong economic development strategy to ensure strategic growth in all facets of community life. As the population continues to increase with a growth of 19 percent since 1995, the need for updated infrastructure and access to a range of modern conveniences grows alongside.
Sidney became the first Nebraska community ever to successfully adopt three economic development tax initiative issues in three consecutive decades with public votes in 1988, 1997 and 2007. It is currently part of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Downtown Revitalization Program and was one of the first cities to garner Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community status. In addition, Cheyenne County voters adopted Keno for community betterment purposes.
Sidney became an official Main Street Community in 2003 with a downtown district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An aggressive incentive program was implemented in 2005 to encourage property owners within the historic district to restore the historic facades of their properties overseen by the Sidney Historic Preservation Board. Over $3 million of public improvements have also been dedicated to the downtown area in recent years.
Additional emphasis on development has taken place at the Sioux Meadows I-80 Industrial Park and Adams Industries northwest of Sidney. The I-80 commercial development, which officially opened in 1988, hosts dozens of businesses doing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual retail sales and adding over 2,500 jobs to the employment base. The Sidney/Cheyenne County Economic Development Partnership, comprised of the City of Sidney, Cheyenne County and the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce, is working on numerous additional projects of a community and economic development nature. The Chamber of Commerce has approximately 300 members and has several active committees as the voice of the business community, as well as overseeing the administration of the programs surrounding Main Street, Keep Sidney Beautiful and the High Plains Compass, an employee recruitment and retention bureau.
Other major industry-based employers that now employ 6,000 full-time and another 2,000 part-time employees include Cabela’s World Headquarters, Memorial Health Center, TE Connectivity/ADC Telecommunications, Egging Manufacturing Company, Progress Rail, Pennington Seed, Adams Industries, Sioux Meadows Park, Nienhueser Construction and Excavation, Glover Industries, Master Trading/Convert-a-Ball, Crossroads Cooperative, Scoular Grain, U.S. Aprons, Anderson Forest Products, Dinklage Feed Yards, Innovative Masonry Products, Commercial Resins, Cash-Wa Distributing, Wieser Construction, Wamsley Construction, 21st Century Equipment and a host of other employers.
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