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McCook recognized as Economic Development Certified Community
McCOOK, Neb. – A shrimp farm, co-work space and a wide range of other efforts are signs McCook is committed to economic growth, Lt. Gov. Mike Foley said Tuesday.
Foley attended the McCook Economic Development Corp.’s annual meeting to congratulate McCook as an Economic Development Certified Community.
The event was semi-virtual via Zoom with a few board members and guests in person at the Keystone Business Center.
Foley praised the community for its entrepreneurial spirit and pro-business climate, noting that McCook is one of only 40 communities in Nebraska with the EDCC recognition. “It means you’ve jumped through all the hoops to have reached this designation and to show that you’re open for business and serious about growing business.”
Foley toured Saltwater Hills Shrimp Farm during his visit to McCook and said the business was exemplary of the entrepreneurial spirit found in the area. Foley also recognized the co-work space at the Keystone Business Center as another example of providing an atmosphere where businesses can test out their concepts, adjust, and grow.
Economic Development Certified Communities have demonstrated preparedness for business growth and are ready to meet the needs of companies seeking new business and industrial locations. Holdrege, Imperial, and North Platte have also been recognized at EDCCs.
Nebraska Department of Economic Development Director Anthony Goins was the guest speaker at the MEDC annual meeting. Goins updated attendees on the goals, priorities, and strategies for economic development at the state level.
Goins said the “strategic pillars” that have been identified for the state include developing people; cutting red tape; managing the budget to provide tax relief; and promoting the state both domestically and internationally.
Goins said that one of the goals for 2020 was to provide crisis management in response to COVID-19. “It was about speed and efficiency in terms of getting liquidity into our system,” Goins said, outlining $413 million in awards that supported 21,000 small businesses and livestock producers. He said that Nebraska’s Payroll Protection Program distribution per capita during the first round was number one in the United States, and he credited community bankers for that success.
Goins said the state is not just focused on recruiting new businesses, but that they also want to help existing businesses innovate and expand. He said it is also important that Nebraska retains its talent. “That’s largely driven by promoting internships and making sure young people know about the opportunities that are available in Nebraska communities,”
Goins closed by commending the leadership in McCook. “Kindness is really synonymous with strength. Relationships really do matter. That’s the way you get business done. You create trust. You put your nose to the grindstone. And at the end of the day, we all wear the same jersey.”
MEDC Executive Director Andy Long recognized Angela Allen, administrative assistant, as the “brains of the operation” and the “bedrock of the organization”. He highlighted some of the accomplishments of the MEDC throughout 2020. Providing gap loans to assist business transitions; early childhood education expansion; housing initiatives through down-payment assistance and in-fill housing; helping local businesses with COVID relief grants and loans; a digital façade improvement program to help local businesses develop e-commerce capabilities; and developing the co-work space at the Keystone Business Center were some of the highlights.
From growing its small business community to enhancing the housing stock, McCook’s proactive efforts as an EDCC continue to exemplify its spirit of progress:
On main street for example, in partnership with Mid-Plains Community College and the Ben Hormel Foundation (dedicated to former community leader Ben Hormel), the Hormel Entrepreneurship Competition has brought business plan writing instruction to 42 startups, adding fuel to an already bustling entrepreneurial ecosystem. The 2019 competition winner, Saltwater Hills Shrimp Co., in fact recently sold its first batch of product to the 2017 winner, Citta Deli. Meanwhile, a collaboration with local banks to obtain gap financing for burgeoning small businesses has supported six new business owners who have since created 42 jobs. A new digital coworking space will provide even more opportunities for up-and-comers to set up shop.
“It’s exciting to see the momentum that continues to build in McCook’s business community as a result of these innovative collaborations,” said Diplomats President Tim O’Brien. “It’s a complement to the terrific strides being made in other areas of local economic development as a result of the city’s forward-thinking leadership and successful partnerships.”
On the housing front, a partnership with local economic developer Southwest Nebraska Community Betterment Corp. has helped the City secure $387,000 in financing for programs involving down payment assistance and owner-occupied rehabilitation. These programs are helping not only to preserve and improve local dwellings but are enabling new and first-time buyers to achieve their dreams of ownership and establish a bright future in McCook. A second grant program under development will simultaneously address the need for new homes in town by establishing a blueprint for development on the city’s existing infill lots.
Childcare and broadband are two more areas where recent achievements are eliminating barriers to sustained economic growth. Upon hearing reports from multiple businesses about employees struggling with childcare options, the City sprang into action with programs that have since secured close to 60 new childcare slots. Meanwhile, a new local incentive has catalyzed partnerships with telecom companies that will ultimately help bring fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet capabilities to every household in the community.
Invoking optimism for the future, the City also received praise for its proactive efforts to combat the impacts of COVID-19 within the business community. A “Digital Façade Improvement” program, for example, can connect local businesses with assistance creating e-revenue streams adapted to a socially-distanced marketplace. Since the beginning, the City has been quick to use radio, social media and other channels to spread awareness about resources like the Paycheck Protection program and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans that are available to help struggling firms make it through.
“We’re a tight-knit community, and we see each other through,” Long said. “I think anyone who lives here can feel us moving in the right direction and our EDCC recognition bears that out. There’s a lot of excitement for what lies ahead.”
For more information on the Economic Development Certified Community program, contact Ashley Rice-Gerlach at 308-655-0919 or ashley.gerlach@nebraska.gov; or visit here.
MEDC President Dennis Berry closed the meeting saying, “I encourage everyone to keep their positive attitude and to look to the future that can be made with us all working together.”