Pretty in Pink: Elkhorn Mom Blends Her Startup with Raising Family

Beka Doolittle long knew she wanted to start her own business. The actual concept came in 2007 when she was working as a personal banker. “Between my husband and sons, I had all of these boys in the house, and I was the only girl,” she said. “I realized I needed girly stuff. So I [...]

Trak Surgical lauches in Omaha, example of collaboration between public and private enterprises

About 15 years ago, Hani Haider had an idea. Haider, a biomedical engineer and professor of orthopedic surgery research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, thought hip and knee replacement surgeries could be better. The problem: A successful joint replacement requires a talented surgeon with a mastery of skills gained through countless hours of [...]

University of Nebraska names Kiewit, Scott entrepreneurial award winners

University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken today announced the winners of two NU awards honoring extraordinary efforts in entrepreneurship in Nebraska: the Peter Kiewit Student Entrepreneurial Award and the Walter Scott Entrepreneurial Business Award. The Peter Kiewit award recognizes University of Nebraska students who have directed their energies, ideas and talents toward community and [...]

Big Red Welcomes Hail Varsity

Grills fire up and the tailgating starts as early as 8 a.m. Memorial Stadium fills with the Sea of Red and the Tunnel Walk booms. Every Cornhusker fan knows what this means: It’s Game Day. Now, Husker Nation has a new way of connecting with their favorite athletic program – Hail Varsity magazine. Featuring intriguing [...]

Ben Pankonin with Social Assurance shares about maturing an industry

Building a product where an industry is already at, technology wise, is an easy task. But building a new product that matures an industry, and a big one at that, is no small task. To create a remarkable product it means focusing on one industry and knowing everything about it. Ben Pankonin and Social Assurance [...]

“Growing Nebraska’s Innovation” to be featured on NET2 World March 28

“Growing Nebraska’s Innovation” will premiere on NET2 World on March 28 at 7 p.m. The program, sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, features Nebraska entrepreneurs and businesses highlighting how they got their start funding the businesses, the challenges and opportunities they’ve encountered, and advice for other entrepreneurs. Mark Crawford, CEO and investment manager [...]

Blake Lawrence and Opendorse Changing the Game

Blake Lawrence is no stranger to sports or business. As a former University of Nebraska football player, he knows what the life of an athlete is like. As the founder of Hurrdat Social Media, he knows how social media is shaping business. Like any good athlete, Lawrence saw an opportunity to change the game, and [...]

Little Red Barn Beef finds a home and customers online

Created out of a focus on health and nutrition, Omaha-based Little Red Barn Beef is sharing how it believes cattle should be raised and ultimately reach consumers using the power of eCommerce. Focused on preserving the famous “Heartland Steak” taste, Little Red Barn Beef is a family-owned provider of all-natural gourmet meats. Little Red Barn Beef adheres [...]

WriteLife Rides Self-Publishing Wave to Quick Success

In recent years, the world of book publishing has been turned on its ear. Internet, software and rapidly changing printing technologies have fueled the rise of book self-publishing, opening the floodgates to writers who can publish their works without the need to have their manuscripts accepted or rejected at the whims of book publishers. Still, [...]

Video: Pacha Soap raises the bar for socially conscience entrepreneurs

Pacha Soap started as an idea while on a bus in South America, grew out of a college dorm room and has successfully grown from there. Hastings entrepreneur Andrew Vrbas shares his story about creating a business that will help change the world. For every bar of a soap sold, one bar is given to [...]

Pharmaceutical production company looks to expand locally, internationally

Vireo Resources opened a new building in Plattsmouth fewer than three months ago, but has already made strides in the world of pharmaceuticals. The company focuses its energy on alternative pain relievers and muscle-building supplements for athletes. President Mark Faulkner said he became interested in chemical blending and legal performance enhancement after working for Aegis [...]

Discovering the Product for You with the Help of Bulu Box

After recently completing the San Francisco marathon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduates Paul and Stephanie Jarrett developed an idea for a vitamin supplement sampling company. As Paul Jarrett finished the marathon, he was approached from various companies giving away free samples to the runners. “I thought it was pretty interesting that nobody was taking down our [...]

Dusty Davidson on building great teams and processes

Many people dream of working at a job they love. Dusty Davidson made this dream come true by leaving a standard software development job to start his own company. “I wanted to create a place that employees would love to work at every day,” he said. “I also wanted to surround myself with smart and [...]

Laminated Wood Systems in business for 20 years through innovation, knowledge and education

Laminated Wood Systems, based in Seward, began in 1992. Prior to its inception, two of Laminated Wood Systems’ current owners, President Bob Reisdorff and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Doug Kotil, were providing consultation services to manufacturers producing various products for the electric utility industry at RDM Design Systems. It was there that the [...]

Omaha moms launch Blogglebeans for child-grandparent interaction

The web changes every day. Children are constantly on the move. Blogglebeans, a new interface for grandparents to interact with their grandchildren, capitalizes on the perpetual motion of modern families. Several years ago some friends and colleagues at Ervin and Smith Advertising and Public Relations began observing a trend in their children: It was becoming increasingly [...]

Video: Khara Plicanic with KaBloom Studios

Khara Plicanic, owner of KaBloom Studios, joined Nebraska Entrepreneur to share about her journey with the evolving photography business she started a number of years ago. She talks about how the hardest decisions really have set her up for success. From moving from part-time to full-time, changing from shooting everything to shooting just weddings and [...]

Video: Boyd Ober Advice on Being a Serial Entrepreneur

Boyd Ober’s desire to help others achieve success inspired him to found Leadership Resources and continues to fuel his passion today. Serving as president of the company, he devotes his time to building relationships, coaching and consulting with clients, and strengthening the Leadership Resources team. His guidance and direction have enabled the company to experience [...]

Video: Vestn Builds Startup on Ideas, Raises Seed Funding

Vestn helps individuals develop personal brands and institutions market their outstanding programs. Vestn was founded by Conner Dana, Brian Cary, and Phil Baylog at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The company started out as a way to network students at a school via their interests and skillsets and quickly became a branding solution for both the [...]

Blank Slate Theater Owners Reinvent Ord Theater

Brian and Kelly Magiera, a couple from Ord, Neb., recently opened the Blank Slate Theater. When the couple first bought the building it was a movie theater, which they kept open for another four years. But with new times come new activities, and slowly but surely they were losing profit from the lack of customers. [...]

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Eileen Harman of Eileen’s Colossal Cookies

Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin and frosted sugar cookies. After 30 years in the business, Eileen Harman of Eileen’s Colossal Cookies has perfected 13 different recipes. “It’s just fun, I think,” Harman said about owning her own company. “I like the business aspect as well as testing the recipes and figuring things out. It’s kind [...]

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