Nebraska Northwest Development Corporation executive director Deb Cottier says 2012 was a very good year for the Chadron-based organization that supports economic growth in the northern Panhandle.
She’s most pleased with the expansion into Chadron last year of Transportation Services Inc…a major railcar repair firm…and with Chadron becoming the 36th community to earn the designation of Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community.
Chadron’s certification means all five of the “cities of the first class”…those with between 5,000 and 100,000 residents…in the Panhandle now have Economic Development Certified Community status.
Certification took nearly 2-1/2 years from Chadron’s initial application, and Cottier says it wouldn’t have been possible without the strong support throughout the entire process of the city of Chadron, the NNDC members, and the organization’s board.
Cottier believes that being a Certified Community makes Chadron better able to respond to potential business opportunities, putting it “sort of a step above” most other Nebraska towns…competing “at a little higher level” for companies looking to expand or relocate.
Economic Development Certified Communities also have access to some Nebraska Department of Economic Development special programs and funding sources reserved just for them, allowing them to compete at what she calls “a little more professional level, a little more prepared level” that other similar communities.
NNDC held its annual meeting last week. Don Blausey is its new president with Rob Bila vice president. Outgoing President Rob Wahlstrom was presented with a plaque of appreciation for his service on the board of directors since 2009.
Chadron projects and accomplishments cited in the Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community designation:
• NNW Railroad replaced bridges, switches and rails in 2012 through a $4.9 million federal TIGER II grant. NNW also attracted Transportation Services, Inc., a railcar repair company, to its facility in 2012.
•The 10-acre East Niobrara Street Industrial property, owned by the city of Chadron, is currently being developed to appeal to interested light industrial operations. The property is expected to be fully developed and put up for sale in 2013.
•A 2012 Labor Availability study was conducted, revealing that 27.3% of primary jobs held by Chadron residents and 30.2% of jobs held by Dawes County residents are located outside the county. The study indicated that many residents would prefer to work locally if similar positions and wages were created in Chadron.
Alliance Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad is the business with the highest number of commuting employees, indicating a potential pool for railroad-related jobs should Nebraska and NorthWestern Railroad attract additional, complementary businesses to share rail yard space.
•A municipal wastewater treatment plant built in 2010 modernized the facility, as well as offered additional capacity for potential new and expanding businesses and residential use.
•NNDC owns approximately 27.22 acres of land on western edge of Chadron with easy access to Highway 20 that could be developed into a prime business park location.
•Chadron is equidistant between the Black Hills in South Dakota and Wild Cat Hills of western Nebraska, and as such, attracts visitors on their way to Yellowstone National Park and the Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
This location not only makes it a hub of small retail activity, but a regional trade center, on which the city hopes to attract new and expanding main street businesses.
•Chadron State College, the only four-year educational institution (in Nebraska) west of Kearney, enrolls more than 3,000 students, and serves as a national leader in distance education and the city’s largest employer.
•Mobius Communications has spent $11 million in federal funds to upgrade its service for customers throughout the region. It is one of three companies in the area, including CenturyLink and Great Plains Communications, providing higher bandwidth. Verizon and Viaero currently provide 3G coverage, and Viaero plans to offer 4G service by 2014.
•The Chadron Information Technology Committee is partnering with NNDC to investigate the potential for operating a Chadron technology center. Fiber optic and broadband cable is currently installed throughout the city at a level that could attract Internet-based companies operating on cloud-base applications.
•Two build-to-suit duplexes are currently available and six others are in the planning and design stages. An additional housing development that offers larger residential lots was begun in 2012.
•Startup business planning assistance, along with eligibility determination for available local funding for business development and entrepreneurial assistance also is available thanks to a partnership between NNDC and the local Nebraska Business Development Center.