The Greater Omaha Chamber this week released “Omaha COMPETES,” a comprehensive, data-driven policy agenda designed to modernize Nebraska’s economic development tools, accelerate job creation, strengthen workforce competitiveness and ensure the state can compete and win in an increasingly aggressive national marketplace.
Developed in collaboration with employers, economic developers, workforce leaders, educators, utilities and public officials, Omaha COMPETES recommends steps to restore Nebraska’s competitive edge vis-à-vis other states.
“For generations, our strength has come from a simple truth: when we invest in growth, our communities have a better future,” said Heath Mello, president & CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber. “This work is about the Nebraska we aspire to build — one where young people choose to stay, where companies choose to expand, and where every region benefits from the growth generated in our economic engine.”
Once a national leader in economic development, Nebraska has fallen behind peer states in job creation, population growth and project wins because of slower economic development tools, reduced flexibility and a less proactive posture.
The Omaha COMPETES agenda is organized into four integrated sections:
Part 1: Nebraska’s Current Competitive Reality
- Outlines how Nebraska has lost ground to neighboring states that have moved faster and invested more strategically in economic development.
- Demonstrates that if Nebraska had simply kept pace with peers, the state would have tens of thousands more jobs, billions in additional wages and significantly higher tax revenues today.
- Establishes the urgency for modern tools that signal Nebraska is open, competitive, and ready for business.
Part 2: Modernizing Economic Development Tools & Site Readiness
- Recommends updates to Nebraska’s core incentive framework – including ImagiNE Nebraska – to improve speed, flexibility and real-world usability.
- Calls for expanded site readiness, infrastructure financing, and utility investment tools to deliver truly shovel-ready sites.
- Emphasizes a more proactive, partnership-oriented posture at the state level to accelerate approvals while maintaining accountability.
Part 3: Growing Nebraska’s Workforce Competitiveness
- Addresses talent attraction, retention and development as critical economic development priorities.
- Proposes coordinated relocation strategies, stronger retention metrics and expanded leadership and early-career pathways.
- Calls for reinstating and modernizing workforce programs, strengthening employer-driven training and preparing for emerging technologies like AI.
Part 4: Learning from Winning States
Benchmarks Nebraska against states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Virginia.
Highlights proven models, including discretionary closing tools, customized workforce training, site development funds and enhanced local authority, that are already delivering results elsewhere.
Demonstrates that these recommendations are not theoretical, but tested strategies Nebraska can adapt and deploy.
“Omaha COMPETES is intended to inform policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders as Nebraska considers the next generation of economic development policy,” according to the Greater Omaha Chamber.
