Guest Column by Heath Mello
President & CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber
When most people think of the College World Series, they picture roaring crowds, elite athletes and the electric atmosphere that takes over downtown Omaha each June. But for the Greater Omaha Chamber’s Economic Development Partnership, the College World Series represents something more: a nationally visible, strategically timed opportunity to showcase our region’s unmatched potential for growth and investment.
This year, during the 75th anniversary of College World Series in Omaha, we hosted the Greater Omaha “Select Tour”—a curated, immersive experience for some of the nation’s leading site selectors and corporate location advisors. These are the influencers who help determine where companies expand, where new tech opportunities land, and where emerging industries take root. By bringing them to the Omaha region during the College World Series, we showed them a metro region ready to win on a global economic stage.
This year’s “Select Tour” was about authentic experiences. In addition to treating our site selector guests to a fantastic baseball game, attendees visited major infrastructure projects and explored revitalization efforts in our urban core, learned how companies like HDR and institutions like UNMC are shaping tomorrow’s workforce and innovation, and saw firsthand the scale of our public power advantage through conversations with OPPD and MidAmerican Energy. They traveled through our eight county/two-state region to experience our industry clusters—from defense and aerospace to food processing and bio-manufacturing.
As important as what we showed them was when we showed it. Hosting this during the College World Series gave us a unique advantage: the Omaha region at its most vibrant. From the “Greatest Show on Dirt” at Charles Schwab Stadium, to our walkable downtown, our urban-suburban-exurban blend, to a steak dinner they surely won’t get anywhere else in the country, our guests experienced what we are always telling them—this is a place people want to live, work, and thrive.
This kind of activation where we are blending national attention and regional storytelling with hard data and targeted opportunity is a core part of our new “A Greater Omaha” economic development strategy. We know that people and businesses choose communities based on factors like industrial and talent capacity, tax structures, and the overall economic environment. However, we also know that these decisions hinge on the intangibles a region has – vision, quality of place, and community pride. Events like the College World Series give us a stage to elevate our story beyond spreadsheets—to showcase our collaborative spirit, Midwestern grit, and the real momentum driving Greater Omaha past the one million population milestone.
Economic development today is more competitive than ever, and cities that wait for the spotlight often miss it. That is why it is so crucial that the Omaha region seizes the moment every time. By using nationally relevant events as economic development platforms, we position ourselves not just as a great place to do business, but as a smart, strategic choice for the future.
At the Greater Omaha Chamber, we are always looking to maximize our region’s greatest strengths. Fortunately, one of our greatest strengths happens to be a national championship tournament with a 75-year tradition unlike any other.