The June 25th Weekly Market Report

Nicole Buntgen, Contributing Writer

Amaravathi’s has opened at 12317 West Maple Road in the former Dolce space in Tranquility Place. The grand opening celebration took place last Friday. The locally owned business previously operated as a catering company and now has its first brick-and-mortar restaurant featuring South Indian cuisine.

The Breakfast Club opened for business last Friday at 2121 South 67th Street in Aksarben Village inside the former Jones Bros. Cupcakes space. The Iowa-based breakfast-and-brunch concept has restaurants in Des Moines, West Des Moines and Ankeny. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Hawaiian Bros Island Grill opened last week at 1130 North 203rd Street. That’s southeast of 204th & Veterans Drive near Metropolitan Community College’s Elkhorn campus. The quick-serve restaurant is based in Kansas City and has locations in 14 states. Existing Nebraska shops are in Miracle Hills and at Interstate 80 & Highway 370.

The Academy Sports Bar, which we recently reported had opened in the NOVA Apartments building at 12th & Nicholas Street, was only operating during the College World Series. The Millwork Commons bar has since closed to finish construction. The full, permanent opening is scheduled for early August.

The Peach Cobbler Factory will open its first Omaha location at 2501 South 90th Street in Loveland Shopping Center. According to the company’s Facebook page, it is targeting an October or November 2026 opening, though an official opening date has not been announced.

Mercredi Market opened yesterday at 509 South 11th Street next door to La Buvette. The restaurant/store offers sandwiches, soups, salads and a coffee program.

Coneflower Creamery was named the No. 1 ice cream shop in the country in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Coneflower was nominated for the fourth consecutive year and earned the top spot among 20 finalists nationwide. Coneflower has locations in Blackstone, Millwork Commons and downtown Elkhorn.

Scooter’s Coffee ranked 13th in Yelp’s 2026 Top 50 Fastest Growing Brands report. Scooter’s Coffee’s placement on the 2026 list marks the Omaha-based brand’s third straight year of receiving this national recognition. Yelp’s annual report is based on indicators such as net new locations as well as consumer interest and search growth across categories on the Yelp platform.

The former CVS Pharmacy at 1919 North 90th Street will become a beauty supply retailer according to a recently filed building permit for the 13,232 sq. ft. retail building. The store’s name appears to be Empire Hair & Beauty.

A hair and beauty shop is preparing to take over a former Family Dollar store at 6618 North 30th Street, according to a city building permit. Improvements have started on the 8,084 sq. ft. building, which is on the southwest corner of 30th & Newport Avenue.

More than three months after it announced plans to close hundreds of restaurant locations this year, Papa Johns International is already making significant reductions to its national footprint. The pizza chain has shuttered dozens of locations across 17 states so far this year, according to Fast Company, with restaurants in Texas, California, Florida and Arizona being hit especially hard. Nebraska and Iowa locations have NOT been affected.

Site-1 Brewing has permanently closed its taproom at 2566 Farnam Street downtown. The brewery remains in operation, and all of Site-1’s beers will continue to be available at local bars and restaurants.

KFC has closed its fast-food restaurant at 2555 South 175th Street in Lakeside Plaza. KFC is now down to only seven locations in the Omaha metro area.

Learn more about Anderson Convenience market at www.Anderson1952.com

Noddle Companies Announces Tenants & Marriott Hotel in Builders District

By Kacie Ferrazzo

The Builder’s District is rapidly transforming a section of North Downtown into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood, with new businesses opening, additional tenants on the way and major construction projects moving forward.

Led by Noddle Companies, the district is located north of Interstate 480 generally between Creighton University and the Millwork Commons area. The vision is to create a walkable urban neighborhood that blends office, retail, hospitality, residential and entertainment uses while connecting several active Omaha districts.

“We’re doing things in a really intentional way and trying to make sure that it’s long-term thinking and done in a very qualitative way,” said Sam Noddle, vice president of Noddle Companies.

Noddle Companies relocated its headquarters to the Builder’s District last October. Since then, activity has accelerated throughout the development.

Fraser Stryker signed a lease and is expected to open its office in the coming months in a relatively new, 4-story, mass-timber building at 1501 Mike Fahey Street. Good Life Sports Bar & Grill recently opened in that same building and is currently planning a large four-season patio on the south side of its space. The patio will exceed 4,000 sq. ft. and is expected to be completed next spring.

According to Noddle, the Mike Fahey Street building is nearing full occupancy. Lease agreements are being finalized with a retail store and a restaurant, which would bring the retail portion of the building to 100 percent leased. Only two office spaces remain available, with one currently being leased and the other under active negotiations.

The district has also become a growing destination for community events and entertainment. Sonny’s, located between 16th and 17th Streets south of Cuming Street, has hosted College World Series and World Cup watch parties.

Noddle Companies has partnered with Alley Taco for a year-long food truck residency at Sonny’s and recently launched a second movie series in partnership with Film Streams.

Construction is also nearing completion on a major parking structure that will provide more than 550 parking spaces east of 16th Street at California Street. The garage includes a 3,000 sq. ft. restaurant space fronting 16th Street.

Another significant project is moving forward as well. Noddle Companies has signed a franchise agreement with Marriott for a hotel that would include approximately 170 guest rooms and 12 luxury condominiums. That hotel will be constructed on a current parking lot on the south side of Mike Fahey Street between 16th and 17th streets.

As development continues, Noddle said collaboration with Creighton University has been a key factor in shaping the district’s vision.

“We’re really appreciative of everything Creighton is doing,” Noddle said. “They’ve been a great collaborator of ours and kind of an inspiration for us.”

Creighton’s ongoing campus investments, including projects associated with the university’s Fly Together initiative and new athletic facilities, have helped create momentum throughout the surrounding area. Noddle said it is important that the Builder’s District complements those efforts and maintains a similar level of quality and intentionality.

“We hope that it feels like an extension of their campus in some ways,” he said. “We certainly hope that they’re proud of it and that they’re using the hotel and frequenting the retailers.”

Beyond serving students, faculty and visitors, Noddle believes the district will become an important gathering place for the broader community.

“I think it will have a massive impact,” he said. “There will be opportunities for people to create businesses. There will be an opportunity for people to live. I think there will be a lot of community events that are held in the district.”

Looking ahead, Noddle sees the Builder’s District as a critical link connecting several of North Downtown’s destinations. He points to the success of Millwork Commons, Creighton’s continued growth and nearby entertainment developments as complementary pieces of a larger urban ecosystem.

“I’m really excited to see how the Builder’s District kind of weaves them all together,” Noddle said. “I hope that we can create some connectivity so that it feels easy to walk through those districts to the other neighborhoods.”

As new businesses open and construction projects are completed, the Builder’s District is steadily filling what Noddle describes as “the hole in the donut” of North Downtown, helping create a more connected and active urban core for Omaha.

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Isaiah Ang, Contributing Writer

The University of Nebraska is receiving a major donation to help fund the $2.19 billion Project Health facility. The project represents the current phase of Project NExT, a massive expansion of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s facilities. Project Health will consist of a 550-bed hospital with additional educational, training and treatment spaces. The hospital is in the early construction phases southeast of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

Last Friday, the NU Board of Regents unanimously approved a donation agreement between Clarkson Regional Health Services. Under the terms of the agreement, Clarkson will donate $200 million to the university to directly fund Project Health. The donation has been negotiated as part of the university’s $500 million buyout of Clarkson’s 50-percent ownership interest in Nebraska Medicine, directly offsetting it by $200 million.

After the buyout, the University of Nebraska will be the sole owner of Nebraska Medicine. Additionally, the future Project Health hospital tower will be named Clarkson Tower, or something similar. As a result, the current Clarkson Tower building will be renamed.

The Omaha City Council last week approved a resolution to create the Leavenworth Business Improvement District. Such districts are created to fund maintenance and beautification projects within specified geographical boundaries. In this case, the Leavenworth BID will consist of properties and users, including tenants, with frontages along the street between Turner Boulevard and 31st Street. A board consisting of five or more members will be created to manage the BID. Omaha has nine other BIDs throughout the city, including downtown, Blackstone and Olde Elkhorn.

Visit Omaha is bringing Omaha to soccer fans in Kansas City with a monthlong rideshare and digital ad campaign during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. From June 18th through July 1st, 10 rideshare vehicles with 360-degree Omaha-themed wraps will operate throughout the Kansas City area. Also during that time, five vehicle “swarms,” groups of five or more wrapped vehicles gathered in one location, will appear at World Cup destinations, including Arrowhead Stadium before matches, the Power & Light District downtown and Fan Fest.

Each vehicle carries a rooftop digital display that rotates through four short commercials of Omaha attractions, including Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, local dining, the Old Market and The RiverFront.

The campaign also runs online. From June 19 through July 19, Visit Omaha will use the same digital ads in a paid social media campaign targeting Kansas City. The campaign positions Omaha as an easy side trip for soccer fans during the tournament.

Construction has started on the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s $55 million, 75,000 sq. ft. athletics training facility just east of Baxter Arena on a former parking lot southeast of 64th Avenue & Castelar Street. The facility will provide training space for volleyball and basketball.

The Bellevue Indoor Water Park reached a major construction milestone this week as crews lifted and placed the final structural rafter. The $60 million water park is under construction at Highways 75 & 34 and is slated to open in 2027.

Council Bluffs is seeking community input on potential expansion of transit services and infrastructure. The public comment period is part of the city’s Planning and Environmental Linkages Study. This type of study is used to support and examine potential transportation investments that would qualify for federal funding.

Four alternatives are being considered. Three of the four utilize Bus Rapid Transit but are routed through three different corridors: West Broadway, 2nd Avenue and 1st Avenue. The fourth option, a streetcar, would be routed along the 1st Avenue corridor and require the construction of a new bridge over the Missouri River to connect to the Omaha Streetcar system.

The routes are being presented to the public as ways to enhance accessibility, improve mobility and maximize economic development. The public may provide comments until July 5th HERE.

The Puzzle Mill has submitted a building permit to build out a space at 711 North 108th Court in Old Mill. The 2-story building’s first floor will be renovated into multiple puzzle rooms. The permit specifically differentiates this venue from the escape room concept, indicating that rooms will not have locked doors.

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Zeus Fire and Security of Paoli, Pa., announced the acquisition of Omaha-based SEi, a 57-year-old security, fire protection, video surveillance, access control and monitoring company with customers in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. SEi will keep its name and continue to offer its existing services. The partnership will allow SEi access to additional resources, expertise and growth opportunities. The acquisition will help Zeus establish a regional hub in the Midwest. Zeus was founded in 2022 to partner with fire protection and security companies throughout North America and build a national network of operators.

GreenState Credit Union opened a Papillion branch this week at 14915 Crest Road. That’s on the northeast corner of 150th & Highway 370 in the Steel Ridge development. The Iowa-based credit union opened its first Omaha location near 180th & West Maple and plans another one at 204th & Harrison Street. GreenState operates approximately 30 branches across Iowa, Illinois and the Chicago area.

Through a recently signed partnership, Russell Speeder’s Car Wash is taking over existing car washes at three Omaha Casey’s locations. Later this summer, Casey’s carwashes at 2605 South 160th Street, 15275 Weir Plaza and 7660 Dodge Street will be rebranded as Speeder’s. Renovations are underway, upgrading the washes with new tunnel equipment and vacuums. The Casey’s locations will honor existing Russell Speeder’s memberships. Russell Speeder’s has washes in Nebraska, Connecticut, New York and the Kansas City area.

Alff Construction has leased 20,396 sq. ft. of office space inside Catalyst Omaha, according to Cushman & Wakefield Lund Company, which represented the tenant in lease negotiations. Located at 4601 Catalyst Court in the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s EDGE District, Catalyst provides office space in a repurposed steel mill.

Nike could be the next company dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, given its low stock price, according to Barron’s. That might allow Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway to finally make it into the venerable index. Alphabet will be added to the Dow on June 29, replacing Verizon Communications, because of the outgoing company’s low stock price. Berkshire has a $1 trillion market cap, and even its B shares trade at nearly $500 apiece.

Union Pacific Corporation will release second quarter 2026 financial and operating results on Thursday, July 23, at 6:45 a.m. CDT. The company’s management team will host a conference call and live webcast at 7:45 a.m. CDT.

Airlite Plastics celebrated its 80th birthday yesterday. The Omaha-based originally made fishing bobbers, one at a time. It is now an international packaging company operating six facilities and employing more than 1,500 people.

Spencer Levy, senior economic advisor for CBRE, will deliver the luncheon keynote speech at the 37th annual Commercial Real Estate Summit, Friday, August 21 at CHI Health Center Omaha. Levy is a nationally recognized commercial real estate voice, having appeared on numerous television networks. He is the host of CBRE’s podcast, “The Weekly Take,” the world’s most downloaded podcast on commercial real estate.

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Mark Champion, Contributing Writer

Release Inc. is launching a Trauma-Informed Childcare Center designed specifically for children and families impacted by foster care and trauma. The groundbreaking for the center, located at 8345 Crown Point Avenue, will take place on July 9th. The project is already 89 percent funded, with $2,035,000 raised toward the $2,297,300 goal.

More than 260 volunteers supported six local organizations across Omaha and western Iowa this week as part of Associated Bank’s Day of Service. The activities focused on food security and community services like Siena Francis House, Together Food Housing Advocacy (Council Bluffs), Stephen Center, Heartland Hope Mission (west Omaha), Center for People (Lincoln), CASA for Douglas County (Project Hope Pack) and more.

As part of Pride Month, the Omaha Community Foundation announced that its LGBTQIA2S+ Equality Fund received $355,712 in funding requests and awarded $190,000 to 15 nonprofit organizations serving LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and families across the metro.

Hillside Solution’s Founder Andy Harpenau won the Friend of The Environment Individual Award from Earth Day Omaha. The annual award recognizes individuals and organizations making sustainable impact in the community.

Secure & Connect 2026 | July 30 | CHI Health Center Omaha

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Capital Gains Tax – How the Outdated Tax Policy Is Locking Up America’s Housing Market

By Jill Anderson

Last week, I, along with several of my fellow Nebraska Realtor colleagues, attended the National Association of Realtor meetings in Washington, D.C. We met Realtors from across the country advocating for a similar goal – getting more homes on the market.

The current U.S. housing market is frozen and remains near historic low levels of inventory. There are several factors that have got us here, but one major push the National Association of Realtors is passionate about in getting more existing homes on the market is to modernize the capital gains tax policy.

As you might remember, Congress enacted a major capital gains policy in 1997 through the Taxpayer Relief Act. This legislation significantly reduced long-term capital gains tax rates and introduced a massive tax exclusion for the sale of a primary residence.

How does this policy work? Homeowners were granted the ability to exclude up to $500,000 of capital gains (for married couples filing jointly) or $250,000 (for single filers) from the sale of their principal residence. While this policy has been effective, it hasn’t been updated since its origination. The kicker? Housing prices haven’t stayed the same. And since the median existing single-family home price has risen dramatically over the past 28 years, some homeowners are deciding to stay in place, rather than sell their home and pay the capital gains tax. This isn’t just local; it’s across our nation.

Who is affected most by fewer homes going on the market?

• Young buyers – First-time buyers are older than ever before, now averaging age 40. Fewer homes on the market means higher prices for young families and first-time buyers.
• Families – Growing families struggle to find homes that fit their needs, because inventory remains constrained.
• Seniors – Empty nesters are discouraged from downsizing because of outdated tax rules.
• Local economy – Every home sale generates jobs, tax revenue and economic activity.

What are we proposing to Congress in 2026? The More Homes on the Market Act, which is bipartisan federal legislation aiming to unfreeze housing inventory by updating outdated tax rules. It seeks to encourage older and long-time homeowners to sell their properties by reducing their capital gains tax burden. In other words, we’d like to see the capital gains tax increased to $500,000 (for single filers) and $1 million (for married couples filing jointly). The bill also introduces automatic annual adjustments to these thresholds to keep pace with inflation.

The National Association of Realtors is working diligently on the revised tax policy, but if you’d like to know what you can do, let’s chat!

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Cole Young, Contributing Writer

Oklahoma baseball defeated North Carolina in Game 3 of the Men’s College World Series to secure its third national championship. Oklahoma entered the CWS tied with Troy for the least wins in the field, and the worst mark in conference play of all teams (14-16). The Sooners went nuclear through the NCAA Tournament however, taking down the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 national seeds to earn the school’s first national championship since 1994.

For North Carolina, it will be another long trip back to Chapel Hill with its third CWS runner-up finish in school history. Though the Tar Heels rank 12th in the nation with 13 appearances in Omaha, they are still in search of the school’s first baseball national championship.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are enjoying an extended home stretch for the next two weeks, hosting Columbus this week at Werner Park. Omaha has gone 8-12 over its last 20 games and could use a strong homestand to improve its place in league standings. The Chasers sit in eighth place in the International League West standings heading into the league’s midway point this Friday, June 26. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The team will be hosting $3 Thursday, where fans can enjoy select tickets, concessions and Busch Light cans for $3 each.

When the Storm Chasers host the Indianapolis Indians next week, the team will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with Freedom Weekend, a two-night celebration on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. The weekend will feature military tributes, live entertainment and patriotic decor throughout the ballpark with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. each evening. Following both games, fans will be invited onto the field for a unique fireworks-viewing experience, watching postgame fireworks directly from the outfield grass.

Union Omaha extended its current losing streak to three games, falling to Athletic Club Boise on Saturday, 1-0. Saturday’s match was the last of a 10-day, three-match road trip, and the club will have an extended break before its next match. Next Wednesday, July 1, Omaha will return home, where it is 6-0-1 this season, to host AV Alta FC at Morrison Stadium at 7 p.m.

Omaha men’s tennis will be joining the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as an affiliate member, starting with the 2026-27 season. Since transitioning to Division I in 2012, Omaha has competed in the Summit League. With the discontinuation of Illinois State’s and North Dakota’s men’s tennis programs, tennis will no longer be sponsored by the league, prompting the move to the MAC. Joining Omaha as an affiliate member this upcoming season is Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Omaha went 2-2 against MAC members, including incoming member Drake, last season.

Upcoming Events

• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Columbus | June 23 – 28 | 7:05 p.m. Thursday
• Union Omaha vs. AV Alta FC | Wednesday, July 1 | 7 p.m.

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Memorial Park: A Front Yard Formed Out of Grief

By Patrick Wyman

When the outcome of World War II was still in doubt, Lulu Broad, owner of the Gypsy Tea Shop, wrote a letter to Henry Doorly, publisher of the Omaha World-Herald, and suggested that the city build a memorial to honor the fallen.

Without her initiative, the city may not have one of its signature parks. What sparked the idea were the women experiencing profound loss who visited her shop to have their fortunes read in tea leaves. Moved by their suffering, Broad wrote that letter in 1944. Doorly endorsed the idea and recruited Robert Storz, whose family founded Storz Brewing.

Storz lamented the 12-year struggle it took to raise funds for a World War I monument in Omaha. While the original plan was for a monument to be displayed in Elmwood Park, it wasn’t until 1937 that a scaled-back monument was finally dedicated at Turner Park. In order to establish the memorial, the WWII Memorial Park Association was formed with Storz as its president in 1944.

The intent from the beginning was for the citizens and businesses of Omaha to fund the memorial. Storz invited every business to contribute $5 for each of its employees who served in the war and $100 for those who were killed while serving. In a subsequent radio address, he said the park would serve as a “sacred spot, not marred by commercial activities or any other distraction to disturb its tranquil peace.”

His fundraising campaign proved successful, with more than 3,000 individuals and organizations pitching in the money needed to purchase, construct and landscape the site. At Broad’s suggestion, the association selected a site near the University of Omaha and across from Elmwood Park. The city agreed to use 23 acres of condemned land from the Dundee Golf Course, which Broad considered an eyesore. The remaining 42 acres were purchased from the Dundee Realty Company. In 1945, Leo A. Daly was hired as the chief architect for the planned war memorial and John Caspar Wister of Philadelphia as its landscaper and horticulturist.

With its entrance at 60th & Underwood Avenue, the memorial was dedicated in a ceremony featuring President Harry Truman on June 5, 1948. In his remarks, he said, “The men who gave their lives did so because they believed, as I believe, in an ideal. That ideal is peace in the world for all of the world.”

Many in the crowd were Gold Star family members, and by his side was Ed McKim of Omaha, a close friend from their days serving together in the Army. McKim’s 22-year-old son, Marine Lt. Eddie McKim Jr., was killed in the war and left behind a wife and infant son. His name is listed on a plaque directly behind where the two men stood. At the dedication, Truman also noted that a tree had been planted in his honor.

The park symbolizes the community’s gratitude to Douglas County veterans and those killed while fighting for freedom. Located at the highest point is its most recognizable feature, a shrine that recognizes the men and women of Douglas County who lost their lives while serving in the war. It consists of a semi-circular colonnade of seven arches. Above each arch is a branch of the U.S. military. Bronze plaques on the columns list the names of over 900 people who died during the war. In front of it is an American flag that stands at the center of a circular flower bed that was originally a reflecting pool. Gradually sloping downwards from the memorial at the center to Dodge Street on its southern end is a large lawn with trees on either side.

Along with the shrine, one of the park’s most distinguishing features is the flowing S-curved steel bridge constructed as part of the city’s pedestrian bridge program, which allowed children to safely cross busy streets while walking to school.

The program, which became one of the biggest in the country, saw at least 19 bridges built, the first of which was at 42nd & Grover Street. This one connecting Elmwood Park and Memorial Park was built after the parents of St. Margaret Mary’s pushed for it. Completed in 1968, named Most Beautiful Bridge by the American Institute of Steel Construction in 1969, and designated as an Omaha Landmark in 2004, it remains the most utilized of them all.

The park has seen a number of changes over the years. Among these are the addition of new monuments to recognize the service and sacrifices of veterans in subsequent wars. Flowers replaced the reflecting pool, which required caretakers to put on rubber boots every time they needed to raise or lower the flag at its center. A rose garden installed by the Omaha Rose Society in 1959 replaced the peony garden. The Woodmen of the World flagpoles were added along the driveway in 1990. Most recently, a 2,500 sq. ft. plaza was installed between the stairs leading to the memorial in 2023. This solved one of the park’s longstanding issues by allowing for a flat seating surface and additional gathering space.

Since 1987, it has been the site of a free summer concert and fireworks show that is now hosted by the City of Omaha. It attracts people from all over and features some of the country’s most well-known musical acts, which over the years have included Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey of The Who, Sheryl Crow, The Beach Boys, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Temptations, Wyclef Jean and 311, among many others. The 2026 concert will be held on June 26 and features Smokey Robinson with special guest Cake.

In some respects, it serves as a traditional park where one can picnic, fly a kite, walk a dog, toss a frisbee, sled or just sit back and people-watch. It’s also become so much more than that. To be sure, it is a place where people celebrate together, as demonstrated by its summer concert series, perhaps the city’s biggest community event. Its central location and visibility also make it the city’s civic front yard. It is the place where we gather to mourn and make our voices heard. It’s a fitting use for a park that was formed out of grief.

Since 1917, Bankers Trust has been a leading financial institution for commercial and consumer banking services. Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, with $7.5 billion in assets, Bankers Trust is the state’s largest privately held community bank. Bankers Trust has operated a loan production office in Omaha since 2008 and opened its first full-service branch in 2025. Visit Bankers Trust at the corner of 192nd and Dodge to see how we can make a difference for all your personal and commercial banking needs.

Nelson Produce Farm will host Freedom Fest on June 27th from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on their farm at 10505 North 234th Street in Valley. Guests can enjoy live music performed by Colten Wyatt Band, several activities such as face-painting and water slides, contests, food and a fireworks finale presented by Bellino Fireworks. Bring your lawn chairs, gather your family and friends, and spend an unforgettable summer evening celebrating the nation’s birthday. Tickets are available HERE.

The Riverfront’s 5th Annual Fourth of July Celebration featuring the Omaha Symphony will take place Saturday, July 4 at the Performance Pavilion in Gene Leahy Mall at 8:30 p.m. This free, family-friendly evening celebrates 250 years of America. The concert will feature the Omaha Symphony along with other performers such as Diane Phelan and Brayden Worden. The evening will culminate with The RiverFront’s spectacular fireworks presentation synchronized with live music. Guests can come as early as 3 p.m. to secure their spots.

Film Streams on the Green is returning to North Downtown July through October at Sonny’s Builders District on 724 North 16th Street. Film Streams’ free event takes place on select Monday evenings showcasing movies, allowing guests to eat, drink and play movie trivia while enjoying a line-up of family favorites, cult classics and big-screen blockbusters. The movie line-up:

• July 20: Cool Runnings
• Aug 3: Summer of Soul
• Aug 17: Legally Blonde
• Aug 31: The Mitchells vs. the Machines
• Sep 14: Knives Out
• Sep 28: Dead Poets Society
• Oct 12: Death Becomes Her
• Oct 26: The Witches

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Sonny’s opens at 4 p.m, with pre-show activities beginning at 6:30 p.m. and screenings beginning at 7 p.m.

Omaha Performing Arts has announced “The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical” will be coming to the Holland Center December 16. This hilarious and immersive musical comedy takes a spoof on clichés from TV rom-coms and turns it into something fun and fresh. It follows an overworked, high-powered, big-city executive named Holly, who is forced to return to her quirky hometown just in time for the holidays. She reunites with her old flame, who is now the local sheriff and is immediately faced with a barrage of typical holiday catastrophes. Venue presale is up now, and tickets go on sale June 26.

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LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

The labor force participation rate in the United States for men 20 years and older was only 69.5 percent last month, according to Yahoo! Finance. That’s down from 76 percent in May of 2006. The male participation rate peaked at 86.4 percent in 1950, but slid to 76.4 percent in 1990. By contrast, female participation rose steadily until the 1990s, peaked in 2000, and has dipped only slightly since then.

Physical fitness is becoming a status symbol among executives. The old badge of honor was “I sleep four to five hours a night, grind, and outwork everyone,” according to Julian Hayes II, writing in Forbes. The emerging badge of honor is “I can run a company, be effective, train, recover and still have more-than-enough energy for my family.”

Business Travel – Las Vegas landed the top spot in US News & World Report’s first-ever ranking of America’s best conference cities, followed by Chicago and Orlando, according to The Hustle.

If you don’t feel like either “introvert” or “extrovert” exactly fit your personality, you migbht be an “otrovert,” according to USA TODAY. Coined by psychiatrist Dr. Rami Kaminski, the term describes individuals who are ultra-independent social observers who exhibit empathy and enjoy deep individual connections but lack the ability or interest in belonging to social groups.

About half of full-time working parents (52%) say their job makes it harder to be a good parent, according to the Pew Research Center. On the flip side, 45 percent say being a parent makes it harder to advance at work.

SALES

Do you ever find yourself attending networking events and running into the same people over and over? If so, you may have encountered someone who networks just for the sake of networking. In other words, they show up to networking events, but they don’t get a lot of business opportunities from them.

Networking is a highly effective form of prospecting, but you have to network with a purpose. Your networking must be deliberately focused on your prospecting priorities.

Your ultimate goal in networking is to establish rapport, learn information and ultimately use it to accomplish your business goals. Sure, most of your time is engaged in chit-chat, pleasantries and eventually relationship-building. But at some point, it’s time to cash in.

It’s fun to do the relationship-building part, but it’s hard for many people to follow through with the asking part. Asking can be intimidating, because it’s not fun to be turned down. It’s human nature to avoid rejection. Because of that, many people put themselves out there, build relationships and simply hope and pray that the clients will come to them.

That’s too passive. Waiting for people to volunteer to be your clients might work occasionally, but it won’t generate enough business to sustain you.

Before you attend a networking event, have a clear picture in your head of what you need to get from that networking event. Is it a meeting with prospective clients? If so, talk to people with the intention of setting up meetings.

It’s true that successful people must network, but networking is simply a means to an end. Your success as a networker is ultimately judged when your prospect signs their name on the dotted line.

WISDOM

“Working harder on the wrong thing is not ambition. It is just a more exhausting way to stay stuck.” – EntrepreneurshipFacts

Night Market Presented by Veridian Credit Union — Happening June 26
Turner Park transforms into a summer night market with live music, 50+ local vendors, lawn games, LED performers and adoptable dogs from the Nebraska Humane Society. It’s free and open to the public from 6 to10 p.m.

Memorial Park Concert & Fireworks — Happening June 26
Omaha’s free Memorial Park Concert & Fireworks event features Smokey Robinson, CAKE and fireworks at approximately 10 p.m. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Park.

Mural Scavenger Hunt — Happening June 27
Curated by muralist Hylan Miller, this self-guided hunt sends participants across Omaha to find murals, snap photos and explore the stories behind the city’s public art. The event wraps with a mural discussion at the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel.

Benson First Friday: July 3rd — Happening July 3
Benson First Friday brings artist markets, gallery openings, live music, cold treats, local businesses and creative energy throughout the Benson Creative District. The event runs into the July 4th holiday weekend with programming across multiple neighborhood venues.

Treestock Festival — Happening July 4
Treestock Festival is a free, family-friendly celebration at Steinhart Park in Nebraska City with live music, food vendors, kids’ activities, a foam party, bounce houses, rock climbing, putt-putt golf, carnival games, glassblowing and more. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This section is sponsored by Eagle Mortgage, a locally owned, full-service mortgage company helping you with Conventional, VA, FHA and USDA loans in both Nebraska and Iowa. Learn how Eagle Mortgage helps people afford the home of their dreams by clicking HERE!

Dodge Partners Insurance has welcomed Sandra Mendez as a group benefits account manager. Her expertise spans enrollment, claims advocacy, billing reconciliation, carrier relations, compliance support, renewals and employee communications.

Mutual of Omaha has promoted Nate Hobson to vice president of sales for the advisor network. Since joining Mutual of Omaha in 2007, Hobson has held a series of leadership roles, including life and annuity specialist, sales director, managing director and national sales director. Before joining the company, Hobson worked as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley and Mass Mutual. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University.

Bridges Trust has recognized Casey Kerr, CFA, on his appointment as secretary and director of CFA Society Nebraska. Kerr is a fixed-income professional at Bridges Trust, where he focuses on fixed income portfolio strategy and oversight.

The Omaha Press Club will honor longtime Sarpy County attorney Lee Polikov on July 30, when he becomes the 187th Face on the Barroom Floor. Polikov, who has worked for Sarpy County for more than five decades and served as Sarpy County attorney for 27 years, is retiring at the end of this year.

CUES Fund CEO/executive director Marzia Puccioni Shields will step down effective June 30, as she focuses on family caregiving responsibilities. Shields joined CUES after serving as Chief Development Officer at Heartland Family Service. The CUES board of directors is actively recruiting a successor.

The Greater Omaha Chamber is a catalyst and connector, advocating for businesses small and large. Learn, share and grow with more than 12,000 professionals from 3,000 member businesses across Greater Omaha. Click HERE to see our latest events.

A few weeks ago, I made some pithy comments about people knowing every minute detail of their golf handicap and nothing about their 401k’s performance. So, boys and girls, put your clubs away and let’s find out where you fit in this financial conundrum.

For the past several years, the economy and world political events have been throwing Mr. Market a wide variety of issues to deal with. And true to his schizophrenic personality, he has responded in an unpredictable manner.

For openers, the media is bloated with AI stuff, and for those of us with big numbers of our odometers, it’s been a flash-back to the dot.com bubble of 2000. Mr. Market has also been jerked around by the recent happenings in the Middle East. The conventional wisdom was that Mr. Market would collapse when the bullets started flying. But, true to form, his response has been anything but conventional.

For most stock market gurus, the bench mark for investment performance is the return of the S&P 500. Over the course of the past two-and-a-half years, in spite of all that’s been thrown at it, the S&P 500 has gained 58.6 percent. And with an S&P 500 index fund, you can get market returns for a one-tenth-of-one-percent fee and no assembly required.

There are two other lesser used stock market indexes that some financial experts use as a proxy for the market: The Dow and the Nasdaq. Their performance for the same time period as I quoted for the S&P, was 44.3 percent and 73.4 percent respectfully. A divergence from the return of the standard set by the S&P that is worthy of note. Both have index funds that, just like the S&P 500, mimic their performance.

But, most Wall Street sycophants and a significant number of 401k participants are unwilling to accept “average” and so they cobble together bastardized funds of the S&P index that are designed to outsmart Mr. Market. But the resulting mutations carry significant management fees and in the long run underperform the market/S&P 500.

The most common bacterized versions of the S&P are large-cap growth or value funds. Growth funds contain stocks the portfolio manager thinks will grow faster than the market. Value funds contain stocks that the portfolio manager thinks have a share price lower than the value of the underlying company.

When I quote the performance number of the S&P, that’s the exact number. The numbers I am about to quote for the cobbled deviant funds are an average. Some funds were higher and some lower. Their performance for the same two-and-a-half-year period are: growth funds (52.3%) and value funds (38.3%).

That is an overview of the market’s performance of the past two-and-a-half years. The $64,000 question is how did your 401k perform over the same period? Are you getting your share of the growth of the great American economic engine or are you making your local golf pro wealthy? Your 401k is the gift that can keep on giving. How long and how much it gives depends upon how wisely you choose your mutual funds.

For more on 401k perfomance, visit my podcast, “401k Investing for Newbies and Nerds.”

Grow Omaha’s Wall Street section is now available for sponsorship. Nearly 25,000 people subscribe to this newsletter, and as a group, they are influential, affluent and highly educated. That makes this section particularly popular! For advertising information, contact Karla Steele, Sales Coordinator, at karla@growomaha.com

Quantum Fiber in Omaha, Nebraska, is super-fast, reliable internet. We did away with data caps, bundles, and pricing gimmicks because you don’t want them. Instead, you get game-changing customer service, transparent pricing, and a powerful app for freedom, simplicity, and control over your internet. Quantum Fiber is what internet service looks like when it’s built for the world of you.

The Grow Omaha radio show broadcasts live every Saturday morning at 9:00, but now you can watch videos of each episode instead of just listening.

Grow Omaha’s brand-new website features video footage shot inside the radio studio during each week’s show!

Videos include News of the Week, Lightning Round, guest interviews, and “Grow Omaha Uncut,” a behind-the-scenes look at what happens during commercial breaks.

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