The November 20th Weekly Market Report

North Italia is celebrating its grand opening today, November 19, at 17151 Davenport Street in Village Pointe. This marks the brand’s first Nebraska location, joining more than 45 restaurants nationwide. The closest previously existing locations are in Kansas City and Denver.

Bora Bora Juice is opening a second Omaha location. According to a building permit, the store will be at 4002 North 203rd Street, on the northeast corner of 204th & West Maple Road. Bora Bora Juice is a Kuwait-based chain that serves juices, smoothies, coffee, waffles and crepes. Omaha’s current location is at 13110 Birch Drive southeast of 132nd & West Maple Road.

Curry in a Hurry has moved its food truck to Olde Towne Bellevue. The fast-casual Indian restaurant has permanently parked its food truck at 221 Main Street, where it offers a limited menu of chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, bowls, wraps, kabobs and more. Curry in a Hurry’s main restaurant is located at 2527 North 72nd Street.

Kros Strain Brewing is planning a second location northeast of 180th & West Maple Road. According to a permit application for tenant build-out, the tap room and brewery will be housed in an 8,400 sq. ft. space at 17910 West Maple Road. Kros Strain is based in La Vista and has one current location at 10411 Portal Road, #102.

Vino Mas has officially opened its Shops of Legacy store at 2835 South 170th Plaza in the former Cellar 44 space. The boutique wine shop continues to operate its flagship location at 14450 Eagle Run Drive near 144th & West Maple Road, which opened in November 2013.

Prairie Coast Candle Co. will celebrate the grand opening of its first retail storefront — Prairie Coast Candle Bar + Apothecary – Saturday, December 13th from 4 to 8 p.m. at 23907 Southwest Street, Suite 5, in Waterloo. The store will be “a blend of candle-making workshops, curated retail and hands-on experiences.” The first 20 guests will receive a gift bag. Candle workshops begin December 14th.

Construction has started on a Westlake Ace Hardware store in Papillion’s Shadow Lake Towne Center. The store will open soon in an 18,000 sq. ft., end-cap space formerly occupied by Best Buy. The exact address is 7949 Towne Center Parkway. A Barnes & Noble store recently opened next door. The closest existing Westlake Ace Hardware stores are in Ralston and Bellevue.

Bed & Biscuit, a locally owned dog lodging, daycare and grooming business, plans to open in the next month or two at 425 South 234th Street in Waterloo.

Tommy’s Express Car Wash officially opened its Bellevue location on October 31 at 11533 South 31st Street, just off Highway 370 & Golden Boulevard. The national car wash franchise now operates more than a dozen locations across Nebraska and Iowa.

After 12 years in business, Pizzeria Davlo will close its doors permanently on Saturday, December 6th. The family-owned business is located at 14220 Fort Street and is known for Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza.

Copal Mexican Cuisine will now close sooner than planned. The local restaurant will close its Omaha location at 3623 North 129th Street on November 23 after originally announcing a November 30 closing date.

Eat Fit Go, an Omaha-based meal delivery company, is shutting down its production operations, according to a voluntary liquidation listing on The Auction Mill. The auction includes a 25,000 sq. ft. production facility and 3,000 sq. ft. of office space at 8877 South 137th Circle. On its website, the company confirmed it is “closing our doors and no longer making meals.”

Omaha is the 13th best city in America for drinking craft beer in 2025, according to Craft Beer & Brewing. Chicago is number one. Other ranked cities in our region include Denver (#3), Kansas City (#8), St. Louis (#16) and Fort Collins, Colo. (#20). The top non-U.S. cities were Munich, Brussels, Prague, London and Dublin. One Nebraska brewery made the Top 20 Favorite Small Breweries list – Omaha’s Lumen Beer Co. at 1433 South 13th Street.

The “Restaurant & Retail Updates” section is sponsored by Anderson Convenience Market, featuring Quality AMOCO Fuels and serving Omaha since 1952, and proud to announce the return of Quality Amoco Fuels. Look for changes this Summer at Anderson Convenience Market – 8 Omaha area locations!

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

Pivot Prime Started as a Love Story; Now Serves Its Own

The story of how Pivot Prime came to be begins with a first date. Gregg and Ashley Young dined in a booth at Mahogany Prime several years ago. It’s a place they kept returning to over the years, making Friday date nights an important staple in their marriage. They eventually opened Salted Edge a few short years ago with chef Joel Hassanali. When Mahogany Prime moved locations, Gregg wasted no time acquiring the property. Hassanali is a partner in both restaurants and has full autonomy over both menus.

Hassanali’s journey to Pivot started long before he ever fired up a stove in Omaha. He was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and grew up in his parents’ restaurant watching a Venezuelan chef. It sparked a journey through culinary school in New York and into kitchens in Paris, Florida, Nashville, New York, New Jersey and Chicago.

“Everywhere I went I picked up something new,” Hassanali told me. “I’ve worked with celebrity chefs, I’ve worked on Fisher Island, I’ve worked stadiums for the Dolphins and the Marlins. All of that shaped my style.”

His approach at Pivot reflects his cumulative experience in so many kitchens.

“I wanted something different—something French-inspired,” he said. “Let’s dry-age our own steaks. Let’s age a New York strip in red wine. Let’s bring tableside classics back.”

Serving the guests something memorable—rooted in technique but never confined by it—is Pivot’s guiding principle. The beef tallow candle, an evolution of the bread phenomenon he created at Salted Edge, came from the same desire to surprise diners with richness and detail.

“I asked myself, how do we top the breadboard from Salted? I wanted something rich, something beefy. Bone marrow, roasted garlic, aged balsamic—it came to life.”

That same philosophy drives his chef’s table experience, where he creates six to seven courses without a menu. For Hassanali, cooking this way is the purest version of hospitality.

“If I invite you to my home for dinner, I don’t hand you a menu,” he said. “I cook from the heart. That’s what our chef’s table is.”

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A Video Tour of Local Construction Sites

The latest Grow Omaha Construction Update video, produced by Brad Williams, is now available on our website or by clicking HERE. The video is sponsored by Boyd Jones.

Our construction videos are full of footage and information about local developments. For this week’s Big Story, we’re highlighting just some of the projects you’ll see. Here goes…

Mutual of Omaha Tower

The central sheer-tower core is completely topped out. The steel skeleton is nearly topped out and the exterior glass curtain wall is not too far behind.

The Broadmoor at Heartwood Preserve

This 5-story, 550-unit apartment building is going up southwest of 144th & Blossom Avenue in the 500-acre Heartwood Preserve development west of Boys Town. The site is directly north of Millard North High School. The building is mostly enclosed. This massive building has its own parking garage and sits on a 14-acre lot.

Builder’s District Parking Garage

In North Downtown, the City of Omaha is building a 4-level parking garage at 15th & California Street in the Builders District. It will have 550 parking stalls including standard, accessible and electric-vehicle charging spaces. The structure will also feature 2,700 sq. ft. of street-level retail space.

Creighton University

Work is well underway on a baseball facility and practice field. A neighboring softball stadium is essentially complete.

The Walter Apartments

This 4-story building will include 58 market-rate apartment units on the southeast corner of 50th & Leavenworth Street.

Antler View Development

The Antler View East development is located southwest of 180th & West Maple Road. A Hyper Energy bar is getting close to completion. Just west of it is a multi-tenant retail building that will include Kyoto Sushi & Hibachi restaurant. A third building will serve as Omaha’s first 7 Brew Coffee drive-thru shop.

Vehicle Maintenance Facility

Steel beams have been erected for the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, a building that will serve as the Omaha streetcar barn. It’s located on part of Lot A southeast of CHI Health Center Omaha.

This section is sponsored by NAI NP Dodge, the commercial real estate division of NP Dodge, Omaha’s largest full-service real estate company. Founded in 1855, NP Dodge is the longest running real estate firm in America.

Isaiah Ang, Contributing Writer

Omaha Public Library’s $158 million Central Library will open to the public on Sunday, April 19th, according to Mayor John Ewing, who made the announcement last week at a celebration marking the completion of construction on the building at 72nd & Dodge Street. Library staff will spend the next several months setting up books, technology and furniture. The 96,000 sq. ft. building is one of the largest investments in a public library system in the United States in recent years. Counting a mezzanine level and a ground level, the building essentially has five floors.

Central Library is also believed to be the first public library in the United States to utilize an Automated Storage and Retrieval System. This 3-story, secured, climate-controlled system can store more than 600,000 materials, allowing the library system to grow its collection without being limited by shelf space in branches.

The Beam, a 16-story apartment building project that was to neighbor the proposed Omaha Children’s Museum near Heartland of America Park, is also now on pause, according to Nebraska Public Media. The museum’s leadership has stopped fundraising efforts for their planned Riverfront building. NuStyle Development, the developer of the apartment building, was apparently caught off guard by the decision. NuStyle will be reimbursed more than $4 million for infrastructure work related to the project including utilities and grading. The overall development was announced a year ago and would have consisted of the $100 million children’s museum, NuStyle’s building, and a city-owned parking garage.

The Omaha Airport Authority expects approximately 192,200 passengers during Thanksgiving week, approximately 3.4 percent more than last year. Eppley’s busiest days during the Thanksgiving holiday are, in order, Wednesday the 26th, Sunday, the 30th and Monday, December 1st. Because of the increased passenger loads and the ongoing construction work in the terminal, passengers should arrive at least two hours prior to departure.

Child Saving Institute is completing the final phase of its $46 million Campaign for Hope capital project which doubled its main campus in size and expanded three service areas: early childhood education, mental health Friday, December 12th from 4-6pm at 4545 Dodge Street. The event is open to the public. and all ages are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Lozier Foundation is the previously unknown organization that agreed to purchase $40 million in housing bonds from the City of Omaha to jumpstart the affordable housing piece of the streetcar and urban core revitalization effort, according to the Omaha World Herald. The Lozier Foundation was named in a proposed city ordinance to authorize the sale of the of the low-interest bonds. Plans call for 1,900 affordable housing units to be built in the urban core.

An event hall will open at 1412 Howard Street downtown just west of the Old Market. The applicant is the owner of Billy Frogg’s, a long-standing Old Market bar. The event center will be called Clover Leaf House. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. for hosting events.

The Omaha Streetcar Authority approved its $186 million 2026 annual budget, including everything from track elements and vehicles to professional services and right-of-way activities. Since 2024, OSA has spent almost $100 million. In 2022, the city council approved up to $440 million in bonds to support the project. The bonds will be paid back by anticipated streetcar-specific TIF funds from development projects that occur within a certain proximity of the route. Initial estimates totaled $2 billion in streetcar-related developments over 15 years. With more than half of that already constructed or announced, the city now anticipates $4 billion in development over the next 15 years.

Creighton University recently broke ground on one of the main components of its $300 million “Fly Together” initiative. The university is starting construction on the 50,000 sq. ft. Sports Performance Center. The facility will include a 10,000 sq. ft. strength and conditioning area, a dining hall for athletes and additional spaces for sports medicine, student advising and psychology services. Completion is scheduled for 2027.

The center will go up just west of The Ruth Scott Training Center, which serves as the practice facility for volleyball and women’s basketball. As part of Fly Together, the Ruth Scott Training Center will receive updates as well.

Additional projects that are part of this initiative include a student fitness center, pedestrian thoroughfare connecting the university to the nearby Builders District, upgrades to existing facilities, a softball stadium and a baseball practice facility. The softball stadium is complete. The baseball practice field is currently under construction. College World Series teams will use it for practices while in Omaha starting next June. Creighton will continue to play its actual games at Charles Schwab Field.

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Union Pacific Corporation announced last Friday that 99.5 percent of votes cast by its shareholders were in favor of issuing new shares of Union Pacific common stock in connection with its Norfolk Southern merger. The special meeting of shareholders represented nearly 80 percent of all outstanding shares. The final voting will be reported in a Form 8-K filed by Union Pacific with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, after certification by Union Pacific’s independent inspector of elections.

Hansen-Mueller Co. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to DTN. The action follows reports from farmers in several states over the past few weeks that they have not been paid for grain deliveries to the company. According to the Omaha-based company’s filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Nebraska on Monday, the company reports an estimated 1,000 to 5,000 creditors and lists between $100 million and $500 million in both liabilities and assets.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per common share. This dividend will be paid on January 21, 2026, to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 5, 2026. Werner Enterprises has paid a quarterly cash dividend to its stockholders every quarter since July 1987

Equitable Bank today is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first Omaha branch at 10855 West Dodge Road, according to Doug Nodgaard, Omaha market president. The Grand Island-based bank opened a second Omaha branch in 2021 at 20112 Pierce Street in Elkhorn.

Max I. Walker Cleaners & Launderers is the Greater Omaha Chamber’s business of the month for November. The company was founded in 1917 in downtown Omaha and is now in its fifth generation of family ownership.

Project Game ON, the development project for a new Butler-Gast YMCA and North High School stadium along the Ames Avenue corridor, is hosting a subcontractor outreach meeting in the Viking Center at North High on Saturday, November 22, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Local small business contractors can expect to connect with the Project Game ON construction management team, learn more about bid timelines, discuss procurement opportunities and engage with the capacity builders of the region.

For the ninth time in 2025, Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index sank below growth neutral 50.0, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. The region’s overall reading for November increased to a weak 44.0 from October’s 34.6, its lowest level since May 2020. Approximately, 31.8 percent of bankers reported that their local economy was in a recession.

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As part of the annual Light the World initiative, Westroads Mall visitors will be able to purchase food, clothing, baby supplies, medicine or chickens for someone in need in our community or around the world. The twist? It’s all done at a vending machine. With a simple card swipe, individuals can purchase items for people in need at the Giving Machine Omaha from November 25 to December 9. The Light the World Giving Machine is a global initiative that began in 2017. Since then, more than $44 million has been contributed to assist millions in need. The local nonprofits that will participate in this year’s Giving Machine Omaha include:​

• Catholic Charities of Omaha
• CUES School System (Omaha)
• HETRA (Gretna)
• New Visions Homeless Services (Omaha and Council Bluffs)
• Trivium Life Services (Council Bluffs)

Winterland at Heartwood Preserve, which offers free outdoor ice skating and skate rentals, is partnering with Release’s Care Closet, which provides services and support to foster families and others in need. The nonprofit, which serves more than 2,000 Care Closet visitors per year, is in urgent need of winter weather clothing items for children. Heartwood Preserve is inviting Winterland visitors to give back by donating new or gently used items, through February 1.

Food Bank for the Heartland is hosting its 19th annual Shine the Light on Hunger Campaign. Thanks to sponsors Conagra Brands Foundation, Farm Credit Services of America, Baker’s and WoodmenLife, every gift made by December 31, will be matched up to $200,000. The Food Bank’s goal is to raise enough for 6 million meals this holiday season.

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Staying put at No. 12 in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll, the Bluejays’ focus now shifts to the Big East Tournament this weekend. Creighton is seeking its sixth straight title in the tournament. The Bluejays will open against Marquette at 12 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 22, with the winner facing either Xavier or Villanova in Sunday’s title match at 2 p.m.

The Omaha Supernovas announced former Nebraska Volleyball standout Gina Mancuso-Prososki as the director of business development. The Papillion native will work with team president Diane Mendenhall and the rest of the Supernovas front office to grow and elevate the team’s corporate partnerships and engagement.

Omaha Volleyball swept Kansas City on Senior Night Tuesday, ending Kali Jurgensmeier, Morgan DeBow and Davis Gutterman’s careers on a positive note. Their season is not quite finished yet though. Sixth-seeded Omaha will face St. Thomas, the No. 3 seed in the 2025 Summit League Volleyball tournament on Sunday at 3 p.m. Waiting for the winner is No. 2 South Dakota on Monday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m.

Omaha Hockey split its series at No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend to move to 5-5 on the season. After falling 5-2 on Friday, the Mavericks responded by posting their first shutout of the season on Saturday, blanking the Bulldogs 2-0. Omaha returns home this weekend to host yet another ranked opponent and defending national champion, No. 8 Western Michigan, on Friday and Saturday.

Goaltender Dawson Cowan was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Week, recording 32 saves in Omaha Hockey’s shutout Saturday. In just two appearances for the Mavericks this season, the freshman Cowan has 68 total saves.

Annalea Maeder and Nora Wurtz were named the Big East Setter of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, for their performances in last weekend’s sweeps over St. John’s and Seton Hall. Maeder averaged 10.33 assists and 1.17 kills per set, and led all Big East players in assists per set to earn her seventh Big East Setter of the Week award. Wurtz, a redshirt freshman, led the Big East in hitting percentage, hitting .722 across the two matches. This was her first weekly recognition from the conference.

Major League Volleyball announced Minnesota as its newest franchise market, set to begin competition in 2027, on Tuesday. The new MLV Minnesota franchise is majority owned and will be operated by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, a regional sports and entertainment group that includes the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild. Minnesota increases the total number of teams to 11 for the 2027 season.

After starting 0-3 on the season, Omaha men’s basketball has gotten back on track, finding two straight wins against Southern Utah and Concordia (Neb.). The wins could not have come at a better time, the Mavericks have an important stretch coming up. On Friday, they head to LSU to face former Summit League Player of the Year and Maverick Marquel Sutton. Then it’s off to Miami to face James Madison and then FIU in a multi-team event.

Creighton men’s basketball also got back on track following its blowout loss at Gonzaga last week. The Bluejays picked up two wins in tune-up games against Maryland-Eastern Shore and North Dakota prior to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas next week. Creighton plays Baylor on Monday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m. and then No. 16 Iowa State, whom the Jays beat in an exhibition game in October, on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Depending on the results of those two games, Creighton will play one game on either Wednesday, Nov. 26, or Thursday, Nov. 27.

Upcoming Games

• Creighton women’s basketball vs. Northern Iowa | Thursday, Nov. 20 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha women’s basketball vs. CSU Bakersfield | Thursday, Nov. 20 | 6:30 p.m.
• Omaha Hockey vs. #8 Western Michigan | Friday, Nov. 21 | 7 p.m.
• Omaha men’s basketball at LSU | Friday, Nov. 21 | 7 p.m.
• Omaha Lancers vs. Green Bay | Friday, Nov. 21 | 7:05 p.m.
• #12 Creighton Volleyball vs. Marquette | Saturday, Nov. 22 | 12 p.m.
• Omaha women’s basketball vs. Lindenwood | Saturday, Nov. 22 | 1 p.m.
• Omaha Lancers vs. Green Bay | Saturday, Nov. 22 | 6:05 p.m.
• Omaha Hockey vs. #8 Western Michigan | Saturday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m.
• Omaha Volleyball vs. St. Thomas | Sunday, Nov. 23 | 3 p.m.
• Creighton men’s basketball vs. Baylor | Monday, Nov. 24 | 1 p.m.
• Creighton men’s basketball vs. Iowa State | Tuesday, Nov. 25 | 1 p.m.
• Omaha men’s basketball vs. James Madison | Tuesday, Nov 25 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha men’s basketball vs. FIU | Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 1 p.m.
• Creighton women’s basketball at UNLV | Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 2 p.m.
• Omaha Lancers at Sioux City | Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 7:05 p.m.
• Creighton men’s basketball vs. TBD | Nov. 26 (Wed) or Nov. 27 (Thu) | TBD

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Omaha’s Flatiron Building Continues Its Next Chapter

By Patrick Wyman

After it was built, the 22-story Flatiron Building in New York City inspired dozens of similar structures across the country with its distinctive three-sided design. Among them was the 4-story version built at the triangular intersection in downtown Omaha, where 17th Street, St. Mary’s Avenue, and Howard Street meet.

The land was owned by the Kountze family, founders of First National Bank of Omaha. Augustus F. Kountze commissioned architect George Prinz to design the building and the J. C. Maris Company to construct it. Designed in the Georgian Revival style, the four-story structure features symmetrical façades along both Howard Street and St. Mary’s Avenue. The wall above the entrance projects slightly and is topped by a cornice, frieze, and metal railing. At the apex of the triangle on the east sits a circular tower with a French-style double window on the second floor that opens onto a small balcony with an iron balustrade. Decorative brickwork and limestone trim wrap around the entire building.

Opening in 1912, the multi-use building at 1722 St. Mary’s Avenue contained ten storefronts on the ground floor, advertised as offering “exceptional opportunities and advantages for high-class retail merchandising.” The upper three floors contained 96 bachelor rooms divided into one-, two-, and three-room suites. Each room was finished in mahogany and included a telephone, hot and cold water, built-in medicine cabinets, and wardrobes, while its 36 restrooms were shared. The main entrance on St. Mary’s Avenue led through a vestibule into a lobby with a tiled floor, service elevator, and steel spiral staircase. At the center of the building was an open-air courtyard.

Payne & Slater managed the Flatiron building, whose apartments were originally named The Pasco. Two years later, they purchased and converted the building into a hotel that catered exclusively to men. They even announced that the only woman allowed to reside there was the house manager’s wife, who served as the building’s matron. That same year, Ida Cooke opened the first iteration of the Flatiron Café on the ground floor.

Rumors suggest that the building served as a safe house for mobsters—including Al Capone—during the 1920s. These rumors are believed to have inspired Theodore Wheeler’s novel King of Broken Things, which features the Flatiron as the setting of a criminal scheme involving underground tunnels connecting hotels and brothels.

During the 1940s and ’50s, the hotel reached its peak under the ownership of Isadore Weiner. The restaurant space that once housed the Flatiron Café became the Hayden House during this time. In the following decades, however, both the Flatiron Hotel and the surrounding neighborhood declined. There was even a proposal in 1964 to demolish the building and replace it with a new office and government complex.

By 1977, developer Fred Winkelmann of Union Casualty Underwriters was in the process of renovating the Aquila Court (now the Magnolia Hotel) across the street. He also purchased the Flatiron, which was featured in the Landmark book Omaha City Architecture, and had it added to the National Register of Historic Places a year later. He sold the building in 1983 after deciding he no longer wanted to remain in the hotel business. Its next owner, Atlanta-based Ameritas, converted it into office space. The new owners restored the exterior, including the brick, limestone, and the stone etching above the doorway. Inside, the building was completely gutted, with only the exposed brick and iron spiral staircase remaining.

In 1995, a new iteration of the Flatiron Café opened in the building’s east-side ground-floor space. Owners Steve and Kathleen Jamrozy’s fine-dining restaurant quickly became known for offering some of the best cuisine and atmosphere in Omaha.

Despite the restaurant’s success, much of the office space remained empty. By 2015, the building found new life as an apartment complex. Led by Dicon and Holland Basham Architects, the upper floors that once contained 96 units were transformed into 30 luxury apartments, and the lobby and atrium were redesigned. Meanwhile, its namesake café closed in 2020 and was replaced by the popular fried-chicken restaurant Dirty Birds.

Today, the Flatiron remains one of Omaha’s most iconic landmarks—which, like the neighborhood that surrounds it, continues to evolve, finding new life with each chapter.

Lauritzen Gardens will debut Thomas Dambo’s “TROLLS: Save the Humans” on Saturday, November 22, with the installation remaining on view through May 18. The exhibit features six towering troll sculptures built entirely from reclaimed wood, each imbued with a unique personality and ecological mission to encourage visitors to reconnect with nature and rethink their relationship with waste.

The Holland Performing Arts Center will feature The River City Mixed Chorus performing their anticipated annual holiday concert, “Hope for the Holidays,” on December 6th. This first major concert of RCMC’s 42nd season will feature modern arrangements of classic holiday themes, such as “Lo, How a Rose” and “I Heard the Bells,” and the best holiday hits of today with Bette, Cher, and Stevie Wonder, and performed by over 170 singers and a full instrumental combo. Attendees can pose for a photo with Santa Claus in the lobby before and after the concert. This warm and festive embrace of the season will lift your spirits with songs of light, unity, peace and hope.

The Omaha Entertainment & Arts Awards (OEAA) have announced the nominees for their 20th annual celebration, honoring the best in local music, visual arts and performing arts. The awards gala will be held at The Admiral on Sunday, February 15. Nearly 2,800 public nominations were submitted across 59 categories, with independent review committees vetting entries to determine the finalists. Ballots for academy voting will be distributed to nearly 300 members across three voting academies (Music, Visual Arts, Performing Arts).

The most notable Nominees are:

• Music: The Artist of the Year category includes names like BIB, King Iso, Marcey Yates, Josh Hoyer & The Colossal 4, among others.
• Performing Arts: In musicals, nominees include Rock of Ages (Ralston Community Theatre), A Christmas Story: The Musical (Rose Theater), Jersey Boys (Omaha Community Playhouse), and more.
• Visual Arts: For Outstanding Visual Artist, nominees include Neil Griess, Celeste Butler, Todd McCollister, and Bart Vargas.

The OEAA Board also announced its special honorees for the year:

• Lifetime Achievement – Visual Arts: Stephen Cornelius Roberts
• Lifetime Achievement – Performing Arts: Camille Metoyer Moten
• Lifetime Achievement – Music: Tom Ware
• John Heaston Award for Cultural Stewardship: Amy Ryan

For the full list, visit oea-awards.org.

The Holiday Modern Market presented by A Local Collective will be back November 21st through the 23rd at Omaha Palazzo at 5110 North 132nd Street. This event features more than 30 local Nebraska shops for a weekend of holiday shopping, snacks and festive fun. There will be a market running throughout the weekend and a special “Ladies’ Night” running on Friday, the 21st. There is a one-day pass for $10, or a three-day pass for $15 – kids under 12 get in free. These tickets can be purchased at a local collective.com.

Did you know that, according to analysis from the Greater Omaha Chamber, every $100 spent at a locally owned retailer keeps $48 in the community?

Did you know Omaha Public Power District is the 12th largest public power utility in the United States per number of customers?

Did you know Omaha Performing Arts employs approximately 100 full-time and 200 part-time employees? The organization has a volunteer corps of 550 people.

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GO BIG RED Tailgate- Nebraska happening November 22nd: Join in for an unforgettable night of football, food and fun at the Husker Football Tailgate and Watch Party! They’re bringing the Memorial Stadium atmosphere back to the Granary Green! Watch the game on their massive 27-foot LED screen with booming sound and live DJ interaction.

Falconwood Frosty Nights Christmas Village & Lights recurring daily from November 22nd to January 1st: In partnership with Santa and the North Pole, Falconwood Park is hosting the first “Falconwood Frosty Nights – Christmas Village & Lights’, an all-new holiday experience. Stretching across 80 acres, Falconwood Frosty Nights will have some serious wattage and shine bright with an infinite number of lights, a dazzling lighted cherry-tree forest, a 150-foot tunnel of lights, and dozens of decorated trees—including several towering 15, 25 and 50-feet tall in the central square. Get your tickets now!

Drinksgiving happening November 26th: Party all day at the 3rd Annual Drinksgiving on Wednesday, November 26th. Enjoy Friends Trivia at 7 p.m. and Glow Pickleball after 9 p.m. Start the holiday season with exclusive deals and fun all day long with no registration required.

Sunday Funday at Cham Pang Lanes recurring weekly on Sundays: Make the most of your weekend with Sunday Funday at Cham Pang Lanes — the perfect mix of friendly competition, great drinks, and laid-back fun. Enjoy all-day happy hour specials while you and your crew hit the lanes for just $5 per hour, per person. Whether you’re out to show off your strike skills or simply soak in the upbeat atmosphere, Cham Pang Lanes offers the ideal blend of entertainment and relaxation. With tasty bites, refreshing cocktails and the steady rhythm of rolling pins, it’s your go-to Sunday escape.

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Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority has chosen Adam J. Straight to be the next president and CEO, replacing Roger Dixon, who is retiring at the end of this year after 25 years in the role. Straight comes to Omaha from New Orleans, where he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the nation’s sixth largest convention center, overseeing day-to-day operations. Before his time in New Orleans, Straight worked at the Georgia World Congress Center Authority in Atlanta. He will be responsible for CHI Health Center Omaha, Charles Schwab Field and the RiverFront parks.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has named Dr. Don Klepser as dean of the College of Pharmacy. He joined UNMC in 2005 and will become the ninth dean of the college.

Children’s Nebraska has named Dr. Yatin M. Vyas as executive vice president and chief physician executive effective January 14. He most recently served as the Children’s Miracle Network and Four Diamonds endowed chair of the department of pediatrics for Penn State College of Medicine and vice president and physician leader of the children’s care service line, as well as pediatrician-in-chief for Penn State Health Children’s Hospital.

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LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

Want to reduce time spent in meetings? A Fortune article recommends asking several questions: 1. Can we get ruthless about cutting meetings? 2. Can we keep meetings to 15 minutes? 3. Can we be stricter with agendas? 4. Can we solve problems with leaner communication rather than meetings? 5. What executable goals can we establish instead of scheduling follow-up meetings?

About 25 percent of U.S. adults over age 50 who are not yet retired say they expect to never retire, according to ABC News. A quarter of them have no retirement savings whatsoever.

When hiring new talent, you might want to look for a candidate who has competency in your company’s weakest areas, according to Forbes Business Council: “Determine the key traits that comprise the company’s vision and culture and hire in alignment. Start by filling in the traits where the team is weakest and stabilizing the foundation of the business.”

SALES

Hang out with the winners on your sales team, not the whiners, says sales author Mike Weinberg. “Seek input and friendship from successful people with positive attitudes. Avoid the negative naysayers. We become more like the people with whom we surround ourselves. Choose wisely.”

If you want to improve your performance, try speeding up how quickly you respond to new prospects. Technology has made infinite amounts of information immediately available at our fingertips. The result? We now expect everything NOW. If you’re waiting 24 hours to call back prospects, you’re in great danger of losing them to a more responsive competitor.

Forty-three percent of high-performing sales managers say that their sales processes are closely monitored and strictly enforced compared to 29 percent of underperforming managers.

WISDOM

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” — Billie Jean King

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Last week I watched as Musk’s space company launched a rocket to Mars.

It is hard for ordinary people to fathom the magnitude of this enterprise. Build a steel capsule capable of staying together as tons of highly flammable liquid is ignited, sending the capsule hurling thousands of miles an hour and then landing it within with a few feet of its target on a planet a bazillion miles away.

When I finished watching the rocket launch, I flipped over to CNBC, and watched a bunch of Wall Street brainiacs jibber-jabbering about corporate earnings. I listened to them analyze stock prices and the market’s movement in a fashion not totally unlike the approach rocket scientists take when planning a moon shot.

Two days before the Mars launch, we entered earnings season. And on that day, the CNBC talking heads were all aglow about the prospects of a blowout earning numbers, especially from the big AI related tech companies, which according to the rocket-science analysts, would result in even more market higher highs. Then, drum roll please…The number come in – 80 percent of the S&P 500 companies reported higher-than-expected numbers, which according to the previous day’s prognostication meant more upward market movement. NOT! That day, the NASDAQ dropped 2.7 percent in the S&P dropped 1.98 percent.

Then the same analysts turned around and explained why what they predicted three days earlier didn’t happen. They claimed that investors were concerned that tech companies were overspending on AI initiatives, and therefore, investors were adjusting their value estimates downward.

To me, this begs the question, how do Cramer and the whole horde of CNBC mental giants know what investors are thinking? When I became a broker back in the early 1970s, 95 percent of all the trades were made on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Trades were made by humans using phones wired into kiosks. They recorded their trades on a pad of paper, using a wooden pencil. The floor traders knew who were making those trades.

Today, the average daily volume is 8 billion trades. Eighty percent of all trades today are made between two computers. And with all of the crazy political stuff going on in New York, the financial companies are pulling out of New York and moving to Florida, Kansas City and Texas. Cramer comes to work in a chauffeured limo and talks to Carl Quintina. So how does he know who the investors are, let alone what they are thinking?

Bottom line is that all of this is just further proof of what I’ve known all along, and that is that the market is random and unpredictable. The best way for the 90 million 401(k) investors to deal with this craziness is to forget the needle and buy the haystack.

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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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