Weekly Market Report – August 18, 2022

Aug 18, 2022 | 0 comments

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Restaurant & Retail Updates

A big change is coming to Regency Court. The former Paradise Bakery & Café location will not be replaced by a restaurant. Instead, it will a Lululemon store. The Vancouver, Canada-based athletic apparel retailer is extremely popular and has two existing Omaha locations in Village Pointe and Aksarben Village.

Javi’s Tacos will hold a grand opening celebration this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at its newest location at 2611 North 204th Street. Javi’s has existing locations near 180th & Q Street and 171st & West Center Road.

Zen Coffee is opening another location in a drive-thru building next to Trader Joe’s at One Pacific Place.

Oasis Falafel has closed at 17th & Harney Street downtown. The restaurant had started in Iowa City and opened the Omaha location a few years ago.

The former Lighthouse Pizza space in downtown’s Capitol District is listed for lease as a turn-key restaurant space. Also at the Capitol District, progress is being made on the future Texas De Brazil steakhouse and a future sports bar to be known as “Let It Fly.”

The free-standing building that will house the future REI store at Nebraska Crossing is mostly complete. Plans call for a late September opening.

Pet Supplies Plus plans to open a store in Baker Square, southwest of 132nd & West Center Road. The Livonia, Michigan-based retail chain has 560 stores across the country including one at 9725 M Street in Omaha, currently the only location in Nebraska.

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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

Grow Omaha Eats with
Sarah Baker Hansen

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Review: At the tiny Khao Niao, Thai and Vietnamese classics are made with care

By Sarah Baker Hansen

Whenever a friend says something along the lines of “have you tried the Thai place on 155th and Ruggles?” a little light flips on in my head.

After two recent visits to that west Omaha hole-in-the-wall — which turns out to be called Khao Niao Thai-Lao Restaurant — I’m glad I have such friends.

This little joint needs to be on your radar, too. We found it full of colorful plates of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine clearly made with thought and care.

We started our first visit with a couple of appetizers: pork spring rolls and the restaurant’s version of crab rangoon, called “fruit rangoon.”

Spring rolls are fairly simple, and, I think, a good way to gauge freshness. These checked all the boxes: warm sliced pork paired with crispy, fresh lettuce, carrots and cucumber, along with plenty of cilantro.

The fruit rangoons come with a pineapple or a mango filling, and we tried both. Diced fine bits of pineapple studded the white cream cheese filling on one set, and mango tinted the filling bright yellow on the other. The fruit is subtle, but there, and I can appreciate the creativity at work here.

We learned that the restaurant makes all its sauces in house, including the thick, savory peanut sauce that comes with the spring rolls, and the thinner, sweet red sauce with the rangoons. Diners get a choice of either, and both are much better than the commercial bottled varieties you’ll get elsewhere.

I’d understood that the noodles are homemade at Khao Niao, too, so I went for one of my favorites: Pad Kee Mao, or drunken noodles. The noodles here are almost like Italian handkerchief pasta: big sheets of broad rice noodles that tumble through the sauce and delicately fold over each other on the plate. They are so good I ate much more than I planned on, that’s for sure.

I ordered my dish with tofu — diners choose from the usual protein lineup of pork, beef, chicken, shrimp or tofu — and the pleasing squares of tofu here are extra crispy and browned. The rest of the dish is stacked with crisp carrots, scrambled egg and fresh herbs.

I ordered my dish “medium,” but the same staff member who told us about the homemade sauces also told me, when she dropped it at the table, that she had actually made it mild and added a small bowl of red pepper if I desired more heat. We learned why just moments later, when Matthew scooped into his bowl of panang curry and described the medium spice level as “serious.” In short, if you like spicy food, you’re going to like Khao Niao. (I’ll say I was thankful the kitchen made the call it did in my case.)

The panang curry was our other favorite of the two visits: creamy and rich, with plenty of that aforementioned heat, the sauce is scented with coconut milk, zingy spices and the unmistakable flavor of makrut lime. It comes with thick chunks of both red and green pepper and a hearty amount of chicken, though some pieces of our chicken were a bit on the small side with a tougher texture.

Khao Niao isn’t much to look at. The dining room is rather plain, and during my visits, we only saw one other couple eating at another table, of which there are only a handful.

But the takeout business is brisk, and the restaurant’s phone rings off the hook. Staff and, presumably, the owners, run a busy kitchen and personally run brown bags of takeout containers out to cars waiting in the parking lot, often lined up several deep. You can hear tools hitting the wok continuously as you dine at your table.

I was a bit bummed when the owners didn’t return my phone call before this review ran, because I think there’s surely a good story behind Khao Niao. The food tells me that much.

I knew I wanted to dip my toe into the Vietnamese side of the menu on the second visit, and to that end, ordered a big bowl of combination pho, with rare beef, meatballs and brisket.

I wasn’t sad to tuck into the bowl on the first cooler late summer day we’ve had, and I know I’ll be back for a bowl in the cold depths of January.

The broth is key in any bowl of pho, and this one is light and fragrant, with a subtle hint of clove. Years ago, a woman I interviewed taught me not to dump the hoisin and hot sauces straight into the broth, but rather to put some on a side plate and dip the meats there, so as not to ruin the hard work that goes into that broth. I did that here, and savored each bite, particularly of the beef brisket, which is absolutely wonderful.

Large chunks of tender brisket rested at the bottom of my bowl, so I didn’t get to them until after I’d tried several bites of rare beef (tender and flavorful) and meatballs (small, just a touch chewy.) The brisket steals the show, and would raise the eyebrows of most barbecue lovers, I imagine, with its juicy finish and deep roasted flavor.

The noodles here are al dente and thin, and sides of fresh basil, sprouts and green jalapenos add another layer of flavor, if the diner chooses to add them. I’m not sure if the hoisin is homemade or not, but either way, it’s delicious.

We couldn’t leave Khao Niao without trying what must be Omaha’s favorite Thai dish, pad Thai. It’s different from the version we’ve become used to, with thicker noodles swathed in a slightly sticky sauce that’s balanced with sour, sweet and hot flavors.

Plenty of chunks of beef and swirls of scrambled egg tangle into the noodles, and it’s topped with big pieces of scallion and a small side bowl of crushed peanuts. It’s one I’ll put on my takeout list for future orders, to be sure.

During the pandemic, Thai takeout became one of the standards of our weekly diet at the Baker-Hansen house. It’s fun to be back out in the world now, discovering new holes in the wall and having the chance to share them here.

Anyhow. Don’t sleep on Khao Niao. It’s a good one.

Khao Niao Thai-Lao Restaurant
15505 Ruggles St., Suite 105
(402) 431-8731
https://khao-niao.com/

Hours:
Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m to 9 p.m.
Closed Monday.

Grow Omaha Eats with Sarah Baker Hansen is sponsored by Cheer Athletics, one of the largest and most respected All-Star cheerleading programs in the United States. The Omaha location is at 14620 Gold Coast Road, near Highway 370 and 144th Street. Learn more HERE!

The Big Story

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Major Redevelopment Coming to Olde Town Bellevue

Bellevue city officials and Mercury Builders broke ground today on The Frontier District, an expansive project that is intended to transform Olde Towne Bellevue into a thriving anchor of commerce and entertainment.

The phased revitalization project begins with The Bridge Flats in the Frontier District, 53 luxury residential units with 18,000 sq. ft. of first-floor condominium space for retail and commercial tenants located along the north side of Mission Avenue between Washington and Jefferson streets.

The Frontier District – a name reflective of Bellevue as the first city to be established in Nebraska – will also feature a new streetscape: strolling walkways, abundant common areas, landscaping and streetscaping. The area will be designed to serve residents by attracting new business ventures and inspiring enriching community engagement projects as well as more mixed-use apartment/retail buildings.

The Bridge Flats provides first glimpse of the transformative renovation of downtown Bellevue – the Frontier District is intended to preserve the Olde Towne neighborhood’s charm and history while reimagining its future as a centralized hub.

“We’re thrilled to announce the Frontier District and unveil The Bridge Flats to debut our ambitious plans to rejuvenate downtown Bellevue,” Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said. “We’re committed to serving this city by investing in projects that incentivize businesses and spark growth so we can continue to make Bellevue Your Home to Thrive.”

The Bridge Flats, a $12.3 million construction project, will provide affordable living options to help meet the needs of a growing community. The apartment building will feature a landscaped and furnished courtyard, outdoor kitchen and grill station, as well as green space for activities like Bocce ball and yoga.

Redeveloped front facades for businesses on the south side of Mission Avenue also are included in the project plans, which will give the Frontier District a more uniform look. Additional public parking is planned.

“The Frontier District will make the downtown area much more competitive with other developments we have seen in recent years,” said Jim Ristow, Bellevue City Administrator. “Businesses are showing strong interest in the project and are really attracted to the vision of the Frontier District.”

In addition to Mercury Builders, the Bridge Flats development team includes Perry Reid Properties, Perry Reid Construction, Moffett Investment Group, CMBA Architects, TD2 Engineering & Surveying, E & A Consulting Group and ETI-Engineering.

This section is sponsored by TR Construction. With over 25 years of commercial concrete construction experience, TR Construction has expertise with projects large and small to include commercial building concrete, footings, paving, remove and replacement of concrete, industrial projects, and special projects for clients. TR Construction can deliver Concrete Excellence on your next project. Learn more HERE!

Grow Omaha Snippets

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Canopy South is renovating a former mortuary at 4425 South 24th Street into a workforce development center, according to Nebraska Examiner. As a way to build wealth and equity among low-income residents in the area, the developer plans to use a separate stream of philanthropic funds to pay the $1.6 million renovation cost. Residents from the surrounding 68107 Zip code then will be invited to invest in the 6,100 sq. ft., 2-storybuilding for as little as $10 per month.

Construction is underway on the LIV178 apartment project on the south side of Pacific Street at 178th Street. Foundations are going in and construction will go vertical very soon at this 4.5-acre lot. Plans call for 96 apartment units.

Two-Way, All-Day, Every-Day – An engineering and traffic analysis of Farnam Street between Dodge Street and Saddle Creek Road has determined Farnam can be converted to permanent two-way traffic if safety improvements are made at major intersections. Farnam Street is currently a two-way minor arterial that changes to one-way at certain times of day to accommodate commuting traffic. A study commissioned by the City of Omaha recommends building two roundabouts at 50th and 52nd streets as part of the conversion project.

The projected cost to convert Farnam Street to permanent two-way operations – including the addition of the two roundabouts – is $1.75 million, which is included in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan. The design phase for the Farnam Street conversion will begin this year. Construction is expected to start in 2024.

Smart Asset has ranked Omaha #4 on its list of “Best Cities for Young Professionals – 2022 Edition.” Smart Asset compared 144 of the nation’s largest cities across nine metrics. The focus was on professionals aged 25 to 34. Here’s the top 10:

  1. Minneapolis, Minn.
  2. Sioux Falls, S.D.
  3. Seattle, Wash.
  4. Omaha, Neb.
  5. St. Paul, Minn.
  6. Huntsville, Ala.
  7. Madison, Wisc.
  8. Cincinnati, Ohio
  9. Kansas City, Mo.
  10. Lincoln, Neb.

Grow Omaha Snippets are brought to you by Omaha Car Care with four metro area locations – 131st & Dodge, 58th & Center, 85th & L and 144th & Harrison.

Omaha Car Care “We’ll be along for the ride.”

Eagle Mortgage Home Loan Services

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Eagle Mortgage is a locally owned, full-service mortgage company helping you with Conventional, VA, FHA and USDA loans in both Nebraska & Iowa, including the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.

Whether you are buying a home or looking to refinance an existing loan, Eagle Mortgage can help you realize your dream of homeownership or help you save money by obtaining a lower monthly payment. Eagle has plenty of experience with first-time home buyers too.

Learn more HERE!

Business News

Local Business News Sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland:

Real Estate News from CoStar –  Superstores, grocers and especially fitness centers are leading the way in retail foot traffic as the country moves through a pandemic “gray area” in consumer behavior. July retail foot traffic data collected by Placer.ai, a consumer location tracking company, seemed to confirm the experiences of low-cost retailers such as Walmart and Costco, which reported strong second-quarter earnings.

In an earnings call Tuesday, Walmart executives said consumers leery of rising prices were turning to the discount retailer for essentials, and the company reported sales had grown more than 8%. READ MORE

Omaha-based Anequim is ranked #612 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. The company’s three-year revenue growth was 1,034 percent. Anequim helps US and Canadian companies with remote nearshore and overseas labor, while managing the human, legal and operational needs of clients.

Werner Enterprises has been recognized as a Top 10 Third-Party Logistics Provider by Inbound Logistics for the sixth consecutive year. Competing against thousands of industry professionals in the magazine’s annual Excellence Survey, Omaha-based Werner was voted number six overall.

Control Depot relocated to 10703 J Street last month. The locally owned company sells building control and automation systems.

Baird Holm LLP has been recognized in Vault Law Rankings’ 2023 Top 150 Under 150 list. The Top 150 Under 150 is Vault’s collection of leading small and midsize law firms in the U.S. with 150 attorneys or fewer.

Employers remain challenged with more than half of U.S. employees looking for new opportunities or at risk of leaving their employer, according to Forbes. Forty percent of employees report being ready to leave their employers for a 5 percent pay increase and 20 percent are willing to leave for a different job with the same pay.

Navigator CO2, a carbon management firm, recently moved its headquarters from Dallas to Omaha, according to the Omaha World-Herald. The company plans to build nearly 120 miles of pipeline in the state, part of a 1,300-mile pipeline network that would transport liquefied carbon dioxide captured from biofuel production plants to an underground site in Illinois. Sequestered CO2 is considered to be a climate-change mitigation method.

A 2-story building at 7205 West Center Road recently sold for $5.5 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield Lund Company, which listed the 28,800 sq. ft. building.

Core Bank will hold a ribbon cutting on September 29th for its new branch office at 11305 Cumberland Drive in Papillion.

This section is sponsored by FranNet of The Heartland, the local, trusted franchise experts. They are “in the business of helping you get into business!”

Grow Omaha University

Leadership & Sales Insights for Ambitious People

Sponsored by MyStaff, Inc.

Compiled by Grow Omaha co-founJeff Bealsder and sales trainer 

Leadership & Management

Here are the characteristics of work teams that have an absence of trust, according to The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni:

  1. Hide weaknesses from each other
  2. Don’t ask for help or provide constructive feedback
  3. Don’t offer help outside their own areas of responsibility
  4. Jump to conclusions about the intentions and skills of others quickly
  5. Don’t recognize and tap into each other’s skills and experience
  6. Waste time and energy trying to look good
  7. Hold grudges
  8. Dread meetingz and find reasons to avoid spending time together.

Many former CEOs wish they would have replaced poor performers more quickly. “Often the fastest way to move a team forward is by subtraction,” according to MindSet, a Bellevue-based leadership training and consulting firm.

Sales

Successful sales professionals are 10 times more likely to use collaborative words such as “us,” “we” and “our,” and avoid words like “I” and “me,” according to Spotio.

The typical sales rep spends 2.7 years on the job and takes 4.7 months to ramp up.

Face-to-face networking remains an effective form of prospecting even in this post-pandemic marketplace. But there is a problem with networking – to many sales pros are terribly inefficient at it. Too many people network for the sake of networking. They show up in public at events but they don’t finish the job, call the question, ask for the order.

Remember that your ultimate goal in networking is to establish rapport, learn information and ultimately use it to accomplish your business goals. It’s true that 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 part of networking, 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.

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

“A leader is a person you will follow to a place you would not go by yourself.” – Joel Barker

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to something you want done because he wants to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Grow Omaha University is sponsored by MyStaff Inc, a locally owned staffing firm whose purpose is helping Nebraska companies recruit for corporate office positions.

My Staff Inc – Our team helps you find yours!

Upcoming Events in the Metro

Powered by Vesta

Greek Festival from August 19-21: Be a part of Omaha’s most vibrant 3-day immersive cultural experience! Experience the aromas, the tastes, the music, and the dancing of Greece right here in Omaha, no passport required!

Opera Outdoors on August 19: Opera Outdoors is a FREE, family-friendly outdoor concert featuring a sampling of opera’s greatest hits and previews of Opera Omaha’s upcoming season.

Women in New Endeavors on August 23: This month for our Women In New Endeavors meetup we’ll enjoy 30 mins of casual networking followed by a round of let-your-hair-down intros. Then we’ll hear from Shannon Lerda, the co-founder & CEO of Elevator about her entrepreneurial background and passion for her newest endeavor.

Omaha Startup Summer Party on August 24: Startup Grind Omaha is hosting a summer party for the startups in our community. If your company is too small for your own summer party (or if you just want another one), come have fun with other founders and community members.

Omaha Fashion Week August 24-28: Omaha Fashion Week returns to the runway for another season of fashion and glamour! Join other fashion fans and designers for a MAGIS Showcase for a live event at the Omaha Design Center Tuesday through Saturday, with a FREE Shop the Runway event Sunday.

Grow Omaha University is sponsored by MyStaff Inc, a locally owned staffing firm whose purpose is helping Nebraska companies recruit for corporate office positions.

My Staff Inc – Our team helps you find yours!

People in the News

Sponsored by Baird Holm Attorneys at Law

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digital rendering of Flatiron District project buildings

Praju Doshi has been appointed vice president of capital markets at Mutual of Omaha. Doshi joined Mutual as a vice president in 2022. Before joining Mutual, she was Head of Global Capital Markets, Treasury at Credit Suisse where she managed the bank’s long-term debt and shareholder’s equity. Doshi received a bachelor’s degree from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a master’s degree from the Columbia Business School.

Annie Grace has been promoted to vice president of segment marketing and direct-to-consumer Sales at Mutual of Omaha. Grace joined Mutual as director of marketing account services in 2017. Before joining Mutual, she was a group account director at Bailey Lauerman. Before that, Grace was an account executive at DDB Chicago. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Mayor Jean Stothert has appointed two economic developers to her staff. Jacquelyn Morrison is the new deputy chief of staff for economic development and development services. She previously worked in the State of Nebraska Department of Economic Development. She is a graduate of George Washington University and has a law degree from Georgetown University. Former city planning director Steve Jensen has agreed to help with the transition on a part-time basis. He had already been under contract with the city as a planning consultant and has worked on several of Omaha’s major development projects.

Burns & McDonnel has announced three new employees in its Omaha office. Patrick Midyett is a construction project manager for water projects. Jessica Thor is an assistant civil engineer working in the company’s transportation group. Adam Aldana is a mechanical engineer in the company’s aviation and federal group.

Lutz has announced several promotions. Merrick Aurora, director of marketing; Jaime Briganti, client service director; Tony DeSantis, data analytics director; Lauren Duren, CPA, client accounting services and healthcare director; Bryan Frew, CPA, tax director in the company’s Hastings, Neb. office; Steve Guenther, talent director; Emily Hansen, director of firm administration; Missy Jackson, CPA, tax director; Justin Korth, CPA, tax director; and Adam Pfeiffer, CPA, tax director.

The “People in the News” section is sponsored by Baird Holm LLP. Baird Holm’s dedicated team of real estate lawyers has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law, including purchases, sales, zoning and land use, leasing, and dispute resolution. Click HERE for more information.

Wall Street: The Week in Review

with George Morgan

The author is founder of Morgan Investor Education of Omaha.

Sponsored by Baird Holm Attorneys at Law

The event of the week, month and maybe even the decade, was Tuesdays release of the July inflation numbers. Headlines by both ABC News and the Wall Street Journal read “All eyes are on the inflation numbers.” The consensus was that we would see an increase in the July CPI of .2%. That is not a misprint. Yes, a massive, catastrophic, devastating two tenths of one percent.

That morning, the market remained calm with all three major indexes remaining unchanged. And then BIFF, BAM, BUFFO, the number was released. The number was zero. Zero, NOT another misprint. And in less time than it takes Biden to make a fool of himself, the S&P 500 was up 1.8%. Then like fairy dust from the sky, the politicos and talking heads announced the death and destruction of the inflationary bogie man. Not!! The general level of prices for the month of July remains 8.6% higher than they were in January. They did not reset to zero.

Now the next big installment in the inflation scenario is how the Fed will respond to this cosmic revelation. One glimpse at the Fed’s next move comes from the Titans of the bond market: Those guys on the phone talking to real people about real things. They don’t make half-assed decisions like the Fed and the dimwits on CNBC. They are playing with real money and the money is theirs. They have pushed the yield on the 10-year treasury from 3.3% a few weeks ago down to 2.75% today. Translation: They are betting that there is more inflationary pressure to the down side than the up side.

WOW!! Another HOLY BAZINGA event on Thursday. After the inflation news and a market rally that led the market up about 2.3%, the WSJ ran a headline in bold 150 pt. type that read “Nasdaq surges dramatically ahead and we have entered a new bull market.” Two takeaways from this hyperbolic announcement. First, remember my story last week about playing the definition game. What is a bull market? Will we really just go up and up from here? Second, Ben Graham preached long, hard and often that intelligent investors should flee from any Wall Street banker, broker or media type who makes market predictions. Can I have an Amen.

Over the course of the past few weeks, Mr. Market has had a ton on news releases thrown at him. First the GDP number, then the Fed’s announcement, then a s—t load of earnings releases and finally this week’s the inflation numbers.

I think the best way to summarize them is my favorite red neck pick up line, “For a fat girl you don’t swear much.” Everybody knew what the Fed was going to do, we knew the economy is slowing down and there were no big surprises in the earnings reports. So, the important question is where do we go from here?? In my conversations with the Gnomes, they give Mr. Market a plus 2.0 to possibly as much as 2.5. But when asked for their grade to give to the investing public, they replied 1.5 because they don’t want you to get your hopes up.

Have You Watched Grow O on Video Yet?

Jeff Beals, Trenton Magid and a guest in the KFAB 1110 Radio Booth

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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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