Weekly Market Report – February 16, 2023

Wine Beer and Spirits will open an urban location in the next month or so in a 6,500 sq. ft. space on the southeast corner of 10th & Jones Street in the Old Market. The original Wine Beer and Spirits store is located near Oakview Mall.

Wonton Jon’s, which has been voted the #1 food truck in Omaha, is opening a bricks-and-mortar location in an old bakery space behind the former Jane’s Market in historic downtown Benson.

El Torogoz opened last week at 9539 Q Street. The locally owned restaurant serves cuisine from El Salvador and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Backyard Elotes plans to open March 1st at 16827 Q Street in Mission Village. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, “Elote is a Mexican fresh corn-on-the-cob, or dish slathered in Mayonnaise, lime juice, crumbly white cheese and spice. It is a popular Mexican street food, referred to as Mexican street corn.”

Clean Juice plans to open soon at 2575 South 171st Court in the Lakeside development. Clean Juice, which recently opened a store in One Pacific Place, serves organic wraps, sandwiches, acai bowls and salads in addition to juices and smoothies.

Elite Nutrition is opening a second location and its first franchised store at 2437 South 132nd Street in Orchard Plaza. Franchisees Anne and Jason Heard will operate the retail store, which will offer a full line of vitamins, supplements, meal planning and “body transformation” programs. The original location is at 2551 South 177th Plaza.

Knockouts Haircuts & Grooming will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony March 10th for its recently opened store at 848 Cornhusker Road in Bellevue. It’s the Dallas-based haircut chain’s first Nebraska location.

Haji Fashions plans to open soon in a 1,000 sq. ft. space at 1810 North 120th Street, according to Maddie Graeve of NAI NP Dodge, who represented the landlord in the lease transaction. The boutique retailer will sell clothing from Afghanistan.

Best Bison, a local restaurant featuring bison meat burgers, salads and sandwiches, will close permanently tomorrow (February 17th) at 163 North 78th 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

Review: At Tous le Jours, a wide array of interesting, unusual pastries await

By Sarah Baker Hansen

Omaha has no shortage of great local bakeries — trust me, I’ve tried many. But I’d been curious as of late about a national newcomer to Omaha: Tous Le Jours, described as a French-Asian inspired bakery, something that, as far as I know, our city hasn’t ever had.

Walking through the bakery’s self-serve line, as I did one recent late morning, is both an overwhelming and delightful experience. The selection feels endless and adventurous.

Thanks to the help of my coworkers, who were the lucky tasters of the dozen or so items I brought to the office, we found much to like, and very little to complain about.

Tous le Jours, which translates to “every day” from French, launched in the United States in 2004, and now has more than 70 locations around the country and more than 1,650 around the globe. It offers an astounding 300-plus menu items, including both sweet and savory pastries, bread, cookies, cakes, macarons and a full lineup of coffee drinks and tea. The Omaha location opened in June.

Inside, Tous has warm, welcoming lighting and an astounding array of choices.

Visitors pick up a tray and a pair of tongs, and begin the slow stroll through three aisles filled with cases and refrigerators laden with treats.

I wanted to try both their sweet and savory selections, plus the bread, plus the French macarons. I could have, frankly, gone back for a whole second round of picks and made totally different choices (something I’ll likely do in the future.)

The surprise hit at my office: a trio of small honey cheese mochi pancakes tucked snugly into a petite box. “Honey cheese pancake: good God. It’s my new favorite treat,” one co-worker wrote to me. Another: “honey cheese pancake: wowwwww.”

So yeah, these little rounds are delicious: subtly sweet with a chewy texture, crispy bits of burnt cheese and a pop of deep sweetness from a drizzle of honey. I would have never picked this one as the fan favorite, but here we are.

Pastries with hot dogs and sausages are big at Tous, and I liked both the spicy sausage roll and the frank pastry, mostly because the meat itself was tasty and high-quality. The hot dog wrapped in a puffy croissant is like a higher-end, giant pig in a blanket. The spice in the sausage, wrapped in a toasted, brioche-like bun, comes from both the meat itself and some rounds of jalapeno tucked throughout. Also on the savory side, I enjoyed a potato curry-filled, airy puff, sort of like an Indian-inspired Runza, with crusty pastry topped with poppy seeds and salt, heavy with the flavor of garam masala, an Indian spice blend.

Red bean paste is a traditional Asian ingredient, and I liked it a lot in the premium red bean bread: think a less-sweet, filled kolache topped with a walnut. The final savory pastry was another hit with co-workers, and with me: the round, sesame donut, like a giant doughnut hole, reminds me of the sesame balls you get at Chinese dim sum reimagined as a pastry. Savory and airy, the crust of sugar on the outside makes it just sweet enough. This may have been my favorite of all.

The coffee menu at Tous is vast, and I settled on an iced vanilla latte on the faux spring day I visited. Nicely executed, creamy and rich, I’d order one again.

Few people seem to sit at the restaurant, and most I saw opted to choose their pastries to go. But I think the dining area would make a nice place to work or take a coffee meeting, and I anticipate, particularly as the Crossroads area continues to be redeveloped, more people will do just that.

I really liked the almost sour oval cheesecake I plucked out of the refrigerated section, and I imagine its bouncy texture is more similar to an Asian cheesecake than a French version. Almost all my co-workers agreed that the vanilla filled doughnut was their least favorite of all the pastries, and it was mine, too: a bit too sweet, a bit too one note, particularly when everything else is so interesting.

One work friend urged me to try the macarons, so after work, I zipped back by Tous to grab a selection and found them just as my friend described: light, fluffy and flavorful. In particular, pistachio and birthday cake should be on your “to try” list.

Later, when I got home, I toasted a slice of the cream bread, and spread it with salted butter, and found a new weekend indulgence. Pillowy-crisp, the bread has a wonderful texture and a mild sweetness that welcomes jam. When I bit into a piece of the second, smaller loaf I got, the green tea butter cream bread, I found a surprise: a thick spread of whipped butter scented with green tea in between the split slices. Count this as another weekend indulgence you should definitely seek out.

I like Tous le Jours, but particularly when it takes a more Asian-inspired bent. The savory pastries were easily the most interesting and often the most delicious. It’s a nice addition to our diverse bakery culture, and I hope we see more like this to come.

Sarpy County Planning Study Narrows Down Options for New I-80 Interchange

A planning study to assess the need for and potential location of an additional Interstate 80 interchange in western Sarpy County recommends 192nd Street and Capehart Road as the top potential location for a new interchange.

The Sarpy County Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study is led by the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency in partnership
with Sarpy County and the cities of Papillion and Gretna.

The PEL Study determined a new interchange would help mitigate traffic congestion at the I-80 interchanges at Nebraska highways 31 and 370, accommodate future growth and development, provide regional connectivity to I-80 and accommodate regional freight traffic.

The study evaluated several possible alternatives along I-80 in western Sarpy County including:

• Pflug Road
• Platteview Road
• 204th St. & Fairview Rd.
• 192nd St. & Capehart Rd.
• 180th Street
• 168th St. & Schram Rd.

The Metro Area Travel Improvement Study that MAPA conducted with the Nebraska Department of Transportation and released in 2017 identified the Highways 31 and 370 interchanges on I-80 for improvement among other interchanges.

“As the communities in our region continue to grow, we need to plan for transportation investments that coordinate with local development,” said Mike Helgerson, MAPA Executive Director. “We look forward to working with our Sarpy County partners and NDOT to help move this work forward.”

A PEL study is a high-level planning process that considers environmental, community and economic goals early in project development and carries them forward through the environmental decision-making process to design and construction.

No construction timeline has been provided at this time.

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The City of Omaha and the Metropolitan Utilities District have reached an agreement resolving utility relocation costs associated with the downtown-to-midtown streetcar, resulting in no gas or water rate increases for M.U.D. customers because of streetcar construction.

M.U.D. will reprioritize work within the streetcar project area and contribute $7.6 million toward utility replacement and relocation costs, which are currently estimated at approximately $20 million. The City will fund the remaining utility costs. The cost will become part of the streetcar construction budget, managed by the Omaha Streetcar Authority.

M.U.D.’s contribution will be paid through its existing Water Infrastructure Replacement rate component. M.U.D. used its linear asset management plan and risk model to evaluate additional segments of piping that met criteria. Approximately 35 percent of the water and gas infrastructure along the Phase I streetcar route meets this definition.

To accommodate construction of Mutual of Omaha’s downtown headquarters building, 14th Street between Farnam and Douglas streets will close Monday, February 20th and remain closed until the building is complete in 2026. Meanwhile construction trailers and other equipment have arrived on site this week, meaning actual construction on the 45-story building is about to begin.

Women’s Professional volleyball is apparently coming to Omaha. Local businessman Danny White and performance artist Jason Derulo announced they will launch a Pro Volleyball Federation franchise in Omaha during the league’s inaugural 2024 season, according to ProVolleyball.com. At this time, the only other team announced for the new league is in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Relief for the Blackstone District – The former Mutual of Omaha employee parking lot located near 36th and Farnam Street (north of Crescent Moon Ale House) is now open for public parking. Approximately 300 parking stalls are now available for $5 per day. Payment can be made with a simple scan of a QR code, posted on signage around the lot.

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.”

BWBR Omaha, a Minnesota-based architecture firm, has moved its office to the Blackstone Plaza Building at 3555 Farnam Street. Since expanding to Omaha five years ago, BWBR has designed health care and higher education projects for several institutions including University of Nebraska at Kearney, Southeast Community College and others. where Universal has been located for more than 100 years. Truescope was founded in 2019 and now operates in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and North America.

After a decade of focusing on architectural science and research design in Germany, Omaha-based HDR is selling its subsidiary HDR GmbH to a small group of employees in the country. The new operating company will be known as Telluride Architektur GmbH. The company’s 150 employees in Germany work primarily out of the offices in Dusseldorf, Munich and Berlin.

Rocket Carwash will replace a former Arby’s building at 172nd & West Center Road. The Arby’s moved to a new building about a mile west some time ago.

The board of directors of Union Pacific Corporation has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share on the company’s common stock, payable March 31, 2023, to shareholders of record Feb. 28, 2023. Union Pacific has paid dividends on its common stock for 124 consecutive years.

Werner Enterprises was named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023 for Diversity by Newsweek. After reviewing more than 350,000 companies during the selection process, the inaugural list recognizes the top 1,000 companies in the country.

John Meyer and Trenton Magid of NAI NP Dodge represented the buyer in the sale of a 22,180 sq. ft. industrial building at 7071 North 87th Street. The sale price was $3,624,000.

The consumer roared back last month with a 3 percent increase in retail spending that was the largest monthly gain in nearly two years, adding to evidence that U.S. economic growth picked up at the start of the year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

That’s not the only good economic news recently. Job growth surged at the start of the year. Employers added more than half a million jobs in January and the unemployment rate reached a 53-year low

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!”

Compiled by Grow Omaha co-founJeff Bealsder and sales trainer 

Leadership & Management

More than 90% of people rank accountability as one of the top developmental needs they would like to see at their organization, according to Training Magazine.

46% of managers worldwide are not good at holding their teams accountable, according to Harvard Business Review.

There are three reasons why some managers struggle to hold their employees accountable: They undervalue accountability, not realizing the power it has; They feel the work that goes into creating accountability is not worth the time investment; They’re afraid of conflict such as confronting a poor performer.

Author Mark Hunter recommends leaders follow the “10 AM Rule.” The purpose is to make sure you always accomplish something significant by 10 AM. Don’t put things off until the afternoon, because something likely will come up and you’ll never get to it. Do something big every morning.

“I want you to take your phone. Set an alarm to go off every morning at 10:00 AM. When it does, ask yourself, ‘Have I accomplished something significant?’ This is absolutely critical,” Hunter says.

Most large organizations have some terrific leaders, some mediocre leaders, and often an abysmal leader or two thrown into the mix, writes Dr. Kim Hoogeveen, founder of Bellevue-based MindSet, LLC. The result is that a given employee’s likelihood of working for an outstanding leader becomes little more than a game of chance. What causes this wide variance in leadership ability? Three factors: (1) a lack leadership principles, (2) a poor supervisor selection, and/or (3) inadequate leadership training programs.

Sales

The number one reason for failure in sales is an empty pipeline, according to sales guru Jeb Blount. The number one reason for an empty pipeline is the failure to prospect every day.

“Sales success is paid for in advance with prospecting,” Blout says, “and the rent is due every day.” Here are five truths:

• The more people you talk with, the larger your pipeline will grow and the more you will sell. And talking with people means you need to engage both strangers and existing accounts in conversations.
• If you don’t consistently prospect, you will sub-optimize your income, fail and get fired.
• Prospecting is hard work. It is long stretches of pain and grind, interrupted by a few brief moments of elation.
• Prospecting is not blissful, fun, easy or an activity that you are likely to look forward to. It sucks and nothing will make it suck less.
• There is no easy button for prospecting.

A recent HubSpot article provided six questions sales pros can ask when trying to determine if a prospect actually has the authority to make decisions on behalf of his or her company:

1. Are you the decision maker?
2. If not, who is the decision maker?
3. Is there anyone else in your company you’d like or need to include in these discussions?
4. Do you anticipate any pushback from your colleagues or superiors against this solution?
5. Who first decided to explore the idea of this solution within your company?
6. What are the best times/days to follow up with you for next steps throughout this process?

Wisdom

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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!

Omaha Beer Week February 18th to 26th: Started in 2012 by members and supporters of Omaha’s craft beer industry, Omaha Beer Week is an advocacy group that spotlights breweries, tap houses, craft beer bars, and hobby shops across the metro area. For a full week, people from across Nebraska and surrounding states come together over drinks to share friendship, fun, and entertainment!

Yacht Rock Brunch on February 19th: DJs Dark & Stormy will be at the Crescent Moon for brunch playing all the Yacht Rock hits, so come sail away with them while drinking Exile Brewing Co. Tico Time, Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s and more! Brunch menu and drink specials will run from 10-3pm. DJ’s Dark & Stormy will be spinning the hits from 10am-2pm. And, be sure to brush up on your Yacht Rock trivia as Exile Brewing Co. will have some prizes that the DJs will be giving away all throughout brunch.

Singles Golf Outing on February 19th: Join other singles for a two-hour singles golf outing! Enjoy appetizers, meeting new people, and competing on the Top Golf course. Hosted by Smitten Singles, a network of singles creating real connections, targeted for people over 30. Make sure to register for this event and learn more about Smitten Singles!

Acoustic Sunday featuring Johnny Cash & Friends Tribute on February 19th: Enjoy an afternoon listening to all of your favorite Johnny Cash songs such as Folsom Prison Blues, Walk the Line, and Ring of Fire. There will also be covers of some of Johnny’s friends (Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson). Bring your friends, family, partner, dogs, whomever!

2023 Omaha International Boat Sports & Travel Show February 23rd to 26th: All roads lead to the Omaha International Boat Sports and Travel Show! For four days, you can roam through countless vendors with the best prices and best selection. Explore RVs, campers, ATV’s, watercraft and more. Enjoy the Nebraska Game and Parks Archery Range, plus many more attractions at the show!

This Upcoming Events section is sponsored by Eagle Mortgage Company, is a locally owned and full-service mortgage company in Omaha.

Eagle Mortgage can help you realize your dream of owning a home.

Omaha Steaks CEO Todd Simon and his wife, Betiana, have established a new endowment, the “Omaha Steaks visiting Artist Endowment,” to support Interlochen Center for the Arts and promote the artist-fellows awarded annually by Chicago-based United States Artists. The Omaha Steaks Visiting Artist Endowment will be used to build a program and fund for perpetuity the support of visiting artists at Interlochen Arts Camp and Interlochen Arts Academy.

Lamp Rynearson, an Omaha civil engineering firm, has added Samantha Mosser at its newest external director. Mosser is the Nebraska market president at Bankers Trust.

Medical Solutions has promoted Amber Ireland to Chief Market Officer. She most recently served as vice president of marketing and brand strategy for the Omaha-based healthcare staffing company. She replaces Joe Greene, who recently retired.

Metro Omaha Builders Association has elected its officers for 2023: Matt Kronaizl (Sierra Homes), president; Dave Tewes (Thomas David Builders), vice president; Brett Clarke (Fronitier Builders), immediate past president; Dave Vogtman (The Home Company), treasurer; and David Hartman (Core Bank), secretary.

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.

The financial media and academia have one thing in common: they don’t get out much.

There have been a couple of articles in the Wall Street Journal that have caused me to question the journalists’ mobility. I’m not suggesting that they are intentionally misleading investors; they are just not fully aware of what’s going on. They remind me of a window-less weatherman forecasting sunshine in the middle of a thunderstorm.

A recent WSJ article ran with the headline: “Investors fleeing the market.” It opened with the factoid that in spite of the 10% gain in the market so far this year, investors are fleeing US equities for greener pastures. To support this claim, they pointed out that since January 1st, investors have pulled $30 billion out of US equity funds. To put this into perspective, $30 billion is .0006% of the value of the investments owned by the American public. Betting on the Superbowl amounted to $23 billion. If these WSJ yahoos got out and talked to people, they would realize that 39% of the public’s investments are in robo accounts that are periodically rebalanced based upon some mindless algorithm put into place by a geek who doesn’t get out much either. So much for investors fleeing the market.

Another Wall Street Journal article pointed out that individual investors trading volume was down significantly from last year, again implying that we are entering a bearish period. This after three straight days of positive gains. The article reported that the average number of daily trades made by individual investors had dropped from 3.2 million to 2.8 million. On an average day, the NYSE and its 12 connected exchanges report over 6 billion trades. Add in those made by the dark pools and high-speed traders, and the daily trade number is in excess of 12 billion.

So, 3 million trades doesn’t amount to a speck of sand in the eye of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. (Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls).

Best talking head quotes for the week:

“The market just doesn’t get it.”

“Based upon current interest rates, the market should be 10% lower than it is now.”

“Tesla will be over $325 by June. But, if it goes below $100, sell it.”

I’m sharing this with you not to cast major aspersions on the financial media – well maybe just a little bit – but rather to remind you that we live in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with mindless jibber jabber. So, at the end of the day you are better off focusing on your pickle ball game: Everything else is just clutter.

NAI NP Dodge celebrated its annual commercial real estate brokerage awards ceremony last week. Trenton B. Magid was the company’s 2022 top producer. Ed Petsche won the Spirit Award. Todd Schneidewind received the People’s Choice Award. John Meyer was named as winner of the President’s Pick trophy. Deal of the Year went to Jorge Sotolongo. The Transaction Award was shared by Nancy Lazar, Trenton Magid and Bryan Hartmann.

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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