Weekly Market Report – March 30, 2023

Construction is going vertical on the future Mahogany Prime Steakhouse and Charleston’s Restaurant buildings southwest of 144th & West Dodge Road in Heartwood Preserve. The restaurants, both owned by Hal Smith Restaurants of Oklahoma City, are relocating from their current buildings near 137th & West Dodge Road. Structural steel is up for the Mahogany building which is toward the south. The Charleston’s building to the north has the foundation finished and will go vertical soon.

MOKA Coffee, a new-to-the-market coffee drive-thru chain is actively looking for sites in Omaha. The company currently has 18 total locations in Madison, Wis.; Rochester, Minn.; La Crosse, Wis.; and suburban Chicago.

The Brunch Box plans to open in a former Clean Juice space at 1308 Jackson Street on the west side of the Old Market this June. Sticking to the “brunch” theme, the restaurant won’t open each day until 10 a.m., closing on some weekdays by 3 p.m. The restaurant will serve dine-in brunch on the weekends until 10 p.m. and to-go orders until 3 a.m.

Wilby’s Comfort 2.0 will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony April 28th for its new restaurant at 1449 Papillion Drive in Papillion. That’s northwest of 72nd & Highway 370. The restaurant started out as a food truck and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Sleep Number has opened a new store in a former Potbelly Sandwich Shop at 7425 Dodge Street. The company has existing locations at 17710 West Center Road and in Shadow Lake Towne Center. The Minneapolis-based retail chain has 674 stores nationwide and at least one location in every state.

Pedego Electric Bikes plans to open sometime in April in the former Omaha Lounge space at 1505 Farnam Street. The company has an existing location at 14440 F Street.

Belle Vita Ristorante at 2620 Main Street in downtown Elkhorn is permanently closing this Saturday. The owner is retiring.

The Family Fare grocery store southwest of 90th & Maple Street plans to close April 14th. An existing Family Fare at 108th & Maple will remain open.

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 Heavy Brewing, beer and pizza names are quirky: food and drink are solid

By Sarah Baker Hansen

The pizza at Gretna’s Heavy Brewing, which opened last November, could be throwaway, or boring, or not that tasty.

But here’s the good news, beer lovers: it’s none of those things.

The super casual brewery, located in an industrial area that’s certainly off the beaten path, has already found its fan base, if the crowds during my two recent visits were any indication.

I like Heavy’s quirkily-named beers and pizzas — some with a PG-13 bent — and of all the breweries I’ve been trying for the first time during this year’s Nebraska Beer Bracket, it’s one of my favorite discoveries.

Let’s start with the beer this time around. We visited Heavy twice, both with family and friends, so we got to sample quite a bit of the current lineup.

My personal favorite turned out to be Deez Nutz, a chocolatey, peanut buttery stout that isn’t too sweet but finishes with a lovely, nutty aroma and flavor. It was a favorite of my sister-in-law, too, and several other friends at the table.

My other favorite was “My Stripper’s Name is Cinnamon,” an English ale with a decidedly vanilla bent. The menu describes its flavor profile as “homemade cinnamon rolls,” and while I won’t go that far, I did really like it.

Perhaps best of all is when the bar mixes these two beers together to create the “Male Stripper;” the resulting drink is a lovely vanilla nut concoction that’s balanced between sweet and savory, with a hint of cinnamon aftertaste.

Our crew sampled plenty of other beers. Mr. Danky is an American IPA with a hint of crisp pine needle and a “dank” finish, which I describe as more of an aroma of funk than any particular flavor.

Rusty pipe, a collaboration with Gretna Plumbing, is a super unusual smoked Irish Porter made with Beechwood smoked malt, resulting in a smoky finish. This is the beer for the Mezcal lover in your life — the one in mine, Matthew, called it “the best collab ever.”

I also appreciate that Heavy has a selection of on-tap Old Fashioneds, a long-time favorite cocktail of mine. There’s three to choose from, and I settled on the High Society, a balanced drink made with High Society double-oaked bourbon, simple syrup and bitters. I really liked it.

Heavy’s atmosphere is sort of like a raw warehouse turned dining room, with one counter where diners can order pizza and a second where they can order beer, wine and cocktails. There’s plenty of televisions playing sports — the Creighton run in the NCAA Tournament brought in quite a crowd — and seating is at mostly large plastic and picnic-style tables.

Diners order beer and drinks at the bar, but the food menu is all operated via QR codes, and orders are placed via smartphone. Though I am often the one lamenting the loss of paper menus, in this case, service was quick and efficient.

I was pretty much sold on Heavy’s version of bar pizza when I set my eyes on the cupped pepperoni tucked into the house cheese blend on “Her Stage Name is Hot Honey,” all of it topped with a drizzle of, you guessed it, Mike’s hot honey. It’s a classic basic with a thin, floury crust, a chewy edge and a flavorful finish. Hot honey is trendy, but here, it makes sense and works well, adding a bit of sweet heat to an otherwise classic Pepperoni pizza.

The rest of the pizzas we tried arrived piled high with toppings, and one of my oldest ways of judging a pizza is simple: Does the crust get soggy? At Heavy, it doesn’t.

A lobster pie was the Lenten special on the Friday when we visited, and though most of the people at our table were feeling questionable, it turned out to be unusual in a good way. Plenty of lobster meat came on the pie, along with celery, red sauce, a drizzle of white sauce and lemon rounds. We didn’t really need the big lemons, but otherwise the combination somehow worked, with its mix of soft and crisp textures. Would it be our first choice? No. But it’s not a bad one if you encounter it.

I’d skip the appetizer menu in favor of pizza, though I think the breaded chicken bites and pub pretzel sticks would probably both be a hit with children. What I did like here was the house made Heavy sauce, sort of like a beer spiked honey mustard, that works just as well as a dipper for pizza crust as it did for the pretzels.

The #1 Stunna pie gives jalapeno popper vibes with its toppings of locally made sausage, a trio of house peppers and dollops of cream cheese. If you like the Tres Peps pizza at Pitch, you’ll like this one, too. We also tried the BBC, Heavy’s version of a barbecue pizza, topped with smoked beef brisket, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, cilantro and Wisconsin cheese curds. Matthew wished for more of that brisket on this one, and I could see his point. I wished for less barbecue sauce, because it overpowered the flavor of that brisket somewhat.

Because we could, we finished with one of the restaurant’s dessert pies — all of us were deeply familiar with the Valentino’s dessert pizzas from our own childhoods — and Heavy amps it up a notch with a lemon and blueberry dessert pizza that was not too sweet. The fresh blueberries are a nice touch. There’s also an apple version for the purists, and I’d try it next time.

I like pretty much everything about Heavy: adventurous beers, Old Fashioneds on tap, pizza that’s good enough to return for and the kind of casual, welcoming atmosphere that feels just right.

Heavy Brewing
https://heavybrewing.beer/
20333 Patton St., Gretna
531-600-8245

Hours:
Monday 3p – 9p
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday & Thursday 3p – 9p
Friday 1 p – 10p
Saturday 3p – 10p
Sunday 11a – 8p

2023 Is Downtown Omaha’s Year of Blockbuster Openings

The renovated Gene Leahy Mall opened last summer to great fanfare, and so far, has been a smash hit. The 9.6-acre urban oasis is the first phase of a $300 million overhaul of downtown’s three Riverfront Parks. Even throughout this past winter, the dramatically upgraded mall was alive with activity and full of visitors.

The Gene Leahy Mall opening was a big deal, but it pales in comparison to the blockbuster openings slated for downtown this year: The Kiewit Luminarium, Steelhouse Omaha, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing.

The first of the downtown attractions to open this year will be the $101 million Kiewit Luminarium located along the Missouri River on the site of the former Rick’s Café Boatyard on Lewis & Clark Landing.

The 82,000 sq. ft. science museum will open just over two weeks from now – April 15th – and will feature 120 interactive exhibits. The Luminarium is expected to attract visitors from a 500-mile radius.

Steelhouse Omaha will be the city’s newest (and perhaps most unique) live music venue located on a square block bounded by Capitol Avenue and Dodge, 11th & 12th streets. The $104 million attraction is across the street from the Holland Performing Arts Center. Opening will take place Friday, May 12th, and the inaugural show will be the musical group, The Killers. Steelhouse Omaha will accommodate acts that attract between 1,500 and 3,000 attendees. There will be no permanent seating in order to accommodate a variety of performance styles.

Workers are feverishly finishing up renovations on Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing, which are scheduled to open late this summer. These two parks comprise the 72-acre Riverfront outdoor complex along with the aforementioned Gene Leahy Mall.

The City of Omaha owns all three parks, but they are privately managed and programmed by Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority, the same organization that runs CHI Heath Center Omaha and Charles Schwab Field.

Heartland of America Park, the largest of the three Riverfront parks, will have a skating rink that will be used for roller blading/skating most of the year and by ice skaters during the winter. The park will feature a 204-foot pier that will extend to the west bank of the Missouri River. The iconic fountain, which is capable of shooting water 300 feet into the air, will remain.

Lewis & Clark Landing sits just north of Heartland of America Park and north of the Interstate 480 viaduct. In addition to hosting the Kiewit Luminarium, the 23-acre park will have an urban beach, sand volleyball courts, outdoor event space and a destination playground four times the size of the new one at Gene Leahy Mall.

Lutheran Family Services has moved its headquarters from the Dunklau Building at 24th & Dodge Street downtown to 7929 West Center Road. Some of the organization’s staff members will remain in the old building until late summer. The downtown property has been purchased by a Minneapolis developer, which has a history of building urban multi-family housing projects.

The Omaha City Council approved a $6 million bid for construction of the so-called “Baby Bob,” a smaller pedestrian bridge that will connect North Downtown with the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, according to WOWT. Hawkins Construction Company of Omaha will be the contractor. Construction on this long-awaited connector bridge will begin in May with completion planned for the end of 2024.

Goodwill Omaha unveiled its new South Omaha Training Center intended to further ensure disadvantaged populations will have access to resources and tools needed to pursue high-demand, high-wage jobs. The 20,000 sq. ft. facility in the Stockyards Plaza at 3505 L Street will provide specialized training programs that are free and available to all citizens in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Bellevue and surrounding areas.

The South Omaha Training Center will sit in the heart of Goodwill Omaha’s primary service area, a 13-zip-code corridor where the majority of program participants reside. These neighborhoods, where more than 42,000 people are living at or below the poverty line, have also combined to produce just a 74% four-year high school graduation rate. Data shows there is a need for skill development and job training education to help untapped talent realize potential and break cycles of poverty.

Fremont is in the process of developing the Fremont-Dodge Municipal Inland Port Authority, which will be located on 1,500 acres along the east side of U.S. Highway 275 immediately north of the Douglas County border. It will be Nebraska’s first inland port authority and is projected to generate $1 billion in economic activity after 10 years. The authority is intended to attract new business, expand global trade and give local manufacturers a way to reach new markets.

A Veteran Affairs health clinic recently purchased a 3.09-acre lot at 1330 Jersey Street in Papillion, according to Investors Realty. The site is southwest of 72nd & Giles Road.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is launching a program designed to attract out-of-state students and help solve Nebraska’s labor shortage, according to Nebraska Examiner. The OUR Tuition program will offer reduced out-of-state tuition rates for students from 11 states: Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Eligible undergraduates from the 11 states would see their tuition cost drop to as low as $353 per credit hour, a savings of $385 per credit hour compared to what currently is charged. Graduate students would see costs as low as $512 per credit hour, a savings of $308 per credit hour. The program will begin this fall.

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.”

Union Pacific reached a tentative crew consist agreement with General Committee 953, part of its largest union, The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD).

The proposed agreement makes no changes to the current conductor position staffing each train as part of a two-person crew, provides long-term job protection to current employees, and gives the railroad greater flexibility to deploy brake or switch persons to work either in or outside the yard. The proposed agreement, if ratified, closes Union Pacific’s current Section 6 Notice to redeploy conductors on this committee.

Great Plains Uniforms has leased a 4,800 sq. ft. space at Frederick Square located at 2920 South 84th Street. Grow Omaha co-founder Trenton Magid of NAI NP Dodge represented the landlord. Great Plains Uniforms sells police, fire and other uniforms.

Henry Ford Health, one of the nation’s premier academic and integrated health systems, has selected Omaha-based HDR to lead the collaborative architectural engineering team in the design of its transformative 1 million sq. ft. hospital campus expansion in Detroit. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

Cheer Athletics will be having an open house Sunday, April 2nd from 2-6 p.m. to show case their 30,000 sq. ft. facility and do a meet-and-greet with owners and coaching staff. Tryouts for the 2023-24 season are in April and May. Cheer Athletics’ Omaha location is at 14620 Gold Coast Road in Papillion.

National OnDemand, Inc. has leased space at 4151 South 94th Street in Hi-Park Industrial Park, according to Investors Realty. The subcontractors through National OnDemand are hired by Cox Communications to install fiber optic cable throughout the city.

NEI Global Relocation of Omaha is one of only two companies to be recognized in the HRO Today Baker’s Dozen survey for at least 11 of the past 13 years, indicating strong consistency in satisfaction for the services provided to their clients and their relocating employees.

The work-from-home era has ended for millions of U.S. employees, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some 72.5% of business establishments said their employees teleworked rarely or not at all last year. That figure climbed from 60.1% in 2021. The survey showed about 21 million more workers on-site full time in 2022, compared with the prior year.

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-founder and sales trainer Jeff Beals.

Leadership & Management

In a recent CNBC article, Matt Higgins identifies five toxic personality types and recommends you steer clear of them:

1. Withholders – These people are unable to deliver praise or feel happy when someone else steps up and contributes to a group success. They are wired by insecurity or the need for domination. They resent anyone who possesses skills they don’t have or who doesn’t feel the same self-loathing that they are plagued with.

2. Hijackers – It’s not always so brazen and extreme, but Hijackers are essentially Withholders with the added bonus of aggression. They want to trade on your vulnerability, take what you are great at, and claim it for themselves.

3. Victims – Generally, good performers live in a place of gratitude. They don’t feel entitled to success, so they’re thrilled and thankful when it arrives. But Victims live in a place of constant injustice. They see every bump in the road as confirmation that they are being unfairly targeted.

4. Martyrs – These people are like Victims who actually do the work, but they don’t do it well enough to justify the psychological drain they place on an organization. They take on as much as they can handle — not to help the broader team, but to confirm the narrative they carry around about themselves as unjustly forced to take on the burdens of others.

5. Gaslighters – These people spend their energy trying to rewrite reality, to the detriment of everyone around them. They often possess narcissistic traits. They combine the qualities of Withholders, Hijackers, Victims and Martyrs all in one, attempting to convince people that they are not seeing what’s going on right in front of their eyes.

If you have a poverty consciousness, you will literally spend yourself into poverty, writes Mike Brooks, founder of Mr. Inside Sales. “Take all the money away from a person, who has the consciousness of the millionaire today, and within a short time he or she will be a millionaire again.

Riches start from the mind, not your pocketbook, bank account or investment. The bank account and investments are the effects, not the cause. The cause is always an idea or belief. People can be rich if they are rich in consciousness. “This is the reason that the rich get richer, and the poor will stay poor until they change their consciousness.”

Sales

As we head for uncertain economic times, Here’s one reason why recessions can actually be good for sales pros: Many of your competitors will have fatalistic, defeatist attitudes and pull back on prospecting efforts during a recession. That opens opportunities for those sales pros who keep their foot on the gas pedal during periods of economic uncertainty.

Sales reps can spend up to 40 percent of their time looking for somebody to call, according to Inside Sales.

If you’re trying to determine if your prospect has decision-making authority, try asking: “Is there anyone else in your company you’d like or need to include in these discussions?”

This question identifies early on if there’s a colleague or superior who would need to buy in before a final decision, according to HubSpot. Larger teams or multiple decision makers mean you have to address the sale from multiple angles and layers

The Greater Omaha Chamber is presenting a “Sales Workshop with Jeff Beals” on April 25th at the Jewish Community Center of Omaha. This half-day program is designed to help sales pros find better prospects, land more deals and capture greater market share. For more information or to register, click HERE!

Wisdom

“Leaders think and talk about solutions. Followers think and talk about problems.” – Brian Tracy

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!

The Marriage of Figaro on March 31st and April 2nd: Come out and experience The Marriage of Figaro, a popular and frequently performed opera that tells a story of love and deception through mix-ups, mistaken identities and secrets! Sidney Outlaw will make his Opera Omaha debut as Figaro, with Vanessa Becerra as his betrothed, Susanna. The production will be led by conductor Steven White and director Dean Anthony, who have previously worked together on Eugene Onegin, Opera Under the Stars, and Faust.

Easter Extravaganza from April 1-10: Looking for an exciting Easter activity that the whole family can enjoy? Head over to Lauritzen Gardens for a thrilling egg hunt! Explore the garden with your loved ones and try to spot all 14 of the missing eggs by matching colors and patterns. But that’s not all – keep your eyes peeled for golden eggs hidden throughout the garden, as they could lead you to special prizes that await you at the visitor and education center.

FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2023 from April 3 to 8: Get ready for a world-class event, coming to the heart of downtown Omaha at the CHI Health Center! This is a perfect opportunity for you to experience an unforgettable event that brings together top-notch horses and riders from around the globe. Not only will you get to see exciting jumping and dressage performances, but you will also witness thrilling vaulting routines that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Open Mic on April 5th: Join others for an intimate open mic event where you can showcase your talent, whether you’re a musician, comedian, author, poet, or simply a lover of the arts. With doors opening at 6 pm and performances typically kicking off around 6:30 pm, you’ll have plenty of time to grab a beverage and get settled in for an incredible night. There’s no age requirement, so the whole family can come and enjoy the good vibes. Come prepared to be wowed by the amazing talent on display and to meet some of the most incredible people in the community.

Sound Bathing on April 5th: This immersive and meditative experience involves being surrounded by a variety of healing instruments, including gongs, Himalayan singing bowls, crystal singing bowls, and many more. Prior participants have reported sleep improvements, reduced stress and overall sense of well-being. Join others in experiencing the power of sound!

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.

Green Plains Inc. announced that Wayne Hoovestol, long-time chairman of its board of directors will retire at the end of his current term at the annual meeting May 9th. Hoovestol has served as a director since 2006 and chairman since 2008. With Hoovestol’s retirement, the board will be reduced from nine to eight directors, completing the board refreshment initiative announced in 2021, and will elect a new chair following the annual meeting.

Gallagher Omaha has added Luke Tieso as a commercial insurance producer. He has extensive experience in financial services. Gallagher is a Fortune 500 financial services company with 50 advisors in its Omaha office.

Schemmer has promoted Leslie Steele to manager of material testing and special inspections. She joined the architecture and engineering firm in 2021 as a geotechnical engineer. Schemmer also promoted Joseph Poole to assistant survey manager. He has been with the company since 2020.

Kids Can Community Center has announced the recipient of the 2023 Can Do Provider Award: Ashli Carlock, owner of Blessed Are They Learning Center in north Omaha. The Can Do Provider award, sponsored by the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, honors child care providers “on their journey to higher quality.”

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.

Breaking News!! As We Come on The Air. How many times have you heard that? I’m waiting for the day when the news starts with, “Nothing going on; see you later.”

This week’s Wall Street news was dominated by the shocking announcement that the Fed was going to do what everybody knew the Fed was going to do: raise the discount rate 25 basis points.

Following this life-altering announcement, I watched the Talking Heads on CNBC. You know the heads in little zoom boxes wearing suits, but no ties. Ever wonder who these guys are? If they are the investment crem de la crème, why are they spending their time on TV?

The Fed is faced with a plethora of conundrums. First, we have the bank crisis created by the media (I.e. there is no crisis; the media just increased their coverage of it.) And second, we have the inflation schlimazel. The Fed is trying to cobble together either a soft landing or no landing. (Whatever that means).

What blew my mind was that the talking heads said the Fed was raising rates in order to calm the market’s fears. The major, major takeaway from this is that CNBC is speaking about the market as a person, the same way Buffett and Graham talk about Mr. Market. I looked up “fear” in my Funk and Wagnalls: “fear is an emotion, not a rational calculation. Humans have emotions; computers do calculations.

Okay boys and girls, it’s time for an English lesson. Well, not an English lesson, rather it’s a Latin lesson. The Latin word for this week is Sic non facit sensu, which is Latin for “makes no sense.” If you were like me, and during the Fed’s big announcement went to Yahoo Finance and clicked on the S&P 500, you would have witness something that makes no sense. Chairman Powell said a certain word and boom, the S&P went up about 75 basis points. He yammered on for another five minutes and then he said some other word. In a nano second the market reversed course by more than its original up tick. In the words of Julius Caesar, Sic non facit sensu.

“It ain’t over” is back again. The Congressional three-ring circus on TikTok is just the tip of the iceberg. Like a duck paddling quietly on the surface, U.S. tech and pharmaceutical companies are paddling like crazy trying to figure out how to deal with their Chinese counter parties. Sleep with one eye on your international haystack.

Hun Tel Cablevision has leased 1,518 sq. ft. at 2012 Cornhusker Road in Bellevue (pictured left). Tom Failla of NAI NP Dodge represented the landlord.

Meanwhile, Will Schneidewind and John Meyer represented Elite Rigging and Millwright Company in the lease of 2,800 sq. ft. at 6534 North 91st Plaza.

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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