Check back over the next month as we will be highlighting the different programs created this year by the Nebraska Legislature through the Talent and Innovation Initiative.

Being an entrepreneur – or being involved in any capacity with a start-up — can be quite the challenge, yet successful entrepreneurs provide reward not only for themselves, but state economies are also spurred to new heights by these entrepreneurial successes.

With this in mind, the Nebraska state government has created and is now implementing a new set of government incentives for investment in businesses (start-ups and others) in the form of the Talent and Innovation Initiative, or TI2.  The goal is to spur investment in start-up businesses and to also grow existing businesses.

Historically, incentives for business growth in Nebraska were dominated by the Nebraska Advantage Act, a comprehensive set of incentives for new and existing businesses, as well as the Employment and Investment Growth Act. These endeavors, according to the state’s Department of Economic Development website, have provided businesses with partial refunds of sales tax paid on capital investments as well as a tax credit given to businesses based upon their hiring and wage metrics.

But, recognizing that these incentives could be structured in other ways, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and leaders in the Legislature worked to pass a new round of government incentives in the last legislative session.

“Our vision for Nebraska’s economic future is for our graduates and young professionals to have access to high-quality, high-skill careers with dynamic companies doing business in Nebraska,” Heineman said in an Oct. 3 press release. “The Talent and Innovation Initiative provides tools that will help build Nebraska’s innovation economy.”

In January, Heineman, together with the Department of Economic Development and the Legislature, crafted economic development gold in the form of legislative bills that, in part, would later become known as the Talent and Innovation Initiative – thus named for the section of an economic study released the previous fall. Other significant legislation related to economic development included:

• LB 345: The Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Act. This bill laid the groundwork for technical assistance and a portion of funding to grow the companies already in Nebraska.

“The Nebraska economic gardening program is designed to ramp up small businesses across the state,” said Kevin Andersen, program director at the DED. “We (DED) intend to fund a diverse set of business mixes and technical assistance providers to award qualifying businesses the opportunity to explore their respective marketplaces and increase sales.”

This funding closely mirrors that of another program suited to providing loans to qualifying businesses from across the state.

• LB 386: The Nebraska internship bill. This bill provides funding for Nebraska companies to bring on interns currently enrolled at a two- or four-year institution. A portion of the cost of the internship is incurred by the state.

“InternNE, which began June 1, 2011, has more than 100 businesses that are currently participating who are creating more than 300 new internship opportunities across the state. Participating businesses fall within a wide range of industries, from distribution to software development to financial services; though a majority is manufacturing,” said Allison Hatch, development consultant at DED.

• LB 387: Business and Innovation Act. This bill provided for a variety of levels of technical assistance and financial assistance for the transfer of technology into the marketplace for commercialization in different stages. With funding and assistance at multiple levels, this act packs quite a punch.
• LB 388: Sites and Building Development Act. This program allocated resources to the Department of Economic Development for the refurbishing of industrial sites and building across the state, to make them all the more welcoming to potential new companies.
• LB 389: Angel investment tax credit. This measure provided generous tax credits for those making substantial investments in start-up companies.

Another component of LB 389 is a “sidecar fund” geared toward matching and accelerating private investment, administered by Invest Nebraska.

Given that these incentives are packed with different opportunities, there are many details to cover in soon-to-come articles detailing how entrepreneurs can help government incentives become functioning and contributing members of their successful entrepreneurial family. As always, check back at Nebraska Entrepreneur to read more about these helpful new resources.

NEF works as an intermediary between national, state and local funds and grants and the businesses that are benefiting from said funds and grants. In 2010, programs funded by NEF as a contract provider for the Nebraska Microenterprise Act assisted 3,739 participants. Their entire portfolio value was more than $7.5 million. A survey conducted in 2009 of those businesses who benefited from NEF and program support in 2007 showed that the loans benefited an average of 2.8 employees (not including the owners of the businesses) with these employees earning an average of $11.01 an hour.
Recently, NEF began providing direct loans to businesses to fill financial gaps. NEF is planning to expand this service in areas where there is an unmet need. As a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), NEF can provide businesses up to $150,000 in direct loan assistance.

NEF’s provision of loans and program assistance for businesses is great for these businesses, but perhaps its most innovative new product is the Certificate of Deposit Guarantee, which involves bank loan operators. Often, when a business applies for a loan, a bank may be willing to make the loan, but the business owner may not have sufficient collateral. This is where NEF’s CD Guarantee steps in. NEF opens a CD with the bank that is providing the loan, and the CD is pledged as security for the bank’s loan. NEF will support a business loan with up to $30,000, or 50 percent of the business loan (whichever is less), with this assistance.

With the innovative CD project, NEF is an excellent partner to banks as well as businesses. John Laflin of Pinnacle Bank said: “We are glad to be able to work with Nebraska Enterprise Fund to utilize their CD guarantee product to back our loan to help a young professional business get their start. NEF utilized our underwriting information to help in their approval process and it all flowed easily for us.”

One such Nebraska business that benefited from NEF’s CD Guarantee is Rider Chiropractic, a professional medical business that started during the summer of 2010 and serves the northern Lancaster community and the Waverly area. Licensed chiropractor and owner Rachelle Rider has seen an exciting start to her new business as new patients entered her doors at triple the rate originally projected. Looking toward the future, Rider Chiropractic will focus on providing necessary services to clients and growing the business. If the business demand grows beyond the capacity of one chiropractor, there could be potential to bring in another chiropractor and provide a job for him or her and an assistant.

“Nebraska Enterprise Fund CD backing allowed me to realize my dream of opening my chiropractic clinic,” Rider said. ”Without them I would not have been able to have the cash flow necessary to cover expenses until the business could support itself. They made the process so easy and have been a joy to work with.”

Another business benefiting from NEF’s CD Guarantee is Rief Design and Manufacturing, LLC. Adam Rief, a 2008 graduate of the University of Nebraska’s mechanized systems program, and his father Steve Rief founded the micro-business in January 2006. According to NEF’s profile on Rief Design, the business “specializes in custom manufacturing of agricultural equipment as well as general welding on and off site. The business provides new and innovative equipment used in agricultural applications that is more efficient than other brands that customers have used in the past. Their products can be custom ordered to fit the customer’s exact needs…The Riefs have produced and helped custom fit 25 different products.”

Soon, the building Rief Design used for operations and manufacturing became too small to build multiple items at once. With growing demand for their products, father and son determined they needed a larger production building.

Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District (NENEDD) staff prepared a business plan and participated in financing part of a loan package that included the local bank’s assistance. The NEF’s CD Guarantee enabled the bank to make its direct loan (part of the total loan package) to help finance the construction of a new building for the Riefs. With this expansion, Rief Design and Manufacturing, LLC has been able to continue to provide the Riefs with full-time jobs and open a new full-time position for additional help.

Kris Jerke, the business banking vice president of Platte Valley State Bank and Trust, has worked with NEF on three loan deals. Of the process, he said: “I would highly recommend that other business bankers seek out dialogue with the NEF staff to see how they may be able to utilize their programs for their respective organizations…NEF is one of the non-traditional means that needs to be explored and can come in quite useful as an alternative to more traditional means.” In regards to NEF’s future, Jerke said: “As awareness grows, I can see NEFs financing programs continuing to expand in their outreach to assist businesses all across our state. The key will be education of our bankers in Nebraska and their willingness to think ‘outside the box’ in their search to make business owners’ dreams a reality.”

Nebraska Enterprise Fund partners with several business development services that operate across Nebraska, like Nebraska Edge; organizations that target specific areas of Nebraska, like Northeast Economic Development Inc.; those that aid minorities, like Midland Latino Community Development Corporation; those that operate on a county level, like Hastings Community Redevelopment Authority; and large nationwide charity organizations, like Catholic Charities as well as several others in these categories.

A complete list of NEF’s partners can be found here: http://www.nebbiz.org/business_resource_directory.php

To learn more about Nebraska Enterprise Fund, or to see how NEF can help your growing business, visit http://www.nebbiz.org/.

Nebraska has long lagged behind the rest of the nation when it comes to financing for startup businesses.

More than one ranking has put the state near the bottom — or in some cases at the bottom — in venture capital funding. And other forms of financing such as angel investments and seed capital also can be hard to find.

But that may be changing.

Within the past few months, nearly $60 million in new public and private funds has become available for startup and other small businesses.

Nebraska Global Investment Co. — a venture capital firm that finances the creation and development of software companies in Nebraska – earlier this year closed its fund at $37.3 million, about $7 million more than it hoped for and about $10 million less than it could have raised.

Add to that more than $21 million in federal and state money targeted at startup companies, entrepreneurs and innovation, and you’ve suddenly got a bigger pot.

“It’s a good problem to have,” said Dan Hoffman, executive director of Invest Nebraska. The nonprofit group has a contract with the state to create angel investment funds to match a one-time infusion of $12.6 million from the federal government.

The America Invents Act is the first comprehensive patent reform bill since the 1950s. It makes America’s patent system consistent with other nations in the global marketplace and has important implications for university researchers who want to move inventions into the marketplace.

NU has made significant strides in the last few years to provide innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities to students and faculty, enhance technology transfer, facilitate new university-industry collaborations on all four campuses, and recognize entrepreneurial excellence. The university’s efforts are aligned with goals outlined in an April 2011 letter from the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship to then-U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. NU President James B. Milliken, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman and University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Harold Maurer were among the university signatories to the letter.

Among the leading NU initiatives is Nebraska Innovation Campus, a public-private business development that will house university and private R&D facilities focused on the areas of food, fuel and water. Milliken said, “Innovation Campus will be an important hub for collaboration between the university and the private sector. It will offer an environment that spurs innovation and business development, creates new jobs and brings new solutions to the marketplace.” This year, the State of Nebraska invested $25 million in Innovation Campus to jump-start development at the 200-acre campus in Lincoln. Those funds have been leveraged into $80 million in development. Consultants have estimated that ultimately, Innovation Campus could grow Nebraska’s annual payroll by $267 million.

Earlier this year, Milliken announced the appointment of a senior associate for innovation and economic competitiveness to lead NU’s diverse initiatives in technology development. James Linder, M.D., whose experience bridges academia and the business world, now leads the University Technology Development Corporation, which oversees NU’s four technology organizations: UNeMed, NUtech Ventures, the Peter Kiewit Institute Technology Development Corp. and the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corp. In addition to setting policy for technology development, UTDC provides development grants and is establishing an Entrepreneur in Residence program at each campus to provide business expertise to bring technologies invented by university faculty to the marketplace. “Linking the ideas of our faculty with the experiences of private sector professionals is a strong formula to unleash innovation happening in the University,” Linder said.

One example of university-business partnerships that are leveraging faculty expertise to create innovation in Nebraska is a recent licensing agreement between NUtech Ventures and Bayer CropScience AG. The agreement made $2 million available for an endowed professorship at UNL – now held by P. Stephen Baenziger, renowned wheat breeder – and also supports university research and education programs and plans for Bayer CropScience to establish its first North American wheat breeding station near Lincoln.

Opportunities for Students

All three of the university’s undergraduate campuses have active student entrepreneurship organizations designed to foster entrepreneurship and encourage collaboration between students and the business community:

• Students at the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at UNL work with business advisors and mentors whose companies range from small start-ups to Fortune 100 corporations – including AT&T, Boeing, PayPal, Google, Microsoft and others. Many Raikes students end up finding careers in those companies or starting their own business.
• The Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program nurtures entrepreneurship potential in students who want a career in agri-business through courses, entrepreneurship training camps, internships and a venture capital fund to support student start-up businesses.
• Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis helps military personnel, veterans and their families to become farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs. Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots utilizes existing federal programs to match participants with farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs and create business succession plans. NCTA also has programs to help students own their own farm or cattle ranch.
• UNO’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising provides students with business fundamentals, opportunities through the Big Idea Elevator Pitch and other business plan competitions, and experience running a student-owned business.
• A new course developed by UNL Mechanical Engineering Professor Shane Farritor, an entrepreneur and inventor, teaches students how to link engineering and invention with entrepreneurial and business skills. Farritor’s own research has generated two startup companies: Virtual Incision innovative robotic surgery tools and MRail engineering solutions to improve railroad track safety.
• University of Nebraska 4-H educators pioneered EntrepreneurShip Investigation, a nationally recognized, interactive curriculum to develop entrepreneurial thinking and skills in youth, ages 10-19. The curriculum gives students the skills and tools to start a business in their own community.

Education and outreach

• The annual Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship draws hundreds of participants from education, government and business who spend the day networking and hearing from experts and fellow entrepreneurs. The Nebraska Entrepreneur website serves as an online resource for aspiring entrepreneurs in the state.
• NU recognizes exemplary efforts in student, faculty and business innovation through several university-wide awards:
  • The Innovation, Development and Engagement Award recognizes faculty who work with citizens, businesses, government, non-profit organizations, other educational institutions, communities or regions to develop new ideas, projects, technologies, events or businesses that strengthen the region or community.
  • The Walter Scott Entrepreneurial Business Award recognizes businesses with a presence in Nebraska that create partnerships with the university in the area of technology.
• The Peter Kiewit Student Entrepreneurial Award honors students for the creative and innovative use of information technology.

Opening remarks for the 2011 Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship on Friday, February 25th, 2011.

Nebraska will be the first state use a new business-to-business mentoring program developed by the Gallup Organization, Gov. Dave Heineman announced at a press conference in Omaha Thursday. The initiative will provide business development assistance to early-stage entrepreneurs and to established firms with high-growth potential.

Governor Dave Heineman

“We want to be an ally for small businesses, particularly those invested in innovation,” Gov. Heineman said.

The mentoring initiative is a joint venture of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the Gallup Organization, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the University of Nebraska’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“We want to develop a more coordinated, intensive partnership to provide the guidance and expertise that small businesses need to be successful,” Gov. Heineman said. “This is an outstanding example of the partnerships that exist in Nebraska, and the ways we are willing to work together to move Nebraska forward.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, new businesses create more than 39 percent of new jobs annually, but 40 percent of those start-ups will close within the first three years. The mentoring initiative aims to give entrepreneurs the training and support necessary to build stable enterprises that will continue to provide jobs and add to Nebraska’s economic productivity.

Todd Johnson, a managing consultant in global job creation at Gallup, cited research from the Kauffman Foundation that shows that on average, the largest companies in the United States have not created a net new job in the past 15 years. New firms in their first year of business, however, create more than 3 million jobs. Public and private entities are motivated to support these entrepreneurs who are driving growth.

To launch the mentoring program, Gallup has been training 27 small business and economic development leaders from across Nebraska in using its Entrepreneur Acceleration System. These business leaders will each mentor five to 10 entrepreneurs over the next several months. Johnson described the group of mentors as “eclectic and diverse,” and said they come from different geographic areas of the state, from academia, from government and from business.

The mentors will use Gallup’s talent-based development system. While many small business support programs focus on helping start-ups overcome  infrastructure and regulatory hurdles, EAS will focus on developing the individual entrepreneur’s talent. Gallup’s research has indicated that an individual’s own entrepreneurial ability, motivations and attitudes are the most important drivers for a business’s survival and growth.

“We need to focus on the entrepreneur and understand the individual differences that cause successful entrepreneurship,” said Jim Krieger, Gallup chairman and chief financial officer. ”Many times the biggest hurdle to an enterprise’s growth is the individual’s own self-limiting view of his or her strengths and capabilities.”

During the mentorship program, the selected entrepreneurs and their mentors will meet with Gallup for large-group workshops and individually with their mentors. Gallup will follow participating firms for up to two years to gauge the value of the mentorship effort.

“Ultimately our goal is to create a best-practice EAS model right here in Nebraska that can be showcased across the country and world and that quantitatively demonstrates via research that when mentors are unleashed with the right behavioral economic tools and support, good things happen, businesses grow, and jobs are created,” Johnson said.

High-potential entrepreneurs must be nominated to participate in the program. The program’s partners are covering the cost of participation. There are still a few openings remaining in the program. Interested entrepreneurs may contact Todd Johnson at Todd_Johnson@Gallup.com for more information.

Ken Jones Interview from Nebraska Entrepreneur on Vimeo.

Heineman Interview from Nebraska Entrepreneur on Vimeo.

Governor Heineman and University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken are scheduled to address the summit, which is open to the public.  Students and members of the news media are also encouraged to attend.

Other summit highlights will include:

·         Opening presentation by Ken Jones, chairman and CEO of Globe Wireless in San Francisco, on business opportunities in today’s world of technology.  Jones, a 1968 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also founded Automated Call Processing Corp. and Ditech Communications.  He is a member of NU’s Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and a recent recipient of the NU Alumni Association Achievement Award.

·         Business leaders revealing how companies in Nebraska are investing in technology and seeing real returns.

·         Guidance on how businesses can develop collaborative arrangements with other businesses and the academic community to enhance their operations through new technology and research.

·         Presentations by NU researchers on the groundbreaking work being conducted in the fields of agri-business, engineering, energy, nanotechnology, material science, biotechnology, medicine and computer science.

Registration fee is $75, which includes lunch.  To register, call the State Chamber at (402) 474-4422 or e-mail csibley@nechamber.com.

A recent study commissioned by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development found the Cornhusker State is lagging in productivity due to the lack of technology-based development programs.  The report, compiled by the non-profit Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, concluded that Nebraska must address modernization and deployment of technology, while creating stronger links between industry and university researchers in areas such as applied R&D, technology commercialization and talent generation.

“The State Chamber’s technology summit will address the areas in which Nebraska is leading the way, as well as areas in which improvement is necessary,” said Gary Warren, president of Hamilton Telecommunications Service Corps. in Aurora.  Warren is the chairman of the State Chamber’s Innovation and Technology Council.

The State Chamber is Nebraska’s largest business association, representing employers of all sizes, as well as local chambers of commerce and other statewide associations.  The State Chamber has proudly served as the voice of Nebraska’s business community since 1912.

The full report is about 90 pages long, but in brief, it outlines the strengths and weaknesses of Nebraska’s entrepreneurship system, problems facing the state, rankings in various surveys and recommendations to help build up Nebraska’s entrepreneurship systems.

“If a noble goal of Nebraska is to increase the number and diversity of high-wage jobs in the state, then a key area should be on improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” according to the report.

Nebraska’s economic legislation has typically focused on short-term issues, which has left the state at the bottom of the list in many national rankings in entrepreneurship and innovation.

The report outlined the economic strengths and areas that need improvement.

Strengths:

• Nebraska is highly ranked in economic climate conditions, such as lower taxes and costs.

• The state enjoys benefits of lower crime rates and quality education.

• Ease of conducting business.

• High rankings in workforce education and other human capital categories.

Weaknesses:

• Low rankings in business capital and innovation.

• Low rankings in government technology, such as e-government.

• The state is ranked last in the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity for access to capital.

• Nebraska also ranks low in innovation and technological advances.

• The report also lists a concern in “outmigration of young high-skilled workers and the need to attract more technical professions to the state.”

• Many of Nebraska’s programs designed to assist entrepreneurs are localized and are limited as to whom they can help.

According to Dan Hoffman, executive director of Invest Nebraska and one of the contributors to the report, one major area in need of improvement is risk capital and finding businesses that are high-impact (businesses that grow rapidly).

Hoffman said there are numerous examples of successful high-impact businesses throughout the state, such as RockDex. However, he believes there need to be more businesses like this for Nebraska to have a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The report listed 17 recommendations to improve the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The suggestions focused on successful innovations within the state while recognizing a limited state-wide budget, among other things.

Hoffman said positive changes in the entrepreneurial ecosystem will take some time. There are many recommendations outlined in the report, which shows extensive work needs to be done.

“It’s not one thing in particular. For an economic ecosystem, it requires a whole host of different things,” he said. “They’re all ideas and recommendations that on their own, wouldn’t [spur entrepreneurial growth]. They need to be developed in conjunction with one another.”

“We do not do a good job in Nebraska of helping our existing businesses. We have to start talking about our successes and making people aware of them. We also have to make policymakers aware of them.”

Hoffman said Nebraska has the resources and people to utilize those resources, but it’s a matter of making changes that make a better environment for small business growth.

“I firmly believe we have the right people,” Hoffman said. “We just need to create this much better ecosystem in Nebraska.”

To read the entire report, visit Invest Nebraska’s website and click on the link to download a PDF version.

The USDA announced on Oct. 28 that another $10 million guaranteed loan was made to a Nebraska business through ARRA.  The West Plains Company of Alliance became the 11th Nebraska business to receive a guaranteed loan under the program, which was launched in February 2009 and ended with projects submitted before the funding deadline of Sept. 30, 2010. In all, Nebraska businesses received $59.2 million in loan guarantees.

Maxine Moul, Nebraska State Director for USDA Rural Development, said these loan guarantees were vital to Nebraska.

“We experienced a real downturn in lending nationwide and lenders were reluctant to take on the type of risks they had previously,” Moul said. “We were able in some cases to make up to 90 percent loan guarantees which allowed many businesses to stay viable by refinancing or getting working capital.”

The emphasis of the ARRA loan guarantees were projects that would save or create jobs.

At West Plains, the $10 million loan, which originated from Great Western Bank and was backed by a USDA Rural Development guarantee, will mean 10 to 12 new jobs in the Alliance area.  West Plains will use the loan to build a 120-grain car loading facility that will enable the company to ship 10 million bushels of wheat and 3 million bushels of corn annually.  Loan money will also allow West Plains to continue to expand its market by supplying custom wheat blends with varying protein levels.

To qualify for USDA loan guarantees under ARRA, businesses had to be located in rural communities with a population base of 50,000 or less. Priority was given to applications for loans in rural communities of 25,000 or less. Funds could be used for refinancing, to purchase equipment or to provide operating capital, Moul said.

Another Nebraska business, Preferred Sands in Genoa, was recognized as one of the Top 100 Recovery Act Projects.  Preferred Sands, which produces sand products used in oil and gas wells, received a $22 million loan.  The funds were used to refinance real estate and equipment and to help Preferred Sands preserve jobs for 50 employees.  The company has plans to expand and hopes to double its work force in the next two years.

Lenders are glad the ARRA guarantees have allowed them to invest in Nebraska entrepreneurs.

“We are happy to be able to do our part to help get the economy back up and running in places like Genoa, especially when we see the innovation involved in what they are doing here,” said Anthony Casciano,  Senior Vice President of Siemens Financial Services, Inc., which originated the loan for Preferred Sands.

Nebraska businesses are grateful for the timing of the guarantees. Terry Landes, marketing and public relations manager of Prairieland Dairy, said that the company probably would not have been able to get financing without an ARRA loan guarantee.  The U.S. dairy industry has been through two of the worst financial years on record, but a $650,000 loan gave Prairieland needed operating capital and funds to retool the plant and expand its product line.  The company has a plant in Hallam and a farm just outside of Firth.

In western Nebraska, Allo Communications received a $5.7 million loan originated by Adams Bank and Trust of Imperial. Allo, which started business in 2003, offers long-distance and broadband data service in Scottsbluff, Gering, Alliance and Ogallala. The company has constructed more than 75 miles of fiber network to provide FiberPhone, FiberInternet and a new Fiber TV services.  The loan will be used to increase Allo’s infrastructure fiber so that it can expand services primarily to residential customers.

While funding through the ARRA has ended, Moul said there are still many programs available to Nebraska businesses.

“There are always opportunities for entrepreneurs who have innovative ways of delivering goods and services to Nebraskans,” she said. Once Congress approves the federal budget, Moul expects funds to once again be available through the USDA Business and Industry Loan Guarantee program.

There are also grants and loans offered through the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Micro Entrepreneur Assistance Program.  ”This new program will help provide access to capital, business-based training and technical assistance to the smallest of small businesses,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in announcing the micro assistance program in July.

Moul said there is a significant amount of money available to Nebraska entrepreneurs through the Rural Micro Entrepreneur Assistance Program.  Businesses interested in applying for funding should contact Deborah Drbal at Deborah.drbal@ne.usda.gov or (402) 437-5558.

Richard Baier, Director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, talks about entrepreneurship and job building in the state of Nebraska.