Small Business and Community Roundtables Recap

While votes are still being counted and recounted, there are other things we must focus on as well – like getting our economy back on track. Through the use of tools like Zoom, I am able to meet with Nebraskans about our economy without skipping a beat.

Many of my meetings center on our local economy. I enjoy hearing and speaking with organizations such as Hayes County Economic Development and Chambers of Commerce for North Platte, Dundy, and the State of Nebraska. In addition, it was great to hear from the Nebraska Farm Bureau about the harvest concluding successfully. Each meeting brings a different perspective and new ideas.

This week, I hosted a series of Small Business & Community Roundtables to talk with small business owners directly. In each session, special guests, including hospitals CEOs, Third District entrepreneurs, economic development leaders, and local, state, and administration officials, shared effective approaches to grow and strengthen small businesses during the pandemic. A consensus view of the sessions was safely keeping our economy going and adapting to the current environment while taking steps to fight the virus.

I particularly appreciated hearing from panelists like Janell Anderson Ehrke, of GROW Nebraska, about the focus they have put on helping more businesses "go digital" by creating a web presence to market and sell their products online as COVID has accelerated existing online selling trends. In the face of the challenges such as reduced foot traffic and less demand for certain products, Nebraskans have been hard at work finding solutions. Andrew Vrbas, Co-founder of Hastings-based Pacha Soap, saw the pandemic and its shutdowns as a major obstacle to his wholesale and retail business. Pacha Soap then pivoted to making hand sanitizer and other products they will now sell long-term.

Despite disruptions to travel, we should not lose sight of the importance of exporting Nebraska products to consumers around the world as well. In the final session of my roundtable series we heard from Ted McKinney, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Services, about the importance of international trade during this time. By expanding opportunities, we can improve our economy by selling great Nebraska products to new markets. The administration has been in overdrive on trade since its existence and we have seen unprecedented results. By keeping this pace, we will be able to exceed all expectations and recover the economy we were seeing before COVID. Online meeting technology can also improve our ability to sell internationally more efficiently.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the unique points of view from each of the panelists during the roundtables, and the feedback we got from those watching the sessions. Although we have important issues we are dealing with as a nation, it is our small businesses and communities who move us forward. Thank you to everyone who participated and I look forward to hearing from you again soon!

To view a recording of any sessions from this week, please visit my YouTube Channel here.