Nebraska, in April. Vireo Resources processes and packages
human nutritional products and animal healthcare products
developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
“I am grateful to the Department of Economic Development that worked with me for two years to find the right
place,” said Mark Faulkner, Vireo Resources president. “
Without their assistance, locating this plant in Nebraska wouldn’t
have happened.”
UNeMed licensed product technology in 2007 to Vireo Systems, Inc., of Madison, Tennessee, Vireo Resources’ parent company that makes raw materials for creams and powders to manufacture products for retail distribution and sale. The company’s
newest 2,000-square-foot facility will offer climate-controlled
storage for warehousing, order fulfillment, and distribution to
serve Vireo Resource customers who require shipping to various
domestic and international locations.
Manufacturing also continues to grow in Nebraska, growing
7. 4 percent from 2001 to 2006. The state’s number-one manufacturing sector is food products, recording $1,918 million GDP
in 2004 with total sales of over $16.56 billion in 2002. The
state’s ability to exceed new and expanding manufacturers’
needs has led to a strong, growing base of manufacturers
employing 101,400 in all manufacturing sectors (in December
2007) and paying average annual wages of $38,349 (2007) —
about $4,500 more per year than the state’s overall average
annual wages.
The Nebraska Customized Job Training Advantage provides
a flexible discretionary job training program with $800 to $4,000
grants per qualified new job. For example, PayFlex Systems
USA, Inc., a national third-party administrator providing benefits
administration for more than 6,000 employers, recently contracted for $337,500 for 100 new hires and 50 current PayFlex
employees in the company’s home office in Omaha. Additional
Customized Job Training Advantage funds also may be available
for new jobs created in rural and high poverty areas.
The aforementioned industries dovetail with another of
Nebraska’s targeted industries: transportation, warehousing, and
distribution logistics, providing companies with the total start-to-finish package: abundant raw food products; outstanding state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities; and quick, smooth, and efficient shipping of finished products worldwide.
Nebraska is not only an exceptional location for businesses,
but it consistently ranks among the best in a host of categories
— doing business, quality of life, healthcare, and education,
among others.
Nebraska ranks second in:
• fairness of its litigation environment by the Institute for
Legal Reform, 2008 U.S. Chamber of Commerce State Liability
Systems Ranking Study;
• most improved in total biomass electricity and total wind
energy generated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
State of the States 2008: Renewable Energy Development and
the Role of Policy; and
• total capacity of ethanol production by Ethanol Producer
magazine.
It ranks third in employment per population ratio for populations of 16-plus years of age by the 2008 U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The state also earned respectable fourths in best state
for jobs by CareerBuilder.com in 2008 and lowest cost of doing
business by the Milken Institute, 2007 Cost-of-Doing Business
Index. Finally, Nebraska earned a designation among the top 10
best states for business by Forbes magazine, 2008.
Experience the Nebraska Business Advantage.
Cheryl Brandenburgh
Recruitment Manager
Nebraska Department of Economic Development
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94666
Lincoln, NE 68509-4666
Phone: 402.471.3789
Fax: 402.471.3365
E-mail: cheryl.brandenburgh@nebraska.gov
www.NebraskaAdvantage.biz
