After Omaha visit, Winnecke feels Evansville on right track

OMAHA, Neb. — In choosing Omaha as a place to tour, listen and learn, Evansville officials cited the Nebraska city’s growth, business variety and special events. They said in some ways, Omaha is a place Evansville aspires to be.

While the Evansville region’s population has been stagnant several years, Omaha’s has soared. Its Metropolitan Statistical Area was under 800,000 in 2000. Today, it’s approaching 1 million.

While in Omaha, a Southwest Indiana Chamber delegation heard presentations on community branding, public health initiatives, fostering entrepreneurs, young professionals in leadership and the importance of diversity.

The group heard about the value of working with nearby communities across state lines, and not against them. Council Bluffs, Iowa, is to Omaha what Henderson, Kentucky, is to Evansville.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and others flew out of Nebraska believing the Evansville region is following Omaha’s road map.

“I’m really affirmed because we are doing a lot of the things we heard,” Winnecke said. “Sometimes on a smaller scale, many times on a different timeframe than what is underway in (Omaha). But I haven’t heard anything where I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we haven’t thought of that; no one’s in that space.’

“I feel good that we picked a region that is enjoying great success, and we’re doing or are about to do in some fashion all the things we heard about.”

Omaha has one asset Evansville does not — a preponderance of billionaires, most notably life-long resident Warren Buffett — whose philanthropy has boosted many projects in the area.

Corporate largesse is behind a planned riverfront development, and it boosted the recent construction of sports and entertainment venues. Omaha government still played a role in those things, but philanthropy made them easier.

Despite all its private giving, Omaha still has its share of needs.

Omaha officials spoke often about diversity but acknowledged they still have catching up to do on issues of race, ethnicity and sexual preference.

When an Omaha World-Herald columnist asked last year what residents dislike the most about their city, some complained about a lack of progress on race and diversity. (“Bad drivers,” however, finished highest on the columnist’s informal survey).

Omaha residents also cited ongoing battles with crime and a need for better public transit. Community leaders are considering a streetcar project.

Evansville officials said Omaha has done a good job capitalizing on its many strengths — such as its stranglehold on hosting the College World Series, its location in the middle of the country and its diverse economic base.

Omaha’s economy was strong enough to shake off the departure of Conagra Brands’ corporate headquarters to Chicago four years ago. To soften the blow, Omaha officials in 2017 landed a tech company called Toast, which develops innovations in restaurant bill-paying.

Toast employs 230 in Omaha, and Conagra Brands maintains a scaled-back presence in the city.

“They took that valuable talent and used it to recruit other businesses,” Southwest Indiana Chamber CEO Tara Barney said of Omaha. “That’s a great lesson for us. Whirlpool’s closing was a big change. But we continue to bring a strong economic base. Changes are going to happen, but it’s our job to make sure we’re always a great location, we value the businesses that are here and we adjust.”

Winnecke said Evansville, like Omaha, wants to take advantage of opportunities to improve the community.

“The plastics industry continues to grow in Evansville because we’re recognized as a leader in it,” he said. “We’re doing a good job playing to our strengths. Tech start-ups at Innovation Pointe love the atmosphere our community has created around entrepreneurs. I think we’ve laid a nice foundation.”

“Our region is like a lot of others that have the same issues,” Winnecke said. “We heard obesity and mental health. What I took from that is we’re not alone. There is no silver bullet. You need collaboration in all these spaces, but that is one where collaboration is really paramount.”

Evansville officials heard Omaha discuss the success of their "We Don't Coast" branding campaign, which conveys a message of a community not resting on its laurels. And, of course, Omaha is nowhere near any "coast."

Winnecke said he's still a believer in Evansville's "E is for Everyone" branding, even though there has been some community criticism of it.

"I still think it’s too early to tweak the message," Winnecke said. "The beautiful thing about 'E is for Everyone' is that there is a big aspirational element to it. But what a wonderful platform to start difficult discussions. In some cases, we’ve won people over because they didn’t know what was going on in different issues. In some cases, after someone learned what was going on in the broader community, they are now an advocate. That isn’t always the case. But as long as it starts a platform for discussion and growth, I think it’s a good thing.

"Does it need to be tweaked at some point, who knows? But the basic E is for Everyone concept is a bold one. Most communities don’t brand themselves in that bold a way."

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