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Nature's Rural Retreat is a real treat for hunters and nature lovers

Are you among those of us who over-commit our time and over-schedule our calendar? A wholesome remedy awaits you at Nature's Rural Retreat in the dramatic loess canyons south of Eustis, Nebraska.more...

Passion for cloth diapers creates tidy business opportunity for Cambridge couple

A cloth diaper movement has existed for a number of years, and when a young mother on a farm near Holbrook was troubled with diaper rash on her young son, she wanted to try cloth diapers — but there were none to be had in rural Nebraska. more about Country Drawers...

Ecotourism offers interesting new opportunities for rural entrepreneurs

Although there are many reasons tourists may come to Nebraska, two prime drivers of the modern ecotourism movement in Nebraska are the annual bird migrations through the Central Flyway and the cowboy and old West culture that lives on in many of our farm and ranch operations. more about Ecotourism...

Subsurface irrigation grows in response to drought

Colby Gardine of Eco-Drip Irrigation Systems in Hastings takes a look at one kind of irrigation technology that’s gaining interest among Nebraska’s producers of big-field crops. more about Eco-Drip Irrigation...

Energy Pioneer rolls out community-based energy assessment and savings strategy

A company that performs an energy assessment on your home or business isn’t a new idea. But Energy Pioneer Solutions, based in Hastings, has expanded that concept more about Energy Pioneer...

Tech Center Help Desk keeps high-tech machinery working for farmers

The technology in modern farm equipment would have astonished our grandfathers. But as with any technology, glitches in the system are bound to crop up from time. more about Plains Equipment Group...

Bee Biz Inc. is a honey of a business for Oxford entrepreneur

When you think of agriculture in Nebraska, you may think of cattle and corn. However, an Oxford man has found his niche raising a smaller animal and a product you can't see in rows or grazing in fields while driving through the state. more about Bee Biz Inc...

Lone Wolf is making the best of the wurst in Eustis

Sausage making has a long and distinguished history but no country has a greater tradition of it than the Germans. So it’s no wonder that when families like William Wolf’s emigrated from Germany to America in the 1880s, they brought their art — and their sausage recipes — with them.more about Lone Wolf Wurst Meats...

SCORR Marketing is doing big-city ad work in central Nebraska

As a rule, advertising agencies of any size are found almost exclusively in larger urban areas — that’s where the clients generally are. more about SCORR Marketing...

Sargent’s EarthJunk is well known to quality furniture buyers nationwide

The story of EarthJunk is the story of John and Cindee Maddix, antique experts with a deep appreciation of American furniture, only a “modest case of ‘keep-it is’”, and a love for Nebraska small towns. more about EarthJunk...

Marinas fill the bill for boaters, campers, anglers on both sides of Harlan County Lake

A marina is kind of like a convenience store, but instead of the gas pumps being out front, they’re down on the dock, and there might well be live bait for sale next to the ice machine.more about Harlan Lake Marinas...

Calamus Outfitters demonstrates the potential of ecotourism in Nebraska

The story of Sara Sortum and her brother Adam Switzer is not unlike that of many Nebraskans who grow up in the freedom and sunshine of a ranch or farm and then find something missing in their adult lives. more about Calamus Outfitters...

Wauneta Roller Mill's new young owners will retain old-time milling methods

Prospective buyers from many parts of the United States came to look at the last small flour mill still in operation in Nebraska, so it was a big surprise when the eventual purchasers of the mill turned out to be a young couple from Wauneta, Nebraska, the very town where the mill is located. more about Wauneta Roller Mill...

Nebraska Star Beef is a 'cut above' in the beef market

Rare, medium or well-done? How do you prefer your steak? Beyond the temperature of the meat on the grill, what other information is important to you?more about Nebraska Star Beef...

Resurgence in McCook's downtown points to new vibrancy for rural America

Writer Gene Morris says that on Saturday nights or around special occasions like a show at the Fox Theatre or a concert at the Bieroc Cafe, it's hard to find a place to park McCook's main business thoroughfare. more about Downtown McCook...

One Good Adguy

Phil Soreide has found rejuvenation and inspiration in small-town Nebraska where he incorporates big-town experience and ideas into his one-man ad agency.
more about One Good Adguy...

"Distributed workforce" job completes puzzle for Curtis entrepreneur

Like many talented, creative, technically-educated people in the 1990s, Bob Willis was drawn into the tech startup boom.
more about Bob Willis...

Producing trophy bucks is goal of Oxford entrepreneur

Nothing thrills a deer hunter more than a trophy buck with a massive rack of thick, sturdy antlers. But when winters are hard and feed is scarce, nutrition is compromised and bucks grow undersized antlers while does give birth to weak, undernourished fawns in the spring.
more about Double Lung Outdoors...

Success of Three Brothers Winery keeps Farnam couple busy

What started out as a straightforward retirement strategy to grow grapes for Nebraska’s expanding wine industry grew into quite a different operation for Gary and Ricky Sue Wach.
more about Three Brothers Vineyard and Winery...

‘Da Brick’ is at the heart of Benkelman’s revitalization plans

From the outside, the old brick building at 521 Chief Street is impressive to behold, rising three stories high and occupying a central position in Benkelman, Nebraska's downtown business district.
more about 'Da Brick'...

Career satisfaction, family values find a balance point in Holdrege

Just because you live in a small town on a broad, quiet street where the neighbors all know each other and your kids can walk to school doesn’t mean you can’t also handle global responsibilities for one of the world’s leading research and consulting companies.
more about 'Chelle Ham...

Rural Nebraska is growing a fresh crop of entrepreneurs

Anyone in rural economic development will tell you that entrepreneurs are one of the biggest drivers of economic success and vital for the future of rural America. Two separate stories crossed our desk recently with different takes on ways to inspire and train tomorrow's business owners. We were greatly encouraged and hope you will be as well.
read more...

Frontier Partners offers a full (home on the) range of business services

Holly Hornung Remund, founder and co-owner of Frontier Partners, admits that “40% of the time I end up on a horse sometime during the day.” That may not surprise you if you knew Holly lived on a ranch near Arnold, Nebraska...
more about Frontier Partners...

Playing in the dirt is profitable enterprise for Kearney laboratory

For Ray Ward, a day at the office is a day spent playing in the dirt. Ward, 73, is the owner of Ward Laboratories, a high-tech soil, water and feed testing business based in Kearney. The company started in 1983 when Ward moved to Kearney...
more about Ward Laboratories...

‘At first sight, I fell in love with goats’ says Overton entrepreneur

A herd of goats, a dairy and a cheese-making business were never in Chane Bidwell’s career plans. Chane is a builder by trade, and for twenty years, his company built luxury custom homes and even custom furniture around Fort Collins, Colorado.
more about Bidwells Goat Farm...

Small town store goes way beyond just groceries

Countryside Market owners, Brenda and Jerry Johnson manage a fully stocked grocery store that features fresh, local products and a variety of food products made in Nebraska in addition to standard fare.
more about Countryside Market...

Holen Horse’n Home Stay aims to preserve a bit of Nebraska‘s past

The Like rural homes throughout Middle America, the Brenstrom Farm in Phelps County, Nebraska was fading into obscurity. Untended and unoccupied, the one-time country showplace was in need of paint, roof repairs and — most of all — a reason for being.
more about Holen Horse’n Home Stay...

Hawkins Manufacturing carves out a niche in the ag industry

The specialized tools used by farmers are a little baffling to the rest of us. What in the world is a “crust breaker” or a “row crop ditcher” or a “corn reel”? Why would someone need a “bale flipper”? more about the Hawkins Manufacturing...

Earth Science Laboratories

Coke has a “secret ingredient”, McDonald’s has a “special sauce”, and KFC has a “special recipe” that they share with no one and that gives them a leg up on competitors. They've got nothing on Earth Science Laboratories.
more about Earth Science Laboratories...

Guardian Angels Life Services, Inc.

Shelly Wieland and her friend Kristy Kennedy started Guardian Angel Life Services, Inc. (GALS, Inc.) in Kennesaw, a town of 800 in south central Nebraska, because it’s a business that can be conducted almost entirely by phone and internet.
more about Guardian Angels Life Services, Inc...

MMI International

Feeding cattle isn’t as simple as it once was. A major driver in the state’s economy, Nebraska feedlots comprised some 4.4 million cattle on feed in October, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
more about MMI International...

Coppermill Restaurant

The secret of truly succulent steaks, according to Adam Siegfried, who took over ownership of McCook’s famous Coppermill Restaurant last May, is top-quality beef aged to perfection.
more about Coppermill Restaurant...

Oxford Locker

Oxford Locker was one of the first rural business success stories covered in the early days of Nebraska Rural Living, but a recent expansion and enthusiastic customer reports about it brought us back to find out what owner Carl Kramer has been up to lately. A lot, as it turns out.
more about Oxford Locker...

Database Solutions

Owning a business in rural America may not be as easy as it once was, but Steve Shaner, President of Database Solutions, has found that it doesn’t matter where you live, but how you run your business that makes a difference — especially in today’s computer industry.
more about Database Solutions...

Allmand Bros.

This is not an easy time to be a manufacturer in America — and especially not in rural Nebraska. But the Allmand Brothers story is about bucking the trend. Using the latest manufacturing techniques and innovative designs, the Holdrege manufacturer is coming back strong from the recession and staying competitive even in overseas markets.
more about Allmand Bros...

Schwarz Farms

Tom Schwarz believes that farming the organic way is definitely more of a challenge but may also be a bit more fun than conventional farming.
more about Schwarz Farms...

Hot Rocket Fireworks

Hot Rocket Fireworks Owner Craig Hamre describes himself as a fireworks fanatic. As a kid, he was the one saving money all year long to buy fireworks...
more about Hot Rocket Fireworks...

Besler Industries

Whether it's a cotton farmer in Georgia, a rancher in Montana or a corn farmer just down the road in Nebraska, the products of Besler Industries, Inc. of Cambridge are making a difference in American agriculture.
more about Besler Industries...

Turkey Creek Game Farm

With the spring Turkey season well underway, Bob Barr wants to make sure other people — especially kids — have access to what he remembers from his own youth as "some of the best of the good life Nebraska has offer."
more about Turkey Creek Game Farm...

Family finds diversification is key to making a living on 160 acres

Raising healthy and responsible children while leading community projects, starting new businesses and managing a family farm require megawatts of physical energy plus the imagination of a Disney World executive, the skills of a plant biologist, veterinarian, business and marketing specialist, mechanic and nutritionist — at least the way Leah tenBensel and her husband Eric go about it. more about the Prairie Sunset Farm...

 

Home-schooled kids learn entrepreneurship along with 3 Rs

Talk about a well-rounded education. Janita and Tim Pavelka home-school their children in more than reading, writing, math and history. Janita, an entrepreneur herself with classes in an innovative method of piano instruction, teaches her children about entrepreneurship - and boy do they take it to heart. more about the Pavelka siblings...

Telecommuting combines the best of both worlds for many rural workers

Eileen and Rod Golus moved to Phelps County in June after researching areas with Internet connectivity options. Their new home is halfway between Rod's parents in Loup City and Eileen's parents in McCook, so their two young boys get to see a lot more of their grandparents. more about Telecommuting...

Cozad trainer proves a well-trained retriever is a beautiful thing

True communication between man and animals is a rare and wonderful thing to watch. Most of us are satisfied if we can teach Fido to come when called, fetch a ball and not pee in the house, but some people have a much deeper sense of what really communicating with another species means. more about Bar Ten Kennels...

Kaufman Trailer expansion is economic bright spot in Beaver City

In a town of 640 people in the middle of America and in the middle of the worst economic downturn in decades, a trailer manufacturing company is in the midst of a major expansion project, more than tripling the size of its production and storage facilities. more about Kaufman Trailers...

South Central Diesel, Inc.

Today's diesel engines provide 20-to-40-percent better fuel economy and offer more torque at lower rpm when compared to their gasoline counterparts. Diesel engines are cleaner than ever before, and in the next few years the diesel industry will virtually eliminate key emissions associated with on- and off-road diesel equipment. more about South Central Diesel, Inc...

D & F Service & Speed

Sprint car racing is one of those sports that’s a little hard to imagine until you have experienced it. What it is, in essence, is twenty smallish open-wheeled roadsters powered by engines putting out 800+ horsepower, racing wheel-to-wheel at speeds up to 150 mph on short oval, often dirt, tracks.more about D & F Service & Speed...

Steve Lytle, Fishing Guide

Steve Lytle's work day starts before sunup and lasts past sundown. And, during spring and summer months, he's often on the job seven days a week. It's intense work and it can be exhausting, but Lytle isn't complaining because he doing precisely what he loves to do: helping clients land trophy fish.more about Steve Lytle...

The Rose Grove

To the casual observer, Benkelman might seem a little rough around the edges, a true reflection of it’s High Plains location and frontier heritage. But walk into the Rose Grove in Benkelman and you immediately know you are in for a unique — and very refined — shopping experience. more about The Rose Grove...

The Bridal Isle

Tucked behind a pink storefront on the main street of Loomis is a gem of a store that draws brides-to-be from across Nebraska … and beyond. The Bridal Isle celebrated 25 years in January, following the advice of founder Marie Thorell, who thought that all brides should be treated like queens for the day.
more about The Bridal Isle...

Oasis Gardens

A relationship that sprouted on a plant website bloomed into a marriage and thriving greenhouse partnership for Bill and Monica Harris of Loomis.
more about Oasis Gardens...

The Drawer, Consignment Shop

The declining economy, fluctuating gas prices and rising environmental awareness have created the perfect storm — in a good way — where consignment stores like Denice Swanson’s shop, The Drawer, in Holdrege, can seize new opportunities and thrive.
more about The Drawer...

Sky Prosthetics

As a skilled maker of orthotic and prosthetic devices, Ben Blecha had a decision to make: Should he live and work for a major company in a large metropolitan area — such as Chicago, Kansas City or Denver — or should he move back to his hometown of 1,000 population in the middle of America?
more about Sky Prosthetics...

Kermit Wilke, Classic Car Restorations

Kermit Wilke is an example of what happens when a hobby gets out of hand. Growing up on a farm, Wilke always had old cars and machinery around to tinker with. When he was about 14, he says he started playing with the Model Ts still around his folks’ farm, taking them apart to see how they worked.
more about Kermit Wilke...

The Balcony House

Sometimes you need to just get away together. You aren’t looking for glitter and flash, you’re looking for snuggle and cuddle; you don’t need a floor show, you’ve got each other and a book. What you’re really seeking is an oasis in time; a place to just “be” for awhile and let your batteries recharge.
more about The Balcony House...

Knowlen & Yates

You, as a shopper, know the feeling. It happens rarely; but it happens. It is the sense of wonder and adventure that takes place when you discover a really special store. A high-end kitchenware store in McCook, Nebraska has been bringing raves of praise throughout the 10 years of its existence.
more about Knowlen & Yates...

Beaver Buckets

Be forewarned: The story that follows may entice you to into giving up your corporate job and joining the ranks of entrepreneurs who live contented lives in rural Nebraska. Jim and Marilyn Gaster work, manage their business and dwell in a hand-built, rambling log house nestled in a hidden paradise with spectacular views of the canyons south of Indianola.
more about Beaver Buckets...

Pleasant Valley Fish Farm

The Pleasant Valley Fish Farm is located less than a mile from where U.S. Highway 83 enters Frontier County, Nebraska. But you would never know it. The well-developed fish farm — with 51 ponds and annual sales of more than a quarter-million fish — is secluded from public view, nestled among the trees, foliage and farmland which surround Red Willow Creek.
more about Pleasant Valley Fish Farm...

Choquette’s Produce

Just because we don’t live in California doesn’t mean we don’t have nuts. And just because we don’t live in Washington doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy fresh, locally-produced apples when October rolls around. Edwin and Pat Choquette grow nine varieties of eating and cooking apples in their orchard 22 miles south of Minden.
more about Choquette’s Produce...

Lakeshore Marina

You never know how things are going to work out. Take the case of Dan and Karen Finken. After busy, successful careers in Omaha as a bank president and marketing firm vice-president respectively, they planned to retire to a house on lovely Johnson Lake and enjoy a leisurely life of travel, boating, fishing and time with their family.
more about Lakeshore Marina...

Blue Valley Aquaculture

On a steamy summer day at Blue Valley Aquaculture in Sutton, Nebraska, thousands of silver steelhead trout dart into long columns of splashing, cold water and visitors feel a refreshing rush of cool, oxygenated air. The bubbling, rushing water and silvery glints of teeming fish represent an extraordinary transition – physically and culturally – from a hog confinement operation to a fish farm.
more about Blue Valley Aquaculture...

Andrew’s Gardens

Andrew Erickson grew up on a 1400-acre farm in Phelps County. While his dad planted corn and soybeans and raised pigs, Andrew’s mother planted vegetables and flowers. Andrew says, “From my earliest memories, I liked planting, caring for and harvesting vegetables.”
more about Andrew's Gardens...

Burns Podiatric Laboratory

There's a reason foot doctors in all 50 states turn to Burns Lab in McCook, Neb. for individually designed foot braces for their patients. "We've built a reputation," says Mary Thorson, general manager of the Burns Podiatric Laboratory. "We produce the best quality orthotics in the United States."
more about Burns Podiatric Laboratory...

Robert’s Seed Inc.

For decades now, the trend in agriculture has been toward consolidation of acreage, larger and larger machinery, and fewer and fewer people on the land. In the face of this mega-competition, smaller, family-owned farms are at a competitive disadvantage. Most have a harder time making ends meet with each passing year.
more about Robert's Seed Inc....

Golight, Inc.

From a countryside location near Culbertson, Neb., a remote control searchlight company serves customers throughout the world. The company, Golight, Inc., was born 14 years ago on the Hayes County, Neb. ranchland of Jerry Gohl. Now that business — which started with one product and one employee — has an array of remote control searchlight products which are marketed in all 50 states and more than 70 nations worldwide.
more about Golight, Inc...

Royal Engineered Composites

Picture a military aircraft just a couple of clicks from what you’d see in a Star Wars movie or an advanced communications satellite rocketing into space. These are some of the most advanced technologies in the world today – mind-boggling complex structures of the highest-technology materials, in which every component down to the tiniest rivet has been engineered to the nth degree. That's the kind of work they do at Royal Engineered Composites in Minden.
more about Royal Engineered Composites...

Cambridge Bed & Breakfast

Timeless and grand, the historic Cambridge Bed and Breakfast was built around the turn of the Century by Cambridge’s first mayor, founder of the bank as well as a retail emporium called the Regulator, a tireless real estate speculator, town booster and extraordinary pioneer in every sense of the word.
more about Cambridge Bed & Breakfast...

Weatherman turned Newspaperman

This is a story about flexibility and optimism and plain, old-fashioned gumption. Meet award-winning journalist and entrepreneur, Jason Frederick, who started out his working life as a weatherman but — isn’t life great? — now publishes and manages three weekly newspapers with his wife in the rural Nebraska that he loves.
more about Jason Fredericks...

Trenton Ethanol Plant

Most business experts agree that entrepreneurs are found in only a small fraction of the population, yet they can have an outsized impact because they pioneer change and create wealth. Discovering one entrepreneur in a community may be akin to finding gold in the nearby hills.
more about Trenton Ethanol Plant...

Kat's Korner Market and Korner Café

More than one visitor has seen trains a mile long stopped along U.S. Highways 6 and 34 in Axtell, then noticed the crew scurrying back to the train carrying plates of hot, homemade food. Did they stop for lunch in Axtell? Can trains do that? Kathy Johnson, owner of Katz Market and Korner Café in Axtell smiles when she hears the story.
more about Kat's Korner Market and Korner Café...

Olsson's Associates

It is 1956 and fortune’s face is smiling on rural Nebraska — grain prices are up, irrigated acres are showing a profit and rural citizens are feeling prosperous. Community improvement projects that were put aside get underway. John E. Olsson, an engineer working in Lincoln, NE, recognizes a market opportunity and starts an engineering firm.
more about Olsson's Associates...

Nebraska Adoption Services

The impact of coinciding life events among three colleagues inspired them to start an entrepreneurial business in rural Nebraska. And despite their widely-separated geography, it seems to be working. Nancy Morris, Barbara Swanson and Michelle Warner met early in their social work careers, and through the years their work intertwined, friendships developed, and they discovered a mutual interest in interracial and international adoptions.
more about Nebraska Adoption Services...

Dancing Leaf Lodge Bed & Breakfast

Jan Hosick and her husband Les had idyllic childhoods growing up in the area not far from where they currently live along Medicine Creek in southwest Nebraska. “Like all the kids in the area, we spent our days digging holes, climbing trees, making forts and running up and down the creek banks,” says Jan. “We still spend our days pretty much that same way.”
more about Dancing Leaf Lodge Bed & Breakfast...

Kramer's Hardware and Steamer's Lunch Counter

A true entrepreneur is always looking for a marketing opportunity, and they often put things together in unique ways. For example, one day Oxford’s Karl Kramer realized: He had unused space in his own hardware store, he had popular brats, burgers, brisket and ham available from his own butcher shop, the Oxford Locker...
more about Kramer's Hardware and Steamer's Lunch Counter...

Der Deutsche Market

This is the story of how a Nebraska town with a German heritage wanted a place to buy German folk carvings, German crystal, German sausage and other German treasures, and how they took the bull by the horns and made it happen.
more about Der Deutsche Market...

Kayakjak

Love of fishing and kayaks helps Benkelman man get a new business afloat. If success in starting your own business stems from doing what you love to do, Marty Hughes should be an entrepreneurial poster child.
more about Kayakjak...

Mid-Nebraska Individual Services

Rarely does one find honest-to-goodness entrepreneurial business people in the non-profit sector of the economy, but Mid-Nebraska Individual Services Area Manager Lori Erickson proves you can do good and still do well.
more about Mid-Nebraska Individual Services...

Grayson Tool Co.

Although a machinist by trade, Al Lux is a creative kind of guy. His creative bent led him to design and develop a whole series of predator calls – designed to attract coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions, among others.
more about Grayson Tool Co...

Great Nebraska Hunting

“If a hunter is looking for an old fashioned hunting experience – the way it used to be, the type of hunt your parents and grandparents talk about – we are the destination of choice,”says Arlo Schurr. Schurr and his father LaRaye and their families manage 4,000 acres of habitat near Eustis, Nebraska, and provide hunting privileges for pheasant, quail, turkey, Nebraska mule deer and whitetail deer, rabbit, and coyote from September through March.
more about Great Nebraska Hunting...

Eustis Auto Body

Close your eyes and visualize a thirteen-year-old boy paging through Hot Rod magazine in a hot Nebraska summer 30-odd years ago. As he flips the pages, he dreams of driving his own lustrous, high-powered road rocket.
more about Eustis Auto Body...

Joe Camera

“Gather together with thankful hearts and good things happen over coffee,” says a printed sign in Joe Camera Coffee House and Film Lab in Alma. Photography supplies and one-hour film processing may draw customers into Joe Camera, but they often sit down and order a rich coffee drink, a tea or a frosty drink and a cinnamon roll and sit down to listen to a story, tell a story or meet a friend in the community.  Joe Camera is unique...and just the kind of place to make it happen.
more about Joe Camera...

The Village Piemaker

If you think a rural Nebraska town can’t be headquarters for a global packaged food enterprise, you’d be wrong. As president of The Village Piemaker, Judith Odgen makes, packages, freezes and delivers 15 different frozen, ready-to-bake pies to markets across the globe from a restored slate green tile-and-brick dairy building on the main street in Eustis, Nebraska. She has some 350 steady accounts, five bakers, a sales representative and ambitious plans for growth.
more about The Village Piemaker...

Gourmet House

“Welcome” is printed in both Chinese calligraphy and English and spoken with a smile to greet customers who enter Adam and Cora Chen’s immaculate Chinese restaurant in Holdrege, Nebraska.
more about Gourmet House...

Phelps County Development Corp.
Just The Place NebraskaCity of Holdrege Building, 502 East Avenue, Second Floor
PO Box 522
Holdrege NE 68949-0522
(308) 995-4148
Fax (308) 995-4158
www.justtheplacenebraska.com

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