Development

Several representatives from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (NDED) visited Sidney this week as they joined city administration on a tour of existing buildings and shovel-ready sites to strategize a plan for attracting new and expanding businesses in the area.

The tour, which took place on Monday and Tuesday and included facilities belonging to Cabela's, CommScope and others, was originally scheduled for the end of March. It was postponed, however, after snowstorms prevented road travel in the Nebraska panhandle region.

Attending from NDED were Business Development Director Dan Curran, Recruitment Director Jason Guernsey, Public Relations Director Kate Ellingson, Governor's Western Representative Starr Lehl, Governor's Central Representative Brittany Hardin and recruitment staff Jacob Knutson, David Bartholomai, Kristine Benson and Deb Eccleston.

Black Hills Energy Economic Development Manager Cheryl Brandenburg and Operations Manager Scott Borders, along with representatives from Adams Industries, also attended the tour.

Local representatives were Sidney City Manager Ed Sadler, Sidney Mayor Mark Neinhueser, Economic Development Director Tina Hochwender, Chamber of Commerce President Denise Wilkinson and Heather Hausmann, executive director for the Cheyenne County Visitors Center.

The visit began Monday with lunch at Buffalo Point Steakhouse in Sidney for an overview of the planned tour sites and initial discussion.

Nienhueser began the discussion thanking all of the representatives for making the journey to Sidney.

"As everybody knows, we have some challenges in front of us here in Sidney, but we're confronting them head-on," Nienhueser said.

Nienhueser said the tour would show the investment that has been made by the community. He said what is going on right now is helping the city "retune and refine our community to what the future holds here."

"It's a bump in the road, and it's just causing us to recalibrate," he said. "One of the things that we've always faced in Sidney is quality housing and workforce. And now, there's going to be a gap in workforce opportunities, and if we can find the right businesses to plug into there, that's what we want to do."

Nienhueser said Sidney wants to be targeted in its approach, because the last thing they want to do is go "broad stroke" with their economic development.

"We don't want to just throw it at the wall and see what sticks," he said. "We want to be very wise with what we do. We only have so many things to offer, and there's no sense in trying to recruit people if we can't fulfill their needs."

Curran, who said he has been with NDED for more than 20 years, said seeing the numbers, while extremely important, is not the same as walking through the buildings themselves.

"When you actually see the building, when you see what's around it, when you the context of the city," he said. "It makes a huge difference, and then you start to think about not just what comes in, but who we can go out to. How do we think about it? How is it complimentary to other businesses here?"

Curran said seeing the investment and understanding the community better really helps NDED's position and its approach to best help Sidney.

"This is a tough town," he said. "I know that you're going through some hard times right now, and the hardest part is just not knowing."

Curran said whatever happens, there will be opportunities.

"Whatever the reason, you guys are going to be here, and you will be strong for a long time," he said. "I can guarantee you that."

Curran said with the investments that Sidney has made in areas such as housing, the city has been "the model community."

"It's one thing to say that you've been the model community because Cabela's is here, but you guys have been the model community because you worked as a community," he said. "There's been a great partnership between economic development and government. You guys work hand-in-hand and you find solutions.

"There are a lot of communities that have a lot of good reasons to start housing projects and never get them done. You guys keep getting it done. It's that kind of a community that, regardless of the situation, always finds itself successful."

The site tour began shortly after 1 p.m., with the group visiting properties owned by Cabela's. The tour's first stop was Cabela's Travel Adventure Guide Service located at 610 Glover Rd. followed by the property at the old Alco site at 638 Illinois St.

The Cabela's properties tours were led by Property Planning Manager Joyelle Kennedy, who gave history, square footage and current use information to the group, as well as answered questions.

Kennedy said the properties were still occupied and in use, and would remain so until they are sold.

"That was a promise and a commitment that we made to the community," she said. "To not leave the buildings we have unused. You guys asked when we will unload people (from the sites). Well, we will when we have to.

"We do have spaces for them to go to, but we don't want to leave any of the properties empty."

Kennedy said the properties are ideal for retailers to come in and "fill some niches that we have to drive an hour-and-a-half to Cheyenne or an hour north to Scottsbluff" to get those services.

"Cabela's alone pulls a lot of people off the interstate, but there's a lot of things going on in this community, too," she said.

Another on-site tour was conducted Monday at Anderson Forest Products located at 232 Greenwood Rd. led by manager Randy Jenson.

The tour also drove by several sites around Sidney on Monday, including Industrial Park, the new and old Sidney Regional Medical Center locations, Western Nebraska Community College, Source Gas and the county fairgrounds.

Following Monday's site tours, the group went back to their hotel rooms and reconvened later at Dude's Steakhouse to discuss the day.

Tuesday's site visits included CommScope property at 1 Greenwood Rd. and Adams Industries property at 1655 Industrial Ave.