Greater Omaha-Council Bluffs Repeats as #1 in Top Metros, Nebraska Wins Governor’s Cup

The Greater Omaha Chamber is cheering a repeat win with regional implications. For the second year in a row – and the third time since 2014 – Site Selection magazine (SiteSelection.com) has ranked Omaha-Council Bluffs the No. 1 Tier-2 metro area (population between 200,000 – 1 million) for new and expanded corporate projects.

A 60+-year-old national publication, Site Selection magazine is a recognized leader in reporting on corporate real estate strategy and area economic development. David G. Brown, Chamber president and CEO, said the key to award-winning economic development is regional collaboration. The Chamber helms the Greater Omaha Chamber Economic Development Partnership, an eight-county economic development program dedicated to creating jobs and encouraging capital investment throughout southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

Prominent economic development projects announced in Omaha-Council Bluffs in 2016 – contributing to more than $612,000,000 in new capital investment – included: HDR, Inc. – Construction of a 10-story corporate headquarters in Aksarben Village; Tyson Fresh Meats, a Tyson Foods subsidiary – A $27-million production facility expansion in Council Bluffs; Thrasher, Inc. – Construction of a new $35-million headquarters in Papillion; Structural Component Systems, Inc. – The addition of 30 jobs and an investment of $3-million in a long-term lease and new equipment.

To add to the accolades, Site Selection also named the state of Nebraska the winner of its prestigious Governor’s Cup, an award given for the most qualifying new and expanded facilities per capita.