Relationship Building Focus of Greater Omaha Chamber’s Silicon Valley Visit

Tech trailblazers Google, Paypal and Yahoo! have already built bridges, extending operations from Silicon Valley to our own Silicon Prairie. The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (www.omahachamber.org) recently sent a delegation westward to encourage other innovators to follow suit.

“These visits are a way to build relationships at a corporate level and update companies on the programs and services that we can assist with as well as what has been happening throughout the region,” said Randy Thelen, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Economic Development.

During the five days spent in Silicon Valley (Nov. 9 – 13), the team visited a total of 13 companies. Its agenda included:

Strengthening relationships with companies that have a presence in Omaha but are headquartered elsewhere.

Reaching out to – and potentially attracting – companies that are not located or operating in the Omaha region.

Visiting with venture capital companies to educate them on the flourishing start-up environment Omaha has created.

In addition to Hazlewood, Thelen and other Partnership staff, trip participants included Chamber President and CEO David G. Brown, Mayor Jean Stothert and two Omaha-area business leaders: Tim O’Brien of Omaha Public Power District and Tim Kerrigan of Investors Realty. O’Brien says Chamber-led trips like these – that include business, community, and economic development leaders – are essential for sustained growth in the region.