Meet Liz Kirchgatter, the franchise owner at LandJet Omaha LLC (www.landjet.com/Omaha).
Tell us a little about your business. – LandJet Omaha is a franchise of LandJet. The Headquarters is in the Quad Cities and there is a location in Kansas City as well. We provide private chauffeured travel in the Midwest region. We are a mobile office. Anything you can do in your office, you can do in a LandJet. We provide internet, TVs for zoom calls, conferencing, slide shows, as well as for entertainment. Our jets seat up to seven clients comfortably in leather reclining chairs and couches. There is water and complimentary snacks available. We are on your schedule and will go as far as is needed. If a client needs to be gone overnight or several overnights, we can accommodate that as well. The driver is at your disposal during your trips.
How did you get started in the business? – My husband and I used LandJet for a few years before a franchise opportunity came about. We really believed in the product and the service, so we decided we wanted to help grow the brand.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – As a stay at home mom, the biggest challenge was/is learning about the transportation business on the fly. I knew what it meant to be a client but not an active owner.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – I would say that my biggest challenge and my most important achievement are the same. It’s been a challenge just getting this started and learning so many new things. I consider each day an achievement as I am constantly learning and striving to be better personally and professionally.
Tell us a little about your family. – I am married to my husband Jason of 22 years and we have a 21-year-old son Jaxon, who is a junior at Buena Vista University. We also have three golden-doodles.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – The biggest turning point in my life would probably be when our son went off to college. He was my everyday all day from birth through high school. I really had to reflect on who I was and who I wanted to be. I’m still a mom but now I’m a business owner and a mom.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – My favorite thing to do on my day off is lay by the pool with my family. We just like to relax and be together.
Who inspires you? – My son inspires me. He works hard and rarely gives up. Jaxon was diagnosed with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve as a freshman in college after having Covid. He was crushed that the sport he worked on all his life was going to be one of the past. He was able to get to the collegiate level but unfortunately due to health, he wasn’t allowed to play. He didn’t quit, or feel sorry for himself. He has spent the last few years helping to manage the team. He made the best of a difficult situation.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Loyal.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – I really like Jane Austen novels. They seem so deep and yet frivolous at the same time.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – There are so many amazing restaurants in Omaha. We’ve been going to Barrel & Vine recently. I have a lot of restaurants that I associate with good memories as a kid and still try to go to a few of them.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 889-3700; Omaha@landjet.com; www.landjet.com/Omaha.