Every time I see a Union Pacific train going down the tracks, I think of Abraham Lincoln. And, every time I see an NP Dodge real estate sign, I think of the off-the-charts challenges Greenville Dodge must have encountered mapping the future course of the track for UP.  

Kiewit’s humble beginnings, and growth to national prominence, comes to mind the same way. As does First National Bank. Omaha is truly blessed with legacy companies. It is hard to imagine what these companies have had to do to become the corporations they are today. These organizations are legacies in the truest sense of the word.  

Yet, as important as the history of these companies is to Omaha, Nebraska (and the country as a whole), their future is even more important. 

These companies are looking ahead every day. You can see it in the investments they have made that will last well into the next century. You can see it in the cultures these companies have created—cultures that will attract and retain the best and the brightest talent, assuring a dynamic future. Further, you can see it in how these companies, and their employees, engage in
the community.  

Even more impressive is that Omaha is home to countless more legacy companies of virtually every type, size, and ownership. The owners are people of all kinds—men and women; Black, brown, Asian, and white.  The companies are startups and small, medium, and large businesses. These legacy companies are all around us. They all have a story to tell about how they got to where they are; and, they are all positioning themselves for the future.

Omaha will benefit from their legacy and the future they will create.  

This article originally appeared in the August/September issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.