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Schwarz Farms

Tom Schwarz believes that farming the organic way is definitely more of a challenge but may also be a bit more fun than conventional farming.
more about Schwarz Farms...

Hot Rocket Fireworks

Hot Rocket Fireworks Owner Craig Hamre describes himself as a fireworks fanatic. As a kid, he was the one saving money all year long to buy fireworks...
more about Hot Rocket Fireworks...

Besler Industries

Whether it's a cotton farmer in Georgia, a rancher in Montana or a corn farmer just down the road in Nebraska, the products of Besler Industries, Inc. of Cambridge are making a difference in American agriculture.
more about Besler Industries...

Turkey Creek Game Farm

With the spring Turkey season well underway, Bob Barr wants to make sure other people — especially kids — have access to what he remembers from his own youth as "some of the best of the good life Nebraska has offer."
more about Turkey Creek Game Farm...

Flippin' Sweet Café

Social networking tools have opened up communication between Trattoria Flippin’ Sweet and its customers. Trattoria Flippin’ Sweet, which moved from its original location in Bertrand a few miles down the road to Holdrege in November, invites customers to pull up a virtual chair in its kitchen through Facebook and Twitter.
more about Flippin' Sweet café...

Family finds diversification is key to making a living on 160 acres

Raising healthy and responsible children while leading community projects, starting new businesses and managing a family farm require megawatts of physical energy plus the imagination of a Disney World executive, the skills of a plant biologist, veterinarian, business and marketing specialist, mechanic and nutritionist — at least the way Leah tenBensel and her husband Eric go about it. more about the Prairie Sunset Farm...

Hawkins Manufacturing carves out a niche in the ag industry

The specialized tools used by farmers are a little baffling to the rest of us. What in the world is a “crust breaker” or a “row crop ditcher” or a “corn reel”? Why would someone need a “bale flipper”? more about the Hawkins Manufacturing...

Home-schooled kids learn entrepreneurship along with 3 Rs

Talk about a well-rounded education. Janita and Tim Pavelka home-school their children in more than reading, writing, math and history. Janita, an entrepreneur herself with classes in an innovative method of piano instruction, teaches her children about entrepreneurship - and boy do they take it to heart. more about the Pavelka siblings...

Telecommuting combines the best of both worlds for many rural workers

Eileen and Rod Golus moved to Phelps County in June after researching areas with Internet connectivity options. Their new home is halfway between Rod's parents in Loup City and Eileen's parents in McCook, so their two young boys get to see a lot more of their grandparents. more about Telecommuting...

Cather & Company Booksellers and Coffeehouse in Red Cloud

The earthy voice of Frank Sinatra, stylishly mismatched chairs arranged around well-used wooden tables, original art hanging on exposed brick walls, the luxurious smell of crushed coffee beans, and hundreds of books shelved on handmade wooden bookcases — along with two customer-oriented cats — identify Cather & Company as a genuine, L.A.-style coffee house and bookstore.more about Cather & Company...

Cozad trainer proves a well-trained retriever is a beautiful thing

True communication between man and animals is a rare and wonderful thing to watch. Most of us are satisfied if we can teach Fido to come when called, fetch a ball and not pee in the house, but some people have a much deeper sense of what really communicating with another species means. more about Bar Ten Kennels...

Kaufman Trailer expansion is economic bright spot in Beaver City

In a town of 640 people in the middle of America and in the middle of the worst economic downturn in decades, a trailer manufacturing company is in the midst of a major expansion project, more than tripling the size of its production and storage facilities. more about Kaufman Trailers...

South Central Diesel, Inc.

Today's diesel engines provide 20-to-40-percent better fuel economy and offer more torque at lower rpm when compared to their gasoline counterparts. Diesel engines are cleaner than ever before, and in the next few years the diesel industry will virtually eliminate key emissions associated with on- and off-road diesel equipment. more about South Central Diesel, Inc...

D & F Service & Speed

Sprint car racing is one of those sports that’s a little hard to imagine until you have experienced it. What it is, in essence, is twenty smallish open-wheeled roadsters powered by engines putting out 800+ horsepower, racing wheel-to-wheel at speeds up to 150 mph on short oval, often dirt, tracks.more about D & F Service & Speed...

Steve Lytle, Fishing Guide

Steve Lytle's work day starts before sunup and lasts past sundown. And, during spring and summer months, he's often on the job seven days a week. It's intense work and it can be exhausting, but Lytle isn't complaining because he doing precisely what he loves to do: helping clients land trophy fish.more about Steve Lytle...

The Rose Grove

To the casual observer, Benkelman might seem a little rough around the edges, a true reflection of it’s High Plains location and frontier heritage. But walk into the Rose Grove in Benkelman and you immediately know you are in for a unique — and very refined — shopping experience. more about The Rose Grove...

The Bridal Isle

Tucked behind a pink storefront on the main street of Loomis is a gem of a store that draws brides-to-be from across Nebraska … and beyond. The Bridal Isle celebrated 25 years in January, following the advice of founder Marie Thorell, who thought that all brides should be treated like queens for the day.
more about The Bridal Isle...

Oasis Gardens

A relationship that sprouted on a plant website bloomed into a marriage and thriving greenhouse partnership for Bill and Monica Harris of Loomis.
more about Oasis Gardens...

The Drawer, Consignment Shop

The declining economy, fluctuating gas prices and rising environmental awareness have created the perfect storm — in a good way — where consignment stores like Denice Swanson’s shop, The Drawer, in Holdrege, can seize new opportunities and thrive.
more about The Drawer...

Sky Prosthetics

As a skilled maker of orthotic and prosthetic devices, Ben Blecha had a decision to make: Should he live and work for a major company in a large metropolitan area — such as Chicago, Kansas City or Denver — or should he move back to his hometown of 1,000 population in the middle of America?
more about Sky Prosthetics...

Kermit Wilke, Classic Car Restorations

Kermit Wilke is an example of what happens when a hobby gets out of hand. Growing up on a farm, Wilke always had old cars and machinery around to tinker with. When he was about 14, he says he started playing with the Model Ts still around his folks’ farm, taking them apart to see how they worked.
more about Kermit Wilke...

The Balcony House

Sometimes you need to just get away together. You aren’t looking for glitter and flash, you’re looking for snuggle and cuddle; you don’t need a floor show, you’ve got each other and a book. What you’re really seeking is an oasis in time; a place to just “be” for awhile and let your batteries recharge.
more about The Balcony House...

Knowlen & Yates

You, as a shopper, know the feeling. It happens rarely; but it happens. It is the sense of wonder and adventure that takes place when you discover a really special store. A high-end kitchenware store in McCook, Nebraska has been bringing raves of praise throughout the 10 years of its existence.
more about Knowlen & Yates...

Beaver Buckets

Be forewarned: The story that follows may entice you to into giving up your corporate job and joining the ranks of entrepreneurs who live contented lives in rural Nebraska. Jim and Marilyn Gaster work, manage their business and dwell in a hand-built, rambling log house nestled in a hidden paradise with spectacular views of the canyons south of Indianola.
more about Beaver Buckets...

Pleasant Valley Fish Farm

The Pleasant Valley Fish Farm is located less than a mile from where U.S. Highway 83 enters Frontier County, Nebraska. But you would never know it. The well-developed fish farm — with 51 ponds and annual sales of more than a quarter-million fish — is secluded from public view, nestled among the trees, foliage and farmland which surround Red Willow Creek.
more about Pleasant Valley Fish Farm...

Choquette’s Produce

Just because we don’t live in California doesn’t mean we don’t have nuts. And just because we don’t live in Washington doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy fresh, locally-produced apples when October rolls around. Edwin and Pat Choquette grow nine varieties of eating and cooking apples in their orchard 22 miles south of Minden.
more about Choquette’s Produce...

Lakeshore Marina

You never know how things are going to work out. Take the case of Dan and Karen Finken. After busy, successful careers in Omaha as a bank president and marketing firm vice-president respectively, they planned to retire to a house on lovely Johnson Lake and enjoy a leisurely life of travel, boating, fishing and time with their family.
more about Lakeshore Marina...

Cutter’s Café

Mary Terry intended to retire from the restaurant business when they moved to Red Cloud, Nebraska a few yeas ago. “I retired for a whole year, but I couldn’t stand it because I miss the people,” she said. “We recognized an unmet demand for breakfast in Red Cloud, saw an opportunity and decided to take it.”
more about Cutter’s Café...

Blue Valley Aquaculture

On a steamy summer day at Blue Valley Aquaculture in Sutton, Nebraska, thousands of silver steelhead trout dart into long columns of splashing, cold water and visitors feel a refreshing rush of cool, oxygenated air. The bubbling, rushing water and silvery glints of teeming fish represent an extraordinary transition – physically and culturally – from a hog confinement operation to a fish farm.
more about Blue Valley Aquaculture...

Andrew’s Gardens

Andrew Erickson grew up on a 1400-acre farm in Phelps County. While his dad planted corn and soybeans and raised pigs, Andrew’s mother planted vegetables and flowers. Andrew says, “From my earliest memories, I liked planting, caring for and harvesting vegetables.”
more about Andrew's Gardens...

Burns Podiatric Laboratory

There's a reason foot doctors in all 50 states turn to Burns Lab in McCook, Neb. for individually designed foot braces for their patients. "We've built a reputation," says Mary Thorson, general manager of the Burns Podiatric Laboratory. "We produce the best quality orthotics in the United States."
more about Burns Podiatric Laboratory...

Robert’s Seed Inc.

For decades now, the trend in agriculture has been toward consolidation of acreage, larger and larger machinery, and fewer and fewer people on the land. In the face of this mega-competition, smaller, family-owned farms are at a competitive disadvantage. Most have a harder time making ends meet with each passing year.
more about Robert's Seed Inc....

Golight, Inc.

From a countryside location near Culbertson, Neb., a remote control searchlight company serves customers throughout the world. The company, Golight, Inc., was born 14 years ago on the Hayes County, Neb. ranchland of Jerry Gohl. Now that business — which started with one product and one employee — has an array of remote control searchlight products which are marketed in all 50 states and more than 70 nations worldwide.
more about Golight, Inc...

Royal Plastic Mfg.

Picture a military aircraft just a couple of clicks from what you’d see in a Star Wars movie or an advanced communications satellite rocketing into space. These are some of the most advanced technologies in the world today – mind-boggling complex structures of the highest-technology materials, in which every component down to the tiniest rivet has been engineered to the nth degree. That's the kind of work they do at Royal Plastic Mfg. in Minden.
more about Royal Plastic Mfg...

Cambridge Bed & Breakfast

Timeless and grand, the historic Cambridge Bed and Breakfast was built around the turn of the Century by Cambridge’s first mayor, founder of the bank as well as a retail emporium called the Regulator, a tireless real estate speculator, town booster and extraordinary pioneer in every sense of the word.
more about Cambridge Bed & Breakfast...

Weatherman turned Newspaperman

This is a story about flexibility and optimism and plain, old-fashioned gumption. Meet award-winning journalist and entrepreneur, Jason Frederick, who started out his working life as a weatherman but — isn’t life great? — now publishes and manages three weekly newspapers with his wife in the rural Nebraska that he loves.
more about Jason Fredericks...

Trenton Ethanol Plant

Most business experts agree that entrepreneurs are found in only a small fraction of the population, yet they can have an outsized impact because they pioneer change and create wealth. Discovering one entrepreneur in a community may be akin to finding gold in the nearby hills.
more about Trenton Ethanol Plant...

Wurst Haus Summer Sausage

We rural Nebraskans participate in Christmas traditions with gusto! We’re the first to hang up the Advent calendar, string the lights, cut out and frost cookies, and sing carols with our neighbors. For no small number of rural Nebraskans – and people around the world – part of that holiday tradition is handmade “wurst” from the sausage capital of Nebraska, Eustis. For many, spicy sausages are a must-have for holiday tables.
more about Wurst Hause summer sausage...

Take 5 Coffee House and Restaurant

Question: How is the Take 5 Coffee House and Restaurant in Arapahoe, Nebraska like Ben & Jerry’s famous homemade ice cream business in Vermont?
Answer: Take 5, like Ben & Jerry’s, invents its own ice cream recipes.
And although ice cream brings a lot of people into this charming restored drive-in, a lot of other factors bring them back.
more about Take 5 Coffee House and Restaurant...

Horizon Gymnastics

One of the best kept secrets in small town USA is nestled in a plain metal building just outside of Holdrege, NE. Inside the former home of Walco Animal Health, Horizon Gymnastics hosts classes for over 170 kids. they are busy learning the routines, apparatus and discipline necessary to become a good - or even great - gymnast.
more about Horizon Gymnastics...

Kat's Korner Market and Korner Café

More than one visitor has seen trains a mile long stopped along U.S. Highways 6 and 34 in Axtell, then noticed the crew scurrying back to the train carrying plates of hot, homemade food. Did they stop for lunch in Axtell? Can trains do that? Kathy Johnson, owner of Katz Market and Korner Café in Axtell smiles when she hears the story.
more about Kat's Korner Market and Korner Café...

Olsson's Associates

It is 1956 and fortune’s face is smiling on rural Nebraska — grain prices are up, irrigated acres are showing a profit and rural citizens are feeling prosperous. Community improvement projects that were put aside get underway. John E. Olsson, an engineer working in Lincoln, NE, recognizes a market opportunity and starts an engineering firm.
more about Olsson's Associates...

Nebraska Adoption Services

The impact of coinciding life events among three colleagues inspired them to start an entrepreneurial business in rural Nebraska. And despite their widely-separated geography, it seems to be working. Nancy Morris, Barbara Swanson and Michelle Warner met early in their social work careers, and through the years their work intertwined, friendships developed, and they discovered a mutual interest in interracial and international adoptions.
more about Nebraska Adoption Services...

Dancing Leaf Lodge Bed & Breakfast

Jan Hosick and her husband Les had idyllic childhoods growing up in the area not far from where they currently live along Medicine Creek in southwest Nebraska. “Like all the kids in the area, we spent our days digging holes, climbing trees, making forts and running up and down the creek banks,” says Jan. “We still spend our days pretty much that same way.”
more about Dancing Leaf Lodge Bed & Breakfast...

Kramer's Hardware and Steamer's Lunch Counter

A true entrepreneur is always looking for a marketing opportunity, and they often put things together in unique ways. For example, one day Oxford’s Karl Kramer realized: He had unused space in his own hardware store, he had popular brats, burgers, brisket and ham available from his own butcher shop, the Oxford Locker...
more about Kramer's Hardware and Steamer's Lunch Counter...

Allmand Bros.

If you were blindfolded and set down on the Allmand Brothers factory floor, you’d find it hard to believe you weren’t deep in the crowded industrial sections of Omaha, KC or Denver. The thud-thud-bang of a metal punch mixes with the high-octave ring of a steel cutting laser, the pop of welding torches, and the rhythmic whoosh, whoosh of paint sprayers.
more about Allmand Bros...

Timber Creek Homes

If your idea of a modular home is all about plywood and plastic, with cheesy designs and a slapdash finish, you ought to get to know Timber Creek Homes. A photo gallery of Timber Creek’s past projects reminds one of browsing through the pages of Sunset magazine. Many are dramatic mountain lodges, with towering columns of stone, log and brick.
more about Timber Creek Homes...

Those Blasted Signs

While the career path of an entrepreneur may seem illogical and confusing to someone on the outside, Sondra Smith’s journey from a degree in animal science to an ostrich farming venture to owner of Those Blasted Signs in Bertrand makes perfect sense.
more about Those Blasted Signs...

Der Deutsche Market

This is the story of how a Nebraska town with a German heritage wanted a place to buy German folk carvings, German crystal, German sausage and other German treasures, and how they took the bull by the horns and made it happen.
more about Der Deutsche Market...

Kayakjak

Love of fishing and kayaks helps Benkelman man get a new business afloat. If success in starting your own business stems from doing what you love to do, Marty Hughes should be an entrepreneurial poster child.
more about Kayakjak...

Mid-Nebraska Individual Services

Rarely does one find honest-to-goodness entrepreneurial business people in the non-profit sector of the economy, but Mid-Nebraska Individual Services Area Manager Lori Erickson proves you can do good and still do well.
more about Mid-Nebraska Individual Services...

Grayson Tool Co.

Although a machinist by trade, Al Lux is a creative kind of guy. His creative bent led him to design and develop a whole series of predator calls – designed to attract coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions, among others.
more about Grayson Tool Co...

One Good Adguy

‘Adguy’ finds Holdrege is a long ways from Los Angeles...in more ways than one. Growing up in Denver, Phil Soreide never dreamed of being an ad man – or an “adguy” as he likes to refer to himself. In fact, he never considered advertising as a career at all until he was fully immersed in it and by then, he says, “it was too late.”
more about One Good Adguy...

Great Nebraska Hunting

“If a hunter is looking for an old fashioned hunting experience – the way it used to be, the type of hunt your parents and grandparents talk about – we are the destination of choice,”says Arlo Schurr. Schurr and his father LaRaye and their families manage 4,000 acres of habitat near Eustis, Nebraska, and provide hunting privileges for pheasant, quail, turkey, Nebraska mule deer and whitetail deer, rabbit, and coyote from September through March.
more about Great Nebraska Hunting...

Eustis Auto Body

Close your eyes and visualize a thirteen-year-old boy paging through Hot Rod magazine in a hot Nebraska summer 30-odd years ago. As he flips the pages, he dreams of driving his own lustrous, high-powered road rocket.
more about Eustis Auto Body...

Joe Camera

“Gather together with thankful hearts and good things happen over coffee,” says a printed sign in Joe Camera Coffee House and Film Lab in Alma. Photography supplies and one-hour film processing may draw customers into Joe Camera, but they often sit down and order a rich coffee drink, a tea or a frosty drink and a cinnamon roll and sit down to listen to a story, tell a story or meet a friend in the community.  Joe Camera is unique...and just the kind of place to make it happen.
more about Joe Camera...

The Village Piemaker

If you think a rural Nebraska town can’t be headquarters for a global packaged food enterprise, you’d be wrong. As president of The Village Piemaker, Judith Odgen makes, packages, freezes and delivers 15 different frozen, ready-to-bake pies to markets across the globe from a restored slate green tile-and-brick dairy building on the main street in Eustis, Nebraska. She has some 350 steady accounts, five bakers, a sales representative and ambitious plans for growth.
more about The Village Piemaker...

Oxford Locker

Red and gold autumn days, sweet apples and the pungent smell of burning maple leaves come to mind as you savor a morsel of country ham smoked at the Oxford Locker, a custom meat processing plant and retail storefront in Oxford, Nebraska.
more about Oxford Locker...

Gourmet House

“Welcome” is printed in both Chinese calligraphy and English and spoken with a smile to greet customers who enter Adam and Cora Chen’s immaculate Chinese restaurant in Holdrege, Nebraska.
more about Gourmet House...

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