Making A Statement

The Elkhorn Valley region is prominent in agri-business, food processing, manufacturing and distribution. The four-county area is home to more than 100 companies with products and services that vary from steel products to heart surgery, survey flags to healthcare products, turf equipment to food processing and ethanol production to farm equipment and grocery distribution. Companies known nationally and internationally with local facilities are Goodyear, Kendall-Tyco, Affiliated Foods, Nucor Steel, Vulcraft, Wis-Pak, and Arnold Engineering. Although much of the manufacturing is clustered around the hub city of Norfolk, the outlying communities have a strong economic mix of manufacturing and agriculture.

Twelve Fortune 500 companies have locations in the Elkhorn Valley region, along with numerous successful local companies operating in national and international markets. There are ample job and career opportunities. The Elkhorn Valley is "entrepreneur friendly" and welcomes the opportunity to assist new businesses and product development projects. Services available to entrepreneurs include business planning, financial packaging and site location and product development.

The population of the Elkhorn Valley four-county region is over 104,000, and of that number, nearly 25,000 are considered to be part of the labor pool, according to a 2003 labor study. Our well-educated workers, combined with a strong Midwest work ethic, equate to a highly productive workforce. The complete study by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Fort Hays State University, can be found on our web site at www.elkhornvalleyedc.com.

The Elkhorn Valley region of northeast Nebraska isthe ideal Middle America location. The Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council (EVEDC), with four-county and 16 community members, offers business and industry a variety of resources and options for growth. These include: competitive state and local incentives, available sites and buildings, labor availability analysis, workforce training, technical assistance, efficient transportation links, financial packaging and high-speed telecommunications. The Council's "Resource Team" approach to economic development customer services assures access to all agencies and programs that can be of assistance to your project. The "Resource Team" includes the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District, USDA, Public Power Districts, Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council, elected officials and other agencies as needed for specific projects. This collaborative regional approach to economic development in the four-county Elkhorn Valley cuts through the red tape to provide a fast track for project completion. See us on the web at www.elkhornvalleyedc.com.