Zach Fisher, a NENEDD Community Planner, joined the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District in September 2024. Zach is a 2004 graduate of Northeast Community College with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Business Marketing and Management, and a 2016 graduate of Columbia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining NENEDD, Zach was the Membership Development Director with the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce where he was able to use his talents to grow their membership to an all-time high. He is a life-long resident of Norfolk and is excited to see all the economic growth happening in the area. Zach will obtain his CDBG certification in October of 2024.

Tell us about your family:

On August 1^st I’ll be celebrating 27 years of marriage to my amazing wife, Alisha. I honestly don’t know how she has pit up with me for this long. We have 3 kids, Shelby, Tyson, and Ava. Shelby is married to our Son-in-Law, Matt, and they will be giving us our first Grandchild in December. We don’t know the gender yet but honestly it doesn’t matter because we’re very excited.

Tell us about your pets:

We have two dogs. Fiona is our 10-year-old Boston Terrier. She has a very different personality because she does things on her terms. Lola is our 5-year-old Beagle/Boston Terrier. She is our lovey, attention-hog. I can’t forget about our Grand dog, Bandit. He is pretty close to being our dog because he spends a lot of time at our house. He loves going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. He is a Black Lab mix and really is just a big Meathead, but we love him.

What is your favorite Movie?

I don’t have one favorite movie. I would say it’s a tie between the original 1978 Halloween and Jaws. I’ve watched them both at least 20 times over the years and will watch them every time they are on TV.

What is your Dream Vacation?

I’m going to be greedy and say I want to visit Ireland and Germany on the same vacation. I would love to explore a little bit of my family heritage.

What is your favorite song and why?

I’m not a country fan but “Drink a Beer” by Luke Bryan has a special meaning to me. It reminds me of my dad who we lost to Lung Cancer back in 2014.

If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

This was a tough question because there could be tons of good answers. Ultimately, I decided on the first member of my family to come to the United States. Sadly, I don’t even know who that was but I’d love to meet them so I could learn more about where I come from.

What’s one thing on your Bucket List?

Easiest question on this list! I want to go down in a Shark Cage to see massive Great White Sharks. I’m talking about Sharks so big that Jaws would have feared them. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love Sharks.

What is your favorite holiday/time of the year and why?

My favorite holiday is Christmas because I love the family traditions and togetherness. The only thing I don’t like is the cold weather. My favorite time of the year is Summer because I love the hot weather. It’s kind of ironic that my favorite time of the year is the polar opposite of my favorite holiday.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I’m going to go with Tacos. I love them and there are so many different options to keep it fresh. One day it could be beef, the next it could be chicken, and the next could be fish or shrimp. There are all kinds of ways to make a taco.

What kind of car did you drive in high school?

I had a fun Mustang for a while but of course like most teenage guys, I wrecked it. After that my dad made me drive a cheap metal beast that looked more like a submarine than a car.

What word best describes you?

Creative – When I’m doing creative, my brain is happy. I love writing, painting, and woodworking. All these things make me smile when I’m doing them.

What’s a fun or interesting fact about you?

I went back to college at 38 years old to get my bachelor’s degree in business administration. I knew I couldn’t attend classes during the day because I had a family to feed so I did online classes in the evening after working a full-time job. My college was in Orange Beach, Alabama. On a Side Note: It was an amazing place to take a week’s vacation with my family when I attended my graduation ceremony.