March 3, 2026 111 S. 1st St. | Norfolk, Nebraska 68701 | 402-379-1150 |www.nenedd.org Facebook

Mandy Gear
Executive Director

Tell us about your family: I have been married to my best friend, Greg, for almost 17 years and we are still having just as much fun as when we started. We have two amazing kids who keep life busy and full of surprises.
Our adult son, Trinn, is a self-taught musician you can spot performing everywhere – from street corners to bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and festivals all over Northeast Nebraska and Southeast South Dakota. He’s got this old-soul, storyteller vibe and mixes covers with originals, creating an eclectic sound that somehow fits perfectly everywhere he plays. Catch him on stage and you’ll understand why we love to follow him around.
Our daughter, Lennon—affectionately known as Lenny—is a freshman at Norfolk High School and an avid volleyball enthusiast. Whether she’s playing, watching, or discussing the sport, her passion is unmistakable. She has spent the past seven years competing across recreational, club, and school teams and continues to refine her skills as a libero/defensive specialist. Her dedication and love for the game make her a constant source of energy and pride in our family.

Tell us about your pets (kind/breed, names, ages): Our home is managed by a 3 ½ year old, 22-pound Corgi named Sammy who never clocks out and is only happy when we are all in the same room.

What is your dream vacation? (Have you already taken it?) My dream vacation has always been Ireland, and I got to check it off my list with Greg last year – Nine days, 12 cities, six hotels, 20+ pubs and over 800 miles on our rental car. It was everything I hoped for and ten times more magical. From cruising that emerald-green countryside with my best friend to listening to traditional Irish music in cozy pubs, it felt like we were living in a postcard.
One of the highlights was visiting a castle my ancestors built in the late 15th century — a classic Irish tower house designed both as a residence and a defensive structure for the “ferocious” O’Flaherty clan, who were powerful Gaelic lords in western Ireland. It was surreal to touch history that’s part of my own family story.
We hope to return within the next three years to explore even more of this incredible country!

What’s one thing on your bucket list? I don’t have one specific bucket list item – just traveling and enjoying new experiences with family and friends, making every moment count.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing the tangible impact our projects have on local communities, knowing the work we do truly moves the region forward. What makes it even more meaningful is getting to do it with an incredible team that genuinely cares about the work we do.

What is your favorite holiday/time of the year and why? Christmas all the way! Give me twinkly lights, the smell of cookies baking or fresh balsam, classic holiday tunes, and cozy winter vibes, and I’m in my happy place. I’m a sucker for nostalgia, sentimental movies, Christmas productions/concerts, drives to look at Christmas lights with hot chocolate, hearty food, Christmas candy, family time, and anything else that makes the season feel magical. Bonus points if it’s a white Christmas!

What was the best gift you’ve ever received? For my birthday last month, my sister gave me a beautifully framed collection of my grandpa’s original love letters to my grandma from his time serving in WWII. Since my grandparents have been in heaven for many years, having this intimate piece of their love story close to me felt incredibly precious and deeply touching. Growing up, I shared a very special bond with both of them, and I will treasure this gift forever.

What are you grateful for? Small moments that make everything feel lighter.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Coffee drinks are my forever choice!

What kind of car did you drive in high school? Midnight blue Chevy Citation

What word best describes you? Ambitious!

What’s a fun or interesting fact about you? Once upon a time, I wore a crown – I was the Prom Queen!!

Legislative Update: LB 1030 During the current session of the Nebraska Legislature, LB 1030 was introduced as an appropriation bill that would provide state aid to Nebraska’s development districts through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED). This bill was introduced in response to Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed mid-biennium budget, which strikes $700,000 of funding to the state’s Economic Development Districts in fiscal year 2026-2027. LB 1030 is a funding measure, not a policy change, and it would allocate state dollars under DED’s Community and Rural Development programming to support development districts established under Nebraska statute. These districts, including the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District (NENEDD), serve as regional partners helping communities secure grant funding, coordinate planning efforts, administer federal programs, and advance economic and community development initiatives. The bill was referred to at the Appropriations Committee and received a public hearing earlier this session. As of this update, LB 1030 remains in the committee stage as lawmakers continue budget deliberations. If funded, LB 1030 would provide increased financial stability and regional capacity for development districts across the state. This support would strengthen technical assistance services for rural communities, enhance grant-writing and project management capacity, and reinforce coordination between the state and regional partners. NENEDD will continue monitoring the bill’s progress and advocating for the vital role development districts play in supporting Northeast Nebraska communities.

Northeast Economic Dev. (NED, Inc.) and the Northeast Nebraska Economic Dev. District (NENEDD) Boards met Wednesday, February 25, 2026, via conference call at locations in Norfolk, Columbus, Randolph, and Fremont. The complete minutes of the, Febraury 25, 2026, NED, Inc. Board of Directors meeting can be viewed here: NED The complete minutes of the, February 25, 2026, NENEDD Board of Directors meeting can be viewed here: NENEDD The next meetings will be held Wednesday, March 25, 2026, via conference call at the same locations. NED, Inc. will begin at 7 p.m., with NENEDD to follow. The public is welcome to attend.

NENEDD’s Housing Department throughout the month of February: NAHTF Housing mgmt. for City of Norfolk, City of Plainview, and City of Bloomfield’s rental rehab grants NAHTF General admin. and housing mgmt. for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehab grant for congressional district 1 NAHTF General admin. and housing mgmt. for City of Fremont rental rehab grant NAHTF General admin. and housing mgmt. for CCED new construction grant HOME housing mgmt. and general admin. for NED, Inc. direct homebuyer assistance program NAHTF housing mgmt. and general admin. for NED, Inc. direct homebuyer assistance program HOME housing mgmt. and general admin. for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehab program NAHTF housing mgmt. and general admin. for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehab program HOME housing mgmt. and general admin. for NENEDD community owner occupied rehab programs HOME housing mgmt. and general admin. for NENEDD community direct homebuyer assistance program programs RWHF mgmt. for Albion Economic Dev. Corporation, Pender Community Dev., Cuming County Economic Dev., Greater Fremont Dev. Council Monthly Schuyler Housing Dev. Committee meetings HomeNE Webinar facilitated by South Central Economic Dev. District Nebraska Housing Developers Board and Policy Committee Zoom meetings Processing two owner-occupied rehab applications Conducted one Housing Quality Standards inspection Executed annual reports for Rural Workforce Housing Fund recipients Attended Disaster Preparedness virtual meeting Participated in NIFA Q&A virtual meeting Corresponded with prospective clients about NED, Inc.’s DHA and OOR programs Attended International Builders Show Attended Madison County Housing Study reveal Conducted phone conversations with community clerks about NED, Inc. Regional Housing programs

City of Norfolk Generates Millions in Economic Investment, Garners Recognition for Workforce Development and Placemaking For the full story click here

NENEDD’s Planning Department assisted with the following throughout the month of February:

• Attended the Madison County Housing Steering Committee meeting at the Norfolk Fire Department.
• Attended the Norfolk City Council meeting to present information about the progress of the Norfolk Downtown Revitalization Grant.
• Participated in the HomeNE Webinar.
• Attended the Creston Board meeting.
• Worked on Special Conditions and Release of Funds for Richland, Walthill, Battle Creek, and Decatur.

The following surveys are currently active and being conducted by NENEDD

Community Surveys City of Albion Village of Meadow Grove City of Osmond City of West Point City of Ponca City of Madison

USDA Surveys Village of Walthill Income Surveys Village of Dodge Village of Leigh

Downtown Revitalization Norfolk Fremont Columbus Pierce	Public Works Wayne Craig Newman Grove Lyons Newcastle Schuyler Battle Creek Richland Walthill	Planning Newman Grove Niobrara Decatur	CCCFF Battle Creek Norfolk	Other Wakefield Reuse – Housing Wayne – RCRP Norfolk – ARPA QTC

The NENEDD Community Planners are available to write or assist with both state and federal grants. The funding opportunities our Community Planners specialize in include the following:

• Community Development Block Grants – Planning, Public Works and Downtown Revitalization grants are due in September. Communities should let NENEDD know they would like to apply as soon as possible but no later than June 1 (subject to waiting list on a first come, first serve basis).
• Nebraska Game and Parks Grants – Recreational Trails Program and Land and Water Conservation Fund grants are due in August.  Communities should let NENEDD know they would like to apply as soon as possible but no later than June 1 (subject to waiting list on a first come, first serve basis).
• Civic and Community Center Financing Fund – Planning and Construction grants have a pre-application deadline in January and a full application deadline in February. Communities should let NENEDD know they would like to apply as soon as possible but no later than November 1 (subject to waiting list on a first come, first serve basis).
• Rural Workforce Housing Fund – New owner-occupied housing and rental housing units, as well as existing owner-occupied housing and rental housing units. These grants have a pre-application deadline of November and a full application deadline in January. Communities should let NENEDD know they would like to apply as soon as possible but no later than October 24 (subject to waiting list on first come, first serve basis).
• Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund – Housing development projects and nonprofit building/operating assistance grants have a pre-application deadline in February and a full application deadline in May. Communities should let NENEDD know they would like to apply as soon as possible but no later than November 20 (subject to waiting list on a first come, first serve basis).
• For more information, please contact Sandra Goode, Community Planner at sandra@nenedd.org or Zach Fisher, Community Planner at zach@nenedd.org, or call 402-379-1150.

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April business loan application timeline:  3-27-26 (F) – deadline to receive all application docs 4-7-26 (Tu) – loan summary is provided to the Northeast Loan Committee for their review. 4-13-26 (Tu) 10:30 AM – Northeast Loan Committee meets to review applications and make recommendation to the board of directors. 4-29-26 (W) 7:00 PM – NENEDD/NED, Inc. Board meetings to take official action February loans closed: Pavlik Concrete, LLC Hoppe Motor Local Rehab Revolving Loan Funds: The Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District (NENEDD) and Northeast Economic Development, Inc. (NED, Inc.) Revolving Loan Funds (RLF) were created to help fund economic development projects within a 26-county region of Northeast and North Central Nebraska: Antelope Boone Boyd Burt Butler Brown Cedar Colfax Cuming Cherry Dakota Dixon Dodge Rural Douglas Holt Keya Paha Knox Madison Nance Pierce Platte Rock Stanton Thurston Washington Wayne The RLF provides for subordinated gap financing for businesses, in conjunction with local financial institutions; allowing the business owner the ability to start a business, expand a current business, transfer ownership or purchase an existing business. These loans are perfect for financing fixed assets such as land, building, equipment and working capital. Loan Terms and Conditions:   Maximum loan amount is $200,000. Real estate financing will not exceed 25 years. Working capital and equipment loans will be financed on a short-term basis of 3 to 10 years. Interest rates will be fixed based on the length of the loan. Eligibility: At least one (1) full time equivalent job must be created or retained for each $35,000 in loan dollars. Loan dollars may not represent more than 40% of the total financing needs. 10%-20% equity is generally required. At least 51% of the jobs created or retained should benefit persons of low to moderate incomes. Bank financing is encouraged and preferred with each borrower, but not required. A processing fee of 1% ($200 minimum) of the loan amount must be paid by the applicant before the application is reviewed by the loan committee. An annual servicing fee equal to ½ of 1% of the declining loan balance will be charged to each borrower. How to Apply:  A pre-application may be obtained by visiting www.nenedd.org/business-loans/ For more information, please contact Jeff Christensen, Business Loan Specialist, at 402-649-7223 or jeff@nenedd.org

NROC PROJECT IMPACT MAP The Nebraska Regional Officials Council (NROC) has created a project impact map which shows grant and loan funding projects throughout the region. Please click on the link to view statewide projects here:  NROC Project Impact Map or scan the QR code below.  For a NENEDD-specific map, please visit our website at NENEDD.org.

2025-2026 Associate Members Diamond Platinum Gold Silver Bank of Dixon County BankFirst Black Hills Energy Brunswick State Bank Charter West Bank Clarkson Bank Citizens State Bank Faith Regional Health Services Cornerstone Bank First Bank & Trust of Fullerton Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust Loup River Public Power District F&M Bank Midwest Bank First Community Bank Norfolk Daily News First Northeast Bank of Nebraska Wayne America, Inc. Great Plains State Bank McMill CPAs & Advisors Neighbor Works Northeast Nebraska Northeast Community College Bronze   Bank of Hartington Genoa Community Bank Burt County Public Power District Madison County Bank Cedar-Knox Public Power District Nebraska Municipal Power Pool Cedar Security Bank Platte Valley Bank Columbus Bank & Trust Company Points West Community Bank Commercial State Bank Schuyler Community Development, Inc. Cornhusker Public Power District Scribner Bank Cuming County Public Power District Stanton County Public Power District Elkhorn Rural Public Power District State Nebraska Bank & Trust Farmers & Merchants State Bank Wayne State College Frontier Bank West Point Chamber of Commerce County Members Antelope County Colfax County Platte County Boone County Cuming County Stanton County Burt County Knox County Thurston County Cedar County Nance County Wayne County Community Members City of Albion City of Oakland Village of Craig Village of Pilger City of Battle Creek City of Osmond Village of Decatur Village of Richland City of Bloomfield City of Pierce Village of Dixon Village of Snyder City of Clarkson City of Plainview Village of Dodge Village of Thurston City of Columbus City of Ponca Village of Duncan Village of Verdigre City of Creighton City of Randolph Village of Emerson Village of Wausa City of Crofton City of Scribner Village of Fordyce Village of Wynot City of Elgin City of St. Edward Village of Howells City of Fremont City of Stanton Village of Inglewood City of Fullerton City of Tilden Village of Leigh City of Genoa City of Wakefield Village of Martinsburg City of Hartington City of Wayne Village of McLean City of Hooper City of West Point Village of Meadow Grove City of Laurel Village of Allen Village of Newcastle City of Lyons Village of Bancroft Village of Niobrara City of Madison Village of Beemer Village of Oakdale City of Newman Grove Village of Belden Village of Orchard City of Norfolk Village of Cedar Rapids Village of Pender City of North Bend Village of Coleridge Village of Petersburg  NED, Inc. Board of Directors Kurt Dostal – President – Citizens State Bank Loren Kucera – Vice President – Wayne State College Tod W. Voss, MD – Secretary/Treasurer – Village of McLean Sally Ganem – Board Member – Fremont City Council Rich Jablonski – Board Member – Columbus City Council Jim Hans – Board Member – Village of Wynot Troy Uhlir – Board Member – Madison County Commissioner NENEDD Board of Directors Sally Ganem – Chairwoman – Fremont City Council Meghann Buresh – Vice Chairwoman – Nebraska Apex Accelerator Blake Denton – Secretary/Treasurer – MetLife Investment Management Charlie Bahr – Board Member – Columbus City Council Benjamin Benton – Board Member – Nebraska Business Development Center, Wayne Doug Huttmann – Board Member – Stanton County Commissioner Mason Zimmerer – Board Member – Northeast Community College Anthony Warrior – Board Member – Nebraska Indian Community College Jeff Jensen – Board Member – Norfolk City Council Business RLF Committee Chad Anderson – Pierce City Administrator Aaron Gutz – President, Security Bank, Osmond Branch Loren Kucera – Wayne State College Adam Rief – Owner, Rief Design and Manufacturing, LLC Nicole Sedlacek – Economic Development Manager, NPPD Ryan Steffensmeier – President and CEO, First Community Bank Brenda Whalen – Owner, Laurel’s Hometown Market Brian Yosten – Owner, Cedar Valley Insurance Elizabeth McManigal – Loan Officer, Charter West Bank To stay connected and informed, follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter here to receive all our latest news and updates.