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November 5, 2025
111 S. 1st St. | Norfolk, Nebraska 68701 | 402-379-1150 |www.nenedd.org
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Mandy SertomaSertoma 4

Mandy Gear, Executive Director, recently had the privilege of presenting to the Columbus Sertoma Club on the topic of economic development in our 16- county service area, as well as the services that NENEDD provides. The presentation covered NENEDD’s geographic area and population served, mission and goals, challenges and opportunities facing our region, partnerships, programs and resources, and success stories.

“I appreciated the opportunity to engage with Sertoma members, share updates on key projects, and answer thoughtful questions about how these efforts contribute to job creation and long-term prosperity. I am grateful for the Sertoma Club’s commitment to fostering dialogue on issues that shape Northeast Nebraska.”

Employee Spotlight

Martin Griffith
Housing Specialist

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Basic info: Housing Specialist from April 6, 2015, to present. Martin also served as both Housing Specialist and Deputy Director from November 2023 to December 2024.

Tell us about your family: My wife Christi and I will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary on November 7, 2025, and we have two adult children, son Tanner, and daughter, Haleigh.

The eldest, Tanner, is a University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, 32 years old, and a Project Manager for Northwind Group, which is a company based out of Idaho Falls Idaho. Tanner’s wife is Katie. Katie holds a master’s degree in nursing and is a Nursing Instructor at Iowa Western Community College. Tanner and Katie have a daughter named Parker who will be one year old on Christmas day 2025. The family lives in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Our daughter, Haleigh, is 28 years old, is a University of Nebraska Lincoln and University of Nebraska Medical Center graduate and is a licensed practicing Physician’s Assistant (PA) at CHI Ortho Trauma (Bergan Mercy) in Omaha. Haleigh lives in Elkhorn and is engaged to be married in 2026 to her fiancé, Jackson Shepard. Jackson is a Fremont Police Officer.

Tell us about your pets: We are a family of cat lovers and Feral cat rescuers. We have house cats ranging from 4 to 16 years old. Their names and ages are Solo (4), Scooter (5), Bear (6), Leo (6), Baby (9), Monster (10), Tiny (11), Blue (12), and Gizmo (16).

What is your dream vacation? (Have you already taken it?) I have already taken it. My favorite vacation would have been the Honeymoon my wife Christi and I took spending ten days on Ipanema each in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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

What’s one thing on your bucket list? Seeing my grandchildren grow up. 

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Helping Nebraskans improve their quality of life.

What is your favorite holiday/time of the year and why? Christmas, because it affords me the most time with my family, and it’s also my daughter’s and granddaughter’s shared Christmas day birthday.

What was the best gift you’ve ever received? The life my parents gave me.

What are you grateful for? Family.

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

What kind of car did you drive in high school? 1971 Buick GS 455

What word best describes you? Dependable.

 

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The Northeast Economic Development, Inc. (NED, Inc.) and the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District (NENEDD) Board of Directors held their monthly meetings on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, via conference call at the City of Norfolk Offices-Training Room, 309 N. 5th St., Norfolk, Ne. 68701; Columbus Community Building-Room 223, 2500 14th St., Columbus, Ne. 68601; Wayne State College, Gardner Hall (Building #20) Rm 101. Wayne, Ne. 68787; and Fremont Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave., Fremont, Ne. 68025.

At the NED, Inc. meeting, an application was approved in the amount of $40,000 for applicant #101843 for owner occupied housing rehabilitation funds.

At the NENEDD meeting a business loan was approved in the amount of $150,000 to Leslie Holloway, the Dentist, LLC to purchase the Family First Dental business in Laurel.

The complete minutes of the October 29, 2025 NED Inc. Board of Directors meeting can be viewed here: NED Inc.

The complete minutes of the October 29, 2025 NENEDD Board of Directors meeting can be viewed here: NENEDD

The November NED, Inc. Board of Directors and the NENEDD Board of Directors meetings will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, via conference call at the following locations.

  • Norfolk City Offices at 309 5th St. in Norfolk
  • Columbus Public Library, 2500 14th St. in Columbus
  • Fremont City Hall Second Floor Conference Room, 400 E. Military Ave. in Fremont
  • WSC campus, Gardner Hall (Building #20) Room 101 in Wayne
The NED, Inc. meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with the NENEDD meeting to follow. The public is welcome to attend.
Conferences Events 2

CDBG Training 2

The Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District (NENEDD) is proud to announce that Mandy Gear (recertification), Tracy Sporleder, and Jill Godfrey have successfully completed the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Administrator Training, held October 7–9, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This comprehensive, state-sponsored training provided in-depth instruction on the regulations, management, and implementation of CDBG-funded projects throughout Nebraska. Following the multi-day training, these dedicated staff members also completed and passed the rigorous certification examination to become Certified Administrators for the Nebraska CDBG Program.

Earning this certification represents an important professional milestone that reflects both expertise and commitment to the responsible stewardship of public funding for community and economic development initiatives. Through this achievement, NENEDD further strengthens its ability to plan, administer, and oversee CDBG projects that improve local infrastructure, support housing and business development, and enhance the overall quality of life across Northeast Nebraska.

This accomplishment not only validates the team’s knowledge and skill but also positions NENEDD to more effectively pursue and manage funding opportunities that directly benefit the communities we serve.

6 Regions 1 Nebraska Vision6 regions 1 nebraska 66 regions 1 nebraska 5

NENEDD staff members recently attended the 6 Regions One Nebraska – Northeast Regional Meeting. Attending were Zach Fisher, Community Planner; Martin Griffith, Housing Specialist; and Grace Petersen, Housing Loan Specialist. Gov. Jim Pillen opened the meeting by signing an executive order on launching the Good Life, Great Careers Initiative for the State of Nebraska.

The goal of the program is to add 6,000 new registered active apprentices in Nebraska by Dec. 31, 2030. Also during the meeting, JEO Consulting shared the results of its regional housing study; Creative Revolution’s previewed its bilingual housing website; and SPARK Academy discussed its 2026 Developer Academy launch.

Norfolk Roundtable 10.21.25 2

NENEDD Community Planners, Zach Fisher, Sandra Goode, and Tracy Sporleder attended the Nebraska Department of Transportations Transportation and Economic Development Roundtable on Tuesday, October 21st at the Norfolk City Office. The event helped get several local leaders together to discuss the transportation needs for local communities and give feedback on what the future needs to look like over the next few decades. The conversation was very productive and gave Vicki Kramer, Director of Nebraska Department of Transportation, a lot of information to take back to discuss with her team.
Housing Department

NENEDD’s Housing Department assisted with the following throughout the month of October:

  • NAHTF housing management for City of Norfolk, City of Plainview, and City of Bloomfield’s rental rehabilitation grants
  • NAHTF General administration and housing management for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehabilitation grant for congressional district 1
  • NAHTF general administration and housing management for City of Fremont rental rehabilitation grant
  • NAHTF general administration and housing management for CCED new construction grant
  • HOME housing management and general administration for NED, Inc. direct homebuyer assistance program
  • NAHTF housing management and general administration for NED, Inc. direct homebuyer assistance program
  • HOME housing management and general administration for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehabilitation program
  • NAHTF housing management and general administration for NED, Inc. owner occupied rehabilitation program
  • HOME housing management and general administration for NENEDD community owner occupied rehabilitation programs
  • RWHF management for Albion Economic Development Corporation, Pender Community Development, Cuming County Economic Development, Greater Fremont Development Council
  • 6 Regions 1 Nebraska meetings
  • Monthly Schuyler Housing Development Committee meetings
  • RWHF Best Practices Webinar
  • HomeNE Webinar facilitated by South Central Economic Development District
  • NROC 3rd Thursday Peer Exchange
  • CDBG Recertification
  • Nebraska Housing Developers Board and Policy Committee meetings
  • Presentation to Columbus Sertoma Club
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Community Planning

Currently Active Surveys

The following surveys are currently active and being conducted by NENEDD.

Income Surveys:

  • City of Genoa
  • Village of Emerson
  • Village of Verdigre
  • Village of Dodge
  • Village of Leigh
  • City of Ponca
 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
Currently Active Surveys 2
Downtown Revitalization

  • Norfolk
  • Fremont
  • Columbus
  • Pierce
        Public Works
  • Wayne
  • Craig
  • Newman Grove
  • Lyons
  • Newcastle
  • Newcastle
  • Schuyler
        Planning
  • Newman Grove
  • Niobrara
        CCCFF
  • Battle Creek
        Other
  • Wakefield Reuse – Housing
The NENEDD Community Planners are available to write or assist with writing 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, Zach Fisher, Community Planner at zach@nenedd.org, or Tracy Sporleder, Community Planner at tracy@nenedd.org or call 402-379-1150.
               Business Loans
Business Loan Activities for October

November business loan application timeline: 

  • 11-21-25 (F) – deadline to receive all application docs
  • 12-2-25 (Tu) – loan summary is provided to the Northeast Loan Committee for their review.
  • 12-8-25 (M) 10:30 AM – Northeast Loan Committee meets to review applications and make recommendation to the board of directors.
  • 12-17-25 (W) 7:00 PM – NENEDD/NED, Inc. Board meetings to take official action
                                                   Loan Approvals:
  • The NENEDD board of directors approved a loan to complete the transition of ownership of the Family 1st Dental office in Laurel to Lesley Holloway, the Dentist, LLC.  Lesley Holloway, DDS, began her career as the solo practitioner in the Family 1st Dental of Laurel office in 2014. She has been the only dentist at this location until present day. She employs one full-time hygienist, two full-time assistants, and one dental office manager who has over 20 years’ experience at the Laurel location. NENEDD partnered with Security Bank in Laurel on this project.
Loan Closings:
  • Mary and Mark Smith, d/b/a M & M Studio – Meadow Grove
  • Norfolk HW, LLC, d/b/a HOTWORX Norfolk
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

    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.  Each of the economic development districts has begun inputting project data from 2023-2024 for the public to view.  Other years will be added in the future.
Currently,  there has been an economic impact of approximately $270 million, 351 projects, 875 businesses that were impacted and 520 jobs created.  These numbers will increase as projects continue to be updated.  The projects include various community grants, business loans, and housing loans.
Please click on the link here:  NROC Project Impact Map or scan the QR code below.  For a NENEDD-specific map, please visit our website at NENEDD.org.

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Members and Boards
2025-2026 Associate Members
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Platinum
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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 Osmond Village of Decatur Village of Richland
City of Battle Creek City of Pierce Village of Dixon Village of Snyder
City of Bloomfield City of Plainview Village of Dodge Village of Thurston
City of Clarkson City of Ponca Village of Duncan Village of Verdigre
City of Columbus City of Randolph Village of Emerson Village of Wausa
City of Creighton City of Scribner Village of Fordyce  Village of Wynot
City of Crofton City of St. Edward Village of Howells
City of Elgin City of Stanton Village of Inglewood
City of Fremont 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
City of Oakland Village of Craig Village of Pilger
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
  • Lori Schrader – Loan Specialist, Center for Rural Affairs
  • 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 Osten – Owner, Cedar Valley Insurance
  • Elizabeth McManigal – Loan Officer, Charter West Bank
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