Nebraska

Sectors it is courting

• Agribusiness
• Business and Professional Services
• Energy
• Financial Services
• Healthcare
• Advanced Manufacturing

Investment it is seeking from

• Germany
• India
• Ireland
• Japan
• Jordan
• Mexico
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• Vietnam
• South Korea

Site-selection services it offers

The state works closely with their local economic development partners to understand potential foreign business investors needs to connect them with state agencies, suppliers, trade organizations, and landowners. Some of their available sites can be easily accessed via Location One NE: [https://app.locationone.com/sites?organization=59eaba35bec80e09b4bbeff4][https://app.locationone.com/sites?organization=59eaba35bec80e09b4bbeff4]

Incentive programmes

• Grant

  Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is designed to create quality jobs and promote new investment. CDBG funds must be used to benefit low- to moderate-income persons or aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight. These funds can be used to purchase machinery, equipment and inventory; meet working capital needs; develop community infrastructure; or construct or renovate existing buildings and real estate. The Intern Nebraska Grant Program (InternNE) provides financial assistance to businesses that create new internships in Nebraska. InternNE grants can reimburse 50% of an intern’s wages, up to $5,000 per internship. If the intern is a federal Pell Grant recipient, InternNE can reimburse up to 75% of an intern’s wages, up to $7,500 per internship. Site and Building Development Fund (SBDF) SBDF funding is focused on expanding economic development opportunities in Nebraska by improving land and infrastructure readiness. Grants are awarded based on need and community impact, with considerations including job creation and local investment. The program requires a 1:1 matching ratio. The Nebraska Department of Transportation Economic Opportunity Program (EOP) helps attract and sustain economic growth across the state by awarding local grants for strategic transportation improvements that better connect businesses to Nebraska’s statewide, multi-modal transportation.

• Tax Credit

  ImagiNE Nebraska is a performance based incentives program that rewards you for hiring, investing, relocating, and expanding in Nebraska. Credits are based on the number of full time equivalent employees (FTE's) that are added and the amount of investment made at qualified locations in the state. Eight application levels, all with different qualification requirements and benefits, have been designed with businesses of all sizes in mind. Businesses who apply for ImagiNE are given 4 years from the year of application to reach required FTE and investment levels. Tax Credit Usage: (Wage and Investment Credits) i. Offset Nebraska Income Tax ii. Offset Employee Withholding iii. Repayment of Revolving Loans iv. Reimbursement of job recruitment and training expenses. v. Reimbursement for taxpayer-sponsored childcare expenses. Renewable Chemical Production Tax Credit Act Any company who produces a least one million pounds of renewable chemicals in the state is eligible to apply for the Renewable Chemical Production Credit. The tax credit is .075 cents for each pound of Renewable Chemical produced in the state. The tax credits available to an eligible business shall not exceed $1.5 million per year.

• Tax Exemption

  Personal Property Tax Exemption available for certain levels of investment and job creation.

• Loan/Loan Participation

  Administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), the ImagiNE Nebraska Revolving Loan Fund program (INRLF) offers two loan categories — Workforce Training and Infrastructure Development — that can be leveraged by ImagiNE participants to support their success and growth. The new revolving loan fund is designed to work in tandem with ImagiNE Nebraska benefits, with loan recipients authorized to make principal and interest payments using credits earned under the ImagiNE program. The goal of the INRLF, according to DED program leaders, is to aid in the training of Nebraska employees, increase the availability of new infrastructure throughout the state and assist businesses in increasing their access to capital. Per program guidelines, businesses may receive up to one Workforce Training and one Infrastructure Development loan per ImagiNE Nebraska agreement. The maximum amount a business may borrow is the lesser of 1) 50% of the business’s projected ImagiNE credits and/or 50% of any earned or unused ImagiNE credits, or 2) $2 million per business. DED has published detailed information and resources to assist potential applicants. Visit [https://imagine.nebraska.gov/revolving-loan-fund/][https://imagine.nebraska.gov/revolving-loan-fund/] to learn more, view specific terms, or to begin the application process.

Incubators and accelerators

• INVEST NEBRASKA

  Invest Nebraska builds a better future for our state by providing financial and operational assistance to high growth companies, advancing the entrepreneurial economy, and attracting out-of-state capital to Nebraska.

University and workforce programmes

• Developing Youth Talent Initiative (DYTI)

  To give the next generation of Nebraskans exposure to great-paying professions, we’re introducing students to tech, manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare careers during the middle school years. DYTI fosters partnerships between private industry and public schools to promote engagement in hands-on career exploration and skills development for middle schoolers. DYTI has now reached over 23,400 students in over 60 school districts since its inception.

• Career Academies

  Students who develop an interest in IT or manufacturing can then take part in a high school career academy to gain industry-specific skills. Career academies bring together area businesses and postsecondary educational institutions to provide high school students with hands-on, interactive learning opportunities. These academies enhance students’ workplace readiness and to give them the opportunity to earn college credits prior to graduation.

Investor account, as submitted

“Kawasaki established the first foreign vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States when our Lincoln, Nebraska plant opened in 1974. The reasons for choosing Lincoln; a well-educated, efficient workforce; low cost of living and utility rates; a safe, family-oriented city; central U.S. location with access to interstate highway and rail transportation for effective product distribution; and a business-friendly regulatory environment have provided a home base for all of Kawasaki’s U.S. manufacturing operations. From our long experience in Lincoln, we’ve learned that no matter your background, Nebraskans take pride in working together to solve problems and get the job done." -Yutaka “Joe” Tabata President Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. Lincoln, NE

Submitted by the economic development organisation, not independently verified.

Who to contact

• Cobus BlockDirector, International & Business Recruitmentcobus.block@nebraska.gov(531) 510-1251

245 Fallbrook Blvd, Suite 002, Lincoln, NE 68521