Norfolk Chamber Legislative Forum

NORFOLK – Anyone managing a business in Nebraska will tell you that finding good, reliable work is tough.

This is the exact problem that the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce is looking to solve.

Representatives from the state chamber came to the Norfolk Public Library Monday to present a plan for boosting Nebraska’s economy with ‘Blueprint Nebraska’, a wide-reaching outlook for the state’s next 150 years.

Speakers at the presentation said that doing nothing to move the economy forward is the only way to fail.

Executive Vice President of the State Chamber, Joseph Young, says Blueprint Nebraska could be a pivotal part of advancing the state economy. He says the steps we take now can set the state up for prosperity in the future.

“I think what you’re going to see is solutions we can drive both legislatively and in the business community, really for the net 10-20 years, to set up the growth in Nebraska for the net 150 years.”

Young says the two main issues Nebraska businesses are facing is the number of workers available and the furthering gap between urban and rural Nebraska towns; An issue rural America has been facing for years.

They say Nebraska needs to find a way to keep young, educated workers in Nebraska.

“You know everyone who basically can work is working. So we need to look at enhancing our workforce, both the skills gap and the number of people in the state of Nebraska. Our taxation, our transportation. Basically anything that effects the economy, we’re looking for solutions on.”

Young says for this plan to work, all types of businesses and lawmakers in the state need to communicate their needs in order for change to come.

The next steps for ‘Blueprint Nebraska’ are an assessment of the current business and economic environment in the state and a state-wide business summit in Kearney to address the findings of the survey on how to move forward.

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