[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 126 (Thursday, July 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1094-E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 HONORING RECIPIENTS OF THE 2018 THIRD DISTRICT EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMIC 
                           DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ADRIAN SMITH

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2018

  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, today I honor eleven individuals 
and businesses from Nebraska receiving the 2018 Third District 
Excellence in Economic Development Award.
  Throughout the 75 counties of the Third District, entrepreneurs and 
innovators are working hard to grow opportunity in our state.
  In May, I called for nominations for individuals, businesses, and 
organizations helping to strengthen Nebraska communities through 
innovation, hard work, entrepreneurship, and historic preservation.
  The Hub of Burwell is currently owned by John and Melissa Schere. 
``The Hub'' was originally built as a professional building in 1906 by 
Burwell-area entrepreneur H.J. Coffin. The building, the first in the 
area to be built of concrete block, was an early home of the Burwell 
Mercantile and Burwell Drug Company. This building served as an 
important part of the commercial center (or Hub) of Burwell until it 
was abandoned in 2003. The building was purchased by John and Melissa 
Schere in 2006, and joined the Register of National Historic Places the 
same year. Their goal was to restore ``The Hub'' to its status as a 
community center and to its original early 20th century purpose and 
aesthetic. Today, the Scheres are proud to provide a coffee and old 
fashioned ice cream soda fountain and retail space capable of hosting 
public meetings for community members of all ages.
  Lukjan Metal of Sidney is a family owned and operated business which 
has been manufacturing high quality sheet metal pipe, duct, and 
fittings for the wholesale HVAC industry since February 1964. Opening 
their Sidney location in early 2017, the family-owned company is proud 
to provide 30 jobs currently, with plans to nearly double this capacity 
by 2021. The Lukjan family believed Sidney provided an excellent 
expansion opportunity which allowed their company access to the Denver 
market.
  Blue Print Engines of Kearney was founded by Norris Marshall in the 
early 1980s in a rented garage. Blue Print Engines recently moved into 
a 150,000 square foot production and testing facility, and now employs 
over 100 people in the Kearney area. Having an attitude which 
``exemplifies Kearney,'' according to Kearney Mayor Stan Clouse, Mr. 
Marshall has quietly turned his passion for rebuilding high performance 
car engines into one of the largest crate engine manufacturers in the 
world, serving customers ranging in size from individual car collectors 
to NASCAR. Recently, Mr. Marshall has embarked on a new journey, 
training the next generation of engineers and craftsmen who will carry 
on his passion for the next several decades through his award winning 
collaboration with Kearney Public Schools.
  LiteForm of South Sioux City, led by their founder, Pat Boeshart, has 
proven to be a committed, innovative economic and community partner in 
northeast Nebraska and the greater Siouxland area. Their organization 
is committed to constructing extremely energy efficient buildings 
throughout the world, constantly seeking ways to improve the energy 
efficiency and construction techniques of their units. LiteForm also 
came to the rescue for the Siouxland area during the Missouri River 
flooding in 2011, providing needed resources and rebuilding support. 
Over the last several years Boeshart has developed an energy and 
resource efficient replacement for rebar called GlassBar, a non-rusting 
material which reduces cost and material weight.
  The Urwiller Family of Ravenna, led by family matriarch Bea Urwiller 
and her late husband Richard, started Urwiller's Melon Patch out of a 
desire to share their abundant melon harvest with area residents and 
those driving down Nebraska's Highway 2. Though their son Robert, his 
wife Christie, their children Kody, Michaela, Kent, and his wife Sara 
have now taken lead of the Urwiller Melon Patch, they have never missed 
a season, and always remained committed to producing quality melons and 
vegetables dedicated to the Nebraska values of hard work, common sense, 
and fairness in their business. The Urwiller family took their 
entrepreneurial energy a step further and opened two additional 
businesses in the last 10 years in the Ravenna community. Christie and 
her daughter Michaela translated a baking and catering home-based 
business into a popular Ravenna-area breakfast establishment, 
``Christie's Kitchen.'' Knowing their business has succeeded because of 
their commitment to quality, they arrive by 2 a.m. every day to ensure 
their customers receive fresh-baked, and locally provided items every 
morning. Kent and his wife Sara opened Prairie Hills Wireless in 2013. 
Prairie Hills is an independent high-quality broadband provider. They 
now serve over 70 percent of the Ravenna community, and have the 
capacity to provide service to every community within a 20-minute drive 
of Ravenna. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) 
recognized Kent as their 2017 Operator of the Year.
  Larry Paulsen of Cozad has worked tirelessly for many years to create 
opportunities for others to be successful. These successes can be seen 
not only in his own business, Paulsen Incorporated, a construction/
redi-mix company and one of the largest employers in the Cozad area, 
but in the downtown district of Cozad, local baseball fields, the 
chamber of commerce, community festivals, local museums, and many other 
places. Larry often purchases and renovates buildings in downtown Cozad 
to allow small businesses an opportunity to grow. He is also at every 
Legion baseball game, behind the grill, ensuring all the fans have 
enough to eat, and assisting with field preparation before and after 
the games. As an avid volunteer and promoter of Cozad who is committed 
to community service, Larry's actions have truly strengthened Cozad, 
Dawson County, and state of Nebraska.
  The Anson Family of Grand Island--Charles, John, and Amos--is 
changing the landscape of Grand Island's downtown area. Renovating and 
giving new life to a historic building can be a daunting task, and is 
not for the faint of heart. This type of challenge takes vision, 
outside-the-box problem solving, patience, and public-private 
collaboration. Each of the Anson family renovations becomes a modern, 
up-to-date, multi-use center appropriate for business, retail, and 
upper story living while still paying tribute to the historic roots of 
the building. Current Grand Island businesses renovated by the Anson 
family include The Chocolate Bar, McKinney's Irish Pub, Tower 217, GIX 
Logistics, and Prairie Pride Brewing. In addition to their for-profit 
efforts, Amos lends his time and talents to the Grand Island area 
Habitat for Humanity and HEAR Grand Island.
  Butler Professional Farrier School of Crawford is led by Dr. Doug 
Butler and his sons, Peter and Jacob. The internationally recognized 
Butler Professional Farrier School is committed to providing quality, 
intensive educational experiences to students and current professional 
farriers. Rooted in blacksmithing techniques dating back to medieval 
Europe when teaching horse shoe fabrication, the Butler family provides 
a 21st century educational experience focused on the health and 
viability of the horse and its feet as their primary concern. When 
asked what he appreciates about their profession, Butler has said, 
``there is a heritage in the craft, and I like this style for that 
reason. There is as much art as there is science; that's what I enjoy 
the most about it.''
  Central Nebraska Regional Airport of Grand Island was originally 
opened by the Grand Island Aero Company, organized by World War I pilot 
Floyd Thompson, on private land owned by H.O. Doc Woodward in 1919. 
Other than a stint as a U.S. Government training facility for the 6th, 
502nd, and 376th Bombardment Groups during World War II, the Grand 
Island area airport has enjoyed a long history of local public 
ownership and commercial use. The facility is known today as the 
Central Nebraska Regional Airport. In 2016, it completed the 
construction of a $14 million passenger terminal. When this terminal 
opened, its annual enplanement numbers exceeded 64,000 and its local 
economic impact rose above $158 million. These numbers have only 
continued to rise. Today, the Central Nebraska Regional Airport rivals 
its eastern Nebraska counterparts for service and travel availability 
to support greater Nebraska's travel needs.
  GROW Nebraska of Oxford was founded in 1993 as a dynamic, membership-
based, non-profit entrepreneurial, service, and educational 
organization charged with helping small businesses build and expand 
economic capacity. This organization's mission is to provide education 
and training to individuals and small business owners across Nebraska, 
with an emphasis on economically depressed areas and to create 
sustainable economic development and marketing opportunities. Their 
goal is to connect Nebraska to the global marketplace through 
mentorship, classroom education, technical assistance in your place of 
business, e-commerce, wholesale and export guidance, professional 
marketing training, and much more. Members of GROW Nebraska number in 
the hundreds and include software company Hollman Media of Kearney, 
Pacha Soap of Hastings, a recipient of the Whole Foods Market Supplier 
Award for Outstanding Innovation, and Preferred Popcorn of Chapman, a 
100 percent farmer-owned company whose product is sold in 70 countries 
worldwide for a total of more than one billion servings annually.
  Main Street Beatrice has been a ``Main Street'' community since 1996, 
when a group of stakeholders came together over concerns about the 
future of their downtown area. Together, they worked to include 
Beatrice in the

[[Page E1095]]

Nebraska Lied Main Street program and the Certified National Main 
Street program. Main Street Beatrice provides guidance and resources to 
downtown businesses, building owners, and others by utilizing the 
National Main Street Program approach. The organization has grown by 
leaps and bounds in the last two years. Together with the National 
Trust for Historic Preservation and the Nebraska State Historical 
Society, Main Street Beatrice has been a leader in advocating for and 
sharing the message of the importance of utilizing available resources 
for historic preservation through training, awareness events, and 
community outreach. Beatrice was recognized by the National Register of 
Historic Places in 2016.
  I am proud to recognize each of these award winners today, and I 
thank them for their many contributions to Nebraska.

                          ____________________