MIDLANDS LEADERS Q&A:
Business Journal
KIMBERLY CARROLL STEWARD, PH.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NEBRASKA RECYCLING COUNCIL
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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY ACROSS NEBRASKA & BEYOND
MBJ.COM
VOLUME 52 No.6
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FEBRUARY 6, 2026
Persistence Pays HEATH MELLO’S VISION FOR GREATER OMAHA TAKES SHAPE BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN
EVERLASTING SUCCESS BUSINESS HALL OF FAME WELCOMES THREE MEMBERS On Jan. 29, the Nebraska Chamber and the University of Nebraska College of Business held the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame banquet at the Lincoln Cornhusker Marriott. STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Heath Mello doesn’t give up easily. As president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, he’s built a career on persistence — a quality he traces back to watching “The Shawshank Redemption,” among other favorite films that center on never giving up. That resilience has shaped Mello’s approach since he took the helm of the chamber in August 2023, inheriting an organization that needed steadying after a tumultuous period. In his first 90 days, he made difficult decisions about internal operations, external stakeholder engagement and the chamber’s financial recalibration. The approach worked, and today he leads an organization of nearly 3,000 members focused on ambitious economic development goals through the chamber’s Omaha COMPETES agenda — a comprehensive strategy to modernize Nebraska’s economic development tools, enhance site readiness and grow the region’s workforce competitiveness. A key component is the “Back to Omaha” campaign, which targets people from the region to consider restarting their careers locally, capitalizing on the transformation the metro has undergone over the last decade. The chamber’s workforce excellence team has also expanded its work on second-chance hiring, connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with employers facing labor shortages — a priority Mello learned about during his eight years in the Nebraska Legislature, including four as appropriations committee chairman. Before joining the chamber, Mello also served in roles at Metropolitan Community College and the University of Nebraska system, building expertise in consensus building and innovative financing that now informs his chamber leadership. MBJ sat down with Mello for a Q&A to give readers a closer look at this leader. STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
CELEBRATING COUNCIL BLUFFS CHAMBER ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS MERGER, AWARDS
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