FAB 50:
FEELIN’ GROOVY
Business Journal
JEREMY VOKT KEEPS BLAND & ASSOCIATES MARCHING TO DIFFERENT BEAT
Page 20
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY ACROSS NEBRASKA & BEYOND
MBJ.COM
VOLUME 52 No. 21
SARPY COUNTY NEWS:
CHACÓN BRINGS PERSONAL MISSION TO PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE
FORUM SPEAKERS OUTLINE CAMPUS, LEGISLATION AND INCENTIVE WINS BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN
BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN
MARY HAWKINS: Page 08
MCC Eyes Sarpy Footprint
Metropolitan Community College has owned 145 acres at the corner of Highway 370 and Highway 50 since 2014, but plans to build on the site are now moving in earnest. Nate Barry, Ph.D., vice president for strategic operations and initiatives, told attendees the board of governors approved the land as MCC’s fourth campus in 2023, and infrastructure work — grading, roads, sewer and electrical — is on track for completion within the next 12 months.
MAY 15, 2026
Leading With Heart
SARPY LOOKS AHEAD
The Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the County forum May 13, drawing business leaders, elected officials and community stakeholders for three hours of presentations on workforce development, legislation, economic incentives and the national fiscal outlook.
$2.00
JEFF RUSSELL: Page 10
TODD SIMON: Page 12
Three weeks after opening the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center, Chanda Chacón sat in the lobby watching families walk through the door. A mother approached the welcome desk. “I heard that you have a different way to help kids feel comfortable and get them out of the car to come in to be screened,” she said. The team explained the process: a garagelike bay where families can drive in, the door closes, and trained therapists work to de-escalate the situation before the child even exits the vehicle. It looks welcoming, not sterile. It takes as long as it takes. The mother’s body language shifted. “My husband and son are in the parking lot right now.” “There was not another option. There was not another choice,” Chacón said. “I struggle to think that there will be anything else in my career that will have as big of an impact as this work has had.” The $114 million center addresses a crisis affecting one in five Nebraska children. But for Chacón, the work is deeply personal, shaped by a childhood injury that required her to navigate a complex health care system and a decade spent as a court-appointed advocate for children in foster care. CHACÓN ON PAGE 06
SARPY ON PAGE 17
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: RECORD-SETTING EVENT DJ’S HERO AWARDS SETS RECORD FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, FUNDRAISING The Salvation Army of Omaha’s 2026 DJ’s Hero Awards Luncheon, held April 28 at CHI Health Center Omaha, was a record-setting event in more ways than one. The gathering awarded an unprecedented 19 scholarships to Nebraska AWARDS ON PAGE 18