Two communities served by Nebraska Public Power District were recognized as Communities of the Year by the Nebraska Diplomats at their annual banquet in August.
Holdrege and Gothenburg, wholesale customers of NPPD, received the award based on the environment their cities have created that has allowed their existing economies to thrive helped drive new development in recent years.
Holdrege has one of the most diverse economies you will find for of city just over 5,000 residents. Medical device manufacturer Becton Dickinson (BD) and their diabetes spinoff embecta who together employ more than 700 people and produce critical health products on a global scale. BD has been in Holdrege for over 50 years and the company has recently made several expansions starting with a $100 million equipment upgrade to add automated production lines. Two years later the company added $40 million of upgrades and in 2020 BD entered into an agreement with the federal government to invest $70M to add production lines for COVID-19 syringes.
Allmand Bros. Inc., a subsidiary of Briggs & Stratton, recently completed an expansion of their Holdrege facility, adding to the company’s 80- year history in the region.
In 2020 Phelps County, where Holdrege is located, was recognized by Site Selection Magazine as the #2 Most Robust Rural County economy in the nation, and in 2020 the Phelps County Development Corporation (PCDC) received the “Economic Development Organization of the Year” by the National Rural Economic Developers Association (NREDA) in part because of their cutting edge work to support small businesses during COVID.
For Gothenburg, the Community of the year Award is just the latest recognition they’ve received for the impressive work they’ve done.
The National Civic League recognized the City of Gothenburg as one of 10 All-American Cities for local leaders’ work in inclusive civic engagement in 2019. Gothenburg represented the smallest community in the annual group of award winners and emphasized the community’s “All Means All” philosophy, which encourages the City’s emphasis on stakeholder engagement for local development.
That engagement was key in the construction of a $29.5 million health and wellness facility at Gothenburg health that now houses the community’s YMCA.
Gothenburg also welcomed the expansion of Iowa-based Curbtender, Inc. in 2019, which established the garbage truck compacter manufacturer’s first Nebraska location. The company purchased the former Baldwin Filters building following Gothenburg Improvement Company’s acquisition of the property. The addition of Curbtender complements Gothenburg’s strong manufacturing presence established by Parker Hannifin, Wearparts, Gothenburg Feed Products and Dayton Phoenix.
NPPD’s Economic Development Team congratulates the cities of Holdrege and Gothenburg on being named the 2022 Communities of the Year!