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Lanoha Shares Details about Mutual Tower & Plans for Current HQ
The Mutual of Omaha headquarters’ shear tower will top out next month, according to the head of Lanoha, an Omaha-based real estate company developing the city’s newest skyscraper. The shear tower is the central core that acts as the building’s spine. It’s now more than 600 feet tall. Jason Lanoha, president & CEO of Lanoha, was a guest on last Saturday’s Grow Omaha show on News-Radio 1110 KFAB. His company is developing the 44-story office building that will eventually be Mutual of Omaha’s home office. When the building is complete, it will be 677 feet, making it the tallest building in a multi-state region. The $600 million project is rising on the northwest corner of 14th & Farnam Street downtown. Lanoha said everything is on track, and the project should meet its scheduled completion date at the end of 2026. Crews are currently working on the shear tower’s 42nd floor. Though only a couple more floors remain, the building will still add quite a bit of height. The 44th floor...
Open Omaha Provides Behind-the-Scenes Tours of Local Places This Saturday
Open Omaha, a free metro-wide open house celebrating the city’s most fascinating centers of design, history and culture, returns for its fourth year this Saturday – August 9. Hosted by nonprofit Omaha by Design, the event invites the public to step inside the spaces that make our city so dynamic— many of which are not typically open and free to the public. Spanning the metro, this curated showcase is open to all. Launched in 2022, the event has opened doors to more than 140 of the metro’s most unique spaces. Open Omaha 2025 will feature 44 venues across seven neighborhoods, encouraging attendees to discover the variety of venues that are just a walk, ride or roll away from one another. Newly participating venues include Joslyn Art Museum, UNO’s Mallory Kountze Planetarium, Steelhouse Omaha, RailsWest History Museum and Omaha Central High School. Returning venues include Conagra Brands, Joslyn Castle and Gardens, Hardy Coffee Co. Roasting Lab, Squirrel Cage Jail and No More Empty Pots...
City Announces $40 Million Plan to Kickstart Urban Core Affordable Housing
Omaha Mayor John Ewing and representatives from Front Porch Investments last week announced a proposed plan for the City of Omaha to enable the use of $40 million in bonds to build and preserve affordable housing in the city’s urban core as soon as 2026, a decade sooner than Tax Increment Financing revenue would be available to support it. An anonymous funder is prepared to purchase $40 million in bonds, which the city would grant to Front Porch Investments to distribute to stimulate affordable housing development and preservation in the urban core. Front Porch Investments, a non-profit that helps connect affordable and workforce housing developers and available public and private funding, will leverage these bond funds as part of the Urban Core Housing and Mobility Redevelopment Plan. “My parents didn't have the ability to purchase their first home until I was 15, so I understand the challenges families face when they’re not able to find stable, affordable housing,” Ewing said. “By...
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Heritage Omaha Reveals Targeted Site for Public Market
The nonprofit organizations studying the potential of a year-round public market in Omaha have revealed its possible location at The RiverFront. Heritage Omaha, which is collaborating on the project with Project for Public Spaces, announced that philanthropic supporters have secured land at 8th & Farnam Street as the preferred site for a possible year-round, indoor, nonprofit public market. The market could create vibrant community space, support local small businesses and start-ups, and feature fresh, prepared and specialty foods as well as arts, crafts and other local goods. The announcement of the potential market location just south of the skate ribbon at Heartland of America Park came during Wednesday night’s public workshop to gather feedback on the project from community members, where attendees worked together to shape a market concept that feels uniquely ‘Omaha.’ Heritage Omaha President Tina Cherica said the market’s potential location aligns with the project’s goals....
Omaha Public Library Chooses Zen Coffee for Future Flagship Building
Omaha Public Library has chosen Zen Coffee Company as its official café partner at the future Central Library, set to open next spring on the southwest corner of 72nd & Dodge Street. The café will be located on the east side of the library’s first floor near the indoor playscape and public commons, with a view of the City Garden. Zen at Central Library will offer much of the same experience customers have come to know and love from their other Omaha locations, with a menu that reflects their signature offerings and hospitality. “We want people to feel like they can stay a while,” said Abby McLeay, co-founder of Zen Coffee Company. “Whether you're grabbing a coffee before a book club, sitting in on a workshop, or meeting a friend after a storytime, Zen is here to be part of your day.” A café was one of the most frequently requested amenities in a 2022 community survey about the future Central Library. Zen Coffee Company joins a slate of partners from browsable book stacks on every...
Nebraska Medicine Plans Health Center in Gretna Landing Development
The City of Gretna announced today that Nebraska Medicine will be a major anchor in the Gretna Landing development northwest of 192nd & Highway 370. Nebraska Medicine is partnering with Noddle Companies on a 125,000 sq. ft. health center, which will open to patients in the second half of 2027. Gretna Landing includes a 31-acre, mixed-use project that will include office space and professional services, along with retail spaces, restaurants, fitness and wellness focused retailers and residential units. Noddle Companies envisions Gretna Landing as a destination inspired by Aksarben Village to create a development that meets the needs of the growing community. “Gretna prides itself on community, we value relationships and working together to make a difference. Because of this, not only do we attract citizens with those values, but businesses and organizations as well,” said Mayor Mike Evans. “Visionary developers, like Noddle Companies and world class organizations, like Nebraska...
Former Civic Auditorium Site Wins City Council Approval
White Lotus Group and the City of Omaha made some progress on the Civic Auditorium redevelopment project this week. The site is bounded by Capitol Avenue as well as 17th, 19th and Chicago streets. White Lotus Group is an Omaha-based real estate development firm. The City Council approved a final plat and subdivision agreement. The original auditorium was demolished in 2016. Despite current and previous proposals to develop the property, it remains vacant. Based on public testimony at this week’s City Council meeting, infrastructure work will apparently begin soon. According to Dan Dolezal of Ehrhart Griffin & Associates, sewer infrastructure will start this year and be completed by 2026. Additional infrastructure – such as side-street parking – will be completed with each phase of the project. Arun Agarwal, CEO of White Lotus, emphasized that, despite not seeing much progress since his company took over the project 19 months ago, required planning and approvals are generally on...
Omaha Ranked at #3 Mid-Sized Metro for STEM Professionals
CoworkingCafe has named Omaha as the #3 best mid-sized metro area in America where STEM professionals thrive in 2025. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Nationwide, jobs in scientific fields have increased by 31percent, while wages have risen 19 percent over the past five years. CoworkingCafe’s study evaluates large, mid-sized and small cities across nine key metrics to identify where science professionals truly thrive. Analyzing factors like STEM job availability, local STEM establishments, wage trends for science professionals, education levels, affordability and more, the study discovered that Omaha-Council Bluffs ranks #3 among mid-sized metros, scoring 62.73 points. CoworkingCafe called Omaha “a rising powerhouse for science professionals.” When it comes to number of businesses, Omaha ranks 8th among mid-sized metros with 411 STEM-related establishments that provide diverse opportunities across industries from tech to research. Approximately 13.4...
Woodbury Corp. Breaks Ground on Crossroads
Woodbury Corporation, a full-service real estate management and development company, along with development partner WRK Real Estate, broke ground this week on Gamescape by Cinemark at the Crossroads. The all-in-one immersive entertainment destination will be the first in the state, and one of the first in the country. Gamescape is the first announced tenant of the development. Gamescape by Cinemark is an all-in-one entertainment destination for all ages that includes movie auditoriums, a full-service restaurant and bar, bowling, an arcade, laser tag, and more. The $850 million crossroads project is northwest of 72nd & Dodge Street. "We are pleased to officially break ground on Gamescape by Cinemark, an exciting new venue that will bring the best in family entertainment to Omaha," said Jay Jostrand, Cinemark Executive Vice President of Real Estate and Construction. "This milestone reflects the collaboration with our partners and the city, as we work together to provide immersive,...
Creighton Breaks Ground on New Baseball Facility
Creighton University broke ground yesterday for its baseball practice field and celebrated construction progress on its softball stadium. The future baseball field — near Florence Boulevard & Cuming Street — will be completed by June 2026. In addition to being the home base for Creighton baseball practice, the all-turf field will serve as the principal location for teams preparing to compete in the NCAA Men’s College World Series. The 193,000 sq. ft. field’s design mimics that of Charles Schwab Field Omaha a few blocks east, to better orient visiting teams preparing to compete in the “Greatest Show on Dirt.” The new softball competition field — near 20th & Cuming Street — will be completed this fall. Like the baseball field, the 79,000 sq. ft. complex will feature state-of-the-art turf across the entire playing surface. The softball and baseball fields will also be available to students through Creighton intramural and club sports, as well as community baseball and softball...
Building the Omaha of the Future – Together
Guest Column by Heath MelloPresident & CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber On behalf of the Greater Omaha Chamber and the entire business community, we would like to extend our congratulations to Mayor John Ewing on his historic victory as Omaha’s new mayor. Your election marks an exciting chapter, filled with promise for stronger partnerships and collaborative action to build a more prosperous city. Mayor Ewing takes office at a pivotal moment as the Chamber and our partners advance our comprehensive economic development strategy, "A Greater Omaha." This strategy puts people at its center, recognizing that true economic success is measured in part by the quality of life for all residents. Omaha thrives when its people thrive, which is why the Chamber remains committed to an inclusive economic growth agenda. Our new approach is epitomized in our innovative "Scaling Homegrown Innovation" program, a key initiative within "A Greater Omaha." This economic gardening tactic prioritizes...
How Important Is Omaha Among the World’s Major Cities?
Omaha is the 54th “most important” city in North America and the 49th most important in the United States. That’s according to the mid-2025 report of the Global City Importance Model as reported by Justin O’Beirne. The model scores urban areas according to their relative importance globally. It uses 40 regularly updated data sources across four dimensions (economic, political, cultural, and demographic) to calculate importance, with economic output and international geopolitical influence comprising the largest scoring factors. The 10 most important cities in the world are 1. New York, 2. Washington, 3. Beijing, 4. London, 5. Tokyo, 6. Shanghai, 7. Paris, 8. Los Angeles, 9. San Francisco, 10. Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Dongg. The 10 most important cities in North America are 1. New York, 2. Washington, 3. Los Angeles, 4. San Francisco Bay Area, 5. Chicago, 6. Boston, 7. Toronto, 8. Houston, 9, Dallas-Fort Worth, 10. Atlanta. The model categorizes cities into several tiers. Omaha is in tier...
Latest Fortune 500 List Includes Four Omaha-Based Companies
Omaha continues to punch above its weight when it comes to corporate headquarters. The 2025 Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 lists have been released, and Omaha is the home to several of the nation’s biggest companies. The Fortune 500, in its 71st year, ranks the biggest U.S. companies by revenue. In total, Fortune 500 companies represent two-thirds of U.S. GDP with $19.9 trillion in revenues, and they employ 31 million people worldwide. Last year, they combined to earn $1.87 trillion in profits, up 10 percent from last year—and a record in dollar terms. Omaha hosts the headquarters of four companies in the Fortune 500 and an additional three in the Fortune 1000. That’s the same number of Fortune 500 companies as last year, but one less in the Fortune 1000 as Green Plains fell out of the rankings. Here’s the list of Omaha’s Fortune 500 and 1000 companies with rankings and 2024 revenue totals: #6 Berkshire Hathaway – $371.4 Billion#177 Union Pacific Railroad – $24.3 Billion#247 Kiewit –...
Report Lists Omaha as One of America’s Best Cities for Families
Extra Space Storage included Omaha as one of 14 cities on its “Best Cities for Families in 2025” report published on the company’s SpaceWise blog. In addition to Omaha, cities making the list included Ann Arbor, Mich.; Arlington, Va.; Columbia, Md.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Huntsville, Ala.; Madison, Wis.; Overland Park, Kan.; Plano, Tex.; Raleigh, N.C.; Round Rock, Tex.; San Jose, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Virginia Beach, Va. Extra Space Storage did not list a number-one city. To create the list, the report included factors like schools, affordability, safety and things to do, Here’s what the report had to say about Omaha: When looking for a family-friendly city to relocate to, put Omaha on your list! This Midwestern city is one of the most affordable U.S. cities, a great place for remote work, and the ideal area for veterans and retired military to settle down. Potential homeowners or renters can find homes that won’t break their budget in affordable neighborhoods in the Omaha Metro. The...
Early Bird Pricing for 36th Annual CRE Summit Ends June 11
The Commercial Real Estate Summit – which started 36 years ago with 150 attendees at Creighton Law School – returns to the CHI Health Center Friday, August 22. This year’s theme is “The Next Chapter: Growth, Change, and Opportunity.” The all-day summit now attracts upwards of 800 commercial real estate professionals each year. Early bird tickets are $325/person or $293.25/group of 20-plus and $310.50/group of 10-19 people until June 11. After that, tickets increase to $345 per person. Late conference tickets (after August 8) are $395/person. Hall of Fame Luncheon and students’ tickets are $75. “The event has grown each year, and we’re expecting upwards of 800 commercial real estate professionals this year,” said Jerry Slusky, who founded the event in 1990. “Not only have we experienced continued growth over the years, but our format has evolved to reflect what’s happeneing with commerical real estate each year. This year is no exception. “We’ve got a great lineup of speakers, and...
