Gov. Pillen Announces Awards for 6 Regions, One Nebraska Priority Projects

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced awards for projects in three districts of the state’s 6 Regions, One Nebraska initiative (Central, Mid-Plains, and Western). The announcement took place during a news conference in Scottsbluff. 

“Nebraskans compete incredibly hard to succeed, but too often we’ve competed against one another,” said Gov. Pillen. “6 Regions, One Nebraska takes a different approach—prioritizing shared wellbeing above individual accomplishment. It’s been encouraging to see the statewide embrace of this partnership model for growth.” 

Gov. Pillen was joined at the news conference by K.C. Belitz, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED); regional navigators and co-chairs; community college leaders; and awarded project applicants. 

“I am grateful for Governor Pillen’s vision to bring our state together through the 6 Regions, One Nebraska initiative,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz. “We’re undergoing an attitudinal change—helping Nebraskans compete together as teammates rather than against one another as rivals. The wisdom of thinking regionally about growth is clearly resonating with leaders. We’re seeing impressive engagement in work sessions and on regional priority projects.”

Launched in 2024, 6 Regions, One Nebraska encourages cooperation, rather than competition, among neighboring communities. Each region had two formal gatherings in 2024, along with numerous virtual work sessions. At the first meeting, leaders reviewed economic and demographic data specific to their community college district. Participants decided on priority areas to serve as a starting point for collaborative action. Subsequently, working groups identified potential solutions to address needs and developed one project for which to seek state-administered American Rescue Plan Act funds.

At the second meeting, participants heard reports from each action team and discussed steps to move forward with a funding application. Each region successfully supported one application for an award of $200,000. State leaders have engaged philanthropic organizations to raise additional funds to support the awarded projects.

“Our communities in the Panhandle have great career opportunities, and they’re wonderful places to raise a family,” said Owen Palm, President and CEO of 21st Century Equipment and co-chair of the Western region. “To attract new residents, it’s also important that we encourage development of affordable housing. We’re thankful for the State’s support as we jointly undertake a housing infrastructure assessment in Western Nebraska.”

The Mid-Plains region also identified housing as a top priority, backing a funding request from Mid-Plains Community College for a workforce housing revitalization project.

“It’s been remarkable to see leaders unite across the region to prioritize growth,” said Ryan Purdy, president of Mid-Plains Community College. “Together, we’re committed to rapidly increasing our inventories of workforce housing. As a college, we look forward to expanding the region’s skilled-trades workforce to take on new housing development and rehabilitation projects.” 

The Central Community College District chose to focus on adding childcare capacity throughout the region.

“Throughout central Nebraska, there’s a shortage of childcare slots available to families,” said Denise Zwiener, CEO of Buffalo County Community Partners. “Through our Childcare Champions program, we’ve had success equipping entrepreneurs to achieve licensure and open new childcare centers. We’re grateful for this award, which will help us further increase childcare capacity across our region.” 

The three awards announced at Monday’s news conference are displayed below.Gov. Pillen announced awards for the state’s other three regions (Metro, Northeast, and Southeast) at a previous press conference

Central Community College District
Buffalo County Community Partners (BCCP)
BCCP will contract with child care champions to provide one-on-one mentoring to help entrepreneurs obtain childcare licensure, create business plans, and access business development resources. $200,000

Mid-Plains Community College District
Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC)
MPCC will undertake a workforce housing revitalization project. The first step will be to evaluate current housing assets, existing ordinances and funding resources, and available contractors and skilled-trades providers. Next, stakeholders will develop a regional resource hub with data dashboards, marketing strategies, and capacity building goals. Concurrently, a partnership with MPCC will expand regional skilled-trades workforce training to build capacity for new housing development and rehabilitation projects. $200,000

Western Nebraska Community College District
Panhandle Area Development District (PADD)
PADD will conduct a housing infrastructure assessment by (1) developing an asset inventory of developed housing sites in the Panhandle that are ready for construction and (2) generating a study and working with engineers to determine need and estimate infrastructure costs to develop required lots to meet housing demand.  $200,000