Taking a Striking Step Into the Future
How a Connected Lincoln has Helped Foster a Project
by Randy Bretz
In the more than four decades I’ve lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, one thing that keeps impressing me over and over is how connected we are. And, it’s that connectedness that has made this city so vibrant, so productive, so creative.
Because Lincoln is so incredibly connected, we’re on the verge of finding a location for and building a convention center that will serve not just Lincoln, but the entire state and beyond. Here is my view of how this has come together.
No doubt you’ve heard or read about the “six degrees of separation,” where theoretically any two people on Earth are connected through a chain of six or fewer people. Often, when talking about how connected we are in Lincoln, I’ll hear people note that we’re only two degrees of separation, meaning that chances are you know someone who knows that person you would like to meet.
Here’s how Lincoln’s connectedness is helping us move into the future. About three years ago, in early 2020, I was part of a group called together through Lincoln’s downtown Rotary 14 club. We were given the task of recommending a significant project for our club to get behind. We talked about planting a million trees, we talked about a plastic recycling project, there was conversation about helping get broadband across Nebraska. Ultimately, that group focused on pursuing the idea of a convention center for Lincoln.
Because I’d been involved with Lincoln’s Chamber of Commerce, I knew the guy who headed the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau. When it appeared that the Rotary group was going to focus on a convention center for Lincoln, I called Jeff Maul and talked with him. “Bretz, this has been something I’ve wanted to do for the nearly 20 years I’ve been in this business,” came his response. “Having Rotary’s interest can really help move it ahead.”
What came next was a partnership involving Rotary, the Convention and Visitors Bureau (now known as Visit Lincoln) and the Downtown Lincoln Association. Together we sought opportunities to share the idea with interested groups, we funded a general feasibility study and followed that with a detailed analysis of what Lincoln and Nebraska could use. As more and more people heard about the idea, it sparked even more interest in getting something done including proposed action among some of the State Senators representing Lincoln.
As the 2023 Nebraska Unicameral concluded its business in early June, one of the measures passed included a potential funding stream to help build a convention center in Lincoln. Thanks to the vision of Senators Eliot Bostar and Anna Wishart, a measure was introduced and was among those passed by the Unicameral as they concluded their business for the year. Just a couple of days after it was passed, the Governor signed it into law.
So, to this point, a series of discussions among members of Rotary helped ignite interest in an idea that had been brewing for years. That in turn brought about some serious analysis of the feasibility and ultimately some recommendations of size and nature of a facility that would serve Lincoln, Nebraska, regional and even national groups. The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce plan “Vitality Lincoln” put a convention center at the top of their list of strategic initiatives. Picking up on the momentum, Nebraska Senators identified a funding mechanism that would help foster economic activity through a convention center.
Here we sit, on the verge of action steps that will ultimately put together a financial package, identify potential interest among developers and operators, and eventually result in site selection, facility design and construction. Partners in all of this include city government, businesses, Rotary and other community organizations and education.
It’s an idea that was brought to life through the connections that help make Lincoln an exciting place to live, that give Lincoln vibrancy and actually help us all feel happier and more supported as a result. I’m looking forward to that grand opening of our convention center where we can participate in events that will help make us even more connected. Stay tuned as our connected community plans and builds a new place for us to convene.
NOTE: Thanks to Jeff Maul, Todd Ogden, Jason Ball, Steve Glenn, Eric Drumheller, Mailani Veney, Rotary 14, Anna Wishart, Eliot Bostar, Leirion Gaylor Baird, Dan Marvin, the Downtown Lincoln Association, Chamber of Commerce and so many more connecting with us as we pursued this challenging project.
