City of Holdrege Attracts New Investments in Business and Workforce Development

DED honors Holdrege for 18 years of leadership in the Economic Development Certified Community program.

For nearly two decades, the State of Nebraska has worked alongside the city of Holdrege (pop. 5,555) to encourage opportunities in business and community development. This week, the Department of Economic Development (DED) recognized city and county officials for their most recent efforts to attract new industries and support a growing workforce.

Ongoing economic investments in Phelps County contributed to the City of Holdrege’s fourth recertification in Nebraska’s Economic Development Certified Community (EDCC) program. DED’s Central Nebraska Business Development Consultant, Kelly Gewecke, honored city leaders and members of the Phelps County Development Corporation (PCDC) on Tuesday, October 1^st.

Holdrege is one of 41 communities in the statewide program, which is sponsored by the Nebraska Diplomats and administered by DED. Nebraska leaders established the EDCC program in 2005 to recognize communities for preparedness to attract new industries and expand existing businesses. The City of Holdrege first attained EDCC status in 2006 and earned program recertifications in 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Qualifying communities must develop a well-defined program that engages business leaders to support an environment for economic growth. This includes documenting available sites and buildings, implementing strategic planning, and developing online marketing efforts. PCDC was recently recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for Holdrege and Phelps County’s online presence. The organization was honored with the “Award of Excellence for a General Purpose Website” in the category for communities with a population of under 25,000.

PCDC recently announced the anticipated development of a $5.5 billion sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in rural Phelps County. A U.S.-based SAF company, DG Fuels selected the county for its first Midwest facility with expected production by 2030. At full production capacity, the plant anticipates producing 193 million gallons of SAF per year.

In 2023, DED announced a $600,000 award from the state’s Rural Workforce Housing Fund (RWHF) for projects in Holdrege and Bertrand. Investments from the City of Holdrege and PCDC are also assisting in the construction of an anticipated 33-home project in the Northern Meadows subdivision.      

“As local and regional partners continue to commit time and resources to develop Phelps County’s growing housing stock, we appreciate the ongoing opportunity to collaborate with the State of Nebraska,” said PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery. “The Rural Workforce Housing Fund helped equip Northern Meadows with essential infrastructure, including lighting and water, which has expedited the project’s building process.”

Tillery and his team have also prioritized efforts to improve existing infrastructure. Over the past five years, PCDC has funded façade projects at nearly 50 downtown buildings, which have generated more than $3.5 million in private investments through the organization’s GO! DREAM program.

Recent efforts to bolster the region’s workforce include the successful relocation of 295 new residents to Phelps County, which resulted in more than $19 million in property sales. The organization awarded 109 “high demand job scholarships” to assist local business owners in filling vacant positions. PCDC invested more than $300,000 in the job scholarship program, which was derived from relationships built with local employers through business retention and expansion (BRE) visits. DED works with local leaders to implement the BRE program in communities across the state, and it plays a significant role in the EDCC certification process. 

“PCDC is grateful for the partnership we’ve forged with DED, which delivers value to everything we do in Phelps County,” Tillery said. “Recertification gives each partner confidence in the other’s capabilities, while also testing our ability to respond quickly, accurately, and completely to real-world situations.”

For additional information on the Economic Development Certified Community Program, contact Ashley Rice-Gerlach at 308-655-0919 or ashley.gerlach@nebraska.gov, or visit https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/community/edcc/.