The tour included stops at Lincoln Industries, Firespring, Hudl, UNL’s Innovation Campus, Non-Profit Hub, and Fuse Coworking. At each of these locations, participants observed ways in which innovative techniques are changing the landscape of the traditional business model.
The morning began with a facilities tour at Lincoln Industries and a sit down meeting with representatives who shared why they believe their company is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work in Nebraska. The morning also included a full tour of Firespring, Nebraska’s only B Corporation, specializing in cloud IT services, print solutions, marketing, and web development. The tour, led by CEO Jay Wilkinson, concluded with a catered meal and a panel discussion with Wilkinson and entrepreneurs Matt Boyd and Brian Ardinger of NMotion, as well as Paul Jarrett, co-founder of Bulu Box. The panel discussion was an opportunity for local community members to ask questions about how innovative entrepreneurship might be applied in rural communities across Nebraska.
Elaine Hanson, Peru State College First Lady and tour participant, called the day “inspiring and enlightening, saying that it gave her “a glimpse into the exciting world of entrepreneurs and technology.” She expressed thanks to Brent Comstock for putting the event together. “It also gave me insight into the kind of jobs and work culture some of our students will be engaged in as they pursue their careers in the future.”
The group’s afternoon segment began at Hudl, a unique Midwest company located in Lincoln’s Haymarket District. At Hudl, the group observed dozens of employees that work daily in coding, design, video production, business development, and coach support for their mobile application that allows coaches and players to upload and access game film almost instantly. At Nebraska Innovation Campus, Non-Profit Hub, and Fuse Coworking, the group continued to ask questions about future development, innovative business strategy, and ways to implement the concepts they learned into action at home.
Comstock plans to organize similar tours that will take place as soon as August 2015. To see more pictures of last week’s tour, find BCom Solutions, LLC on Facebook.
