North Platte honored as 2023 Nebraska Diplomats Community of the Year!
Forty people crowded into the photograph in Kearney Tuesday night after North Platte received its second top statewide honor in three years for its multiyear economic offensive.
That number, and the breadth of community leadership visible in that photo, tells much about why Nebraska’s eyes are on the forks of the Platte.
Nebraska Diplomats, with nearly 300 statewide business executives and community leaders, named North Platte its 2023 Nebraska Community of the Year at an evening banquet capping the opening day of its two-day Governor’s Ag and Economic Development Summit.
The award, presented by Gov. Jim Pillen and Nebraska Diplomats President Desiree Wineland, came two years after then-Gov. Pete Ricketts gave North Platte the Governor’s Showcase Community Award in April 2021.
North Platte has approximately $2 billion in economic and community development projects underway or emerging at present.




Nebraska Diplomats Host Annual Awards Banquet
August 9, 2023 (LINCOLN, NEB.) – The Nebraska Diplomats hosted its annual awards banquet on Tuesday evening at the Younes Conference Center North in Kearney.
 
During the banquet, Governor Jim Pillen, Nebraska Diplomats President Desiree Wineland, and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton helped present the following awards:
 
Business of the Year – Preferred Popcorn, Chapman
Business of the Year – Gerkin Windows and Doors, South Sioux City
Community of the Year – City of North Platte
 
North Platte is enjoying rapid economic growth, with approximately $2 billion in new projects underway. North Platte wrapped up 2022 with record retail sales and lodging revenues. 2023 is already the city’s largest construction year on record, as measured by the value of building permits.
 
A number of high-profile projects are taking place in the community:

• Sustainable Beef, a rancher-owned beef processing plant, is currently under construction. It is expected to create 875 direct and 1,040 indirect jobs in North Platte. In August 2022, Sustainable Beef announced a major partnership agreement with Walmart.
• Leaders in North Platte have played a key role in the development of an Industrial Rail Park near Hershey. Over time, the 300-acre park is projected to have a $1.8 billion impact and create up to 1,000 jobs.  In October 2022, the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation, in partnership with Lincoln County, purchased a 53,000 square foot production facility from Greenbrier Rail Services that will have an initial spur to the Union Pacific mainline. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development certified the rail park as an Inland Port Authority in February 2023. 
• Rev Development is redeveloping North Platte’s mall into a mixed-use commercial and housing development known as District 177. The $85 million project involves construction of numerous retail spaces, along with 96 apartment units. 
• North Platte has successfully completed a $4 million, four-year project to transform its historic downtown into the newly renovated Canteen District.
• The National Guard has constructed a $3 million readiness center and new guard unit facility at the North Platte airport.
• North Platte has engaged in new housing development through its successful “Shot in the Arm” housing initiative. The North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corp. put together the incentive program, which has assisted the construction of 500 new housing units since 2015.
• Great Plains Health has grown to 1,200 employees and is currently constructing a stand-alone, $30 million Primary Care Center. Additionally, the hospital recently opened a $6+ million neurosurgery clinic and announced a new sports and medicine therapy complex.

• Platinum – Farm Credit Services of America
• Gold – NetChoice
• Gold – Economic Development Council for Buffalo County
• Gold – Kearney Visitors Bureau
• Gold – Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development
• Gold – Nebraska Diplomats
• Gold – Nebraska Economic Developers Association
• Gold – Nebraska Public Power District
• Gold – Omaha Public Power District
• Gold – Windstream
• Silver – Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership
• Silver – Meta
• Silver – Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Silver – University of Nebraska System
• Bronze – Bio Nebraska
• Bronze – Black Hills Energy
• Bronze – Cox