Celebrate Business 2019

Small Business of the Year - Changing Spaces SRS is proud to be the premiere senior move management company in Lincoln.  Since 2008, they have specialized in rightsizing and relocation services for seniors. They offer a full range of services designed to give clients peace of mind and caring assistance as they pursue a new home environment that better suits their needs. Their mission is to provide clients with the quality consultation and management services, as well as the physical labor, needed to accomplish a transition that clients can feel good about.

They help clients sort through the belongings in their home, deciding what to keep and what to let go. They do all the packing and unpacking related to the move. After the move, they also liquidate the items left behind in the former home, either by hosting an estate sale or donating. Through it all, they provide a shoulder to lean on for their clients during a time of transition.
 

Manufacturer of theYear - Garner Industries is a diversified manufacturing company with a 66-year history as part of the Lincoln business community. The company started out in 1953 as a small tool and die company in the Havelock area serving local metropolitan businesses. In the early 1960s, the company developed an automated grain bin level monitoring system which evolved into the BinMaster line of level control technologies. In 1992, Garner entered the plastic injection molding and mold-building business and now has 28 molding presses and robotic equipment. 

From its small and humble roots on 48th Street in Lincoln, today Garner Industries employs more than 140 individuals in its manufacturing operations. The company owns a 115,000-square foot facility on 32 acres at the corner of 98th Street and Cornhusker Highway. Garner is proud to have its quality management processes certified to ISO 9001. Today, Garner Industries serves global customers with custom molds, plastic and metal parts, while BinMaster is a leading brand of level sensors exported to more than 55 countries worldwide. 
 

Green Business of The Year - Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation® is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and partners.  

Its mission is to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, leveraging partnerships to restore forests, build vibrant communities and inspire tree-planting across America and around the globe. They are a connector of people and organizations – government, private, corporate, professional and nonprofit – bringing the right organizations together to have the greatest impact. 

The Foundation is a leader in creating recognition and use of trees as a solution to global challenges; including clean air and water, addressing climate change, energy savings and providing protection from dangerous heat and flooding. From their headquarters in Lincoln, they are in their fifth decade of inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees with more than 300 million trees planted and distributed so far and with the scale to plant millions more around the world. 
 

Entrepreneurial Spirit Award - MatMaCorp® develops affordable, easy to use devices and systems for science, agriculture and medicine. A dedicated team of scientists, engineers and software developers create simple solutions for complex problems in areas ranging from food safety to genetic analysis. The first set of products developed by MatMaCorp® are geared towards making molecular biology diagnostic techniques accessible to anyone, anywhere and at any time. Laboratory methods have been developed that eliminate standard equipment like centrifuges, pipettes and refrigerators. Hardware, software and all needed reagents are made available as part of a complete system that includes the MagicTip™ for DNA/RNA isolation, C-SAND™ Assays for sequence identification and/or SNP/Mutation detection, and the Solas 8™ device for multi-wavelength fluorescence detection and analysis. The solutions they provide have the potential to change healthcare for animals and humans and influence the way we do everything from agriculture to medicine.

Tourism Development Award - In 1959, Arnott Folsom had a vision to create a family destination where thousands of children and adults could interact with nature. With a donation from himself and his wife as well as the help from community leaders, Lincoln Children’s Zoo was founded. Opened in the summer of 1965, the Zoo became a place where children could get up close to animals and surround themselves in scenic gardens. 

Lincoln Children’s Zoo is rated among the nation’s best zoos for children by Parent Magazine. The Zoo is home to over 400 different animals, including 40 endangered animals. It is the third most attended arts and cultural attraction in Nebraska and one of the fastest growing zoos in the nation. The zoo has been featured on NBC Today, Time Magazine, ABC News, USA Today, Buzzfeed, CNN and National Geographic.

Cornerstone Award - Crete Carrier Corporation,® along with Shaffer Trucking and Hunt Transportation, proudly serve the best companies in the world with their nationwide transportation and logistics services. They have over 6,200 associates spread across 48 states with 20 operating and maintenance facilities. Crete Carrier® was founded in 1966 in Crete, Nebraska and relocated to Lincoln in 1972.  Annually, their trucks and professional drivers log over 600 million miles delivering the products that keep America moving!  

For the past two years, Crete Carrier® is proud to have been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top Employers in the Country. This recognition validates their commitment to “There Are No Shortcuts” in their mission to be the best transportation company in the country through the collective efforts of the best associates in the industry.

Crete Carrier® is very proud to call Lincoln, Nebraska home and through the Acklie Charitable Foundation, supports many great projects and causes that make the community and state a better place for everyone. 
 

Roger T. Larson Community Builder Award - Chris Beutler was elected Mayor in May 2007, re-elected in May 2011 and for a third term in 2015. He is a native Nebraskan, who has devoted the majority of his life to serving the City of Lincoln and the people of Nebraska.

Chris graduated in 1966 from Yale University. Chris is a veteran of the Armed Forces. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. After his military service, he returned to Nebraska to attend the University of Nebraska College of Law, earning his J.D. in 1973. Professionally, Chris worked in the title industry for over 15 years. He started, grew and sold his own business, Beutler Title Company. As a development consultant for the City of Lincoln, Chris raised millions of dollars for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and played a key role in the renovation of Sunken Gardens – restoring one of Lincoln’s crown jewels.

During his Legislative career, Chris was a champion for campaign finance reform. Beutler has been a leader on the environment, enacting key water and anti-pollution legislation. He advocated successfully for education finance changes that boosted state support of classroom teachers and reduced educational reliance on property taxes. He was a strong supporter of business incentives that improved Nebraska’s business climate and led to the creation of thousands of new jobs.

The Mayor has been a champion for the Lincoln Haymarket Arena development, approved by voters in May 2010. Beutler created the Stronger Safer Neighborhoods Initiative to focus on revitalizing problem neighborhood areas. He also launched the Cleaner Greener Lincoln initiative to improve energy efficiency and boost the use of renewable and clean energy technologies across the community. 

Chris and his wife Judy have five grown children – Lori, Alexa, Erica, Mikahla and Sam – and seven grandchildren.

Burnham Yates Citizenship Award - Ameritas Chair JoAnn Martin is a Plainview, Nebraska native with business degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Colorado State University. She joined Ameritas in 1984. 

Martin was named the 2018 Woman of the Year at the annual Lincoln Journal Star Inspire Awards. She was inducted into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in 2015, named a Nebraska Alumni Association Master in 2014 and inducted into the UNL School of Accountancy Hall of Fame in 2004. She’s been recognized by the Nebraska Society of CPAs and the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development for her leadership and commitment to community service. 

Martin serves as chair of the American Council of Life Insurers and is on Lincoln Vision and Prosper Lincoln steering committees. She is board chair of the University of Nebraska Foundation and a National Research Corp board member. She is on the MDRT Foundation honorary board of trustees.