Don Macke Joins the GROW Nebraska Board

Don Macke Joins the GROW Nebraska Board

by | Oct 30, 2020 | GROW Blog, Uncategorized

Don Macke Joins the GROW Nebraska Board

Don Macke

A Nebraskan with more than 40 years of experience in community economic development is the newest board member for the GROW Nebraska Foundation.

Don Macke, vice president of e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (previously the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship), has been selected to join GROW’s 12-member statewide board of directors.

“I have been following GROW Nebraska and supporting it from its very beginnings,” Macke said. “I so believe in its mission and value of growing our artisans’ community in Nebraska. Fostering this kind of development not only contributes to the personal and economic wellbeing in our state and region but greatly enhances our culture.”

GROW Nebraska Foundation CEO Janell Anderson Ehrke said she is excited to have Don join the board.

“Don brings a wealth of entrepreneurship and nonprofit success and strategic vision to our organization, which will be critical to our ability to scale and meet the growing demands to help Nebraska businesses connect to the global marketplace,” she said.

Macke said as a board member he hopes to shine a light on GROW Nebraska to share how its mission is critically important to the state. 

“In today’s very competitive human talent environment, genuine community is so important in attracting, developing and retaining human talent,” Macke said. “By fostering a robust artisan sector in Nebraska, GROW Nebraska is contributing to creating a much more interesting state while helping individual artisans find greater success with their passions.”

Macke’s experience in both nonprofit organizational development and working with entrepreneurial ventures will be of great value to GROW Nebraska.

Most of Macke’s career has been related to economic development. He worked for nearly 10 years on staff in the Nebraska Unicameral, serving in Ben Nelson’s cabinet and leading the Rural Development Commission. He also has provided consulting services to businesses and nonprofit organizations and has taught college economics.

Macke said he wants to “ensure that GROW Nebraska has the recognition, funding and staffing to fully optimize its potential.”

When he’s not working, Macke is active in his East Campus Neighborhood Association and assorted charities in his three hometowns of Mullen, Ogallala and Lincoln. He grew up in Mullen, graduated from high school in Ogallala and has lived in Lincoln since 1974.

He is married to Jenny Carver, who is a preschool special education teacher with the Lincoln Public Schools, and they have two adult sons who both live and work in Lincoln.

“As I approach this time in my life, I want to give back to my home state and hometowns,” Macke said. “Serving on the GROW Nebraska board hopefully will provide me another way to give back.”

View all board members HERE

GROW Nebraska® Foundation is a statewide non-profit training and marketing organization. Serving over 400 Nebraska small businesses, the organization provides marketing opportunities, education, and training to launch and connect Nebraska businesses to the global marketplace. GROW Nebraska’s educational programs receive federal and state funding, along with generous support from foundations and individual donors.

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Learn About New Entrepreneur Initiative at Special MarkeTech Session

Learn About New Entrepreneur Initiative at Special MarkeTech Session

by | Feb 14, 2020 | GROW Blog

Learn About New Entrepreneur Initiative at Special MarkeTech Session

Anyone considering starting a new business in Nebraska should attend the “What Do You Need to Be Successful?” breakout session at the 2020 MarkeTech Conference in Kearney.

In this session, two long-time Nebraska Extension leaders will explain a new statewide resource for entrepreneurs.

Connie Hancock, consultant with Nebraska Extension, and Don Macke, Community Vitality Initiative Program Leader, will share information about the newly formed Nebraska Entrepreneurship Initiative.

The initiative is a partnership between the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) and Nebraska Extension. It is a statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports and builds businesses and communities for the long-term economic growth of Nebraska.

Hancock said the initiative has two strategies:

  1. Develop a Statewide Network to create, implement and sustain a statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem infrastructure that allows for ready and easy access to business development resources.
  2. Create an Entrepreneurial Communities program to increase the capacity of local communities to focus entrepreneurial assets and resources that support entrepreneurial starts and growth.

The initiative began in 2018 and was piloted in 2019.

One of the tools of the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Initiative is Nebraska SourceLink®, a one-stop place for entrepreneurs, small business owners, communities and service providers to go for help starting and growing a business in Nebraska.

“This entrepreneurial environment mixes technology, community engagement and impact measurement that connects Nebraska entrepreneurs by linking a vast network of nonprofit resource organizations to one another and to established, emerging and start-up small businesses,” Hancock said.

Nebraska SourceLink® includes an interactive map to find the nearest experts based on need, a people-powered call center, current blog postings and a calendar for regional and state events.

The new entrepreneurial infrastructure helps: 

  • Spark entrepreneurship and innovation, 
  • Connect entrepreneurs to the right resource at the right time, 
  • Identify gaps and build collaborations to fill them, 
  • Measure the impact of our entrepreneurial system and tell the story of Nebraska entrepreneurship and innovation.

SoucreLink® includes a Resource Navigator, which allows entrepreneurs and small business owners to search the network for resources that fit their industry, business stage and challenge. Back-end administration allows for fast updates and complex reports to help inform entrepreneur usage by zip code, industry, business stage, assistance requested and much more.

Hancock said entrepreneurs, anyone thinking about starting a business, new business owners and community leaders are encouraged to attend this MarkeTech presentation to learn more.

“We hope that the participants will become aware of the rich entrepreneurial resources available to them and how easy it is to find the appropriate resource to help them be successful,” Hancock said.  “We also want them to realize the importance of community support and having an entrepreneurial ecosystem to help them be successful.”

Early bird registration for the conference ends on March 20. The price is $99 for a half day and $199 for the entire day for non-GROW members and $59 for GROW Nebraska members. The registration fee includes breakfast and lunch and full conference registration including three breakout sessions, the keynote speaker, conference swag and the VIP After Party at McCue’s Nebraska Taproom in Kearney. To register, visit marketechconference.com/registration.

GROW Nebraska® Foundation is a statewide non-profit training and marketing organization. Serving over 400 Nebraska small businesses, the organization provides marketing opportunities, education, and training to launch and connect Nebraska businesses to the global marketplace. GROW Nebraska’s educational programs receive federal and state funding, along with generous support from foundations and individual donors.

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