............

Cronyism. Racism. Tokenism.
Welcome to the Greater Omaha Chamber

Will Veta Jeffrey be just another token minority anointed to keep the White seat warm? Let's hope not.

Cronyism   Racism   Tokenism
the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.   prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.   the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.

 

Tokenism

For nearly four-(4) decades Senator Ernie Chambers was perceived by and referred to as a "token," and local White-owned and White-controlled print and broadcast media constantly referred to him as such in their reporting using the same introduction for nearly every story about Senator Chambers:

"Today, Nebraska state Senator Ernie Chambers, (age), the only Black member of the state legislature, said . . . "

Conversely, the local White-owned and White-controlled print and broadcast media NEVER referred to State Senator Mike Groene and his White peers with the following language:

"Today, Nebraska state Senator Mike Groene, (age), one of forty-eight White members of the state legislature, said . . . "

With regard to OPS, as usual, the White-owned and White-controlled local media reported:

"Cheryl Logan, first woman and Black person to lead OPS, is guided by decades of success and challenges . . ."

With the Greater Omaha Chamber's recent hiring of Veta Jeffrey, as usual the White-owned and White-controlled local media (Omaha-Herald, KETV-TV, etc.) reported:

"Jeffrey is the first woman and the first person of color to serve as chamber president."

If "race" is not an issue, why do White-owned and White-controlled print and broadcast media perpetually make is so? Clearly, race was and remains an issue. Get it?

Senator Chambers changed the "rules" on tokenism when he authored legislation establishing district elections for Nebraska city councils of cities of the metropolitan class, Class V school districts, and county boards in counties with over three-hundred thousand inhabitants. This change enabled more people of color to have access to the political process, including being elected to serve on the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, which is a good thing! Clearly, being a smart "token" constantly annoyed politically powerful White people and their wealthy peers, which is why they successfully orchestrated term limits to remove Senator Chambers from the Nebraska Legislature.

Given the Greater Omaha Chamber's well-documented history of racism since its beginning in 1893, hopefully, politically powerful White people and their wealthy White peers who ultimately hold the purse strings and make the final decisions will perceive Jeffrey as more than just another token minority; and hopefully, Jeffrey will do something never accomplished by the Greater Omaha Chamber - to increase business, employment and investment opportunities for minorities with the same zest it applies to non-minorities.



Racism

As validated by the Greater Omaha Chamber's IRS Form 990 (below) the Chamber's mission is to increase business, employment and investment in the greater Omaha area!

Is there any record of the Greater Omaha Chamber's continuous commitment to increase business, employment and investment in minority and women owned business? Surely, White-owned media such as the Omaha World-Herald, and especially the Midland Business Journal, documents and routinely showcases minority and women-owned businesses as well as an elite social group of White business owners, which are primarily owned and controlled by White men, right? Wrong. Instead, there's a very robust record of the Greater Omaha Chamber's continuous commitment to decrease business, eliminate employment, and curtail investment in minority businesses.

The historical record shows that white supremacy has constantly burdened Black-owned businesses in Omaha, and despite of it or in spite of it, African American business owners have been successful.

Accused by white buyers of selling lower-quality goods at higher prices, White media and other sources routinely insulted Black businesses and insulted African American consumers. Without making any formal rules or laws, an “understanding” settled over Omaha that with few exceptions, Whites didn’t shop from Black-owned businesses. These kinds of “understandings” are called de facto segregation. Even as Black entrepreneurs moved into White neighborhoods throughout the Near North Side and beyond, this segregation still existed. In 1938, the Omaha Star observed that although the Black community provided 75 to 95% of the business for establishments along North 24th Street, few blacks were hired or owned businesses along the strip.

Industries such as real estate and banking in Omaha have long been segregated too, practicing racial and economic discrimination as a keystone of their practices. Frequently colluding, there have been laws and rules made to prevent their actions, but from the 1920s through today (2019), the evidence of their white supremacy is obvious through racial segregation and more.

Source: NorthOmahaHistory.com ©2022 Adam Fletcher

People of color, and women, did NOT conceive, engineer, and execute acts of "inhumanity" against themselves, because people of color, and women, were not and have never held the power, control, or "privilege" to do so. But in 2023, in a deceitful euphoria of a social justice warrior culture where "everyone" is supposed to believe "everyone is equal," and laws are consistently enforced to prohibit racism and sexism - suddenly - systemic racism and systemic sexism no longer exists. Really? The Greater Omaha Chamber has NEVER included in its "mission" an equal commitment to increase business, employment and investment opportunities for minorities and women. Again, NEVER.

After Will Brown was lynched, shot, beaten, burned, and hung September 28, 1919, Black-owned businesses shutdown fearful that White people would burn down North Omaha just like White people previously murdered innocent Black people and burned down the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma between May 31 and June 1, 1921.

QUESTON: Did Omaha's politically powerful White people (City of Omaha) and their wealthy White peers (Chamber of Commerce) use their racially inspired cronyism to reimburse Black-owned businesses after their loss of business revenue, personal income, and property?

ANSWER: No.

CONCLUSION: Black citizens in Omaha lost more than they ever gained through integration.

  

Click the above photo to view map showing where Will Brown's
body was shot, stabbed, dragged, hung, and burned throughout Omaha's downtown business district.



Henry Fonda

May 16, 1905
to
August 12, 1982

After supper, [my dad] put me in the car with him and we drove back downtown [to the printing office]. And it was very unusual for me — for my dad to be taking me at my age and turning lights on and unlocking doors and going up the stairs. It’s not like doing it in the daytime. I remember those physical things, and walking across this empty office to a window that overlooked the courthouse square. This was where the riot was happening. My father never talked about it. He never preached about it. We both just were observers. […] It was the most horrendous sight I’d ever seen. […] My hands were wet and there were tears in my eyes. All I could think of was that young black man dangling at the end of a rope. Academy Award Actor, Henry Fonda


     

Omaha's politically powerful White people (City of Omaha) and their wealthy White peers (Chamber of Commerce) used their cronyism to:

(1) intentionally “red line,” to restrict, to confine exactly where Black people could live in Omaha; and

(2) built I-75 directly through the heart of North Omaha’s Black business community and destroy Black-owned businesses and homes.

(3) established Omaha Public Schools to continuously function as an urban cesspool for public education.


QUESTON: Did the City of Omaha and/or the Greater Omaha Chamber ever equitably compensate Black businesses for their loss of revenue, loss of income, and loss of Black home ownership in order to rebuild North Omaha's economic vitality that existed during its sovereign state of segregation?

ANSWER: No

CONCLUSION: Black citizens in Omaha lost more than they ever gained through integration.

 

FAMILY HISTORY: After living in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1938 to 1940, my father and grandfather lived in Omaha from 1940 through 1948. At thirteen-(13) years of age, my father, Everett Reynolds was an excellent musician; he could instantly and proficiently read any sheet music by sight, and he played several instruments (bass violin, guitar, piano, sax, etc.). He was asked to join and tour with a big band in his early teens, and with his parents permission, he went on tour. During the "big band era," Everett toured all across the United States, he was the first Black musician to play with the Omaha symphony. He routinely played at Omaha's legendary "Dreamland," and played with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Billie Holiday.

Throughout his life my father actively "lead the fight for equality," which included leading civil rights marches while pastoring a Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1963. After returning to Omaha in 1987, and seeing the destruction of North Omaha, he then decided to become president of the Omaha chapter of the NAACP from 1995 to 2005.

  
The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE
presents How redlining and interstate highways
intentionally wrecked Black communities in Omaha, Nebraska
   
 
Racism is intentional and perpetual in Omaha, Nebraska

   
 

Omaha city limits include the following school districts: Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Elkhorn Public Schools.

In 1968 the overwhelming majority of Black children attended segregated schools. Fifty-five-(55) years later, in 2023, the overwhelming majority of Black children still attend segregated schools. Omaha, just like the overwhelming majority of "urban" school districts, continues to adhere to the "separate but equal" doctrine by maintaining segregated schools.

Keep in mind, as citizens of the City of Omaha the majority of these residents vote for the position of Mayor of Omaha, because their townships or villages were annexed by the City of Omaha. The "Big Picture" objective successfully achieved and sustained by politically powerful White people and their wealthy White peers remains: (1) keep the cesspool of "undesirables" from contaminating their White school districts; (2) prevent minorities from creating their own school districts (LB 1024); and (3) maintain sovereignty of their own White school districts.



For transcript, click here.


LB 753 is currently proposed in concert with "separate but equal," to siphon taxpayer money from public schools to (encourage enrollment in) private schools, which are overwhelmingly owned and controlled by politically powerful and/or affluent White people. As usual a few people will object, but ultimately, it won't matter.

LB 21 is blatantly obvious. As Omaha becomes more diverse (especially with an increased population of Latinos and middle-east Asians), the intent is to create more districts, more political and economic "zones" and/or to maintain control by Omaha's affluent and politically elite White people (especially control over judiciary and law enforcement). Omaha's affluent and politically elite White people will NOT tolerate a city council where White people do not hold the majority of elected seats (votes).

For example, as usual, the "boundaries" will ultimately be determined by Omaha's affluent and politically elite White people, so expect the "new" districts to come out of Elkhorn; far southwest Omaha; far northeast Omaha; etc. Conversely, North Omaha will be further diluted and split-up. This is basic gerrymandering, nothing more, nothing less. It's Omaha at its finest! The only alternative is for Black people and Latino people to band together and create a socio-political and legal barrier to prohibit this act of "planned racism," but as detailed here, that'll never happen.

The aforementioned is not a negative assessment; it does represent a pragmatic, linear assessment of facts.
     
     

The City of Omaha and the creation of the Greater Omaha Chamber in 1893 established the Central Business District (CBD) and consistently directed new businesses growth to areas with: better public schools; higher graduation rates than Omaha Public Schools; more college graduates; greater access to health care; less crime, no lead contamination coal-fired power plants, or environmental hazards, etc., than North Omaha. Accordingly, the CBD and major new business growth is perpetually directed to areas that overwhelmingly exclude minorities. For example:

PayPal
12312 Port Grace Blvd
La Vista, NE 68128
 
Google announced plans to invest over $750 million in Nebraska this year including a new data center in northwest Omaha near State Street and Blair High Road.
 
HDR
1917 S 67th Street
Omaha, NE 68106


QUESTON: Have/are Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies targeted to locate their physical operations in North Omaha?

ANSWER: No

CONCLUSION: As sustained by the Greater Omaha Chamber, and its network of politically powerful White people (City of Omaha) and the cronyism of their wealthy White peers, Black citizens in Omaha lost more than they ever gained through integration.

 
 
National Public Radio presents
Housing Segregation and Redlining in America: A Short History
   
 

Where do you
dump the latest group of
"undesirable"
people who
have little to
no money,
no or very
few employable
skills, who don't
speak Spanish,
and who are not
White?

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE
 
Omaha's White-controlled political and business sector, which includes the Omaha Land Bank, would never allow the DUMPING of hordes of poor, destitute, illiterate, unskilled, and poverty-stricken people including immigrants in Northwest Omaha, or Southwest Omaha, or anywhere that would prompt White residents to complain, terminate or relocate business operations (tax base), pursue litigation, or initiate White-flight. So, of course, these "undesirables" are DUMPED in North Omaha, duh.
     
     

Given its mission to increase business, employment and investment in the greater Omaha area, which should include Black-owned and/or controlled businesses, one might think the Greater Omaha Chamber, and City of Omaha, Cox Communications, would celebrate the demonstrated success of "Community" Telecast, Inc. increasing its market share by broadcasting increasingly diverse content for the greater Omaha "community," but one would be wrong to think so.

CTI22's market share for community access broadcasting was significantly larger than the national norm of less than 5% to range from 13% to 26% of cable provider's (Cox's) subscribers. Arguably, CTI22 was becoming too successful, which historically is not a good thing for Black owned and/or controlled businesses, especially in Omaha, Nebraska.

As President/CEO of Community Telecast, Inc. (CTI22 / Channel 22 on Cox Cable), in 2009, to expand the broadcast base for our exclusive program, “Omaha Business Showcase,” I formally requested a meeting with David G. Brown, which he confirmed; but when I arrived on site he delegated three-(3) of his subordinate managers to meet with me which included and Winsley Durand. As I conveyed in my letter to Brown, my sole interest was to discuss promoting “Omaha” businesses. Again, I was there to discuss “Omaha businesses,” not Black businesses, not Latino businesses, not women-owned businesses, etc. On at least five-(5) occasions during our 60+ minute meeting I had to repeatedly tell the Chamber’s “leadership” that CTI22 broadcasts throughout all of metro Omaha, and I was NOT there to promote business development in North Omaha or minority businesses. As usual, because I’m Black, the GOC refused to address me as a “business professional,” but to play the race card.

As President/CEO of Community Telecast, Inc. (Cox Cable Channel 22) I offered to broadcast “live” coverage of the GOC’s “The Big O Show” to promote all members businesses in prime time (7PM to 10PM) for FREE. As usual, the GOC did not respond to my proposal, and like so many Chamber members, my membership provided no ROI.

QUESTON: Given that White-owned and White-controlled media does not cover news and events involving Black people, and with the demise of the Omaha Star, CTI22, etc., is there any focal point to distribute information to Black people in metro Omaha?

ANSWER: No, as validated in the North O Report, and as detailed here.

CONCLUSION: Black citizens in Omaha lost more than they ever gained through integration.

 
   
 


To download the report by Moss & Barnett, click here.

 

Despite CTI22 success, the Greater Omaha Chamber
never supported CTI22; and the City of Omaha and
Cox Communications successfully put CTI22 out of business.

 
     
     

SUSTAINED INCARCERATION: The Absolute Best Way (Business Venture) to Make Money from Minorities

Building a new (youth) prison in (White) northwest or (White) southwest Omaha that would primarily incarcerate minorities could never be tolerated by these communities;

Building a prison that would provide economic benefit to North Omaha could not be tolerated because it would siphon revenue from White-owned business infrastructure (construction, supply chain, administration, etc.) or require White-owned companies to operate in the urban cesspool of North Omaha;

Building a prison in North Omaha emboldens the negative stereotype that North Omaha not only function as the urban cesspool to educate the overwhelming largest number of minorities in metro Omaha, but also functions as the cesspool to incarcerate minorities.

Consequently, the new (youth) prison will no longer feature the openness and greenery of the current facility, but located in the confined concrete mausoleum of Omaha's downtown Central Business District.

Some people might erroneously believe there's not enough available land in metro Omaha to build a (youth) prison outside of the CBD, which is not true. As with building I-75 through the heart of North Omaha, the City of Omaha, in concert with the Greater Omaha Chamber's mission "to increase business, employment and investment opportunities," can execute eminent domain to seize whatever land it desires. That's how it works.

QUESTON: Does systemic racism and systemic sexism continue to flourish well in metro Omaha?

ANSWER: Yes

CONCLUSION: Black citizens in Omaha lost more than they ever gained through integration.

  

80% OF DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE WHITE, BUT
80% OF INCARCERATED YOUTH ARE MINORITIES

Omaha Public Schools is the "feeder group" to populate the ever increasing urban cesspool of youth incarcerated at the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center:

As reported by Schott Foundation for Public Education and OPS, in 2012-13, ranked 49th of 50, OPS had the next to the lowest graduation rate for Black males in the United States.

As reported by Public School Review, for the 2023 school year, there are 111 public schools serving 51,914 students in Omaha Public Schools School District. This district's average testing ranking is 1/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public schools in Nebraska.

Public Schools in Omaha Public Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of only 30% (versus the Nebraska public school average of 52%), and reading proficiency score of 33% (versus the 52% statewide average).

Minority enrollment is 76% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Nebraska public school average of 35% (majority Hispanic).

QUESTION: How can the Greater Omaha Chamber increase Black-owned businesses, Black employment, and Black-oriented investment in the greater Omaha area while concurrently supporting business development in industries, at locations and/or neighborhoods that are also categorized as urban cesspool and therefore taboo?

RESPONSE: It does not.

     
     

Given status of Greater Omaha Chambers as the most influential chamber in the state of Nebraska, one might think the Chamber would provide "leadership" throughout the state on how to increase business, employment and investment opportunities for minorities and women, and with the same zest it applies to non-minorities.

QUESTON: Did the Greater Omaha Chamber provide such leadership?

ANSWER: No, the Greater Omaha Chamber did not, has not provided such leadership as perpetually validated (at right) by private sector EEO-1 employer population demographics, and public sector EEO-4 employer population demographics.

CONCLUSION: Black citizens in Omaha have lost cultural independence, solidarity of community, networking of Black-owned businesses and so much more; far more than Black people ever gained through "integration," which as represented by the graphic below, has never existed in Omaha, Nebraska.

  

In the public sector EEO-4 report of 2019 for Nebraska, for all "New Hire Employment" at city, county, and state public sector jobs, forty-six-(46) people were hired into the top level of Officials, Administrators, Senior Managers, etc., and all 46 were White; no Blacks, no Hispanics, no Asians, no Native Americans, etc. Although the data appears questionably and only marginally better, EEO-4s from 2005 to 2021 for Nebraska reported the following new hires:

2005, 1 Black female
2007, 1 Black female
2009, 1 Black female
2011, 1 Black female
2013, 1 Black female
2015, 1 Black female
2017, 1 Black female
2021, 1 Black female 		  2005, 1 Black male
2007, 1 Black male
2009, 1 Black male
2011, 1 Black male
2013, 1 Black male
2015, 1 Black male
2017, 1 Black male
2021, 1 Black male

In the private sector EEO-1 report of 2018 for Nebraska, for 1,822 employers covering 389,620 employees, only twenty-three-(23) Black men and twenty-five-(25) Black women are employed as "Executive/Senior Level Officials & Managers," and only 490 Black men and 325 Black women are employed as "First/Mid Level Officials & Managers."

     
CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE


Cronyism

QUESTION: Given the well-documented existence of racism and tokenism, how did/does the Greater Omaha Chamber address the intentional wide-scale destruction of Black-owned businesses and the corresponding destruction of North Omaha's economic vitality?

RESPONSE: It's the demonstrated practice of the Greater Omaha Chamber to ignore its past and ongoing complicity in the destruction of Black-owned businesses, Black employment, and Black-oriented investment opportunities, but to engage in piecemeal "look what we did" events supporting primarily small-time, one-off, minority and women-owned businesses; and then to self-promote its pseudo-achievements as the conquering Great White Father (gentrification). Native Americans, such as the Ponca Tribe, have repeatedly experienced this "movie."


Between 1978 and 2019 CEO compensation has grown 940% while typical worker compensation has risen by only 12% during this same time, which is often perceived as obscene by many members of the "rank and file." In January 2023 a local multimedia client engaged me to review highly paid executive compensation particular to non-profits in metro Omaha. Did you know, as validated by research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (below), the average compensation for Chief Executive Officers in Omaha-Council Bluffs is $239,610? Therefore, one might "assume" compensation paid to the Chambers' 3,000 members is comparable, right?


Did you know, as validated by the Greater Omaha Chamber's IRS Form 990 (below), in 2019, compensation paid to the Chambers' Chief Executive Officer, David Brown, was 239% greater than the average annual compensation paid to CEOs in 2021 for metro Omaha-Council Bluffs? That's right, $812,171 versus $239,610. Is membership in the Greater Omaha Chamber truly a valid "benefit," providing return on the investment (ROI) for its members, or is the Chamber's CEO the biggest beneficiary? From 2018 to 2022 here's what the Chamber paid its CEO!

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 101: It's all about "performance and leadership." The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

THE GOOD:

Jack Welch. Under Welch's leadership at General Electric, GE expanded its scale of operations, both vertically and horizontally to increase market value from $12 billion in 1981 to $410 billion when he retired, making 600 acquisitions while shifting into emerging markets. Welch pioneered a policy of informality at the work place, allowing all employees to have a small-business experience at a large corporation. Welch worked to eradicate perceived inefficiency by trimming inventories and dismantling the bureaucracy that had almost led him to leave GE in the past. He closed factories, reduced payrolls and cut lackluster units.

Lee Iacocca. American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, and for reviving the Chrysler Corporation as its CEO during the 1980s. He was president of Chrysler from 1978 to 1991 and chairman and CEO from 1979 until his retirement at the end of 1992. He was one of the few executives to preside over the entire scale of operations of two of the United States' Big Three automakers.

Steve Jobs. American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding, with his early business partner Steve Wozniak, the technology giant Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar. He was a pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, and evolving the scale of operations from an IT company producing industry-leading computer hardware and software, to an electronics company (iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.) and media company (iTunes, Apple TV, etc.).

Conversely, although David Brown and Veta Jeffrey wore the title of CEO, they performed as sheep, not as wolves.

THE BAD: The Greater Omaha Chamber produces nothing, and it's "networking" and pseudo-economic develoopment services have always been and remain racially and sexually discriminatory, or at best, its services are "soft and passive," and not designed to strategically increase the individual revenue ("commerce") and profitability of its members. Many CEOs who are members of the Greater Omaha Chamber hold positions with considerably more employees, greater complexity of workforce dynamics (technology, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.), greater span of control (public/private sector, profit/non-profit, union/non-union, multi-site/multi-state, and international environments), greater risk from potential work related hazards, and greater diversity of work conditions. Conversely, although David Brown and Veta Jeffrey wore the title of CEO, they performed as sheep, not as wolves.

THE UGLY: Here are the facts: Between 2018 and 2022 the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce paid CEO David Brown $3,307,305 - his average annual total compensation was $661,461. Conversely, Veta Jeffery is both Black and a woman, and she "lacked the business acumen and privilege afforded to White males," and therefore, was hired as yet another token minority figurehead in one of the most perpetually segregated cities in the United States. Jeffrey was extremely lucky to be paid one-half of Brown's average compensation at $331,934.

CEOs of major corporations or high ranking elected officials (governors, mayors, city managers, etc.) with responsibility for comparable "urban" subdivisions (city, county, state, etc.), are immediately responsible for directing the design, production, distribution and monetization of tangible products (tool and die; automobile industry; food manufacturers; multimedia conglomerates, petroleum and petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, etc.), or the launch and delivery of expansive and self-sustaining services such as SaaS (software as a service, "cloud" computing), electrical and water purification and waste water utilities, NBA, NFL, AT&T, etc.) - which does not include the Greater Omaha Chamber! Again, although David Brown and Veta Jeffrey wore the title of CEO, they performed as sheep, not as wolves.

Did Brown's "leadership and performance" eradicate the Omaha Chamber's perpetual racial and sexual discrimination to chart Omaha's economic development? Answer: No.

Did Brown's "leadership, performance and scale of operations" justify the Chamber compensating its CEO 239% greater than the average annual compensation paid to CEOs in metro Omaha-Council Bluffs? Answer: No.

Consider the following snapshot:

Company
CEO
W2
Other Comp
Total
# Employees
Source
Year
Greater Omaha Chamber David Brown $711,308 $ 100,863 $ 812,171
46
 IRS Form 990 2019



Nebraska Humane Society Nancy Hintz 192,255 0 192,255
240
 IRS Form 990 2019



Nebraska Medicine James Linder 1,423,430 29,084 1,452,514
8,000
 IRS Form 990 2020



Nebraska Methodist College Jeffrey Francis 547,699 120,992 668,691
397
 IRS Form 990 2019

The above exhibit has absolutely nothing to do with playing the "race card," because, clearly, the "Business Card" is being played with the above assessment. When talking about "business," for both for-profit and non-profit employers, how employers spend (invest) their money is measured as ROI, which ultimately is about performance. With regard to "performance," I've personally reviewed and/or approved 443,810 performance evaluations; I wield extremely robust subject matter expertise in this space (public/private sector, profit/non-profit, union/non-union, multi-site/multi-state, and international environments, which includes aerospace, public education, financial services, health care, gaming, IT, retail, manufacturing, municipal government, property/casualty insurance, broadcasting, and HR Consulting). Accordingly, my assessment of the Chamber's underperformance is consistent with my expertise evaluating the performance of employees, employers, and industries in my role directing all aspects of human capital management, including recruitment, compensation (including executive pay), organizational development, heatlh benefits, etc.

The Chamber's failure to provide a measurable ROI to its members should not be confined to the Chamber's staff, but include its Executive Committee, because they allow the underperformance. Frankly, no business should consider joining the Chamber or renew its membership unless the Chamber provides actual evidence membership will provide a measurable and immediate ROI. Note the following exhibit:


Again, the "mission" of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to increase business, employment and investment. Equally important, if the Chamber is going to achieve its "mission," shouldn't it be aware of the financial health of its members? You got that?

 

CURRENT

That's right, CEO-to-employee ratio for the Greater Omaha Chamber is $17,656 per employee; and in return for this executive leadership, as represented by the current graphic from the Chamber's web site (below), for no less than an annual membership fee of $435.00 the Chamber will post the company name, phone number, street address, web site if available, and maybe the company logo; sadly, for many members the Chamber is too lazy to even post the company logo. That's the basic character of "promotional service" provided by the Chamber. That's it. Frankly, the old Yellow Pages were a better investment because at least they were physical objects that took up space in a home or business. There's absolutely nothing interactive to produce a call-to-action, to prompt an individual or other companies to generate interest or a potential business networking relationship(s).

 

PROPOSED

Conversely, due to the Chamber's perpetual underperformance and support of employer-based discrimination, the following proprietary proposal, which I've successfully implemented with other entities, actually promotes member businesses, is interactive, creates a call-to-action to spur business, and prompts an individual or companies to establish potential business networking relationships. Notably, company logos were easy to obtain for every member, and videos, if available.
Nebraska Humane Society
Omaha, NE
 
8929 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68134-2827
402-444-7800
nehumanesociety.org

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Boomer Radio Network and Walnut Media
Media
Partner

   E. W. Scripps / Omaha (KMTV-TV, Channel 3)
Minority Business Partner

  
Blair Freeman Group
Women-Owned Business
   North End Teleservices

•

  


Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA)
 
1230 O Street #200, Lincoln, NE 68508-1402
402-434-3900
http://www.nifa.org/

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Nebraska Sports
Council
Media
Partner

   Artistic Sign & Design
Minority Business Partner

  
The Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council
Women-Owned Business
   Nebraska/Western Iowa Women Veterans

•		  


Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) - Omaha, NE
 
1111 North 13th, Suite 119, Omaha, NE 68102
402-898-2503
http://www.nifa.org/

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Nebraska Sports
Council
Media
Partner

   Artistic Sign & Design
Minority Business Partner

  
Hayes & Associates, LLC
Women-Owned Business
   Inotek

•
         


Nebraska Iowa Supply Co., Inc.
 
8929 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68134-2827
402-393-8350
neiasupply.com/

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Alliance for the Future of Nebraska (A-FAN)
Media
Partner

   Palco Industrial Marking and Labeling, Inc.
Minority Business Partner

  
Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (Mexican Consulate, Omaha)

• 		 


Nebraska Medicine
 
8929 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68134-2827
402-444-7800
nebraskamed.com/

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Nebraska Methodist College
Media
Partner

   A&K Marketing Inc.

•

  


Nebraska Methodist College
 
720 North 87th Street, Omaha, NE 68114-2852
402-354-7000
methodistcollege.edu/

Cross-Promotion Partner

  
Nebraska Medicine
Media
Partner

   A&K Marketing Inc.

•

© 2023 Work product of Trip Reynolds

Most importantly, to establish the above cross-marketing opportunities and immediately reduce employer-based discrimination, my proprietary proposal (template below) also includes the following updated membership menu designed to promote "inclusion."

  For Your Consideration  
Business Category / Rate Total
 

 

# of Employees
Rate
1 to 5 =
 
$535
6 to 20 =
 
$555
21 to 35 =
 
$600
36 to 50 =
 
$655
51 to 75 =
 
$700
76 to 100 =
 
$750

Reduce membership rate by $50.00 with every partnership established with a participating member of the Chamber.

> Create or increase revenue streams through cross-promotion of products and services through the diversity of 3,000+ member businesses

> Create and/or expand print, broadcast radio and television, social media and internet campaigns with member businesses

> Establish and validate partnerships with minority and women-owned business as required for RFPs and various federal, state, local, and international contracts

> All partnerships and networking can be held private or promoted publicly, as represented by the following sysbol " • "

> At no cost, with all partnerships the Greater Chamber will work with members to coordinate the development of monthly, quarterly, and annual promotional materials and networking for both business and community events

 

- $50

 

- $50

 

- $50

 

- $50

 

$455

© 2023 Work product of Trip Reynolds


Unfortunately, many if not most chambers of commerce use a template, a proprietary third-party application produced by ChamberMaster, GrowthZone, MembershipWorks, MemberClicks, etc., which primarily function as database management, but are not designed to be interactive or to actually promote business. It remains to be seen if the Greater Omaha Chamber will elevate its web site to actually be "inclusive" and actually "promote" business.

HOW DO MINORITIES REACT TO PERPETUALLY BEING ALIENATED BY THE GREATER OMAHA CHAMBER?

For minorities, it's better to go it alone than to deal with the lily-Whiteness and perpetual discrimination of the Greater Omaha Chamber.

As reported in my editorial, "Are Black People Stupid? Part 3: Don't Blame White People," in 2017 census.gov reported there were only 872 minority businesses in Omaha, and collectively that's Black, Latino, Asian, Native Amerian, etc. Instead of dealing with the lily-Whiteness and discriminatory practices of the Greater Omaha Chamber, and instead of joining forces for mutual economic benefit, Omaha's Black internet media, which is often funded/financed and controlled by non-minorities, continues to wallow within their penny ante, small-time media silos.

To view web site, click the following link or image below. https://connectblackomaha.com/
 
To view web site, click the following link or image below. http://www.omahablackbusinesses.com/directory/
 
To view web site, click the following link or image below. https://reviveomahamagazine.com/

The Empowerment Network, endorsed by Mayor Strothert, presents itself as the pinnacle of Black leadership in business, politics, and Black culture for metro Omaha, but its flagship web site promoting a directory of Black businesses is littered with outdated and inaccurate links. Of course, individual businesses have an obligation to maintain the accuracy of their web presence, but Revive! Omaha also has a responsibility to conduct routine "due diligence" to ensure the veracity of all data published on its site. Of course, people make mistakes, typos, etc., but when mistakes are prevelant - again, should "quality" matter, even for Black people? Or perhaps, the "idea" is to make Black businesses look stupid, lazy, and indifferent to their own economic success?


Click the above image to enlarge, or click the link below to visit web site.
https://reviveomahamagazine.com/business-directory/wpbdp_tag/education/
 
To view web site, click the following link or image below. https://www.theonemarketplace.com/
 
Likewise, instead of dealing with the lily-Whiteness and discriminatory practices of the
Greater Omaha Chamber, Latinos formed their own Chamber of Commerce.
To view web site, click the following link or image below. https://nebraskahispanicchamber.org/

 

Clearly, from school districts to residential neighborhoods to business, "separate but equal" is alive and well in Omaha, Nebraska!


More importantly . . .

If the "idea" is to promote business, shouldn't the entire focus of the Chamber's web site be designed to do so? I personally created the following web site after discovering the Crete Chamber of Commerce had only one-(1) minority busines, and Crete, Nebraska is nearly 50% Latino: Crete Business Directory. Likewise, I created the following web site to mirror the same egalitarian principles: The Crete News Business Directory. If the "idea" is to promote business, shouldn't the entire focus of the Chamber's web site be designed to do so. If not, why not?

Given the perpetual state of Blackness throughout the United States and especially in Omaha, Nebraska, please, don't make excuses to explain away the underperformance and employer-based discrimination perpetually demonstrated by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, which evolved from being an injustice to illegal. Offering "handouts" via piecemeal, small-time, and one-offs to a few minority and women-owned businesses is not only disingenuous, but is not equitable restitution for the Chamber's egregious and illegal actions.

Don't accuse me of playing the race card, because my objective assessment of Black people and other minorities is no different.

Clearly, not all White people are racist, and to even think so is both racist and stupid. Here's the problem: For 130 years, with every "transition of power" from generation to generation, decade after decade, as orchestrated by politically powerful White people and their wealthy White peers, the Greater Omaha Chamber has consistently engaged in piecemeal "look what we did" events primarily supporting small-time, one-off, minority and women-owned businesses. Will the Greater Omaha Chamber ever increase business, employment and investment opportunities for minorities and women with the same zest it applies to non-minorities, especially White males? Albert Einstein said it so clearly, “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

As reported by the Omaha World-Herald, some people herald the arrival of Veta Jeffrey in part for her role ". . . helping to rebuild Ferguson, Missouri, after civil unrest sparked in 2014 by the police shooting in Ferguson of an unarmed 18-year-old Black man." Here's the deal, Jeffery grew up in St. Louis, and she should have been immediately aware of the continuously high rates of employment, poor education, and Gestapo-like tactics used by police that caused this:

White people have been actively fleeing from St. Louis, Missouri since the 1940s, because "urban" St. Louis is another urban cesspool. Frankly, it's not my practice to give high marks to persons who were aware of or should have been aware of injustice or abuse and did nothing; or who failed to actively and publicly effect positive change; or who seek to personally profit from injustice or abuse by presenting a facade of pseudo-leadership. Hopefully, the aforementioned statement does not apply to Veta Jeffrey.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is still an urban cesspool, ranked as the #1 Most Dangerous U.S. city in 2022!

In St. Louis, there are only 78 full-time working Black men for every 100 full-time working Black women. Clearly, a traditional Black family life does not exist in metro St. Louis.

Single parent Black families is the standard, because Black Men are missing; and among cities with sizable Black populations, the largest single gap of "Missing Black Men" is represented by Ferguson, Missouri.



As published by the New York Times on April 20, 2015 in the "Upshot" article "1.5 Million Missing Black Men" by JUSTIN WOLFERS, DAVID LEONHARDT and KEVIN QUEALY:

Incarceration and early deaths are the overwhelming drivers of the gap. Of the 1.5 million missing black men from 25 to 54 — which demographers call the prime-age years — higher imprisonment rates account for almost 600,000. Almost 1 in 12 black men in this age group are behind bars, compared with 1 in 60 nonblack men in the age group, 1 in 200 black women and 1 in 500 nonblack women.

The black women left behind find that potential partners of the same race are scarce, while men, who face an abundant supply of potential mates, don’t need to compete as hard to find one. As a result, Mr. Charles said, “men seem less likely to commit to romantic relationships, or to work hard to maintain them.”

The imbalance has also forced women to rely on themselves — often alone — to support a household. In those states hit hardest by the high incarceration rates, African-American women have become more likely to work and more likely to pursue their education further than they are elsewhere.

The missing-men phenomenon began growing in the middle decades of the 20th century, and each government census over the past 50 years has recorded at least 120 prime-age black women outside of jail for every 100 black men. But the nature of the gap has changed in recent years.

Again, some people herald the arrival of Veta Jeffrey in part for her role ". . . helping to rebuild Ferguson, Missouri, after civil unrest sparked in 2014 by the police shooting in Ferguson of an unarmed 18-year-old Black man." Ferguson was re-built, really?

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., once remarked that “even a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being kicked” (1881). The Greater Omaha Chamber has been treating people of color like dogs since its creation in 1893.

THE BIG PICTURE - Let's hope Veta Jeffrey will actually increase business, employment and investment in minority and women owned business, because except for supporting small-time, one-offs, minority and women-owned businesses the Greater Omaha Chamber hasn't done a damn thing.


I welcome your feedback.

Trip Reynolds
trip.reynolds@yahoo.com

 

THIS JUST IN - March 15, 2023 5:07 pm

Less than a year into the job, Veta Jeffery is exiting as CEO of Greater Omaha Chamber
By Cindy Gonzalez, Nebraska Examiner


Reynolds' Rap
January 18, 2023
© 2017-2023 Tripoetry. All Rights Reserved.

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