Step-Up Omaha seeks to hire 700 to 1,000 youth; application open until Mar. 7th; more employers needed
Step-Up Omaha! seeks to connect 1,000 youth
to career exploration, job training, internships and entrepreneurship
Application open until March 7; more businesses needed to meet the demand
Over 50 business executives, elected officials, community partners, employers and others gathered on Thursday, February 25th for the official launch of Step-Up Omaha 2021.
Step-Up Omaha is headed into its 14th year of connecting youth and young adults ages 14-21 with career exploration, jobs, internships, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities. The collaborative initiative of the Empowerment Network has connected over 6,500 youth with jobs and job training since its inception.
Youth and young adults are able to identify their career interests, develop skills to prepare them for the future, experience hands-on job training and generate a positive income.
Step-Up is still taking applications until March 7th at stepupomaha.com. The partners are also looking to increase the number of internship opportunities available by working with large and small businesses, organizations and ministries. The team will continue to monitor guidance from health professionals to determine the size of the program and best format regarding virtual and in-person.
“With the support of the City of Omaha, Lakin Foundation and other foundations, the business community and our partners, we seek to connect 700 to 1,000 interns this summer and 250 in the year round program,” said Willie Barney, CEO and Founder of the Empowerment Network. “Together, we can make this our biggest and best year ever.”
Barney thanked major employers, American National Bank, CHI Health and UNMC for their long term support.
American National Bank, under the leadership Co-CEOs and Co-Chairmen John and Wende Kotouc, was the original corporate partner, hiring 6 to 10 interns every summer since 2008. CHI Health and UNMC return again in 2021, each hiring 10 to 20 interns.
In addition to funding, the City of Omaha will once again provide internships in a number of departments including Planning, Police, Fire, HR&R and others. Union Pacific joins for the first time in 2021. Small businesses, non-profits and faith-based organizations also provide important worksite opportunities. To become a worksite, employer or sponsor, go to stepupomaha.com.
The City of Omaha is the largest financial supporter of the Step-Up Omaha program. Mayor Jean Stothert, Councilman Ben Gray and the Omaha City Council have invested between $900,000 and $1 million for the past four years.
“We invest more in Step-Up Omaha than any other job program in the city because we know it works,” said Mayor Stothert. “The job placements, training and development opportunities provided by Step-Up and our business community provide valuable experiences and opportunities and that’s exactly what all young people need, a chance to be successful.”
“Step-Up also depends on the generous support of the business and philanthropic community to provide additional funds or jobs,” added Stothert.
Gray agreed. “We can continue to do 700-800 jobs,” said Councilman Gray. “But, why not get more businesses engaged and reach as many as 1,000 or more.”
Gray emphasized the importance of providing these opportunities to youth in the community and the dividends it will pay to the city. “We will keep more of our talent here when we invest and show them what’s possible for them in Omaha. We know that what they see is what they will be,” said Gray.
Also announced at the press conference was the second year of a $1.8 million commitment from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation. Steve Wild, President of the Lakin Foundation, provided their reasoning for such a large scale investment over three years.
“One of the greatest strengths of the United States is its diversity. At the same time, this diversity has been underused as a resource,” said Wild. “We also know over the years there’s been a shortage of African-Americans and people of color in senior management and executive suites in Omaha and the Council Bluffs area. The area is suffering from brain drain and doesn’t have a large enough skilled workforce. The Empowerment Network’s Step-Up Omaha program is one vital tool to addressing this long term. It shows our youth what is available right here at home.”
Step-Up Omaha has not only gained local support, but has received national support from the Obama Foundation. The Obama Foundation/MBK Alliance selected the Empowerment Network and City of Omaha as 1 of 19 out of 250 communities to receive a $50,000 seed grant in 2019. Because of the Network’s continued success, the Obama Foundation/MBK Alliance has agreed to expand the support with an additional $67,000 in 2021.
Locally, the Kiewit Foundation has committed $50,000 for 2021 and other foundations are joining in to support the expansion of the program. The Lozier Foundation has supported Step-Up for the past decade and the Holland Foundation one of the initial supporters also participated in the Obama Foundation/MBK Community Challenge. The United Way of the Midlands and Office of Violence Prevention have also contributed between $150,000 to $250,000 annually.
Step-Up Omaha is successful because of the active engagement and support of many community partners.
Omaha Public Schools has partnered in a variety of ways since 2008. OPS looks to extend summer school options to a much larger group of students this summer and will offer some educational related internships to students 16 and older.
Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan sees this as another opportunity to increase the number of youth gaining valuable work experience and continues to support the work of Step-Up Omaha in offering internships with local corporations, small businesses and organizations throughout the community.
Annique Clark, a former OPS student who currently attends college in Mississippi, also spoke at the press conference. Clark has participated in Step-Up for five years, having the opportunity to work with a number of health organizations. She stated that the program has helped her to determine her double major combining art and therapy, and also assisted with launching a business while still in high school.
“Clark is a great example of the brilliance we have in Omaha,” said Barney. “She’s a double major and an entrepreneur. We have talent right here at our front door.”
Step-Up looks to expand in a number of ways again in 2021:
- Entrepreneurship. All of the participants ages 14-15 are exposed to the SocialPreneurship curriculum, learning how to turn problems into opportunities, develop business plans and experience the process of taking a product to market. The youth work with Jaylen Bledsoe, CEO of Bledsoe Global, now in his early 20’s, who started as a teen millionaire; national consultant, Jamela Peterson, founder of SocialPreneurship; and Debra Dogba, CEO of Business Seals.
- STEAM. As part of the commitment from the Obama Foundation, Step-Up Omaha expanded opportunities in STEAM including; robotics, drones, coding, social media and manufacturing. All of these partnerships will be expanded including an enhanced program with the Tuskegee Airmen where participants will learn to build and fly drones.
- Trades. In partnership with the Bryant Center and Metropolitan Community College, Step-Up will continue providing hands-on opportunities in 3D Printing, Construction, OSHA Certification, Culinary and other vocational fields.
- Internships. More corporate partners and small businesses are working with Step-Up to provide opportunities in their respective career fields. American National Bank, CHI Heath, UNMC, the City of Omaha and Union Pacific are major employers who have committed to developing and retaining Omaha youth by connecting with Step-Up. Employers of all sizes, including non-profits, can participate. Interested employers, sponsors and worksites, can learn more here.
Moniki Cannon has joined Step-Up Omaha partner, CHI Health, as a Senior HR Business Partner.
Cannon will continue to partner with Step-Up from an employer’s role. A new Step-Up Omaha Director will join the Empowerment Network team in March 2021 to continue the expansion of the program. - South Omaha. The Step-Up Omaha team continues its city-wide expansion with even more outreach and partnerships in South Omaha and within the Latino community. The South Omaha and Latino Advisory Council has been expanded and is already producing positive results.
Ana Torres was hired as a full time South Omaha coach in 2020 and will lead efforts in the area. Step-Up is also increasing outreach to the Asian, Native American and immigrant audiences. - Council Bluffs. With the support of the Charles E. Lakin Foundation, Step-Up will formally launch in Council Bluffs in 2021 after being put on hold last year because of the pandemic. The Step-Up Council Bluffs application will open in March.
Step-Up Omaha is an initiative of the Empowerment Network and works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Girls Inc., Hope Center for Kids, Urban League of Nebraska and PACE as coaching partners. Youth are assigned to these organizations who then hire coaches to train and prepare the participants and partner with worksites throughout program.
Long time community partner, Thomas Warren, CEO of the Urban League of Nebraska, discussed the importance of Step-Up at the press conference.
“I have the privilege of working with affiliates of the Urban League in every major city. This public/private partnership in Omaha is recognized across the country for the results it has generated,” said Warren. “Very few communities have this type of partnership for youth employment.”
“We focus on helping students to thrive. We are preparing the generation’s next workforce and it is important for us to retain our talent in Omaha.”
Youth and young adults can apply at stepupomaha.com and employers, worksites and sponsors can also use the site to partner with Step-Up Omaha!
Community Features
Thinking Big & Bold; $14 Million Development in North Omaha
By Co-Publisher, Willie D. Barney, July 2026
How a 12-year vision, bold partners, and persistence helped bring a $14 million job creation project to North Omaha.
A quick story about thinking big and bold. I realized this week that I never shared this behind-the-scenes piece I wrote a few months ago, when OEDC and CHI formally announced a $14 million job creation project that will bring 100 jobs to North Omaha. For me, this project is more than a building, more than a headline, and more than a ribbon cutting. It is a reminder of what can happen when we cast a vision, stay persistent, and believe that our community deserves solutions at scale.
North Omaha has always had talent, faith, creativity, entrepreneurs, families, leaders, and people ready to work. What we have not always had is the level of investment, access, and opportunity needed to match that talent. That is why this announcement matters. It shows what is possible when institutions listen, community leaders push, and partners are bold enough to stay at the table even when the work gets hard.
The Question That Opened the Door
Twelve years ago, I was in a meeting with Ann Schumacher, Pete Festersen, and Kevin Nokels, former vice president at CHI Health. We were discussing partnerships between the Empowerment Network and CHI Health to address needs in the community. Most of the conversation focused on health, which was important and needed. But I kept coming back to another part of community health: jobs, careers, and wages.
We talked initially about Step-Up and filling existing positions. Then Kevin leaned over and said something that stuck with me: “Why don’t you ask us to do something really BIG?”
WOW. I loved it. We were in the early days of creating the Transformation 2025 plan, and we were talking about taking solutions to scale. Kevin opened the door to do exactly that.
From an Idea to a Community Vision
After taking some time to think and pray about it, I called Kevin and said, “What if CHI could help with job creation by bringing one of their business units to North Omaha? What if that move could help address unemployment and create opportunities for entrepreneurs to do business?”
Kevin said, “Now you are talking.”
That was the beginning of a long journey. I asked Vicki Quaites-Ferris, our VP of Operations, to join me, and we started meeting with Kevin and members of his team to figure out ways to make it happen. As the idea gained momentum, we knew we needed a developer. I reached out to Michael Maroney because we had been working together for years on other initiatives. Michael joined in and made a commitment for OEDC to use its expertise and experience to help bring the vision to reality.
The Long Road to Fruition
We went through all kinds of plans, strategies, designs, and proposals. We looked at dozens of locations and buildings throughout North Omaha. We had one in the historic 24th and Lake area that was almost there, but we could not get it across the finish line. We looked at North 30th, Ames, 16th Street, and other locations.
There were barriers. Challenges. Changes in leadership. Then the pandemic hit, causing even more delays. If you have ever been part of real community development work, you know it rarely moves in a straight line. It takes vision, patience, faith, relationships, and a lot of people who refuse to give up.
Through it all, Michael Maroney and Pete Festersen kept pushing forward. I have not been as involved the last four years, other than working with State Senators to help get state funds approved through LB531. But Michael, Pete, OEDC staff, CHI leaders, elected officials, funders, and many others stayed with it and finally brought it to fruition.
A Win Bigger Than One Project
Now, North Omaha will see a $14 million project that is expected to generate more than 100 jobs with competitive wages and benefits. It will also double CHI’s capacity to serve meals across the region. That is impact. That is investment. That is what happens when a community-centered idea is given room to grow into something transformational.
I think it is important to say this plainly: Black communities deserve more than programs that manage poverty. We deserve investments that create ownership, jobs, careers, contracts, business opportunities, and generational impact. We deserve partners who do not just come to the community for meetings, but who are willing to bring real projects, real dollars, and real opportunity.
The Lesson: Ask Big, Stay Bold
This project reminds me why we have to keep thinking big. Sometimes the first idea is not big enough. Sometimes the first location does not work. Sometimes the timeline stretches far beyond what we expected. But when the vision is rooted in community and the partners remain committed, the outcome can still be powerful.
I am incredibly encouraged to see what is possible when we think big, cast a bold vision, and work with partners who are willing to stick with it even when it gets hard. Congratulations to OEDC and CHI Health. This is a big win for North Omaha, for the city, and for the region.
Coming Events
March 7th: State of Black Business Summit – Omaha
State of Black Business: Omaha
The next Revive Black Business Summit and Business Exchange for 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, March 7th!
Hosted by Willie and Yolanda Barney, the State of Black Business in Omaha will focus on:
- Data and Trends regarding Black Businesses and Entrepreneurs in Omaha
- The State of Finance and Banking for Black Businesses
- Opportunities in Growth Industries
- Strengths, Challenges and Needs
- Resources and Opportunities
- 2026 Calendar for Summits, Business Exchanges, Workshops and Tours
The Revive Black Business Network is committed to working together to double the number of Black Businesses with Employees in Omaha. Building Wealth and Community by Creating Profits and Advancing Careers.
Panelists:
- Frank Hayes, CEO and Founder, Hayes and Associates
- Bridget Hadley, Asst. Director of Economic Development, City of Omaha
- Karnetta Rushing, Business Development Officer, Carver Legacy Center
- Gibril Mansaray, Entrepreneurship and Innovations Director, Omaha 100
- Garry Clark, Executive Director, Inland Port Authority
- LaTisha Henry, CEO, Comfort Squad
- Raheem Sanders, CEO and Managing Partner, PPRP Innovations
- Grant McGaugh, CEO, 5 Star BDM
Revive Black Business Summit
State of Black Businesses: Omaha
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Revive Center at 24th and Lake
8:30 am Breakfast, Networking and Business Exchange
9:00 am The State of Black Businesses in Omaha Report
9:30 am Panel: State of Financing and Banking – Access to Credit and Capital
10:00 am BREAK
10:10 am Panel: Opportunities in Growth Industries
10:40 am Interactive Strategic Discussions: Strengths, Challenges, Needs and Opportunities
11:00 am Resources for Black Businesses and Entrepreneurs
The location for the in-person event will be the Revive Center at 24th and Lake.
Breakfast and Networking will start at 8:30 am.
We’ve had a great response with the summits and luncheons with over 400 Black businesses, entrepreneurs and support organizations participating during the past 12 years.
The Brookings Institution highlighted a 95% increase in the number of Black-owned businesses in Omaha with employees from 2017-2022. What can we do to double that number over the next five years by 2030?
The Revive Black Business Network and Business Exchange have helped to establish a strong system in Omaha where business owners are doing more business with each other and are now forming partnerships in Tulsa, New Orleans, Lansing, Atlanta, Kansas City and other national cities. Let’s keep building!
Community Features
Revive Black Business Summit launches new phase of collective economic growth
Building Wealth and Community by Expanding Businesses, Creating Profits and Advancing Careers.
By: Willie D. Barney, Co-owner Revive and Carver Legacy Center
Our first Revive Black Business Summit and Business Exchange for 2026 was held on Saturday, January 10th at the Revive Center Omaha – 24th and Lake, hosted by Willie and Yolanda Barney, focused on working together to double the number of Black Businesses with Employees.
Dreams and Visions are becoming reality. On Saturday, January 10, 2026, seventy Black business owners and entrepreneurs convened at our first Revive Black Business Summit of the year. This event was one of our best yet. Networking. Learning. Sharing. Business Exchange. Inspiration. Resources. Funding.
Yolanda and I have hosted these networking, business exchange and capacity-building events for 12 years. We have been blessed to work with over four hundred Black business owners and entrepreneurs in Omaha and hundreds more across the country.
We set a goal 22 years ago to help support, promote, connect, launch, and grow Black businesses. Saturday’s event at the Revive Center at 24th and Lake shows the incredible things happening in Omaha for Black businesses and the ever-increasing possibilities.
The Brookings Institution highlighted a 95% increase in Black Businesses with employees in Omaha. Our next goal is to help double the number of Black businesses with employees and create over 3,000 more jobs.
On Saturday, we had a number of owners in attendance running multi-million-dollar businesses and others who are at the start-up phase. The sharing of information, contacts and business exchange was real and impactful.
Carmen Tapio, CEO and Founder of North End Teleservices, is a notable example as she launched her business in the face of challenges to access capital even though she came with global experience and had helped others build extraordinarily successful businesses. She overcame those obstacles and now leads the largest Black owned business in the state, creating hundreds of jobs and careers. NET has been recognized as one of the fastest growing businesses in the country.
Tapio highlighted some keys to success: It starts with faith. Form partnerships. Don’t quit. “If it’s in your heart, if it’s in your spirit, don’t quit! There is a pathway there for you. It is not a straight line.”
Raheem Sanders, MPH Sanders, CEO and Managing Partner of PPRP, a national data, research and evaluation firm shared insights on how to grow profits and build community effectively by maximizing AI and data.
Sanders emphasized AI should be used to increase your sales, revenue and profits, not just to save money. “It should make you even more productive. Go from 2-3 proposals in a month to 10-20 proposals.”
Keele Taylor MA,PHR,SHRM-CP Taylor, CEO of HR-Minded with 20 years of experience and a growing national client base provided insights for hiring, onboarding, retention and preparing your business for growth and staying compliant while doing so.
“Onboarding starts from the moment you post your position,” said Taylor. “My job is to help you stay compliant in all areas of HR, not just hiring.”
Candice Price, serial entrepreneur and community builder, co-owner of HomeTeam Auto and several other enterprises, presented strategies to generate multiple streams of income. Growing from an initial investment of $1,750 to co-owning businesses worth millions.
“Partnerships are essential,” said Price. “And, don’t take no for a final answer. Don’t let a no shut you down. There are others out there who will help you.”
Phillip McClain, CEO of the Mensch Group provided an overview of the exciting new projects he is working on to build community through innovations in real estate. He is currently leading a $20 million development in North Omaha and has offices in Chicago and cities.
“I’m excited to bring even more innovative developments and options to North Omaha,” said McClain.
We were also blessed to have numerous resource organizations with us providing funding, training and expertise: Carver Legacy Center, Omaha 100, Nebraska Opportunity Exchange, Hayes & Associates and HR-Minded.
Thank you, Carver Legacy, and HR-Minded for helping to sponsor the event.
Our next Summit is coming up March 7th. Learn more at reviveomaha.com. Omaha is on the move. Come grow with us!
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