OMAHA, Nebraska — The Nebraska District Office of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) announce the approval of six counties added to the qualified list of HUBZone counties in Nebraska for 2025. The counties approved through the SBA Governor-designated HUBZone Initiative include Dodge County, Box Butte County, Frontier County, Howard County, Sherman County and Knox County.
These counties have received HUBZone designation from the US Small Business Administration through the petition of Governor Pillen to support the SBA’s initiative to increase economic opportunity and growth for rural small businesses in these communities. “This designation is going to increase opportunities in new markets for small businesses to grow and ultimately drive growth and prosperity for the community at large. We want to thank the Governor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for their support of this initiative that will, in turn, support our small businesses”, says Lisa Tedesco, Deputy Director for the SBA Nebraska District Office, who spearheaded the effort with DED.
“Thank you to Governor Pillen for going to bat for small businesses in rural Nebraska,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz. “Our Department appreciates having a strong collaborative relationship with the SBA. Together, we’re excited to reach out to businesses in the designated HUBZone counties to connect them with great opportunities to grow.”
The HUBZone Program is a federal program that seeks to fuel small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. The HUBZone Program Governor-Designated Areas Initiative will provide rural small businesses an opportunity to work towards HUBZone certification, leading to small business growth and development in undercapitalized communities.
Plans for outreach and education will be implemented in the newly designated counties in 2025 to educate the small business community on this opportunity to grow their businesses in a new market.
To learn more about the HUBZone Program, visit https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzoneprogram.