The clinking of glasses in the Windy City this past weekend was a toast to the Good Life. Members of the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development team traveled east to connect with University of Nebraska alums and displaced Husker fans living in Chicago.

This is just one of our latest steps to address talent and workforce needs in Lincoln.

The Partnership team hosted an event at Kirkwood Bar & Grill, the Husker bar of Chicago, during the Nebraska vs. Minnesota game, where they interacted with over 300 Huskers who call Chicago home and handed out recruiting cards sending people to livelovelincoln.org. Prior to to traveling to Chicago, the Partnership marketing team directly targeted Chicago residents with Nebraska ties, inviting them to the event. It was their job to tell former Nebraskans about the opportunities waiting to be seized back in the Husker homeland. They just needed a reminder to take a look at Lincoln and see the incredible growth and opportunity in their hometown.

The Partnership team handed out Lincoln t-shirts and Lincoln koozies that encourage people to "Stop Playing the Field", "Come Home to Lincoln", and links to the talent recruitment website. Kirkwood Bar & Grill liked the koozies so much that they asked if they could hand out extras after the Partnership team took off to head home. The Partnership team spent the afternoon updating former Nebraskans about job opportunities, the pride of the Silicon Prairie and the high quality of life in Lincoln!

The Chicagoans from Nebraska shared with the Partnership team what they love and miss about their home state. One former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student shared, “I always romanticize Nebraska because I had such a great time while I lived there for college. I’m sure I’ll be back to live in or around Lincoln in the future” another former Lincoln-ite said, “I think of Chicago or big cities as a five-year plan city or transitional cities, but Lincoln is more of a life-long place to live or somewhere great to raise a family.” All feedback was positive and the message was well received!   

While in Chicago, the Partnership team checked in with the Chicagoans for Nebraska Board and extended their relationship with Kirkwood Bar & Grill. This trip was a good avenue into other ways of partnering with former Nebraskans in our target cities. The Partnership team continues to take creative steps to address talent and workforce needs in Lincoln!