Beatrice & Gage County News & Events

NGage actively strives to sustain and grow the regional economy and quality of life. Our leadership and access to resources target Gage County communities to help the skilled workforce and both existing local businesses and attract new businesses.Working to improve communities and lives in Gage County NGage is committed to collaborating...Continue Reading

Homestead National Historic Park celebrates the reason Gage County was founded: the Homestead Act of 1862. Find the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the country here. NGage recommends every Gage County resident visit the park for the rare opportunity to experience the challenges our ancestors overcame. Homestead National Historic Park Restores...Continue Reading

When NGage learned about the demand for childcare, we met the need immediately with the Communities for Kids Initiative, or Gage County C4K. Kicked off in 2021, this initiative soon expanded into something far more. NGage’s Communities for Kids Initiative Helps with their Childcare NeedsC4K is built on partnerships with public...Continue Reading

The Young Professionals Group (YPG) is investing in the next generation of Gage County business leaders. Our partnerships with local enterprises bring veterans’ experience and youthful determination together, helping young professionals succeed. Cooperation is the Theme for the Gage County Young Professionals GroupThis partnership between the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce...Continue Reading

NGage supports entrepreneurial activity and small business through actions, not words. We’re dedicated to helping the modern pioneers in Gage County tackle challenges and overcome obstacles. We highlight the true potential of our community’s entrepreneurial activity.Fostering Entrepreneurial Activity: How NGage Supports Small Business in Beatrice NGage both encourages new small business...Continue Reading

Shown off at trade shows across the country, NGage is proud to highlight Hickory Industrial Park, the best showing in our 2023 Annual Report. It’s a shovel-ready site prepared by forward thinkers. More importantly, it’s ready to welcome businesses with a philosophy to match.Hickory Industrial Park can be Your Site...Continue Reading

NGage is dedicated to preserving the historic buildings on Main Street that put Gage County on the National Register of Historic Places. Our proud frontier history stretches from Abraham Lincoln’s signature on the Homestead Act and continues today. Historic Buildings on Main Street: The National Register of Historic Places Recognizes Your...Continue Reading

Gage County’s own Beatrice Municipal Airport has a history of successful flight almost as old as aviation itself. It also has all the benefits of a major airport with none of the drawbacks, plus a convenient location. Beatrice Municipal Airport Supports Gage County Air Traffic This local airport is not limited to...Continue Reading

Gage County Industrial Park is one of NGage’s favorite shovel-ready sites in Gage County. Its wide-open spaces, ample water access, and a surrounding population of an engaged and talented workforce make it suitable for any new facility.  NGage’s Assessment: Gage County Industrial Park is the Perfect Place for Any Enterprise Hundreds...Continue Reading

Gage County residents don’t have to travel far to enjoy the wide-open Nebraska outdoors—Rockford Lake State Recreation Area is just around the corner. It’s specialized for outdoor recreation and camping, and families are welcome to stay for days at a time. Rockford Lake State Recreation Area Hosts Gage County Families All...Continue Reading

NGage promotes holistic economic development in all areas, benefiting individuals and businesses in Gage County. Staff look for opportunities to help existing businesses grow and thrive, as well as bring in new business by providing detailed development information and directories of shovel-ready sites. Those efforts also extend to increasing and...Continue Reading

Gage County has several projects listed in the 2025 Surface Transportation Program Book that the Nebraska Department of Transportation released this week, including a sealing project on U.S. 77 scheduled for 2025.Also in the book for the five-year planning program from 2026-30 are resurfacing U.S. 77 in Beatrice, replacing the...Continue Reading

A federal grant is expected to turn a long-discussed project to enhance downtown Beatrice into a reality.The city recently was named a recipient of a $21.4 million grant from the federal infrastructure bill, which will be used to reroute U.S. Highway 136 one block south, around the downtown core, to...Continue Reading

Gage County’s available land is perfectly complemented by the bountiful Ogallala Aquifer. Well-established water infrastructure taps into the abundant water supply and the Big Blue River, which cuts through the heart of Beatrice. Though in use for decades, the water and available land here can support growth. Municipal services can...Continue Reading

Register for the 2024 Summit at govsummit.nebraska.gov.Governor Jim Pillen, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) encourage Nebraskans to register for the Ag & Economic Development Summit: One Nebraska. This year’s event will take place August 7-9, 2024, at the Younes Conference Center...Continue Reading

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is partnering with rural Americans on hundreds of clean energy projects to lower energy bills, expand access to clean energy and create jobs for U.S. farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers. Many of the projects are funded by President...Continue Reading

At the National Rural Grocer’s Summit today, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA and Reinvestment Fund are launching a new program under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to increase access to healthy foods in communities underserved by grocery stores. Funding for the new Food Access and Retail...Continue Reading

Local business owners across the country have been dealing with a chronic shortage of workers and Gage County, NE is no different. The Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage) has consistently sought to address this concern through numerous workforce initiatives, such as improving the county's childcare and early childhood educational offerings,...Continue Reading

As one of the newest board members for Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage), Samantha Thompson is a fourth-generation funeral director at her family’s firm, Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel, Inc., and is the full-time manager of the Laughlin-Hoevet Funeral Home location in Wymore. She is eager to extend her professional dedication to finding...Continue Reading

With a variety of highly rated public schools, Gage County schools ensure that all local students are prepared to craft the future of their dreams. Beatrice Public Schools offers traditional pathways to academic success as well as dynamic programming. Compass Learning Community (CLC), an alternative schooling option, provides students with...Continue Reading

To ensure the best quality of life possible, Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage) collaborates with the city of Beatrice on downtown projects. Officially on the National Register of Historic Places, Beatrice’s Main Street District is home to 170 businesses. With picturesque storefronts ranging from retail to antiques, to service providers,...Continue Reading

In Gage County, residents enjoy excellent quality of life and low cost of living. According to Rachel Kreikemeier, Executive Director at Gage Area Growth Enterprise (NGage), “Everyone wants to live in the big city for amenities but the cost is high. You can live in a small community in Gage...Continue Reading

Saying Nebraskans are sick of the conversation, Governor Jim Pillen said it’s time for the State of Nebraska to fix its tax system to relieve the burden of property taxes.Pillen held another of his townhall meetings Friday at the Beatrice Public Library, to get input from residents about tax and...Continue Reading

Small groups of teachers and staff of Beatrice Public Schools were allowed to tour the new elementary school building on Monday. Although it is an active construction site, the staff were excited to see the building.Read the full article here.Continue Reading