Engler’s Annual Nebraska Business Trek
Nebraska (August 13-16, 2024) – In the Engler Community, we believe true learning starts when classes stop and exploring begins. Earlier this month, 28 Engler students made the Cornhusker State their classroom as they embarked on a four-day journey to learn from Engler alumni and other small business leaders across the state.
Starting on August 13th, students explored the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Northeast Nebraska kicking off with West Point businesses. Hannah and Eric Klitz, Engler Alums and Oak Barn Beef owners, hosted the group in their retail location. Breakfast was catered by Nikki Hagedorn, the owner of Simmer Down- a take-and-bake kitchen that started in West Point and has since expanded into Fremont and Norfolk. Local entrepreneur and owner of Flyover Whiskey, Joe Knobbe, also joined the group for breakfast and a Q&A session. Throughout the visit, each owner highlighted the importance of maintaining work-life balance and healthy boundaries when including partners and family in the building of a business. Before leaving the West Point area, students spoke with Mike Graybeal, owner of Graybeal’s Family-Owned Grocery Store. Like several of his relatives before him, Graybeal prides himself on maintaining close ties with the community, something he encouraged young entrepreneurs to prioritize as well.
In Pender, students met with Engler Alumni, Logan Peters and Alex Heine, to learn about the progression of North 40 Beef from a small herd to an internationally renowned luxury American Wagyu Beef business. When sharing how they built their business from the ground up, Logan drove home the importance of powerful partnerships with people who have the same values, but different strengths. By capitalizing on Alex’s management skills and Logan’s passion for cattle, the two have been able to further increase consumer’s trust in the handling, raising, and origination of their family’s meals.
In a panel hosted by Intersect Coworking, the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, the River Point Creative District, and Growing Together, students were introduced to career paths that support entrepreneurs without being one themselves. Like the Engler Program, community leaders in Norfolk highly value investing in others as much as themselves. The panel emphasized that everyone has time, talent, or treasure they can share with their community.
Nebraska is in the heart of Silicon Prairie. In a series of panels, tech professionals from Asa Technologies, eLawn, and Ag Credit Consulting gave students advice on how to embrace a lean start-up mindset when breaking into the rapidly changing climate of ag tech.
As students toured the city of Norfolk, they stopped by several small businesses including Golden West Leather Co., Lot 247, and Blossoms&Birch. In each business, it was easy to see how making simple sacrifices can pay dividends when starting a business. Each founder both encouraged and challenged Engler students to think about how to incorporate their values into every aspect of their lives, including their business. A local gourmet restaurant, Black Cow Fat Pig, hosted the Engler group for dinner.
On their way out west, the Engler Community stopped for breakfast at the Range Cafe in Basset to hear from the former owner of School House Rock, Ann Dvorak, and Homer Buell, a close family friend of the Engler family. Ann opened the students’ eyes to the fact that knowing when to stop and purposefully pivot is just as important as knowing when to start a business venture. She recognized that this lesson can be painful for close family and friends, but they should be your biggest supporters and toughest critics at the same time.
Homer shared personal stories and touching photographs featuring Paul Engler, the program’s founder. Paul’s legacy is one of passion, vision, and grit. Through Homer’s account, it was evident that even greater than Paul’s internal resolve was his devotion to investing in the next generation of rural entrepreneurs. Buell looked back on the advent of the Engler Program and encouraged students to embody Paul’s spirit. How? By intentionally investing in people and places to build something that will last.
The entrepreneurial spirit stretches far into the Sandhills as evidenced by visits to Ainsworth and Valentine. Haley Miles, Engler alumni, and Ainsworth Child Development Center board member welcomed Engler students into the non-profit space that currently serves over 40 children. As a soon-to-be mother of three, Haley saw there was a serious lack of childcare for families in which both parents work full-time. Her experience in the Engler program taught her that she did not need to wait for someone else to solve her problem. She partnered with nine other mothers in the area to raise over 2 million dollars to fund their 501(c)3 within only 2 years.
In Valentine, Kyle Arganbright, mayor, and owner of Bolo Brewing highlighted the increased economic development that came with the addition of Sandhills State Bank, Cody Foster Ornaments and Broken Spoke Boutique. Broken Spoke does more e-commerce than it does in the retail space on Main Street; Cody Foster is the world’s largest wholesaler of Christmas ornaments and promotes their products in trade shows in London, Paris, and New York. These businesses demonstrate that rural businesses can thrive in both local and international markets. To finish the day, a delicious dinner at Frederick’s Peak was graciously catered by local entrepreneur Jason Hoebelheinrich, the owner of Hoebe’s Smoke N Meats.
To fuel up for the final leg of the trek, students engaged in a roundtable discussion with the owners of Handle Bend and the Brass Bunkhouse over coffee in O’Neill. As parents and business owners, they rejected the notion that people must choose between family or starting a business. After a candid Q&A, students walked away with a better idea of how to tackle big projects in their business while making time for what matters most. They also emphasized the importance of having customer relationships as the foundation of everything that follows when building a successful brand.
The afternoon concluded with visits to successful agricultural enterprises, Wagon Hammer Ranches and Upstream Farms, in Albion. In Engler, we believe that the pursuit of entrepreneurship looks different for everyone. For Matt and Joeseph Brugger, Engler alumni and twins, that means starting a direct-to-consumer beef and pork business while renovating a 40-year-old milk barn into Nebraska’s smallest grain distillery. For others, like 5th-generation rancher Alex Wolf, it meant bringing new ideas to old dirt. Though where and how their businesses started are different, both businesses serve as examples of how entrepreneurship can strengthen families through innovation and teamwork.
The Engler program provides students with a community to support them when the pursuit of entrepreneurship is challenging. The Trek’s Community Building Day consisted of a tanking trip using Little Outlaw Rentals down the Niobrara River and a meal shared at the Niobrara Valley Vineyards. The Nollette brothers started their vineyard in the heart of the Sandhills after “retiring” from their respective careers as agricultural educators. They are living proof that it is never too late to start something new.
Out of all the speakers, not one said entrepreneurship was easy or a guaranteed success. In fact, the only guarantees in the art of entrepreneurship are failure and sacrifice. Engler students stepped into the new semester with a renewed commitment to embrace what is difficult and strive to pursue their passions and purpose as entrepreneurs.
Hear from Engler students about their experience:
“The Engler Trek allowed me to intentionally cultivate deeper and stronger relationships with people in the Engler program. It allowed me to have vulnerable conversations about where I am at in my entrepreneurial journey. The intentional time and deep conversations led to new ideas for my business and sparked motivation and inspiration for the upcoming semester.” – Alivia Knoerzer
“The Engler Trek was one of the best weeks of my summer. I was able to travel to the state and meet like-minded individuals. During this time, I learned how to start my legacy and give back to my community at the same time.” – Kaleb Senff
“The people that we met and businesses that we toured are living out what many of us students dream of, building a business in small-town Nebraska. I am incredibly grateful to have the Engler community push me outside my comfort zone and give me opportunities to meet entrepreneurs of all ages throughout our state. To anyone considering attending an Engler Trek in the future, just do it! Take a week to invest in yourself. Believe me- the reward is incredible!” – Madison Kreifels
“The Engler trek opened my eyes to how alive rural Nebraska is. I learned how much small towns have in terms of community, support, and events. It’s so great to know that these opportunities are present outside of college and the Engler program.” – Laura Albro 
“My entrepreneurial journey is unique because I founded a nonprofit organization. I have struggled to find mentors with that background in the past. However, on the trek, I connected with the founders of the Ainsworth Community Childcare Center. Through this connection, I learned even more about what it takes to run and operate a 501(c)(3) organization. I walked away with more ideas on how young entrepreneurs can grow and increase our impact on communities.” – Elijah Riley
ABOUT THE STORYTELLER: Lexi Bodlak will graduate with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Agriculture, Science, and Environmental Communications and minors in Clifton Builders and Public Policy Analysis. She is passionate about the intersection of agriculture and health, specifically for women and girls. Bodlak joined the Engler Program in the spring of 2024 and currently serves as the press specialist for the program.
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