City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

April 23, 2012: After more than a year of collecting research, and input from the public and community organizations, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle unveiled the City’s new Transportation Master Plan at a news conference this morning.

“Through public forums, town halls, and online discussions, the people of Omaha made one thing clear: They want more options when it comes to transportation,” said Mayor Suttle. “I am encouraged by the progress we have made towards making our city more bike and pedestrian friendly, but I know that we still have a long way to go.”

The Center for Disease Control’s “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” grant as well as grant dollars from the Douglas County Health Department and Live Well Omaha enabled the City to engage in this transportation study which focuses on health, social equity, and available resources to make necessary changes.

“The landscape of our City is changing, by choice and by necessity,” said Rick Cunningham, Director of City Planning. “As Omaha continues to grow West, the eastern half of our city is being revitalized and attracting younger residents who have made it clear that they want options beyond the automobile.”

With the Transportation Master Plan, the City of Omaha and members of the community have come together to build on the transportation network that is currently in place, and provide direction for new transportation projects which give the citizens of Omaha more choices in their mobility.

The Transportation Master Plan is a guide for our community 25 years into the future and is expected to achieve four goals for our city:
• It will provide more balanced options for enhanced mobility.
• It will serve to create a safe and healthy environment for the people of Omaha.
• It will create more livable and connected neighborhoods.
• It will yield future economic returns through fiscal sustainability.

“By modernizing our City’s transportation system we will continue to rebuild Omaha’s urban core and help to reverse the “brain drain,” by attracting young, talented professionals from throughout the country who understand that a multimodal transportation system is essential to any modern city,” said Mayor Suttle.

“The plan recommendations contain both capital projects and policy changes to help move Omaha towards its goals,” said Bob Stubbe, Director of Public Works. Some of the projects include;
• Harney Street Bikeway
• Dundee Business district Streetscape
• Park Avenue Streetscape 17th Street Conversion
• 16th Street reconstruction
• Howard Street / St Mary’s Ave Bike Lanes
We have already committed to projects like the 84th street bridge, the 72nd street pedestrian overpass and the L street bridge.
In addition to specific projects, the City, over time will also be looking at growing its network of on-street bicycle facilities as well as rebuilding the historic boulevard system.

March 22, 2012 - Good360, the nonprofit leader in product philanthropy, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Thursday, March 22 to commemorate the grand opening of the organization’s new National Distribution and Sorting Center. The international nonprofit organization consolidated several warehouses where it stores and fulfills product donations for thousands of charities into the new location at 6200 North 16th Street in Omaha, Nebraska.

Special guests attending the ceremony included:

- The Honorable Dave Heineman, governor of Nebraska
- The Honorable Jim Suttle, mayor of Omaha
- David Brown, president and CEO of Greater Omaha Chamber
- Terry McMullen, president of Cargo Zone LLC
- Mikel Durham, global growth officer of PepsiCo & vice chair of Good360
- Cindy Hallberlin, president and CEO of Good360

In January, with the support of The UPS Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation, Good360 finalized the consolidation of its sorting and distribution operations in Omaha. In an effort to streamline its supply-chain and reduce the cost of logistics, product donations, previously stored in 12 different cities throughout the United States and Canada, were combined to optimize the return to their nonprofit member network and donor companies.

“Nebraska has always been an important center for transportation and logistics, and now it is at the center of the charitable supply chain as well,” said Good360 chief operating officer Kevin Hagan. “Our consolidation has substantially cut down the time and resources needed to support nonprofits that provide important safety net programs in communities across the country.”

Cargo Zone LLC, an existing Good360 warehouse partner located in Omaha, has enabled Good360 to receive, sort, package and ship donations, all from one facility. The centralized sorting and distribution center provides increased transportation advantages for both Good360 and its donors, the opportunity for Good360 to handle customer and vendor returns through their newly expanded reverse logistics capabilities and yields a wider charitable impact for every donation made to Good360.

The new sorting center provides valuable training opportunities and situational work experiences for participants from ResCare Workforce Services, an Employment First program funded by the state of Nebraska and designed to meet the goals of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legislation. This legislation provides monies for low-income families with children and affords them valuable opportunities to gain workplace skills, experience and training with the goal of finding and maintaining gainful employment. ResCare allows Good360 to cut the cost of distribution, and thus save money for its growing network of almost 26,000 nonprofits.

“We are fortunate to have this nationally recognized nonprofit choose Omaha as the site to consolidate its business services and develop its new distribution center,” said Mayor Jim Suttle. “I applaud Good360 for identifying the benefits Omaha offers businesses and using those benefits to improve their operation. We welcome Good360 to our community.”

“Things get done in Greater Omaha through strong public-private partnerships and the philanthropic and charitable commitments of its citizens and corporations. It just seems fitting that Omaha would then be selected as the new distribution hub of the international leader of product philanthropy,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber. “Our location at the transportation crossroads of North America continues to foster business growth and expansion.”

About Good360
Consistently ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the 10 most cost-efficient charities in America, Good360 (formerly Gifts In Kind International) is dedicated to helping people and communities by distributing new corporate product donations to qualified nonprofits. These include nonperishables, such as apparel, books, toys, personal care products, office and school supplies, building supplies, computers and much more. On behalf of several Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies, Good360 distributes products to a network of thousands of pre-vetted organizations. This year the organization plans to launch the inaugural version of its online donation marketplace.

Mayor Suttle and Cindy Hallberlin, President and CEO of Good360 talking to workers at Good360's new National Distribution and Sorting Center