College of Information Science and Technology

Students Encouraged to Tap Omaha's Entrepreneurial Roots

October 2, 2009

Omaha provides a tremendously fertile starting ground for entrepreneurs, and innovation is the key to helping new businesses grow.

<p>Tom Chapman of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce serves as moderator for the panel discussion.</p>

Tom Chapman of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce serves as moderator for the panel discussion.

Those were the words of encouragement provided to students at the College of Information Science & Technology by a panel of successful entrepreneurs and business people.

"Omaha has a number of people dedicated to furthering new growth platforms," said Tom Chapman, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. "I think this is a special place at a special time."

Chapman served as moderator for the panel, which included Joe Olsen, founder and CEO of Phenomblue; Bob Beck, Chief Information Officer for TD Ameritrade; Dusty Davidson, founder and CEO of Bright Mix, and founder of Silicon Prairie News; and Stephanie Monge, director of marketing for Graffiti Tracker.

The lunchtime discussion was part of a continuing effort to arouse interest in the College's new IT Innovation bachelor's degree. Gerald Wagner, Ph.D., distinguished research fellow at IS&T, envisioned and developed the degree. He also arranged the panel discussion and is planning similar monthly events.

Wagner said that by presenting the panel of seasoned entrepreneurs to the students, "we hope to interest them not only in the new degree but also in staying within the Omaha community after they graduate and putting their ideas to work here."

Olsen told the students and faculty who attended the discussion that while it may not be possible to teach people how to be innovative, "You can teach young people to be innovative about how they think about their business."

He encouraged the students to be open to all their ideas and to take whatever action is necessary to bring them to fruition. "Innovation leaves no room for blinders," he said.

Panel members and the audience watch a video presentation detailing the new IT Innovation degree prior to the start of the discussion.
Panel members and the audience watch a video presentation detailing the new IT Innovation degree prior to the start of the discussion.

Olsen used Phenomblue as an example of how a great and unique idea can lead to success.

Phenomblue is a multi-platform digital software creation company where interactive product engineering is produced by a team of programmers and designers. The company has created Web sites, micro sites, video games, high-speed video delivery, offline communication platforms, real-time tracking and reporting systems with a focus on building brands through immersive interactive experiences.

"We started real small as a visual effects company," he said. "At the time, nobody in the marketplace was doing 3D software. We saw a niche, built a company around that service, and started getting a ton of work."

Beck told the audience that Omaha "is deeply rooted with a tremendous amount of technology innovation."

He said few people in Omaha realize that TD Ameritrade's online investment business has more than six million clients, "97 percent of which never interact with a human being. Which proves you do not have to interact with a human being to get quality results," - a fact made possible by innovations in information technology, Beck said.

Davidson reminded the students that a poorly-performing stock market can lead people to look toward investing in start-up companies. "Small amounts of capital can really get things done," he said.

Monge, who formerly worked as a business writer for the Omaha World-Herald, said she was amazed at the number of  new IT companies and individual entrepreneurs she encountered in her job. "I had no idea there was such a vibrant, creative community here," she said.

Beck advised the audience to take the initiative and try something new.

"There is more opportunity for entrepreneurs now than any other time in history, and IT is the place," he said. "I think it's limitless."