(Intro me, Jennifer)
Thank you to Chairman Wang, and to all of
you, for the opportunity to join you today. I was lucky to meet Chairman Wang
and his delegation when they visited Omaha, and I am so happy to be here, on my
first visit to Guangzhou.
I am very pleased to share some information
about Omaha, Nebraska, and to tell you why Omaha is a good location for
business.

First, where is Omaha? It is right in the middle
of the United States.
Since it’s establishment in the 1850’s,
Omaha’s central location in the middle of the United State’s interstate and
airline routes has made it an important agricultural, transportation and trade
center.
The location makes it very easy to support
customers on the east coast and the west coast, as well as customers in Canada
and Mexico. Many companies who come to Omaha do so because of the central
location.

Its not just U.S. companies who come to
Omaha. Many international companies have chosen to make Omaha the home of their
North American headquarters. We are pleased to have Chinese owned Easyway International,
headquartered in Xi’an, now in Omaha. And we believe there is a good
opportunity in our city for more Chinese companies in the future.

The population of the Omaha metropolitan
area is 881,495.
1.2 million people live within a 60 minute
drive – which means companies can easily recruit employees from Omaha and the
surrounding cities and towns.
There are also 16 universities and
colleges, giving Omaha a very well-educated workforce.
Household income is 13%
above the national median.

There are five fortune 500 companies
headquartered in Omaha, with the most famous being investment company Berkshire
Hathaway, home of Warren Buffet. Mr. Buffet has kept his company in Omaha since
it began despite options to relocate, because he calls Omaha home and believes
it is a good place for business. Mr. Buffet also keeps his home in Omaha.
Other Fortune 500 companies are
Union Pacific, the oldest railroad in the
United States
ConAgra foods, a food and agriculture
company
Kiewit, a construction company that does
projects all over the world
And Mutual of Omaha, an insurance company.
All of these fortune 500 companies are in
different industries, and this is representative of Omaha’s very diverse
economy. Our largest industry sector is services, which is only about one third
of the economy.
So, if one industry is not performing well,
usually the other industries are,and this has kept Omaha’s economy growing over
the past several decades.
In fact, Omaha was recently ranked #1 of
U.S. cities who survived the recession – which means of all cities in the U.S.,
Omaha was affected the least, or grew the most, during the recession.

Omaha is growing because the city has a the
right environment for business.
It is a financially solid city, one of only
a few cities to have a AAA credit rating, giving it a strong financial
position.
The state of Nebraska offers good tax
incentives for business in the form of tax credits, refunds, and exemptions for
investment and job creation. And, the more money you invest and the more jobs
you create, the more tax incentives you will receive.
Statistics show that the cost of doing
business in Omaha is between 10 and 15% below the national average.
One reason is electricity – Nebraska’s
electricity rights are more than 25% below the national average.
Natural gas is 15% below the national
average. The cost of buildings, land and workforce or employee wages are also
less than the national average.
All of this means that the cost of doing
business in Omaha is less than many other places in the United States.
And, in addition to low business operating
costs, the cost of living in Omaha is 12 percent below the national average.
So, as you grow you business in Omaha, you can also afford a good quality of
life.

There are many fun things to see and do in
Omaha: shopping, museums, concerts and world class restaurants to enjoy in our
very clean city.

If you prefer to enjoy the outdoors, and
Omaha’s fresh air, There are more than 250 city parks in Omaha, more than 90
miles of trails for hiking and biking, and 50 public and private golf courses.

Housing in Omaha is also very affordable.
The average two bedroom apartment costs $803 U.S. dollars per month.
The average cost of a house is 20% below
the national average. In Omaha,you can buy a very nice, spacious house for much
less than you would payin other cities.
