DED Announces SBA Approval of Six Nebraska Counties as Governor-Designated HUBZone Areas

The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) and theNebraska District Office of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) announce the approval of six (6) counties as qualified HUBZone counties for 2025.  The counties approved through the SBA Governor-designated HUBZone Initiative are Box Butte, Dodge, Frontier, Howard, Knox, and Sherman.

With this designation, small businesses in the counties can work towards HUBZone certification to pursue the federal government as a customer. By doing so, they’ll have opportunity to tap into a $500+ billion market.

“Thank you to Governor Pillen for going to bat for small businesses in rural Nebraska,” said DED Director K.C. Belitz. “Our Department appreciates having a strong collaborative relationship with the SBA. Together, we’re excited to reach out to businesses in the designated HUBZone counties to connect them with great opportunities to grow.”

The six counties have received HUBZone designation from the SBA through the petition of Governor Pillen to support the SBA’s initiative to increase economic opportunity and growth for rural small businesses. “This designation is going to increase opportunities in new markets for small businesses to grow and ultimately drive growth and prosperity for the community at large.  We want to thank the Governor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development for their support of this initiative that will, in turn, support our small businesses,” said Lisa Tedesco, Deputy Director for the SBA Nebraska District Office, who spearheaded the effort with DED.

The federal HUBZone Program seeks to fuel small business growth in historically underutilized business zones. The program has a goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year.

Plans for outreach will be implemented in the newly designated counties in 2025 to educate the small business community on this opportunity to grow their businesses in a new market. The HUBZone designation is a great opportunity for these approved counties, opening avenues to sustainable economic growth and providing enhanced support for rural small businesses.

For more information about the HUBZone program, visit the SBA’s website at https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.