Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts Says Economic Development Starts With Relationships

C-suite leaders who enter government often say they’ll run administration like they do a corporation. That doesn’t always work out in practice, but there are certainly some lessons and principles that can carry over into public office.

During an interview with Chief Executive for the upcoming Midwest economic development report, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said he’s taking a hands-on approach with Nebraska’s “customers” and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in state government.

Ricketts took office in January 2015. He was formerly the Chief Operating Officer and a board member at TD Ameritrade, so he thinks like a business leader. In 2007, he also founded and lead the Platt Institute for Economic Research, a free market think tank that conducts research in economic, tax, education and healthcare policy.

Nebraska has ranked highly in recent years for its pro-business environment and has moved up to No. 20 in Chief Executive’s 2017 Best & Worst States for Business, up from 27 in 2016. Nebraska currently has an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent, one of the lowest in the nation. Non-farm employment in August was up more than 15,000 jobs over the year with the biggest growth in professional and business services.

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