Stimulus lures north Omaha jobs

Omaha has used federal economic stimulus money to recruit an environmentally friendly company to open a new north Omaha plant that could eventually create as many as 200 jobs.

Mayor Jim Suttle said Tuesday that about $2 million allocated to the city from President Barack Obama’s stimulus package has been used to help woo Minnesota-based CDC Enterprises Inc. to set up shop in north Omaha.

The mayor said the area has “the city’s highest concentrations of unemployment.”

At least some of that federal money could be used to purchase the company’s product — energy-efficient air duct piping — for use in city buildings. The rest will be used in ways yet to be determined to assist with the project, Suttle said.

City Councilman Ben Gray, who represents north Omaha and attended Tuesday’s press conference, said people in that part of the city “have not had hope. We are starting to bring hope to those who have not had hope for a long period of time.”

Obama has made the creation of “green-collar” jobs a centerpiece of his plans to revitalize the nation’s economy. Omaha received $4.3 million in federal stimulus funds for such projects.

No city funds were used for the recruitment effort.

The remaining $2.3 million of the city’s stimulus funds will be used for various green-related projects, including an energy audit of city buildings. The money also could allow the city to hire a sustainability coordinator to measure the overall energy efficiency of city buildings, said Suttle spokesman Ron Gerard.

Suttle said the new north Omaha plant will create 30 jobs by late summer or early fall, and eventually create about 200. Job training will be offered, and the positions would pay $15 to $18 an hour.

CDC Enterprises has its headquarters in suburban Minneapolis and also has a plant in Riverton, Minn.

Suttle said the announcement was a first step in making good on his campaign promise of bringing 1,000 jobs to eastern Omaha.

Brian Quirke, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, said city officials are “stepping up” and taking to heart the mantra “Think globally, act locally.”

CDC Enterprises will begin producing plastic pipe in Omaha once a location is found, said company President Jon Jungers. The product is used above and below ground in heating and cooling systems.

“Why Omaha? Why not Omaha?” Jungers said. “They wanted jobs here, and they wanted jobs here now.”

The company’s pipe is made of 40 percent recycled plastic and itself can be recycled. The piping is made of polyethylene, which is more energy-efficient than metal piping, is less of a fire risk and is less susceptible to mold or mildew, Jungers said.

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444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com