The October issue of the onboard and online Sky magazine, read by an estimated 4.7 million customers of Delta Airlines, features a 28-page spread praising Omaha to the skies.
"Instead of falling backward economically like so many other cities have in recent years," the magazine says, "Omaha has been too busy moving forward, accomplishing things that most cities can only dare to dream."
The title, under a nighttime photo of the downtown skyline, is "Gateway to Prosperity." Subtitle: "The nation's nexus of innovation does everything the only way it knows how — bigger and better."
The magazine notes Omaha's "low cost of living — 9 to 12 percent less than the average for U.S. metros — inexpensive real estate and an unemployment rate that's just more than half the national average."
Whew. The article says Omaha's diverse economy is "balanced and bulletproof," which makes me a little nervous. In this economy, no place is financially bulletproof — but let's hope we can live up to the lofty words.
The Sky-high praise doesn't come totally out of the blue.
This summer, Kiplinger's magazine, read by corporate CEOs across the country, named Omaha the nation's No. 1 "best-value city," based on low unemployment, cost of living and cultural vibrancy. And the Omaha area consistently has posted the lowest jobless rate of the top 100 U.S. metro areas, now 4.6 percent.
But the latest hosannas are so effusive that millions of readers on Delta, perhaps accustomed to articles at 30,000 feet about more exotic locales, are sure to ask, "Omaha? Seriously?"
Well, yes — in spite of problems nationally and locally, Omaha, down here in Flyover Country, is seriously moving forward. If this magazine spread doesn't cause an uptick in out-of-state inquiries to the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, it's hard to imagine what would.
Said David Brown, the chamber's president and CEO: "This certainly enhances our ongoing efforts to promote Greater Omaha's pro-business climate to the world."
The chamber said the magazine's attention also allows Omaha to showcase its more than $3 billion in public and private investment downtown, including the Holland Performing Arts Center, the CenturyLink Center Omaha and TD Ameritrade Park.
The Sky magazine spread is interspersed with ads from Omaha-area companies, hospitals and universities and mentions a raft of Omaha busineses and institutions. But Karla Ewert, the chamber's vice president for brand and image management, said the chamber didn't ask or encourage companies to buy ads.
"Our businesses," Ewert said, "really understand the importance of selling the city."
She also said that the chamber didn't ask Sky magazine to write about Omaha, nor did chamber execs proofread it. On the contrary, she said, Delta made the first contact.
Accompanying the main article are stories on the city's "great neighborhoods," medical centers and culture.
Calling the city an art incubator, one subtitle says: "Excellent theaters, museums of every stripe and a thriving indie rock scene are just some of Omaha's cultural assets."
Various leaders are quoted. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne of Omaha: "Here one can think and achieve more in less time. In Omaha, more of your life is your own."
Jim Clifton, chairman of the Gallup Organization: "It's inarguably the best city in the world for families, and a business town that punches way above its weight class."
Philanthropist Susie Buffett: "Everyone is always extremely generous and willing to pitch in and help out in any way for any thing, especially when it comes to what's best for the community."
An airport close to downtown and low-cost public utilities are mentioned as other assets. The list of five Fortune 500 headquarters left off Berkshire Hathaway and substituted First Data Resources (which is headquartered in Atlanta, though it is said to employ 5,000 in Omaha, the firm's largest facility).
The Henry Doorly Zoo, Lauritzen Gardens, the Old Market, restaurants, parks and other amenities also are noted.
Dana Markel, executive director of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the magazine spread shows how Omaha has grown as a destination with its "culturally charged art scene, energetic sports atmosphere and world-class attractions."
In the global economic crisis, some think the sky is falling. No one knows what the future holds, and no town's prosperity is guaranteed. But Delta's Sky magazine implies that for Omaha, the sky is the limit.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
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