Let's be honest: when most people think of Nebraska, they picture endless cornfields and maybe a Huskers game. But here's the kicker… this unassuming state in America's heartland is home to companies generating hundreds of billions in revenue, including the headquarters of Warren Buffett's financial empire. Turns out, Nebraska's business scene is way more exciting than its reputation for nice-but-boring might suggest.
The billion-dollar boys club
When Warren Buffett decided to keep Berkshire Hathaway's headquarters in Omaha instead of moving to some fancy financial district, people probably thought he was nuts. Who builds a global empire from Nebraska? Well, apparently someone who likes making money more than impressing people at cocktail parties.
Berkshire Hathaway absolutely dominates Nebraska's corporate landscape with a mind-boggling $364.1 billion in revenue, making it the fifth-largest company in America. The company employs 383,000 people worldwide, but here's the funny part: their famous Omaha headquarters runs with just 26 employees. That's right, 26 people managing a company worth over a trillion dollars. Talk about efficiency… or maybe they just really hate meetings.
The Oracle of Omaha's empire hit some serious milestones in 2024. The company's market cap crossed $1 trillion, making it the first non-tech company to join that exclusive club. Their insurance operations posted record profits of $9 billion (apparently betting against disasters pays well), and they're sitting on an absolutely ridiculous $276.9 billion in cash. That's more money than the GDP of many countries, just chilling in Buffett's piggy bank.
The rest of the revenue giants
While Berkshire gets all the headlines, Nebraska has other heavy hitters that would be the pride of most states:
Union Pacific brings in $24 billion annually moving stuff around on 31,800 miles of track. They employ 31,000 people who keep America's supply chain chugging along, literally. Sure, they had a rough patch with a 1% decline in earnings, but when you're the nation's largest railroad network, a bad year is still pretty good.
Peter Kiewit Sons' rounds out the top three with $17 billion in revenue. Founded in 1884, this construction giant is one of the world's largest employee-owned companies. They build the massive infrastructure projects that everyone uses but nobody thinks about… until they break. With 28,000 employees sharing ownership, it's like a really, really big co-op that happens to move mountains.
Then there's Mutual of Omaha, pulling in $13 billion annually. Remember those "Wild Kingdom" nature shows your parents watched? Yeah, that was their marketing genius at work. Now they've got 5,900 employees selling insurance and developing urban projects like Midtown Crossing. From teaching America about lions to building shopping centers… it's quite the evolution.
Making stuff in the middle of nowhere
Nebraska's manufacturing sector is having a moment, contributing $17.8 billion to state GDP and growing faster than a cornstalk in July. Who knew the state had factories between all those farms?
Valmont Industries leads the charge with $4.08 billion in revenue from making infrastructure and irrigation equipment. They posted record earnings of $17.19 per share and generated $573 million in operating cash flow. Basically, they make the big metal things that hold up power lines and water crops, which sounds boring until you realize civilization literally depends on this stuff.
The manufacturing muscle of Nebraska
Here's who's actually building things in the Cornhusker State:
- Kawasaki's Lincoln facility: 2.4 million square feet
- Becton Dickinson in Columbus: 900 employees
- Novartis in Lincoln: 800 workers
- Numerous other facilities: Scattered statewide
The Kawasaki plant is particularly impressive, employing 2,700 people to build ATVs and jet skis. Yes, landlocked Nebraska makes watercraft. The irony isn't lost on anyone.
From farm to table… and gas tank
Nebraska knows agriculture. What's surprising is how they've turned corn and soybeans into billion-dollar businesses that go way beyond just feeding cows.
Green Plains exemplifies this transformation, generating $2.96 billion in revenue from renewable fuels. They operate 10 biorefineries across the state, turning corn into ethanol and other products. Their "Advantage Nebraska" carbon capture project sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it's real and happening in the middle of farm country. They're also producing 430,000 tons of ultra-high protein annually, because apparently regular protein isn't good enough anymore.
The meat processing giants have massive operations here too. It's not pretty, but someone's got to do it:
- Tyson Fresh Meats in Dakota City employs over 4,000 people
- JBS in Grand Island runs a 380,000-square-foot facility with 3,500 workers
- Cargill's Schuyler operation adds 2,200 jobs
- Smithfield Foods in Crete has 2,150 employees in a 600,000-square-foot facility
These plants process millions of pounds of meat annually. It's not glamorous work, but these jobs pay decent wages and keep small Nebraska towns alive. Plus, someone needs to make all those steaks and hamburgers America loves.
Moving stuff around for fun and profit
Werner Enterprises proves you can build a $3 billion company just by moving other people's stuff around really efficiently. Founded in 1956, they now employ 13,000 people and have trucks everywhere.
Their "Werner DRIVE" strategy focuses on sustainability and technology, which is corporate speak for "we're trying to pollute less and use computers more." They launched the Werner Bridge digital freight platform because apparently even trucking needs an app now. Recent acquisitions of ECM Transport Group and Reed TMS Logistics show they're serious about growth, or maybe they just like collecting trucking companies like baseball cards.
Why location matters (hint: it's in the middle)
Nebraska's central location is actually genius for logistics:
- 90% of U.S. population reachable in two days
- Major interstate highways intersect here
- Lower costs than coastal areas
- Plenty of space for warehouses
The biggest employers aren't who you'd expect
Forget the corporate giants for a minute. The state's largest single employer is actually the University of Nebraska System, with over 16,000 workers spread across campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney, and the Medical Center. That's a lot of professors, administrators, and people trying to keep college kids from doing dumb things.
Healthcare is another employment powerhouse. Nebraska Medicine leads with 9,000 employees and has been named Forbes' best employer in Nebraska for four straight years. Apparently saving lives and having good benefits is a winning combination. CHI Health adds another 8,000 jobs statewide, because Nebraskans need healthcare too, especially after all that beef.
Here's a surprise: Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha employs 11,807 people and serves as headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command. Yes, major national security decisions are made in Nebraska. The base also supports 18,000 dependents and nearly 11,000 retirees, creating a mini-economy just from federal spending. Who knew nuclear strategy and corn farming could coexist so peacefully?
Silicon Prairie… wait, that's a real thing?
Nebraska's tech sector is growing at 18% annually, contributing $1.2 billion to the economy. The "Silicon Prairie" nickname might be cringeworthy, but the growth is real.
Hudl leads the charge from Lincoln, serving 6 million users worldwide with their sports analytics platform. They employ 3,200 people across 17 countries, all from a company that started by helping high school football coaches. They've acquired RealTrack Systems and BlueFrame Technology, capturing 35% of the sports video analysis market. Not bad for a company from a state better known for analyzing corn yields.
Buildertrend is another success story, serving over 1 million construction professionals with management software. They achieved 240% revenue growth from 2015-2019 and earned recognition on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500. Bain Capital Tech Opportunities invested big money in them, proving that venture capitalists will actually fly to Nebraska if the opportunity's good enough.
The tech ecosystem keeps growing
Other players making waves in Nebraska tech:
- Flywheel: Marketing automation platform
- Spreetail: E-commerce solutions provider
- D3 Banking: Digital banking innovations
- Numerous startups: Emerging constantly
Even old-school companies are joining the tech party. Charles Schwab maintains 2,400 employees in Omaha after acquiring TD Ameritrade, expanding their workforce by 20%. Turns out Nebraska's central time zone is perfect for serving both coasts during market hours.
Why businesses actually like it here
Nebraska ranked 15th in CNBC's America's Top States for Business 2025, which shocked exactly no one in Nebraska and everyone else. The state offers some legitimate advantages that go beyond "it's cheap and there's space."
Business costs run 8% below the national average, which adds up fast when you're running a major operation. It's a right-to-work state, and uniquely, it's the only state served entirely by publicly-owned utilities. This means reliable, affordable power without some corporation trying to squeeze every penny. Manufacturing companies and data centers particularly love this setup.
The tax situation keeps improving
Recent reforms are making Nebraska even more attractive:
- Corporate tax dropping to 3.99% by 2027
- Individual tax rate matching corporate rate
- Social Security income now tax-free
- Federal pension benefits also exempted
- ImagiNE Nebraska incentives offering serious credits
The ImagiNE Nebraska program provides 4-7% investment credits and 4-9% wage credits, which is government speak for "we'll pay you to create jobs here." The state maintains a AAA bond rating from both Moody's and S&P, so at least the financial nerds think Nebraska's got its act together.
The economic impact adds up
All these businesses create a multiplier effect that ripples across the state. The Nebraska Business Development Center generated a $716.5 million economic contribution in 2024 alone. They helped secure over $350 million in government contracts and $30 million in private investments. That's real money flowing into real communities.
Manufacturing's rise particularly benefits smaller towns. While Omaha dominates with corporate headquarters and financial services, places like Grand Island, Dakota City, and Schuyler built their economies around food processing. Lincoln balances education, government, and manufacturing. It's economic diversity that would make any financial advisor proud.
The infrastructure advantage
Nebraska's infrastructure supports all this growth:
- Six national fiber optic networks converge in Omaha
- Central location enables two-day shipping anywhere
- Abundant space for expansion
- Reliable public power grid
Omaha calls itself America's "telecommunications capital," which might be stretching it, but those fiber optic connections are real. Combined with central geography, companies can serve the entire country efficiently. Plus, there's always room to build bigger, unlike those cramped coastal cities.
What's next for Nebraska business?
The future looks surprisingly bright for Nebraska's economy. The tech sector shows no signs of slowing, with over $450 million in venture capital deployed in 2021. The new 170,000-square-foot Catalyst Building in the EDGE District will house both startups and established tech companies, creating an actual innovation hub.
Traditional sectors are evolving too. Green Plains is investing in sustainable aviation fuel technology, because apparently making ethanol isn't futuristic enough anymore. Manufacturing companies are adopting automation and smart technologies while maintaining employment through training programs. Even agriculture embraces precision farming and food tech innovations.
Challenges remain (because nothing's perfect)
Nebraska still faces some hurdles:
- Access to capital ranks 36th nationally
- Technology innovation sits at 32nd
- Brain drain to larger cities
- Weather that makes people question life choices
- The persistent corn field stereotype
But here's the thing: Nebraska keeps improving across all metrics. Strong partnerships between businesses and universities, combined with initiatives like the Nebraska Tech Collaborative targeting 10,000 new tech jobs by 2025, address these challenges systematically.
The bottom line
Nebraska's largest businesses have created an economic ecosystem that nobody saw coming. From Berkshire Hathaway's global reach to local startups' innovation, from Union Pacific's transportation networks to Hudl's sports analytics, these companies prove that location matters less than leadership, workforce quality, and business environment.
The state that most people fly over has quietly built a diverse, resilient economy that would be the envy of many supposedly more sophisticated places. Sure, there are still plenty of cornfields, and yes, winters are brutal. But between those fields, real businesses are creating real opportunities for real people.
As Nebraska continues attracting investment and nurturing homegrown success stories, it's becoming clear that the "nice but boring" stereotype is outdated. The state's biggest companies aren't just surviving in the heartland… they're thriving. And they're doing it without the pretense, astronomical costs, or traffic nightmares of the coasts.
Maybe Warren Buffett was onto something after all. Who knew that building a business empire from Nebraska wasn't crazy? It was just really, really smart.
