Pub. 8 2013-2014 Issue 6

March | April 2014 25 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. in Kansas and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. My wife Amanda is a health technician for Prescott Elementary School in Lincoln. Our oldest son, Matthew, who is 18, is an avid baseball player and is a senior at North Star High School. Corinne, our youngest, is 13 and is an 8th grader at North American Martyrs Catholic School. Q: What excites youmost about working on behalf of the Nebraska banking industry? A: I have been working with bankers on economic de- velopment projects throughout the state for 20 years. The opportunity to work more closely with the banking industry and to work for a premier association like the NBA is very exciting for me. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing our state during the next 10 years? A: A few of the issues we will need to deal with over the next decade include the continued consolidation of our population along Interstate 80 and toward the eastern part of the state; the increasing diversification of our population; and labor force availability and its effect on our state’s long-term eco- nomic growth.Wemust determine how to create andmaintain an environment that will allow businesses and banks of all sizes to grow and prosper. Another concern for both banks and small business is the growth of overburdening regulation. Q: What inspires you? A: I am most inspired by the opportunity to interact with people and to problem solve. I also receive great satisfaction in serving as a mentor to the next generation. Q: Describe the most rewarding experience of your career thus far. A: From a career perspective, securing theWalmart distri- bution center inNorth Platte was amajor project I was directly involved with, which gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I was also fortunate to work for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development during a time when we were opening the state’s first trade office in Tokyo. In addition, although I can’t take credit for it, I was blessed to be a part of the Nebraska teamwhen our state’s unemployment rate was one of the lowest in the country. Also during that time, Nebraska was able to rise to a top 5 ranking as a place for doing business in many of the national publications. Q: Who has had the greatest influence on your career? A: I am fortunate to have had many mentors during my career, but two people influencedme the most. The first is my father. He was a quiet man who ran his own business, but he also believed in being involved in his community. He served 12 years on the local school board. My dad gave me the best advice I’ve ever received: “You should always do the right thing and you should always do things right.” Another person who had a significant impact onmy career was Roger Christianson, who was director for the Department of Economic Development in Gov. Kay Orr’s administration and recently served as the economic development manager for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). Roger was always very supportive, and he encouraged risk taking and entrepreneur- ial thinking. He was committed to building strong personal relationships with his staff and his clients. Roger also taught me to never take myself too seriously. Q: What is something about you not everyone knows? A: I am the proud owner of two dogs—an Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier and a Yorkshire Terrier (recently adopted from the shelter). You also might not know that I was a starter on a state- qualifying high school basketball team—I specialized in defense and rebounding. I played football, too, including of- fensive lineman and long snapper. After high school, I figured out my ACT score would pay for college better than football. Something not everyone knows but that’s most important, however, is that my wife Amanda is a breast cancer survivor, now 27 months of being cancer free.  Reach Richard Baier at richard.baier@nebankers.org . My dad gave me the best advice I’ve ever received: “You should always do the right thing and you should always do things right.”