COLUMBUS - The City of Columbus and Platte County have been recognized as the top community in the state of Nebraska.

The distinction is courtesy of the Nebraska Diplomats and the Nebraska Economic Developers Association, who issued the award at their annual conference on June 12th. The award recognizes communities with strong economic and development success, and over $93 million of investment in development projects is currently underway in Columbus.

Columbus Chamber of Commerce President Jeanne Schieffer accepted the award at the conference, saying that Columbus and Platte County are both highly respected for their community and economic development success both in 2019, and over the past several decades.

Mayor Jim Bulkley and County Chairman Jerry Engdahl issued a joint statement on the award, expressing their support for the work of the Columbus Economic Council on housing and workforce efforts over the past year. Co-Chair of the Economic Council Neal Suess noted some of the local manufacturing projects that are in progress in Columbus, including new construction at Prairie Catalytic & Columbus Hydraulics, and major expansions at BD East, CAMACO, and Valmont.

Other projects include major investments at Bomgaar's, Granville Office Building, Parkway Plaza, Obrist Building, Prairie Village, Columbus Community Hospital, Loup Power District, and Pillen Family Farms.