Omaha Calling!
Another day, another dollar. That expression from my father's era or earlier assumed that on any given day a man would show up to his job, and do pretty much the same thing as he had done the previous day, and nothing would really change.
While there are still a lot of people who work that way I am sure, the modern age has brought about a slew of professions where people are released from that monotony of yore. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that people who live like that are happy; it is just not the life that I would choose.
So this week I find myself in Omaha, Nebraska. It is my third visit to Omaha in the past seven years, and had you asked me a decade ago how many times in the next ten years I would likely be here I would likely have answered never. Working for the security company several years ago afforded me the opportunity to visit twice to receive specialized training in our line of business (LOB) application. Now I am back to offer much different but equally specialized training, and I was excited to be coming back.
Prior to my first visit I had an image of Omaha as a tiny city in the mid-west which relied primarily on agriculture. Like many of my generation the first hundred times I heard the name Omaha was on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. It was so much a focus that when I came the first time a friend of mine asked me to take a picture of the Mutual of Omaha offices, which I did. I also had the opportunity to meet some great people, some of whom I will be seeing again on this visit some five years later.
Omaha is quite the vibrant city, and while there is certainly a large agricultural presence here (ConAgra is out of Omaha, and is one of the largest food distribution conglomerates in North America) there are also several other companies that make their home here. If you combine those with companies from Iowa we end up with a great collection of attendees in my class, which I have said time and time again is the difference between a decent week and a great week. I am having a great time interacting with the group and look forward to staying in touch with many of them following the course.
I have not gotten into the downtown core of Omaha yet but will probably head down there tonight for dinner… I remember a few GREAT restaurants in the Old Market section of town, and I am sure I could walk around for a few minutes and find myself a good steak. Want to join me? I'm here through Friday and I'd love to see you!