FBLA MEMBERS ATTEND NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN OMAHA
Fifteen members of the Heartland FBLA chapter attended the 2015 FBLA National Fall Leadership Conference in Omaha on November 6 and 7. This conference provides an opportunity for members and advisers to participate in motivational general sessions, professional development, and career planning workshops.
The members kicked off the conference with a business tour of the Omaha World Herald’s John Gottschalk Freedom Center which is the OWH’s state-of-the-art newspaper production facility located in downtown Omaha. The tour guide shared information about the history of the OWH and the printing and packaging processes. We toured the Press Hall which features three Man Roland Geoman presses that stand five stories high, weight 1,661 tons and can print 70,000 88-page newspapers per hour and the Packaging Facility which prepares more than 625,000 preprinted advertisements each year. The OWH provides home delivery to 22 counties in Iowa and 47 counties in Nebraska. The OWH has been owned by Berkshire Hathaway Media Group since 2011 and is the 10th largest newspaper company in the U.S. based on circulation.
The opening session speaker was Patty Hendrickson from Wisconsin. Her program was titled, “Own it. Grow it. Be it.” She’s a very energetic speaker who encourages emerging leaders to become role models. The FBLA members attended various workshops on fundraising, networking, credit, international business, financial literacy, time management, community service, dressing for success, social media and other leadership topics. The closing session speaker was Aaron Davis from Nebraska, a member of the 1994 National Champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. He is an expert in the area of attitude and how it impacts every area of one’s professional and personal life. Mr. Davis explains many techniques on how to utilize the power of a Champion Attitude to reach your full potential.
The group also enjoyed an evening meal at Stokes in the Old Market. The FBLA members who attended the conference are: Seniors Destiny Bloxton, Camryn Dick, McKenna Friesen, Haley Huebert, Katelyn Janzen, Rebekah Larson, Jose Romo, Eve Vanderneck and Owen Wust; Juniors Leslie Braun, Ethan Hall, Ellie Steingard and Brooke Weisheit; Sophomores Brittany Quiring and Isabelle Vanderneck; and Adviser Kristy Most.