Mike Tobias

2 weeks ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Mike Tobias

With a master’s degree in food science and technology, and a decade in the candy industry, Porter returned home to Nebraska to launch her business. “I started Sprinkk to allow people to create new things, to bring those ideas that they have and allow them to come to life in the candy industry," Porter said. On any given day, there’s a lot happening inside the Sprinkk lab. Porter coating malted milk balls with chocolate in a rotating coating machine, kind of like the concrete mixer of her childhood.

2 months ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Mike Tobias

Cabela’s and Sidney. The outdoor recreation retailer and its hometown have been connected since the 1960s. Fifty years later, Sidney was home to the company headquarters, a nearby distribution center and the first of several massive retail stores nationwide. “I wanted to work there because it was the place to work when you moved to Sidney,” said Cory Keen. “There was always great camaraderie between employees,” added Melissa Norgard.

Feb 6, 2025 | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Mike Tobias

The former Cabela’s corporate headquarters buildings in Sidney are for sale. The 457,445 square foot property has been vacant since Bass Pro bought the Sidney-based company in 2017 and moved the headquarters to Missouri, which led to a loss of about 2,000 jobs for the Sidney area. Next week the two office buildings are up for auction.

Aug 22, 2024 | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Mike Tobias

The Nebraska State Fair opens today in Grand Island. At the end of the night the entertainment switches from ground to air, with the fair’s first ever drone show. Meet the Nebraska company creating the show and learn how they tell stories in the sky. A year ago, 90,000 people in Memorial Stadium were treated to things they’d probably never seen before. The historic outdoor volleyball match.

Apr 18, 2024 | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Mike Tobias

Entrepreneurship has been a part of Dusty Birge’s life since he was a child. “My very first business was actually a candy store in grade school,” Birge said. “I had a really great business model. My mom would go to Wal-Mart and buy candy bars, and I sold candy out of the bottom locker in school, even to teachers. It was a really good model because I'd sell candy and then when I'd take the money at the end of the day, I'd go to the arcade and spend it.