The recent opening of a Hardee’s restaurant and the upcoming openings of Taco John’s and Panda Express this year in the city of Fremont are a signal to business and community leaders that the area is positioned for significant economic growth. Located less than an hour from both downtown Omaha and downtown Lincoln, Fremont offers residents access to larger city amenities while maintaining a small town community feel. In addition to the new restaurants, service businesses are popping up along Fremont’s eastern corridor as is a Hobby Lobby set to open September 1. Even the city’s downtown historic district is undergoing changes with the opening of several new businesses in the coming months as part of a downtown revitalization plan.

Investors Realty’s Tim Kerrigan, Brian Farrell and Brian Kuehl handled the sales to Hardee’s, Taco John’s and Panda Express through the team’s representation of the Deer Pointe development, located at the intersection of Highway 275 and 23rd Street. Deer Pointe sat idle for a few years after the economic downturn, but due to the vision of its owners, local auto dealer Charlie Diers and his family, the development has been getting the attention of commercial and residential developers. In addition to Hobby Lobby, major national retailers such as Wal-Mart and Menard’s are located across the street from Deer Pointe and many of the development’s most visible and accessible pad sites are already under contract or under development. With this momentum, Deer Pointe is likely to help attract additional businesses to Fremont’s eastern corridor.

One high-profile example of this attention from national retailers is Costco’s plan to build a $300 million poultry processing operation just south of Fremont. The operation will include a hatchery, feed mill and chicken processing facility that will provide chicken to Costco’s retail stores. The operation will employ 1,100 people and pump $1.2 billion annually into the area’s economy. Costco has pursued and been granted several tax incentives for the project.

Developers look at factors such as population, demographics and income when considering expansion opportunities in communities like Fremont. They may also consider the willingness of a city and/or state to make an opportunity advantageous for both the business and the local economy it will impact. It is clear all of these factors are aligning for Fremont and that we will be seeing continued growth in the area.
BY BRIAN FARRELL

This article appeared in our quarterly newsletter from September of 2016. The full newsletter is available at http://files.investorsomaha.com/download/online_newsletter_9-2016.pdf