Known as the “Gateway to the West,” Omaha has historically played a critical role in the development of America’s western regions. The city’s early success as a shipping and transportation hub drew many different industries to the area, including meatpacking, stockyards and regional breweries. Its location next to the Missouri River also drew steamboats carrying goods from Eastern United States ports to Omaha, where they were loaded onto railroad cars to head west.
As the economy shifted in recent decades, Omaha Omaha warehouse has become one of the top destinations for information technology and insurance-related services firms. Its robust business community includes companies like Mutual of Omaha, Gallup and HDR, Inc., which has its headquarters in Omaha and employs over 31,000 people globally. The city is also home to the world’s largest charitable foundation, the
Omaha World-Herald Foundation, and two of the nation’s highest-ranking hedge fund managers, John Paulson and David Siegel. The area’s wealthy residents have made Omaha a prime destination for the retail, dining and entertainment industries as well.
The Old Market area of the city is the heart of Omaha and is a popular destination for visitors. Its historic warehouses and brick streets are lined with restaurants, shops and bars. The area is also renowned for its upscale shopping malls, such as Westroads and Crossroads, and outdoor shopping centers, like Oak View Mall and Village Pointe.
In addition to a strong economy, Omaha has a rich history of labor unrest and conflict. During the 1860s, labor-driven protests, rioting and civil unrest in the city were common. The city’s open shop status and large-scale railroad operations led to many conflicts between management and workers, which resulted in strikes and other industrial unrest. Fortunately, these tensions seem to have eased in the modern era, as Omaha has not seen a major labor strike in over a century.
Omaha is home to a number of national and international businesses, and is also known for its call center industry. Worldwide telecommunications company West Corporation is headquartered in the city, as are several other nationwide call centers, such as those for Marriott, Hyatt and Radisson hotels and Greyhound bus lines. Additionally, the city has a reputation for being a center for telecommunications innovation. Nebraska state regulators have granted local phone companies wide latitude to deploy new services quickly, and the city’s unique speech patterns are widely recognized for making it easier to understand calls from anywhere in the country.