'Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneurs' Honored

Lincoln, Neb., March 10, 2004 -- The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration honored the operators of four businesses as "Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneurs" at a Feb. 28 luncheon culminating the events of the Heartland Small Business Conference. This award is given annually to honor outstanding entrepreneurial achievement in Nebraska.

The winners were Scott G. Stewart, president of Nebraska Printing Center in Lincoln; Ted Olson Jr., president of Olson Industries Inc. of Atkinson; Gale L. Wickersham of Wick's Truck Trailers Inc. of Omaha; and Andy and Diane Anderson of Gas Pump Heaven, a Division of Park Drive Garage in Omaha.

Nebraska Printing Center is a full-service printing company offering design and printing services for customers in 10 Midwestern states. Stewart is past president of the Lincoln Independent Business Association, past president of the LIBA Foundation, president of the Children's Heart Foundation, board member and chair of the communications committee of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, a member of Pius X Foundation and the St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center Foundation board.

Olson Industries' core business is the manufacture and sale of center pivot irrigation systems. In 1993, the company purchased a manufacturer of galvanized trash containers. Since that time the company has moved into the galvanized container business providing canisters, commercial trash containers, and custom galvanizing service to its customers. Since 1984, the company has grown to an average employment of 92 and gross sales of $8.5 million. Olson Industries Inc. is one of the largest employers in Holt County.

Wick's Truck Trailers Inc. is one of the trucking industry's largest providers of transportation equipment. The company's equipment sales have grown from 88 trailers in their first year to more than 5,000 vehicles with revenue exceeding $125 million in 2003. Wickersham has expanded his business to five locations in four states. He is past president of Happy Hollow Association, the American Trucking Association, and a previous member of the State of Nebraska Motor Vehicle Licensing Board.

Gas Pump Heaven is one of the largest manufacturers of reproduction gas pumps and parts in the region. As a hobby, Andy Anderson began restoring old gas pumps in his auto body shop. The hobby developed into a business when he began manufacturing the hard-to-find parts for the pumps. Diane Anderson is an award-winning sales professional with a long career in the office equipment business. She was named the American Business Women's Association Woman of the Year in 1987. Gas Pump Heaven is a wholesale and retail operation offering products though its Web site and catalog. The company furnishes approximately 60 percent of the parts available for the restoration and reproduction of gas pumps worldwide.

CONTACT: Elaine Warren, Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, (402) 472-0860