LINCOLN, NEB – The Nebraska Diplomats named Google as the state's business of the year. The Diplomats, a statewide economic development organization, presented the awards at a banquet Tuesday, August 9th in Kearney.

Governor Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development presented the award to Google's Dan Harbeke, Head of Public Policy and External Affairs.

In April, Google announced plans to invest at least $750 million more in Nebraska by building its first Omaha data center. The company will also add to its Papillion data center complex. This latest investment, along with $600 million in 2019, will put the company’s investment into operations in Nebraska at more than $1 billion. Google said in a new report that since 2009 it has awarded more than $2 million in grants to Nebraska nonprofits and schools and nearly $2.4 million in free search advertising to area organizations.

Google’s contributions to grow communities and enhance the Good Life are numerous. Most recently, Google announced a $100,000 contribution to Omaha’s new main library facility. The company is also partnering with trusted community institutions across the state to bring digital skills training, grant funding and other resources and services to more Nebraskans. Google’s commitment to technology enablement is bringing added focus and results through Nebraska’s 21st-Century tech transformation.

Grow with Google has partnered with more than 80 organizations to train more than 56,000 Nebraskans on digital skills, including public libraries, chambers of commerce, community colleges and more.

In Nebraska, Google.org has awarded more than $2 million in grants to nonprofits and other organizations. Google for Nonprofits has supported 1,227 Nebraska nonprofits since 2011. With Google’s Impact Challenge assistance, Kearney Works is tackling rural workforce issues; the Lincoln New Americans Task Force: CareerLadder is helping create career pathways for immigrants and refugees; Native360 Loan Fund is providing affordable capital and technical assistance to Native American business owners; and Metropolitan Community College is preparing Omaha Correctional Center residents for successful job re-entry.

For the full list of award winners, visit www.einnews.com/pr_news/585379353/nebraska-diplomats-host-awards-banquet. For more information on the Diplomats, visit their website, https://nediplomats.com/.