ConAgra moving to Chicago

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:34 am

GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
GetUrban wrote:
mr. omaha wrote:Nothing screams "hip" like a can of Chef Boyardee.
....eaten straight out of the can cold, yum!

Who buys that stuff anyway?
15 to 20 years ago many people had cans of Chef Boyardee in their kitchen cabinets. Today I don't think many of us have any Chef Boyardee in our kitchens. The hamburger in those little cans of Chef Boyardee was getting expensive so over the years Con Agra starting making imitation hamburger from cheaper materials to replace the hamburger. Some people did not notice that the new hamburger in those cans was not really hamburger anymore but most of us noticed and quit buying it. The same thing has happened with many of ConAgra's products where they tweaked and messed with them to the point that they were not any good anymore. There is a business out in a strip mall off 77th & Dodge called Innovations Research. Innovations Research is supposedly an independent testing and research company but its always been obvious that they are connected to ConAgra. Innovations Research gets thousands of people to come in and taste test food products for a small stipend of about $20 or $30 dollars. Often ConAgra will try to come up with cheaper ingredients to use in their products and then they will use Innovations Research to taste test the new products and ideas with the public. 10 years ago every other house on the block had a freezer full of those Banquet Frozen TV dinners. Those Banquet Frozen dinners often sold for less then a dollar and they had a dozen varieties. ConAgra was selling those Banquet dinners by the millions but they were so cheap that the profit margin on them was too small so they were not making money. So what did ConAgra do? They started hunting for and creating cheaper ingredients. At one time the Banquet spaghetti frozen dinner was not to bad but when they came out with the new fake meat balls they were made out of cheap fillers all of a sudden those spaghetti dinners were awful. The Banquet meatloaf and Saulsbury steak dinners that were once good now tasted awful with the cheap imitation meat fillers. The Banquet frozen chicken dinners were taken off the shelves as it was impossible to find a cheap substitute for a piece of chicken. At the end of the day ConAgra could sell millions of those Banquet Frozen dinners but they couldnt make any money off them. In short I think one of the biggest problems ConAgra has ran into is making a product that they can sell cheap that still tastes good enough that the public will buy it.

Did you learn about paragraphs during school?

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:44 am

mr. omaha wrote:
I also would find it incredibly satisfying to tear down all of Mike Harper's "ugly red brick buildings".

And, incredibly expensive.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:45 am

Linkin5 wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
GetUrban wrote:
mr. omaha wrote:Nothing screams "hip" like a can of Chef Boyardee.
....eaten straight out of the can cold, yum!

Who buys that stuff anyway?
15 to 20 years ago many people had cans of Chef Boyardee in their kitchen cabinets. Today I don't think many of us have any Chef Boyardee in our kitchens. The hamburger in those little cans of Chef Boyardee was getting expensive so over the years Con Agra starting making imitation hamburger from cheaper materials to replace the hamburger. Some people did not notice that the new hamburger in those cans was not really hamburger anymore but most of us noticed and quit buying it. The same thing has happened with many of ConAgra's products where they tweaked and messed with them to the point that they were not any good anymore. There is a business out in a strip mall off 77th & Dodge called Innovations Research. Innovations Research is supposedly an independent testing and research company but its always been obvious that they are connected to ConAgra. Innovations Research gets thousands of people to come in and taste test food products for a small stipend of about $20 or $30 dollars. Often ConAgra will try to come up with cheaper ingredients to use in their products and then they will use Innovations Research to taste test the new products and ideas with the public. 10 years ago every other house on the block had a freezer full of those Banquet Frozen TV dinners. Those Banquet Frozen dinners often sold for less then a dollar and they had a dozen varieties. ConAgra was selling those Banquet dinners by the millions but they were so cheap that the profit margin on them was too small so they were not making money. So what did ConAgra do? They started hunting for and creating cheaper ingredients. At one time the Banquet spaghetti frozen dinner was not to bad but when they came out with the new fake meat balls they were made out of cheap fillers all of a sudden those spaghetti dinners were awful. The Banquet meatloaf and Saulsbury steak dinners that were once good now tasted awful with the cheap imitation meat fillers. The Banquet frozen chicken dinners were taken off the shelves as it was impossible to find a cheap substitute for a piece of chicken. At the end of the day ConAgra could sell millions of those Banquet Frozen dinners but they couldnt make any money off them. In short I think one of the biggest problems ConAgra has ran into is making a product that they can sell cheap that still tastes good enough that the public will buy it.
Did you learn about paragraphs during school?

Oh come on, now...

daveoma · Post by **daveoma** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:27 am

daveoma · Post by **daveoma** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:28 am

mr. omaha wrote:If there is even the SLIGHTEST chance that all that land could be redeveloped and re-integrated into the "urban" (not "suburban", mind you) core of the city, then I hope ConAgra HQ leaves Omaha and never comes back. I'm sick and tired of this one company dickin' downtown Omaha around.

I also would find it incredibly satisfying to tear down all of Mike Harper's "ugly red brick buildings".

ConAgra: Don't let the door hit you on the way out!!! ......actually, I hope it smacks you hard in the face and knocks you down a flight of stairs.

"SAVE THE CANYON!!!"

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:53 am

This could really turn into something very positive for downtown Omaha. I'm glad to see there are already people, besides myself, thinking of ways to transform the current "suburban" Opus/ConAgra campus site into something immensely more appropriate and useful to many more Omahans than the current use/configuration. Most likely, unfortunately the existing buildings will stay for a while, but maybe a re-connection to the street grid can happen with the empty grass-covered properties opened up for mixed-use development.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 12:05 pm

No one get their hopes up; this will take a very, very long time.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 12:46 pm

Whatever happens, whenever it happens, I hope it is done with more foresight and clear-headed vision than the stubborn, pigheaded leadership that pushed through the destruction of JC and the current suburban-style campus design.

Midwestern · Post by **Midwestern** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 2:46 pm

Yes, it's going to take a while for it to be transformed back into an urban setting, but there are several things that can be done almost immediately that will help the process along for a low amount of money.

The first and most obvious step is to get the street grid back. 9th street needs to be paved. And eventually (easily a decade or more) down the line, 8th street can be paved and the two ConAgra buildings along Harney and Howard could eventually be demolished. Thankfully ConAgra's other buildings mostly fit in with the grid.

Does Omaha own Heartland of America Park?

Who even owns most of these parcels of land?

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 5:56 pm

Assuming ConAgra vacates, the campus could be transformed into world class, super urban-y, core densifying area with a streetcar circling it and some would still complain about the decision made in the late 80's to tear Jobber's Canyon down.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 7:33 pm

jessep28 wrote:Assuming ConAgra vacates, the campus could be transformed into world class, super urban-y, core densifying area with a streetcar circling it and some would still complain about the decision made in the late 80's to tear Jobber's Canyon down.

Only until what is exceeds what was.

Post by **Coyote** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:09 pm

How can you save that which no longer exists?

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:17 pm

Coyote wrote:How can you save that which no longer exists?

You can't... I just use it as more of a battle cry paying homage to those who used it back in the late '80's in the hope that we as a City think about what we are doing with this parcel of land and hopefully avoid making the same mistakes again.

Post by **Coyote** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:35 pm

Remember the Alamo?

Erik · Post by **Erik** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:41 pm

I had more time to process all of this and came to a more thought out conclusion... F Conagra

I forgot that our city has seen almost 12000 new jobs in the last year, more than half were high-paying professional positions which has needed more labor supply anyway..

More high-paying professional positions are coming in from companies with no current Omaha presence.

The prospect of getting our downtown riverfront property back. The prospects from that alone are more than the thousand or so jobs from Omaha's most cancerous corporation. Remember the study that said we are the Austin before Austin was cool? And how we are now large enough to explode as a 'cool' city? Give us our jobbers canyon back, and let us build a crazy cool environment built upon honoring its past to bridge us to our rightful spot as a world-class city of the future. Maybe blend the music on the river, rebuilt jc theme with expanded old-market themed store fronts.

Omaha is in a much better position now than it was in the 1980s when the city was desperate. These jobs can be absorbed rather easily as long as we dont have another corporate meltdown.

Conagra is fledgeling, albeit still in the 500, and its future is very uncertain. Except for its certain propensity to power play the community in which it resides.

We have two more corporations near 500 status that have been steady risers and just may end up in the 500 at some point.

The more I think of it.. pi$$ off Conagra

Hank · Post by **Hank** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:23 pm

Remember that besides the buildings downtown ConAgra has three building off the north freeway at the 72nd street exit. What happens to those buildings. Time for Omaha to stop buying ConAgra products.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:58 pm

Coyote wrote:Remember the Alamo?

Didn't the Huskers play some bowl games there?

jessep28 · Post by **jessep28** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:10 pm

What do we want?!
Unfair!
When do we want it?!
Change!

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:45 pm

PotatoeEatsFish · Post by **PotatoeEatsFish** » Sun Sep 27, 2015 11:28 pm

To tear down the buildings is a waste, they are really nice. They should keep the campus yet add new buildings in the empty areas like mentioned in the paper. Maybe they will build that tower they had in the long term downtown plans.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:43 am

First of all, we don't even know if the Con Agra hq is leaving. By all means I think it will, but nothing is official yet.

Secondly, IF Con Agra leaves then nothing will happen with the existing buildings for at least 5 years. There is far too much empty space that Con Agra opens up that will be gobbled up first.

Ultimately, they will go though. It is a very low density development so close to our downtown that there is no sense for the existing buildings to remain long term. Not to mention they aren't built on a grid system and would be next to impossible to integrate into a cohesive downtown environment.

Omababe · Post by **Omababe** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:52 am

Let's see here ... the company lost ca. 8-9 figures. What's the formula for turnaround? Move the headquarters! Yeah, right!

Erik · Post by **Erik** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:56 am

Omababe wrote:Let's see here ... the company lost ca. 8-9 figures. What's the formula for turnaround? Move the headquarters! Yeah, right!

Precisely. A la FDR, Inacom, Enron, MCI and who else?

bigredmed · Post by **bigredmed** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:05 am

According to Yahoo Finance, their stock is trading at near record high prices. Higher than at any point in the past 5 years and when you look at max trend, it appears to be higher than before that. How can a company lose 1.2 billion dollars in 1 quarter and still be trading so high?

Guest12345 · Post by **Guest12345** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:52 am

Loss was really only on paper due to an asset impairment - private brands. Back out the one time occurrence and the numbers look much better.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:56 am

I'll just leave this here...

http://landmark.cityofomaha.org/collect ... rs-canyon/

bigredmed · Post by **bigredmed** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 11:27 am

Guest12345 wrote:Loss was really only on paper due to an asset impairment - private brands. Back out the one time occurrence and the numbers look much better.

And publicizing this loss as an actual loss and reason to gut the company seems fishy. Like they want to move to Chicago and they want excuses.

May be time to take some gains and move on?

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:15 pm

bigredmed wrote:
Guest12345 wrote:Loss was really only on paper due to an asset impairment - private brands. Back out the one time occurrence and the numbers look much better.
And publicizing this loss as an actual loss and reason to gut the company seems fishy. Like they want to move to Chicago and they want excuses.

May be time to take some gains and move on?

What was Ken Lay's excuse to move Enron?

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:43 pm

He was CEO of Houston Natural Gas which was bought by Omaha's Internorth (Northern Natuarl Gas) and then subsequently taken over by HNG board/executives. I had a neighbor who lost his job and is still bitter about the whole deal, understandably.

bigredmed · Post by **bigredmed** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:28 pm

GetUrban wrote:He was CEO of Houston Natural Gas which was bought by Omaha's Internorth (Northern Natuarl Gas) and then subsequently taken over by HNG board/executives. I had a neighbor who lost his job and is still bitter about the whole deal, understandably.

The saddest part of that was the good workers that had been with NNG since the 60's got RIF'd and then ultimately lost what pension money they had when the assholes bleed the company.

Post by **Brad** » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:44 pm

mr. omaha wrote:I'll just leave this here...

http://landmark.cityofomaha.org/collect ... rs-canyon/

Thanks for that! In this day and age where we are bombarded on a daily basis with really bad photography, those are awesome! The exposure is so nice, the details are amazing, and the lines are all straight! Great Photos!

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 3:45 am

Most of those photos were taken as part of the effort to get Jobbers listed on the national register. They represent the best collection available illustrating how magnificent those structures were.

And thinking about how much energy went into the first iteration of ConAgra's boondoggle, I find it ironic that Omaha's civic leaders aren't bending over backwards willing to sell out the soul of the city this time to try to get ConAgra to stay. All the recent press about the situation really conveys a sense of apathy. None of our elected officials have spoken out and said they are actively working with ConAgra on a plan that keeps the HQ here. Their stance this time around has consistently been "we haven't been told anything yet."

Don't get me wrong, I personally want to see the clusterfuq that is ConAgra leave completely so Omaha can atone for the mistake of demolishing Jobbers by redeveloping the land, but I just find it interesting there is seemingly no fight whatsoever being put up this time....

Probably because the city realizes that if they just wait until ConAgra leaves they'll get to demo some more buildings downtown.

bigredmed · Post by **bigredmed** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:26 am

There is no public fight. We are not at the stage yet. The mayor isnt going to stick her neck out without getting her assets lined up. She can't do much till ConAgra floats a trial baloon regarding movement in specific.

The city has just had a bond credit review and we were downgraded last year. It would have been reckless for her to commit to a big spending program while the bond people are sitting right there.

Lastly, the city is not as psychologically weak as when CAG made the move downtown. We see where a lot of these companies pull |expletive| and we get more debt and problem for it.

This CEO is an egocentric person who wants to be a big shot in Chicago and will gut CAG to do it. The mayor may see that negotiating with a fool is pointless.

NEDodger · Post by **NEDodger** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:13 am

mr. omaha wrote:Most of those photos were taken as part of the effort to get Jobbers listed on the national register. They represent the best collection available illustrating how magnificent those structures were.

And thinking about how much energy went into the first iteration of ConAgra's boondoggle, I find it ironic that Omaha's civic leaders aren't bending over backwards willing to sell out the soul of the city this time to try to get ConAgra to stay. All the recent press about the situation really conveys a sense of apathy. None of our elected officials have spoken out and said they are actively working with ConAgra on a plan that keeps the HQ here. Their stance this time around has consistently been "we haven't been told anything yet."

Don't get me wrong, I personally want to see the clusterfuq that is ConAgra leave completely so Omaha can atone for the mistake of demolishing Jobbers by redeveloping the land, but I just find it interesting there is seemingly no fight whatsoever being put up this time....

Probably because the city realizes that if they just wait until ConAgra leaves they'll get to demo some more buildings downtown.

I find it bizarre that you're actively HOPING that a thousand+ people lose their jobs so that a few blocks can be re-developed.

Jobber's Canyon is GONE. It has been GONE for DECADES. Rubbing your hands together at the thought of a thousand families losing income isn't going to bring it back. GET OVER IT.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:36 am

NEDodger wrote:
mr. omaha wrote:Most of those photos were taken as part of the effort to get Jobbers listed on the national register. They represent the best collection available illustrating how magnificent those structures were.

And thinking about how much energy went into the first iteration of ConAgra's boondoggle, I find it ironic that Omaha's civic leaders aren't bending over backwards willing to sell out the soul of the city this time to try to get ConAgra to stay. All the recent press about the situation really conveys a sense of apathy. None of our elected officials have spoken out and said they are actively working with ConAgra on a plan that keeps the HQ here. Their stance this time around has consistently been "we haven't been told anything yet."

Don't get me wrong, I personally want to see the clusterfuq that is ConAgra leave completely so Omaha can atone for the mistake of demolishing Jobbers by redeveloping the land, but I just find it interesting there is seemingly no fight whatsoever being put up this time....

Probably because the city realizes that if they just wait until ConAgra leaves they'll get to demo some more buildings downtown.

I find it bizarre that you're actively HOPING that a thousand+ people lose their jobs so that a few blocks can be re-developed.

Jobber's Canyon is GONE. It has been GONE for DECADES. Rubbing your hands together at the thought of a thousand families losing income isn't going to bring it back. GET OVER IT.

Gone... but not forgotten.

bigredmed · Post by **bigredmed** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:55 am

mr. omaha wrote:
NEDodger wrote:
mr. omaha wrote:Most of those photos were taken as part of the effort to get Jobbers listed on the national register. They represent the best collection available illustrating how magnificent those structures were.

And thinking about how much energy went into the first iteration of ConAgra's boondoggle, I find it ironic that Omaha's civic leaders aren't bending over backwards willing to sell out the soul of the city this time to try to get ConAgra to stay. All the recent press about the situation really conveys a sense of apathy. None of our elected officials have spoken out and said they are actively working with ConAgra on a plan that keeps the HQ here. Their stance this time around has consistently been "we haven't been told anything yet."

Don't get me wrong, I personally want to see the clusterfuq that is ConAgra leave completely so Omaha can atone for the mistake of demolishing Jobbers by redeveloping the land, but I just find it interesting there is seemingly no fight whatsoever being put up this time....

Probably because the city realizes that if they just wait until ConAgra leaves they'll get to demo some more buildings downtown.

I find it bizarre that you're actively HOPING that a thousand+ people lose their jobs so that a few blocks can be re-developed.

Jobber's Canyon is GONE. It has been GONE for DECADES. Rubbing your hands together at the thought of a thousand families losing income isn't going to bring it back. GET OVER IT.
Gone... but not forgotten.

But folks need to let it go. They were much less cool than people make them out to be and were dark and sketchy. The east end of the market was always a bit off because of them.

GetUrban · Post by **GetUrban** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 10:13 am

I'm tired of people saying "get over it" when talking about JC. It was such a HUGE mistake. There are still lessons to be learned from the mistakes of the past even though JC is forever gone. Mainly, we gave up way to much in our effort to accommodate ConAgra. They had already decided to stay in Omaha after LB 775 was passed. It was just a question of whether they would relocate from their Central Park Plaza building downtown, to a new campus downtown, which could have coexisted with JC or not, or a campus by Lonergan Lake.

I think it's very important to realize, this time around, Omaha is in a position where we don't have to cave to corporate demands to get them to stay. The factors leading to their departure are likely out of our control. Ironically, the design of their current campus may be a factor that is making them want to leave. They're stuck with it now and might be looking for a way out, so they can reinvigorate their corporate culture with some new urban digs.

It is certainly wise to start thinking of ways we could enhance our downtown should they vacate some or all of their buildings.

mr. omaha · Post by **mr. omaha** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 12:21 pm

Koterba hit the nail on the head in today's OWH:

Link to article:
http://www.omaha.com/opinion/world-hera ... 99ae2.html

iamjacobm · Post by **iamjacobm** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 4:32 pm

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... ppears-set

Rauner reportedly met with company officials months ago, before he imposed a limit on any new Edge tax-credit incentives until the state budget standoff is resolved. In effect, the company would be grandfathered, with a formal deal signed as soon as final details are resolved, sources say.

One source told me that around 200 headquarters jobs are involved, with ConAgra leaving thousands of others in the Omaha area. But I have been unable to confirm that.

My colleague Ryan Ori reported in July that the company has been negotiating for 200,000 square feet at the Mart, enough for 1,000 or more workers, but his sources stressed today that no lease has been signed.

RNcyanide · Post by **RNcyanide** » Tue Sep 29, 2015 4:58 pm

http://www.omaha.com/money/aid-package- ... 44447.html

Here's to whoring ourselves out again.