Don Adams

Adams & Sons Trucking
Sidney, Nebraska

Two water and one rig up were the three trucks making up the fleet of Adams & Son Trucking in 1982. With the additional purchases of equipment to haul rigs, the company incorporated in 1987 and had expanded its operation as Adams & Sons Trucking, Inc. It was in 1989 that the decision to purchase two over-the-road (OTR) tractors and flatbed trailers was made. Later that same year the company hired an additional dispatcher, purchased two more tractors, and began utilizing lease operators to expand the OTR fleet. In 1991 another dispatcher was hired and the flatbed division grew to approximately 25 units operating in 40 states. The company continued to grow and in 1993 a company was purchased that had a large Colorado customer base that complimented Adams & Sons’ operation. This move paved way for the company to expand to approximately 80 flatbeds and the addition of 30 dry van trailers as well as opening satellite companies in Commerce City, Colorado and Houston, Texas.

An affiliated company was established in March of 2000 known as Sidney Warehousing, LLC, which owns and operates 685,000 sq. feet of warehouse space consisting of 15 buildings with approximately 45,000 sq. feet each, along with 560 acres of outside storage. An added bonus to this property is the immediate access to both the Burlington Northern and Union Pacific rail lines as well as owning four miles of rail, switch engines, and scale house. When purchased the company was approximately 15%, today we are at 90%. We have also brought in two manufacturing companies employing around sixty people and utilizing 120 acres of our outside storage.

Adams & Son Transportation Services (ASTS) is another affiliated company started in 2005. This company houses the brokerage operations offering nationwide transportation services. This allows us to handle large jobs with multiple loads and coverage of all traffic lanes within the U.S. and Canada. We currently are operating divisions in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, St. Louis, Missouri, Vancouver, Washington, and at the Denver and Houston offices.

Today we have approximately 120 employees and offices in 6 states and look forward to continued expansions as a truce logistics company.

Robert Gottsch

Gottsch Cattle Company
Hastings, Nebraska

Robert Gottsch’s career started out working in the Cattle Feeding business his Father had begun in the mid 50’s. This business has grown and diversified in the last 50 plus years. Robert Gottsch now resides as Managing Partner of Gottsch Cattle Company, a feedlot, cattle back grounding and ranching operation owned by himself and two of his brothers. In addition to their cattle operations in Nebraska they also operate in Kansas, Louisiana, Texas and Missouri.

Through the support of his family, the mentoring and willingness of his partners and the dedication of his employees, Gottsch Enterprises now includes Swine Operations, a Swine Genetics Business, Traditional & Organic Farming, Trucking, CattleXpert (Software Co.), Efanz, Inc (Internet Service Provider), Commercial & Residential Land Development, Nebraska Famous Steaks (Mail Order Steaks), Commodity Brokerage and Indian Creek Golf Course. Internationally it is involved with Rice, Corn and Soybean Production, Land Clearing and Irrigation development in Argentina.

Gary Hansen

Pleasant Hill Grain
Hampton, Nebraska

Gary Hansen founded Pleasant Hill Grain in the fall of 1998 as a standalone Internet division of Pleasant Hill Farm, Inc. The company sells food processing equipment and grain to home consumer and business customers. Operations began on the Hansen farm north of Aurora, Nebraska, and moved to Hampton in 2008 with the purchase of a commercial tract and 30,000 square foot building. The Hampton site includes warehouse space, administrative offices, and a call center for customer support and sales. Pleasant Hill Grain has twenty employees, including two working remotely from offices in their homes. Gary’s vision was to use the reach and continuing expansion of the Internet to build a sales platform with exponential growth potential, while operating as debt-free as possible. With a 2008 sales volume of $10 million, Pleasant Hill Grain has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the nation’s 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies. Gary and his wife Anita attribute much of the company’s success to dedicated employee teams who bring timeless customer service values to the high-tech world of the Internet. They take great satisfaction in having built and grown the business with zero borrowing and no capital investment except reinvested profits. Gary and Anita continue to live on the family farm near Aurora, and have three teenage daughters who also contribute to company life.