Falls City Economic Development and Growth Enterprise, better known as Falls City EDGE, continues to drive projects aimed at strengthening the region’s economy and infrastructure.
Director Lucas Froeschel said the nonprofit, which operates as a public-private partnership, is focused on improving business conditions in Falls City and the surrounding area. One of its top priorities is supporting the state’s bioeconomy initiative — encouraging projects that use corn and soybean feedstocks for industrial operations.
“Last year, TRO Chemicals announced a $5 billion bio-polypropylene project at our Mid-America Rail Campus,” Froeschel said. “We’re prioritizing efforts to make sure that project comes to fruition.”
The 1,000-acre site runs along the Union Pacific rail line, and EDGE is exploring options for dual rail access to include a connection to the BNSF line. Froeschel said having two Class I railroads intersect near the community gives Falls City a rare logistical advantage.
In addition to supporting industrial growth, Froeschel said EDGE is working to address a long-standing challenge — the city’s limited electrical transmission capacity.
“Nebraska is a public power state, but Falls City sits in the southeast corner where there’s only one transmission line feeding the community,” he said. “There’s basically no capacity on that line for Falls City to grow.”
To solve the issue, Falls City received a $15 million state grant in 2022, which was matched by $20 million in local funding. An engineering firm has been hired, and planning is underway for a new transmission line that would provide additional power capacity for the city and future development.
“Falls City needs a secondary source of power to support the next couple of generations of growth,” Froeschel said. “This isn’t just about one project — it’s about making sure our community has the infrastructure to thrive.”
