- Antonio Parr, founder of Parr Realty, faces capital challenges as a new Black business owner in Omaha.
- The Nebraska Opportunity Exchange connects small businesses to major corporate contracts.
- In 2024, Black-owned businesses received just 1.54% of all U.S. contracts, down from 1.61% in 2023.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Antonio Parr’s roots are in Chicago—but he calls Omaha home.
Raised in a tight-knit family, he spent much of his time with his foster mom and uncle, who both loved to build.
"This was all new to me— this is something that was a passion of mine but I was in the dark to,” said Parr.
Antonio Parr owns Parr Realty and being a new business owner comes with hurdles.
It's a lot of paperwork, its a lot of time, its a lot of dedication and a lot of times we think its all about numbers and no its way more way more complicated than that," said Parr.
Since starting his business in 2022, gaining capital has been the biggest challenge. So far, he has one partner—he is in business with a hair school.
The goal of the Nebraska Opportunity Exchange is to expose small business owners to major corporate opportunities and contracts.
"Not being able to get access to loans, they get access to loans but they have a lot of challenges, maybe with their credit or maybe lack of collateral,” April Hibbler.
The NOE has a partnership with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Invest Nebraska, and collaboration with the Nebraska Business Development Center.
"At NBDC, we believe in building long-term success for Nebraska’s entrepreneurs—and that starts with strong partnerships. Our work with the Nebraska Opportunity Exchange is a powerful example of what happens when organizations align around a shared mission of equity, access, and opportunity. Together, we’re not just preparing businesses—we’re helping them grow with confidence into competitive, contract-ready firms.”
“Bringing together under one process, under one program and we are streamlining that process and we’re being more hands on,”
According to the Small Business Association, Black business owners represent a little under 15% of the U.S. population. In 2023, Black-owned businesses secured 1.61% of all contracts. This declined to 1.54% in 2024.
“Yes, our objective is to see 300 plus business owners get contracts, that is scalable, where they can employ people and grow the economy, the North Omaha economy— if you're growing North Omaha, you're growing Nebraska,” said Hibbler.
The next session begins in July and will include a brand new course focused on confidence building as a small business owner and using this to close deals.
