If you talk to and listen to Jim Pillen, it doesn’t take long to figure out why he’s been successful in politics in Nebraska. He has an easy and simplistic approach to people with a down-home humility and an “aw shucks” attitude, which has allowed him to form lasting relationships in a state that thrives on hard work, integrity and honesty.
“My lieutenant governor and I have been buddies since we were 18 years old. Him and I were talking the other night, and he says, ‘Holy cow Jim, I was just thinking about since November 9th (2022) ‘til now, life has gone so incredibly fast,’” said Pillen, recalling a conversation with Joe Kelly in his inaugural visit as governor to the Executive Club luncheon on Monday, June 5, at the Graduate Hotel in downtown Lincoln. “And all I can tell you from the both of us, there’s no words to describe what an extraordinary privilege it is to be your governor. The people of Nebraska are just amazing people.”
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Pillen described a whirlwind of activity during the campaign trail with over 500 speaking opportunities and countless other events and activities to meet Nebraskans at their core.
“And since becoming governor, it’s amazing how many people come to the city of Lincoln during the (Unicameral) session,” Pillen elaborated. “I lost track, but I think we averaged five to six talks a week with groups across the state, so I got to interact with a lot of Nebraskans.”
And as Pillen continued recounting the conversations he has had with people across the state, he kept coming back to a simple passion that he relates with Nebraskans, “hard work.”
“We work harder than anybody, and guess what? Everybody around the world knows it, because they’ve been stealing our kids for years,” said Pillen, who served 10 years on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents prior to being elected governor. “I think it’s important to realize what an extraordinary gift it is – where we live and the people that are our neighbors. When we live in an extraordinary place, my view is that we have responsibilities to those people of Nebraska.”
Pillen related a humble upbringing in small town Nebraska that enabled him to appreciate people, work ethics and relationships. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1979 and earned a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from Kansas State University in 1983. He later founded a large hog farm operation in Columbus, Nebraska, called Pillen Family Farms.
“My story is simple. I grew up northwest of here (Lincoln), 75 miles, in a little town, Platte Center,” Pillen said. “My folks were tenant farmers, and we had nothing, but we had everything. So we learned about faith, family and hard work. I grew up on the end of a pitchfork and a scoop shovel. I had two dreams: to be a football player and to be a veterinarian.”
You could say Pillen has become successful at what he wants and where he’s from, but that’s not preventing him from striving to do more and make more out of his talents, dreams and forming relationships in a state he loves.
“This is a question that I’m going to keep talking about forever, because I think it’s important for all of us to have a full appreciation. When I ask Nebraskans that have moved to Nebraska, not us life-timers, ‘What’s the one thing you love the most about Nebraska?’ the Nebraskans that have moved here, they don’t take a breath, they answer immediately, it’s the people,” Pillen said and repeated, slowly, “It’s the people.
“When I ask the life-timers, heck we look down, we kick the dirt, we get flustered,” he continued. “We don’t know what to say, because we’re just so humble. We just think we’re normal,” Pillen related. “Guess what? We’re not. We’re extraordinary people that have incredible love and grace and heart that would do anything for anybody with hard work and ethics.”
The author, Tim Brusnahan, is president and program chair for Lincoln Executive Club and sales director for Lincoln Data Centers.