GERING—On April 16, the Nebraska Hospitality Association held its annual Taste of the Future awards banquet to celebrate restaurant and hospitality industry leaders across the state. The Runza® Restaurant in Gering was honored with the Restauranteur of the Year Award for the West region.
Neal and Lora Blomenkamp became franchisees of the Scottsbluff store in 1984 and have since grown their location footprint to include Gering (1996), Chadron (2019) and Alliance (2022). From the beginning, Neal and Lora made community involvement and support a top priority.
“From sponsoring car shows and youth reading programs, to establishing the Life Change Connection, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support families in Western Nebraska affected by diabetes, to their ongoing support of Western Nebraska Community College, United Way of Western Nebraska and many other civic organizations, the Blomenkamp family is an engaged community business and generously supports several area causes. I know them personally and they are some of the nicest and most hospitable people you’ll ever meet,” stated Linda Dennis, Chair of the Taste of the Future event.
Specific to the Hospitality Association, the Gering store supports the Hospitality Education Fund and the ProStart program through their involvement with the area golf tournament fundraiser. The recognition trophy is proudly displayed on the front counter at the Gering location.