The response in Sidney wasn’t so positive.
Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, whose district includes the Sidney home of Cabela’s, said people across Nebraska should be worried.
If the headquarters were to move or if it were significantly downsized, Schilz said, “it would be devastating to rural Nebraska. Sidney was the one bucking the trend. Sidney was the one showing, ‘Hey, small towns can work. If something would come to pass where Cabela’s was no longer part of that equation, then tell me how we’re going to rehabilitate rural Nebraska?”
Schilz said he had contacted Cabela’s Chief Financial Officer Ralph Castner “in the first minutes” after activist investor Elliott’s involvement became public last week, but at the time, the company was taking a “wait-and-see” approach. Castner hasn’t returned The World-Herald’s calls for comment and the company hasn’t publicly commented on the Elliott stake.
Since then, Schilz said he hasn’t heard anything from the company, but he tried to contact representatives again on Thursday afternoon.
Schilz said he has met with Gov. Pete Ricketts, Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha and Sen. Galen Hadley, the speaker of the Legislature, about what the state might be able to do to assist. No specific incentives have been offered.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t just throwing stuff out there,” Schilz said. “We need to know whether there’s anything that we can do, and then once we figure that out, we can figure out what it is.”
Ricketts had a second conversation with Cabela’s Chief Executive Tommy Millner Thursday morning before the news about Bass Pro Shops came out, said the governor’s spokesman, Taylor Gage.
“The governor has offered any assistance the State of Nebraska can provide as the company works to become more competitive,” Gage said.