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Malcolm X is one of eight people nominated for inclusion in the state Hall of Fame during the current selection cycle. Among the others are a famed pitcher, a ground-breaking botanist, a prize-winning composer and a Japanese-American priest.
In 1984, Behlen Manufacturing in Columbus was on the verge of closing.
Owned by Wickes Corp., Behlen, which was founded by Columbus resident Walt Behlen in 1936, was unprofitable. Going through their own bankruptcy proceedings, Wickes executives told Tony “TR” Raimondo Sr. that they would have to close Behlen if they couldn’t sell it.

Raimondo
With a group of managing partners, Raimondo bought Behlen from Wickes, saving at least 300 jobs in the process and returning the company to local ownership.
Behlen manufactures farm and ranch equipment and other products. The company now employs about 1,100 people, including 700 in Columbus.
Until his retirement in 2019, Raimondo emphasized an employee-centric culture that included the elimination of time clocks in favor of trusting his employees to track their own hours.
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“He just really cared about people,” his son, Tony Raimondo Jr., said Friday. “He would make time for everyone. He would get to know them. He would remember their names.”
Tony Raimondo Sr. died Wednesday at age 83 at his home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Raimondo’s reach and contributions stretched far beyond Columbus. Ben Nelson, the former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator, formed a close friendship with Raimondo after meeting him in 1990. Raimondo, a longtime Republican, accompanied the Democrat on international trade missions.
Noting that he and Raimondo both were the only child in their respective families, Nelson said “each of us became the other’s brother that we didn’t have.”
Raimondo held numerous board positions and earned many accolades, including a 1999 induction into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce & Industry, called Raimondo a role model for businesspeople.
“He very much created that culture of hometown business leaders who run global businesses from anywhere in Nebraska,” Slone said.
In 2004, Raimondo was selected by President George W. Bush to serve as the manufacturing czar for the assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services, but he later withdrew when Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry seized on Raimondo’s factory in China as a campaign issue, portraying Raimondo as a CEO who had outsourced U.S. jobs. At the time, Raimondo said he didn’t outsource because the factory he set up in China served Asian markets.
In late 2007, Raimondo switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and declared his candidacy for U.S. Senate in the 2008 election cycle. He finished second in the Democratic primary to Scott Kleeb.
Raimondo drew respect from across the political spectrum.
In a statement, Gov.-elect Jim Pillen, a Republican, called Raimondo’s death “a huge loss for the community of Columbus and the state of Nebraska.”
“The loss of Tony … and his son, Phil, last year have left a void,” Pillen said. “He, his family, and his team persevered and built an incredibly vibrant and global business.”
Raimondo was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 59 years, Jeanne, and his son Phil.
Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of November 2022

The University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band performs outside of Memorial Stadium before Nebraska’s game against Minnesota in Lincoln on Saturday.

Nebraska’s Logan Smothers starts warmups before taking on Michigan on Saturday.

Nebraska fan Cory Steuben wears a bag on his head in the fourth quarter as his team loses to Michigan 34-3 on Saturday.

Nebraska’s Blaise Keita celebrates a basket during their game against UNO at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Thursday.

Nebraska’s C.J. Wilcher (left) battles UNO’s Frankie Fidler for a loose ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Thursday.

Staff members place poinsettias in a custom-made iron tree frame for the Merry & Bright show at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha on Wednesday.

Nebraska’s Malcolm Hartzog watches as Michigan’s Cornelius Johnson can’t pull in this first-half passo n Saturday.

Michigan’s Mason Graham hits Nebraska quarterback Logan Smothers as he throws a pass in the second quarter on Saturday.

Bailley Liddick places poinsettias in a custom-made iron tree frame for the Merry & Bright show at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha on Wednesday.

Supporters cheer as Tony Vargas walks onstage to speak during an election party at Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown in Omaha on Tuesday.

Ann Tretter (from left), Susan Wagoner, and Martha Lemar react as election results come in during the Tony Vargas election party at Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown in Omaha on Tuesday.

Democratic congressional candidate Tony Vargas speaks to supporters during his election party at Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown in Omaha on Tuesday.

Democratic congressional candidate Tony Vargas hugs his mother, Lidia Vargas, near 24th & L St. in Omaha on election night.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE02) and Angie Bacon, his wife, are congratulated by supporters during an election night results party in Omaha on Tuesday.

Nebraska’s players celebrate a 3-pointer during their game against UNO at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

Nebraska’s Allison Weidner (left) and Trinity Brady (right) steal the ball from UNO’s Kennedi Grant during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

Nebraska’s Allison Weidner (left) steals the ball from UNO’s Polina Nikulochkina during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

Nebraska’s Isabelle Bourne high-fives fans as she walks out of the tunnel before their game against UNO at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski huddles with her teammates before their game against UNO at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

UNO’s Katie Keitges (left) and Akili Felici (right) battle Nebraska’s Annika Stewart for a loose ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday.

Nebraska’s Quinton Newsome breaks up a pass to Minnesota’s Michael Brown-Stephens during their game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Saturday.

Nebraska’s Ty Robinson celebrates after he sacked Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan during their game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Saturday.

Nebraska’s Logan Smothers (center) is sacked by Minnesota’s Thomas Rush (left) and Kyler Baugh during their game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Saturday.

Nebraska’s Chubba Purdy (6) runs with the ball during their game on Saturday in Lincoln.

UNO’s Jonny Tychonick tries to shoot the puck past North Dakota goalie Drew DeRidder in the second period on Friday.

UNO goalie Jake Kucharski watches the puck float by as he falls on his back in the first period against North Dakota on Friday.

Creighton’s Kendra Wait (right) tries to tip the ball past Providence’s Emma Nelson during their match at Sokol Arena in Omaha on Friday.

Norfolk Catholic’s Allison Brungardt (8) serves the ball in the Norfolk Catholic vs. Nebraska Christian Class D1 quarterfinals of the NSAA state volleyball tournament in Lincoln on Thursday. Norfolk Catholic won in three sets.

John Sherman Jr. talks with Kaiden Davidson after coming up short on a trick at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

John Sherman Jr. flies through the air while performing a trick at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

Kaiden Davidson holds his board at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

A womans walks by the police tape after Omaha police shot a man near Minne Lusa Boulevard during their annual “Halloween on the Boolevard” event on Monday.

A family walks by the police tape after Omaha police shot a man near Minne Lusa Boulevard during their annual “Halloween on the Boolevard” event on Monday.
A team from the Midwest Archaeological Center uses ground penetrating radar and other equipment to determine if human remains are buried where detection dogs previously signaled the site of a potential burial ground for children who died while at the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Photographed near the site of the school, bordering the Loup River Power Canal in Genoa, Neb., on Thursday.

Dennis Pate poses for a portrait at the zoo’s sea lion exhibit. Pate oversaw an ambitious 10-year plan that involved the creation of multiple new exhibits, including Owen Sea Lion Shores.
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