About.

Spencer Community Economic Development (SCED) was formed in 2018 in Spencer, Nebraska by a group of residents interested in supporting and strengthening our community. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Established in 2018

In the summer of 2018, the owners of the local grocery store were ready to retire after being in business for more than 50 years. With no solid buyers lined up to take over the business, there was significant concern about losing our town's only grocery store. To compound the situation, the two other grocery stores in the county were in the process of closing.
A group of concerned citizens met to discuss the situation and brainstorm possible solutions. Over the course of the next few months, a buyer did come forward to purchase the store...but the group of citizens had already started to talk about how important it was to continue work on the "bigger picture" of strengthening and supporting our community.
A core group of people - see team members below - committed to forming an organization for that very purpose and Spencer Community Economic Development was created! Our 501(c)3 designation was obtained in short order and we were off and running.
We have a group of passionate and dedicated people working for the cause, with sincere interest in not only talking about change but taking action to make a difference.

Our Focus Areas

  • Support and promote local businesses and organizations​
  • Bring about community involvement
  • Coordinate and host community events
  • ​Generate funds for community projects
  • Work closely with other community organizations, such as the Spencer Community Foundation and Spencer Community Club, to maximize resources and results
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​See the SCED Projects page for more information!

Our Team

Molly Swanson
President

Molly moved to Spencer in 2012, after being born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. Spencer immediately felt like home to her and she is excited to work on hometown projects through her role in SCED. She and her husband, Chad, own and operate three businesses in town. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.







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Tracy Birmeier
Treasurer

Tracy moved back to Spencer in 2003. She has been involved in various community groups since moving back to her hometown. She is excited about being involved more with the community through her involvement in SCED. She is currently employed with the Butte State Bank. She has one daughter.

Leslie Nielsen
Member

​Leslie spent her entire childhood in Spencer. After graduating from Spencer-Naper High School, she attended Wayne State College. After working in Norfolk for a few years, she returned to her roots in Boyd County where she currently lives east of Lynch with her husband and three daughters. Being a business owner in Spencer, her passion runs deep for economic growth in our small community. She wants nothing more than to bring young families back to Boyd County. Her main goals are to bring revitalization to main street Spencer and help others start small businesses.

Carol Eilers
Vice-President

Carol is a life-long Boyd County resident, residing on the family farm north of Spencer with her husband, Ernie.
She feels strongly that our small community provides a "quality of life" not found in large, urban areas.
Keeping our small community vibrant and growing is a MUST and a primary goal of SCED.
Carol earned a Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics from Wayne State College and a Masters of Science in Family and Consumer Science from UNL.  She taught FCS and Art for 39 years in Spencer, retiring in 2015.  She currently serves as adjunct faculty for WSC.
​Ernie and Carol have two grown children and five grandchildren.

Breg Finnegan
Member

Breg moved to Spencer several years ago with her husband, Corey, who is from the area, and their youngest child. They have since had a second child. She works for the USDA office in Spencer and spends her spare time chasing her kids to all of their activities and volunteering in the community.

Melanie Black
​​Secretary

Melanie is a retired school teacher with 30 years of experience, all in Boyd County.  She and her husband, Rex, farm & ranch north of Spencer.  They have two grown children and two grandsons.
"There's no better place to raise your children and grandchildren than in a small-town setting.  We all must work hard to make Spencer a community to which people want to return."
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Tracy Goesch
Member

​Tracy is a Spencer native and moved back in 1997. She and her late husband, Jason, served the argonomy service needs of many local farmers. She continues to be involved in agriculture in the county. Tracy is glad to be a part of and raise their four children in a rural/small town area. She is hoping to help sustain our community for generations to come.