It takes a special person to say, “Let’s put on a town festival”—and then actually do it.
Brock Domeier, a Black Hills Energy gas service technician, is a transplant to the small village of Shickley, Nebraska—population 340—having grown up in Sutton, about 20 miles to the north. A military veteran who recently retired as a first sergeant in the U.S. Army National Guard, Domeier believes in servant leadership. “There’s always been that feeling, that pride, of helping somebody,” he said.
It’s why he serves as Shickley’s chairman—otherwise known as mayor in larger towns and cities. And it’s what led him to launch the nonprofit Big Little Town Revitalization Club.
Shickley has no chamber of commerce, so the Big Little Town Revitalization Club is taking on that role to help both residents and businesses. The club, made up of mostly transplants to Shickley like Domeier, focuses on building community and improving life in Shickley in small and big ways.
He and other “worker bees” have installed directional signs and added landscaping in city parks, for example. A new playground is in progress, and the club also dreamed up and launched Longhorn Days, a two-day town festival packed with activities such as a 5K race, golf tournament, car show and barbecue cookoff. “When I grew up, I always had a local county fair, and the town always had an annual festival,” Domeier said. “It was a big deal. I wanted to bring that into our town.”
For his work to improve his adopted hometown, Domeier was named Black Hills Energy’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year for Nebraska—and he earned $500 from the utility for his nonprofit. “Brock’s relentless commitment to his community and country, as well as his dedication to the Big Little Town Revitalization Club, exemplifies our mission, vision and values,” said Brett Lahndorf, gas operations supervisor in Sutton. “This past year, Brock Domeier has demonstrated that he is generous with his time and focused on making life better for our customers and their communities—he is an inspiration for all of us.”
“We’re trying to continually build what we have to make it better,” said Domeier. “Everybody should give back—it’s always nice to be a part of your community. At the end of the day, if I can steer our community to become better and have more experiences for all ages, that’s where it’s really at.”