Linoma Software sells around the world from downtown Ashland
By Suzi Nelson - News Editor, The Ashland Gazette

ASHLAND, NE – In a building that dates back to the days of 25-cent admission to the movies, Linoma Software is sprinting ahead with the 21st century.

IDEAL LOCATION – Bob Luebbe relocated his business, Linoma Software, to Ashland recently to be closer to home and his children, finding the ideal location in the Ashland Professional Building in downtown Ashland.

After living in Ashland for seven years, Bob and Christy Luebbe brought their business home to be closer to their children and take advantage of the ideal location between Lincoln and Omaha. They opened for business in the Ashland Professional Building four weeks ago.

Bob Luebbe is the president of Linoma Software, which he founded 10 years ago in Lin-coln. The company provides three different software products for iSeries computers used by many medium to large businesses                                                                               around the globe.

“Our products are designed to help computer departments to become more efficient and to stream line their business operations,” said Luebbe.

iSeries computers are medium-sized computer systems that are a “step above” personal computers, or PCs, as they have come to be called, he explained. Nearly half a million iSeries computers are in existence to-day.

In 1995, Luebbe moved the business to Lincoln. A year later, he moved his family to Ashland, and hoped someday to be able to bring the business to the community. But technology hadn’t caught up with this community, yet.

However, in recent years, high-speed Internet options be-came available in Ashland, making it more feasible for the business to be located there, rather than in Omaha or Lincoln.

Having high speed Internet access is important to Linoma Software, which sells much of its product through its website, www.linomasoftware.com.

“Most customers come to the website and look at the product, download it and try it out for 30 days,” said Luebbe.

Easy access from clients across cyber space means the product is being used throughout the world. Linoma Software has clients all over the world, including Germany, Australia, and England, and has now made it to the Asian continent.

“We just made a sale to China today,” Luebbe said last week.

Having clients across the world is important to Linoma Software, but so is having the business in the same community where the Luebbes live. When the Ashland Professional Building came up for sale a few months ago, they knew it was the time to move.

“It’s really nice to have a place to call our own,” said Luebbe. “It’s the perfect location – right on main street in walking distance to shops and restaurants.”

It’s also within walking distance to Ashland-Greenwood Elementary School, where his daughters, Hannah and Ellie, attend school. Christy Luebbe is among the partners at the Gift Niche, located across the street, in addition to her position as vice president of Linoma Software and bookkeeping duties for the business.

Owning a business together can sometimes make for stress in a marriage. But Luebbe said he enjoys having his wife around to bounce ideas off.

“She’s a good sounding board for me,” he said.

Owning their own business also means flexibility in their schedules, allowing them to be available for their children and letting Christy continue to be active in volunteer work for the school and community.

“She volunteers for just about everything going on in Ashland,” he said.

Luebbe’s background as a farm boy did not give any indication he would some day work with computers. He grew up the unincorporated community of Archer, near Central City, and farmed with his father until heading to Central Community College in Grand Island.

There he studied hard, obtaining in three years associate degrees in data processing, electronics and business. His first job out of school was writing software for Werner Enterprises in Omaha.

After working in the software field at several other companies in the state, Luebbe decided to break out on his own.

Having a successful business means Luebbe also has been recognized for his accomplishments. His alma mater named him Distinguished Alumni in 2001 and invited him to speak at commencement exercises.

Although his duties now include running the business operation and sales, he continues to write software and support his product.

The company has two divisions. Linoma Logic employs 10 persons who work at customer sights to perform custom programming, analysis and design. Most of these employees work from their homes, said Luebbe.

The Linoma Software division also has 10 employees who commute to the new offices in Ashland to write, support and sell the software products. Although most of them live in Omaha or Lincoln, they say the new location is more convenient, and in some cases, a quicker trip.

As the Luebbes began renovations to accommodate their new business, they learned a lot about the building’s history. As carpets were replaced, walls and doors moved and sagging floors fixed, they found remnants of the building’s former life, including tickets and other memorabilia from the Neu Theater, which was located in the spot before a fire destroyed the building. The current building was built in the same spot as the old theater.