It all started in 1989, over lunch. The Zongker brothers have always enjoyed working together and were looking to start a company. Dan and Dennis Zongker both worked for a local cabinet shop and decided premium grade custom furniture was their new adventure.  Living a couple blocks apart, their basements gave birth to the new company. Working evenings and weekends with interior designers, architects and contractors, the brothers began designing and making furniture. After 18 months, the decision was made to begin their adventure full time.

Now 20 years later, Zongkers Custom Furniture is located in the old Metz Brewery building off 3rd and Hickory Streets in Omaha.  The 150-year-old building provides an incredible ambiance and home for the some of the Midwest’s finest artisans, busy preserving the nostalgia of furniture making. Today, with a 12,000 square foot shop and a staff of 10, the artisans work diligently creating beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture for a national market of residential, commercial and government agencies.

“Mixing old-world craftsmanship with today’s technology” has become their slogan over the years. Many of the craftsmanship techniques have originated as far back as the early Egyptian era. Zongkers applies the hands-on approach with furniture making. This is not production furniture, but each piece is made by hand, preserving the value and integrity of each custom piece.  After completion, the furniture is then signed and dated by the craftsman, accompanied by the Zongkers brass plaque. This assures the authenticity and quality of each piece and provides a signature date for the 5-year warranty.

The Lincoln Children’s Museum was created by a group of active and committed parents and educators who had visions of Nebraska children learning through exploration and discovery. After incorporating in 1987, the founders introduced the concept of a hands-on learning museum in August of 1988 at a 10-day “Sights and Sounds” exhibit at the state fairgrounds which attracted over 10,000 children and adults.

As the museum grew, so did its reliance on technology. Like many organizations, whether non-profit or for-profit, the goal has always been to utilize technology in a manner to add services or run the organization as efficiently as possible. Darren Macfee, Executive Director, found himself dealing with computer problems and the traditional break/fix offerings from another technology company. He felt there had to be a better way and sat down with P&L Technology to discuss his goals and needs. He was intrigued by P&L Technology’s subscription computing model and liked the accountability aspect of the model where he would pay a flat fee to ensure the museum’s systems were proactively managed and would not be billed additionally for any issues that arose. His first reaction was he could not justify the flat fee approach, but he soon came to realize he couldn’t afford to continue the way the museum was currently handling their technology support. Partnering with P&L Technology has allowed him to fully focus on the goals and mission of the museum while P&L Technology works in the background to ensure that everything “just works”.

Terry Uland, President
Downtown Lincoln Association
434-6900
www.downtownlincoln.org