--- title: Cash-Wa Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award description: BluePrint Engines Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award image: https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/cash%20wa%20backdrop.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/cash-wa-receives-excellence-in-economic-impact-award#main-content) [![Development Council for Buffalo County logo](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/Development%20Council%20Logo_1-23-23_V1.png)](https://growbuffalocounty.com) - About Buffalo County - [Communities](https://growbuffalocounty.com/communities) - [Livability](https://growbuffalocounty.com/live) - [Labor](https://growbuffalocounty.com/work) - Site Selectors - [Sites & Buildings](https://growbuffalocounty.com/sites-buildings) - [Target Industries](https://growbuffalocounty.com/target-industries) - [Regional Data](https://growbuffalocounty.com/regional-data) - [Location Advantages](https://growbuffalocounty.com/location-advantages) - Strategic Initiatives - [Build Buffalo County](https://growbuffalocounty.com/build-buffalo-county) - Business Support - [Incentives](https://growbuffalocounty.com/incentives) - [Resources](https://growbuffalocounty.com/resources) - [Entrepreneurs](https://growbuffalocounty.com/big-idea-buffalo-county) - About DCBC - [Services](https://growbuffalocounty.com/services-1) - [Staff](https://growbuffalocounty.com/staff) - [Board](https://growbuffalocounty.com/board) - [Investors](https://growbuffalocounty.com/membership) - [News](https://growbuffalocounty.com/news) - [Contact Us](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ![cash wa backdrop](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/cash%20wa%20backdrop.png) # Cash-Wa Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award [![Amanda Polacek](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Amanda%20Polacek.png?width=52&height=52&name=Amanda%20Polacek.png)](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/amanda-polacek) [Amanda Polacek](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/amanda-polacek) Published Aug 25, 2026 Reading Time 1 min read ![cash wa backdrop](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cash%20wa%20backdrop.png?width=1448&height=1086&name=cash%20wa%20backdrop.png)   Each year, the Development Council honors outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals through the Excellence in Economic Impact Awards. These recognitions celebrate those who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and a strong commitment to advancing economic growth and enhancing quality of life throughout Buffalo County. This year, the Development Council selected Cash-Wa as the 2025-2026 Outstanding Business of the Year. Cash-Wa is one of Buffalo County's most significant and enduring business success stories. What began in Kearney in 1934 as Cash-Wa Candy Company, delivering candy to local grocery stores, evolved over the decades into a major broadline foodservice distributor serving customers across the Midwest and Great Plains. The company's growth is closely tied to the Henning family. Harvey Henning began working for Cash-Wa as a teenager, returned after military service, and ultimately purchased the company in 1957. Through generations of family leadership, Cash-Wa expanded from a local business into one of the largest independent foodservice distributors in the region, serving restaurants, schools, healthcare facilities, institutions, government agencies, and businesses across multiple states. Cash-Wa's success extends far beyond its own operations. The company has provided critical products, logistics, and service that countless organizations depend upon every day. Its continued investment in facilities, employees, technology, transportation, and customer service has strengthened the local economy while proving that a Buffalo County-based company can compete successfully on a regional scale. Today, Cash-Wa has entered a new chapter as part of Performance Food Group, but the legacy of the Henning family remains deeply rooted in Buffalo County. Their decades of leadership created meaningful employment opportunities, lasting economic impact, and a culture of service and community commitment. [![Amanda Polacek](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Amanda%20Polacek.png?width=64&height=64&name=Amanda%20Polacek.png) Amanda Polacek](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/amanda-polacek) Share [Excellence in Economic Impact](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/tag/excellence-in-economic-impact) #### Let's Connect We’d love to hear from you—reach out anytime and let’s start the conversation. ## Related Posts [KAAPA Ethanol Holdings Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award Each year, the Development Council honors outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals thr...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/kaapa-ethanol-holdings-receives-excellence-in-economic-impact-award) [BluePrint Engines Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award Each year, the Development Council honors outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals thr...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/blueprint-engines-receives-excellence-in-economic-impact-award) [Miller & Associates Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award Each year, the Development Council honors outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals thr...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/miller-associates-receives-excellence-in-economic-impact-award) ![edcc-logo-1](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/edcc-logo-1.svg) **Development Council for Buffalo County** 220 11th Avenue Kearney, NE 68845 [(308) 237-9346](tel:+1308-237-9346)[mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) [info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) - [Buffalo County](https://buffalocounty.ne.gov/) - [City of Kearney](https://cityofkearney.org/) - [Kearney Area Chamber](https://www.kearneycoc.org/) - [Kearney Visitors Bureau](https://visitkearney.org/) - [Contact](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) - [Site Map](https://242034849.hs-sites-na2.com/sitemap.xml) © 2025 Development Council for Buffalo County. All rights reserved. Developed by [GiantFocal](https://www.giantfocal.com) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Amanda Polacek", "url" : "https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/amanda-polacek" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-05T16:39:39.850Z", "datePublished" : "2026-08-25T20:16:30.000Z", "headline" : "Cash-Wa Receives Excellence in Economic Impact Award", "image" : [ "https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/cash%20wa%20backdrop.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/cash-wa-receives-excellence-in-economic-impact-award", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/Development%20Council%20Logo_1-23-23_V1.svg" }, "name" : "Development Council for Buffalo County" } } ```