The following feature was written by PHS students in collaboration with the Springfield Business Association. Visit the Springfield Business Association for more information and other articles. 

Editor’s Note: The Springfield Business Association is delighted to work with journalism students at Platteview High School to capture stories about our SBA members and their incredible work. This is the first of many articles that will be submitted by PHS students. A huge thank you for their willingness to collaborate with SBA and produce such quality work.

Moving through various careers can bring both great apprehension and great wisdom. What one does with his or her professional experiences, is what brings value to work, a career, and even the community in which one serves. Such can be said of Diane Warnke, secretary of the Springfield Business Association (SBA) and realtor at Nebraska Realty.

During a recent interview between Warnke and journalism students at Platteview High School, Warnke explained the value of experience and education, and how the two can lead to a successful and rewarding business career.

“Knowledge is power, and that is true in any business,” said Warnke.

Warnke is a Springfield, Nebraska native – a graduate from Platteview High School – and she began her career at a local title insurance company. She explained that while she was not initially familiar with the field, it was “through that job I learned the basics of real estate, and I got a grasp of the different documents associated with real estate.”

She later worked at Douglas County Assessor/Register of Deeds in the Register of Deeds Office. She eventually became the Assistant Deputy of Operations of Official Records. Warnke worked for Douglas County for over 30 years.

In 2020, Warnke retired from Douglas County, and she became a realtor in 2019, currently working at Nebraska Realty.

While speaking of her realty work, Warnke emphasized the importance of ethical and fair business practice and reaching out to people and their needs, saying “As a realtor, I have a very high standard of ethics. I truly want to help people as much as I can. I want to be fair and equal to all.”

Warnke joined the SBA in 2021, now serving as its secretary. Two aspects of the SBA that Warnke highlighted were the benefits of collaboration between businesses and how the SBA aims to benefit the community.

Warnke said that the SBA “gives all of the different business owners the opportunity to know each other and work together.”

One event in which the SBA hosts is the annual SBA Shop and Hop. Springfield businesses meet and greet patrons and community members on Main St. and the Springfield Community Center, promoting their businesses and related services with information, giveaways, and promos.

Warnke said the SBA and related businesses “want to work together. Everyone has the common goal of making each other better.” Warnke remarked that another byproduct of the SBA Shop and Hop was the opportunity to refer her realty clients to businesses in the SBA that might fit their immediate and future needs. Warnke hopes the SBA Shop and Hop will become an annual event.

“The Shop and Hop was a great success, and we are excited to have it back in July 2022.”

Throughout her career, Warnke has garnered much from her experiences, and the journalism students at Platteview High School appreciate her spending some time with them. In doing so, Warnke explained the importance of education, knowledge, ethics, community, and collaboration.

Warnke discussed how one might not know what will happen every day in one’s career, but such moments provide opportunities to learn.

“What I enjoy most about real estate is educating people on the twists and turns of the industry.” It is with such “twists and turns,” trials, and successes that bring wisdom to the career and the community.