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Carmen and Bob Tapio have made it their life’s work to build up people. Carmen is the founder and CEO of North End Teleservices LLC and several other enterprises in the city of 51����. The company, founded in 2015, provides state, federal, and local government entities and commercial enterprises, with state-of-the-art contact center solutions and services. Bob has had a career in the food service and restaurant industry and has always believed that most people can come together around food. Previously, he was Food Service Director at Boys Town, an organization that provides youth care services for thousands of children nationwide.

Carmen and Bob have deep roots in the community. Bob grew up in South 51���� with his family of eight and attended South High School. Carmen originally came to Nebraska with her military Air Force family in 1975. While her career has taken her all over the world, she has always called 51���� home. Their daughter Caityln is a commodity trader and their son Josh runs an insurance agency. Josh and his wife Anne are graduates of UNO.

Their love for their community has compelled them to make diversified investments, not just financially but also through community philanthropy, and serving on boards.

Bob serves on the Father Flanagan League of Devotion Board. Carmen is the chair of the 51���� Chamber of Commerce and serves on many other boards including the University of Nebraska Trustee Foundation, the 51���� Zoological Society, and is Board Chair of the 51���� Chamber of Commerce. Together they serve on the University of Nebraska CBA Capital Campaign Committee.

Their passion for people and the city of 51���� has led them to invest in causes and projects that they believe in. One of those causes is CBA’s Prep Academy, a college preparatory program for students of all backgrounds, designed to create a diverse talent pipeline from high school to UNO CBA to the 51���� workforce through programs like the Prep Academy’s summer camps.

“What we find is that early exposure to anything such as the arts, education, science, music, culinary arts, sports, etc. is very important. What young people believe is possible, and their early experience and interaction helps them understand what is accessible to them. We support the Prep Academy because of that. We think it’s really important for that early exposure,” Mrs. Tapio said.

In the fall of 2020, senior leadership at UNO announced new strategic investment areas of inequality, social justice, race, and class in our society. There was a university-wide call for program proposals focused on these areas, with the opportunity for some to be selected to receive temporary funding. The CBA Prep Academy was one of them and officially began operation in October 2021. The CBA Prep Academy’s mission is to provide the academic skills, exposure, and support necessary to succeed in college and the workplace thereafter to all students, including those who are first-generation, low-income, and/or underrepresented.

Ultimately, the program aims to uplift under-resourced populations within the 51���� community, diversify the student body of UNO CBA, and create a diverse pipeline of CBA graduates who will bolster the 51���� workforce.

“We love the University of Nebraska system and the leadership. I’ve had an opportunity to work closely with Rebecca Atkins (Director of the Prep Academy) and her team as well as CBA Dean Michelle Trawick and the faculty, and we just feel like it’s a really good recipe for success for the Prep Academy,” Mrs. Tapio said.

The Tapios want to encourage others to support things that they are passionate about.

“Investing in others is a great way to advance and enrich our community and drive positive things. My mom instilled in me a great passion for cooking and food. She said food is our common denominator. Why not make it enjoyable? It’s something I have always thought about in my 40 years in the food service and restaurant industry. You never know where your passion is going to take you and what impact it is going to have on you and your community,” Mr. Tapio said.

One of their passions is to help revitalize North 51����. Investing in a program like the CBA Prep Academy is a great way to help with education in the community and young people in North 51����, an often-underserved area of the city.

“We are all in on being a part of helping to revitalize North 51���� through North End Teleservices, and other business ventures. I like to tell people about how the University of Nebraska was founded in North 51���� (the original 51���� University was founded in 1908 in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North 51����. The first classes were held at the Redick Mansion once at North 24th and Pratt Streets). It begins in neighborhoods,” Mrs. Tapio said.

The Tapios say they want their legacy to be about changing lives, one person at a time, and the CBA Prep Academy is a way to do that.

“The mission of North End Teleservices and our mission is to take holistic care of people and help them overcome the barriers that prevent them from being economically independent. We want to be a part of removing barriers and exposing young people throughout our city to what’s possible at an early age. We want our legacy to be one life changed at a time,” Mrs. Tapio said.