Candidate for Nebraska Governor

Candidate for Nebraska Governor
Oct 12, 2022
Jim Pillen
Candidate for Nebraska Governor
Conservative Republican Jim Pillen grew up on a farm in Platte County, Nebraska and raised pigs with his father, Dale. Jim graduated from Lakeview High School.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from UNL, and married Suzanne Shreve. He then earned a doctor of veterinary medicine from Kansas State. In 1983, Jim returned to Nebraska and opened a small animal practice and swine consulting practice.

Jim and his father, Dale, partnered together, raising 60 sows and 1,200 market hogs on a dirt lot on their home farm. In 1993, Jim started Pillen Family Farms. In 2003, he added DNA Genetics. 2012 brought the addition of Jim’s two oldest children, Sarah and Brock, into the business.

Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics are now a multigenerational family-run business, composed of over 1,100 team members. The family business operates by some basic core beliefs—do what is right, do the best you can, and treat others the way you want to be treated. 

Jim and wife, Suzanne, have four children, Sarah, Brock, Polly and Izic, and seven grandchildren, William, Halle, Eloise, Henry, Harrison, Ava, and Thomas.
 
Jim has dedicated himself to community involvement including:
  • St. Isidore’s Church
  • Scotus Central Catholic High School Endowment Board
  • St. Augustine Mission Board of Directors
  • Chair of TeamMates Mentoring Program Foundation Board of Directors
  • Columbus Family YMCA Past President
  • Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Past President
  • Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Board Member
  • Past Chair of Columbus Community Hospital Board of Directors
  • Archdiocese Ignite the Faith campaign
  • Christians Encounter Christ (CEC) Movement
  • Youth for Christ Mission
  • AKSARBEN Foundation
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration Advisory Board, University of Nebraska Board of Regents where he represents 15 counties in northeast Nebraska and served as Chair in 2020
  • 2004 UNL Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Academic All American, 2-Time First Team All Big 8
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