Pete Ricketts: “I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a great Nebraskan and great American, Patrick Gottsch. Growing up on his…”

“I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a great Nebraskan and great American, Patrick Gottsch. Growing up on his family farm in Elkhorn, NE, Patrick learned to love rural America and the Western lifestyle. His father grew corn and had a cattle feedlot. After college, he worked as a commodities broker for 5 years in Chicago and in Omaha. On the day his daughter was born, Patrick came down the hill from the hospital and saw a guy trying to put a satellite dish together. He decided to help. After 6 hours of work, the dish was installed, and Patrick was hooked on satellite television. Patrick then started E.T. Installations, which was a pioneer in the home satellite industry. During this time, Patrick first began exploring the idea of a TV channel devoted to the issues and interests of rural America, but at that moment, it was only a dream. Patrick worked hard making that dream a reality. In 1991, Patrick moved to Texas. He worked as the director of sales for Superior Livestock Auction, which pioneered satellite marketing in the livestock industry. Because of Patrick's innovations, Superior Livestock became the largest livestock auction enterprise in the country. In 2000, Patrick decided to take a leap of faith. He committed full time to the task of creating a 24-hour TV network for rural America. He called his company Rural Media Group. Patrick Gottsch's dream was becoming a reality.…”