A young entrepreneur who went from high school employee to business owner has captured the support of Building Nebraska listeners and viewers.
GoodyPop, a gourmet popcorn shop in downtown York, has been named the Building Nebraska Season 2 Fan Favorite. The business received the most votes during a social media contest conducted on the podcast’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Oak Barn Beef finished second in the fan vote, followed by Eustis Body Shop in third.
GoodyPop is owned by Emory Conrad, who worked at the shop throughout high school. During her senior year, Conrad learned that its previous owners planned to sell the business. The news forced her to choose between attending college and pursuing an unexpected opportunity.
“It was kinda out of the blue, like, ‘Oh, hey, we’re gonna sell the business,’ and throughout the end of my senior year, I was kind of still deciding between the two, filling out scholarships while making a business plan, which is kinda crazy, but at the end of the day, I just was not really pulled to college and just knew that GoodyPop was my next adventure in life,” Conrad said during her Building Nebraska interview.
She purchased GoodyPop in May 2024, less than a week after graduating from high school.
The York business produces its gourmet popcorn in-house, handling everything from popping and flavoring to packaging. Its kernels are sourced from a Nebraska farm near Byron, and the shop offers more than 200 flavors, including peanut butter cup and puppy chow.
Conrad has described business ownership as “wearing every hat,” with responsibilities ranging from marketing and management to cleaning the shop. She also views GoodyPop as more than a place to buy popcorn. For Conrad, locally owned businesses help keep downtowns active and give residents a place to connect.
Her story resonated with Building Nebraska’s audience, earning GoodyPop the top spot among the businesses featured during the podcast’s second season.
As the Fan Favorite winner, GoodyPop will receive a $2,500 advertising package from the Rural Radio Network.
The contest was conducted in partnership with the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the presenting sponsor of Building Nebraska.
Building Nebraska shares the stories of entrepreneurs and business owners building companies and strengthening communities across the state. The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.