Entrepreneur with Enthusiasm for Football and Hats Receives Encouragement, Support in North Platte

Josh Sperle was living in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Katelyn and their two young daughters – the youngest six weeks old – when the pandemic struck. Josh was employed in fundraising at the time, and the coronavirus caused major disruptions to his work. This instability prompted Josh and Katelyn to begin discussing their long-term plans.

They had first met while working at a youth camp in south Texas. Josh, who grew up in Texas, was attending Texas A&M at the time, and Katelyn was a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After getting married in Texas, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee; Clemson, South Carolina; and then Atlanta, Georgia. However, they didn’t see themselves raising their family in a large city. “We had done the big city thing and enjoyed it. But we always felt like what was probably more our pace and our personality would be to live in a small town,” said Josh.

Conversations about their future led the couple to consider Katelyn’s hometown of North Platte. “We thought it’d be neat for our girls to grow up near cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. We also thought the small-town living would suit us well. All that together made us say, ‘Hey, let’s look really hard at North Platte, Nebraska,’” Josh explained. In 2020 they made the move, relocating their family from Atlanta to North Platte.

The venture into small business

After moving to North Platte, Josh began working at NebraskaLand Bank. “What I love about that bank is they’re very community-oriented; they have a community mindset. That was a good role for me, just to live vicariously through a lot of these small businesses,” Josh stated.

In North Platte, Josh began growing a small business idea he had started while living in Atlanta. Meanwhile, his experience at NebraskaLand Bank increasingly familiarized him with the process of starting and running a business. “The longer I did it, the more I thought, Instead of being on this side of the desk helping them get financing, I want to actually be a small business owner myself.” In March of 2023, Josh took the leap of committing full-time to growing his small business, Hide Park Apparel.

Community support for small business

Hide Park Apparel merged Josh’s love of football and hats. Made from footballs used in real games, the logo on the front of the hat emblemizes the pride and connection Nebraskans have with football. Hide Park Apparel uses laser technology to cut logos representing everything from high schools to college teams to corporate businesses. “Our community has rallied around us and supported us since we took the leap to full-time and stayed in Nebraska. We have high school teams across the nation, but Nebraska teams are some of our best supporters in terms of ordering hats and reordering hats,” said Josh.

Hide Park Apparel recently purchased a store location in downtown North Platte. They are renovating it to create a full storefront and production space that will open later in 2025. Josh credits the community’s support and encouragement for enabling him to grow and expand the business.

“I think it’s a testament to what North Platte is doing in our downtown, and the positive change we’re seeing. Living here in North Platte allows us to dream big and then actually act on those dreams,” Josh explained. “We’re really excited about where we’re headed in this. We’re grateful for the opportunity, and we think it’d be tough to find in a big city.”

Shaping the future of a Nebraska community

Josh has not only seen growth in his business, but also in the City of North Platte. “Since we moved here, there’s been this really neat view of wanting to see positive, healthy change and growth,” he observed. “We feel like we’ve been able to be a small part of that change and growth.”

Josh and Katelyn especially enjoy the opportunity to help shape the future of their community. This includes the ability to attend city council meetings and weigh in on key decisions. “We can speak our mind and feel like we have a voice in this town, and that voice will be listened to. That’s harder to find in a big city,” said Josh. “We have a big group of people that are excited to change our town for the better and promote healthy growth. It’s fun and exciting to be part of that growth – building new playgrounds, being passionate about a new rec center coming to town, and seeing new restaurants and businesses.”

Big Idea North Platte

One of the ways North Platte has encouraged business growth is Big Idea North Platte. Modeled after the TV show Shark Tank, the event brings together potential entrepreneurs and business owners each year to market their ideas. Several are then awarded funding to launch or grow their business in the North Platte area.

In 2021, Josh pitched his business idea at Big Idea North Platte. He won second place, receiving funds to invest in his business while gaining welcome publicity. “It helped us buy additional equipment and add more inventory,” Josh said. “At the time I was very new to North Platte. I didn’t really know the people in the audience. It’s vulnerable to go up and say, ‘Hey, I think this idea is really cool.’ To win second place was a big vote of confidence.”

The right place to take the leap

Community support has continued to encourage the growth of Hide Park Apparel. Josh and Katelyn have seen the commitment of Nebraskans to buy local and support local, recognizing how this builds and grows Nebraska’s small towns. “Folks here in North Platte want to support their own. We’ve been humbled and surprised by the number of businesses that have supported us,” explained Josh.

Josh is glad that Katelyn and he chose Nebraska as the place to grow their small business and call home. “We dreamt about doing an entrepreneurial venture. Almost 12 years we had dreams of starting our own business. In small town Nebraska we gained the confidence to take that leap and actually go for it,” he said.

Learn more about starting a small business in Nebraska.

Learn more about living in Nebraska.