Platte Institute for Economic Research

The Platte Institute for Economic Research is a free market advocacy group and think tank headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The group is conservative. Overview The organization was established in 2007 by Pete Ricketts, who was later elected governor of Nebraska. Ricketts was president of the institute. Ricketts' co-founder was Mike Groene, who became a member of the group's board. As of 2016, its CEO was Jim Vokal. Several former members of Nebraska's unicameral state legislature have taken jobs with the Platte Institute, including Nicole Fox and Laura Ebke. The Platte Institute is part of the State Policy Network, a network of conservative think tanks.