Carmen Tapio: Building Opportunity Through Business in North Omaha

The room is filled with new hires. Some are stepping into their first job. Others returning to the workforce after time away. There is a mix of anticipation and uncertainty, the kind that comes with starting over or starting fresh.

Carmen Tapio has built her work around that moment.

As the founder and owner of North End Teleservices (NET), Tapio leads one of Omaha’s largest minority-owned businesses, a company that provides contact center and business process outsourcing services to national clients. Since its founding, NET has grown into a major employer in North Omaha, with a workforce that reflects the community it serves.

Tapio’s path into business leadership was not linear. Before launching NET, she worked in corporate environments and developed experience in operations, customer service and workforce management. Those roles informed her understanding of both the technical side of business and the barriers many workers face in accessing stable employment.

She founded North End Teleservices with a focus on creating jobs that offered more than entry-level wages, positions with training, advancement opportunities and long-term potential. The company’s growth has included partnerships with Fortune 500 clients and expansion into multiple facilities, while maintaining its base in North Omaha.

NET’s workforce model emphasizes hiring from within the community, including individuals who may face barriers to employment. Training and professional development are built into the company’s structure, allowing employees to build skills in customer service, technology and operations.

Beyond her role as CEO, Tapio has been involved in broader economic development and workforce initiatives in Omaha. Her work intersects with conversations about equitable access to employment, minority business ownership and community-based investment.

Tapio has received recognition at the local and national level for her leadership and impact in business. Her company has been noted for both its growth and its role in creating employment opportunities in an area that has historically experienced disinvestment.

Her leadership reflects a model of business development that prioritizes both profitability and community impact, positioning enterprise as a tool for expanding access and opportunity.

For many employees who walk through the doors of North End Teleservices, the job represents more than a paycheck.

It is an entry point.

And for Tapio, that has been the intention from the start.