Top management of an Omaha company— a company making headlines for disrupting a flight out of Eppley Airfield— is heavily bankrolling one of the top four Republican campaigns for governor, according to an exclusive investigation by News Channel Nebraska. 

According to state campaign records, State Sen. Brett Lindstrom's bid for the governor’s mansion has raised $1.6 million with at least $1.2 million from three Buildertrend executives, with one of three pumping in seven figures.

Company co-founders Jeff Dugger and Dan Houghton have each shelled out $100,000. Fellow co-founder Steven Dugger has poured in $1 million. 

The contributions were made last summer and fall months before this week's widely reported incident that finds the company apologizing, firing one employee and continuing to investigate while sharing the "frustration, disgust, and concern that many have expressed," according to a statement released by Houghton, who is also the company’s CEO.

The Omaha World-Herald reported that during Monday's on-board disturbance—which involved a number of Buildertrend employees— one of the employees hurled the N-word at a Black female Delta flight attendant.  

Buildertrend, which touts over 400 employees and is located near 118th and "I" Streets, describes itself as a software company with a million users worldwide that "empowers the construction industry with a better way to build."

The $100,000 contributions from Houghton and Jeff Dugger are significant amounts but not unheard of in Nebraska politics, while the $1 million from Steven Dugger is a figure seldom seen on finance reports, except from wealthy individuals who are contributing to their own campaigns.

News Channel Nebraska has tried to contact both Lindstrom and his campaign for comment, but we have not heard back.

A spokeswoman for Buildertrend did tell NCN that Buildertrend, “Does not comment on, or endorse, political parties. We are unable to speak on behalf of Mr. Lindstrom’s campaign, or his relationships,” said Megan Longo.

While raising that $1.6 million—75 percent of it from those three Buildertrend execs—Lindstrom’s campaign spent nearly $360,000 and reported $1.4 million cash-on-hand at the end of 2021.