Our Success & Finance issue charts the business breakthroughs of Tribes and Tribal entrepreneurs in “The Greatest Success Stories of 2019.” We also pay homage to perseverance and tireless devotion to Indian Country. Ernie Stevens, Jr., and Cheryl Stevens, his wife of 37 years, grace one of the covers. We honor Ernie Stevens’ nearly 20 years of stewardship to Indian gaming as Chairman of NIGA. Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Marshall Pierite is featured on the opposite cover. He shares how gaming helped his Tribe “to transition from a surviving community to a thriving community,” and reflects on recent success in the financial services industry. We shine a light on financial institutions, such as Stearns Bank, and consider the investment strategy of Mno-Bmadsen. Meanwhile, the DOE’s James E. Campos, underscores: “Energy is our new economy, it is our new currency, and Native Americans play a large part in this equation.”

Native Business Magazine presents its premier “Leadership” issue today, honoring the Top 30 CEOs in Indian Country. This inaugural list shines a light on executives who are leading Tribal Nations and enterprises to greatness. Leadership is defined by influence, courage, passion and dedication. That’s why we chose Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair & CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, as the cover subject of our Leadership issue. Each of the 30 CEOs we interviewed spoke to the power of clarity of vision — the guiding force behind their leadership and ability to inspire their teams to put their hearts and energy into their work, thus creating the foundation for a successful and sustainable business. Native Business truly believes that strong leadership is the ultimate strategic advantage in business. We hope you glean as much wisdom, tools and strategies for effective leadership from these Top 30 CEOs as we did. 

The eighth edition of Native Business Magazine spotlights groundbreaking Tribal health care systems, trailblazers in arts & entertainment, & disruptors in the beauty industry. Showcasing Puyallup Tribal Chairman David Z. Bean on the cover, we consider the Tribe’s unique & integrated approach to conventional, naturopathic & traditional Native healing. Native Business goes behind the scenes w/the Cherokee Nation Film Office, created to promote northeast Oklahoma as a prime destination for filmmakers. We interview the visionaries behind the hottest beauty brands in Indian Country, such as Cheekbone Beauty. Native Business shines a light on two Comanche innovators who recently launched their brand of CBD wellness products for luxury resorts & spas. And established entrepreneur Joy Huntington shares her latest endeavor: the Joy Huntington brand (JoyHuntington.com). Take a page from her book: “…to build extraordinary confidence, I had to take extraordinary risks,” Huntington says.

Our seventh edition of Native Business Magazine, the “Tourism, Agriculture & Natural Resources” issue, is rooted in the very foundation of Tribal sovereignty and resiliency: harvesting food and natural resources to thrive, while conserving the ecosystem and respecting Indigenous lands. We also turn our sights to tourism, given many Tribal reservations are off-the-beaten path for destination travel. Our June issue is ambitious, and our cover subject is a testament to that. Chairman Mark N. Fox not only recognized the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation’s potential to replicate the agricultural success of the Netherlands, he took it a step further, bridging a cross-continent, nation-to-nation alliance to facilitate critical knowledge share that will empower his Tribe to bring his vision for food sovereignty and self-reliance to fruition. Chairman Fox’s message: that to be truly sovereign, we must feed ourselves. Enjoy and tell a friend about Native Business!

Our sixth print issue, the May 2019 “Native Business Top 50 Entrepreneurs” issue, of Native Business Magazine, serves to uplift Native business founders and leaders who are demonstrating ingenuity, professionalism and self-determination. Two covers bookend this May 2019 issue, honoring leadership of the two largest Tribes in the United States: the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation. One cover features Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer and on the other cover Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker is featured. Native entrepreneurship is foundational in building strong Tribal economies and keeping dollars circulating within our Native communities. Yet Native entrepreneurs have not been showcased enough. And in the spirit of that, the “Native Business Top 50 Entrepreneurs” issue stands to raise the profile of some of these powerful change agents who have taken the initiative to fulfill their dreams. It is vital that Indian Country support our own people. By investing in the goods and services of Native entrepreneurs, we demonstrate to those outside of Indian Country that we’re worthy of commerce and success. Read their entrepreneurial stories and be inspired.

Our first-ever “Gaming” issue and fifth edition of Native Business Magazine pays tribute to the powerful economic engine that is gaming. Our cover subject — Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis — shares with Native Business readers how the Community’s self-managed gaming operations support self-reliance. In an insightful Point of View piece for Native Business, Ernest L. Stevens, NIGA Chairman, underscores the monumental impact of gaming on Tribal self-sufficiency and how gaming empowers Tribes to “take control of the future of their communities.” In our feature “Gaming on the Plains,” Native Business examines the positive influence of rural casinos on Tribal and local economies. We also speak with Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. We take a look into casino safety, speak with one of the first entrepreneurs in Tribal gaming, look into a popular promotional tactic across the casino industry: free-play. Read these and many other articles in our April issue!

Infrastructure is a topic Indian Country is well aware of, yet it rarely receives the attention it deserves. March 2019 marks our first infrastructure-focused issue of Native Business Magazine. Among the greatest examples of strategic infrastructure planning and investment in action across Indian Country is Ho-Chunk, Inc. and our cover subject — Ho-Chunk, Inc. CEO Lance Morgan — shares the forethought required to scale economic development on a remote reservation. Our March issue includes A feature aptly titled “The Road to Nowhere” underscores the need to provide and maintain the most fundamental infrastructure asset across Indian Country: roads. In a separate story, MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox addresses a pivotal issue impeding business and stifling economic development across Indian Country: dual taxation. Our March issue identifies the ultra important role that strategic master planning and infrastructure development plays in achieving long-term economic success across Indian Country.

Our January/February issue of Native Business Magazine dives into energy initiatives across sectors: wind, solar, hydropower, oil and gas, geothermal and bioenergy. This marks our third issue of Native Business Magazine—and our first-ever energy-themed issue. In these pages, we demonstrate how Indian Country is a leader in energy innovation. Aaron M. Schutt, Doyon, Limited President and CEO, is the cover subject of our January/February Energy issue. Native Business Magazine spoke with Schutt about Doyon’s substantial economic and community impact (the Alaska Native regional corporation serves more than 19,000 shareholders). Other stories include the Salish and Kootenai Tribes assuming ownership of Kerr Dam and we hone in on a six-tribe coalition and their plan to co-create a viable wind energy operation in the Plains region.

Our December 2018 finance-themed issue of Native Business Magazine shines a light on people and institutions driving solutions to empower self-sovereignty, self-determination and economic strength. We share the insights and stories of Native women and men defying the odds and improving tribal economic development strategies and access to capital.  Gracing our cover is Cherokee Nation Treasurer Lacey Horn, who manages the Cherokee Nation’s multi-million-dollar budget. We speak with Vince Logan, an Osage Nation member and authority on financial empowerment. We spotlight the best practices of exceptional Native American accountants and profile a recent Harvard Kennedy School graduate planning to launch an investment firm. We put the banking industry under a microscope while showcasing entrepreneurs who have turned passion into profit. A clear message resonates in our finance Issue, and it is this: We must recognize our worth, boldly communicate opportunities and push the funding envelope like never before.

Our November 2018 entrepreneurship-themed issue of Native Business Magazine celebrates indigenous innovation, commitment and resilience. In our debut issue, we highlight ancient indigenous centers of commerce, including Cahokia, Tenochtitlán and Machu Picchu, for a glimpse of the prosperity that Indian Country is capable of achieving. We spotlight Shinnecock tribal leader Lance Gumb’s entrepreneurial journey. Native Business Magazine gets the low-down from “Hemp Warrior” Alex White Plume. Tocabe co-founder Ben Jacobs shares his plans for nationwide expansion. Inspiring women entrepreneurs discuss their grassroots movement Native Women Lead. The Lumbee founder of Metcon talks building energy-positive buildings. We interview Martin Sensmeier about co-producing and starring in the forthcoming Jim Thorpe biopic. We speak with MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox about the tribe’s economic diversification and long-term vision. A clear message resonates in our entrepreneurship Issue, and it is this: Empower yourself.