Pressure From Sponsors Spurs NFL Team With Racist Name to Review its Brand
FedEx Field (Flickr CC/Rory Finneren)Washington D.C.’s NFL football team has used a racist slur for its name since 1933. Today, the organization announced it will conduct a “thorough review” of its name and mascot. The move comes after title sponsor FedEx, which has...
Happy 2nd Anniversary, Native Business! Celebrating Impact, Growth & Community
Gary (Cherokee Nation) and Carmen Davis (Makah Tribe), Founders and Publishers of Native BusinessTwo years ago, Gary and Carmen Davis established Native Business as the voice of business in Indian Country. Since day one, our goal has been to empower, inform and...
Lakota Founder of Leeway Franks and Leeway Butcher: ‘Adapt to Survive’
Lee Meisel, the Lakota owner/founder of Leeway Franks and Leeway Butcher in Lawrence, Kansas, said of the way entrepreneurs are pivoting business operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic: “We're writing the history book on this right now. And the world's watching.”...
From Batter to Bubbles: Justine Osceola Shares Her Entrepreneurial Journey
Justine Osceola, Founder of Made by Justine O LLC, originally started her career baking cakes. She soon discovered the demand, and her love, of making soaps. (Courtesy Justine Osceola)This article originally appeared in the summer 2019 edition of Native Business...
Securing a PPP Loan Helped to Power Tocabe’s Reopening
Tocabe counts two brick-and-mortar locations, plus a food truck. “Within days of the lockdowns beginning we lost 80% of our sales,” Ben Jacobs, the Osage co-founder of Tocabe, told Native Business. (Photo by Rachel Greiman, Green Chair Stories) For more than 11 years,...
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ShopKeep R.I.S.E Seeks to Make Funding More Accessible for Minority-Owned Businesses
ShopKeep, a system that empowers entrepreneurs to run their business from anywhere and/or to take their business online, has introduced ShopKeep R.I.S.E. (Reinvesting in Small-Business Equality). The new initiative is designed to make funding more accessible to...
Muscogee (Creek) Nation to Launch Genomic Health Program With HudsonAlpha
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is breaking into an emerging medical discipline that integrates genomic information in precision medicine. Essentially, a genome, or a complete set of DNA, is mapped to help understand disease risks, potential responses to therapy, and...
Judge Rules: ANCs Entitled to Shares of $8B in CARES Act Funds for Tribes
Treasury reserved $162.3 million, of the $8 billion in COVID-19 relief for Tribes, for Alaska Native Corporations. Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) are eligible for shares of the $8 billion in COVID-19 relief designated for Tribal governments under Title V of the...
IEED to Fund Feasibility Studies for Economic Projects in Opportunity Zones
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created Opportunity Zones to spur economic development and job creation in economically-distressed communities across the United States. There are nearly 9,000 designated Opportunity Zones. (FlickrCC/Berkeley Lab)Native American Business...
From Batter to Bubbles: Justine Osceola Shares Her Entrepreneurial Journey
Justine Osceola, Founder of Made by Justine O LLC, originally started her career baking cakes. She soon discovered the demand, and her love, of making soaps. (Courtesy Justine Osceola)This article originally appeared in the summer 2019 edition of Native Business...
Pandemic Will Not Deter MGE’s Plans for Athens Resort
The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily shuttered all 7 of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) casinos, but the economic setback, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars each month (March-June) has not slowed down MGE’s plans to proceed with “turning...
FireKeepers Opens First Tribally Owned Sportsbook in Michigan
FireKeepers Casino Hotel and Tribal officials cut a ribbon to mark the grand opening of Dacey’s Sportsbook.Patrons started casting wagers at Dacey's Sportsbook & Taphouse at FireKeepers Casino Hotel on June 22nd. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi-owned...
Securing a PPP Loan Helped to Power Tocabe’s Reopening
Tocabe counts two brick-and-mortar locations, plus a food truck. “Within days of the lockdowns beginning we lost 80% of our sales,” Ben Jacobs, the Osage co-founder of Tocabe, told Native Business. (Photo by Rachel Greiman, Green Chair Stories) For more than 11 years,...
Washington Tribes Leverage the Cannabis Economy
Remedy Tulalip is based in Quil Ceda Village, the Tulalip Tribes’ shopping/entertainment district, located off the I-5 corridor just north of Seattle. (Genna Martin, Courtesy Remedy Tulalip)This article originally appeared in the June 2019 “Tourism, Agriculture &...
Connect with dynamic news and information, thought leaders, successful native entrepreneurs, Tribal leaders and more on the Native Business Podcast.
Podcast Episode 7: Marketing & Leveraging ‘Buy Native’ for Private Sector Growth
On episode 7 of the Native Business Podcast, entrepreneurs discuss moving the Tribal “Buy Native” initiative from concept to unprecedented economic and private sector growth catalyst.
Podcast Episode 6: The Indigenous Food Movement
On the 6th episode of the Native Business Podcast, Native American food and beverage professionals who weigh in on Indigenous food movement that has taken off and shows no sign of slowing down.
Podcast Episode 5: Joy Huntington on Overcoming Fear
On episode 5 of the Native Business Podcast, hosts Gary and Carmen Davis, Founders and Publishers of Native Business Magazine, welcome Joy Huntington to the show.
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MGE Reveals Logo for its Las Vegas Destination, Names Strategic New Hires
In September, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) entered into a multi-year agreement with JC Hospitality to operate the 60,000-square foot gaming space at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton. The partnership expanded MGE’s growing reach...
Pandemic Will Not Deter MGE’s Plans for Athens Resort
The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily shuttered all 7 of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) casinos, but the economic setback, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars each month (March-June) has not slowed down MGE’s plans to proceed with “turning...
Tesuque Pueblo’s Film Ranch: A ‘Back-to-the-Future Facility’
The Tribally owned movie studio is set to open its gates in the soft, reddish-brown foothills of New Mexico’s majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Known as Camel Rock Studios, it will target movie television and mobile entertainment productions worldwide. The Tesuque...
Digital Expansion of Native Business Allows Unencumbered News Delivery to Indian Country During Pandemic
Native Business’ move to digital distribution via the Native Business App and increased investment in our digital platforms have empowered our media company to continue operations unencumbered by the coronavirus pandemic and financial crisis.
Partners in Tech: Wildflower International and Pojoaque Pueblo
It was a marriage made in business heaven: Pojoaque’s almost 12,000 acres of real estate and highly varying and inaccessible topography, combined with Wildflower International’s partnership with UAS drone manufacturer Silent Falcon.
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Let’s face it, we are living in a digital content delivery world and we at Native Business want you to enjoy our publication as effortlessly as possible. You can purchase issues of Native Business magazine to read digitally in the manner you prefer most.
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.”
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FEDERAL CONTRACTING
Waséyabek: Non-Gaming Diversification Empowered Tribal Economic Resilience in Face of COVID-19
Waséyabek Development Co.'s headquarters, purchased in October 2018, located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Courtesy Waséyabek)Because the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi made the strategic decision to diversify away from gaming, the Tribal economy has...
Cherokee Federal Unveils Scout Health Security to Address COVID-19 Crisis
Cherokee Federal unveils Scout Health Security unit to Cherokee Nation leaders and medical professionals at Cherokee Nation’s Outpatient Health Center in Tahlequah.Cherokee Federal recently introduced a new line of products aimed at addressing the global health crisis...
Tribal Construction Enterprises Cash In on Lucrative Federal Contracting
Grand Traverse Engineering & Construction (GTEC) was hired to provide construction management services to reconstruct part of the M-72 corridor — a major roadway in the heart of Michigan. This article originally appeared in the March 2019 “Infrastructure” print...
GAMING
California Tribes Garner Extension on Sports Betting 2022 Ballot Proposal
Chumash Casino Resort in Greater Santa Barbara, CaliforniaIn June, Senator Bill Dodd shelved his California sports betting bill due to Tribal opposition to language permitting cardrooms to operate games like blackjack and pandemic setbacks. While sports betting was...
MGE Reveals Logo for its Las Vegas Destination, Names Strategic New Hires
In September, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) entered into a multi-year agreement with JC Hospitality to operate the 60,000-square foot gaming space at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton. The partnership expanded MGE’s growing reach...
Pandemic Will Not Deter MGE’s Plans for Athens Resort
The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily shuttered all 7 of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) casinos, but the economic setback, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars each month (March-June) has not slowed down MGE’s plans to proceed with “turning...
CANNABIS
USDA Signs Off on Blackfeet, Cayuga and Sac & Fox Hemp Plans
The Blackfeet Nation, the Cayuga Nation and the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa got the go-ahead to implement their hemp production plans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week. The department also approved state hemp regulatory plans...
South Dakota OKs Industrial Hemp, But Marijuana Remains Illegal
Two weeks after the Oglala Lakota voted to legalize marijuana on Pine Ridge, the state of South Dakota legalized the growing of hemp. The state's move reverses a long-held policy and is great news for farmers who want to grow hemp. For the Oglala Lakota and other...
USDA Green Lights 3 More Tribal Hemp Plans
Three more Tribes recently received USDA approval of their hemp regulatory plans, bringing the total number of approved Tribal plans to 17 since the crop was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Seneca Nation of Indians and the...
Cannabis Sales Surge Amid Coronavirus and Social Distancing
The Muckleshoot Tribe-owned cannabis retail outlet Joint Rivers opened in June 2018, boasting the largest sales floor in the state with 86 linear feet of cabinet space dedicated to flower alone. Since the coronavirus outbreak, Joint Rivers’ sales have skyrocketed. If...
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ShopKeep R.I.S.E Seeks to Make Funding More Accessible for Minority-Owned Businesses
ShopKeep, a system that empowers entrepreneurs to run their business from anywhere and/or to take their business online, has introduced ShopKeep R.I.S.E. (Reinvesting in Small-Business Equality). The new initiative is designed to make funding more accessible to...
IEED to Fund Feasibility Studies for Economic Projects in Opportunity Zones
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created Opportunity Zones to spur economic development and job creation in economically-distressed communities across the United States. There are nearly 9,000 designated Opportunity Zones. (FlickrCC/Berkeley Lab)Native American Business...
From Batter to Bubbles: Justine Osceola Shares Her Entrepreneurial Journey
Justine Osceola, Founder of Made by Justine O LLC, originally started her career baking cakes. She soon discovered the demand, and her love, of making soaps. (Courtesy Justine Osceola)This article originally appeared in the summer 2019 edition of Native Business...
FEATURED SECTIONS / SECTORS
Tribal Diagnostics Takes on COVID-19 Testing While Guarding Tribal Sovereignty
A Tribal Diagnostic lab tech conducts COVID-19 testing on April 23, 2020. (Courtesy Tribal Diagnostics)Native-owned Tribal Diagnostics recently shifted to conduct COVID-19 testing in its Oklahoma City lab. While the company counts clients across the nation, founder...
Cherokee Federal Unveils Scout Health Security to Address COVID-19 Crisis
Cherokee Federal unveils Scout Health Security unit to Cherokee Nation leaders and medical professionals at Cherokee Nation’s Outpatient Health Center in Tahlequah.Cherokee Federal recently introduced a new line of products aimed at addressing the global health crisis...
Cheekbone Beauty Goes Beyond Cosmetic Appeal
Anishinaabe entrepreneur Jennifer Harper’s company Cheekbone Beauty seeks to educate and uplift Indigenous youth through beauty products. (Courtesy Cheekbone Beauty)This article originally appeared in the summer 2019 edition of Native Business Magazine. As an Ojibwe,...
Meet CEO Jim Allen, Guitar Hero of the Hard Rock
Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, has shown industry leadership by example.
Leadership Through Likability: John James Maximizes Efficiency and Values Every Employee
John James, President and CEO of Foxwoods, prides himself on his passion for his job, and has a leadership tip: it’s important to be likable.
Yurok Tribe Helps Tribal Businesses, Entrepreneurs in Crisis with $2M in Relief Funding
The Yurok Alliance CDFI is administering a new program to assist Yurok Tribe business owners, who are facing financial difficulties because of COVID-19. (Courtesy Yurok Tribe)Many Yurok Tribe business owners and entrepreneurs have experienced devastating losses due to...
SBA, Treasury Designate $10B in Paycheck Protection Loans for CDFIs
To ensure COVID-19 relief reaches underserved communities, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury are setting aside $10 billion in round 2 Paycheck Protection Program small-business loan funds exclusively for Community Development Financial...
Small Casinos Can Now Get PPP Funds. The Race Is On
The Trump Administration has scrapped a rule preventing casinos from receiving loans under the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP), a move that could bring huge benefits to Native communities that rely on gaming as a source of income.
Shopify Invests in Making Māori E-Commerce Program Available Worldwide
Te Whare Hukahuka CEO Travis O’Keefe said his organization’s program is designed to enable more Indigenous businesses around the world to launch online, sell more and do it more efficiently. (Courtesy Te Whare Hukahuka / YouTube)Global e-commerce giant Shopify is...
Native Women Taking the Lead in Wake of COVID-19
Pictured, from left, are Native Women Lead co-founders Alicia Ortega, Jaime Gloshay, Jaclyn Roessel, Stephine Poston, Vanessa Roanhorse, and Kim Gleason. (Courtesy Native Women Lead)Native women entrepreneurs will have increased access to capital and other business...
Digital Expansion of Native Business Allows Unencumbered News Delivery to Indian Country During Pandemic
Native Business’ move to digital distribution via the Native Business App and increased investment in our digital platforms have empowered our media company to continue operations unencumbered by the coronavirus pandemic and financial crisis.
Doyon, Ltd. Obtains Majority Stake in Tectonic Metals
Doyon, Limited, one of Alaska's largest Native regional corporations, has acquired a 22.3% ownership stake in Tectonic Metals Inc. Doyon's $1,500,000 investment strengthens its existing partnership with the Canadian junior mining company. Tectonic was founded by a...
Red Cloud, Solar Energy International to Build the Native American Solar Workforce
Henry Red Cloud's businesses have provided training to Tribal members from more than 50 Tribes. (Courtesy Red Cloud Renewable) Henry Red Cloud, through his Pine Ridge-based renewable energy company, Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE), and his nonprofit, Red Cloud...
DOE to Invest More Than $5M in Tribal Energy Infrastructure Projects
Grand Canyon West is the primary economic engine that supports the Hualapai Tribe, attracting more than one million tourists annually as the home of the world-famous Grand Canyon Skywalk (pictured). The Tribe has been awarded a DOE grant to improve the resilience of...
Sealaska’s Anthony Mallott: ‘Teamwork Is a Cultural Value’
Native Business interviewed Anthony Mallott, CEO of Sealaska Corporation, in summer 2018 about the Alaska Native Corporation’s major comeback, and again in late 2019 about his humble yet powerful leadership. Mallott is a Native Business Top 30 CEO. When we spoke with...
Chuck Garrett, CEO, Cherokee Nation Businesses: Becoming the Best Employer
Chuck Garrett, a member of the Cherokee Nation, oversees what is often referred to as the economic engine of his Tribe.
Ernie Stevens, Jr. Receives ICE Landmark Award for Industry Contributions
Ernie Stevens, Jr., Chairman and national spokesperson for the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), has long been an advocate for making Tribal gaming an integral part of the global gaming landscape. Representing NIGA and its member Tribes, Stevens actively...
