10 Leadership Lessons From CEOs of Tribal Enterprises and Native-Owned Businesses
Left to right: Stephanie A. Bryan, Tribal Chair & CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Jason Campbell, CEO of Sovereign Power; Kenneth Manuel, CEO of Gila River Hotels & Casinos; and Kathy George (Seneca), CEO of FireKeepers Casino HotelStrong Leadership...
10 Tips From Native Business Founders & Leaders to Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs
Left to right: Koyukon Athabascan entrepreneur Joy Huntington, founder of Uqaqti Consulting and the Joy Huntington brand; Byron Bighorse (Osage), CEO of Osage Hotels and Casinos; and Clara Pratte (Diné), CEO of Strongbow StrategiesSince Native Business launched in...
Accelerate Business Growth with ACTIVBonding
Kevin Wimsatt, Chief Executive Officer of Bold Concepts, ACTIVBonding's parent company (Courtesy Bold Concepts)Want an edge in the crowded federal construction market? Increased bonding capacity empowers businesses to acquire higher-value contracts, thus maximizing...
Rio Reimagined to Revitalize Rivers & Spur Economic Growth in the Valley of the Sun
“Restoring these rivers will not only reconnect people to these areas, but help promote important conservation goals and provide economic revitalization opportunities along the Salt River and southern Phoenix,” said Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian...
Osage Entrepreneur Geoff Hager Put Everything on the Line to Launch Big Elk
"You may have a solid business plan with great analytics, but at the end of the day, people invest in people. You have to get your message across in a short amount of time why someone would want to invest in you," says Geoff Hager, a direct descendant of Osage chief...
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Haaland Addresses Infrastructure in Indian Country During National Transportation Conference Keynote
Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus. The coronavirus crisis has further exposed the deep fissures in infrastructure across much of Indian Country, including water and...
Sneak Peek at Forbes 2021 Awards: Agua Caliente Earns Impressive Five-Star Award & Triple Win
Forbes has offered a sneak peek at its select winners for its upcoming 2021 annual Star Awards to offer getaway inspiration as travel picks up post-quarantine—and Sunstone Spa at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage has earned the impressive Forbes Five-Star...
EBCI Plans ‘Experiential Destination’ for Visitors to Great Smoky Mountains
An estimated 11 million tourists travel through Sevier to the Great Smoky Mountains region each year.The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) plan to turn the Tribe’s prime real estate in Sevier County, Tennessee, into an “experiential destination” for the...
FCC Closes Tribal Spectrum Priority Window Despite Objections
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has closed the window for rural Tribes to apply for its first-ever free spectrum licenses, despite urgency expressed from legislators, Tribal Nations and Native organizations that the priority window be extended due to...
SAGE, Standing Rock-Owned Public Power Authority, to Develop Wind Farm
SAGE was created by and for the 8,000-member Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota. Pictured: Lakota Flag (Courtesy SAGE)SAGE Development Authority’s forthcoming utility-scale wind farm, “Anpetu Wi” on the Standing Rock Reservation, serves to advance...
Shinnecocks Partner With Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment for New York Casino
The Southampton-based Shinnecock Indian Nation has floated ideas for a casino in New York since its 2010 federal recognition. Yesterday a Shinnecock exclusive to Newsday revealed the Nation is partnering with Tribal gaming giant Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment to...
MHA Nation Condemns North Dakota’s ‘Greed-Based’ Efforts to Intervene in Lawsuit
“MHA Nation has a long history of standing up to deception, greed and broken promises, and we will continue to stand firmly in the truth,” said MHA Nation Chairman Mark N. Fox. (Courtesy MHA Nation)On August 10th, North Dakota filed a motion to intervene in the...
Master-Planned Community Coming to Pascua Yaqui Reservation
The Pascua Yaqui Housing Division endeavors to provide all Tribal members the opportunity to have an affordable and safe home to enhance the economic stability of the Tribe and its members. (Courtesy of Pascua Yaqui Tribe via Tucson.com) Tribes can use master planning...
When the Pandemic Hit, Bow & Arrow Faced the Storm — and Bought a Canning Line
Shyla Sheppard, co-founder of Bow & Arrow Brewing Company, has mastered the art of the pivot. When the pandemic hit, she bought a canning line. Sheppard is holding Bow & Arrow's new beer-wine hybrid “With Love from New Mexico” Golden Sour Ale. (Bow & Arrow...
Two American Indigenous Business Leaders Chapters Take Top Honors in Business Plan Competition
The University of Alaska presented ENA Southwest Contracting, a housing and contracting business located in Bethel, Alaska. Ena means house in Yup'ik. (Courtesy AIBL)Native collegiate students recently competed in a business competition that simulated what...
Dany Garcia, First Woman to Own a Pro Sports League, Inspires Female Entrepreneurs Everywhere
Native Business Executive Editor Carmen Davis (Makah/Chippewa-Cree/Yakama) celebrates women business owners and leaders in our weekly “From the Editor.” Dany Garcia is the first woman to own a professional sports league. Last month, Garcia and her ex-husband/business...
Connect with dynamic news and information, thought leaders, successful native entrepreneurs, Tribal leaders and more on the Native Business Podcast.
Podcast Episode 4: Native Women Weigh In on Professional Development
Episode 4 of the Native Business Podcast focuses on professonial development, featuring a cast of all Native women business panelists, recorded in front of a live audience at the Native Business Summit.
Podcast Episode 3: Behind the Scenes of Native Business
On this episode of the Native Business Podcast, enjoy an inspirational behind-the-scenes conversation with the owners of Native Business, the largest Native business publication in North America whose daily in depth coverage of Tribal business and Native...
Podcast Episode 2: Industrial Hemp
Native Business Podcast host Mika Leonard moderates a panel discussion with Greg Guedel (left), attorney at Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker LLP; Vincent Logan, Chief Financial Officer/Chief Investment Officer of the Native American Agriculture Fund; Aaron Fournier...
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POPULAR STORIES
Sneak Peek at Forbes 2021 Awards: Agua Caliente Earns Impressive Five-Star Award & Triple Win
Forbes has offered a sneak peek at its select winners for its upcoming 2021 annual Star Awards to offer getaway inspiration as travel picks up post-quarantine—and Sunstone Spa at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage has earned the impressive Forbes Five-Star...
Shinnecocks Partner With Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment for New York Casino
The Southampton-based Shinnecock Indian Nation has floated ideas for a casino in New York since its 2010 federal recognition. Yesterday a Shinnecock exclusive to Newsday revealed the Nation is partnering with Tribal gaming giant Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment to...
SWAIA Saw the Pandemic’s Silver Lining: Santa Fe Indian E-Market
Royston Turquoise Bracelet by Myles Calladitto, Diné. View the complete list of virtual Indian Market artists at market.swaia.org. (Photo Courtesy swaia.org/exhibitors) “The pandemic forced everyone to be in this place of standstill, and in that standstill, we were...
SoCal Tribal Casinos Begin Reopening, Some Using Advanced Cleaning Tech
Viejas Casino & Resort reopened May 18 and is among other Tribal casinos using advanced cleaning technologies like UVC. (Courtesy Viejas Casino & Resort / Facebook)Between now and the beginning of June, seven Southern California Tribal casinos have reopening...
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...
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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
Tribal Tech, LLC Ranked on Inc. 5000 List, 7-Time Honoree
It was two decades ago when Victoria Vasques (Diegueño of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians) left her 25-year public service career to launch Tribal Tech, LLC, her 8(a) business headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. She stepped down from her position at the...
Lance Morgan on Leveraging Revenue From Federal Contracts to Bolster Reservation Economies
Lance Morgan is President and CEO of Ho-Chunk, Inc., the award-winning economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Established in 1994 in Winnebago, Nebraska with one employee (Morgan), Ho-Chunk, Inc. has grown to over 1,000 employees.As...
New HUBZone Certification Increases Potawatomi Training’s Access to Federal Set-Asides
Potawatomi Training is a leading provider of training and instruction; flight and aircrew training; and intelligence operations support for both military and government agencies. (Photo Courtesy potawatomitr.com, U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd...
GAMING
Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act Would Reaffirm Land Taken Into Trust by DOI
Artist's rendering of the proposed Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort in North CarolinaThe Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act (H.R. 8255) was introduced Tuesday to the U.S. House of Representatives to reaffirm land-trust decisions taken by the Interior Department in March. ...
Sneak Peek at Forbes 2021 Awards: Agua Caliente Earns Impressive Five-Star Award & Triple Win
Forbes has offered a sneak peek at its select winners for its upcoming 2021 annual Star Awards to offer getaway inspiration as travel picks up post-quarantine—and Sunstone Spa at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage has earned the impressive Forbes Five-Star...
Shinnecocks Partner With Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment for New York Casino
The Southampton-based Shinnecock Indian Nation has floated ideas for a casino in New York since its 2010 federal recognition. Yesterday a Shinnecock exclusive to Newsday revealed the Nation is partnering with Tribal gaming giant Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment to...
CANNABIS
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...
Oglala Lakota Nation Envisions Cannabis Resort as Driving Economic Force
On March 10, members of the Oglala Lakota Nation cast a landslide vote in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal use on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Tribe is exercising its sovereignty in a state where marijuana is currently...
Will Oglala Lakota Tribal Members Vote in Favor of a Cannabis Marketplace?
Tomorrow, members of the Oglala Lakota Nation will cast their votes on whether to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use within the bounds of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The move would “jump start” the local economy, leaders say, in a...
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Carmen Davis Reflects on the Foundations of Native Economy: Land, Water & Infrastructure
In our weekly “From the Editor,” Native Business Executive Editor Carmen Davis (Makah/Chippewa-Cree/Yakama) reflects on the foundational components of Native economy: land, water and resource rights, and infrastructure. “Everything in US history is about the...
10 Tips From Native Business Founders & Leaders to Up-and-Coming Entrepreneurs
Left to right: Koyukon Athabascan entrepreneur Joy Huntington, founder of Uqaqti Consulting and the Joy Huntington brand; Byron Bighorse (Osage), CEO of Osage Hotels and Casinos; and Clara Pratte (Diné), CEO of Strongbow StrategiesSince Native Business launched in...
Osage Entrepreneur Geoff Hager Put Everything on the Line to Launch Big Elk
"You may have a solid business plan with great analytics, but at the end of the day, people invest in people. You have to get your message across in a short amount of time why someone would want to invest in you," says Geoff Hager, a direct descendant of Osage chief...
FEATURED SECTIONS / SECTORS
Tribe Sues Trump Over Threats to Pull COVID-19 Funds If Checkpoints Not Shut-Down
A COVID-19 checkpoint on the border of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. President Trump's chief of staff threatened to withhold federal COVID-19 relief from the Tribe if it refused to remove checkpoints intended to limit the spread of the coronavirus, states a...
All Native Group, a Ho-Chunk, Inc. Subsidiary, Partners With IHS to Lead COVID-19 Response
Employees from All Native Group, a division of Ho-Chunk, Inc., will comprise the Indian Health Service (IHS) Critical Care Response Team, created to provide life-saving medical care to COVID-19 patients across 44 federally and Tribally managed IHS facilities. These...
The Pandemic Is Fueling Female Entrepreneurship
A recent study reveals that female entrepreneurship can improve the global economy to the tune of $2.5 trillion. (iStock) Studies show the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women, many of whom are balancing work with motherhood and homeschooling. Yet women...
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.
First Nations on Fiscal Responsibility & Investing in Early Stage Entrepreneurs
Michael E. Roberts (Tlingit), President and CEO of First Nations Development Institute, runs the 40-year-old nonprofit like a for-profit business.First Nations Development Institute helps Natives regain stewardship of their assets — such as land, human potential,...
Kituwah, LLC Focuses on 4 Key Priorities for Growth & Sustainability
Mark Hubble, CEO, Kituwah, LLC (Photo Courtesy Kituwah, LLC)The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) formed Kituwah in 2019 to acquire businesses to help diversify revenue beyond reservation-based gaming. READ MORE: Tribe Taps Innovation Capital to Expand &...
How a Lakota Woodworker Funded His Business: 10 Q’s With Stephan Cheney
Stephan Cheney, a young Lakota entrepreneur of the Kul Wicasa Oyate fromt the Lower Brule, South Dakota, hunts for wood around his Northern California home to make his signature furniture. “I collect a lot of pieces of wood randomly along the way,” says the discerning...
Watch Live Today: Carmen Davis to Speak on Panel, Indian Country Business Leaders for Biden
Central to Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan is directing investments to advance racial equity. Native Business Founder, Publisher and Executive Editor Carmen Davis, an enrolled member of the Makah Tribe and also Chippewa-Cree and Yakama, will speak on today’s...
Unearth Sustainable Joy With Joy Huntington
Joy Huntington, Founder of Uqaqti Consulting and the Joy Huntington brand has had the courage to take risks. (Courtesy Isaiah Mangum - Fairbanks Brand Studio)This article originally appeared in the summer 2019 edition of Native Business Magazine. Success wasn’t handed...
Google Rolling Out 100,000 Scholarships for New Online Certifications
Toya Pokolo, Google IT Support Professional Certificate completer, Information Technology Consultant. While the IT certificate is live, the others are coming soon. (Courtesy Grow with Google)Are online certificates the answer to an irrevocably changing jobs landscape?...
IEED to Fund 15 Tribal Energy Development Capacity Grants Ranging From $10K to $1M
In past years, TEDC grants have enabled Tribes to enact energy regulations, conduct feasibility studies to form Tribal utility authorities, and develop other kinds of legal infrastructure needed to regulate and manage energy resources.The Office of Indian Energy and...
Podcast Episode 13: MHA Nation Chairman Mark N. Fox
On episode 13 of the Native Business Podcast, your hosts and founders/publishers of Native Business Magazine, Gary (Cherokee Nation) and Carmen (Chippewa-Cree Tribe, Makah Tribe and Yakama Nation) Davis, are joined by Mark N. Fox, Chairman of the Mandan Hidatsa &...
Lance Morgan on Ho-Chunk, Inc.’s 25-Year History of Growth
Lance Morgan was 25 years old when he was tasked with figuring out how to diversify the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s economy away from gaming. (Courtesy Ho-Chunk, Inc.)This feature originally appeared as the cover story of the March 2019 “Infrastructure” print...
Former CFO Vosloo to Lead San Manuel Band as CEO
In June 2018, Vosloo was named enterprise-wide CFO for San Manuel Tribal Government Operations and San Manuel Casino. Now he'll lead the enterprise as CEO.The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians today announced the appointment of Laurens Vosloo as Chief Executive...
The Leadership Team at Mohegan Gaming Keeps Growing
David Martinelli, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment's new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Judy Newman-Locke, MGE's new Vice President of Human Resources Management The coronavirus pandemic temporarily upended the gaming industry. Broadly speaking, Tribal gaming...
Gabe Galanda Has Sounded the Horn for Economic Diversification for Years
Gabe's practice Galanda Broadman focuses on complex, multi-party litigation and crisis management, representing Tribal governments, businesses and citizens. (Courtesy Gabe Galanda)“Gaming is the only industry that has brought economic prosperity across Indian...