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...
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...
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...
Diné Founder of Orenda Tribe Translates Her Entrepreneurial Mind to Pandemic Aid
“I have a really intensive skill set as a business and fashion executive to apply to pandemic aid,” Orenda Tribe's Founder Amy Yeung, Diné, tells Native Business. (Ramsay De Give, Courtesy Orenda Tribe)After a 30-year career designing for fast-fashion corporations,...
THE LATEST NEWS
Earth & Sky Floral Continues Creating, While Supporting Fellow Artists
Shayai Lucero temporarily closed her Earth & Sky Floral Designs during the global pandemic. Fortunately, her Pueblo-based business received some grant funding that has aided her ability to continue bringing her healer’s touch and cultural perspective to floral...
Cherokee Tribal Council Approves Largest Annual Budget Yet: $1.52B for 2021
In spite of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of the Cherokee Nation has approved an historic $1.52 billion budget for the 2021 fiscal year — the Tribe’s largest budget yet. That’s a substantial increase over 2020’s $1.16 billion budget. READ MORE: Cherokee...
Indigenous Food Lab Opens at Minneapolis’ Midtown Global Market
The Sioux Chef, co-founded by Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), is revitalizing Indigenous foodways through Indigenous Food Lab inside Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Food is at the heart of cultural reclamation, says Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota...
SBA Awarded Record-Breaking $132.9B to Small Business Contractors in 2019
Fiscal year 2019 marked a record year for the amount in contracts awarded to small businesses. The The U.S. Small Business Administration has exceeded its small business federal contracting goal of 23 percent, awarding 26.50 percent or $132.9 billion in federal...
From the Editor: Pharrell & Jay-Z’s ‘Entrepreneur’ Celebrates Financial Independence, Like We Champion Across Indian Country
Native Business Executive Editor Carmen Davis (Makah/Chippewa-Cree/Yakama) reflects on entrepreneurship as a vehicle for self-sufficiency as well as generational and cultural prosperity in our weekly “From the Editor.”Pivotal to our mission at Native Business since...
Four Tribes’ Federal Construction Contracts Are on the Rise
“We have 20 contracts in negotiations right now, ranging from $900,000 up to $25 million,” says Doyle Lowry, CEO of the Susanville Indian Rancheria's Four Tribes. As the CEO of Four Tribes Construction Services, a general contracting firm owned by the Susanville...
$25M in COVID-19 Relief to Support Navajo Gaming Employees
Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort in Flagstaff, Arizona Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise counts four casinos in Arizona and New Mexico and more than 1,100 employees (in addition to creating more than 7,400 direct, indirect and induced jobs when fully operational). A...
Gila River Breaks Ground on $143M Resort Expansion
As Kenneth Manuel, Jr., CEO of Gila River Hotels & Casinos, previously told Native Business: He’s a big proponent of investing and reinvesting in the business, as well as the team. Pictured: Gila River lobby (Courtesy Gila River Hotels & Casinos) While casinos...
Hunter Leveraged Her Experience to Grow Tanka Bar Into its Namesake: ‘Larger Than Life’
In the Lakota language, Tanka means “larger than life,” and that’s what the company is becoming.Native Business previously interviewed Karlene Hunter about how she capitalized her Tanka Bar-making business in 2007. We share that original Q&A below. In July, the...
Waséyabek Development Co. Buys Manufacturing Firm
Re-Source Industries, Inc. provides production machining services to a variety of industries. Re-Source Industries will change its name to RSI of West Michigan. (re-sourceindustries.com)Re-Source Industries is now part of the growing economic portfolio of Nottawaseppi...
This Tribal Hospital Was Ranked Among the Top 8 Percent of U.S. Healthcare Programs
The Choctaw Nation-owned and operated Talihina Hospital received a perfect five-star rating. (Photo by Deidre Elrod/Choctaw Nation) In 1999, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was the first Tribe to build its own hospital with its own funding. The Choctaw Nation Health...
Connect with dynamic news and information, thought leaders, successful native entrepreneurs, Tribal leaders and more on the Native Business Podcast.
Podcast Episode 1: Introducing the Native Business Podcast
The first episode of the Native Business Podcast features Native Business Publishers Gary and Carmen Davis providing a welcome, thoughts on the impact of Native Business and why it was created, as well as an overview of Native Business and what you can look forward to...
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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...
Indian Country Is Pivotal to a Diverse Coalition of Voters
Faith Holyan, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, says: “We are a political force that can make a difference in 2020. I am excited to serve as the Indian Gaming ambassador to help bring awareness to the importance of getting to the polls.” (NIGA) NIGA Kicks Up 'My Vote...
Pueblo Turns Former Casino Into Film Production Space
The Tesuque Pueblo, an 800-member Tribe near Santa Fe, has converted a shuttered casino into a film production studio with the aim of luring major motion pictures to its picturesque red-brown foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Outdoor filming can take place...
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
Heartfelt Advice for Entrepreneurs From the Diné Founder of a Personnel Security Firm
President and Owner of Personnel Security Consultants, Michele Justice, Diné, is also a licensed private investigator through the state of New Mexico.For Michele Justice, as a Diné woman, a desire to impact her community is embedded in the very fabric of her being. “I...
Study: Non-Gaming Tribal Businesses in Michigan Generate $288M Economic Impact
Waséyabek Development Co. LLC, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi's non-gaming arm, and Gun Lake Investments, the non-gaming economic investment entity of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, or the Gun Lake Tribe, coinvested in McKay...
U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Centers Appoints Cherokee Federal to First Multibillion-Dollar Contract
U.S. Navy’s Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Southwest artisans work on an F/A-18 Super Hornet. (U.S. Navy photo by Scott Janes)Cherokee Federal Red Wing has been selected to join the U.S. Navy’s Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers’ first ever multibillion-dollar...
GAMING
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...
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...
Indian Country Is Pivotal to a Diverse Coalition of Voters
Faith Holyan, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, says: “We are a political force that can make a difference in 2020. I am excited to serve as the Indian Gaming ambassador to help bring awareness to the importance of getting to the polls.” (NIGA) NIGA Kicks Up 'My Vote...
CANNABIS
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...
2020 Oklahoma Hemp Summit to Help Tribes Capitalize on the Industry
Native American Hemp is hosting the 2020 Oklahoma Hemp Summit in partnership with the Absentee Shawnee Economic Development Authority this Friday, February 28, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Aaron Fournier, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, founded Native American Hemp in 2018...
USDA Approves Three More Tribes’ Hemp Plans
On Thursday, plans for hemp production put forth by the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the Santee Sioux Nation were approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the nation’s Domestic Hemp Production Program. These latest...
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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...
Diné Founder of Orenda Tribe Translates Her Entrepreneurial Mind to Pandemic Aid
“I have a really intensive skill set as a business and fashion executive to apply to pandemic aid,” Orenda Tribe's Founder Amy Yeung, Diné, tells Native Business. (Ramsay De Give, Courtesy Orenda Tribe)After a 30-year career designing for fast-fashion corporations,...
FEATURED SECTIONS / SECTORS
Updated ‘Broken Promises’ Report Will Hold Administration Accountable to Indian Country
"Congress will have an opportunity to address the longstanding failures of the federal government," said Congresswoman Deb Haaland. The Coronavius pandemic has exacerbated the problems already identified in the report Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding...
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...
Victoria Vasques Named a 2020 Women Who Mean Business Honoree by WBJ
“People, Performance and Partnership” are Victoria Vasques’ watchwords — and woven into every aspect of her 8(a) company, Tribal Tech, LLC.Victoria Vasques (Diegueño of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians) has been named a 2020 Women Who Mean Business honoree by...
Siyeh Corporation CEO Dennis Fitzpatrick Says Leaders Need to Be Good Listeners
Ever since Dennis Fitzpatrick became the founding CEO of the Blackfeet Nation-owned Siyeh Corporation, the Tribe has been on a rip-roaring economic streak.
Calculated Risk Taker Holly Gagnon: This Industry Powerhouse Seriously Loves the Casino Industry
Holly Gagnon, Seneca Gaming Corporation President and CEO, is a certified CPA who started her career at large accounting firms.
Oneida-Owned Bay Bank Plans New Branch Office for Menominee Nation
Bay Bank, which has two offices in the Green Bay area, anticipates having the new 2,200- square-foot branch facility on the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wisconsin, ready to open in December. It will offer full-service banking.Oneida-owned Bay Bank will give the...
10 Questions With Douglas Miles on Self-Capitalizing APACHE Skateboards
Douglas Miles’ drive to succeed as an entrepreneur came from a self-determination so powerful, it was like the will to survive, he says. “In the process, I also felt like I was doing something revolutionary—taking and putting a Native American stamp on something...
From the Editor: Biden Names Tribal Engagement Director, TANKA Bar’s Multi-Million-Dollar Capital Raise, Tribes Defend Sovereignty
Native Business Executive Editor Carmen Davis (Makah/Chippewa-Cree/Yakama) reflects on what’s happening across Indian Country and why it matters in our weekly “From the Editor.” Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is investing in diverse coalitions and recently made a...
Choctaw Nation, Bell to Enhance Aviation Tech on Tribal Test Site in Rural Okla.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao in May 2018 named the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as one of nine active UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) sites in the country. (cnoaa.com)The Trump Administration announced an initiative in October 2017 to...
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 the Editor: FedEx Pressures Redskins, Non-Gaming Economic Impact, Native Business Turns 2 Years Old
Carmen Davis, an enrolled member of the Makah Nation, and also Chippewa-Cree and Yakama, weighs in on the hottest news in business from across Indian Country the week of July 1-7, and offers perspective on this pivotal moment in history. Starting today, Native...
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...
New COO to Further Mohegan Gaming’s International Growth Plans
COO Ray Pineault, who replaces the recently exited Michael Silberling, will guide Mohegan through the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of enhanced performance and continuous international expansion.New leadership is powering Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE)...
Biden Campaign Adds Clara Pratte (Navajo) to Lead Engagement With Tribes
Clara Pratte (right), who served as the Chief of Staff for Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye, has been named Tribal engagement director for Joe Biden's presidential campaign.This week, the campaign of Joe Biden—the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for...
Hard Rock International, Seminole Gaming Name New President of Entertainment
Newly appointed as President of Entertainment, Keith Sheldon will oversee and direct entertainment for both Seminole Gaming, which manages seven Florida gaming locations, and the global brand Hard Rock International, also owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida....