The proliferation of separate ventures has prompted the tribe to set up an Economic Development Department ( in 2008 ) to coordinate communication and planning between the existing tribal business entities and tribal council , explore new business opportunities and provide due diligence .
Glacier Peaks Casino in Montana
Siyeh Corp . ( Blackfeet Nation )
Siyeh Corp . is a federally chartered corporation ( Section 17 ). The six-member board of directors is appointed by a tribal council , although council members are not allowed to serve . Requirement to serve on the board is a four-year degree or business management experience .
When the Blackfeet Nation was organized under the Indian Reorganization Act ( IRA ) in 1935 , it was established as both a political entity and business corporation . The nine-member Blackfeet Tribal Business Council manages both the political and the business affairs of the nation .
After decades of failing to establish viable business enterprises — a combination of a remote location , and a lack of business expertise on the part of an essentially political body — the council set up the independent Siyeh Corp . in 1999 , to separate business development from tribal politics .
The corporation ’ s mission is “ to generate business , produce revenue , spark job creation and advance economic self-determination .” It operates five enterprises , including the tribe ’ s Glacier Peaks Casino . It thus far has concentrated on local development , having acquired or developed a cable television company , a local internet provider and a heritage center with cultural products .
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ( MBCI )
An exception to the trend of separating political from business functions is the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians , which began self-directed economic development in the late 1960s , under the leadership of the late Chief Phillip Martin . In this case , it was the vision and business acumen of the tribal chief that drove successful economic diversification for nearly four decades .
MBCI was federally recognized in 1945 , but still had unemployment of 80 percent into the late 1960s . Economic development on the MBCI reservation began in 1969 , when the tribe set up a construction company to build the low-income homes being funded by a federal program . The strategy was to make a small profit while also teaching skills to tribal members .
Building on this success took many years , but by 1979 , the tribe was able to attract Packard Electric to open a non-union automobile parts manufacturing plant on the reservation . This was followed in 1981 by a 120,000-squarefoot American Greetings Corp . factory , which was financed by Industrial Revenue Bonds , creating 250 jobs . In 1985 , the tribe opened a factory manufacturing automotive speakers in partnership with the Oxford Speaker Company . Three other manufacturing plants opened in the 1980s and 1990s ,
Golden Moon Casino Resort in Mississippi
including another printing company and a plastic molding enterprise . Over the past 50 years , MBCI has pursued a diversified portfolio of business operations . Today , the tribe operates multiple enterprises that were formed under Tribal Ordinance 56 , which created a separate Tribal Business Division , including casinos , hotels , golf courses , commercial laundry , organic farming , a nursing home and real estate management , among others .
MBCI also created a tribally chartered corporation to pursue federal contracting opportunities . This entity currently includes several subsidiaries that are involved in construction , electrical subcontracting and a variety of other service-oriented work , primarily for federal customers . MBCI is ranked among the Top 10 private employers in Mississippi , with 5,000 full time employees .
More Recent Developments
Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corp . ( CPCDC )
Created in 2003 , the CPCDC ’ s mission is to “ provide access to capital through loan fund support and business development services .”
Its services include micro-business loans , commercial loans , employee loans , business development assistance and financial education and credit counseling . The program began with an initial capitalization of $ 1.65 million , which grew to $ 2.78 million within three years . Part of CPCDC ’ s success has to do with its structure , and the separation
Potawatomi Casino Hotel in
Milwaukee
of tribal politics from loan decisions . CPCDC is governed by a seven-member board of directors : six are tribal citizens , and the seventh is a representative from the First National Bank & Trust .
Loan decisions are made by a four-person Loan Committee , a standing committee of the board of directors consisting of a CPA , a business owner , CPN ’ s bank and a tribal citizen . Loan committee members are not allowed to hold a tribal leadership position .
14 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT GAMING 2020