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Zuya Sica Consulting Rapid City South Dakota
Leading the Change: Zuya Sica Consulting
Local couple’s consulting company focuses on strengthening communities across the state.
Dew Bad Warrior- Ganje is not one to sit back and watch. When there is a need, she is at the forefront of helping find solutions.
So, when Dew and her husband Ben Ganje moved their family back to Rapid City after more than a decade of living East River, she saw an opportunity to share her expertise and make a difference. At the time, Dew had been working remotely as a consultant for the Population Change Institute – Change Well where they had a contract with the state of California to provide technical assistance to counties to address homelessness. Ben was working as the city engineer.
However, the two, who grew up on the Cheyenne River Reservation, quit their jobs to start Zuya Sica Consulting, LLC, an organization specializing in community enrichment, event planning and project support services.
“I just realized that we have so much work to do here and that I needed to focus my efforts back home. We started our own company to be more flexible in helping our own state and community but also have the connections of my colleagues that are happy to help and be part of the conversation,” Dew said. “We can take on projects that are near and dear to us. That’s the beauty of our consulting firm.”
Zuya Sica, named after Dew’s greatgreat-grandfather, means fierce or feared warrior, chief.
Dew's inspiration to start Zuya Sica came not only from her work with Population Change, but the success she witnessed as the tribal partnership specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce during the 2020 census. She provided outreach and education to tribal communities across South Dakota, educating on the importance of the population count. “I wanted to make sure I got out there and did my part on trying to help our tribal communities get the funding they deserve.” Dew has watched her mother, who is the executive director of the Cheyenne River Housing Authority, write grants and fight for funding because there is not an accurate count.
After her census work, Dew worked on a Get Out and Vote drive for Cheyenne River. “I was on the radio, working with the newspapers and the auditor, having registration drives. I really found my voice through advocacy.”
Dew saw her efforts pay off. On election day, while making it around to all the communities Dew ran into three generations from Cherry Creek who were voting for the first time. “It was amazing to see them there.”
Despite Zuya Sica being less than a year old, Dew and Ben, who also have four kids, already have several contracts and are always adding more. Ben has his own clients assisting with project management and technical assistance. Dew is the project manager of the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA), the Oceti Sakowin Food System Alliance Manager for Makoce Agricultural Development, vice president of the Black Hills Pow Wow, and recently started the Native Professionals Group, a networking group created after working on a project with the Four Bands Community Fund, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing support for Native American entrepreneurs. The strategic planning sessions, held in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls, brought various entities together to discuss community resources available to Native Americans, where there were duplications and where there were gaps. “We had all these different organizations that have programs to help small businesses get started, and we were there to help advocate for things that were working and address barriers that were unnecessary. It was beautiful to see the community come together in a good way and on our terms.”
Dew said she is also excited about the work being done through the SDNTA, an ad hoc group made up of representatives from all nine federally recognized tribal nations in South Dakota along with local, state and federal partners. The group created a five-year plan to support the development of a sustainable Native American tourism industry that will inspire more people to visit, stay over, and spend money in Tribal Nations, contributing to the local economies and well-being of Native American communities in South Dakota.
Dew recently arranged a tour for members of the Chinese Embassy who are intrigued by the culture and interested in bringing people to the area. They had conversations with Chairman Harold Frazier of Cheyenne River Reservation and Chairwoman Janet Alkire of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe along with both tribal councils, representatives from the Four
Bands Community Fund and a local cattle rancher. “It was just a new opportunity. That was the first visit from the Chinese Embassy to any reservation.”
The SDNTA also held a FAM, or familiarization, tour for hospitality partners visiting several reservations from Pine Ridge and Rosebud to Cheyenne River and Standing Rock. “There is so much potential there,” Dew said of strengthening the Native American tourism. “We have such a beautiful culture and land, and what I love about it is we are only sharing a little piece. We can still keep a part sacred and to ourselves.”
After less than a year, Zuya Sica Consulting is thriving, keeping Dew and Ben busy. The hope is to one day add to their team of two so they can take on additional projects. "There is so much good work to be done," Dew said.
“The work we are doing is helping to better our community for everyone. We want to make it a better place for our children and our relatives. Make it a more inclusive place."
WWW.ZUYASICACONSULTING.COM
