Native Business Magazine - April 2019 by Native Business

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NIGA’S ERNEST L. STEVENS, JR.: GAMING IS AN EXERCISE OF INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION A Sportsbook Was a Smart Bet for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

CHAIRWOMAN LYNN VALBUENA: “WE TREAT OUR EMPLOYEES LIKE ONE BIG FAMILY HERE AT SAN MANUEL.”

BUILDING AN ATTRACTION, BEYOND THE GAMING FLOOR

GOVERNOR STEPHEN ROE LEWIS HOW SELF-MANAGED GAMING POWERS THE GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

GAMING ON THE PLAINS ACTIVE SHOOTER PREP: DOING YOUR BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST FINDING SLOTS IN THE FOREST THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS: IS THIS THE CASE WITH FREE-PLAY?

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IN THIS ISSUE APR 2019 • Volume01 Number 5

on the cover

Governor Stephen Roe Lewis For the Gila River Indian Community, Gaming Is the Engine that Powers the Economy See Page 10. BY ANDREW RICCI

FINDING SLOTS IN THE FOREST “The remoteness is both a blessing and a challenge.” — James Williams, Jr., Chairman, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians See page 16. BY LEE ALLEN

Features

Point of View

In the News

Entrepreneurship

Indian Gaming Is … Focused on the Future BY ERNEST L. STEVENS, JR., CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION

At Pearl River Resort, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Demonstrate the Value of Sports Betting in Indian Country

“Buy Navajo, Buy Local” BY JONATHAN NEZ, PRESIDENT, THE NAVAJO NATION & MYRON LIZER, VICE PRESIDENT, THE NAVAJO NATION

The Native Business Summit Will Bring the Knowledge, Resources and Passion from the Pages of Native Business Magazine to Life

Kevin P. Thornton Built a Career Manufacturing Tables and Supplying Casinos From the Ground Up

BY NATIVE BUSINESS STAFF

Cover Photo Courtesy: Gila River Indian Community

BY ANDREW RICCI AP R I L 2 0 1 9

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SAN MANUEL CHAIRWOMAN LYNN VALBUENA REFLECTS ON THE PAST, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

PHOTO COURTESY SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS

“We have a master plan in place, and we’re always doing what we can to acquire properties that are contiguous to or adjacent to the reservation.” — Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians See page 38 BY NATIVE BUSINESS STAFF

Gaming

Tourism

e Busin tiv

EPRENEU

Doing Your Best To Prepare For The Worst The CEO of the Snoqualmie Casino is Prepping for an Active-Shooter Scenario by Urging his Employees to Act

BY JOSH ROBERTSON

‘We Are Who We’ve Been Waiting For’

In its May Issue, Native Business Will Release its Inaugural List of the ‘Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Indian Country’

The House Always Wins: Is This the Case With Free-Play?

BY NATIVE BUSINESS STAFF

BY RENAE DITMER

Gaming

ess

Entrepreneurship

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Hidden Gems: How Rural Casinos are Changing the Game in the Northern Plains BY SUZETTE BREWER

Building an Attraction, Beyond the Gaming Floor From Luxury Spa Experiences to Zip Lines to Gas Stations, Tribes are Diversifying Economies with Tourism Enterprises

BY DEBRA UTACIA KROL

FOUNDERS/PUBLISHERS

Gary (Cherokee) and Carmen (Makah/Chippewa-Cree/Yakama) Davis

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Contributing Writers Andrew Ricci • Suzette Brewer (Cherokee) • Lynn Armitage (Oneida Nation) Renae Ditmer (Chippewa) • Clifton Cottrell (Cherokee) Debra Utacia Krol (Xolon Salinan Tribe) • Josh Robertson • Lee Allen Mary Annette Pember (Chippewa) • Mary Belle Zook (Citizen Potawatomi Nation)

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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS It’s nearly impossible to talk about Tribal

PHOTOS BY WHITNEY PATTERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

economies without honoring the far-reaching impacts of Indian gaming. Because, decades ago, so many Tribes demonstrated self-determination and perseverance to fight for and secure exclusive rights to casino-style gaming within their states, Indian gaming became the bedrock for Tribal economic resurgence. While Indian Country widely recognizes that casinos are not the end all, be all to sustain our communities, gaming is and will continue to be a vital economic stimulus for Indian Country and for generations of Indian people to come. As Ernest L. Stevens, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), underscores in his Point of View piece for Native Business Magazine: “Indian gaming is the foundation and anchor of Tribal communities and economies.” And above all, it’s “an exercise of Indian self-determination,” he states, supporting essential community services. Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis is displayed on the cover of our April “Gaming” issue. Native Business interviews Governor Lewis about the Community’s self-managed gaming operations that support self-reliance. The Governor further weighs in on one of the defining moments of the Tribe’s history — the diversion of water on the Gila River more than 150 years ago, which caused their agriculture-based economy to collapse. It wasn’t until 2004 when their water rights were finally restored. They’ve since revived farming and agriculture, and are today building a modern, state-of-the-art irrigation system. Governor Lewis additionally expounds on how the Tribe diversifies economic development and invests in essential Tribal infrastructure like schools and housing for the Community's 23,000 members. Naturally, our gaming issue couldn’t overlook one of the hottest topics across Indian Country: sports betting. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians opened the first Tribally owned and operated independent sportsbooks in the United States in August. Director of Table Games (Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook Operations) at Pearl River Resort Neal Atkinson considers both the advantages and volatility of the sports betting market. One surprising takeaway? The Tribe’s sportsbook is drawing new clientele and penetrating the hard-to-tap 21 to 35 age demographic. On the San Manuel Indian Reservation in San Bernardino County, California, gaming has paved the way for infrastructure, jobs and economic opportunity. Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena reflects on her reservation’s radically different landscape pre- and post-casino success. San Manuel Casino and the Tribal government are today among the largest employers in San Bernardino County, currently supporting more than 4,900 employees and generating more than $1 billion in annual economic activity in the region. That’s substantial for any Tribal Nation, and particularly for an approximately 250-member Tribal community. When the expansion of San Manuel Casino is completed in about two years, the Tribe’s employee base may increase to as many as 7,500 employees. Native Business also examines the positive influence of rural casinos on Tribal and local economies. On remote reservations across the Northern Plains, Tribes have gone from operating modest community bingo games to running sophisticated, state-of-the-art casinos. Tribal Nations have also expanded their portfolios to include tourism attractions and activities that create synergy with their gaming facilities.

While gaming has opened doors of opportunity and restored Tribal economies, challenges are built into every venture. Threats to safety are inherent in any major tourism operation. Brian Decorah, CEO of Snoqualmie Casino and an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, was in Las Vegas the night of October 1, 2017, when a gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest music festival, killing 58 people. With the Vegas experience fresh in his mind, he developed an active-shooter training program with live simulation to prepare Snoqualmie Casino employees for a worst-case scenario. It’s proactive measures and forethought like this that save lives, and we are happy Mr. Decorah will be presenting at our upcoming Native Business Summit in May. Speaking of our Summit, Native Business announces exciting developments related to the event, taking place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 13-15, 2019. Several dynamic speakers and presenters are confirmed to participate, including Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker; Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark N. Fox; Ho-Chunk, Inc. CEO Lance Morgan; and Cherokee Nation Treasurer Lacey Horn. We hope to see you in attendance at the Native Business Summit. Overall, our first-ever “Gaming” issue and fifth edition of Native Business Magazine pays tribute to the powerful economic engine that is gaming. Today, 32 years after the Supreme Court victory in California v. Cabazon and 30 years after the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian gaming continues to evolve. Tribes, ever-resilient, are keeping pace with it — and leveraging gaming for the greater good of their communities, while making a positive impact on their regional economies.

Onward, GARY DAVIS Publisher

CARMEN DAVIS

Publisher & Executive Editor

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POINT OF VIEW

INDIAN GAMING IS â&#x20AC;Ś

FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE By Ernest L. Stevens, Jr., Chairman, National Indian Gaming Association

his past October marked the 30th anniversary of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). While Native Nations established contemporary Indian gaming more than a decade prior to enactment of IGRA, the milestone is still an appropriate time to measure what Indian gaming is and has done for Indian Country and beyond in spite of the limitations put forth in the Act. To NIGA and our Member Tribes, Indian gaming is first and foremost an exercise of Indian self-determination. Tired of waiting on the United States to fulfill its treaty and trust obligations to Indian Country, a handful of visionary Tribal leaders established the first contemporary Indian gaming operations in the 1970s to take control of the future of their communities. State governments and commercial gaming corporations immediately challenged these acts of Indian self-determination. While the legal attacks ultimately failed before the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act as a means of imposing federal regulations on Indian gaming. Some uninformed ignore these facts and promote a misunderstanding about Indian gaming. Indian gaming is not a gift of the federal government or a federal program. The truth is that Indian gaming is Indian self-determination in action. Gaming and economic development between sovereign Tribal governments existed long before European contact. Congress first examined Indian gaming in 1984. At the time, the Interior Department testified that approximately 80 Tribal governments were engaged in gaming with estimated revenues in the tens of millions. From these humble means, Indian gaming has responsibly grown to provide a steady source of governmental revenue for 242 Tribal governments nationwide. We are now proud to be a $32.4 billion-dollar industry. Our leadership always saw our industry as local, unique and for the most part, different from the Las Vegas model of gaming. We are not focused on competition. We are focused on our future. Indian gaming has surpassed commercial gaming in terms of revenue. And a growing number of Tribes are utilizing decades of experience in managing and regulating Indian gaming operations by expanding into the commercial gaming market. However,

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Chairman Stevens and his wife Cheryl in their Traditional Regalia

PHOTOS COURTESY NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION

it’s important to note that while Tribal government-owned commercial casinos operate outside of IGRA, these Tribes continue to dedicate revenue generated from these operations back into their communities. Indian gaming is the foundation and anchor of Tribal communities and economies. Just as the early Tribal leaders envisioned — Indian gaming revenues are working to improve Indian education, health care, public safety and other essential community services. Revenues also help build roads, water and communications infrastructure, schools, hospitals, community and cultural centers, and much more. In addition, many Tribes are re-investing Indian gaming revenue into non-gaming economic development initiatives. These Tribal government-owned entities also pour revenues back into Tribal communities. At the same time, Tribal governments are carving out room for and encouraging a new generation of Native entrepreneurs to establish businesses in Indian Country that offers goods and services to reservation residents and our visitors. Our goal is to keep these dollars on Indian lands and put them to work for our people. Without a doubt, Indian gaming is job creation. In 2017, Indian gaming delivered 310,000 direct American jobs — and more than double that number in indirect jobs. These jobs help Indian and non-Indian families alike realize the American dream. In many cases, Tribal governments are the top employers in their regions. Importantly, Indian gaming is bringing our people home by providing many Native Americans with their first opportunity to work on the reservation. Indian gaming is comprehensive regulation. Tribal leaders know that the success of Indian gaming depends on safety, trust, and integrity. Tribes embrace and respect the work that Tribal, federal and state regulators do every day to protect the integrity of Tribal gaming operations. In 2017, Indian Tribes spent more than $400 million on Tribal, state, and federal regulation, and employed more than 6,500 Tribal, state and federal regulators. Tribal government regulators bring expertise from federal and state law enforcement, the U.S. military, as well as from financial institutions and state and commercial gaming operations. After decades of learning from these experts—today, many of our Tribal government regulators are homegrown. Today our experts assist other local law enforcement in investigations and uncovering illegal activity through the use of our security, technology and surveillance capabilities. These men and women are bringing in state-of-the-art technology, helping beef up cyber security and Information Technology to protect Tribal government revenues and the integrity of our operations. Indian gaming is giving back to Indian Country and our neighbors. The U.S. Constitution acknowledges that Indian Tribes are separate governments, not subject to taxation by any other sovereign. With that said, in 2017 alone, Indian gaming helped generate more than $11 billion for federal, state and local government budgets through compact and service agreements, indirect payments of employment, income, sales and other taxes, and reduced general welfare payments. In keeping with our culture, Tribal governments are giving back to their neighbors and to Indian Country. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has been a leader for decades in giving back. In total, the Tribe has donated more than $325 million to other Indian Tribes and charitable organizations, and has provided $500 million in economic development loans to Tribes to help expand the benefits of Indian gaming. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians provided a recent example of stepping up to help

those in need. Just last month, in the wake of powerful tornadoes that hit the small town of Beauregard, Alabama, the Tribe donated $184,000 to cover the burial costs of the 23 individuals who tragically died in the disaster. This was not a one-off for the Tribe. It follows a $200,000 contribution last summer to provide computer technology to Native students at five Bureau of Indian Education schools in South Dakota, and tens of millions in donations over the past decade to help improve education, health care, and basic services to other communities. These are just two examples out of hundreds throughout Indian Country. Above all, Indian gaming is our future. NIGA is the first to acknowledge that Indian gaming is not a cure all. Far too many Tribal communities continue to suffer the devastating impacts of the past failed federal policies. Too many of our people continue to live with disease and poverty. Our Native youth are the most at-risk population in the United States, confronting disparities in education, health, and safety. While we

Chairman Stevens addressing participants at the Global Gaming Expo

are immensely proud that we are the experts in the industry today, we do recognize that there is so much more to do and that has to be our priority. Tribal leaders recognize these devastating facts and have used dollars generated from Indian gaming to help turn the corner. Tribal leaders know that education is the key to securing our future and to truly revitalizing reservation economies. Today, thanks in part to Indian gaming, Tribal governments are educating a generation of new Native leaders. In the past, we relied on outsiders to serve as our teachers, police officers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. But today, these professionals are more likely to come from Indian Country. Native youth are going out to get their educations, and more and more are returning to serve their communities. Education, fueled by Indian gaming, is providing a path forward for the next seven generations.

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For the Gila River Indian Community,

POWERS THE ECONOMY By Andrew Ricci

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Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community

PHOTO COURTESY GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

GAMING IS THE ENGINE THAT

PHOTO COURTESY GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY

tephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, comes from a family with a long history of service and giving back to the community that they call home. His mother was an educator who went to law school, worked for the state of Arizona, and served as a children’s court judge for the Community’s Tribal court system. His father, Rodney Lewis, was the Community’s first attorney, and when he passed away last year at the age of 77, a headline in the Arizona Republic referred to him as “Tribal trailblazer” and “a force behind [the] landmark water settlement.” He was the first Native American to pass the bar in Arizona and the first Native American to argue a case — which he won — before the United States Supreme Court. His advocacy and legal representation led to the passage of the historic Arizona Water Settlements Act. For Governor Lewis, his father’s example provides a perspective of the past that he uses to anchor his own leadership for the future. “My father was really a trailblazer and a visionary with regards to water and to protecting our sovereignty,” Governor Lewis said in an interview with Native Business Magazine. “He was there at the table negotiating the first compacts with Tribes in Arizona in the 1990s, and he saw economic development as really one of those engines that would sustain us for the future.” “He saw gaming as an important part of that — not the end all, but an important part,” Lewis continued. “I see myself as being a caretaker of all my father’s work and his decisions, and being a defender of all the achievements that my father had so dearly fought for.” The Water Settlement was the culmination of a century-long dispute that is deeply ingrained in the Tribe’s history. The Gila River Indian Community is made up of two distinct Tribes — the Akimel O’otham, which means “the people of the water,” and the Pee-Posh, or the Maricopa. The-Pee Posh originally came from the Colorado River, and when they arrived in the area that is now metropolitan Phoenix, they settled there, forming a military alliance with the Akimel O’otham. Today, the two Tribes still exist within the 23,000-member Gila River Indian Community, each retaining its own distinct language, culture and ceremonies. Governor Lewis says one of the defining moments of the Tribe’s history was the diversion of water on the Gila River more than 150 years ago. “That was devastating to us, because we were historically agricultural and farmAP R I L 2 0 1 9

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The Gila River Indian Community’s Wild Horse Pass Casino

COVER STORY

ers,” he said. “We traced ourselves to the Huhugam civilization, which inhabited current metropolitan Phoenix for thousands of years. Their ancient canal system is one of the most sophisticated architectural engineering feats that rivals even the Egyptian canals of the Nile Valley.” “Some of these canals have been dated to be over a thousand years old,” he said. “That gives you a perspective on how long we have been a part of this land here.” The Gila River was the Tribes’ lifeblood. When the water was diverted, their agriculture-based economy collapsed, and they were pushed almost to the edge of extinction. It wouldn’t be until 2004 that their water rights would be restored. With more than 25 percent of Colorado River water part of the Tribe’s entitlement, they’ve restored farming and agriculture, and are today building a modern, state-of-the-art irrigation system. In the mid-1990s, Tribes and the state of Arizona negotiated gaming compacts which allowed the Gila River Indian Community to start opening casinos on Tribal lands. “That was another touchstone for economic development, and it was historic for us,” Lewis said. The Tribe started out with Lone Butte Casino, followed by a Sprung structure to house the Wild Horse Pass Casino. In the early 2000s, this would be replaced by the current Wild Horse Pass casino, hotel and conference center. They also have a third casino, Vee Quiva. Ken Manuel, CEO of Gila River Gaming Enterprises, has been with the Tribe’s gaming operation since it started in 1994. He began his career working in slot operations, worked his way up into various management positions, and today is the first member of the Gila River Indian Community to hold the position of Chief Executive Officer. He says this distinction is “one of the biggest honors that I could ever have.” “I was probably all of 22 or 23 years old when I started, and it’s really amazing how far we’ve come,” Manuel told Native Business Magazine. “I can remember the old building that we started in. It was an old data center that the Community renovated just to basically house about 250 slot machines and a small deli.” “To go from a really old renovated building into the world-class facility that we have today is really amazing,” he continued. “As is the case with most Tribes, Gila River Gaming is the engine that our economy

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The Gila River Indian Community’s Vee Quiva Casino

PHOTO COURTESY GILA RIVER GAMING ENTERPRISES, INC.

Gila River Gaming Enterprises CEO Kenneth Manuel accepts the 2018 Business of the Year Award from the Chandler, Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

PHOTOS COURTESY GILA RIVER GAMING ENTERPRISES, INC

The Gila River Indian Community’s Lone Butte Casino

runs on,” Governor Lewis said. “It’s also one of the major employers in our community.” He says that an important part of the Gila River story is that their gaming operations are self-managed, which goes back to the community’s focus on being self-reliant. “Our values system is that we care for our own, we protect our own, and we provide for our own,” Lewis said. “That is one of the successes of our gaming enterprises. We’ve always self-managed it and allowed our community members to get trained, to go to school, to thrive, and to move up. We depend on ourselves to provide for our future.” Lewis cites Manuel as an example of this Tribal success story. “A number of our upper management are community members, including our CEO Ken Manuel,” Lewis said. “Ken is not just a friend of mine, but I consider him a brother as well. Our families are close and we grew up together. I have a lot of respect for him and a lot of admiration for what he’s done.” Manuel brings a unique set of experiences to his role in the C-Suite. Before becoming CEO, he sat on the Board of Directors for 7-and-a-half years, and he says that it was during this time that he really helped elevate their facilities into world-class destinations. “Not only have I had operational experience working in slot operations, but I’ve been exposed to the development side, working with world-class architects like the Friedmutter Group out of Las Vegas and large general contractors like Tutor Perini and Kittle, just to name a few,” Manuel said. As a Community member who grew up in the Community before the gaming compacts were signed, Manuel has had a front row seat to the ways that it has impacted the Tribe. “Growing up in the Community before gaming existed really taught me a great lesson,” Manuel said. “I know what it was like to not have certain things. The housing that existed on the reservation was not great at all. I remember growing up in a house with no running water inside, and my mother would boil water on an old wood-burning stove.” “That makes me appreciate what we’re able to do today,” he said. “In my role as Chief Executive Officer, I’m charged with generating revenue for the Gila River Indian Community. I take that extremely, extremely personally.” He says that because of the impact that

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COVER STORY

the revenues generated from Gila River Gaming have in supporting the Gila River Indian Community, it takes on a broader cause for him. “It’s almost like you’re providing for your family, because when I see the benefit of the revenues and how they help the community as a whole, it makes me extremely proud of what we do on a daily basis,” Manuel said. “The mission and vision for the gaming enterprise has always been to generate revenue for the Gila River Indian Community, to provide employment for members of the Gila River Indian Community, and also to participate in the economic development of the Gila River Indian Community,” he continued. Even though Gila River Gaming is the engine that powers the Gila River Indian Community, Governor Lewis says it can’t be the only source of revenue. “One of the things that our elders always impressed upon us once we got into gaming was that we can’t rely on that exclusively,” Lewis said. “We’re always looking at ways of diversifying our economy, and that has been a goal of how the Gila River Indian Community sees economic development.” “Gaming is not the end all,” he continued. “We also have the Wild Horse Pass area, which is Tribally owned land set aside exclusively for economic development. We have a managed golf course there called Whirlwind Golf Course, which has won a lot of national and international awards for its design and management.” Lewis also said that his previous roles, prior to being elected Governor, have helped to inform his activities with regard to gaming. After graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in American Indian Studies and Justice Studies, one of his first jobs was serving as the Gila River Gaming Commissioner, right after the casinos opened. “My first employment was on the regulatory side,” Lewis said. “When you oversee your gaming enterprises as a regulatory body, you have to be aware and well-versed in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the National Indian Gaming Commission. You have to know the importance of the distinction between Class II and Class III games. You have to know the gaming com-

pacts in Arizona.” “So you see the importance of Tribes regulating their own gaming entities as an essential sovereign function,” he said. “You don’t take that lightly. It’s very important

are really important issues that keep you grounded. You have to keep yourself grounded as an elected leader.” And as he carries out his mission as a leader, he says the revenues from Gila River Gaming are key. “Gaming is critical, at least for the Gila River Indian Community, to provide for all of the unmet federal funding needs,” he said. “When we talk about roads, there are all these unfunded priorities within the federal government, and our gaming revenue is critical to that.” “For housing, we’re at over 23,000 Tribal members, so housing is critically important,” he continued. “Funds from NAHASDA and HUD decrease every year. There’s less and less federal money that we get, and that’s where a lot of our gaming revenue helps.” For Manuel, the 25-year milestone is one that he — and his entire team — is excited about. And he said he has to acknowledge the Tribe’s leadership, including the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Community Council, as fundamental to the gaming enterprise’s success. “We would not be successful if we did not have the amazing support of our leaders,” Manuel said. And as Gila River Gaming — and Governor Lewis — look toward the future, they are always looking to continue their momentum. “Tribes have always been adaptive cultures and communities,” Lewis said. “We’ve had to be, because of all that we’ve gone through, including genocide, removal and forced assimilation. We’ve always been really resilient and adaptive. With our economic development, we’ve adapted to our surroundings, to the market, and to potential changes and challenges. We’re going to do so again. “With gaming, we’re really entering into a new business pattern or growth because of technology,” he continued. “If you look at the millennial generation, they’re making gaming more interactive. Whether it’s internet gaming, whether it’s sports betting, whether it’s other new technologies, we’re entering into a new chapter of gaming. And I think that’s across Indian country — Gila River included. So we’re going to have to be ahead of the curve.”

“With gaming, we’re really entering into a new business pattern or growth because of technology. If you look at the millennial generation, they’re making gaming more interactive. Whether it’s internet gaming, whether it’s sports betting, whether it’s other new technologies, we’re entering into a new chapter of gaming. And I think that’s across Indian Country — Gila River included. So we’re going to have to be ahead of the curve.” – Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis

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that Tribes’ jealously protect that civil regulatory responsibility.” He says that because the Gila River Indian Community relies so much on gaming as a main source of revenue, gaming regulators are critical to protecting its integrity, making sure that gaming is in compliance with all federal, state and Tribal ordinances, as well as compacts and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). “My position as a gaming regulator really provided me with the training and experience to be a Tribal leader,” Lewis said. After pursuing graduate studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Lewis held several other roles with the Tribe, including on the Gila River Healthcare Board, which oversees the Tribe’s healthcare system. After serving as Lieutenant Governor, he was elected Governor in 2014. Like many Tribal leaders, he is responsible for a number of issues that impact Community members, including water, economic development, law enforcement, housing, infrastructure, schools, and investment of the Tribe’s assets. And he says that one of the keys to doing this in the right way is by staying connected to his people. “It’s important that you still have a connection to your people, because their perspectives are powerful,” Lewis said. “These

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MORONGO

FINDING SLOTS IN THE

FOREST

“We’re constantly looking at demographics and how we can get more people to our area,” says John Neumann, General Manager of Northern Waters Casino Resort, located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

PHOTO COURTESY JAMES WILLIAMS, JR.

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The Sevenwinds Lodge offers 75 cozy and comfortable Northwoods-style guest rooms. The Lodge also boasts a heated indoor swimming pool; fireside spa; sauna; fullyequipped workout room; and more.

“Deciduous forests abound in our 80,000 square miles, inviting anglers, hunters, mountain bikers and skiers. That represents seasonal tourist revenue for us, but we rely most heavily on casino revenue. It’s our big money maker and a large portion — about 80 percent of our Tribal general fund — comes from casino action,” says Weaver. “The casinos are also important to us, because they’re job developers for our people as our gaming opportunities employ an annual average of 300 employees.” Outdoor activities help buttress the financial bottom line, according to Weaver, who sits on his county’s economic development committee because, as he noted: “As the Tribe goes, so too does the county and its associated communities. “We’ve learned we have more power in marketing by utilizing partnerships and working together to become a world-class destination that people want for outdoor activities with amenities. We have three large lakes within our boundaries and thousands of acres of national forest, so fishing and hunting bring in tourist dollars as does the largest cross-country skiing event in America.” As both Tribes continue working hard to attract a gaming audience to their rural surroundings, LVD Band Chairman Williams notes: “We stay here, not for the economy, but for the beauty. The remoteness is both a blessing and a challenge, and we invite others to join us in enjoying it.”

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hick forests and myriad lakes On a brighter note, the Chairman says stretch across rural Wisconsin and other activities are generating needed inMichigan. At least two Bands of come. “Tribal lending capabilities have been Lake Superior Chippewa operate casinos in a God-send for our revenue generation, and these remote destinations. our online lending opportunity is bringThe Lac Vieux Desert (LVD) Band has ing in revenue that allowed us to recently allocated some of its 1,600 acres in the Upbuild a $14 million healthcare clinic. Lookper Peninsula of Michigan for its Northern ing into the future, we’re talking about an Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet. The Internet sportsbook. Michigan has a new 25,000-square-foot facility touts 500 video law coming out that would allow that and and reel slots, video poker and video Keno, a new amenity for our casino would draw table games, an in-house progressive jackin a different clientele. We’re facing a lot of pot, and wagering from a penny to $10. challenges and exploring different ways to “We’re a small Tribe bring a gaming audience [760 members] who bethrough our doors.” gan gaming in 1988 and Meanwhile, across the built our current casino state line and into Wisin 1996,” says LVD Tribal consin, the 3,000-memChairman James Wilber Lac Courte Oreilles liams, Jr. Band have converted For roughly a decade, some of their natural the casino funneled surroundings into casino about 85 percent of its action with two attracrevenue to Tribal admintions — Sevenwinds Caistration and services. sino, Lodge & Conference But when the 2008 reCenter on the reservation cession hit, things took a border at Hayward, featurn for the worse. turing slots, reels, poker, James Williams, Jr., Chairman of “It’s been devastating the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Keno, table games, blacksince then, as that figure Superior Chippewa jack, craps and roulette. continued to decline to A smaller facility, Grindthe point that by 2017, there was a zero perstone Creek Casino, sits within the reservacent transfer, because revenue generation tion itself, four miles away. had dropped so much. Today, we’re having Local gaming enthusiasts know how to to cut expenses while trying to get patrons find their way, but the rural nature of the to visit us again,” Chairman Williams says. venues — “where Highway K intersects with John Neumann, the casino’s general manHighway E” or “on County Road B” — can ager, is working on needed changes: “We’re deter some traffic. However, the remote loconstantly looking at demographics and cation can also attract more overnight stays. how we can get more people to our area, The casinos are working hard to improve currently focusing on repeat business we their draw, because new money is importget from seasonal visitors who come here to ant to the Tribe’s general fund. Fresh dollars enjoy our 600 lakes,” he says. “We’re catering create jobs, “which we were in dire need of more to them and being more proactive in prior to the arrival of gaming,” says Jason our direct marketing efforts.” Weaver, Secretary-Treasurer of the Tribal In the meantime, “We’ve reduced our Council. pit, our table game capacity, because Located 45 minutes from the nearest they’re expensive to run. And we’ve had to freeway and more than an hour in any dicut some jobs, going bare bones on what rection away from major metro areas, the we need to do to keep the facility running,” area is a tourist draw despite the journey Neumann added. required to get there.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN EWERT (INSTAGRAM: @JUSTIN.EWERT)

By Lee Allen

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At Pearl River Resort, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE OF SPORTS BETTING IN INDIAN COUNTRY

n May of 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), declaring the law that has limited sports betting across the vast majority of the country since 1993 as unconstitutional. This returned the right to individual states to determine their own laws with regard to sports betting. Shortly thereafter, in August, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians opened the first Tribally owned and operated independent sportsbook in the country at their Pearl River Resort. When the sportsbook debuted, resort guests could visit the Sportsbook at Timeout Lounge to watch games and place bets. Since then, the Tribe’s sportsbook operations have expanded to include a mobile app that allows guests to place bets anywhere on resort property, and the Tribe recently introduced kiosks at three different facilities. “Due to our unique geographic location in the south, we decided that instead of going the management contract route or

bringing a four-wall provider in, with our footprint, our clientele, and our customer database, we decided that we should open our own independent sportsbook,” said Neal Atkinson, Director of Table Games (Poker, Bingo and Sportsbook Operations) at Pearl River Resort.

find a vendor to provide the actual betting systems. “We didn’t have a huge range of providers that had experience in the United States regulatory market,” Atkinson said. “That’s part of the reason that the provider we picked was IGT. We already had an existing business relationship with them, they had a proven track record in Nevada, they had a kiosk product on the horizon, and they had a proven mobile product with one of their customers in Nevada.” With a hardware and software provider in place, the Tribe then selected Betgenius as the data provider for all of the sports data feeds. Finally, they had to find a bookmaker for their staff. “Part of the regulation is that we still do have what is referred to in the business as a ‘bookie’ on property,” Atkinson said. “He’s our Assistant Director of Sportsbook, and I was very fortunate to recruit him from the Vegas market. “He had roughly 18 years of experience in the sportsbook market, had worked

“Do not wait one minute if you think you want to open a sportsbook. Either get a consultant that knows the sports business for you or start hiring talent that has experience in sportsbook platforms.” – Neal Atkinson, Director of Table Games at Pearl River Resort In setting up their sports betting operations, Atkinson said that time limitations were a major factor in some of the Tribe’s choices. Given that there were only a few months between the PASPA ruling and the start of football season, the Tribe needed to act quickly and overcome a few key logistical challenges. First, they had to

PHOTO BY ISTOCK BY GETTY IMAGES

By Andrew Ricci

Neal Atkinson

PHOTO COURTESY DICKINSON WRIGHT / BAME PR

many years, had a provision that made it clear that once sports betting was allowed in the state of Mississippi, that they would be allowed to operate a sportsbook, which is why they were able to ramp up so quickly. “Tribes may have two or three games that they’re authorized for — slot machines, blackjack, something like that,” Hart continued. “They may not have sports betting listed as a particular game they can offer, so if they have to go through a compact amendment before they can operate sports betting, that could take a year to get through the compacting provision. It can be a pretty long process and it becomes more complicated if the Tribe has some exclusive rights.” While other Tribes work through these provisions, the Mississippi Choctaws are moving forward at full speed. Since they went live, Atkinson says that college and professional football not only met, but actually exceeded their expectations. The Tribe does not disclose its revenues, but he says that the sportsbook is currently doing approximately double what their bestcase projections would be. There have also been other pleasant surprises along the way. “We were anticipating once football season was winding down, that we would actually slow down a little bit and be able to catch our breath and analyze things,” Atkinson said. “But we found that college and pro basketball was almost even more popular than football was. So even now with basketball, maybe your average bet has gone down but your number of tickets has almost doubled.” Today, Pearl River is offering a full slate of sports. “If it’s a sanctioned college or professional sporting event, we are offering it,” Atkinson said. “That includes MMA and boxing events. We also offer all of the motor sports — just about everything but horse racing.”

PHOTO COURTESY LEWIS ROCA ROTHGERBER CHRISTIE / BAME PR

casino gaming, so worrying about that is probably a good idea.” Atkinson said that was one of the early lessons that he learned at Pearl River. “A sportsbook is not as profitable as slots, and it’s very volatile,” Atkinson said. “With a slot machine, yes you can have some short-term volatility, but over the year that machine is going to hold what it’s programmed to hold. Sportsbooks are at the mercy of the outcome of sporting events. “Because we’re an independent book, we have our own established risk profile,” he continued. “We learned that we have to actively manage our risk profile and maybe on some local high-interest things, our betting lines might be slightly higher than what the nationwide average is. We can’t just turn that over to the computer feed to do that and be the same as everybody else is; we have to be able to adjust those lines to our local profile to manage that risk profile properly.” Another legal issue that Tribes interested in opening sportsbooks will have to deal with is the compact process. For Tribes like the Mississippi Choctaws and others who have quickly moved to allow sports wagering, they share a common trait: there are no difficulties with their compacts that require additional negotiations with the state over exclusivity or other things. “I think we’re seeing the initial group — who don’t have as much in the way of entanglements — starting to operate sports betting,” said Steve Hart, a Partner at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie who represents Tribes and Tribal Gaming Commissions throughout the Western United States. “For a number of Tribes, they will have to work through compact provisions and perhaps some legislative action to get to a place where they can operate sports betting. He says that in the Mississippi Choctaw’s case, their compact, dating back

PHOTO COURTESY PEARL RIVER RESORT

for independent books in Vegas over the course of his career, and was just a perfect fit for us,” he continued. “His knowledge of being able to understand the trading aspect of the business is what we needed being that we were an independent sportsbook.” While the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians moved quickly to get their sportsbook established, Greg Gemignani, a Las Vegas-based attorney at Dickinson Wright whose practice includes gaming and online gaming law, says that with the PASPA ruling, Tribes would be wise to start learning about sports wagering now, if they are going to offer sportsbooks as part of their Tribal gaming operations. “There’s a lot of hype out there,” Gemignani said. “There’s a lot of bad information out there. There’s a lot of good information as well, but learning about it and understanding it I think is going to go a long way toward helping Tribes decide how much they want to invest.” Gemignani also said it’s important for Tribes to remember that sports wagering carries substantially higher risk — and lower margins — than other gaming products that they are more familiar with. “There’s no theoretical win on sports like there is with blackjack or slots, where mathematically you have significant advantage as the house,” Gemignani said. “A lot of your margins depend on who your risk manager is and whether they’re better than your players are. So, if you have a favorable compact, the real challenge once you begin operations is having a risk manager that knows what they’re doing, because unlike other forms of gambling, you really are in the bet. “You can’t be a good craps player, right?” he continued. “The dice roll the way the dice roll. You can’t really be a good slots player. But you can be a good sports better. There is a certain skill in managing risk for sports, which is totally different than

Steve Hart

Gregory Gemignani

PHOTO COURTESY PEARL RIVER RESORT

FEATURE

Visitors place bets at the Sportsbook at Timeout Lounge, located inside the Golden Moon Casino at Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Mississippi.

They’re also offering, at low limits, college baseball, especially in the SEC region, as well as some of the women’s college tournament games. He says the interest in placing those bets has been surprising. Another interesting point that Atkinson says the Tribe has discovered is that sports betting has been a really positive way to bring new demographics into the casino. “One of the biggest demographics that casinos — whether they’re corporate casinos or Tribal casinos — cannot wrap their head around is penetrating the 21 to 35 age demographic,” Atkinson said. “Well, sports betting will do that for you. It’s unbelievable. The amount of new customers that we’re seeing in especially that demographic is incredible.” He also says that in addition to these new customers flocking to Pearl River to place sports wagers, another contributor to the Tribe’s success is that roughly 85 to 90 percent of their bets are parlays, with their number one most popular bet being an 18-team parlay. “That is absolutely unheard of,” Atkinson said. Another interesting discovery has been the way that the Tribe’s sportsbooks perform differently at their main resort versus their satellite location at Bok Homa Casino in Laurel, Mississippi, which is roughly an hour and a half away. “The main resort and the satellite book at Bok Homa are two completely different sportsbooks with different customer bases,” he said. “The customer base at Pearl River is more of a transient population, where it is more weekend transient. Bok

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Homa, being a smaller casino in a more rural area, has more of a local base.” We have found that especially in basketball season, the local sportsbook midweek is outperforming the main sportsbook at the main resort, and on the weekend it flip flops,” he continued.

For Tribes looking to explore sports wagering, Atkinson’s biggest piece of advice is to start now. “Do not wait one minute if you think you want to open a sportsbook,” he said. “Either get a consultant that knows the sports business for you or start hiring talent that has experience in sportsbook platforms. “Tribes have to make a decision whether or not their risk profile will tolerate the volatility of a sportsbook or if they want it to be an amenity that is managed by a third party,” he continued. “But if there is any possibility that your jurisdiction will legalize, even if it may be two or three years out, you want to start working on it now.” Based on his experience, he says that Tribes of every size, and particularly those with exclusivity in their geographic area, should elect to be an independent sportsbook and retain as much of the margins as possible. The demand is clearly there. “I want everybody to remember: sports betting is not new,” Atkinson said. “Legalized sports betting is new.”

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THE NATIVE BUSINESS SUMMIT WILL BRING THE KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES AND PASSION FROM THE PAGES OF

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he Native Business Summit will be executed with

two powerful directives in mind: driving value and delivering attendees a return on investment. Hosting a national event was always integral to the Native Business brand for Gary and Carmen Davis, who founded Native Business in summer 2018. Within a few months’ time, Native Business launched an

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online news platform NativeBusinessMag. com and released multiple print editions of Native Business Magazine, sharing unprecedented and insightful business content with readers worldwide. In addition to covering news across 24 sectors of business, such as finance, energy, federal contracting and insurance, Native Business Magazine profiles visionary business leaders, innovators and industry disruptors making waves across Indian Country. Imagine those business luminaries featured within the pages of Native Business Magazine — those trailblazers for opportunity, self-sustainability and prosperity — united over the course of three energy-packed days of networking, engaging forums, informative breakout sessions, business matchmaking, a business tradeshow and more. “How can the Native Business Summit drive value and innovation? How can Native

Business provide more and better information? How can Native Business really connect with attendees, inspire them, motivate them and help them?” asked Gary Davis (Cherokee Nation), Publisher of Native Business Magazine. These questions have guided the focus of the Native Business Summit. Native Business will host the Native Business Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 13-15, 2019. Native Business anticipates between 350 and 500 people will come together to learn, network and grow their strengths as businesspeople and leaders. Creating the Native Business Summit was a natural move for Gary Davis, who has amassed a successful resume of co-producing value-driven business events across the United States. A long-standing advocate for expanding economic opportunity for Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and Native

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American entrepreneurs, Gary has co-facilitated 14 national Native American business conferences prior to the Native Business Summit. The Native Business team also includes a seasoned event staff with expertise in planning and producing large-scale business conferences and tradeshows. Gary has previously served as a Board member, and then as the President and CEO, of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, which presents the annual Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in Las Vegas. At the National Center, Gary oversaw and expanded RES nationwide during his near five-year tenure leading the organization. An accomplished Native entrepreneur and champion for business development and growth, Davis has also received the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency’s National Director Special Recognition Award. He was appointed to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Council on Underserved Communities, and as an Ambassador of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Minorities in Energy Initiative. While Gary proudly reflects on his past experiences, he noted that the Native Business Summit will be unique. The Native Business Summit won’t replicate mainstay, national business conferences. Rather, it will execute the sharing of powerful new content while offering the opportunity for forming career-changing connections. The Native Business Summit will embrace innovation and empower positive disruption. “We simply don’t want the Native Business Summit to occupy a space and go through the motions,” Gary said. “We want the Native Business Summit to engage; we want to be proactive; we want to be a source of inspiration — helping to bring people together to share information that advances business innovation and business ideas across Indian Country. The Native Business Summit will be an amazing place for startups, entrepreneurs and future business leaders to learn, build and grow.” Native Business constantly keeps its finger on the pulse of business news and developments across Indian Country. “That really helps us when we’re crafting the agenda and Summit content. It gives us a very, very unique perspective on topics most applicable and relevant to business right now, and what we’re leaning toward in the future,” Gary said. Forums at the Native Business Summit will address technology and cybersecurity,

The Native Business Summit will deliver value-packed networking, a business tradeshow, exhilarating speakers and thought leaders, informative breakout sessions, business matchmaking, a golf tournament and more.

infrastructure, healthcare, corporate diversity and more. Breakout sessions will dive into finance and capitalizing Indian Country, entrepreneurship including the power of self-sovereignty, small business training and startup basics, accounting, human resources, gaming, agriculture, hemp and cannabis, and energy. “The Native Business Summit agenda covers those things in as much of a consolidated fashion over a three-day period, so that people really have a strong takeaway. When they come to this event, they’re better when they leave it than when they arrived,” Gary said. Delivering attendees a return on investment propels Native Business to push the envelope with top-notch content at the Native Business Summit. Gary added: “The name Native Business, and everything that Native Business does, reflects its true intentionality. It all circles and revolves around Native business. What we do on a daily basis is advancing Native business — moving it forward, bettering it, innovating it, and moving the conversations out of buckets and into the mainstream. Native Business ensures people are engaged and have a voice.”

Launching the Native Business Podcast Native Business wants attendees to return to their businesses and lives equipped with new insights and an ambitious mindset to reassess and analyze how they can enhance their business performance — given the great content they heard, information and resources they received, and connections they formed at the Native Business Summit. Intrinsic to that mission is keeping the energy and momentum of the Native Business Summit alive after the three-day event comes to an end. One way Native Business will do that is by memorializing powerful panel discussions and breakout sessions via the Native Business Podcast. Native Business will deliver key insights and takeaways from the Native Business Summit into bite-sized content videos available via the www.NativeBusinessMag. com website. Visitors to the site can also opt to access longer form video recordings of breakout sessions and panel discussions in their entirety. “The Native Business Podcast will also conduct one-on-one interviews with business and Tribal leaders — rolling out those critical insights and knowledge over the weeks and months following the event and leading up to the next Native Business Summit,” said said Carmen Davis (Makah Tribe), Publisher and Executive Editor of Native Business Magazine. Carmen added: “People from across the country who may not have been able to attend the conference can listen to sessions that were recorded at the Native Business Summit, which they will no doubt benefit from. We want to share ideas with as many

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people as possible.” Building Bridges Native Business believes in taking conversations often relegated behind closed doors and sharing that wisdom and those critical perspectives with Indian Country, so everyone can excel and do better. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker; Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark N. Fox; Ho-Chunk, Inc. CEO Lance Morgan — the cover subject of Native Business Magazine’s March “Infrastructure” issue; and Cherokee Nation Treasurer Lacey Horn — featured on the cover of Native Business’ December Finance issue, will each serve as a featured speaker at the Native Business Summit. “We are really excited to hear from Principal Chief Baker; Chairman Fox; Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk, Inc.; and Lacey Horn, who’s the treasurer of the Cherokee Nation. They’ve all brought tremendous value to

Gary added: “Of course the networking is going to be huge — just being able to be around these great folks and engage with them I think is a huge, high-value proposition to everybody who attends.” In a similar vein, the Native Business Summit facilitates opportunity for corporations and investors to network and speak directly and in-person with Tribal businesses and Native entrepreneurs. “I think the Native Business Summit will benefit non-Native corporations and investors, because oftentimes, corporate America wants to do business with Indian Country, but they don’t know where to start. With the Native Business Summit, we’re bringing people together and acting as a bridge. It’s about speaking to the right people,” Carmen said. At the Native Business Summit tradeshow, dozens of exhibitors will showcase their products and services, including an array of Tribes, Tribal enterprises, banks, and individual Native-owned businesses. “Our

Native Business will host the Native Business Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 13-15, 2019.

their respective Nations, and continue to benefit their communities by serving as phenomenal examples of leadership and success for all of Indian Country. I think attendees are going to really benefit from listening to them share their views and hearing these dynamic folks talk about their business visions and focuses, and how they do what they do so amazingly well.” Native Business Summit attendees will additionally have the opportunity to hear from various Tribal and Alaska Native Corporation leadership, and executives of enterprises and corporations who are advancing economic development in Indian Country.

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tradeshow provides attendees a way to meet and engage amazing businesses doing great things across Indian Country. It’s a marketplace for business owners and Tribes to learn more about innovative companies who have beneficial products and services,” Gary said. The Native Business Summit will draw attendees from across Indian Country to Oklahoma, home to an array of Tribes, and located in the heart of the United States. Gary noted: “Of course, I’m a very proud member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. It’s an honor to be able to bring this first event home to the Cherokee Nation. Considering the innovation and success long held by the

Cherokee Nation, Cherokee Nation Businesses and Cherokee Nation Enterprises, it all provides the perfect backdrop to host the kinds of conversations the Native Business Summit will facilitate in the spirit of driving the national Native business conversation forward.” Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB) has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the Native Business Summit — a testament to Native Business’ potential, integrity and success in its first year of business. “This summit provides a unique opportunity for Tribal leaders to come together in celebration of our achievements industry-wide and to further advance our combined capabilities in an ever-growing and changing marketplace,” said Steven Bilby, president of CNB’s diversified businesses. The Native Business Summit is proud to count sponsors from across Indian Country. “Meanwhile, we’re also thrilled that there will be a huge amount of local support in attendance,” Gary said. Sponsorship and registration revenues will cover summit costs, as well as support the longevity of the magazine. “While the revenues will go to underwrite the cost of the event, the profits from it will help us sustain the publication and ensure the longterm self-sufficiency of the magazine,” Gary noted. The premiere Native Business Summit is only the beginning of an ever-expanding network of business visionaries coming together to advance Tribal and Alaska Native business and Native American entrepreneurship. Each year, the Native Business Summit will grow in size and impact. “We want this to be a signature event known to be a value-add to all those who have attended in the past,” Gary said. “I think it will become a larger event every time that we hold it. We believe that the summit will become an aggregator of people who are of a like-mind who want to see themselves do better, who want to see Indian Country do better.” Ultimately, the Native Business Summit will help stimulate and catalyze business creation and growth today and for future generations of Native people. “Everything that Native Business does is about moving the needle, innovating and driving the conversation forward,” Gary said. “We’re committed to bringing people together and giving them access to information that’s normally been siloed or bucketed, so they can do better. So that we can all do better.”

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Businesses

KEVIN P. THORNTON

Built a Career A

Manufacturing Tables & Supplying Casinos From the Ground Up — Literally

t the cusp of the Tribal gaming industry, Cherokee Nation entrepreneur Kevin P. Thornton launched a business manufacturing tables and supplying casinos. Nearly three decades later, he recounts his journey — from woodworking in his garage to earning Tribal clients across the United States, to building table games for gaming markets around the world from Mexico to Macau.

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In the early 90s, as a “hotshot” wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, Kevin Paul Thornton was injured in the line of duty. Little did he know the incident would lay the foundation for his lifelong career. “I had a long, drawn-out recovery. In my recovery time, back in ’92, I started building tables in my garage,” shared Thornton, who has always been an avid woodworker.

For MSC Gaming, Thornton oversees manufacturing of their gaming tables and serves as the product specialist and quality control manager for their line of playing cards.

By Native Business Staff

Back then, his mom worked in the American Indian health arena and regularly traveled to visit and consult with Tribal clinics on reservations across California. “She was telling me that Tribes are starting to get into gaming. She put me in contact with the right people — and I went in there and asked if I could build their tables,” Thornton said.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

One day, Thornton, a registered member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, brought the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a new table he had made for them to view, “and they started purchasing my tables for their upcoming expansion. That’s how my business started,” he told Native Business Magazine. “Then I went to Morongo and did the same thing. Then Palm Springs started, and I worked with the [Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians] Chairman Richard Milanovich [a leader in the effort to legalize and grow the state's Tribal gaming industry] and his assistant Nancy,” said Thornton, who was instrumental in supplying that casino with nearly everything it needed for its gaming floor to open its doors for business. Casinos across Southern California began to turn to Thornton. Thornton officially launched KP Gaming Supplies, Inc.

sion Indians], and then Pechanga started [owned by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians],” he continued. Some three decades later, Thornton still counts some of these Tribal casinos as clients. Thornton’s focus was poker and blackjack tables. His garage-based operations were short lived. “When I got my first large order of tables, I rented a little shop and started growing KP Gaming. I got affiliated with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, and went down and had meetings with them. They showed me how to do a business plan and get registered and get proper documentation to have a legitimate business,” he shared. The name “KP Gaming” came about by happenstance — and it stuck. While waiting in a long line to acquire his business license, Thornton finally arrived at the

PHOTOS COURTESY MSC GAMING

Kevin P. Thornton (left) served as CEO of KP Gaming from 1993 to 2010. Today he serves as Executive Director of MSC Gaming, a full-service gaming supply company based in Los Angeles. Blaise Verdi (right), Director of Sales for MSC Gaming, learned his table game trade knowledge from Thornton. Matt Campbell (center) is the founder and CEO of MSC Gaming.

in 1994 as a provider of high-quality gaming supplies, focusing his business on supplying Tribal gaming facilities. His company grew to become the largest supplier of gaming supplies in California and the largest Native American supplier in the United States. “After that, I went to Spotlight 29 [owned by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians] and Fantasy Springs [owned by the Cabazon Band of Mis-

counter, and the attendant asked, “What’s the name of your business? Sir, you have to have a name of a business to get a business license.” So Kevin P. Thornton used his first two initials. “I said, okay, just write KP Gaming,” he laughed. Thornton opened his first business bank account in similar, casual fashion — using the change sitting on top of his bedroom dresser. “I started it with $123 and change, and then it grew from there.

I started the business in the right time. I had an ‘in’ through my mom working for Indian health; she knew all the Tribal people. Then I went in as a Native American business owner, and it just took off from there,” Thornton said. As a veteran woodworker, Thornton could master the tables and the rail. “I could duplicate that. What I needed was the drop boxes and the other equipment,” he said. “I went to a family friend who was a machinist, and he made the parts that I needed. And then once I started getting more business, then the other suppliers and chairs contacted me and wanted me to sell their products.” Thornton started off as a manufacturer of gaming tables, and quickly became a full casino supplier — complete with chairs, chips and more. In the beginning, Thornton used his lines of credit to capitalize KP Gaming. It also helped that customers put down a 50 percent deposit. “That kind of helped me with financing, but anything else, I financed on my own with my charge card. My wife and I probably had five or six charge cards; I had $20,000 limits on all of them, and all of them were maxed out. But we got through it.” It’s All About Relationships Back then, Tribal Councils and the Tribal Chair handled all the business. “This is before Tribal gaming commissions were put in place,” Thornton said. “I just went to the Tribal meetings. What was beneficial for me was knowing Indian politics and knowing how the procedure goes on Tribal reservations.” Meanwhile, other companies started swooping in to address the Tribes, most of them sporting slick suits. “I just dressed nice in a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt,” Thornton said. The Cherokee member’s personable approach worked to his benefit. Most everything boils down to communication, Thornton says. “I think it comes down to hard work and customer service — that’s the main thing,” he says. While relationships are everything, Thornton is always aware that Tribal Councils change. “You have to kind of walk a straight and narrow line and not get affiliated with just one person or another, because it can devastate you. Because when that individual leaves Council or his or her term is up, and somebody else comes in, you gotta start from ground zero again.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

And that has happened to me a couple of times. I learned to just go in the front door, conduct your business, and don’t try to use any friendships or anything to benefit you. Just go in and sell your product, give them a great price, and stick to your delivery dates, perform the hard work, and you’ll be fine.” After the sudden explosion of Oklahoma’s gaming market, KP Gaming’s company counted about 60 to 80 Tribal licenses —mainly across California and Oklahoma and expanding into Arizona, New Mexico, Washington. “Once KP Gaming got into slot machines and started doing electronic gaming devices, then that’s when our numbers just quadrupled,” Thornton shared. KP Gaming began designing tables for major casino suppliers and original equipment manufacturer (“OEMs” for short) in the U.S. gaming market. “When we got licensed in Oklahoma, we started manufacturing and distributing for some of the largest gaming entities, as they contracted with KP Gaming to manufacture their tables. That’s kind of how my consulting started,” Thornton said. Years down the road, a gaming company from the U.S. market went to Macau for business. One day Thornton received a call: “Hey Kev, we’re trying to design a table doing this, and if we can fly you over here and show you what I need, can you build it?” So Thornton jumped on a plane to Macau and built what they requested.

for MSC Gaming. Verdi met Thornton about 20 years ago; the pair often interacted at gaming shows. At the time, they were in different industries — Verdi in the slot machine side of the market, Thornton leading the table game side of the market. “Kevin was a living legend in the Southern California market,” Verdi said. “Because when the California market opened up for Tribal gaming, Kevin was really one of the only people supplying cards,

thing isn’t right, regardless of whose fault it is, we will change it and make the customer happy. Our life is our customers,” Verdi said. “We like to believe that our customers are our friends first and customers second and we think that every single one of them would agree with that.” Thornton emphasizes the need to consider: “Point of origin of manufacturing, inventory availability, and how long the individual has been in the gaming market, and what other companies he’s worked for,” he says. “There’s a lot of folks who don’t have that. They come into sales and they’re just a typical sales guy who wants to make numbers and sell product. They need to know more than what the purchaser needs to know, because I’ve found that’s what made my company successful — knowing more. I sit and listen to them. I go back and engineer it, and bring it to them, and they try it out.” Roughly four years ago, Kevin shared with Verdi all of his insider knowledge gleaned over the course of three decades in the gaming supplies industry. “To give yourself like that to someone, to teach the inside of an industry that took him 30 years to learn, and all the bruises and cuts [that come with that], I mean, it’s changed my life,” Verdi said. “So, present day, everything I do is because I’ve learned it from Kevin.” California, where Kevin maintains deep roots in the industry, is MSC’s main market. MSC also services some of the major casinos in Mexico, and a good portion of the gaming market in Oklahoma. MSC works with strategic partners in geographic areas outside of the Golden State to sell its products to their local casinos, because relationship-building is pivotal to MSC’s core values. The company believes that distributors are best served by working directly with their neighbors to secure supplies for their gaming floors. Thornton’s storied career is a testament to that. “Kevin has made countless friends over his 30-plus years in the gaming industry. When he meets someone and they become friends, there’s no walls there,” Verdi told Native Business. “You feel like he loves you without putting that much effort into it. He’s one of those kind of guys. If you know Kevin, you love Kevin. There’s no other way.”

“Kevin was a living legend in the Southern California market.” – Blaise Verdi

Sharing His Trade Secrets Thornton honed his knowledge about quality playing cards and table game manufacturing —from the proper wood to the lacquer finish to the laminate — from the ground up. Thornton knows how to build a gaming table properly and how to save customers money in the process. Thornton served as CEO of KP Gaming from its founding to 2010. He went on to serve as Director of International Sales for a start-up gaming company until 2016, when he transitioned to his current capacity as Executive Director at MSC Gaming, a full-service gaming supply company based in Los Angeles, California. At MSC Gaming, Thornton shares his expertise across every avenue. “MSC Gaming has been growing exponentially ever since,” said Blaise Verdi, Director of Sales

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tables, chips — everything to do with casinos based in California. Those casino clients were his friends, his contacts, many of them people he grew up with, and he was the only Native American full-service gaming supplier doing it at that time. “So Kevin was in the right place at the right time to supply most California Tribal facilities with all their table game products when they opened their doors,” Verdi continued. “Kevin learned how to make tables, he learned what a quality playing card was, he learned what a quality chip was. He went out and procured all of the other items that he didn’t make himself, and he represented it as his own, and brought it to casinos.” If it was a product that he didn’t physically manufacture himself — he made sure that he knew how it was made, what is was made of, and that it had the quality his customers deserved. Today, MSC Gaming offers their customers a full-line of casino floor products — from pit podiums and gaming tables to custom logo playing cards — under Thornton’s experience and supervision. The company additionally sources a wealth of gaming products and resells them under the MSC name — but only if it passes with Kevin’s approval. MSC Gaming, owned by Matt Campbell, is a “customer first” type of company that believes the customer is always right. Thornton and Verdi strongly advise casinos to buy their products and supplies from a sales representative with whom they can build a solid relationship, and someone willing to stand behind that relationship. “One of the things about MSC is that we live for our customers. If some-

Former Navy SEAL poses as an active shooter and walks the hallways at Snoqualmie Casino during an active shooter training exercise.

Doing Your Best To

Prepare For The The CEO of the Snoqualmie Casino is prepping for an active-shooter scenario by urging his employees to act By Josh Robertson

n October 1, 2017, a horrific tragedy struck when a gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people. The shooter was holed up in a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, from which he was able to shoot indiscriminately into the crowd for 10 minutes. Brian Decorah, who is now the CEO of Snoqualmie Casino, was at a nearby hotel-casino that night — the MGM Grand. He was not in immediate danger, but he witnessed the throngs of people panicking, running through the casino floor, unsure of what was happening but sure they should be running somewhere. “As it was happening, all of the staff was standing there in shock, not moving themselves,” Decorah recalls. “They just stood there, and watched the people come from outside and run through the casino,

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through the pit, running into the back-of-house areas. And they really just froze. I can't blame them; none of us have ever seen anything like that before. But it established in my mind that we've got to do more to prepare our staffs on what to do in an active shooter environment.” The “what to do” is perhaps surprising — it's not about complex lockdown procedures or heroic search-and-neutralize activities. The most useful behavior for the staff, Decorah says, is Brian Decorah “to save themselves — because if they save themselves, our guests will see how our staff is responding, which will tell them how they should respond … thereby saving their lives as well.” Three months later, Decorah, a veteran of the gaming industry and enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, started his current job at Snoqualmie Casino. With the experience in Vegas fresh in his mind, developing an active-shooter training program was high on his list of priorities. Active shooter training has been a concern in the gaming industry for the better part of a decade. Decorah had actually conducted training in a previous job, calling in experts who gave PowerPoint presentations. The instruction was useful and well received, but

Decorah felt that it would be a good idea to take the training a step further, with a real simulation. He secured the services of a former Navy SEAL, through a firm called Tomahawk Security Solutions. Training day was a big deal — attendance was paid, and voluntary. The experience would include live blanks being fired, and Decorah made it clear that employees who felt uncomfortable in such a training environment were not required to attend. It's part of his something-is-better-than-nothing strategy: it's better to take some action than it is to freeze, and it's better to train a portion of the staff than none of them. To raise awareness of the casino's efforts, Decorah invited the Seattle NBC affiliate to cover the training. Each of the two training days consisted of two four-hour sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each began with classroom instruction, covering statistics related to active shooter events and then focusing on the simple mantra of the active-shooter scenario: run, hide, fight. These are the three options Decorah wants on everyone's mind as all hell is breaking loose — run if you can, hide if you can't run, fight if you must. Consider that you may have to do more than one of these things. Talking to Decorah, you can't help but notice he keeps returning to those frozen casino employees in Vegas. The “run, hide or fight” directive is pretty broad, and that's the point. “It's whatever you

component in an overall active-shooter strategy. Another is educating security and other staff in what's now called “behavioral threat detection.” That's a prevention strategy that seeks to pick up on cues that a person may be planning, or may have planned, to initiate gun violence. While emotions can run hot in a casino, if for example a person is losing a lot of money, to the point that violence of some kind seems imminent, that's not how mass shooters usually work. As we've seen in news story after news story, shooters who seek to kill people indiscriminately are usually carrying out a premeditated plan. “We're also in the process of creating another training scenario for this year which includes a separate training session based on what to look for,” Decorah says.

PHOTO COURTESY SNOQUALMIE CASINO

WORST need to do to survive the situation. And the most important aspect of that is acting. You only have one chance in that situation to respond and react. Even if you don't make the absolute best decision, you have to make a decision — whether it's running, it's hiding and barricading, or fighting the active shooter. Do whatever you have to do to ensure that you survive.” The participants in the active-shooter training had the opportunity to put their knowledge to use in live simulations, in which an actor using live blanks initiated the chaos of an active-shooter scenario. Simulations were run in a concert hall, with loud music to duplicate real-world complications, and in the back offices, to test office workers on their ability to hide and barricade themselves safely with whatever furniture was available. All simulations, Decorah says, were complete successes. In fact, he likes to mention that the active-shooter training proved of use almost immediately for two individuals. One of the people was a photographer from the NBC news team, who within a week found himself in a road rage incident where someone pulled a gun on him. He said that the training he witnessed saved his life because it gave him the right survival mindset for the possible gun-violence situation. Another person, a casino IT worker, found himself in a potential active-shooter scenario when someone pulled a gun, and used the training to get his family to safety (and fortunately, the gunman never fired his weapon). Training the employees to take appropriate action is just one

Snoqualmie Casino team members practice the “run, hide, fight” strategy during an active shooter training session at the casino.

Another important strategy, one that Decorah is prioritizing for the next training session, is facilitating the best possible response from law enforcement — noting that it's likely to be a combined response, from state, city and Tribal officers. “We continue to have meetings with all of the law enforcement agencies who would respond in this type of situation,” he says. “The additional training we're looking at for this year is how do we organize the response from law enforcement. Because the average active shooter scenario lasts just seven minutes. So we've got to make sure we are equipped, prepared and trained on how to most quickly get law enforcement into the building to mitigate the threat as soon as possible. The active shooter training has attracted attention in the gaming industry, and has made Decorah something of a trendsetter. “Other casinos have come forward to ask: How did we do [this training], what did we do and why did we do it,” he says. “My feedback to them is, similar to the active-shooter training, you just have to do something. Some training is better than no training. A PowerPoint training is better than no training. But having a plan is probably the most important thing overall. I can't emphasize enough that you truly get just one chance to be ready for it, and if you miss that chance, then you expose yourself to a worst-case scenario.”

“You have to make a decision — whether it's running, it's hiding and barricading, or fighting the active shooter.” – Brian Decorah

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F IS THIS THE CASE WITH

FREE-PLAY? By Renae Ditmer

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rom free-play points to discounts at casino restaurants to comped reservations at luxury hotel suites, players know that loyalty pays. What’s unclear is whether it’s a good investment for casinos. According to Kate Spilde and Anthony Lucas, two academics who study the impact of free-play on casinos’ bottom lines, the answer to that question is, as yet, unresolved. “In spite of the industrywide popularity and considerable cost of these offers, little is known about their effect on customer behavior,” they state in their 2017 article Estimating the Effect of Casino Loyalty Program Offers on Slot Machine Play. And they both should know, as experts on the subject. Katherine Spilde holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology, and serves as Chair of the Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, as well as Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. Anthony Lucas’ doctoral degree is in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he serves as professor of

its William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. While they acknowledge that little is known about the effects of free-play on consumer behavior, they can help Tribal casinos better consider the complex factors that casino executives can then use to determine what kind of free-play, and how much free-play (“FP” for short), to offer to influence player behavior. Let’s back up a step and define free-play. According to Lucas and Spilde, “There are essentially two kinds of FP awards in casino loyalty programs (LPs): discretionary FP (DFP) and earned FP (EFP). DFP offers are electronic currency awarded to slot players by casino management. The dollar amount of these awards is determined by management, but it is usually a function of each customer’s historical tracked play over a defined qualification period (e.g., the preceding 30-day period). These offers are most often communicated via direct mail materials sent to club members by way of the postal service.” Bottom line: Players obtain DFP loyalty points at the rewards desk by playing

PHOTO BY

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS:

PHOTO BY GILAXIA VIA ISTOCK BY GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO BY SEANSHOT VIA ISTOCK BY GETTY IMAGES

slots — not table games — while they receive EFP offers in the mail. On the player’s end, it’s free money that can be used to place wagers or to purchase casino amenities — oftentimes food and beverages. For casinos, it may seem like somewhat of a risky investment with an unknown amount of uncertainty built into it, especially with regard to DFP. This is because, “EFP is only one of several point redemption options, which greatly limits the associated cost of such offers. The point liability is already established by the customer’s play, so management is already committed to these costs...,” state Lucas and Spilde. In other words, management can build this incentive cost into its revenue model. Conversely, the casino never knows how many people are going to walk through its doors, how many DFP points they are going to earn, and when they are going to use them. In essence, DFP is the proverbial wild card for casinos since they never know how much of it will be claimed. Per Lucas and Spilde, “As a critical first step, it would be helpful to know the extent to which players access their own bankroll after losing the DFP credits.” And that, of course, is the objective: getting players to spend their own money. Determining whether players are doing just that is something of a math modeling nightmare given the quantitative and qualitative conditions that must be considered to draw any valid conclusions. Since “Tribal governments rely upon casino revenues for economic development, nation-building and critical community prerogatives…,” especially slot profits, it’s a question worth answering. What is known is that “loss leaders” — just like your favorite cereal at “buy one, get one free” prices at your local grocery store — do generate or increase business revenue. Extrapolating from that, the same should be true for casino free-play. What is not known for the casino industry is how big the incentives need to be in order for them to have a positive impact on the casino’s bottom line. Moreover, what is also known is that, like grocery stores, clients come to expect incentives to play, and $5 in free-play just doesn’t cut it at most casinos anymore. Finding that magic number is critical for Tribal casino profitability. But that’s not the only solution. Spilde, a non-Native who grew up on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota, started studying the problem when she was fishing around for a topic for graduate school research. White Earth was in

the process of opening a casino, and in her recounting, she would “go home and see the progress it was making — fascinated how it was changing the community.” In the mid1990s when she began her studies, “…few people understood or appreciated how big Tribal gaming was going to become,” she recalled. But she would go home every holiday and summer to track the cultural impacts at White Earth, ultimately writing a paper titled “Negotiating Interdependence” on how Tribal and non-Tribal governments (city, county, state) negotiated agreements. Her overall conclusion has been that gaming has been incredible for Tribal sovereignty. “Prior to 1988 with the Indian Gaming Act, Tribes didn’t have political or economic power, or at least it wasn’t recognized by local governments,” Spilde recounted. “Tribes actually became quite powerful over the years,” she observed. Before gaming, economic development was driven top-down by federal programming, and the Tribe’s primary role involved saying yes or no as to whether it wanted to participate in a program. Then roles shifted as some Tribes “that knew how to work the interface between the governments and to use their civil regulatory authority to get into gaming did so,” Spilde recalled. This made economic development driven by Tribes rather than by the federal government – a real game changer for how Tribes viewed economic and business development. Now, with the gaming market reaching saturation and free-play still an indeterminate factor in its fate, Spilde still believes that gaming is the best thing to ever happen to Indian Country. “Gaming is ultimately a Tribal initiative. Unlike a federal initiative which is imposed, each Tribe has its own political process for opting into gaming. There’s no federal government pressure to doing it or not. While there are some disincentives — compacts, financial risks, etcetera — the big picture

is that Tribes are absolutely winning and Tribal sovereignty is winning, because it’s based on Tribal choices,” Spilde concluded. It was a triumph of Tribal sovereign decision making. “I think that most Tribal leaders would still say today that ‘we’re winning’ because they made the choice to get into the market,” Spilde believes. More importantly, in spite of grappling with the challenges and benefits of freeplay, she sees gaming as the foundation for future Tribal growth. “We hear all the time that diversification is the mantra in terms of economic development, but what that means is different for each Tribe. If there had been other opportunities all along, they would’ve been doing them. Instead, a lot of economic diversification is subsidized by gaming money, especially Tribes venturing into ecommerce for financial services, banking, online business. This allows them to transcend reservation borders and to go beyond land-based ventures as addressed in our 2019 Wiring the Rez Conference,” Spilde stated. Tribes have expanded casino operations into hotels and conference centers that have become destination vacation and convention spots. So, while the issue of free-play still needs further study, Tribes have moved past it to some degree by minimizing gambling revenue as the mainstay of their casinos. The issue now is how to leverage free-play to benefit from the potential gains of these related revenue streams without turning to free-stay — in an attempt to keep gaming revenues up and enhance job opportunities on the reservation. “It’s unbelievable what Tribes have accomplished in such a short time, and this never could’ve been done if manufactured by a third-party government program,” Spilde said. From bingo halls to destination venues in 30 years. Our elders would be proud. AP R I L 2 0 1 9

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BUILDING AN ATTRACTION, BEYOND THE GAMING FLOOR From Luxury Spa Experiences to Zip Lines to Gas Stations, Tribes are Diversifying Economies with Tourism Enterprises

By Debra Utacia Krol

ribes across the U.S. have seen the wisdom in adding a variety of enterprises catering to visitors to their portfolios. In addition to gaming, many reservation communities have added golf courses, both family-friendly and adults-only resorts, lush spas that rival those found in New York or Paris, outdoor adventure venues and even a zip line experience or two! And, many of these plush resorts — some of which have received the coveted AAA Four-Diamond Award — offer cultural activities or performances to enhance visitors’ experiences and provide a window into Tribal cultures and histories. Here is a sampling of what’s happening in Indian Country tourism.

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Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, Connecticut One of the Unites States’ first casino resorts, Foxwoods Resort Casino continues to add new attractions. Beginning April 12, see the Mashantucket Pequots’ land from a whole new perspective: the Foxwoods HighFlyer Zipline, a 60-mile per hour, 3,750-footlong thrill ride, glides above the forest. Or channel your Speed Racer in Heritage International E- Racing Simulators or at the indoor Monza World Class Karting course. But there’s more: Foxwoods also features four hotels—including two AAA Four-Diamond Award hotels — more than 35 dining experiences, two luxurious spas, a number of exclusive retail boutiques, Tanger Out-

Rising up from the woods, the Grand Pequot Tower is at the heart of the resort complex.

Hyatt Tamaya Pueblo oven bread baking class.

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

The entry to Riverwalk Crossing in South Tulsa.

PHOTO COURTESY HYATT REGENCY TAMAYA

PHOTO COURTESY FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO PHOTO COURTESY MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION

PHOTO COURTESY MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL

lets at Foxwoods, two world-class theaters, six nightclubs, a luxury bowling facility, and two award-winning golf courses. Convention goers will appreciate having 2,230 guest rooms nearby, as Foxwoods also offers over 150,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space. Great Wolf Lodge – Grand Mound, Washington Jointly owned and operated by the Chehalis Tribe and the Great Wolf Lodge Corporation on its lands in Grand Mound, Washington, the Great Wolf Lodge offers a wealth of family-friendly lodging and activities. Home to Washington State’s only indoor water park, the 56,000-square-foot facility is kept at a comfortable 84 degrees year-round. The lodge also offers kid-friendly indoor activities, a range of dining options, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more — all under one roof. Great Wolf Lodge’s 398 rooms include themes like the KidKamp, KidSuite and Wolf Den Suite, each with a special “cabin” or “kamp” containing bunk beds and other features, which make each stay an adventure for children of all ages. Outside entertainment include MagiQuest, ice cream-themed manicures available in Scooops Kid Spa, and a nightly fireside Story Time. Hyatt Regency Tamaya – Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico Experience a completely unique and authentic journey into the ancient lands of the Tamayame people at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. Nestled on 550 acres of the Santa Ana Pueblo between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande, Tamaya is steeped in more than a millennium of rich

Pueblo history and culture. Visitors can register for the Srai Wi series of cultural activities designed to provide a deeper appreciation for Tamayame culture, including making adobe bricks or jewelry; baking bread in a huruna, or Pueblo oven; or observe traditional dancing performances. Or, enjoy guided bike rides or nature walks and family movie screenings. And all this is offered along with signature Hyatt Regency amenities including Hyatt Euro Pillowtop Posturepedic beds, delicious menu items in five on-site eateries and poolside fun. Mystic Lake Casino Hotel – Prior Lake, Minnesota Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel serves up Mdewakanton hospitality in a lush setting. The 766 rooms are sleek and luxurious, offering up views of the green prairie and The Meadows at Mystic Lake Gold course. The par-72 championship course has earned praise from Golf Digest and Golfweek magazines. If hitting the links isn’t your cup of tea, rejuvenate with a visit to The Spa at Mystic Lake. Treat yourself to a stone massage, a facial or other relaxing therapies and treatments designed to soothe away stress and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit. After you’re relaxed, well fed and rested, you’ll be ready for “Big Fun” at River South, an event center that offers annual doings from a Renaissance Festival to horse races, concerts and even Roller Derby. RiverWalk Tulsa – Tulsa, Oklahoma The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has long been an economic powerhouse, and this commitment to building a solid economy

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PHOTO COURTESY

PHOTO COURTESY HYATT REGENCY TAMAYA

Storytelling Under the Stars at Hyatt Regency Tamaya

TOURISM

Viejas Casino & Resort – Alpine, California Just minutes from downtown San Diego, Viejas Casino & Resort is a perfect getaway for a day or a long weekend. Want some time free from your kids — or any-

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Above: The entrance to Willows Hotel and Spa at Viejas Casino & Resort.

PHOTO COURTESY FORT MCDOWELL YAVAPAI NATION ENTERPRISES

Tulalip Resort Casino – Tulalip, Washington One of the anchors of the Tulalip Tribes’ unique municipality Quil Ceda Village, the AAA-Four Diamond rated Tulalip Resort Casino offers luxury, style and a glimpse into the Tulalip peoples’ cultures and history. Feast your eyes on some of the Pacific Northwest’s best Native art while enjoying 21st-century amenities in the hotel’s 370 rooms. Enjoy great food at one of seven on-site restaurants. Bring home your own memory of the Pacific Northwest at the Salal Marketplace. This boutique offers Coast Salish design apparel, jewelry, Tribal art, Washington wines and locally-made Northwest treats. Nearby, learn more about the Coast Salish peoples at the Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center. Or, book a group tour of nearby attractions like the Boeing Future of Flight attraction, boating, sky diving, white water rafting or whale watching. Rejuvenate bodies and spirits at the T Spas. This 14,000-square-foot sanctuary offers deep tissue massages and Native-inspired spa rituals, body treatments and skin therapies.

PHOTO COURTESY VIEJAS CASINO & RESORT

for its people is reflected in one of its newest attractions: RiverWalk Tulsa. Billed as South Tulsa’s first major lifestyle center and riverfront development, RiverWalk Tulsa meanders along the west bank of the Arkansas River, and connects to the Oklahoma Aquarium, the Tulsa Riverparks Trail System, Jenks High School, the thriving 96th Street and Riverside Drive area, and the River Spirit Casino Resort. Muscogee took over the then-faltering venue in 2012 and has turned it completely around to become one of the top spots in the Tulsa area for shopping, play, dining and lodging. Today, visitors can play high-tech golf games and family-oriented games at FlyingTee Entertainment and Golf Complex; get ready for power biking at Pedego Riverwalk, the first all-electric bicycle shop in the metro area; nosh on wood-fired barbeque at Burn Co BBQ, and then work it off next door at Burn Boot Camp; or enjoy many other shops, bars, restaurants and fun venues.

body’s kids? Viejas has the solution: The adults-only, all-suite Willows Hotel & Spa. With 159 VIP suites, a relaxing luxury spa and signature restaurants, the Willows will give you that much-needed parent break. The Willows joins Viejas Resort’s other two hotel towers to offer features and amenities like a lush, spacious pool and lounge area, three fitness centers, six bars, six restaurants, meeting spaces and the Oak Ballroom. And, Viejas offers free admission to the V Lounge and the Lobby Bar, where some of San Diego’s hottest musical acts perform. Just across the street, visitors can shop, enjoy entertainment and even Southern California’s largest outdoor skating rink at Viejas Outlets. We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center – Fort McDowell, Arizona Say gamyu [hello] to one of the Southwest’s most beautiful resorts! With commanding views of the Sonoran Desert,

Left: An aerial view of the familyfriendly pool at We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center

including the eponymous Wekopa, or Four Peaks, the Red Mountains and the verdant ribbon of the Verde River, We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center unites Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation’s tourism venues into one seamless umbrella. Enjoy AAA Four-Diamond Award service and amenities at We-Ko-Pa Hotel‘s 246 rooms, lush oasis-style pool and serene desert setting. Live the cowboy life for a day at Fort McDowell Adventures’ cattle drive, or just take a horseback ride through the unspoiled desert. Those who prefer more horsepower can take a tour with Green Zebra’s off-road vehicles. Enjoy championship golf at We-KoPa Golf Club, featuring the par-72 Cholla Course and the par-71 Saguaro Course. The Saguaro was chosen the No. 1 public course in Arizona by Golfweek Magazine. After golfing, trail riding or other outdoor adventures, pamper yourself at the Amethyst Spa with massages, body treatments and therapies.

San Manuel Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena

REFLECTS ON THE PAST, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE By Native Business Staff

an Manuel Casino is widely considered a powerhouse in the Southern California gaming industry. But prior to 1986, when San Manuel introduced its first gaming facility, dirt roads snaked across their small, mountainous land base. Five HUD homes stood on the reservation; jobs were a rarity; and often-

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times, the annual Tribal budget hovered around $300. The ancestral homelands of the Serrano people once covered a sizeable portion of Southern California — an estimated 7.3 million acres, extending to East Los Angeles, up to the high desert, and down to Twenty-Nine Palms. In 1891, the federal

government established a reservation for the Yuhaaviatam Clan of Serrano (San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) — totaling a mere 640 acres, in comparison. Today, the Tribe counts roughly 1,200 acres, because the Tribe pursues a goal to purchase land surrounding the reservation to accommodate a growing Tribal population and for

Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, National Indian Gaming Association former elected officer, American Gaming Association Gaming Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University in 2018

PHOTOS COURTESY SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS

The San Manuel Band enjoys positive relations with nearby cities, giving back to the surrounding community. The Tribe also protects the livelihood of 4,900 employees. With the current casino expansion underway, the Tribe’s employee base is expected to increase to 7,500 when completed. economic development. “We have a master plan in place, and we’re always doing what we can to acquire properties that are contiguous to or adjacent to the reservation,” Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, told Native Business Magazine. On April 17, 2018, Chairwoman Valbuena was sworn-in for her third consecutive term as Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. She’s served in Tribal politics for more than 40 years, holding various elected positions within her Tribal government — including Chairwoman (three terms, lasting 2014 to 2020), and a past term as Chairwoman (1994 to 1996), Vice Chairwoman (2008 to 2012), Secretary/Treasurer from the late-1980s to 1994, and as member of the Business Committee (akin to a Tribal Council). The Yuhaaviatam, or People of the Pines, are her greatest priority. Gaming has empowered Valbuena and the Business Committee and General Council to provide important services and programs to the Serrano people. The Tribe offers healthcare, education, culture and language programs to its approximately 250 Tribal members — including about 130 youth. “My personal focus and priorities as an elected leader for my Tribe have always remained consistent. I know we are always looking out for the best interests of our Tribal community, youth and elders,” Valbuena said. “Without our elders and our culture,

we wouldn’t be doing what we do today. We now have a youth council where we mentor the younger children on our reservation, because they are our future leaders of San Manuel.” Gaming has paved the way for infrastructure, jobs and economic opportunity on the San Manuel Indian Reservation — nestled at the foothills of a high and rugged mountain range, the San Bernardino Mountains. “We’ve made a lot of improvements now, where we can provide for our own Tribal members and don’t have to rely on the federal government as much. We’ve seen a lot of growth here at San Manuel,” Valbuena said. A Tribal Credit Union provides opportunities for Tribal members to build a home on the reservation. Valbuena notes there are 44 homes on the reservation today, but she distinctly remembers when only five HUD homes existed within reservation borders. Paved roads have since replaced the dirt roads that Valbuena fondly recalls traversing in her youth. “We are literally pushed against the mountains,” Valbuena explained, speaking from the San Manuel Tribal government center and community center, during a phone interview with Native Business in March. “It’s up on a hill; it’s a very steep road to get here. But as kids, it wasn’t a road, it was a dirt road. It was our playground. The current parking structure for the casino used to be orange groves and apricot groves. We would stand in line — just off to the side of the orange groves — with large brown paper sacks, waiting for the welfare truck to come up and give us commodities. I distinctly remember that,” Valbuena said. She continued: “It was no big deal for my cousins and I, and other Tribal kids my age to eat Corn Flakes and go outside and put the bowl under a water faucet and eat it with

water, because it tasted great when we added sugar to it. When we did get milk from the commodity truck or welfare truck, it was powdered milk, and powdered eggs.” Valbuena’s grandmother, who served as Spokesperson (now called Tribal Chairwoman) in the early 1950s, through her contacts with public officials helped to bring water and electricity to the reservation. “Over the years, our leaders have stabilized our infrastructure with state-of-the-art roads, utilities and water systems — which we never had on the reservation before,” Valbuena said. Things look different today. “Now we have our fire department right down the street, our department of public safety, our park across the street with a pavilion, where we can have community events and activities with Tribal Citizens. We have a gymnasium and fitness center downstairs on the first floor,” she shared. “Our Education Department, which provides educational and culture and language classes for our youth and adults, is also located on the first floor.” Meanwhile, the San Manuel reservation sits in the heart of a neighborhood. “We maintain very good relationships with our local communities. We need their support, and they need our support. It’s been a wonderful relationship with the City of Highland and San Bernardino City and County,” Valbuena said. Gaming: A Turning Point While entering the gaming industry marked a turning point for the Tribe, Chairwoman Valbuena is quick to point out that “it did not happen overnight.” She reflected on all the effort she and the San Manuel Business Committee and the entire Tribe, along with other Tribal govern-

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FEATURE

ments in the state, put in to garner the support of California voters for a referendum to approve statewide gaming, exclusively for Tribes. To this day, educating the general public and legislators is an ongoing process. “We’re always educating people about sovereignty and what we do as a Tribal government,” Valbuena said. Fortunately for the San Manuel Band, Valbuena’s genuine nature has a way of winning people over — a personality characteristic that likely made her effective during Tribal campaigns in the 1990s. Valbuena and Business Committee members along with other Tribal leaders communicated with community members and officials in local jurisdictions throughout the state, who were occasionally known to act hostile toward Tribal people at that time. Valbuena’s gentle persona played a vital role in disarming them, and also motivating them to act — to support the Proposition 5 and Prop 1A movements, and ultimately compel the state’s electorate to approve a constitutional amendment that now provides exclusive rights to Tribal governments in California to offer casino-style gaming. The Tribes’ success in Prop 5 and 1A were huge achievements, which may not have been possible without leaders like Valbuena. As Chairwoman, she continues that approach of building partnerships that include Tribal coalitions, Tribes and intergovernmental groups like cities, counties and states. Her qualities and warm personality allow her to be successful as a builder of coalitions. Ever modest, Valbuena is quick to note that she couldn’t have accomplished any of this without her fellow Business Committee members, Tribal elders, and her family. “I always like to share what I learned from my grandmother and mother — to never forget who you are or where you came from, so that we don’t lose our cultural identity, and always having the passion to do what needs to be done. Because of that passion, dedication and commitment will follow.” The Business Committee’s perseverance led to a successful and lucrative gaming operation in Highland — approximately 70 miles from downtown Los Angeles. San Manuel Casino draws significantly from the Los Angeles County and Orange County markets, where no federally recognized Tribes are located. It’s the closest gaming facility to those major population centers. “Our location and demographics is perfect for bringing in and attracting new clientele,” said Valbuena, adding that guest happiness

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Potential candidates are all smiles as they line up to talk with HR representatives from the San Manuel Band of Mission of Indians about their career goals, and learn how San Manuel can help them reach their aspirations.

and comfort are top priorities for the casino. “It all begins with excellent customer service from our employees.” Expansion & Growth In summer 2018, San Manuel broke ground on its first onsite, 500-room, 17-story hotel at San Manuel Casino, a world-class entertainment venue, and an array of stateof-the-art amenities, including new dining experiences, retail and event spaces, and more. Valbuena particularly looks forward to the forthcoming 3,500 to 4,000-seat theater for big name entertainment coming to San Manuel Casino. The new venues are forecasted to open in approximately two years. The expansion project at San Manuel Casino will continue to bring critical jobs to the area and new opportunities for existing employees. “During the construction period, we’ll be hiring about 1,200 employees. Once the hotel is completed in a couple of years, we will hire more, for a total employee base of as many as 7,500,” said Valbuena, adding that the Tribe and its casino enterprise currently count about 4,900 employees. Positive Economic Impact A 2016 economic impact report found that San Manuel Casino and the Tribal government are among the largest employers in San Bernardino County, currently supporting more than 4,900 employees and generating more than $1 billion in annual economic activity in the San Bernardino region. The vast majority of those jobs (an estimated 98 percent) are held by non-Indian people. “We are among the top 10 largest employers now in San Bernardino County in the private sector. It’s been great. We do what we can for our employees to build morale and

maintain interaction. We hold joint quarterly meetings for our Tribal government and casino employees, so we can thank them and show them appreciation for everything that they do,” Valbuena said. Dianna Scina, Entertainment Director for San Manuel Casino, can testify to the incredible support and opportunity provided by the Tribe. “She’s the one responsible for bringing in talent and entertainment like Bruno Mars and Rod Stewart and other A-List entertainers,” Valbuena said of Scina. Thirty-three years ago, prior to the introduction of gaming, Scina started work for the Indian Health Services as a Registered Dental Assistant at the San Manuel Indian Health Clinic. “San Manuel Indian Bingo was built next door to the clinic. I had an opportunity to supplement my income by working parttime as a bingo floor clerk,” Scina shared. “I eventually decided to go back to school to

FEATURE

get my Bachelors. Working in bingo allowed me to go to school full-time while developing a career and graduating debt free. By the time I graduated, I was a Manager for the Customer Service department. In 2001, while I was 6 months pregnant, I was promoted to Director of Guest Services. ...I am eternally grateful that the Tribe gave me the opportunity to advance, while raising a family,” Scina said. “When asked what it’s like to work for San Manuel, I share that it’s not just a career, I feel like I have been a small part of a higher purpose these 33 years.” Valbuena underscored: “We treat our employees like one big family here at San Manuel.” Philanthropy is also a cornerstone to Valbuena and the Tribe.

brother and sister Tribes both in California and outside of our state. Because there are many, many Tribes throughout the nation that still need assistance, even though they may have gaming, they still need assistance because of location and demographics. San Manuel has donated more than $140 million in charitable donations to organizations between the years 2007 and 2016. More than $80 million went to organizations that are based in San Bernardino County,” Valbuena told Native Business. San Manuel provided its largest philanthropic gift in February 2019, donating $25 million to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. “The fifth floor will be named the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion,” Valbuena said.

PHOTOS COURTESY SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS

Above Left & Right: San Manuel team members participate in the 2018 Supervisory Development Series. Left: San Manuel Band of Mission of Indians gift $25 million to Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital at the 26th Annual Children’s Hospital Foundation Gala in Riverside, on February 21, 2019.

“I think back to the day when we were very, very poor, and couldn’t wait to have second-hand clothes brought to us on the reservation and our food from the welfare commodity trucks. But we are such a caring, giving and sharing Tribe, that I remember us always saying that, when we could, we would contribute to charitable organizations and those in need — including to our surrounding communities, and to our

Hospitality & Real Estate Naturally, the Tribe’s economic strength allows the Tribe to put its values of philanthropic giving into practice. Equally core to San Manuel values are hospitality and customer service. “At San Manuel, it starts with excellent customer service and having a safe environment. Our Department of Public Safety and San Manuel Fire Department are key

elements for providing public safety services and ensuring a safe environment,” said Valbuena — who actually held down a 17-year career with the City of San Bernardino Police Department, starting in the late 1970s. (She performed various roles from stenographer to police assistant in the narcotics division and detective bureau; from court officer to Public Information Officer. Valbuena left the police department when she was elected to the Business Committee at San Manuel.) Hospitality is also central to the Tribe’s economic portfolio. In addition to its casino enterprise, the Tribe owns four hotels: Bear Springs Hotel in Highland; The Draftsman in Charlottesville, Virginia; and the Tribe has two Marriott Hotel Residence Inn properties — one in Sacramento, near the California State Capitol, and another near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. After hospitality, real estate clocks a close second as a significant economic generator for the Tribe. Among Tribal real estate holdings are office buildings in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. “We purchased an office building on Capitol Hill more than a decade ago. That really helps when we go to D.C. to meet with congressional leaders and legislators. We can host them there and talk about our Tribe at San Manuel,” Valbuena shared. As a local government, the Tribe was also eligible to receive some land from the closure of Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino. The Tribe is currently considering its highest and best uses of those lands in conjunction with some of the local jurisdictions. San Manuel Village within the City of Highland is a 12-acre, mixed-use development of the Tribe. Valbuena noted: “We’ve also leased some of the professional office building at San Manuel Village. An urgent care facility, restaurants, Bear Springs Hotel, and more are located on the San Manuel Village site.” Valbuena and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will continue to pursue new economic opportunities to advance the Tribe’s development goals. After all, ensuring a happy and healthy future of the Yuhaaviatam people is her greatest objective. “We have to make sure that our Tribal leaders meet and create a future for generations of our Serrano people,” Valbuena told Native Business. “We’re always looking into the future to continue our quest for sustainability and self-reliance.”

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POINT OF VIEW

“Buy Navajo, Buy Local” n behalf of the Navajo it comes to our economic potential. Nation, we would first We hope that by setting aside the like to thank Native Busiweek of Navajo Sovereignty Day ness Magazine for providand asking our people not to travel ing this opportunity to share our to border towns to purchases goods, thoughts and initiatives pertaining that we will inspire many more of to economic development on the our own Navajo entrepreneurs to Navajo Nation. It’s great to see Nabegin their own businesses here on tive entrepreneurs taking it upon the Navajo Nation. themselves to think outside of the Not only will we encourage our box and begin new ventures that people to purchase locally, we also focus on bringing Indian Country plan to host a variety of events and together to focus on economic degatherings in our own communivelopment and business opportunities to provide our own people the ties. We congratulate Native Business opportunity to sell their products, Magazine for their success to this promote their services, and network point. with one another. These events are When the Nez-Lizer Adminisin the planning stages, but we envitration took office in January of sion that it will be a unique unprecthis year, we focused on the Navaedented experience for our people jo concept of “T’áá hwó’ ajít’éego,” and we’re very excited for it! which basically means self-reliance We know that we have to do our or self-determination for us as inpart as the Nation’s leaders to supdividuals. This powerful teaching port our people. Fortunately, we is what drives us as individuals to have a young, motivated, and very work hard every day and pursue talented person onboard with our what we want in life. So, when we administration whom we appointed think about economic development to head the Navajo Nation Division initiatives, this concept plays a very of Economic Development. This significant part in how we think and person is JT Willie, who has extenJonathan Nez (Left), President of The Navajo Nation and Myron how we work together to help our sive marketing experience and who Lizer (Right), Vice President of The Navajo Nation communities and entrepreneurs. is also an entrepreneur himself. He In order to help our Nation prosper economically, the Nez-Lizer is full of new and exciting ideas and he is playing a major role in team has become a big supporter of “Buy Navajo, Buy Local” and planning for the week of Navajo Sovereignty Day. we’ve made it a top priority for our administration. “Buy Navajo, The Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President is Buy Local” basically means that we want our Diné people to puralso planning its annual Economic Summit during the last week chase their products and services on the Navajo Nation from our of April at the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort near Flagstaff, own people. We need to change the mindsets of many to support in which we welcome business owners and many others to present small businesses on the Navajo Nation as opposed to having our information, promote their products and services, and provide a consumers spend millions and millions each year in border towns. conducive environment to network and develop business relationApril 22nd is Navajo Sovereignty Day on the Navajo Nation, and ships. we want to use this as an opportunity to ask our Diné people to We have many new and exciting ideas that we are working on join us, during the week of Sovereignty Day, in purchasing prodin order to make them a reality to help our people. We are very ucts and services within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Not pleased to have met with Mr. Gary Davis in the capital of the Naonly will this support our Navajo business owners, but it will also vajo Nation a few weeks ago to hear his thoughts and ideas on ecoallow us to partner with other entities to measure the economic nomic development in Indian Country. We look forward to workimpact on nearby non-Navajo businesses in other towns to show ing with Native Business Magazine to help spread the word about just how large of an economic giant the Navajo people are. what we have planned for the week of Navajo Sovereignty Day in We feel that if businesses off the Navajo Nation realize how April. We are very excited and we extend an invitation to all of much they rely on Navajo consumers to sustain their businesses Indian Country to join us in this venture. On behalf of the Navajo then we can also show our people that we are a sleeping giant when Nation, we thank you for your support! Ahe’hee’

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PHOTO COURTESY THE NAVAJO NATION OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT

By Jonathan Nez, President, The Navajo Nation & Myron Lizer, Vice President, The Navajo Nation

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opportunity to realize and accomplish their dreams as an entrepreneur. We need to support them, provide them with training, and give them opportunities to be around other successful entrepreneurs.” At the heart of providing opportunity to Native entrepreneurs is releasing the limiting belief that Native people aren’t “good enough, capable enough or competent enough,” Gary said. “It’s time to stop sourcing opportunities to other people and taking

In its May Issue, Native Business Will Release its Inaugural List of the ‘Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Indian Country’

ess

By Native Business Staff

cross Indian Country, there is constant talk of creating and sustaining Native economies. But without entrepreneurs, it’s nothing more than an idea. “If we don’t have Native American businesses to source opportunity to, then economy is never going to be a reality,” said Gary Davis (Cherokee Nation), Publisher of Native Business Magazine. “Economy requires that you have Native American businesses to keep money in the community.” The foundation of an economy involves circulating money within a community. “A dollar should change hands at least seven times before it leaves that community. If we don’t put businesses in place in order for that dollar to circulate to, then there will never be an economy,” Gary said. Ultimately, Native American people, just like Tribes, desire self-sufficiency, stability and sustainability — the ability to make money to take care of themselves and their families. They want to create economic opportunities through their own ingenuity, creativity, passion and dedication. “That’s what I think will transform the future for our people,” Gary said. “I think it’s important we ensure everybody has an

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‘WE ARE WHO WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR’

U E EPREN

money out of Tribal economies. It’s time to start placing those dollars back into Native businesses.” The thing that stops so many potential business opportunities across Indian Country is lack of self-confidence. “When we look in the mirror, because of generational trauma and because of the things that we’ve had to go through in the way of oppression, without even realizing it, we may have subconsciously drunk that Kool-Aid of doubting ourselves,” Gary said. “And if we doubt ourselves, we will only be able to doubt other people,”

PHOTOS BY WHITNEY PATTERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Gary continued. “If we don’t think we’re good enough, we can’t think other people are good enough. If we don’t think we’re capable enough, other people must not be able to be as capable. We have to stop thinking that way. We have to start understanding our value: That we are good enough, that we are competent enough, that we are capable. We come from generations of ancestors who were amazing business people, amazing leaders, amazing folks that built economies like Cahokia and Tenochtitlan. We have to remember that if our ancestors did those things, it’s in us to do those things, and we have to enact it into this world today.” Entrepreneurship is not a new concept. So, why is Native Business featuring the Top 50 Native Entrepreneurs? “It’s because Native entrepreneurs have not been showcased enough. Their innovation, professionalism, and the quality of their products and services have not been highlighted enough. We want to share what these amazing people have done — oftentimes with little to no startup capital. They’ve been innovative and resilient enough to go out and make it happen and turn ideas into reality and action. We need to make sure that our next generation of people see these people, and know that it’s possible for them to do that as well, if they work as hard, if they’re resourceful, and if they’re as innovative. They can do it, too,” Gary said. Naturally, shining a light on 50 entre-

preneurs only scratches the surface of the wealth of Indigenous business owners that exist. “But here’s 50 you should pay attention to,” said Carmen Davis (Makah Tribe), Publisher and Executive Editor of Native Business Magazine. “And next year, we’re going to do it all over again, and showcase another 50 Native entrepreneurs.” The Native Business “Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Indian Country” will also act like a ongoing directory. “Each year’s issue moving forward will be a directory of Native American entrepreneurs who are doing things that go against the grain of what people might think is common or possible for Indian Country. So often, there are these stereotypes about business in Indian Country, and what Native people are involved in,” Gary said. “Our Native people are involved in everything from making amazing bacon to having very successful federal contracting firms. It literally runs the spectrum. I think these are going to be snapshots — documenting and memorializing how innovative our people are, and serve as a testament to the scope of diverse Native businesses that are operating across many sectors all over Indian Country.” In order to attain generational wealth, Indian Country must start buying from Native businesses. Not supporting Native-owned businesses due to fear or jealousy is only crippling progress. “We have to reverse that thinking — that if one person succeeds, it takes money out of our pockets. A rising tide lifts all ships,” Gary said. “When one of us does better, we all start to do better. We have to start judging each other based on the quality of our products, and the quality of our services, and the competency of our businesses, and base our decisions off of that. Because if we don’t do that, initiatives such as Tribal preference don’t mean anything. None of these things that we’ve put in place mean anything if we don’t make them actionable.” Indian Country has created numerous healthy Tribal enterprises that are vital in generating revenues to help support Tribal programs and initiatives and offset federal funding shortfalls. However, successful Tribal enterprises don’t always equate to em-

powering Native business owners directly. If all of Indian Country takes an honest look at the money it has dedicated to Native businesses, it pales in comparison to the amount of money that goes outside of the community. Together, Indian Country is an economic force. Tribes, Tribal enterprises, Alaska Native Corporations and Native American businesses have the opportunity to change that — to start supporting Native entrepreneurs. Some Tribes are taking action to inspire and empower thriving entrepreneurship within their communities. The Cherokee Nation is actively developing a new generation of entrepreneurs by offering training via the Kawi Cafe in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Emerging entrepreneurs work at the business and are charged with managing all aspects of operations in order to develop hands-on experience vital once they decide to start up and operate their own business. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer have vowed to support Navajo entrepreneurs and Navajo-owned businesses. One creative way they’re promoting entrepreneurship is by challenging Navajo people to commit to buying locally — particularly during the week of April 22nd, Navajo Sovereignty Day. The Nez-Lizer Administration is encouraging the community to resist making trips to nearby border towns and instead to commit to purchasing goods and services locally. “We know that we have to do our part as the Nation’s leaders to support our people,” President Nez and Vice President Lizer wrote in an op-ed for Native Business Magazine (see page 42). Carmen further emphasized the need for Indian Country to source opportunity to Native entrepreneurs for businesses to grow across Indian Country: “It is really important for our people to support our own people. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we have gone through these challenges. Some Native entrepreneurs are involved in multi-billion-dollar industries. What would keeping those dollars in Native communities do?” Gary added: “The growth of Native-owned companies will equate to community growth, and the betterment of our communities, and the betterment of our people — because our people will be able to take care of their own selves. That’s where we really get into the idea of being self sovereign: having the ability to take care of your future, to be self-sufficient, and in control of your life. If we help each other, and hire our own people, we can start seeing that change come to our future generations across Indian Country. We are who we’ve been waiting for.”

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HIDDEN GEMS: By Suzette Brewer

At the beginning of the gaming industry in the Northern Plains, some operations got their start as weekly bingo games held in school gymnasiums, converted trailers or even, in some cases, church basements. Since then, however, things have changed.

PHOTO COURTESY

How Rural Casinos are Changing the Game in the Northern Plains

PHOTOS COURTESY SPIRIT LAKE CASINO MARKETING

The Spirit Lake Casino and Resort boasts a full-service marina and will host the 19th annual Walleye Classic as a part of the Casino Cup Walleye Circuit in North Dakota.

destinations for the whole family. “Indian gaming has really transformed the landscape for Tribes in the Northern Plains, who have done a great job in building truly unique destination resorts where people can bring their families,” says Mark Van Norman, former executive director of the National Indian Gaming Association who is now a private consultant. “The Tribes have turned what were originally modest facilities into gathering places for a wide variety of customers — it’s really a

social phenomenon.” According to a recent report from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Indian gaming has now captured a whopping 43 percent of the total gaming market in the United States, compared to Las Vegas, whose market share is around 10 percent. Moreover, according to the latest numbers from the National Indian Gaming Commission, Indian gaming grew nearly four percent in 2017, bringing Gross Gaming Revenues (GGR) to $32.4 billion.

PHOTOS COURTESY MHA NATION

Today, 32 years after the Supreme Court victory in California v. Cabazon, Tribes have gone from modest community bingo games that began as fundraisers for things like fire trucks and elder meals to sophisticated, state-of-the-art gaming facilities that offer a wide range of amenities, activities and events. From yacht cruises, golf courses and fishing competitions to “adventure packages,” wild horse sanctuaries and conference facilities, many rural Tribal casinos have now become vacation

The Spirit Lake Casino Hotel features a four-story indoor water park with water slides, pools and hot tubs.

The Four Bears Casino Yacht is available for both public and private tours and events.

The MHA Nation completed construction on a $47 million entertainment event center at Four Bears Casino in 2016. The facility is used for concerts, boxing matches, pool tournaments and rodeos.

GAMING

“We get 44 million visitors a year at Tribal gaming facilities across the country,” says Van Norman, who is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. “That’s roughly 30 percent of the adult population in this country coming out and supporting our Tribal economies. That’s huge, because in the Northern Plains, it’s about jobs for our people, building our local economies and improving our quality of life.” According to the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), Tribes have also become major players in the international tourism industry. In 2016, for example, over 2 million overseas travelers visited Indian Country. Moreover, AIANTA projects that overseas tourism will account for over $10 billion in direct spending and 50,000 newly created jobs in Indian Country by 2020. It’s also a win-win for customers, as Tribes continue to expand their portfolios to include businesses and activities that create synergy with their gaming facilities. Here we highlight some of the hidden gems that are off the beaten path, but are worth checking out for their excellent service, variety of activities and amenities for the whole family. Spirit Lake Casino and Resort Located in St. Michael, North Dakota, Spirit Lake Casino and Resort (SLCR) has come a long way from its early days in the 1990s as a bingo hall located in a converted gym. Today, its facilities have expanded to include 45,000 square feet of gaming space, a 124-room hotel, six fully-furnished log cabins, and a full service RV park. “We’ve set the standard for Tribal gaming in North Dakota and we have a mission to be the premier destination in the state,” says Collette Brown, executive director for the Spirit Lake Gaming Commission. “Because our motto is ‘Great stories start here,’ we’re committed to providing a level of excellence in every area of our facility, whether you’re here for an evening or a week.” Situated on the southern shores of Devil’s Lake, Spirit Lake also has a marina and world-class fishing, along with guide services for hunting and tourism. In June, SLCR will host its 19th annual Walleye Classic as a part of the Casino Cup Walleye Circuit sponsored by Ranger Boats. The View Steakhouse offers fine dining, featuring steak and seafood along with spectacular views of Devil’s Lake from

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SLCR’s third floor. The Tribe’s hotel also features luxury suites, a four-story indoor pool and waterslide, and a sauna and exercise room, and meeting facilities for events of up to 500. Today, Spirit Lake Casino and Resort employs over 350 people, 85 percent of whom are Native. The economic benefits, however, extend well beyond the Spirit Lake community, says Brown. “It’s been very important for not only for our economic development, but also for our neighbors in the surrounding communities and for North Dakota,” says Brown, who has been in the industry for over two decades. “But we’re always looking for new ways to grow and build on what we’ve started.” Four Bears Casino and Lodge Operated by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribes (MHA Nation), Four Bears Casino and Lodge is situated on the spec-

tacular Lake Sakakawea just west of New Town in west central North Dakota. Located in the Bakken oil region on the Missouri River, Four Bears has become a major player in the Tribal gaming industry in the Northern Plains. “We started out in an old Motor Lodge motel back in the early 1990s,” says Four

Bears general manager Scott Wilson. Initially, says Wilson, its gaming operations were financed through a management company that came with a lot of strings — and high interest rates — which was a common practice in the early days of the Indian gaming industry. Eventually, however, the Tribe quickly gained its independence.

PHOTOS COURTESY MHA NATION

Left: MHA Nation Chairman Mark Fox attends the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Tribe’s new water park. Also pictured: Tribal councilwoman Monica Mayer and former Senator Heidi Heitkamp.

PHOTOS COURTESY SPIRIT LAKE CASINO MARKETING

PHOTOS COURTESY MHA NATION

Above:The Four Bears Water Park features a 2,375-square-foot splash feature, zero-entry lazy river with action channel, two water slides, a sunbathing deck, and a designated birthday party area.

Above: The Spirit Lake Casino and Resort started in a converted gym and has become one of the premier tourism destinations in North Dakota. Left: The Spirit Lake Casino and Resort boasts a full-service marina and will host the 19th annual Walleye Classic as a part of the Casino Cup Walleye Circuit in North Dakota.

“We took over own management and began promoting our own Tribal members from within,” says Wilson, who is also a member of MHA Nation. “We were also able to become debt-free, which allowed us to manage our facilities the way we wanted to, which has been great for us.” The old motel facility was eventually replaced by a 220-room hotel overlooking

Lake Sakakawea, along with a full-service RV park and lakeside cabins. In 2016, the Tribe also added a $50 million event center, featuring a wide variety of entertainment, including concerts, boxing matches, pool tournaments and rodeos. Four Bears also offers public and private cruises on Lake Sakakawea on its yacht, which has on board catering and bar options for up to 150 people. In 2018, the Tribe added the Four Bears Water Park featuring two water slides, a zero-entry lazy river with an action channel, a designated birthday party area, and a 2,400-squarefoot splash feature. For the active outdoor recreation crowd, there’s plenty to do, including golf, boating, hiking, fishing, hunting and horseback riding. Today, 26 years after Four Bears opened its doors, the facility now has over 415 employees, 72 percent of whom are Native. For the MHA Nation, whose reservation was established in 1871, the economic development that was kickstarted by gaming has benefitted the region and the state in

multiple ways. “From the beginning, we’ve strived to become a destination location for both gaming customers and tourists,” says Wilson. “We want our customers to have a great experience in a clean, fun environment where they can bring their kids and enjoy all the amenities and activities. There’s no question, we have a lot to offer.” Prairie Knights Casino and Resort Now in its 25th year, Prairie Knights Casino and Resort is located an hour south of Bismarck, North Dakota, and is one of the region’s major entertainment destinations. Owned by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the casino’s revenues took a major hit in 2017 after Highway 1806 was shutdown by law enforcement during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, cutting off a major roadway to the casino. “When the bridge was shut off,” Standing Rock CFO Jerome Long Bottom told the Bismarck Tribune at the time, “the numbers just plummeted.” Since then, the casino’s management AP R I L 2 0 1 9

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WRHC also features stay-and-play “Adventure Packages” for the intrepid traveler, including golf packages at the Riverton Country Club; half- and full-day whitewater rafting; the “Dino Dig” guided archaeology dig and tour in nearby Hot Springs; and the Wild Horse Sanctuary Tour that concludes with a four-star meal at one of the Tribe’s restaurants. – HONORABLE MENTIONS –

has worked double time, launching several public relations and marketing campaigns, to regain its footing in the competitive gaming market in North Dakota. A critical source of income for the Tribe, revenues from Prairie Knights provide crucial funding for n everything from emergency services and programs for diabetes and addictions to head start, K-12 and waste management. Today, two years after the events of 2016-2017, Prairie Knights is making its way back to profitability. According to the Tribe, the facility employs approximately 350 people, 76 percent of whom are Native. Roughly 64 percent of its management team is also Native. Approximately 35 percent of the casino’s employees live in Bismarck and contribute millions to the local economy, according to the Bismarck Tribune. Meanwhile, the Tribe does roughly $7 million in business with companies in Bismarck and Mandan. Prairie Knights hotel features 200 rooms and 12 luxury suites, a pool with a 129-foot water slide, with amenities including an arcade, an exercise room, covered parking and charging stations for electric vehicles. Additionally, Prairie Knights continues to have a packed schedule of featured performers and events at The Pavilion, its 34,000-square foot multifunctional event center that can also host everything from small meetings to trade shows and conventions. In spite of its recent struggles, the casino’s general manager, E.J. Iron Eyes told

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the Bismarck Tribune that attendance and revenues are on the mend. “We’ve made up a lot of ground,” he said. Wind River Hotel and Casino Located two miles south of Riverton, Wyoming, the Wind River Hotel and Casino (WRHC) is owned by the Northern Arapaho Tribe and is the largest gaming facility in the state. A major success story in the Northern Plains, WRHC is the crown jewel in the Tribe’s business portfolio, which includes two other casinos (The 789 Smoke Shop and Casino and The Little Wind Casino), a convenience store, a commercial laundry and the Black Mountain Embroidery Shop. According to the Tribe, WRHC alone employs over 700 people, over 90 percent of whom are Native, making it an economic powerhouse not only on the reservation, but also in a state that has the smallest population in the country at just over half a million people. The total economic impact, according to GVA Marquette Advisors, hovers at approximately $100 million per year. In 2018, the Wind River hotel was awarded a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence and features pet-friendly and handicapped rooms, along with luxury suites and deluxe bathrooms with double jacuzzi spas. For recreational vehicle enthusiasts, there are also 24 RV spaces available that include WiFi access and complimentary coupons for the casino, restaurants and gift shop.

Glacier Peaks Hotel and Casino Owned and operated by the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana, Glacier Peaks Hotel and Casino (GPHC) is located in Browning, approximately 12 miles from Glacier National Park and 40 minutes south of Alberta, Canada. As the newest hotel property at the entrance to Glacier National Park, GPHC has 86 rooms, many of which have unobstructed, spectacular views of 53 mountain peaks. Additionally, the hotel features an indoor heated swimming pool, a business center, fitness room and hot breakfast buffet. Local attractions which can be booked through the hotel include the Blackfeet Nation Bison Reserve; North American Indian Days Celebration; The Museum of the Plains Indian; Guided trout fishing and, of course, tours to Glacier National Park. GPHC also has a conference and catering center that can accommodate up to 100 for business and Tribal events. Dining includes the Jackpot Restaurant, Lucky’s Lounge and the Glacier Grind Coffee House.

PHOTOS COURTESY MHA NATION

The Four Bears Casino Yacht on Lake Sakakawea in New Town, North Dakota, offers public and private cruises on Lake Sakakawea on its yacht, which has on-board catering and bar options for up to 150 people.

Prairie Wind Casino and Hotel Located near the Black Hills and the Badlands, 10 minutes east of Oelrich, South Dakota, Prairie Wind Casino and Hotel (PWCH) is owned by the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Having recently undergone improvements and an extensive marketing and re-branding campaign, PWCH is now one of the top rated hotel/casino destinations in the region. The hotel features 78 rooms, along with an indoor pool and hot tub. Its state-of-the-art event center, The Lakota Dome, features concerts, comedians, and other live entertainment. PWCH also has a convention center with catering facilities that can accommodate meetings, parties and receptions of any size.