The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has opened a small business center inside the renovated McAlester Public Library, expanding access to workspace, business advising and connections to lenders.
The Chahtapreneur Business Center’s 3,500-square-foot McAlester location is the tribe’s third center under the tribe’s purview, joining existing locations in Durant and Idabel, according to a tribal news release.
The centers provide Choctaw entrepreneurs with one-on-one training, planning assistance and connection to lenders and other resources. The program, first launched in 2015, has created nearly 2,200 jobs, per its website.
The partnership also gives Choctaw Nation members free library cards and access to the Southeast Oklahoma Library System’s 17 outlets, regardless of residency, along with electronic resources including audiobooks and language tools.
The tribe announced the $1 million investment through the Choctaw Development Fund in February as part of the library’s $9 million renovation, as previously reported by Tribal Business News.
“This will benefit both tribal members and non-tribal citizens by giving them not only a place to work on their ideas, but professional advisers who can help those ideas come to fruition,” Chief Gary Batton said in a statement.
