Here is a round up of business news from around Indian Country.
Federal 8(a) contracting
- Gregg Drilling, a subsidiary of Alaska Native corporation Sealaska Corp., has formed a joint venture with Houston, Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to offer geotechnical services to offshore markets for energy field developments and cables. Under the partnership, Gregg Drilling will deploy its seabed drills on Ocean Infinity’s Armada fleet of marine robots to service global customers, including for offshore wind anchor and foundation design, according to a statement. “Gregg Drilling and its parent company Sealaska share our vision for reducing the environmental impact of offshore activities. This agreement marks another step on our journey to transform marine operations, and we are excited to be doing so in partnership with another innovative team that shares our passion for sustainability,” Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Plunkett said in a statement. Sealaska made a majority investment in Gregg Drilling in 2018. The Alaska Native corporation for Southeast Alaska operates for the benefit of more than 23,000 shareholders of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian background.
Entrepreneurship
- First Nations Development Institute, American Indigenous Business Leaders, and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development are sponsoring the second Native Youth Business Plan Competition. The program is designed to give Native students at the high school, tribal college, and college or university level a hands-on experience in business and entrepreneurship and connect them with Native leaders to help turn their ideas into startup businesses. Student teams must submit a business plan by May 20 via First Nations’ portal. The partners will then choose semifinalists for additional mentorship and presentations at RES 2021 on July 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Economic Development
- The National Congress of American Indians selected Dante Desiderio (Sappony Tribe) to be its new CEO, starting May 11. Desiderio currently serves as executive director of the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA), a position he’s held for the last 10 years. The appointment will be a homecoming of sorts for Desiderio, who previously worked as director of economic policy at NCAI during the Great Recession. “It’s been a stressful year for all of Indian Country, and with Dante’s leadership, I’m confident we will build our tribal nations back stronger, more resilient, and healthier than ever,” NCAI President Fawn Sharp said in a statement.
- The Mille Lacs Tribal Economy, which encompasses three districts of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe territory, is participating in the Community Broadband Resources Accelerate Program put on by the Grand Rapids, Minn.-based Blandin Foundation, according to a report in the Brainerd Dispatch. The 15-week program is aimed at developing a final report to help guide development of a broadband program for the tribal communities.
- Hollywood, Fla.-based Seminole Hard Rock was recognized as a 2021 U.S. Best Managed Company, a first for a private gaming operator. Companies recognized by the program demonstrate excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a resilient culture, and strong financials, according to a statement. “Our team members all contribute to the success of our organization and I want to thank them for their dedication and commitment to service excellence and financial results, which make this recognition possible,” Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, said in a statement. Hard Rock International is an enterprise of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Real estate
- The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians’ business site leasing ordinance under the HEARTH Act. With the HEARTH Act plan, the tribe can now negotiate and enter into commercial leases on trust lands without BIA approval. Tribes can submit HEARTH applications for agricultural and business leases on trust lands for a term of 25 years with up to two renewal terms of 25 years each. “The HEARTH Act continues to fulfill its mandate of supporting tribal self-determination and sovereignty by respecting tribal government management of tribal lands through the leasing process,” Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community), the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said in a statement. “We hope to see more applications by tribal leaders seeking to exercise greater autonomy and direct control over trust land-use planning that directly benefits their people.”
Food and agriculture
- The Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians plans to leverage a $10,000 grant from Longmont, Colo.-based First Nations Development Institute to increase food security via the Kudi Ta’Weno Garden Collective, according to a report in Lake County News. The program will pair elders with tribal youth to learn about growing healthy fruits and vegetables on a 1-acre site in Nice, Calif., which also features a small walking trail.
Media
- The Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. selected Sunnie Clahchischiligi (Dine) as the winner of the $20,000 Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship for 2021. Clahchischiligi is a contributing writer for Searchlight New Mexico and proposed an investigative reporting project that looks into how students on the Navajo Nation went missing during the pandemic. According to a statement, Clahchischiligi aims to “document the negligence of schools across the Navajo Nation and beyond.” As a part of the fellowship, the Center for Media Innovation staff will work with Clahchischiligi and others to develop their stories.
