Here is a round up of business news from around Indian Country.
Finance
• The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will host its upcoming Racism and the Economy virtual roundtable from noon to 2:00 p.m. EST on Nov. 16. The program will examine structural racism in the financial services system and the effect it has on the economy. Lakota Vogel, executive director of Eagle Butte, S.D.-based Four Bands Community Fund, is among the presenters. Registration for the free event is available at this link.
Real Estate
• The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska recently held a ceremony to open a $5 million, 25,000-square-foot tribal health center in Lincoln, Neb. that will provide medical, dental, pharmaceutical and behavioral health services, according to a report in the Lincoln Journal Star. The building also includes space for tribal events and gatherings. Tribal Chairman Larry Wright Jr. described the “culturally-centric facility” as a long-term project for the tribe that will serve Ponca members and other Natives in the community. The Ponca tribe also operates similar centers in Omaha and Norfolk.
Higher education
• Retailer Hot Topic partnered with design students at Diné College to release several new clothing designs for Native American Heritage Month. Proceeds from the sale of the student-designed T-shirts will go directly to Diné College. Additionally, the Hot Topic Foundation plans to give the college a $50,000 grant to fund scholarships for new students.
• In awarding 28 doctoral degrees to American Indian or Alaska Native students between 2016 and 2020, the University of Arizona became the top doctorate-granting institution for Native Americans, according to a recent study from the National Science Foundation that surveyed 184 higher education institutions. Nearly 5 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded to Indigenous students over that five-year period were from UArizona, according to a statement.
Health care
• The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board launched a new Indian Country ECHO service where health care providers can gather virtually for 60-90 minute clinics to consult with clinical experts. Indian Country ECHO has worked with more than 450 tribes and clinics to offer clinical and public health training to providers in often very rural communities, according to director David Stephens. The program has provided training in a variety of diseases to more than 10,000 Indian Health Service, tribal, and urban Indian health care providers, according to a statement. “We are seeing the impacts reverberating outward,” Stephens said. The program was selected for the 2021 Outstanding Service Award by the National Indian Health Board.
Government
• Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has nominated Louis Pitt Jr., the director of government affairs and planning for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. If approved by the state Senate, Pitt would serve the remainder of the term vacated by the resignation of Chuck Sams, who resigned after being nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the National Park Service. The Portland-based Northwest Power and Conservation Council spans Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington and is charged with developing a regional power plan and fish and wildlife program in the Columbia River basin. “My heart is in with fish. I don’t want to compromise that in any way, but I want to be fair with the fish, the state, the tribe, and myself,” Pitt told the Bend Bulletin for a recent report. “I have spent years volunteering with the state, and I am getting old and cranky, so I would like to spend my time wisely and effectively.”
Hospitality
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida-owned Hard Rock Hotels is working with new property owners Stoneweg Hospitality and Bain Capital Credit to convert the former Andalucía Plaza Hotel in Costa del Sol, Spain into the new 384-room Hard Rock Hotel Marbella. The renovations are expected to last through June 2022. When finished, the property will include six on-site dining establishments, a rooftop VIP bar and infinity pool, as well as a spa and wellness center. “After the much-anticipated opening of Hard Rock Hotel Madrid this past summer, and the ongoing success of Hard Rock Ibiza and Tenerife, we are thrilled to welcome another beautiful property in Spain to the Hard Rock Hotel portfolio and showcase the brand’s continued growth in the country and globally,” Todd Hricko, senior vice president of hotel development at Hard Rock Hotels, said in a statement. “We have long had our sights set on the beautiful Costa del Sol region and are certain the Hard Rock Hotel Marbella will shine in the market.
Gaming
• Osage Nation announced plans for a $60 million destination casino, hotel and entertainment complex on ancestral homelands at Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. The project will be built in phases and is expected to create multiple economic spin-offs including new jobs, tourism traffic and revenues for the surrounding Miller County. Osage Nation also detailed plans to give back to the community with philanthropic contributions for local schools, law enforcement and first responders, charities and other unspecified community improvement projects. The tribe also committed to working with local vendors and businesses as much as possible at the new casino. “We have established very good relationships with several communities in Missouri and seek to have a presence back in our homeland,” Osage Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said in a statement.
• The Spokane Tribe debuted the latest $30 million expansion of the Spokane Tribe Casino, a project that doubled the gaming space at the facility, making way for a dedicated poker room, new dining and a sportsbook, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review. The expansion allowed the casino to add more than 300 new slot machines and six table games. The gaming space opened last week, but the tribe’s sportsbook will premiere later this month after the tribe formalizes a partnership with an igaming partner, according to the report. The addition was designed by Cuningham Group of Minnesota. Spokane-based Swinerton Builders served as the general contractor for the project.
• Four Winds Casinos, an enterprise of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, has launched a sportsbook at the tribe’s casino in South Bend, Ind. where patrons can wager on football, basketball, baseball, hockey and more. Guests can place bets 24 hours a day at six self-service betting terminals or at select times via the sportsbook counter. The move follows recent approval of the tribe’s Class III gaming compact with the state of Indiana. Four Winds also operates three casinos in Southwest Michigan. “We are very excited to introduce our Sportsbook to guests of Four Winds South Bend,” Four Winds COO Frank Freedman said in a statement. “The growth of sports betting continues to accelerate and we are pleased to be able to offer this exciting amenity to those who enjoy wagering while rooting for their favorite teams.”
