GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— Tribal leaders and economic development executives from four Midwestern states will gather this October for the first-ever Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit will be held on Thursday, Oct. 6th, 2022, at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business in downtown Grand Rapids. The summit plans to bring together tribal leaders, Native business executives and Indigenous entrepreneurs from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, as well as representatives from state and federal agencies that work with tribes on economic development projects and initiatives.
The inaugural Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit is presented by Tribal Business News in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, GVSU’s Seidman College of Business, and Michigan-based business publication MiBiz.
“Tribal Business News is excited to bring together the region’s tribes, state and federal officials, and non-Native business leaders in an effort to spur the tribal economy in the Great Lakes region,” said Publisher Levi Rickert. “Tribes are a powerful force in Michigan and elsewhere in the region. The timing for the summit is right as tribes navigate beyond the pandemic to a brighter future.”
The day-long summit will highlight current business and economic development projects that the region’s tribes are working on in 2022, as well as panel discussions and speakers talking about strategy, innovation, concrete examples of “what’s working” in Indian Country and how to work with tribes, tribal enterprises, Native businesses and Indigenous entrepreneurs.
Some of the sessions will be centered around how COVID-19 has reshaped tribal economic development, access to capital in Indian Country, and opportunities in tourism for tribes. Tribal Business News will release additional information about the summit, including speakers and detailed discussion topics in the coming days and weeks, Rickert said.
To register for the summit, click here.
