Native American Business

MARICOPA, Ariz – Summit Builders was recently awarded the construction contract for the Ak-Chin Indian Community Fire Station No. 561 located at 45401 W. Farrell Road in Maricopa, Ariz.

GOWANDA, N.Y. – Seneca businessman Ross John, of RJE International, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a Central New York biomass company, Summerhill Biomass Systems, to install an innovative heating system on his property that utilizes powder made from corn, grass, wood, and other renewable energy sources found throughout the Cattaraugus Territory.

UPPER FRUITLAND, N.M. (AP) – Members of the Navajo Nation’s Upper Fruitland Chapter in northwestern New Mexico have approved alcohol sales at the restaurant in the casino they plan to build near Farmington.

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (AP) – Gov. Haley Barbour has asked the federal government to stop construction of a Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians casino in Jones County, citing possible wastewater problems.

RENO, Nev. (AP) – A Reno bankruptcy judge has approved a Station Casinos Inc. reorganization plan for creditors to take an ownership stake in some properties and buy others through an auction.

Touting its unique architectural design, HKS Architects have unveiled the much-anticipated design plans for Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the new spring training home for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

MARKSVILLE, La. – Paragon Casino Resort recently announced the appointment of two new executives. Joining the ranks are Chief Financial Officer Tonya Tarrant and Director of Systems Daniel Scopes.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Each year, federal and state governments release more than 1,000 programs and approximately $400 billion in grant funding for a wide variety of applications, and the sheer volume of funding data makes it difficult for eligible tribal governments and organizations to find the programs that could make a difference in their communities. Consequently, larger, more sophisticated entities are often better positioned to access these resources.

SAN DIEGO – Building on 17 years of experience producing and managing hundreds of events annually at Viejas Casino, Viejas Entertainment & Production is taking its services to the next level as VE&P.

WIND RIVER, Wyo. – The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe Tribes recently announced that 50 Native trainees from the Wind River and other reservations have gone through the Permanent Jobs Creation Initiative, and that 47 have received jobs with a union contractor providing a career path to a better future for them and their families. The 94 percent success rate for the reservation-based training program – with many of the union apprentice level members former welfare recipients – is a unique blend of entities committed to spurring economic and human development on the reservation.

How many of us know our mission in life? What about our business or organizational mission? Most of us are familiar with the concept of a mission statement, but what about the importance of using a mission statement to help us to be more productive and stay on track? Having a dedicated purpose can make all the difference in what you are able to accomplish as a Native professional.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation has spent more than $7 million in recent months to restore Remington Park, a top official with the track’s ownership group said Aug. 17.

Even as horses went through morning workouts on the racetrack, construction workers continued buzzing around the 22-year-old facility to complete the initial stage of renovations before the opening of the track’s annual thoroughbred meet Aug. 19.

Rocket Gaming Systems is proud to announce that its successful Gold Series line of games is now available in the states of Oregon and Kansas. Six Gold Series games recently went live at Three Rivers Casino & Hotel in Florence, Ore. Another six Gold Series games went live at 7th Street Casino in Kansas City, Kan. Three Rivers and 7th Street Casino have become the first properties in their respective states to offer their customers Rocket’s popular Gold Series games and the chance to compete for the top prize of more than $1 million.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The two Indian-run casinos in Connecticut reported slightly higher revenue in July compared with the same month a year ago.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma Indian tribes paid $118.2 million in gaming fees to the state, helping to ease budget cuts at some state agencies, state records show.

MINNETONKA, Minn. – Table Trac, Inc., a developer and provider of casino information and management systems that automate and monitor the operations of casinos, recently announced that through a highly competitive procurement process, the Navajo Nation’s Flowing Water Navajo Casino has selected Table Trac as provider of a comprehensive casino management system.

INDIO, Calif. – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is unveiling its latest showcase – the Lit lounge on the casino floor, which takes over for the former Fantasy Lounge. Inside the ultra-modern and plush bar and lounge, guests will find a rectangular bar that spills out into the casino. The bar features 24 state-of-the-art Bally Game Maker video poker machines and a host of oversized LCD flat screen televisions and two giant drop-down projection screens, perfect for watching sporting events with friends.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s state-licensed casinos bounced back with a strong July, taking in almost as much from players as in July 2009.

MILWAUKEE – It will be a horse of a different color come the end of September at Potawatomi Bingo Casino.

SAN DIEGO – Viejas Casino has announced three new, key executive appointments that add a combined 40-plus years of casino management, marketing and human resources experience to the San Diego County gaming and entertainment destination.