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Agenda - Morning
9:00 Welcome and Introduction
9:15 Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development - Presentation
10:30 Analysis of Small Business Environment
12:00 Lunch
Agenda - Afternoon
12:30 Develop Options for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development
1:30 Review Task Team Discussions- Enterprise Structure- Tourism- Real Estate- Knowledge Industries
2:30 Next Steps, Assignments
3:00 Adjourn
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Qualla 2020 Goals
The purpose of the Qualla 2020 Project is to diversify the Cherokee economy and reduce its risks so that it can better ensure the well-being of the Cherokee population into the future.
In order to do this, the Qualla 2020 Project will seek to mitigate the dependence of the economy on gaming revenues, and to develop and expand businesses in ways that uphold the core values of the Cherokee people.
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Qualla 2020 Process
Six Committee meetings Tuesday, February 25, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Friday, March 21, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Yellow Hill Activity Center (Old Hardware Store) Wednesday, April 23, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Wednesday, May 21, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Friday, June 27, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Tuesday, July 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Task teams will meet by phone between Committee meetings to develop detailed action plans for Committee review
Committee will choose action plans to recommend to EBCI Administration, EBCI Tribal Council and Cherokee Preservation Foundation
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Action Plan Definition
Action plan criteria: Achievable with the resources controlled by institutions and
individuals on the Qualla Boundary Create visible differences within a year or two Support traditional Cherokee values and culture
Action plan elements:
Goal Participants Activities Organizational leadership Resources required Funding sources Timeline
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Agenda - Morning
9:00 Welcome and Introduction
9:15 Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development - Presentation
10:30 Discuss Options for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development
12:00 Lunch
Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development - Presentation
Presentation topics Overall approach to small business development Success factors for small business Existing programs targeting specific success factors Examples of additional programs that support small business
development
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Qualla 2020 Approach to Small Business Development
1. Establish a baseline description of a desirable/optimal small business environment
2. Complete research necessary to map the small business environment in Cherokee
3. Identify gaps/constraints between Cherokee environment and baseline
4. Prioritize the challenges and attack the problem
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Programs to Support Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Market Demand Greater Cherokee Tourism Council Qualla Arts and Crafts Western Mountain Alliance Cherokee Chamber of Commerce Tribal Fishing Program Tribal Programs and Harrah’s Purchasing
Capital Sequoyah Fund Southwestern Commission Angel Investor Network Local banks and financial institutions
Entrepreneurial Culture Business Plan Competition – college age and youth Qualla Financial Freedom
Others?
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Example: First Peoples Fund Native Artists Program
First Peoples Fund and partners provide a range of support to native artists seeking to expand their arts business
Business knowledge – training and practicums in selling your art and managing your business
Access to capital - connecting artists to Native CDFIs Financial education – training in managing money and credit Marketing and distribution – development of marketing
practices and approaches specific to the arts market Mentorship and social networks – connecting artists to peers
and mentors
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8(a) Contracting Examples
REI Corporation is a U.S. based Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) contract manufacturer located on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. Established in 2006, REI is a tribally-owned, for-profit business providing turn-key EMS solutions to defense and commercial OEM’s. The company also does contracting work in the tribal gaming industry.
Tigua, Inc. is owned by the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, Texas. They are 8(a) certified and have had contracts with several federal government agencies including GSA, Homeland Security, Justice, Interior and Defense. The Pueblo has no gaming.
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8(a) Contracting Examples
Seneca Holdings is the investment arm of the Seneca Nation of Indians, and founded to diversify the Seneca Nation's revenue streams beyond the gaming and tobacco industries and to usher in a new era of nation and region building. Its subsidiaries include Seneca Telecommunications, LLC and SCMC, LLC.
Seneca Telecommunications was formed in 2010 when Seneca Holdings acquired a controlling interest in CT-COMM to leverage management's expertise, past performance, and industry relationships to secure domestic and international prime and subcontract positions on current and future Federal contracts.
SCMC, LLC is a Small Business Administration Disadvantaged Business, SBA 8(a) Program participant, and SBA HUBZone participant. SCMC's services include construction management, general contracting, remediation, and demolition for various government agencies.
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Agenda - Morning
9:00 Welcome and Introduction
9:15 Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development - Presentation
10:30 Analysis of Small Business Environment
12:00 Lunch
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How Will We Define Optimal Environment for Small Business, Map Existing Environment and Analyze Gaps?
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Agenda - Afternoon
12:30 Develop Options for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development
1:30 Review Task Team Discussions- Enterprise Structure- Tourism- Real Estate- Knowledge Industries
2:30 Next Steps, Assignments
3:00 Adjourn
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Develop Options for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development
Note suggestions already made Previous meeting This morning’s discussion
Add, refine, combine into options
Discuss option Objective Key activities Important participants
Agenda - Afternoon
12:30 Develop Options for Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development
1:30 Review Task Team Discussions- Enterprise Structure- Tourism- Real Estate- Knowledge Industries
2:30 Next Steps, Assignments
3:00 Adjourn
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Tourism Task Team
Tourism Task Team plans on supporting the initiative of Skooter McCoy, Destination Marketing Director, introduced at the March Qualla 2020 meeting:
Vision on how Cherokee could be transformed from a day-trip to an multiple night destination, dramatically expanding visitation and revenue over the next decade.
Incorporating the two greatest assets: Cherokee culture Natural resources
Change to clearly defined districts that offer Culture, Downtown Base Camp, Convention/Fairgrounds, Wildlife, Saunooke Village Update, Gaming Resort Center, Indoor Adventure Park, Special Events District, Outdoor Activities.
Create a Tourism Development Authority Market and promote the vision Define a process through EBCI approval channels
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Real Estate Task Team
Ability to attract businesses to the Boundary, and commercial development of real estate on the Boundary, are constrained by two key challenges
Complex rules and procedures regarding land ownership, permitting and leasing
Modest levels of retail demand in Cherokee Relatively small year-round population for retail shopping makes it
difficult to attract major chains Inability to serve alcohol on most of Boundary limits revenue
potential for restaurants Restaurants that do not serve alcohol, typically classified as 'family'
rather than casual dining, are having the slowest growth within the industry--which leads to the business decision to not expand into unknown/unproven markets.
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Real Estate Task Team
Task Team is considering projects that would help streamline and simplify leasing process for individual possessory holdings
Conduct research to determine process, costs and potential funding for Tribe to take over Real Estate function from BIA
How much it would cost the Tribe to take over the function? What are the options for 638 contracts and compacts? How much money would the BIA pay the Tribe? What has been the experience of other tribes?
Conduct research to determine the feasibility and cost of rewriting tribal statutes to simplify leasing process
How much legal work would be required to create a new set of statutes and regulations? How big a project is this?
Have other tribes with similar possessory holdings done something like this?
May wish to consider HEARTH Act potential
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Real Estate Task Team
To increase the attraction of businesses to the Boundary and the incentive for commercial development on the Boundary, need to address issue of limited demand. Potential approaches:
Encourage shopping by drive-through traffic “Outlet mall strategy”
Tap the demand from gaming visitors Attract businesses that use the Internet as their primary way
to reach customers High-quality bandwidth lets them connect to high levels of
demand
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Knowledge Industry Task Team
Task Team is reviewing topics for potential action plans: Support for small business high-bandwidth connectivity:
Cost of installing high-bandwidth connectivity for business can be $7,000, which is barrier for small business.
Concept: a loan/grant program supported by the Foundation and/or the Tribe. Loan for connectivity would be forgiven 20% a year, so if business stayed in operation on the Boundary for five years, it would have the entire cost paid off.
Tech office space: Concept: a tech building with connectivity built into all the units. All offices would have built-in fiber connectivity, VOIP phones,
telepresence conference rooms, etc. There could also be co-working spaces for individuals who are not ready to rent an office.
Call center: Explore potential for development of a call center on the
Boundary for Caesar’s Entertainment. This call center could support multiple properties.
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Next Steps
Third meeting of task teams by phone Continue work on options
Research Interviews Financial analysis Exploration of funding sources Development of recommendations
BWB Solutions and Medicine Root will staff and facilitate tasks teams and conduct additional research as necessary
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