Governor Bill AnoatubbyOpportunities opening up to our entrepreneurs
By Bill Anoatubby, Governor, Chickasaw Nation
Please accept my thanks to all of you who attended last month's Listening Conference in Oklahoma City. There was an excellent turnout for the event, and I believe everyone had an enjoyable, educational and fun experience.
I know I had a great time and welcomed the opportunity to meet new people and renew old acquaintances. The conference offered a full lineup of seminars and meetings on subjects of interest to Chickasaws. Booths and displays were also set up to provide information.
I attended one meeting which was of particular interest to a great number of Chickasaw citizens. "Chickasaw Business Opportunities" offered citizens the opportunity to learn about the schedule of programs available to Chickasaws who are in business, or who are considering going into business.
We decided to present this seminar for two basic reasons. First, Chickasaws have a long history of participation and success in commerce. Many Chickasaws are currently in business for themselves, and many have relatives working in their extended family businesses.
Second, the Chickasaw Nation now offers several tremendous programs that provide excellent commercial opportunities for Chickasaw business people.
It was obvious from the attendance at "Chickasaw Business Opportunities" that many of our citizens are "tuned in" to the nuances of American business. The level of business knowledge was impressive, and I was very pleased that so many Chickasaws were so versed in the fundamentals of commerce.
During the two-hour seminar, citizens learned about our newly-created Chickasaw Small Business Development Center (SBDC); our Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. (CNI) programs; our Bank2 finance programs; our Chickasaw vendor preference program; and our Chickasaw Business Registry.
People were excited about the prospects - and with good reason! These programs have been developed with the mission to build up our Chickasaw-owned businesses, and help them on their way to success.
Our SBDC helps new business people and those seeking to grow their businesses. At the Chickasaw SBDC, you can learn everything from how to establish a business plan, to how to make good hires, to how to secure proper financing.
Our CNI programs offer Chickasaw businesses the potential to "plug in" to the federal contracting system, and more.
Bank2, the Oklahoma City-based bank owned by the Chickasaw Nation, actively seeks Chickasaw business and provides great information on how best to plan your business financing.
The Chickasaw vendor preference program is an exciting element in our Division of Commerce procurement system. The program actively seeks Chickasaw businesses that provide the commodities the tribe purchases regularly. We want to do business with our Chickasaw businesses whenever and wherever possible.
Our Chickasaw Business Registry is the baseline program that offers quick, concise information about Chickasaw businesses across the country.
We deeply appreciate our citizens who are in private business. We understand they meet tremendous obstacles every day, and they must display incredible perseverance to succeed. It is our hope that our Chickasaw businesses will achieve new levels of success with the help of the tribe's "Chickasaw Business Opportunities."
