by Melissa Johnson | Rose Law Group Reporter
If you ask any of the Native American communities in Pinal County what is important to them, the answers, in short, will be development; agriculture, economic growth, business and entrepreneurship.
In a Pinal Partnership forum Friday, Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) Governor Stephen Roe Lewis attributes the community’s successes to solid leadership and deliberate planning for water, economic and agricultural development as well as public-private partnerships. Lewis says GRIC is working on tackling its biggest challenge, the untrained workforce.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Vice Chairwoman Delia Carlyle says members are tackling the same issues on a smaller scale. Ak-Chin, as well as GRIC, want to foster entrepreneurship and find ways to support and invest in small businesses.
Carlyle says the community cannot rely only on the casino and needs to diversify, which it is doing well as they take on international trade. “We’re farmers,” said Carlyle as she discussed how the tribe is now sending pecans overseas. The community also has a contract with Frito-Lay to provide the company with potatoes.
Ak-Chin is focusing on economic development, with casinos, a new entertainment center, and even a golf course.
Alia Hauter, director of Marketing with Wild Horse Pass Development Authority, shared the company’s vision for expanding the community’s footprint. She credits a strategic location, as a source of success, and said Wild Horse will continue to focus on promoting its overall image so the already popular, master planned commercial development can continue to grow.
Letha Lamb, board member of Gila River Telecommunications, Inc., spoke about Gila River Broadcast, which provides communications throughout the county as one of the largest Native American-owned-and-operated telecommunications companies. Lamb said the companies already share news and will soon be able to broadcast live, something the community is really looking forward to.
Gila River Telecommunications hopes to expand outside the county.
