Qualla 2020:
Diversifying the Qualla Economy
Third Meeting
April 23, 2014
Page 2
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
Page 3
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
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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
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Six Committee meetings
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Tuesday, February 25, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm 
Friday, March 21, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm 
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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
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Action plan criteria:
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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:
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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
Page 8
Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development Presentation
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Presentation topics
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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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Success Factors for Small Business
Market
Demand
Entrep.
Culture
Trained
Workforce
Suppliers &
Resources
Capital
Transport &
Comm.
Public
Sector
Support
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Programs to Support Small Business and
Entrepreneurship
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Market Demand
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Capital
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Sequoyah Fund
Southwestern Commission Angel Investor Network
Local banks and financial institutions
Entrepreneurial Culture
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Greater Cherokee Tourism Council
Qualla Arts and Crafts
Western Mountain Alliance
Cherokee Chamber of Commerce
Tribal Fishing Program
Tribal Programs and Harrah’s Purchasing
Business Plan Competition – college age and youth
Qualla Financial Freedom
Others?
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Example: First Peoples Fund Native Artists Program
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First Peoples Fund and partners provide a range of
support to native artists seeking to expand their arts
business
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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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First Peoples Fund Stages of Development
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First Peoples Fund Program Results
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First Peoples Fund Program Results
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8(a) Contracting Examples
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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
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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
Page 22
How Will We Define Optimal Environment for Small
Business, Map Existing Environment and Analyze Gaps?
Market
Demand
Entrep.
Culture
Trained
Workforce
Suppliers &
Resources
Capital
Transport &
Comm.
Public
Sector
Support
Page 23
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
Page 24
Develop Options for Small Business and
Entrepreneurial Development
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Note suggestions already made
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Previous meeting
This morning’s discussion
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Add, refine, combine into options
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Discuss option
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Objective
Key activities
Important participants
Page 25
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
Page 26
Tourism Task Team
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Tourism Task Team plans on supporting the initiative of
Skooter McCoy, Destination Marketing Director, introduced
at the March Qualla 2020 meeting:
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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:
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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
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Ability to attract businesses to the Boundary, and
commercial development of real estate on the Boundary,
are constrained by two key challenges
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Complex rules and procedures regarding land ownership,
permitting and leasing
Modest levels of retail demand in Cherokee
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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
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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
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Task Team is considering projects that would help
streamline and simplify leasing process for individual
possessory holdings
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Conduct research to determine process, costs and potential
funding for Tribe to take over Real Estate function from BIA
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Conduct research to determine the feasibility and cost of
rewriting tribal statutes to simplify leasing process
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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?
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
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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:
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Encourage shopping by drive-through traffic
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“Outlet mall strategy”
Tap the demand from gaming visitors
Attract businesses that use the Internet as their primary way
to reach customers
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High-quality bandwidth lets them connect to high levels of
demand
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Knowledge Industry Task Team
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Task Team is reviewing topics for potential action plans:
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Support for small business high-bandwidth connectivity:
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Tech office space:
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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.
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 coworking spaces for individuals who are not ready to rent an office.
Call center:
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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
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Third meeting of task teams by phone
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Continue work on options
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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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Contact Information
Ben Sherman
sherman1491@gmail.com
(303) 818-4926
John Weiser
johnw@bwbsolutions.com
(203) 314-8600