Tribal Leader Roundtable

This month we spoke with five tribal leaders about current issues and opportunities, lessons from previous years that will help their respective operations going...

All of our investments are designed to drive sustainable businesses and be a resource to support the well-being of our people and our surrounding communities, now and in the future.​

Our properties are continuing to expand due to the need for more operational space and accommodations for both the casino and hotel operations, including expanding our tribal gaming regulatory operations, surveillance, IT operation and facility maintenance.

As a tribe, we feel an obligation to support those that depend upon us – that starts with our tribal members of course, but it also means neighboring state and municipal governments we partner with, and private entities we do business with. We know that public health and economic security are intrinsically connected.

From our leadership on issues impacting Indian Country to advancing our business enterprises and providing services to our tribal members, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians expects 2022 to be an extremely busy year full of opportunity and promise.

Fortunately, we have a very experienced team that were involved in the development of our four casinos as well as several expansion projects along the way. That experience coupled with the new experience gained in managing a construction project during the pandemic, will continue to inform our operations going forward.

We have had to navigate the impacts of the pandemic for the past 18 months, and unfortunately, it is not over yet. Our first priority has been to ensure the health and safety of our tribal members, guests and employees.

The challenges have been to work closely with local and state officials to be consistent with COVID-19 safety requirements. The opportunities are largely in the area of increased guest services, food and hotel accommodations, and slot and table options.

At the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), we have been fortunate to have an incredible team helping us navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic. The past year has required a lot of flexibility, creativity and perseverance.

Like many tribal and public casinos across the nation, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath is our Enterprises toughest business challenge.