Six tribal leaders share the steps their tribes are taking to ensure the long-term economic and cultural resilience of their communities, and the primary areas of focus for their gaming and entertainment enterprises. Here is what they had to say…
Guy Capoeman, President
Quinault Indian Nation
Quinault Beach Resort & Casino – Ocean Shores, WA
quinaultbeachresort.com / quinaultindiannation.com
RESILIENCE: Investment in our current workforce through development and education is a high priority. This includes assisting tribal members and team members with educational tuition assistance and relevant jobs within in our enterprises. We continue to enhance our connections with local educational and professional institutions to create relevant and needed career pathways. We also provide paid training to our current team members that are looking to learn necessary functions for their team so they can then bring back that knowledge to train our other team members.
Investments within our communities is also a primary objective, ensuring economic growth. Building strong partnerships with local businesses, non-profits, local government agencies and community groups creates positive economic and cultural advances. One example is sponsoring the local Flag Day parade. We are the primary sponsor of that event and are able to share our hospitality and provide an open partnership between the local community and the Quinault Nation.
Reinvestment in our infrastructure has also been a strong goal – to ensure we offer the best in guest service and hospitality provided by the Quinault Indian Nation and Quinault Beach Resort & Casino. When guests arrive at the resort, they don’t just see beautiful ocean views – they step into a space that tells the Quinault story. From the woven baskets and historic photographs in the lobby, to the Quinault artwork hanging in every guest room, our culture is proudly on display. But the greatest representation is our people. Tribal members have been at the heart of the resort since the very beginning – working across departments, leading with hospitality, and offering every visitor a warm welcome grounded in Quinault values. Dining at the resort is more than a meal – it’s a celebration of our natural resources and time-honored traditions. The menus across the property proudly feature Quinault-caught seafood from Quinault Pride Seafood, bringing the bounty of our waters to the plates of thousands of guests each year. From the 155 oceanfront guest rooms adorned with tribal art, to the relaxing spa and gift shop filled with Native-made goods, every corner of the resort speaks to our heritage. As a home away from home for guests, and a legacy for the Quinault people, the success of this property has provided opportunities, jobs, and vital economic growth – not only for the Quinault people, but for the surrounding community as well.
GAMING: This June, the Quinault Indian Nation proudly celebrates a remarkable milestone: the 25th anniversary of Quinault Beach Resort & Casino. What began as a vision to bring opportunity, pride, and prosperity to the Quinault people has become a thriving symbol of tribal success, sovereignty, and cultural strength. For a quarter of a century, Quinault Beach Resort & Casino has stood not just as a destination, but as a reflection of our values, our history, and our commitment to building a brighter future for generations to come. The story of Quinault Beach Resort & Casino is also one of perseverance, vision, and unity. We now look back with pride – and ahead with purpose – as we kick off a yearlong anniversary celebration beginning this June. Furthermore, we continue to improve our gaming infrastructure with new gaming offerings like electronic table games. We will also continue to provide live entertainment celebrating this amazing milestone in our journey.
Grant Johnson, President
Prairie Island Indian Community
Treasure Island Resort & Casino – Welch, MN
ticasino.com / prairieisland.org
RESILIENCE: Prairie Island launched a comprehensive five-year strategic plan in 2022. Through intense focus on five priority areas – exercising sovereignty, encouraging prosperity, promoting health, creating efficiency, and restoring culture – we are ensuring our tribe has the necessary resources and roadmap to provide for the next seven generations.
One example of how we are moving our tribe forward is our ongoing effort to transfer approximately 1,200 acres of tribal-owned land into federal trust for member housing and development of other community services. The expansion of our reservation land is a fundamental exercise of our sovereignty and will strengthen our tribe immeasurably. A second example is the formation of CBH, Inc., a Prairie Island Indian Community corporation created to manage our cannabis-related economic development interests, including Island PežI, an adult-use recreational cannabis company and dispensary. Through CBH, Inc., our tribe is quickly becoming a leading force in Minnesota’s newly approved recreational cannabis market.
GAMING: Like many businesses, Treasure Island Resort & Casino is continuously adapting to the new post-COVID normal and challenging market conditions. We know that continuing to provide the premier entertainment experience in the region is paramount to sustaining and growing customer loyalty. Building on our strength as Minnesota’s second-largest hotel property, we will continue creating unique and fun experiences through our gaming options and resort amenities, including live entertainment venues like our outdoor amphitheater. Central to the “Destination Fun” experience is the need to attract and retain top-level talent, and we are laser-focused on workforce development.
Darwin Kaskaske, Chairman
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kickapoo Casino – Shawnee & Harrah, OK
kickapoo-casino.com / kickapootribeofoklahoma.com
RESILIENCE: Economic development has been a priority for us, especially over the past three years. We’ve purchased several properties and are now actively moving forward with plans to bring them into tribal trust ownership. We are in the final stages of that process.
We see significant economic growth on the horizon and are focused on creating tribal plazas and other developments that will benefit our community. We are also developing our own tobacco products and pursuing several other promising opportunities. Additional funding from these economic development initiatives will help support our cultural programs and events. It’s an exciting time for the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma.
GAMING: This year, we are focusing on the future of the Kickapoo gaming operations. We are implementing long-term goals for continued success and growth within our two markets, while also focusing on education and growth for our employees. We want to continue to offer a safe and exciting environment for our customers for many years to come.
Our long-term goals include supporting education and growth for both tribal and non-tribal members within our casinos, updating restaurants and amenities to enhance customer offerings, and pursuing future enterprises to attract new guests while improving experiences for both new and existing visitors. We are committed to providing employees with opportunities beyond their current roles, supporting them through educational initiatives and maintaining our facilities to ensure a safe and comfortable environment.
Brandin Paya, Chairman
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
Rolling Hills Casino and Resort – Corning, CA
rollinghillscasino.com / paskenta-nsn.gov
RESILIENCE: As Chairman of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, I see resilience as our tribe’s ability to stand strong economically while staying rooted in our identity and traditions. We are taking bold strategic steps to ensure that strength lasts generations. Economically, we are expanding and diversifying. We have Tepa, which is our SBA (8)a company, and it assists us with entering into the federal contracting space in the U.S. Also, we are renovating and modernizing our tribal health clinics, which will enhance access and healthcare for members in our community. Additionally, we have launched a tribal microgrid project that will help us achieve energy independence and improve environmental resilience for our people and our enterprises. We are also expanding our tribal gas stations with more pumps to meet increased demand and further support our local
economic activity.
Culturally, we are investing in programs connecting our people to our heritage and are building a new tribal arbor dance area. This is a sacred space for gathering and ceremonies to share our traditions. We also host a weekly language class and bring our Nomlaki dances to the local schools to educate and inspire our community and the next generation. We are excited to host our second annual Big Time Event in November – a wonderful opportunity for the tribe to come together and celebrate our culture and heritage, ensuring it’s preserved and shared with everybody in the community. This year, the Golden State Warriors honored us during the Native American Heritage Night, recognizing Phil Jordan, who was the first Native American NBA player, and who was Nomlaki. We also celebrated the 30th anniversary of our tribe’s federal restoration. We’re showing the world that the Nomlaki people are still here. Our vision of resilience blends economic strength, cultural pride and self-determination, all grounded in the belief that what we build today must serve our people tomorrow.
GAMING: At Rolling Hills Casino and Resort, we are focused on elevating every part of the guest experience while using our success to uplift the tribal community. We are enhancing our entertainment offerings and expanding our dining and hospitality experience. We are also investing in facility upgrades and technology to keep our casino modern, competitive and welcoming guests from across this region. At the same time, we acknowledge the economic uncertainties facing both our industry and the broader economy right now. As a result, we are approaching growth cautiously, focusing on sustainability, strategic reinvestment, and maintaining a friendly and high-quality gaming experience that keeps our guests coming back.
Our workforce development is another major focus for us with training programs, career paths, and tribal economic initiatives. These are designed to prepare our people for leadership, hospitality and gaming in the future. Every job created, every show hosted, and every guest served contributes to our broader mission to provide financial support for crucial tribal services, including healthcare, housing, education, and cultural preservation. For us, gaming is so much more than just a business. It’s a way to achieve our sovereignty, share our tribe’s story, and create a sustainable future for the next generation of the Nomlaki people.
Amber Silverhorn-Wolfe, President
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
Sugar Creek Casino – Hinton, OK
sugarcreekcasino.com / wichitatribe.com
RESILIENCE: Currently, we are promoting long-term economic and cultural resilience in our communities utilizing several significant approaches in conjunction with collaborative efforts. As the only tribal nation who is indigenous to Oklahoma, we are fully invested in revitalizing and preserving our language and culture. Our ancestors have been here since our beginning, and it is important for our children, grandchildren, and future generations to be able to carry forth our traditions.
Since my coming into office in the summer of July 2024, we have reestablished our economic development arm, which is looking to increase support for Native-owned businesses, expanding their scope on innovative business ventures, and increasing their efforts in the non-profit sector where they will be searching for and utilizing grants related to mentorship, education and community outreach. When I worked for our tribe previously in tribal education, we offered business management and financial literacy training in partnership with AISES, our 8(a) companies, state agencies, and other Native-led organizations, which will be something to pick back up and build upon. We have developed curriculum rooted in Wichita ways of knowing, expanded efforts related to the revitalization of our language and are continuously working to develop sustainable practices by being intentional on how we operate while also incorporating traditional practices. Overall, we have been working diligently to get to a place where we are able to strategically plan for our time in office and beyond. We want our next generation of leadership to carry forth efforts and to make educated decisions that keep our culture and traditions alive 100+ years from now. It starts with having passion and working together.
GAMING: We have invested a lot of our time assessing what was handed over to ensure we make informed decisions that will impact our gaming and entertainment enterprises in a positive way. Preserving our sovereignty and exercising our rights within has been key in our approach and a primary focus for all we do.
For the first time in our casino’s history, we have hired a Wichita tribal citizen as the General Manger. With her knowledge and vision for the casino, hotel, and the inn and suites, I feel that we are moving in a good direction. Our primary focus thus far has been the completion of our hotel. This undertaking has been demanding, but we are hopeful it will be worth all the time and effort that has been put forth. We also see a need for rebranding and to reinforce our marketing strategies for these enterprises. Our establishment is right off of I-40 and it has a lot of potential that we hope to grow over the next few years.
Brian Weeden, Chairman
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
First Light Casino – East Taunton, MA
firstlighttaunton.com / mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov
RESILIENCE: Economic development and cultural resilience are two points that must move on parallel tracks. We cannot achieve economic development at the sacrifice of our culture. It’s likely one of the reasons that our petition for federal recognition languished for over 40 years. It’s also something that I’m grateful to our ancestors for. We have retained our ability to
live on our land in a way that strengthens our tribal body.
It’s now our task to honor the strength and resilience of past leaders as we look to build a strong tribal economy. Our current administration understands the work that lies ahead as we build housing, educational programs, healthcare, and a culturally relevant economy. This idea of a culturally relevant economy isn’t necessarily new – past generations of Wampanoag tribal members owned restaurants, construction companies, had an inn visited by President Grover Cleveland, a broom factory, trading posts, and many other businesses. We were a self-sustaining tribal community with the ability to live on our land in a way that sustained our culture. That is what we need to get back to, and what I mean by a culturally relevant economy.
Today, we see the need to reinforce these ideas in our education programs that immerse our youth in our traditional language. Language is the key to self-pride and remembering the great line of leaders that we come from. We also see a need to bring back affordable housing in our reservation lands. Many of the tribal businesses from previous generations closed as land and housing became unaffordable in our homeland. We opened our housing development a few years ago and recently purchased a motel we are refurbishing for additional housing. Education and housing ensure we have skilled tribal members to move our culturally relevant economy forward. We also need to create the framework for tribal businesses to grow. These include businesses that are managed by our tribal government, including our First Light Oyster Farm and First Light Casino, and creating opportunities for tribal citizens to open businesses that serve our tribal government. The laws we’ve established through TERO allow businesses within our community to grow and prosper. When all these initiatives move on a parallel track, we can realize a self-sustaining tribal economy with the freedom to preserve our culture.
GAMING: Our primary area of focus this year is to build a foundation for a gaming and entertainment venue that adds value to our neighbors, provides quality career opportunities and allows us a platform to celebrate our culture. It’s important that whatever we build has the ability to succeed and be sustainable for many, many years. There’s certainly more competition in Massachusetts since we first looked at opening a casino in 2016, and we want to ensure our gaming and entertainment provide something unique for the region. We want to give Southeastern Massachusetts an opportunity to immerse themselves in a venue that looks, feels and sounds like an Eastern Woodlands Tribe. We’ve given everyone a glimpse of this with a Welcome Center that we opened in January of this year and look to keep that cultural relevance top of mind as we plan for what’s next for First Light Casino.
