Jan 14, 2019 | NCAIED.org News, News

Thank you for tuning into the National Center’s monthly newsletter. 2019 is already in full swing, and we’re preparing for both our upcoming East Coast Native Edge Institutes (NEI) in February and the Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in March. As you may have seen in a previous newsletter, thanks to a generous grant from the Minority Business Development Agency, we will host our first NEIs east of the Mississippi River, and our fifth and sixth overall. I hope you’ll join us on February 19th in sunny Orlando, Florida and February 21st in the Great Smoky Mountains and in my home town of Cherokee, North Carolina. These one-day events are essential for contractors and small business owners who want to learn the latest procurement rules and technology updates. We will also be live streaming these events and we will provide details soon.

I made a promise to you at the 2018 Reservation Economic Summit that we will continue to expand our services throughout the United States. With NEIs on the East Coast, we are fulfilling that promise by providing more economic development support to tribes and procurement and business consulting to tribally-owned and Native American-owned businesses in all parts of the country.

Though it may seem like an eternity, the 2019 Reservation Economic Summit is just over two months away. There’s still time for you to register for the early bird rate, which is good for a savings of $200. So make sure you register by January 21st – Monday – to get the early bird rate! We will have a jam-packed agenda with numerous opportunities to learn, network, share your business story, connect with procurement specialists and supply chain representatives, and much more. New features this year include more specialized sessions, an expanded trade show, one-on-one business consulting and coaching, expanded procurement matchmaking, and entertainment by country music star Matt Stillwell.

If you haven’t been to RES recently, this is the year to come back and see us. Trust me, you do not want to miss RES 2019!

In this edition of the newsletter, I hope you’ll take the time to read more about some of the people and companies we will feature at RES, and why they think it’s important to be in Las Vegas from March 25-28. We also profile one of the newer members of our team, Chad Marchand, who heads our Business Development and Native Community Development Financial Institutions Program. Chad has been a great addition to the team and I hope you’ll take the time to meet him at RES.

I hope you’re looking forward to 2019 as much as I am. I look forward to talking with you throughout the year, and I hope to see you at a National Center event in the near future!

Sincerely,

Chris James
President and CEO
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development