NACA's 1st Annual B2B Conference & Expo

Come to NACA's 1st Annual B2B Conference & Expo!

By: Jennine Elias
Director of External Affairs
Native American Contractors Association
www.nativecontractors.org

It's that time of year again.... time to plan for upcoming conferences. With that in mind, don't forget to register for NACA's 1st Annual B2B Conference & Expo in Palm Springs, CA on November 11-13, 2013. NACA is excited to be holding this conference as it is our first tradeshow featuring large and small businesses from across the country. See the agenda here. You can register here!

NACA already has some great sponsors lined up:

Silver Conference Sponsor: 

Bronze Conference Sponsor and Reception Sponsor: 

Airline Sponsor: 

United Airlines is a partner with NACA. Recieve a discount of 10% by flying United Airlines to Palm Springs, CA. You may book online at www.united.com and enter your Offer Code ZPUZ756124 in the Offer Code box when searching for your flights. If booking through a travel professional or United Meetings at (800) 426-1122, please
give them the following information:Agreement Code: 756124 
ZCode: ZPUZ. Outside of the United States, please call your local United Airlines Reservation Office.

NACA still has space available for a Platinum Sponsor ($75,000), Diamond Sponsor ($30,000), Gold Sponsor ($15,000), Luncheon Sponsor ($10,000), Golf Sponsor ($5,000) and Signage Sponsor ($2,500). For more information please contact Jennine Elias at jennine@nativecontractors.org or by calling (202) 758-2676.

Come and mingle with other small businesses and play golf. All golf proceeds will be benefiting the Notah Begay III Foundation. The conference will be a blast and NACA encourages everyone to attend and make new business partnerships.

RES 2013: Proud to be Indigenous

Blogged by Samantha Nephew for the Native American Contractors Association

The glitz and the glamour of the (in)famous Las Vegas strip is what draws millions of people to the desert climate of Nevada yearly.

However, I found myself in Las Vegas this past week, not for the cacophony of slot machines, but for the Reservation Economic Summit (RES) 2013.

I just started my career last summer, working for Seneca Holdings, LLC, the investment corporation of the Seneca Nation of Indians. The first I ever heard of RES was last November when it was brought to my attention that I was in charge of handling marketing materials for Seneca Holdings and our subsidiary companies for the event. I had no succinct idea as to what RES was, but knew this would be my first trade show, and my first foray into what it really means to be in business in Indian Country.

I arrived Sunday night and dutifully began work prepping for the trade show at 7:30 on Monday morning. I watched as other companies began filling their booth stations and go to work at constructing their presentations, some as simple as ours, and others who had booths that I now aspire to see out of Seneca Holdings some day.

I also noticed something else while I was cleaning up our presentation at our booth. I realized how comfortable I was, a thousand and some miles from home, because of the company I saw around me. A feeling normally reserved for pow-wow’s and family gatherings, I felt I was surrounded by people like myself, with the same goals and aspirations. I wasn’t a “minority” as I am in most aspects of my life. I was with many, many people who want to see Indian Country grow to the levels we deserve to see.

That’s an incredible feeling. The feeling that I’m not the odd woman out. I wasn’t the sole evangelist for a cause that is foreign to so many people, despite the fact that Indian Country has been around much longer than the ancestors of friends, colleagues, and classmates. I had the privilege of inclusion, a privilege so many people take for granted.

And we were all there, not just to promote our individual 8(a) corporations, Indian-owned, women-owned businesses, but also to celebrate the gradual participation of all of Indian Country into the business world.

To me, RES, though it was a business conference, at its roots, it was a celebration of our continued effort in being apart of a world that was closed off to us for so many years. A celebration of Indian Country’s leaders sheparding the rest of us toward self-sustaining business and a kind of sentience that seemed elusive in the not so distant past.

Being apart of RES has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my short career. To be part of something that featured a grand entry, and listening to the beat of the drum to introduce the beginning of the trade show, I cannot express the immense amount of pride I felt.

One of the most poignant moments came while I attended the NAICED 40-under-40 mixer, a celebration of young leaders in Indian Country. Three of my favorite quotes of the events stemmed from this mixer.

·         “Pay it Forward.” This is important to note, because where we can develop leaders in our community, we need our leaders to reach out and make sure others get the opportunity to do more for our people. Paying it forward is something I learned early on thanks to my mother, Zenna Nephew, who passed away four years ago. She instilled in me the power of leadership and the power of volunteerism. I’m thankful to have had a mother who understood the value of these two things. Because of her, I make it a mission to pay it forward as often as I can.

·         “Today, I am proud to be indigenous.” One of the 40-under-40 recipients mentioned this in his brief speech to the rest of the attendees. Even though pride in our heritage is something we take seriously everyday, being at RES made it that much more prevalent. I’m sure he, and all of us, are proud to be indigenous every single day, but being at RES kind of heightened that feeling. Everyday I am proud to be indigenous, but watching my peers accept their due accolades, I was especially proud to be indigenous.

·         And the last, though not a quote, is my favorite sentiment from the woman who began the 40-under-40 awards. A woman who cried during her speech about her pride in bringing these leaders of the 40-under-40 together and recognizing them for their work toward the betterment of Indian Country. She spoke of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and how that has given us a step in the right direction. And she spoke of the recipients; how they are the role models in Indian Country and that these young men and young women embody respect for one another and for all. I’d be lying if I said that this woman didn’t move me. She was inspiring to say the least. Her passion reminded me of my mother’s. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

For this RES, I was a newbie. I might be enamored with the novelty of the event, as so many people seemed to be there for business, and yet forget the beauty of any passion ignited. But it most certainly did. A passion I have been harboring for a couple of years now has been fanned to levels beyond my current comprehension.

I may or may not be preaching my views as a young, naive businesswoman, but isn’t that what we want? Igniting this kind of passion is the first step toward creating sustaininable leadership. I hope to help build Indian Country in every way possible. I hope to help someone else in the future see the value that I saw these last few days.

I am excited that RES helped do this. And I hope you are, too.

Today, I am proud to be indigenous.

Samantha Nephew is the communications/marketing specialist for Seneca Holdings, LLC, the investment corporation for the Seneca Nation of Indians, who are located in Western New York. She is a graduate of the public communication program at Buffalo State College and current Integrated Marketing Communication graduate student at Saint Bonaventure University. She is a member of the Advertising Club of Buffalo, Social Media Club of Buffalo, and volunteers within the Buffalo community. Samantha can be reached at snephew25@gmail.com. 

We Must Fight Back! Spread the Word About Preserving the Indian Incentive Program

We Must Fight Back! Spread the Word About Preserving the Indian Incentive Program

By: Raymond Jardine

Chairman & CEO

Native Hawaiian Veterans, LLC.

During Senate consideration of the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government. Some familiar attacks were launched against Native contractors, with a new twist.

Senator John McCain offered an amendment that would strip funding for a program known as the Indian Incentive Program (IIP). However, in remarks on the Senate floor, Senator McCain unfairly characterized and attacked Native Hawaiian owned companies.  I wonder why Senator McCain is targeting Native Hawaiians?

The IIP is designed to encourage prime contractors at the Department of Defense (DOD) to incorporate subcontractors into their projects that are owned by Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and NHOs. The IIP authorizes up to a five percent rebate on subcontracts awarded to eligible companies.

The IIP, authorized by the Indian Financing Act, is appropriated money each year; for several years it has been funded at $15 million. In remarks on the floor, Senator McCain alluded to the funds, suggesting that the $15 million would go to Native Hawaiian companies. Senator McCain stated, “Also listed here is the Department of Defense to overpay contracts by an additional 5 percent--totaling $15 million--for Native Hawaiian-owned companies.” It is unclear as to why Senator McCain decided to attack NHOs, or to characterize the program as “overpayments.”

It is entirely appropriate for the Congress to implement programs that are meant to assist Native American contractors. These are the entities that facilitate economic development in our communities!  As Senator McCain knows well, the United States maintains a unique relationship between itself and Native Americans.  This country has a moral obligation to help Native people find ways out of the poverty that has crippled our communities for too long.

Native Americans are a founding fabric of this country--we love this country. We have served in its military in great numbers to defend what it stands for in every conflict since its founding; and we will continue to do so, proudly and honorably. But Native American communities continue to be the most impoverished in the nation. Nine of the 10 poorest communities in the country are home to Native Americans. Clearly, we have been left behind. Programs such as the IIP or the Native 8(a) program are important tools to grow our economies and to help us create jobs across the country.

Senator McCain seems intent to restrict and threaten the very existence of Native American government contracting programs. He has confused community enterprises and other firms that are public corporations or individually owned small businesses. These Native entity-owned companies are not tasked with elevating the economic status of a single owner or a few partners, but rather hundreds, thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of Native Americans are the owners of these companies. These programs are our best tools for advancing our social, cultural and economic wellbeing, while fostering a business approach to achieving these goals.

Indeed, our participation is barely a blip on the screen of all federal contracts. To speak of restricting and limiting Native Hawaiians the opportunities to grow is unbecoming of Senator McCain.

Native Americans have lived through centuries of misguided policies that failed to understand our strengths and abilities, failed to respect our contribution to this great country, and failed to embrace our hopes and dreams for our cultures, our elders and our youth. The result has been extraordinary and unnecessary destruction.

Many policymakers understand the history of Native Americans, our priorities and our goals of engaging American business tools to serve community needs. The Small Business Administration Native 8(a) program is another great example of this type of understanding the needs and finding a way to achieve desired goals. From both sides of the aisle, these policy leaders got it exactly right, - to create a business pathway for our tribes and community enterprises to more fully participate in the national economy.

The fact is the IIP, like the Native 8(a) program, have been significant tools to promote economic development through self-sufficiency. With (some modest) success come efforts to curb this success. Congress should focus on ensuring the continued growth of Native American businesses, rather than pushing legislation and amendments that are hostile to these businesses.

NACA Launches First Ever Marketing Video for new BD Portal

NACA's Congressional Outreach Summit

www.nativecontractors.org

Annual Meeting of Native American Contractor Association Leaders Held in Oregon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 13, 2012

Annual Meeting of Native American Contractor Association Leaders Held in Oregon

Portland, Oregon -- The annual meeting of the Native American Contractors Association (NACA) held in Portland, Oregon resulted in elections of six directors to fill out the twelve member board.  In addition, Native business leaders were briefed on current federal regulations impacting Native small businesses, and received updates on partnerships between NACA and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Black Chamber Inc.

Pictured: NACA business leaders meet with leaders of the Hispanic and Black Chamber Inc.

"The partnership between Native businesses, Hispanic and Black firms was described as historic," said Robin Puanani Danner, CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and long time NACA member.  "The dialogue and discussion with the Hispanic and Black chamber leaders was absolutely inspiring."

NACA is a national association of American Indian tribal corporations, Alaska Native corporations and Native Hawaiian nonprofit-owned corporations that are engaged in federal government contracting.  Specifically, NACA works to strengthen the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) program.

"CNHA has been a member since NACA's founding," Danner remarked.  "Along with the tribes and Alaska Native corporations that are members, we knew early on that Native unity and working together is a powerful combination.  My hope is that more of our Native Hawaiian 8(a) firms back home will join NACA, and next year will run for the NACA board when CNHA plans to step down."

The membership at CNHA is composed of more than 150 Native Hawaiian organizations, with more than two thirds eligible to participate in the Native 8(a) program at the SBA.  "Business and economic self determination is definitely an area for the next generation of Hawaiian leaders to take our communities," she continued.  "Organizations like NACA will be key partners in promoting and assisting our business leaders in Hawaii to do that."

CNHA is a national network of Native Hawaiian Organizations, providing assistance in accessing capital and technical resources, and is a policy voice on issues important to Native Hawaiian communities. Its mission is to enhance the well-being of Hawaii through the cultural, economic, and community development of Native Hawaiians.  For more information about CNHA please contact us at 808.596.8155, toll-free at 1.800.709.2642, by e-mail at info@hawaiiancouncil.org, or at www.hawaiiancouncil.org.

 

Media Contact

TiLeaf Group

A Native Advocacy Firm

P: 808.529.4610

F: 808.356.3423

E: info@tileafgroup.com

United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

United States Black Chamber, Inc.
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement