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ROB MCCLENDON: COMING UP ON YOUR HORIZON.
WELL IN 1783, THE UNITED STATES WAS A NEW NATION OF ABOUT 3-MILLION PEOPLE,
LIVING FOR THE MOST PART ALONG THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD.
NOW NATIVE AMERICANS, PERHAPS NUMBERING AROUND 600,000, CONTROLLED MOST
OF THE LANDS WEST OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.
BUT BY 1890, A LITTLE THAN MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, THE UNITED STATES
STRETCHED FROM COAST-TO-COAST AND WAS HOME TO SOME 66-MILLION
PEOPLE; AND ONLY 250,000 INDIANS REMAINED.
AMERICA'S HISTORY WITH ITS NATIVE PEOPLES IS A DIFFICULT ONE, BUT A
HISTORY WHERE THE LAST CHAPTER IS FAR FROM WRITTEN.
TODAY, WE EXPLORE THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF NATIVE AMERICA;
STAY WITH US FOR OKLAHOMA HORIZON.
MALE ANNOUNCER: OKLAHOMA HORIZON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY
THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION.
FEMALE ANNOUNCER: OKLAHOMA'S INVESTMENT IN CAREERTECH PROVIDES MORE
THAN NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND TRAINING, IT PRODUCES
SOLID FINANCIAL RETURNS FOR THE STATE'S ECONOMIC FUTURE;
OKLAHOMA CAREERTECH, ELEVATING OUR ECONOMY.
ANNOUNCER: AND, THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND FORESTRY,
HELPING GOOD PEOPLE GROW GOOD THINGS.
AND NOW, FROM THE CAREERTECH STUDIOS IN STILLWATER, HERE'S YOUR
HOST, ROB MCCLENDON.
ROB MCCLENDON: HELLO EVERYONE THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE ON
HORIZON.
WELL PROBABLY NO STATE MORE IDENTIFIES WITH ITS NATIVE ROOTS THAN
OKLAHOMA; EVEN THE NAME OF OUR STATE COMES FROM THE CHOCTAW PHRASE OKLA HUMMA,
LITERALLY MEANING RED PEOPLE.
EVEN THE STATE FLAG DEPICTS AN INDIAN WAR SHIELD, STARS, EAGLE
FEATHER, AND AN INDIAN PEACE PIPE.
NOW CULTURALY OKLAHOMA IS A NATIVE STATE, AND ONE THAT INCREASINGLY IS
SEEING A GROWING TRIBAL ECONOMIC IMPACT.
A NEW STUDY SHOWS TRIBES IN OKLAHOMA PRODUCE AN ESTIMATED TEN-POINT-EIGHT
BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT, EMPLOYING MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE.
WITH MORE HERE IS OUR ANDY BARTH.
ANDY BARTH: ROB, WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF INDIAN TRIBES AND THE MONEY THEY
GENERATE IN OKLAHOMA, THE FIRST THING THAT USUALLY COMES TO MIND IS CASINOS.
AND WHILE A LARGE PORTION OF NATIVE AMERICAN REVENUE COMES FROM GAMING, TRIBES
ARE CREATING JOBS AND MAKING AN ECONOMIC IMPACT IN OTHER AREAS.
THE GAMING AREA IS A BIG DEAL IN OKLAHOMA, FROM SLOTS AND TABLES, TO HORSE
RACING; AND, THE CHICKASAW NATION CLAIMS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST.
GAMING IS OUR PILLAR BUSINESS; I MEAN IT REALLY IS, WHEN WE FOCUS A LOT OF
ENERGY AND EFFORT ON GAMING.
ANDY: BILL LANCE IS THE CEO OF THE CHICKASAW NATION AND SAYS THEY KNOW
HOW TO STAY ON TOP IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY.
BILL LANCE: WE DO A GREAT JOB AT GAMING, WE PROVIDE A GREAT ENTERTAINING VENUE
FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, THEY LOVE COMING BACK TO OUR FACILITIES.
AND SO, WE, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUS, I MEAN WE DON'T, WE DON'T
TAKE OUR CUSTOMERS FOR GRANTED.
ANDY: AND LANCE SAYS GAMING SPILLS OVER INTO OTHER BUSINESSES.
LANCE: I THINK ONE THING THAT IS OVERLOOKED WITH GAMING IS THAT, YOU KNOW,
GAMING IS A BILLION DOLLAR ANNUAL BUSINESS FOR US AND A LOT OF WHAT WE HAVE
LEARNED IN MANAGEMENT, TECHNOLOGY, ET CETTERA IS TRANSFERRABLE TO A LOT OF
OTHER BUSINESSES.
SO IT'S REALLY OPENED UP A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE EXPERTISE
THAT WE HAVE IN ACCOUNTING, MANAGEMENT, TECHNOLOGY, I COULD GO ON
AND ON, WHICH REALLY IS TRANSFERRABLE TO A LOT OF OTHER BUSINESSES THAT
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM THAT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE.
ANDY: SECRETARY OF THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DAVE LOPEZ SAYS,
TRIBAL BUSINESS IS BOOMING.
DAVE LOPEZ: THE JOB CREATION THAT THEY HAVE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT 'EM AS
AN ENTIRETY WITH ALL THE 39 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES, IF YOU SAID THAT'S
AN APPOINTMENT FOR ANY SINGLE COMPANY IN OKLAHOMA THAT RANK IN THE TOP 5.
ANDY: AND WHILE MUCH OF THE TRIBE'S IMPACT IS GROUNDED IN GAMING, LOPEZ
SAYS THERE IS GROWING ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AMONG INDIAN VENTURES IN
OKLAHOMA.
LOPEZ: IT IS MUCH MORE THAN GAMING; THE TREND IN GROWTH AND REVENUES FROM
OTHER SERVICES, INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE TRIBES HAVE TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF IN EVERYTHING FROM AEROSPACE TO DEFENSE CONTRACTS WITH THE U S
GOVERNMENT, A VARIETY OF THINGS FROM COMMERCIAL LAND DEVELOPMENT,
ENTERTAINMENT BEYOND GAMING.
ANDY: AND MCALESTER'S CHOCKTAW DEFENSE IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE
DIVERSITY IN TRIBAL BUSINESS.
STEPHEN BENEFIELD IS THE MANAGING OFFICER.
STEPHEN BENEFIELD: THIS YEAR WE'LL BE PRODUCING ABOUT 30-MILLION DOLLARS
WORTH OF HARDWARE OUT OF THIS LOCATION, NEXT YEAR WE'RE PROJECTING OVER
50-MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
AND BEING A DEFENSE CONTRACTOR, ALL DEFENSE CONTRACTORS LIVE CONTRACT
TO CONRACT.
ANDY: AND FORMER MCALESTER MAYOR, KEVIN PRIDDLE, SAYS THE CHOCTAW BUSINESS
BRINGS MORE JOBS TO THE AREA.
KEVIN PRIDDLE: IT'S VERY BENEFICIAL TO US BECAUSE OF THE EMPLOYMENT THAT
THEY PROVIDE FOR OUR AREA; AND, THE TRAINING AND INCREASED USAGE OF OUR
PERSONNEL IN THE AREA AS WELL.
ANDY: JOB GROWTH THAT CHEROKEE'S CRC'S CHERYL COHENOUR SAYS BENEFITS THE
ENTIRE STATE.
THE TULSA-BASED COMPANY IS A DIVERSIFIED SMALL BUSINESS THAT CONTRIBUTES
TO THE MORE THAN ONE BILLION DOLLAR ECONOMIC IMPACT MADE BY THE
CHEROKEE NATION.
CHERYL COHENOUR: AS THESE BUSINESS UNITS DIVERSIFY AND WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE
JOBS, THEN IT BENEFITS OKLAHOMA'S ECONOMY.
ANDY: AND COHENOUR SAYS THIS TRIBE IS STAYING PUT.
COHENOUR: ONE OF THE REALLY POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT THE CHEROKEE NATION
IS IT IS HEADQUARTERED HERE IN OKLAHOMA AND ITS ONE OF THOSE HEADQUARTERS
THAT JUST WON'T LEAVE.
I MEAN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE AND MOVE TO HOUSTON, WE ARE ROOTED HERE IN BOTH
HERITAGE AND CULTURE AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW OUR BUSINESS.
ANDY: A FACT THAT OKLAHOMA'S SECRETARY OF COMMERCE DAVE LOPEZ SAYS
HELPS THE ENTIRE STATE.
LOPEZ: SO MANY OF THEIR ENTERPRISES ARE IN RURAL AREAS WHICH HAVE FOR
DECADES LACKED SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE TRIBES ARE BRINGING TO
THOSE AREAS.
BECAUSE THOSE ARE OFTEN TRIBAL LANDS, THOSE RURAL AREAS NOW GET THIS BOOST
NOT JUST FROM THE GAMING BUT ALSO FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITY AND EMPLOYMENT
AND THINGS OUTSIDE OF GAMING.
ANDY: MONEY THAT LANCE SAYS BENEFITS TRIBAL AND OTHER BUSINESSES.
LANCE: THAT, THAT MONEY FLOWS INTO OUR STATE, BENEFITS A LOT OF
LOCALLY-OWNED COMPANIES AND REALLY BENEFITS ALL OF OKLAHOMA; I MEAN, WE'RE
REALLY FOCUSED ON HELPING THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA AND WE REALLY HAVE A
PREFERENCE ON USING OKLAHOMA-BASED COMPANIES.
ANDY: GROWING JOBS AND BUILDING THE ECONOMY WHILE BRINGING HERITAGE AND
CULTURE TO THIS STATE.
NOW WHEN YOU ADD TOGETHER, THE DIRECT AND IN-DIRECT, ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE
TRIBES, THE TOTAL REPRESENTS 7% OF THE STATE'S TOTAL ECONOMIC
OUTPUT.
ROB: THANK YOU ANDY.
ROB MCCLENDON: NOW OVER ONE IN TEN OKLAHOMANS CAN TRACE THEIR TRIBAL
ANCESTARY, AND MANY MORE IDENTIFY WITH THEIR FAMILY'S NATIVE ROOTS THAT
HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
IF YOU WILL, TAKE A LOOK AT SOME NUMBERS WITH ME.
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST CENSUS ESTIMATE, OKLAHOMA'S POPULATION SITS
AT RIGHT UNDER T HREE-POINT-EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE.
NOW OF THOSE, 1 IN 10, JUST OVER 396,000 HAVE AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE.
AND ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY OF OUR NATIVE PEOPLES,
CHEROKEE'S MAKE UP THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF OUR POPULATION, AT 182,000;
FOLLOWED BY THE CHOCTAW'S AT NEARLY 69,000; THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION SITS
AT 37,000; FOLLOWED BY THE CHICKASAWS AT 21,000-PLUS; AND THE SEMINOLES AT OVER
13,000 PEOPLE.
NOW, ALTOGETHER 69 NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES ARE REPRESENTED IN OKLAHOMA,
INCLUDING 39 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES HEADQUARTERED HERE.
NOW THAT GIVES OUR STATE A CULTURAL DIVERSITY THAT IS TRULY AMERICAN.
NOW NEARLY 50 NATIVE TONGUES ARE SPOKEN IN OKLAHOMA; IN FACT, OVER 5%
OF OKLAHOMA'S NATIVE POPULATION REPORTS SPEAKING LANGUAGES OTHER
THAN ENGLISH AT HOME.
AND WHILE EACH OF THESE TRIBES ARE THEIR OWN DISTINCT PEOPLES, THEY ARE
ALSO VERY AMERICAN.
WHEN IT COMES TO MILITARY SERVICE, NATIVE AMERICANS SERVE AT 10 TIMES THE RATE
AS THE U S POPULATION AS A WHOLE.
NOW IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS AND A MYRIAD OF OTHER SUBJECTS,
JUST HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AT OK HORIZON DOT COM, WHERE WE HAVE DAILY
UPDATES FROM OUR PARTNERS AT FACE THE FACTS USA.
WHEN WE RETURN, I GET TO SIT DOWN WITH ONE OF THE LONGEST SITTING CHIEFS IN
OKLAHOMA, GOVERNOR BILL ANAOTUBBY OF THE CHICKASAW NATION.
MALE ANNOUNCER: YOU'RE WATCHING OKLAHOMA HORIZON, FEATURING SOME OF THE GOOD
THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE GREAT STATE OF OKLAHOMA.
ROB MCCLENDON: WELL WHILE EACH OF OUR NATIVE TRIBES HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE
HISTORY, NOWHERE ARE OUR NATIVE ROOTS BETTER DISPLAYED THAN AT THE
CHICKASAW NATION'S CULTURAL CENTER.
A 40-MILLION DOLLAR FACILITY THAT TOOK 6 YEARS TO COMPLETE, THE CENTER
CONTAINS COUNTLESS LIFETIMES OF BOTH CULTURE AND HISTORY; A TRUE
TREASURE FOR AN INDIAN NATION LED FOR THE LAST QUARTER CENTURY BY ONE
MAN, LONGTIME TRIBAL GOVERNOR BILL ANOATUBBY.
WELL GOVERNOR, TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THE CHICKASAW
NATION HAS ON OUR STATE AND OUR NATION, I WANT TO TALK FIRST ABOUT SOME OF
THE HISTORY OF THE TRIBE AND MAYBE SOME OF THE MILESTONES THAT YOU SEE AS
IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE CHICKASAW NATION.
BILL ANOATUBBY: WELL YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, OUR HISTORY PRE-DATES THE
UNITED STATES; BUT IN MORE RECENT HISTORY SINCE MAYBE THE MID 1970'S, I CAN
ACTUALLY RELATE TO THEM DIRECTLY.
I CAME TO WORK FOR THE CHICKASAW NATION IN 1975 AND WE HAD ABOUT, OH MAYBE
30 EMPLOYEES THAT WORKED FOR THE TRIBAL OFFICE.
AND, UH, WE HAD A LOT OF CHALLENGES; THINGS THAT REALLY TODAY WE'RE ENGAGED
AND WE'RE HELPING WITH.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT NEED WORK; WE HAD FOLKS THAT REALLY NEEDED
TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION; A LOT OF ISSUES IN THE FAMILIES; AND, YOU
KNOW, IT'S JUST A PRETTY SERIOUS SITUATION.
PEOPLE NEED TO BE EMPOWERED, THEY NEED TO BE GIVEN OPPORTUNITY; AND,
IT'S NOT ALWAYS TO GIVE SOMEBODY A DOLLAR SO THEY CAN GO BUY SOMETHING,
IT'S, THEY NEED THEIR DIGNITY, THEY NEED THE ABILITY TO DO FOR
THEMSELVES.
AND THAT'S WHAT OUR PEOPLE, THAT'S WHAT OUR HISTORY'S ABOUT; WE DID
FOR OURSELVES, WE WERE SELF-SUFFICIENT; WE WERE SELF-GOVERNED.
AND BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN OUR HISTORY, PRIOR TO
STATEHOOD AND AFTER STATEHOOD, A LOT OF THOSE THINGS WERE CHANGED WITHIN
OUR OWN CHICKASAW SOCIETY.
SO, FROM 1975 UNTIL TODAY THERE'S BEEN JUST A DRAMATIC CHANGE; WE HAVE
MANY, MANY PEOPLE NOW WITH HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREES AND WE HAVE A LOT OF
SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TODAY THAT WEREN'T AVAILABLE BACK
THEN.
IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF DETERMINATION AN EFFORT, A LOT OF LUCK I GUESS TOO,
AND SOME RESOURCES THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE AVAILABLE BACK DURING THAT TIME.
ROB: NOW, YOU'VE BEEN PRESIDENT OF THE CHICKASAW NATION SINCE 1987; IN THAT
TIME, WHICH IS WHAT, 25 YEARS ALMOST, GOING ON 25 YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN
SOME DRAMATIC CHANGES AS YOU SPOKE OF, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF BUSINESS AND
VISION, CAN YOU RELATE SOME OF THOSE TO ME?
ANOATUBBY: YOU KNOW, IN MY TENURE AS GOVERNOR, WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF, A LOT
OF CHANGES; A LOT OF IT HAD TO DO WITH ECONOMICS.
THE TRIBE ITSELF AS A GOVERNMENT WAS DEPENDENT UPON THE UNITED STATES FOR
A LOT OF ITS RESOURCES FOR FUNCTIONING AS A, AS A GOVERNMENT, PROVIDING
SERVICES TO ITS PEOPLE.
IN 1987, OUR CONSTITUTION HAD ONLY BEEN IN PLACE FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS; SO, WE WERE
IN A GROWTH AND A CHANGE PERIOD IN 1987.
BUT, THE FIRST SET OF GOALS THAT WE HAD RELATED TO ECONOMICS, RELATED TO
THE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT AND CREATING A STABLE OPERATION, CREATING
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR PEOPLE AND HAVING A LEVEL OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY
FOR OUR GOVERNMENT AND FOR OUR PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T EXIST AT THAT POINT.
NOW WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE, A MESSAGE WAS DELIVERED TO
OUR CHICKASAW LEGISLATURE THAT SAID THAT WITHIN 5 YEARS UNLESS WE DID
SOMETHING TO DECREASE COSTS, THAT WE COULD BE BANKRUPT.
WE WERE OPERATING PRIMARILY FROM RESOURCES, OR TRUST RESOURCES THAT
WERE HELD BY THE UNITED STATES, AND VERY LITTLE INCOME; AND SO WE HAD TO
CREATE SOME INCOME, AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE FOR THOSE REVENUES THAT WE HAD
BEEN DEPENDENT UPON.
SO WE HAD TO COME WITH ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE, THAT WAS, WOULD BE THE
OPERATION OF REVENUE GENERATING PROJECTS, OR IN TYPICAL TERMS, BUSINESSES.
MALE ANNOUNCER: OKLAHOMA HORIZON IS NOW PORTABLE, JUST SUBSCRIBE TO OUR
WEEKLY PODCAST.
VISIT ITUNES DOT COM WHERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OUR SHOW FOR YOUR LISTENING OR
VIEWING CONVENIENCE.
ROB MCCLENDON: WELL UNEMPLOYMENT IS LESS THAN 3% IN MURRAY COUNTY WHERE
THE ADA-BASED CHICKASAW NATION IS HEADQUARTERED, THANKS IN GREAT PART TO
THE 10,000-PLUS CHICKASAW NATION EMPLOYEES WHO WORK IN MORE THAN 60 DIFFERENT
BUSINESSES; WHICH IS WHERE I PICK UP MY CONVERSATION WITH CHICKASAW NATION
GOVERNOR, BILL ANAOTUBBY.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT AN ECONOMIC STUDY THAT WAS RELEASED BY OKLAHOMA CITY
UNIVERSITY, AND I WANT TO LOOK DOWN HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO BE SURE AND GET
THESE NUMBERS RIGHT.
BUT, IT SAYS THE TOTAL IMPACT OF THE NATION IS AT TWO-POINT-FOUR BILLION
DOLLARS ANNUALLY AND THAT YOUR BUSINESS ENTERPRISES ALONE CONTRIBUTE
ONE-POINT-THREE-NINE BILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE SUPPORTING MORE THAN
16,000 JOBS BOTH DIRECTLY AND IN-DIRECTLY HERE IN THE STATE.
DOES THAT NUMBER EVEN SURPRISE YOU, IT'S SO LARGE?
ANOATUBBY: I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M REALLY SURPRISED, BUT I AM CERTAINLY HAPPY;
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE, NOT ONLY FOR
OUR OWN PEOPLE, BUT FOR THOSE AROUND US OUR GOALS, OUR MISSION IS TO ENHANCE
THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR PEOPLE; BUT, HOW DO YOU DO THAT WITHOUT HELPING OTHER
PEOPLE AROUND YOU, ENHANCING THEIR LIVES AS WELL, IT HAS TO BE MORE OF
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW?
IF YOU IMPROVE THE ECONOMY, YOU'RE GONNA IMPROVE THE ECONOMY FOR
YOUR PEOPLE.
IF YOU BUILD BRIDGES, YOU'RE BUILDING BRIDGES THAT OUR PEOPLE TRAVEL
ACROSS, BUT ALSO OTHER PEOPLE TRAVEL ACROSS.
WE'RE PART AND PARCEL OF THIS STATE, WE'RE PART OF THE FABRIC OF THIS STATE
AND OUR PEOPLE, THEY PARTICIPATE IN COMMERCE WITHIN THE STATE, THEY
ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOLS SYSTEMS, THEY'RE PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN YOU HELP THEM YOU'RE HELPING OTHERS, AND WHEN HELPING OTHERS YOU'RE
HELPING THEM; SO IT'S SORT OF A TWO-WAY STREET.
WHAT'S GOOD FOR US IS GOOD FOR OUR, WOULD BE FOR OUR, BE GOOD FOR OUR
COMMUNITIES AND VISA VERSA.
ROB: I THINK THAT IS A MESSAGE THAT CERTAINLY PARALLELS WHAT YOU'RE
DOING WITH CHICKASAW NATION BUSINESS ENTERPRISES; VERY
ENTREPRENEURIAL, VERY FORWARD THINKING, AND MUCH BROADER THAN MOST PEOPLE
REALIZE.
IF YOU WILL, JUST TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT THE NATION
DOES.
ANOATUBBY: WELL YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO INVEST IN BUSINESSES THAT WILL HAVE
A FUTURE; YOU KNOW, AND SO YOU, YOU TAKE A REALLY CLOSE LOOK AT ANY BUSINESS
THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO ENTER INTO.
WE DO FEASIBILITY STUDIES; YOU ASSESS THE VALUE BASED ON WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO
AS A CHICKASAW NATION.
AND SO, THERE, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO INDIAN TRIBES,
TO THE CHICKASAW NATION, GAMING IS ONE OF THOSE.
AND SO, WE WILL DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN WITH GAMING; IT WILL OPTIMIZE
THE AMOUNT OF REVENUES THAT WE CAN OBTAIN FROM GAMING.
AND THEN, WE UTILIZE THE REVENUES THAT WE HAVE FROM WHATEVER SOURCE, WHATEVER
BUSINESS THAT WE OWN, TO RE-INVEST.
WE RE-INVEST IN NEW BUSINESS, WE INVEST OBVIOUSLY IN OUR OWN
PEOPLE, WE INVEST IN THE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT AND ITS GROWTH; AND UH, WE HAVE A
SYSTEM AND THAT SYSTEM IS INTENDED TO BE SUCCESS.
AND SO, SOME THINGS WE WILL DO AND SOME THINGS WE WON'T DO.
NOW WE'RE IN RETAIL, WE HAVE SEVERAL RETAIL FACILITIES, CONVENIENCE
TYPE FACILITIES AND C-STORES AS THEIR CALLED.
AND, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BEDRE FINE CHOCOLATES, AND
BELIEVE ME, THEY ARE FINE CHOCOLATES.
ROB: I'VE ENJOYED 'EM MANY A TIME.
ANOATUBBY: PEOPLE LOVE THEM!
AND THEN WE'RE IN BANKING, WE OWN A BANK IN OKLAHOMA CITY.
WE HAVE A COMPANY THAT IS ENGAGED IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING, AND IT'S BEEN
IN BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS NOW; IT'S ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE 8-A CONTRACTORS
IN THE COUNTRY.
AND THEY HAVE DEALT WITH VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, UH, THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE FAA, AND WE COULD MAKE A WHOLE LIST OF DIFFERENT
AGENCIES THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH.
ROB: AND THESE ARE ENTERPRISES THAT NOT ONLY ARE SUCCESSFUL, BUT
THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING JOBS, AS WELL; WHICH IS DOUBLY IMPORTANT
HERE IN SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA.
MANY TIMES RURAL AREAS IN THE STATE LEAD IN UNEMPLOYMENT; WHAT TYPE OF
JOBS ARE YOU PROVIDING TO RURAL AREAS?
ANOATUBBY: THE KINDS OF JOBS ARE QUALITY JOBS, THEY'RE GOOD PAYING JOBS;
IF PEOPLE HAVE THE EDUCATION, AND THEY HAVE THE SKILLS TO DO THE WORK
THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, THEN WE'RE, WE WANT TO EMPLOY THEM.
WE GIVE, OBVIOUSLY OUR PEOPLE, THE CHICKASAWS, FIRST PREFERENCE AT ANY
JOB THAT WE HAVE.
SO IF WE HAVE A DOCTOR THAT'S CHICKASAW, THEY WILL GET FIRST SHOT AT
THAT JOB; BUT OBVIOUSLY, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CHICKASAW DOCTORS TO FILL
EVERY POSITION THAT WE HAVE; SO, OTHER PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED AS WELL.
AND, WE DON'T BEGRUDGE THAT; I MEAN, WE EMPLOY PEOPLE, WE, WHEN THEY ARE
EMPLOYED WHETHER THEY ARE CHICKASAW OR NON-CHICKASAW THEY BECOME PART OF THE
FAMILY THEY'RE PART OF OUR EDUCATION, OUR EMPLOYEE BASE AND THEY'RE TREATED
THE SAME, AND WE OPEN OUR ARMS UP.
SO, WHILE WE DO GIVE PREFERENCE, AND I THINK THAT WOULD OCCUR JUST
ABOUT ANYWHERE, IF YOU ARE WORKING FOR ONE OF THE LOCAL CITIES, YOU'RE
PROBABLY LIVING IN THAT CITY, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE SIMILAR.
BUT, WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF JOBS AND WE'RE CONSISTENTLY
SEEKING THE MOST QUALIFIED, THE MOST SKILLED PEOPLE TO FILL
THOSE JOBS.
FEMALE ANNOUNCER: IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN OKLAHOMA CULTURE, YOU CAN
KEEP UP WITH US THROUGHOUT THE WEEK ON THE RED DIRT CHRONICLES BLOG.
LOOK FOR OUR ON THE HORIZON POSTINGS ON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS AND
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
ROB MCCLENDON: NOW DESPITE THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF OKLAHOMA'S NATIVE TRIBES,
DIFFICULTIES, WELL THEY DO REMAIN.
DISPUTES OVER WATER RIGHTS REMAIN A CONTENTIOUS SUBJECT AT THE STATE
CAPITOL; YET WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SHARED SUCCESS IT'S A PATH GOVERNOR BILL
ANAOTUBBY BELIEVES WE SHOULD ALL WALK TOGETHER.
UNDOUBTEDLY, THE GAMING PORTION OF YOUR BUSINESS PORTFOLIO IS QUITE
IMPORTANT AND DRIVES MANY OF THE THINGS THAT YOU DO IN RURAL OKLAHOMA; HOW
DEPEDENT, OR INTER-DEPEDENT ARE CHICKASAW BUSINESS
ENTERPRISES WITH THE GAMING PORTION OF YOUR PORTFOLIO?
ANOATUBBY: WELL IT'S UH, OBVIOUSLY IT'S THE LARGEST REVENUE GENERATOR; WE HAVE
OPTIMIZED, OR WE'RE WORKING TO OPTIMIZE THE REVENUES THAT COME FROM
GAMING.
AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US, IT'S A LARGE, LARGE PERCENTAGE OF WHAT OUR
REVENUES ARE; BUT OUR DIRECTION IS THAT WE DIVERSIFY, THAT WE GET
INTO OTHER KINDS OF INDUSTRY THAT OFFERS OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITIES
FOR REVENUE GENERATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOBS.
THIS STUDY THAT YOU REFERRED TO SHOWS THAT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO IMPROVE
THE ECONOMY IN OUR AREA.
THAT'S BEEN PART OF OUR GOAL, WE WANTED TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY WITHIN OUR
AREA; AND NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR, JUST THE 11 COUNTIES, OR 13 COUNTIES THAT WE'RE
PART OF, BUT FOR THE WHOLE STATE, IT HAS BEEN IMPROVED.
ROB: NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER HERE IN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
AS THE HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTOR AND JUST RECENTLY YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO
COMPLETE A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY THAT NOW SERVES WHAT, OVER
A HALF A MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY?
ANOATUBBY: THAT'S CORRECT.
ROB: I WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IT.
ANOATUBBY: WELL IT'S A WONDERFUL FACILITY; AND THE PREVIOUS FACILITY, IT
WAS BUILT IN 1980, UH, FINISHED IN 1980, AND IT WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE
UNITED STATES AS AN INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE FACILITY.
AND THEY ANTICIPATED A MUCH SMALLER SERVICE POPULATION AT THE TIME.
WELL, IN 1994 WE ACTUALLY BEGAN THE OPERATION OF OUR OWN HEALTH SYSTEM AND AS
TIME WENT BY, THOSE NUMBERS IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY.
AND BEFORE WE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED THE NEW MEDICAL CENTER, WE WERE
SITTING AT OVER 300,000 PATIENT VISITS PER YEAR AND WERE OPERATING WITHIN
A FACILITY THAT WAS DESIGNED TO HANDLE LESS THAN A 100,000.
SO, WE OBVIOUSLY NEEDED MORE SPACE AND WE CONSIDERED AN EXPANSION OF
THE EXISTING SPACE, BUT OPTED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BRAND NEW ONE.
AND IT'S A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY, IT HAS MORE SERVICES
AVAILABLE THAN WE HAD IN THE OTHER FACILITY, AND WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER THE
SERVICES IN A MORE EFFICIENT AND A BETTER MANNER THAN WHAT WE
OFFERED BEFORE.
ROB: I AM STRUCK BY THE FACT THAT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT,
HOW INTERWOVEN THE SUCCESSES OF THE CHICKASAW NATION, WHETHER THEY BE
BUSINESS OR SOCIALLY ARE JUST INTERWOVEN WITH THE SUCCESS OF OKLAHOMA.
ANOATUBBY: WELL, WE'RE OKLAHOMANS; WE WERE HERE BEFORE OKLAHOMA BECAME A
STATE.
AND UH, SO WE'RE PART OF THIS STATE; AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE PART OF
THE FABRIC.
MANY OF OUR LEADERS, WHENEVER OKLAHOMA BECAME A STATE, ACTUALLY TOOK
LEADERSHIP ROLES IN OKLAHOMA; WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT SERVED ON SCHOOL
BOARDS, THEY SERVED IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
WE HAD A PERSON WHO WAS ELECTED AS THE FIRST CONGRESSMAN FROM THE
DISTRICT, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE THIRD DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA, CHARLES CARTER,
AND SERVED FROM 1907 TO 1929.
WE'VE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SERVED AS GOVERNOR AND LEADERS OF THE STATE;
MARRIED CHICKASAWS, YOU KNOW, ALFALFA BILL MURRAY WAS ACTUALLY MARRIED TO A
CHICKASAW.
SO I MEAN, THERE'S UH, WE'RE PART OF THIS STATE AND WE LOVE OKLAHOMA; WE
WANT TO SEE OKLAHOMA PROSPER.
WE HAVE OUR OWN TRIBAL IDENTITY AND WE HANG ONTO THAT IDENTITY, IT'S PART
OF US, BUT WE'RE ALSO PART OF OKLAHOMA.
ROB: GOVERNOR ANOATUBBY, AS ALWAYS IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND A PLEASURE
TO VISIT WITH YOU.
ANOATUBBY: IT'S BEEN VERY GOOD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ROB: THANK YOU.
NOW IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OKLAHOMA'S NATIVE TRIBES AND THE
ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY, I DID HAVE THAT DISCUSSION WITH GOVERNOR ANAOTUBBY
AND IT'S STREAMING ON OUR WEBSITE AT OK HORIZON DOT COM.
WELL AT THIS TIME OF THANKSGIVING AS WE PAUSE TO COUNT OUR BLESSINGS,
WE'LL REMEMBER THOSE WHO WORK THE LAND TO MAKE SUCH ABUNDANCE ON OUR DINING
TABLES POSSIBLE.
AND IT'S GROWING, AND IT'S GOING TO BECOME MORE IMPORTANT TO, IN THE
FUTURE, UH, AS ECONOMIES BECOME MORE INTERLINKED, FOOD CONSUMPTION GROWS AND
FOOD SUPPLIES HAVE TO BE MOVEABLE AROUND THE WORLD TO MEET THE DEMAND.
ROB: FOOD AND THE FARMERS WHO PRODUCE IT; ON OKLAHOMA'S SHOW FOR THE
HEARTLAND, OKLAHOMA HORIZON.
WELL WE ARE OUT OF TIME.
I'M ROB MCCLENDON.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.
SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK.
MALE ANNOUNCER: THANK YOU FOR WATCHING OKLAHOMA HORIZON.