Kadin Mills
Special to ICT
From construction and real estate to information technologies and medical manufacturing, tribal nations in Michigan are bolstering the state’s economy far beyond casinos, according to a study assessing the impact of non-gaming tribal businesses in Michigan.
With the participation of all 12 federally recognized tribes in the state, the 2024 Michigan Non-Gaming Tribal Economic Impact Study identified more than $1.2 billion in economic contributions to the state’s economy, not including gaming.
The impact assessment includes direct, indirect and induced economic effects of 78 tribal business entities across 16 different industries.
“The economic impact highlighted in the study is both significant and encouraging,” said Tom Durkee, director of tribal business development at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which funded the study.
“Tribal nations are well positioned to diversify their economies, generate sustainable revenue beyond gaming and create quality jobs that strengthen communities across Michigan,” he said in a statement.
The study was led by Waséyabek, a tribally owned holding company that manages the non-gaming business entities of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. It follows up on their 2019 report, which first assessed non-gaming industries in Michigan. Nine tribal nations participated in the original study.
The new report demonstrates significant growth compared to the initial report, including 40 new tribal business entities across five additional industries. According to the study, this reflects the “broader distribution of business activity and reinforces the role tribal business entities play in driving Michigan’s economic momentum.”
The study also pointed to direct economic benefits such as a 125 percent increase in gross revenue, a 47 percent surge in average wages and rising job numbers.
According to the report, diversifying tribal business enterprises is vital to the long-term stability of Native communities and upholding tribal sovereignty. It points to strengthening communities through expanded opportunities and wealth-building for both families and their nations.
Diverse business portfolios also make tribal nations more resilient in the face of economic crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the temporary closure of casinos.
“However, during that period when the casinos were shut down, our businesses were not,” said Jessi Goldner, the project lead on the study and a member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. “Ultimately it’s creating that strategic foundation.”
Goldner said non-gaming industries are often overshadowed by tribal casino ventures. “This is about finding a way that we can really just highlight that there are other things that tribes are doing outside of gaming,” she said.
She said data on tribal gaming revenue across the state is currently unavailable, but it is something she hopes the research will include in the future.
Goldner said there are numerous ways the data can be used, including policy discussions with state lawmakers.
“I think its visibility,” she said. “Often when you think of a tribe and you think of business, a lot of people do think of gaming. Gaming has played such a critical role for tribal economies, but it’s not everything.”