The National Center Partners with Wells Fargo, NIGA for Matchmaking Event & Special Native Edge Institute in San Diego

By Native News Online Staff - October 17, 2019 at 12:00AM

Published October 17, 2019

SAN DIEGO — The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (The National Center) will host its first-ever Native-to-Native matchmaking session in partnership with tribal and non-tribal casinos across the country. The session will take place in San Diego, California on December 9 and 10, 2019. Thanks to financial support from Wells Fargo, the National Center will be partnering with the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) for a session called N2N: Building the Native to Native Economy. In addition to programming focused on gaming facility procurement and contracting, supplier diversity, and access to capital, the N2N will feature a targeted matchmaking session that brings together tribal/Native-owned manufacturers, vendors, and service providers with prospective clients, specifically gaming operations. In addition, a special Native Edge Institute (NEI) session will be taking place alongside N2N, but will focus more specifically on casinos and resorts.

Chris James

“The National Center is very excited to expand our efforts to build economic growth in Indian country, continue our tremendously successful Native Edge Institutes, and partner with fantastic organizations like Wells Fargo and NIGA,” said Chris James, President and CEO of the National Center. “This one-day event can truly be a brick in building the broader Native-to-Native economy. I hope people from across Indian Country join us in San Diego for our latest programming designed to give Native American and Alaska Native-owned businesses and entrepreneurs the training and information they need to be successful.”

Using NIGA’s extensive network and expertise within the gaming industry, N2N: Building the Native to Native Economy will have a special focus on Tribal and Native-owned and operated companies, including Alaska Native Corporations, that offer products and/or services relevant to current or planned gaming operations. The matchmaking session will convene an estimated 100 vendors with 30-40 casino operators (both Tribal and non-Tribal) to facilitate interactions between vendors and operators, including identifying specific overlap between vendor products/services and casino operation needs.

Ernie Stevens, Jr.

“The National Indian Gaming Association is proud to partner on this important endeavor with the National Center,” said Ernie Stevens Jr., Chairman of the NIGA and National Center Board Member. “Bringing together tribal procurement officers with Tribally owned businesses is a long-standing goal for our member Tribes. Supporting Indian Country first has long been a policy of our organizations and we look forward to Indian Country’s participation on Dec 9 and 10 and at future NIGA-NCAIED joint conferences.”

The tentative schedule for N2N: Building the Native to Native Economy is below. Please visit www.ncaied.org for more information and a full agenda when it is available.

When:            December 9 and 10, 2019

Time:             Welcome mixer will take place on December 9 at 6:00 p.m.
Opening remarks begin at 8:30 a.m. on December 10
N2N lasts until 4:30 p.m. (all times local)

Location:       THE US GRANT, a Luxury Collection Hotel
326 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101

Cost:              $75 per person (Buyer/Casino Attendee)
$49 per person (Supplier/Attendee)

Register:       https://advancedbusinessmatch.com/abm-events/n2n-building-the-native-to-native-economy-us/

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