Business appreciation 2014

A supplement to The Omak-Okanogan County ChronicleJune 11, 2014

Business 2014

Page 2 — Business Appreciation 2014, The Chronicle, Omak, Wash.

Business Appreciation© The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle

Owned and operated by Eagle Newspapers Inc.618 Okoma Drive, Omak, WA 98841P.O. Box 553, Omak, WA 98841

Roger Harnack, Editor and PublisherDee Camp, Section Editor • Teresa Myers, Advertising Manager

509-826-1110 • 800-572-3446 • 509-826-5819 faxwww.omakchronicle.com

Cover photo: Roxanne Best

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Shovels and hard hats line up on dedication day in May for the Colville Confederated Tribes’ new Omak Casino. The facility is under construction between Omak and Okanogan.

Business AppreciationTribe digs in for new Omak Casino.........................................................3Builders Claw their way into business ....................................................5Methow Natives touts indigenous flora...................................................7South end chambers’ spark reignited .....................................................9Kinross continues mining, service ........................................................11

Business Appreciation 2014, The Chronicle, Omak, Wash. — Page 3

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Tribe digs in for new Omak casino

The Chronicle

OMAK – The Colville ConfederatedTribes’ new casino, now under constructionon a hill south of town, is expected to bring200 jobs to the area and serve as the tribe’sflagship gambling house.

Ground was broke for the facility lastmonth. Although there’s no structure visibleyet, site preparation work is under way.

The project will include a 500-machinecasino and table games, two lounges, tworestaurants and an 80-room hotel, saidRandy Williams, Colville Tribal FederalCorp. chief operating officer for gaming. Thecorporation has $68 million in financingthrough Key Bank.

A 12-month construction scheduleplanned.

In late 2009, the tribe purchased landalong U.S. Highway 97 south of the RodeoTrail Road overpass and north of the stateDepartment of Transportation maintenanceshop. Access to the casino site will be acrossthe road from the Fairgrounds Access Road.

See Casino 4

Dee Camp/The Chronicle

The casino site sits on a hill above U.S. Highway 97 between Omak and Okanogan. The road running diagonally at the bottom of thephoto is the Fairgrounds Access Road between the highway and Rodeo Trail Road.

Gambling facility promises

more games, restaurants,

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The tribe spent more than $2 million topurchase land and consolidate the land.

Williams said the $43 million casino andhotel will sit on about 40 acres of the 300-acre site, and will employ about 200 people.

Aside from gambling, the 56,000-square-foot facility willinclude a fine-diningrestaurant and an upscaleAsian cuisine restaurant,and a three- to four-starstyle hotel with pool,exercise room and otheramenities.

The facility will betwice the size of the tribe’sMill Bay Casino nearManson.

“It will be the flagshipcasino for the tribe. For grandeur and look,it will compare with any in the state,”Williams said. “It will be a showcasefacility.”

Taylor Woodstone of Bloomington,Minn., is building the complex, CTFC CEOJoe Pakootas said.

The company has experience buildingtribal gaming projects and Las Vegascasinos.

Utilities will come from the city of Omak.Colville Business Council Chairman

Michael O. Finley said the casino is “theresult of years of collaboration between theCBC, staff and CTFC. It will provide a directbenefit to the entire Okanogan Valley andwill stand as the premier business in theentire region.”

Tribal officials said they hope foradditional collaboration between the tribe

and others.“It’s all about the people,” council

member Ricky Gabriel said. “We’re all onebig community, anyway.”

Omak officials are excited about the newbusiness, even though it’s outside the citylimits.

“I think it’s really exciting for ourcommunity,” Mayor Cindy Gagne said.“They actually talked about how importantit is to blend our cultures and thecommunity as a whole, and what theeconomic boon of this project is going to be,so we’re really excited.

“It’s a construction project, so it’s goingto have some lumps and bumps and thosekind of things, but we’re really excited forthem and we appreciate how much they’veallowed us to be a part of this.”

Future plans call for an RV park andentertainment venue on the site.

Williams said the tribe is looking beyondlocal gamblers to fill the new casino’s seats.It anticipates running more bus programsinto Canada.

“That’s part of our overall growth andexpansion” plans, he said, adding that otherbusinesses in the area will benefit from theincreased traffic.

Another planned tribal project in thesame area calls for development of anindustrial park on Colville Indian Plywoodand Veneer property south of the main milland across Rodeo Trail Road from the backside of the CTFC-owned Tribal Trails gasstation, Pakootas said.

The tribe would provide infrastructureand act as a landlord. Tenants wouldn’t

have to be tribally owned businesses, butwould have to comply with the tribal-preference Tribal Employment RightsOrdinance, he said.

The tribe has yet to decide what to dowith the Okanogan Casino site, 41Appleway. That casino, which has 432games, but no table games, lounges or otheramenities, is expected to close when the newfacility is open.

Casino from 3

Finley

“

They actually talked about how

important it is to blend our cultures

and the community as a whole, and

what the economic boon of this project

is going to be, so we’re really excited.Omak Mayor Cindy Gagne

”

Roger Harnack/The Chronicle

Cake is served during the casinogroundbreaking.


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Builders Claw their way into businessBy Dee CampThe Chronicle

COULEE DAM – A pair of reservation-raised Colville tribal members who decidedto launch a business of their own more thanseven years ago are staying busy and werehonored last fall by the Northwest NativeDevelopment Fund.

Jason Clark and Brandon Whitelaw’sClaw Construction was honored with thefund’s Eagle Award for Native Business ofthe Year.

“It’s a little, home-grown company” thathas done some big projects, fund ExecutiveDirector Ted Piccolo said.

The general contracting firm, 1107Tilmus St., offers a variety of contractingservices, including ground-up buildingconstruction, siding, flooring repairs,concrete work and pole buildings, Clarksaid.

Claw Construction serves a multi-countyarea, with projects completed in Kettle Falls,Colville, Okanogan, Grand Coulee-ElectricCity, Wilbur, Davenport and the entirereservation. The biggest so far have been thedental clinic at the Nespelem agency and a5,000-square-foot building at the tribe’syouth camp at Inchelium.

“They started off doing kitchen cabinets.They’ve worked hard,” Piccolo said.

See Claw 6

Claw Construction

Claw Construction, honored by the Northwest Native Development Fund, does a variety of construction, including residential.


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Clark said he likes to work with hishands and build things, so he contacted hisbest friend, Whitelaw, and pitched the ideaof starting a construction business.

Whitelaw, who had a background inconstruction, agreed and Clark left his jobwith the tribe when the two started theirventure.

Both men are 33.Clark took an entrepreneurship class –

called “Indianpreneurship” — through thedevelopment fund, which at the time wasitself a fledgling operation, and also was oneof the first to secure a loan through thefund. In turn, the fund used ClawConstruction as a reference for its servicesand now “they offer services to a lot more”businesses, Clark said.

He said he loves seeing the happiness hisclients show “once their projects arecompleted. I love building things.”

He and Whitelaw take “great pride” intheir work and getting the job donecorrectly.

Because they cover such a broad area,Clark said they’ve had to deal with buildingand permitting offices from a variety ofjurisdictions, including several cities,multiple counties and the tribe. ClawConstruction is licensed by the state and thetribe.

The company also has had a few jobs asa designated minority-owned contractor.

“It is one of the marquee businesses”with which the development fund has

worked, Piccolo said.He said the fund offers its services to

anyone in the area, not just nativeentrepreneurs.

“So many business plan curricula outthere use businesses as models. But wedon’t have a Boeing or a Microsoft,” Piccolosaid. “Indianpreneurship is story-based.”

While the stories may not come from thelocal area, most people in the area “knowsomeone who is just like that,” he said of thepeople highlighted in the coursepresentations. “It fits our region.”

The development fund offers the course

periodically and also does small businessloans.

“We do financing where others won’t,”he said.

Economic Alliance Executive DirectorRoni Holder-Diefenbach, who served on thedevelopment fund board during its firstthree years, praised the fund for helpingbusinesses and individuals on the Colville,Spokane and Kalispell reservations withbusiness start-up information, communitydevelopment, housing and savings plansand other financial information.

The alliance works closely with the fund

and the North Central Washington BusinessLoan Fund.

“It’s a great organization,” she said.The Northwest Native Development

Fund’s first gala awards dinner was lastNovember at Northern Quest Casino andResort in Airway Heights. More than 100people gathered to see the fund give awardsto Claw Construction, Gary George ofWildhorse Casino and Resort as NativePurchaser of the Year, and Dave Bonga asNative Business Advocate of the Year.

The fund itself has won a couple ofnational awards.

Claw from 5

Claw Construction

Storage shops, above, and an airport hangar, right, are among ClawConstruction’s projects.


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Methow Natives touts indigenous flora

The Chronicle

WINTHROP – One local nursery offersan opportunity for residents, businesses andnon-profit organizations to fill the MethowValley with plants and trees native to thearea.

Methow Natives, founded in 1999,provides landscaping and consultingservices, along with educationalopportunities.

The company, which has four employees,also works with local and state agencies topreserve riparian habitat.

“I really like growing the plants andworking on all the habitat projects,” ownerRob Crandall said, noting that he has abackground in botany and has lived in thevalley for 25 years.

“It’s neat to see projects five to 10 yearslater … to see how much they’ve changedand how much habitat we’ve been able tocreate.”

A garden outside Methow Natives, 19Aspen Lane, can be viewed by appointment,

See Natives 8

Nursery works with fish

recovery group on habitat

for salmon-rearing site

Jennifer Marshall/The Chronicle

Rob Crandall of Methow Natives explains the characteristics and benefits of certain native plants.


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but Crandall said the best way to see anexample of his work is to tour the nativegarden at Methow Valley InterpretiveCenter, 210 Fifth Ave. in Twisp. That gardenis always open, although the center has setbusiness hours.

The native garden is a work in progress,with 85 different species and at least 100more planned for planting. Crandall said hestarted planning the garden last spring.

The new expansion will include sub-alpineplants, while the other species are native toshrub-steppe, riparian and forest areas.

“That’s kind of a demonstration to showwhat people can do with nativelandscaping,” he said. “It’s also a reallygreat educational tool. It’s pretty satisfying.”

One of the most enjoyable parts of hisjob, he said, is learning and showing othershow to re-establish native grasses such asbluebunch wheatgrass, junegrass and GreatBasin wild rye.

“They’re really great in terms of weedcontrol,” Crandall said. “They’re reallyaesthetic, and once they’re established,they’re really low maintenance.”

Lawns can be transitioned to nativegrasses, which require less water, he said.

Although wildflowers can be tougher towork with, he said he’s getting the hang ofwhich species are easier. Several customershave preferred penstemons and mockorange flowers.

“They can still be pretty, but they can bea little bit tricky,” he said.

Recently, much of Crandall’s focus has

been on assisting the non-profit MethowSalmon Recovery Foundation with restoringhabitat at the Twisp Ponds.

The ponds are “four semi-natural siteswhere the Yakama Nation acclimatesjuvenile Coho salmon from Northwesthatcheries before releasing them into theriver,” the foundation said.

More than 3,000 trees have been plantedover the past 10 years to provide shade, andother native vegetation promotespollination, Crandall said. Trails have alsobeen created throughout the area, where he

and others have hosted outdoor classes.“It’s really starting to act and function as

riparian habitat,” he said. “Every little bitmakes a difference, with all the butterfliesand hummingbirds and different bee speciesthat are really important to have providingmore habitat, more pollinationopportunities.”

In addition to his environmental workand educational programs, he hopes to domore consulting and landscaping for arearesidents.

Methow Natives keeps an extensive listof trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses onits website, www.okanogan1.com/methownatives/.

Natives from 7


Native plants can create a beautiful, weather-hardy landscape.

“

It’s neat to see projects

five to 10 years later ...

to see how much

they’ve changed and

how much habitat

we’ve been able to

create.Owner Rob Crandall

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South end chambers’ spark reignitedBy Jennifer Marshall

The Chronicle

BREWSTER – Chambers of commercethat reignited over the past year in Brewster,Pateros and Bridgeport are picking up steamthis summer.

“We have a lot to offer in this valley, andI think that just says it. We have a lot tooffer, and we realize that now,” Brewsterchamber President Karl Word said.

“I am excited to see new life bred into thechamber. Young people, lots of new ideas,fresh energy — that’s what makes thingswork,” Harmony House Health Care Centerowner Jerry Tretwold said. “The Chamber ofCommerce doesn’t do much for HarmonyHouse itself, but it creates energy in thecommunity where we all live, and I’mexcited for that.”

The group – also led by Vice PresidentShan Miller, Secretary Alex Thomason andTreasurer Sabrina O’Connell – hasspearheaded several efforts since last fallpromoting businesses, from the St. Patrick’sDay Pot o’ Gold contest to Easter activitiesand Mother’s Day giveaways. Each eventincreased foot traffic to downtownbusinesses, Word said.

“Everybody comments that they’ve seenmore and more involvement, and people are

See Chambers 10


Folkloric dancers participate in the Brewster Chamber of Commerce-organized Cinco de Mayo on May 10.


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getting more and more aware of shoppinglocal,” he said.

A majority of the chamber’s promotionalefforts have been paid out of pocket.

“Most of these events haven’t cost thebusinesses money,” he said, noting that thechamber bought gift certificates for prizebaskets from several shops.

“It was a two-fold deal for thebusinesses,” he said.

The May 10 Cinco de Mayo festival onMain Avenue, featuring an inauguralparade, drew major involvement from someof the Hispanic business owners such asMartin Hurtado with Mi Pueblo Market,623 W. Main Ave.

“One of my goals was to unite twocultures,” Word said. “It really impacted thattown on both sides of the aisle. That in itselfis just worth more than words can ever say.”

The most recently revived of the three,the Bridgeport Area Chamber of Commerce,is also seeing more participation from theHispanic community, with three of the fourofficers – President Mario Martinez, VicePresident Hugo Martinez and SecretaryAmparito Martinez – representing thataspect of the community.

Marilynn Lynn is the treasurer, and thetwo other board members are Ron Lewisand Scott Wright.

Since the group reformed after a three-year hiatus, it has been busy re-establishingitself as a non-profit organization andputting together the annual Bridgeport Dazecelebration, which took place June 7-8.

At the same time, the Pateros Chamberof Commerce is riding high on the successof its first farmers market May 30,

organized by member George Pearson. “That’s been really exciting, because that

was something that was an organic effort,”chamber President Michael Zoretic said. “Itwas a pretty good showing for the first week.”

The farmers market will take place from3-7 p.m. every Friday through the end ofSeptember, and possibly even into October,he said.

Ten vendors set up shop on thepedestrian mall the first day, and Zoreticsaid he expects there will be 20-25 vendorsas harvest season progresses and word ofmouth gets around.

Two years after the chamber wentdormant, it was restarted again by Zoretic,Vice President Rikki Grow, Secretary KarenWagner and Treasurer Darci Wert.

“We’re a very new organization and Ithink we’ve made a lot of good strides,”Zoretic said.

Since January, the chamber has alsohosted a wine tasting membership drive andorganized a monthly social gathering oflocal business owners, called ThirdThursdays.

The group is also enjoying a biggerturnout of members at its meetings, whichtake place at 8 a.m. the first Wednesday ofthe month. The June 4 meeting saw 21members.

“We really got a great boost ofenthusiasm and energy from not only theold members, but from people who havemoved here and decided they wanted to beinvolved in the chamber,” Zoretic said. “Iwould say that the support of the businesseshas been even more than I expected.”

“It truly is amazing what’s happenedhere in Pateros,” Sweet River Bakery ownerAlex Hymer said. “When I got here sevenyears ago and I was going to Pateros

chamber meetings then, and it was fizzlingout.

“Everyone’s invigorated and excited, andit’s been really fun to see.”

Coming up this summer, Brewster isreadying the town for its annual July 4celebration, featuring the new “Pig Out inthe Park” event, a 48-hour softballtournament, vendors and fireworks. Next upis the ninth annual Brewster King SalmonDerby on Aug. 1-3, which draws hundreds ofanglers to the area each year.

“That’s huge, and that’s where we reallyneed the volunteers,” Word said. “That’s abig event. You’re talking a lot of people.”

Pateros is planning a four-man scramblegolf tournament June 20 at Alta Lake GolfCourse, 140 Alta Lake Road. It’s afundraiser for the chamber.

Something everyone is anxious to see isthe planned Aug. 1 opening of the newGamble Sands golf course, 200 Sands TrailRoad north of Brewster.

“It will bring people from around thecountry and maybe even the world,” Wordsaid, noting the salmon derby is the sameweek.

“Brewster’s got an opportunity of alifetime staring them in the face; they’regoing to really be able to showcasethemselves,” he said. “Pateros is doing thesame thing.”

“We really think there’s going to be ablossoming golf industry in the OkanoganCounty region,” and with that will comemore tourism dollars, Zoretic said.

“We just have so many resources aroundhere. We’re right in the middle of all theaction right here,” he said.

Chambers from 9 “

We really got a great boost of enthusiasm and

energy from not only the old members, but from

people who have moved here and decided they

wanted to be involved in the chamber.Michael Zoretic

”


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Kinross continues mining, service

The Chronicle

CHESAW – Kinross Gold Corp.continues to pull high-grade gold ore out ofBuckhorn Mountain and support a varietyof community causes despite plans to closethe mining operation in mid-2015.

Spokeswoman Deana Zakar said thecompany also is working with localcommunities – from businesses to taxingentities – to try and mitigate the effects ofthe mine’s closure.

The company’s mill near Republic willcontinue to operate after the mine itselfshuts down.

In the underground mining process,holes are drilled into the earth and explosivecharges set. The mine is evacuated and thecharges are detonated.

After that, the loosened ore is removedfrom the mine and stockpiled into ore, testsample and non-gold piles, Zakar said.

The non-gold material is returned to themine and used as backfill to supplementsupports installed earlier.

The ore is trucked to the Republic milland the samples are tested for ore content.

Buckhorn has been pumping out about0.3 ounce of gold per ton, which is “a veryhigh-grade deposit,” Zakar said. That’s theequivalent of about a wedding ring’s worthof gold in a refrigerator-sized pile of rock.

Blasting is done twice a day around theclock.

At the mill, the rock is crushed to thetexture of flour, mixed with water andchemicals, including cyanide, and extractedusing a flotation process in which the goldattaches to air bubbles. Carbon – actuallyburnt coconut shells – is added and the goldclings to it.

From there the mixture, which resemblesrich, dark soil, is poured into furnaces andheated to pull out the gold.

The gold – plus some silver and othermetals – is poured into 70-pound bars, eachworth about $1 million. The bars areshipped to a refinery out of state for furtherrefining.

The bars are about 80 percent gold, 7percent silver and the rest other metals, shesaid.

The cyanide and leftover tailings go to alined tailings facility; the cyanide dissipatesunder UV light. No tailings are deposited atthe mine itself.

Kinross employs 230 people in itsBuckhorn-Kettle River operation andanother 130 as contract workers. Many livedin the Okanogan-Ferry County region before

going to work for Kinross, while others arelongtime company employees who moved tothe area and have settled down with theirfamilies, she said.

In anticipation of closure, Kinross hasstarted a support process for workers. Thecompany offers short-term stays at its otheroperations for those who might want tomove on eventually and also will rewardthose who stay until closure with severanceand retention bonuses.

It’s also working with the two countiesand their businesses to ease the transitionto a post-mine economy. A special economicimpact analysis is being done.

According to 2011 figures, Kinross has adirect payroll of $19 million a year and a$27 million influence on payroll inOkanogan and Ferry counties. The averagewage is $80,000.

Kinross spends $9 million a year in Ferryand Okanogan counties on various suppliesand services, and pays $1.4 million a year inproperty taxes in Okanogan County alone,Zakar said.

The company also gives $200,000-$250,000 a year in charitable contributions,mostly to youth cases, and also donatesmoney to businesses at Christmas so theycan help community members in need.

Company prepares for

closure of Buckhorn Mine

operations in mid-2015

Kinrossoperates anundergroundgold mine atBuckhornMountainnear Chesaw.Trucks canoperate intheundergroundportion.

The Chronicle


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Documents

Business appreciation 2014