National Reservation Economic Summit (RES) celebrates 30 years

LAS VEGAS – The National Reservation Economic Summit (National RES), hosted by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (the National Center), will celebrate its 30th anniversary from March 21-24 at the Mirage Resort and Casino in beautiful Las Vegas. Over the last 30 years, National RES has become the premier business event in Indian Country, bringing together tribal leaders and entrepreneurs, corporate America, government leaders, and experts in a variety of fields to network, learn, collaborate, and make lasting business connections. Though National RES has called Las Vegas home for well over a decade, this will be the first conference held at the Mirage.

“In 30 years, National RES has grown into a must-attend event for anyone who is doing, or wants to do, business in Indian Country,” said National Center President and CEO Gary Davis. “Our 30th Anniversary stands to be the biggest and best National RES yet, featuring our time-honored events and programs that annually gather thousands of business people together in Vegas. Whether you’re a large corporation looking for American Indian suppliers, an aspiring Native American business owner seeking opportunity, a government procurement officer, tribal leader, or an established business professional, National RES offers you an invaluable experience. We hope to see you there.”

National RES will kick off on Monday, March 21st with the National Center’s annual scholarship golf classic and the all-day Business Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is designed to give participants the chance to be involved in a condensed, full day of information designed specifically for current and aspiring small business owners. The Buy Native Procurement Matchmaking Expo – which helps attendees match their goods or services with both government and corporate procurement officers – also begins on Monday the 21st.  The opening day will mark the start of general conference sessions and forums, as well as the National RES American Indian Art Market featuring Native American art, jewelry, and other goods.

“The Buy Native Procurement Matchmaking Expo was filled with excitement and a spirit of building business relationships,” said Andy Wells of Wells Technology, who participated in the Buy Native Procurement Matchmaking Expo and National RES in 2015. “My company – Wells Technology – is a precision metal machining company based in Minnesota. At the expo we held brief meetings with potential major corporations, which proved fruitful with several national businesses interested in our products and services. With a little follow-up work after the Expo, we now have three new customers who are setting up our small business as a potential supplier.”

National RES also features dozens of business development and training sessions, an American Indian Business Tradeshow taking place at the Mirage Events Center, as well as an Interactive Access to Capital Fair with top financial institutions in attendance to help current and prospective business owners get the resources they need to make their business dreams a reality. The National Center will host VIP networking receptions on each night of the conference to give attendees a taste of the Las Vegas nightlife and provide additional opportunities for them to grow their network.

Conference sessions will address some of the biggest current economic development topics in Indian Country, including energy, e-commerce, tribal cannabis, start-ups, corporate supplier diversity, natural resources, and federal contracting to name a few.

“The Reservation Economic Summit provides a great platform to showcase indigenous business ambition and achievements,” said Oscencio Tom, Marketing Director for Diné Development Corporation which is the presenting sponsor for RES. “DDC is proud to assist the National Center in advancing business in Indian Country."

The advance registration rate, as well as the special rate for hotel rooms, for National RES ends on February 26th. For more information, please visit www.res.ncaied.org. The agenda for National RES will be updated regularly, so be sure to check the site for additional details.

“We are excited to celebrate 30 years of successful Reservation Economic Summits – and 30 years of advancing business in Indian Country,” Davis continued. “The National Center looks forward to building on our accomplishments for another 30 years and beyond.”

About the National Center: The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With over 40 years of assisting American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development – we have evolved into the largest national Indian specific business organization in the nation. Our motto is: “We Mean Business For Indian Country” as we are actively engaged in helping Tribal Nations and Native business people realize their business goals and are dedicated to putting the whole of Indian Country to work to better the lives of American Indian people- both now… and for generations to come.