Smoke Signals September 1992 Page 11 -Economic Development Hires New Staff ELAINE MOORE Elaine Moore was hired back in February as the Economic Development Specialist. She has skills in fiscal management, accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation. Elaine has also been providing accounting and bookkeeping technical assistance to tribal member businesses. Ms. Moore has a BA degree in Business and Public Administration from Evergreen College in Washington. She has completed a fifth year of college and received a certificate in Human Resource Management. Her most recent job before joining the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde was as General Manager of the Lower Elwha Tribe in Washington. She held that position for five years. Before that she worked for the'Squaxin Island Tribe in Washington for ten years as an Office ManagerCommunity Services Administrator. Ms. Moore has three adult children and has been skippering her own fishing boat since 1975, out of Neah Bay, Washington. liiS:Iiip Vilify Elaine Moore DEBBYCHILDERS Debby Childers, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, was hired as the Secretary in the Economic Development Department last April. She worked in that position on a temporary basis since November of 1991. Debby is the "front-line" staff member in Economic Development. She is the one clients meet and speak with first. Clients and associates appreciate her helpful attitude, willingness to assist, and her responsibility. Before working for the tribe, Debby worked for Spirit Mountain Corporation as a flagger and a pilot car driver. She also worked in the Spirit Mountain Store in Grand Ronde. She attended Western Oregon State College and Chemeketa Community .College. Debby has two children and is engaged to be married July 3, 1993 to Rock Braithwaite. Economic Development Focuses on Tribal Businesses Saturday, July 25, Economic Development held an Open House to provide tribal members with information about the current and future services to be offered through the Economic Development Department. Participants provided guidance and input into Department activities through a "Community Decision Making" process that was used at the community health clinic meeting. Overwhelmingly, money was the most crucial factor in beginning a new business. Some participants suggested a tribal loan program to assist them in their business interests. Other suggestions were: provide tax information, on-going technical assistance in business management, a legal advisor, assistance with writing a business plan, and a trading post arts and crafts cooperative. Production of a catalog featuring "Made in Grand Ronde" items was presented as a marketing idea. Interestingly, of the needed services already being offered (management, business planning, accounting, and bookkeeping) the main areas of development addressed were providing low-cost financing and working with arts and crafts people to provide a source of lower cost supplies and an adequate market for their goods. A reminder to anyone who attended the Open House and borrowed books or magazines: Please return them! In July, the Economic Development Department sent out a survey about tribal member business, future businesses, and folks working on increasing income from their hobbies. Data collected from this survey will be used to plan new department activities and assistance. VERY IMPORTANT! We are currently collecting data on tribal member-owned businesses to produce a brochure or handbook of various products and services offered to Grand Ronde Tribal Members. To be included in the publication, you must fill out the survey and return it . There was a drawing for those who returned their surveys by August 7. The winner was Marie Logan, who received $50. s:mmmt :...'. jr jit Winner Marie Logan with Mitch Conley and Shelley Hanson October 16, 1992 is Minority Business Opportunity Day. The Oregon Convention Center in Portland will be hosting a trade fair which brings many businesses and purchasers together to learn more about products and services. There will be many exhibit booths and business networking. If you are interested in participating in the fair's activities, call Economic Development for more information. Y f fir h. x) ATAV B . f f 1 ITERS ftUK) 0P ,cE- Spirit Mountain Store, and its owner, Ed Larsen Ed LarsemTribal Member in Business for Himself SMOKE SIGNALS has begun a monthly column about tribal members who have started their own businesses and how they did it. We would like to cover all types of businesses in the newsletter, local or in some other state, family oriented or individually operated. It is our hope that tribal members who have been successful can give advise and wisdom to those interested in pursuing their goal to be in business for themselves, while providing an interesting stor to the readers of SMOKE SIGNALS. We begin this month with Ed Larsen .owner of the Spirit Mountain Store in Grand Ronde Agency. Anyone will tell you that Edward Larsen is a respected member of the Grand Ronde community. He should be-he's very active within the Tribe and he and his wife Shirley own their own business. The business is Spirit Mtn. Store. The Larsens bought the store about seven years ago. They had to take a second mortgage out on their home, and have been in business ever since. Ed Larsen grew up in the Grand Ronde area, and went to Willamina High School. He works part-time as a logger and says it's his wife, Shirley, who really runs the store. "Shirley really wanted to work, but we wanted to be in business for ourselves," he said. The patrons of Spirit Mtn. Store are a combination . of tourists, who are interested in the gift shop, and local people who live in the area. "Pow-wow is the busiest time of year for us," said Larsen. Larsen knows a significant number of his customers. Once they come in, they usually return. Larsen is planning on making some changes on the store in the near future. They have plans to expand the gift shop, put in a full-service deli, provide more parking and seating, and even createing a little garden area. The gift shop has lots of Indian art and jewelry, and operates on a co-signment basis with Native American merchants and craftspeople. Larsen says the biggest drawback from owning the store is that people want to get merchandise on a credit basis. When asked what he would like to tell future entrepreneurs about owning their own business he replied, "Be ready for a lot of hard work and long hours." Debby Childers