Smoke Signals 7
MARCH 15, 2007
Casino Expansion Is Good News For Tribal Workers
By Ron Karten
Three large projects at Spirit
Mountain Casino are providing a
watershed of work opportunities
for Tribal members, thanks to the
efforts of Tribal Mentorship and
Workforce Development Coordina
tor Denise Harvey.
Three years ago, Harvey saw the
need for other workforce develop
ment programs. Tribal Council saw
it too, and added a new piece to her
job description.
Today, Harvey is reaching out to
companies and other job providers,
as well as reaching within the Tribe
to provide all kinds of employment
services, such as resume writing,
interviewing skills and job applica
tions for Tribal members.
The move into workforce develop
ment turned out to be so important
that it now consumes 70 percent of
Harvey's time.
As part of that effort, Harvey sits
on the board for the Oregon Trades
women Inc, a pre-apprenticeship pro
gram in Portland; and on the Youth
Committee for the Enterprise Youth
Council in Salem, covering Marion,
Polk and Yamhill counties.
She works with the carpenters'
union to establish a pre-apprenticeship
program at the Tribe where
Tribal members can get their basic
construction skills.
In addition, she'works with the
Oregon Department of Transporta
tion Workforce Alliance, and Con
struction Apprenticeship Workforce
Solutions to diversify the construc
tion workforce.
Starting in April, she said, Tribal
Council funds will make it possible
for Tribal members to take an
eight-week training program with
the carpenters.
"Sitting on these boards keeps me
connected and gives me the ability
to work with employers, to network,
and to stay aware of available re
sources," said Harvey.
With the upcoming casino expan
sion come three related projects
that just scream for Harvey's tal
ents, and she is using those talents
in a number of ways to continue
bringing more Tribal members into
the workforce.
Harvey's work on those projects,
the casino expansion itself; the
Playworld part of the project that
will provide a separate building
for the exist
ing arcade;
and the Spirit
Mountain Wa
ter Treatment
Expansion to
accommodate
increased
water usage,
focuses on pro
moting Tribal
preference
with contrac
tors doing the
work.
The Tribe
asked Harvey
to work with
contractors to
promote Trib
al and Native
preference on
construction
sites.
In that re
gard, Harvey
aims to "make
it as easy as
possible for
contractors,
she said. One
called her last week needing two
construction employees.
"We took care of everything,"
she said. She evaluated Tribal
member's backgrounds to make
sure they had the right, negotiated
wages, and assisted with the ap
plication process.
Among the workers how received
assistance were Tribal members
Andrew and Chris Freeman, now
working on the excavation for the
new Playworld.
For the hotel expansion project
last year, Harvey put about -10
Tribal members to work.
"My goal isn't to make sure that
all jobs are for Tribal members.
My goal is to see that there are op
portunities for Tribal members,"
she said.
Over the years, Harvey's efforts
have nonetheless been successful.
In the last three, she estimates,
more than 100 Tribal members, Na-
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Tribal member and Tribal Mentorship & Workforce
Development Coordinator Denise Harvey
tive Americans and their families
have benefited.
While many of the jobs that
Harvey makes possible are with
outside companies, the Men
torship program pairs Tribal
members with Tribal or Casino
departments.
Tribal member James Buxman
worked in many departments dur
ing his mentorship from 2002-2004,
and today he is the Casino's Adver
tising Manager.
"Love it. Can't ask for anything
more," he said. He credited the
program's diverse offerings for his
success; "the ability to work with
numerous departments, gaining ex
perience with not just one aspect of
the organization, but every side."
Tribal member Angela Sears also
did the rounds for her mentorship,
and today continues her mentor
ship in the Tribal Public Affairs of
fice. She is writing and editing copy
at Smoke Signals and is currently
struggling with editing different
writing styles. Does a phrase re
ally need to be changed, or is it just
another proper way to say the same
thing, she wants to know?
The challenge for Harvey is "find
ing that right environment," she
said. "It's hard to teach people how
to mentor," but many connections
are very successful.
Tribal member Cory Meneley was
mentored during 2005-2006 at the
Natural Resources Department by
Fish and Wildlife Coordinator Kelly
Dirksen. Dirksen gave him a lot of
opportunities, from working on the
fish weir to working with biologists
in the field. The experience made
such an impression on Meneley
that he decided to continue his
education in the natural resources
field.
Harvey also wrestles with qualifi
cation issues. "Sometimes there is
no eitheror provision so applicants
need both education and experience
to qualify," she said.
"We have Tribal members with
Masters degrees but no work expe
rience, so they can't get a job."
When the Tribe awards scholar
ships for education, there is always
an emphasis on giving back to the
Tribe. "So they get their degrees
and then expect to work for the
Tribe, but they don't always have
opportunities," she said.
The mentorship program does
not guarantee Tribal members a
job when the program is over. "It
is just an opportunity to show their
abilities," said Harvey.
Today, Harvey also focuses on
getting Native-owned businesses
involved in Tribal projects, and
anticipates in the future extending
her services to the Portland and
Eugene areas.
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