10
S moke S ignals
may 1, 2014
Tribe receives fi nancial award
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde received a Deal of the Year
Award at the Native American Fi-
nance Offi cers Association’s seventh
annual Leadership Awards luncheon
held Tuesday, April 15, at the Roos-
evelt Hotel in New Orleans.
The Tribe was recognized during
the association’s 32nd annual con-
ference for its $10 million equity
investment in MicroGREEN Poly-
mer’s InCycle cups. The Arlington,
Wash.-based company created a
process to make high-quality cups
from recycled water bottles.
In August, the Tribe funded a
$5 million equity investment in
MicroGREEN and followed that
with a second $5 million infusion of
funding in January. In December,
the Tribe loaned $8 million to Trib-
ally owned Ilihi LLC, which in turn
loaned the funds to MicroGREEN.
“NAFOA is recognizing the Confed-
erated Tribes of Grand Ronde … for
their commitment to environmental
sustainability in their investment
approach and for their efforts to
diversify their investment portfolio,
particularly among alternative in-
vestments,” said the agenda handed
out during the luncheon.
“The Tribe’s traditional teachings
recognize the responsibility of Na-
tive people to remain stewards of
Mother Earth. By honoring these
teachings, the Tribe has made a
concerted effort to develop revenue
streams that not only provide fi -
nancially for their people, but also
adopt a long-term strategy by look-
ing seven-generations ahead.”
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno accepted the award for the
Tribe.
“It is a pretty prestigious award for
us,” Leno said at the April 16 Tribal
Council meeting. “It shows that we’re
heading in the right direction. We
have several other investments out
there, but this one was recognized as
one of the best in Indian Country. It
was a $10 million deal and a great
Submitted photo
Native American Finance Offi cers Association Treasurer Kim Peone, right, presented the Grand Ronde Tribe with
a Deal of the Year Award during the group’s 32nd annual conference held April 1-15 in New Orleans. The Grand
Ronde Tribe was recognizeded for its $10 million equity investment in MicroGREEN Polymers in Arlington, Wash. The
company makes InCycle cups from recyclable plastic bottles. Representing the Tribe at the conference were, from left,
Finance Offi cer Julio Martinez, Economic Development Director Titu Asghar, Tribal Council member Denise Harvey
and Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno.
investment. It seems to be really
picking up speed and it falls in line
with our culture of staying green.
If you take care of Mother Earth,
Mother Earth takes care of you.”
“Their investments have enabled
us to buy equipment that will allow
us to re-extrude (recycled plastic
into the plastic sheets from which
InCycle cups are manufactured). It
is because they are stewards of the
environment just like we are that
the Tribes have invested,” said Mi-
croGREEN Chief Executive Offi cer
Tom Malone.
“It is a great win for us to be
recognized by NAFOA for our de-
cision to invest in MicroGREEN,”
said Tribal Economic Development
Director Titu Asghar. “This strat-
egy of investment is the future,
representing an innovative shift in
fi nancial diversifi cation for us.
“We are looking ahead several
generations to create an economi-
cally sustainable future, supporting
clean technology that helps correct
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wasteful practices with environ-
mentally sound products that are
simply better in performance.”
MicroGREEN’s technology allows
it to be a low-cost producer in very
large and highly cost-sensitive ap-
plications, the first of which are
beverage cups, a $7 billion market
in North America.
Three airlines – Alaska, Allegiant
Air and Virgin America – have been
using InCycle cups. Recently, Unit-
ed Airlines replaced their foam cups
with InCycle cups. Other airlines
are in talks with MicroGREEN.
Malone said that 60 percent of
MicroGREEN’s new production
capacity at the Arlington plant is
already committed.
Representing the Tribe at the an-
nual conference were Asghar, Leno,
Tribal Council member Denise
Harvey, Assistant Tribal Attorney
Kim D’Aquila and outgoing Tribal
Finance Offi cer Julio Martinez.
In addition, the Oregon Native
American Business and Entrepre-
neurial Network, based in Portland,
received the Education Program of
the Year award for its Entrepre-
neurial Empowerment Outreach
program, which uses the “Indian-
preneurship” curriculum to further
business development initiatives
throughout Indian Country.
The Grand Ronde Tribe was one
of the four Oregon Tribes instru-
mental in the founding of ONABEN
in the early 1990s. n
Includes information from Indian
Country Today.