GRowing in the rural Eastern Upper Peninsula, David Goodreau saw his father and grandfathers support their families by starting and running small businesses.
After a two-decade career in the military and a period of time selling a manufacturer in Milwaukee, Goodreau began to believe that the thought of starting a business could make sense for his family, especially when he realized he would have three children, who would all go to college at the same time.
“The main step in hoping to start a business was to support my family and send my children to college,” said Goodreau.
He credits an uncle who was high in leadership positions at Tyco International for providing him with the guidance he needed to structure his “wild idea.” The advice: “Go with what you know.”
Because of this, Goodreau used his military aviation experience to found Northern Wings Repair Inc. in Newberry, which has grown into a 26-strong aerospace manufacturer serving clients such as NASA, Boeing Aerospace, the Defense Logistics Agency , L-3 Technologies and Sierra Nevada Serves Corp.
“We custom built the business, which is truly state-of-the-art,” said Goodreau, noting that OEM customer auditors frequently visit and are pleasantly surprised to find themselves in a remote rural location Area of the upper peninsula. “We have created a cult of safety-conscious, quality-conscious fanatics.”
While Goodreau used his relationships and aviation expertise in starting the company, many of his colleagues at Sault Ste. The Marie tribe of the Chippewa Indians lack such connections or entrepreneurial role models.
For this reason, the Sault Tribe Economic Development Corp. founded the Sault Tribe Thrive initiative to celebrate the success of tribal entrepreneurs, offer resources to potential business owners, and potentially attract tribal companies and other partners to tribal lands in the Eastern UP
Sault Tribe EDC used a $ 485,000 grant from the Minority Business Development Agency in the fall of 2019 to create Sault Tribe Thrive.
The original plan was to create a public relations structure for successful tribal-owned companies, which Executive Director Joel Schultz started when he joined the organization in 2016. After meeting five tribe-owned companies, four of them went to open offices in the tribe’s Tamarack Business Center in Sault Ste. Marie. About 12 people now work off-center and earn salaries ranging from $ 38,000 to $ 70,000, “which are pretty good jobs for our region,” said Schultz.
Schultz planned to travel and meet with other member-owned companies, but then the pandemic struck and forced plans to change. The EDC switched gears and developed a web-based directory to celebrate member-owned companies. To date, it spans more than 170 offerings for businesses in Michigan and beyond, from breweries and retail stores to outdoor equipment manufacturers to professional services, hospitality and more.
Everything but money
The Sault Tribe Thrive Initiative forms the basis of the EDC’s business development outreach efforts aimed at fostering a culture of entrepreneurship among members and providing tribe members’ businesses with access to the resources they are for Need growth and success.
“We have a few independent businesses that are contacting us to see what to do legally, how to sell to the tribe, whether to apply for a grant, until we are with a $ 25 million business Do you want to work with us to approach 8 (a) certification or settle on our land and get HUBZone status. There’s a lot to choose from, ”said Schultz.
As with most other aspiring entrepreneurs, the most common tribal members need help understanding a company’s finances, he said.
“If you want to run a startup, you have to be able to analyze the finances of something. You need to be able to use your financial information to identify the problems in your company, ”said Schultz.
However, the most common questions he receives from tribe members depend on whether the tribe can give them money to help with their businesses. While some entrepreneurs are dejectedly walking away from this conversation, many continue to work with the EDC to refine their business plans and practices and get somewhere where they can successfully find capital from another source.
“There isn’t a business challenge that we can’t find a solution to, but we can’t find the money to do it. We’re just not in that position, ”he said. “There is no such thing as magic dust and that is what people are looking for.”
Northern Wings’s Goodreau argues that this is the right approach for the tribe.
“The last thing an entrepreneur needs is a big bundle of money, but that’s the first question everyone asks,” he said. “For me, that’s backwards; This is gambling with someone else’s money. Build the infrastructure and provide mentors. Ideas are free.
“The funny thing is, people don’t necessarily understand the spirit of entrepreneurship. I didn’t do it when I started either. “
to celebrate success
In addition to providing coaching and mentoring resources, Sault Tribe EDC hopes to provide peer-to-peer connections for tribal-owned companies that it identifies as part of its reach.
However, the effort could also help create a number of acquisition and partnership opportunities for Sault Tribe Inc., the tribe’s holding company.
The current portfolio includes Chippewa Government Solutions LLC, an online education company that provides training opportunities through federal contracts. The company, currently earning 8 (a) certification from the US Small Business Administration, has grown through association with a tribal member who had started a successful business in the sector.
The tribe also seeks to increase the number of businesses, whether tribally owned or otherwise, based on tribal land. The Sault Tribe Thrive website has detailed information on tribal properties available for development. In addition, the tribe is expanding some of its properties, including the multi-tenant Crane Industrial Suites, which it expects to break the ground this year.
Schultz said the underlying goal is to help members position their businesses for growth and to serve as role models for other tribal members who may be considering starting their own business.
“We are trying to build the infrastructure to support the entrepreneurship of our tribal members,” said Schultz. “Sault Tribe Thrive’s success is determined by job creation, business creation, capital formation and sales growth.”
For his part, Goodreau welcomes the new resources, which he hopes will also serve as a catalyst for the creation of a “definitive tribal identity”.
“The premise is that there is security in numbers or that enough people gather in one place to get help from someone,” said Goodreau.
“Being an entrepreneur with an aerospace company in Newberry, Michigan is a lonely endeavor,” he added, an ironic reference to the unlikely location of his aerospace company. “I’ve worked on my own business for years, so it’s nice to meet the tribesmen who also started their own businesses.”
