The MTE planning meeting at their corporate offices on May 3, 2000 presented ample opportunity to assess some interesting business planning discussions. People in attendance included: Larry Waukau, John Peck-EDA Rep, Gary Mejchar-Consultant, Melissa Cook, Roger Waukau, Jim Kaquatosh, Dan Jacobson, MTE Human Resources Director, Wilmer Peters and Lew Boyd. This memo will attempt to highlight and expound upon my informal observations.

The MTE value-added planning initiative is in the process of developing a training project in the old MTE planing mill, which I feel has excellent potential. The purpose of the project initiative will be for small business development. While concentrating primarily on establishing a retail-trade sector on the reservation, the planning effort has been described by MTE President Lawrence Waukau, as "a future eco-tourism project". Additionally the project will emphasize establishment of a local labor-force (training) for a fledgling entrepreneurial woodcraft products division of MTE. President Waukau expressed a desire for a developmental process featuring "mom and pop retail business product operations"… "much like a business incubator project." These products will include; park benches, tables and chairs, patios, hardwood-flooring etc.

Workforce Development dollars can pay student tuition, travel and per diem to attend Fox Valley Technical College, with the MTE planing building acting as an incubator building. The Menominee workforce development programs presently are not at the level they should be, but added emphasis on [grant writing & project development should improve future quality. One interesting observation made about project planning by the MTE President was the potential for utilizing the Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community, Inc. as another added means in the developmental process. Extra-points and special set-aside monies can enhance funding potential, access to markets (Shawano County "developable-site"), and the potential for long-term development. In some cases EDA and USDA-Rural Development have collaborated to join project development forces with Rural Development acting in the capacity of "lead agency." I can provide greater details in presentation form.

Due to mainly social reasons (to name but one), fifty million dollars flow off the reservation annually. This is fitting testimony to a quite obvious economic dilemma, as tribal members like to shop off the reservation. Capacity building or the lack of it is another key area of concern. Larger industrial development utilizing HUBZone government contracting in particular will more rapidly develop infrastructure as well as the retail service and trade sector. John Peck of EDA stated: "if the Menominee economy were ‘vertically-integrated’, or were in a better position to vertically integrate, the mom & pop retail concept would have a greater potential for succeeding, and "heads-up" in the long-term forecast.

Much broader industrial development goals utilizing HUBZone opportunities would be a natural precursor to the MTE small business development implementation effort. With USBA 8 (a) certification, MTE will be enlisting a speedier economic development process that is a natural result of HUBZone government set-aside contracting. This should avail MTE to a greater cash infusion potential necessary to induce an economic "takeoff" phase. Annually more cash would make disposable income plentiful to the community to support the small business development process. Startup, venture capital, and support for local retail establishments will undoubtedly be affected in a positive fashion as well. This begs the question, why not emphasize both small business development and large industrial development utilizing HUBZone prospects for the later? These important questions regarding strategic planning will attempt to be answered in future MTE planning meetings.

Next step? The invitation to parties to conduct additional meetings. These future-planning meetings would include MTE, Menominee Legislature, College of the Menominee Nation, Office of Economic Development, Menominee County Job Service Center, State of Wisconsin and federal workforce development personnel, and others. Planning meetings could be conducted in formal or informal group arrangements using state-of-the-art-planning techniques perhaps. The result of preliminary Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community planning meetings established an expeditious strategic planning, development, and proposal writing process that would have ordinarily taken 9 months to a year. We concluded the Northwoods NiiJii EC planning process in about 4-5 months.

Focus group meetings utilizing the affinity process model worked well for Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community planners. According to Gary Mejchar the new collaborative MTE value-added project effort will feature 20 strategic planning sessions/meetings over a one-year period of time. I am certain Mr. Mejchar and Melissa Cook will hammer-out the best group setting available in this effort. With good rapport and cooperation this collaborative MTE planning effort stands to enhance sound economic strategic-planning. Something we could all learn from. Our department is anxious to participate in this new and exciting initiative.