Montana Has a New Logo for Native American Made Products

Montana has a new Native American Made in Montana (NAMiM) logo for products made by the state’s Native American people, as reported by Char-Koosta News on Oct 14.

In order to use the logo, an individual must be an enrolled member of a tribe in Montana, including Little Shell, and the finished product/service must be created, made or produced in the state.

The Made in Montana Program, part of the International Trade and Relations Bureau in the Business Resources Division of the Montana Department of Commerce, helps Montana businesses develop and market their products statewide, nationwide and globally. The program, which has more than 1,500 participants, was recently expanded to include the Native American Made in Montana logo, the article said.

To learn more about the Made in Montana Program, go to www.madeinmontanausa.com.

Three Alaska Native Firms Want SBA 8(a) Program Reformed

Three prominent Alaska Native corporations say the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program needs to be changed, as reported on Oct. 3 by the Anchorage Daily News.

Native contracting has grown exponentially since the 8(a) program was created. Although developed to help increase the number of small, disadvantage companies participating in federal contracts, the program has over recent years been seriously criticized, and there have been allegations of abuse. Alaska Native firms have become major players in the program, but they have also attracted a lot of the scrutiny due to a small number of them violating the rules.

The Alaska Native firms that want the program changed — Cook Inlet Region, Inc., Doyon and Arctic Slope — have come up with a nine-point reform package, which, as the article says, mirrors revisions already proposed by the SBA and to be finalized later this year. Among the firms’ proposed changes are: requiring Native 8(a) contractors to annually disclose how they have benefited shareholders and tribal members and capping the size of contracts at $100 million.

"To reform it is to save it," Margie Brown, chief executive of Cook Inlet Region, told Anchorage Daily News.

Clara Pratte Named Director of SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs

The U.S. Small Business Administration confirmed to AIR today that Clara Pratte has been appointed as the national director of the agency’s Office of Native American Affairs.

As national director, she will help ensure that American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians who want to create, develop and expand small businesses have full access to the tools available through the SBA's entrepreneurial development, lending and procurement programs, according to Cecelia Taylor of the SBA’s press office.

Before joining the SBA, Pratte worked for the Navajo Nation as a policy analyst and legislative liaison, focusing on economic and community development, housing and education issues.