Last week, business leaders from around the nation gathered at Robeson Community College for the NC Commission of Indian Affairs Inaugural Business Symposium. The event sought to empower American Indian businesses, building bridges with services and programs in North Carolina.  

Greg Richardson, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, also gave welcoming remarks.  

“We’re here to talk today about business, opportunities, and workforce development… President Singler, we’ve got to say thank you for this opportunity,” stated Richardson at the event. “Today is an opportunity for us today to basically connect some dots…Workforce development programs have set the stage for many of us in this room and our relatives in terms of starting our journey.” 

One of those in the room who agreed with that sentiment was Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery. Lowery announced during the meeting that the tribe is considering new business ventures in the future.  

“We’re looking at becoming a business lender through the USDA program,” said Lowery at the meeting. “This would create sustainability for our communities and help those within our agriculture-based economy.” 

The event featured breakout sessions with speakers from across the state and beyond, who highlighted the significance of obtaining local business certifications and state certifications such as HUB, DBE and SBE.

Additionally, Robeson Community College was able to offer sessions which focused on topics such as marketing for small businesses, identifying grants and funding opportunities, how to create a business scope of work and strategies for scaling businesses to secure government contracts through its Small Business Center, which is located on the main campus in Lumberton. 

“Business leaders and interested community members were invited for the day,” stated Tasha Oxendine, the marketing director for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, in a press release. “This event brought together leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals to foster economic growth and collaboration within our communities.” 

A central theme of the symposium was the importance of networking and fostering business-to-business relationships, a message that resonated throughout the presentations, especially for historically underutilized businesses.  

“NC DOT is pushing very hard to get small, minority, women owned businesses to come together,” stated Pam Brewington Cashwell from the NC Department of Administration at the event. “Our NCDOA Center operates to help businesses learn how to grow and develop so that you are prepared to do larger projects to become more sustainable. Our HUB office operates to certify small, women, and minority owned businesses.”  

Another focus of the symposium was the importance of education.  

“With Robeson Community College being a major anchor in the county, we want our community to know what is available in terms of achieving an education,” RCC President Melissa Singler said in a press release. “In addition to small business workshops and counseling, RCC also offers a plethora of short-term training programs, associate degrees, diplomas and certificates, as well as adult high school education programs.” 

The symposium was developed by the NCCIA Economic Development and Employment and Training Committee, based on feedback gathered from surveys distributed to all American Indian communities in North Carolina, addressing their specific needs.

“This was a major success today with 115 participants in attendance,” said Deputy Candace Lowery, with the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, in a press release. “Attendees represented a wide range of organizations, including NCDOT, NCDOA, Duke Energy, Tennie Group, A1 Glass, Lumbee Guaranty Bank, the Lumbee Tribe, and Lumbee River EMC, to name a few.” 

“With continued support we hope to have additional events around the state,” Deputy Lowery added in a press release.