Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner recently proposed a plan to target more small business capital to low income and high poverty areas of the tribe’s 7,000 square mile reservation and surrounding counties.
Chief Hoskin first announced the concept of “opportunity zones” at his State of the Nation address on August 30 in Tahlequah.
Chief Hoskin provided more details of his administration’s plan to leverage mostly existing tribal and federal loan funds to areas lacking capital investment during the tribe’s 18th annual TERO Certified Indian Owned Business Awards Banquet in Tulsa.
“We have a strong bottom line by many measures, but I suggest those measures are incomplete,” Chief Hoskin said. “We need a new bottom line based on equity so that no community is left behind.”
The plan would designate United States Census Bureau tracts as new “Cherokee Opportunity Zones,” based on various factors such as poverty levels, concentration of Cherokee citizens, fluent speakers and existing Cherokee Nation infrastructure.
Entrepreneurs starting or expanding small businesses in these areas would have access to direct micro loans
Pictured (from left) is Deputy Speaker Kevin Easley Jr., Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Joe Sparks and Gary Barker of Gary Barker Construction Inc., Secretary of State Shella Bowlin, Secretary of Natural Resources Christina Justice, Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan and TERO Manager Larry Van from the tribe’s Economic Development Trust Authority and access to the tribe’s new federally backed SSBCI fund which matches loan funds dollar for dollar.
The Cherokee Opportunity Zone plan, to launch in 2026, would add up to $2 million in new micro loan funds for the new zones, which would be designated in every county of the tribe’s reservation as well as contiguous counties. The tribe would also target more of its on-the-job training funds to small businesses that invest in opportunity zones.
“We know that there are still some communities in the Cherokee Nation where poverty is high, hope is low and there is a feeling among community members that the rest of the world forgot about them,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “This plan is one more way we can demonstrate that Cherokee Nation did not forget about them and that we want to help these communities succeed.”
The Cherokee Nation Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) has 833 Indian-owned companies and 216 artists that are TERO-certified vendors, which are able to do business with the tribe and compete for government contracting jobs.
In the 2025 fiscal year, TERO vendors and artists earned more than $96 million in contracts with the tribe.
“We are proud of Native entrepreneurs who help build our tribal economy,” said Council Deputy Speaker Kevin Easley Jr. “These awards reflect the best of the best and give us all a lot of optimism about the future.”
This year marks the 42-year anniversary since the Council of the Cherokee Nation unanimously passed a resolution to endorse and approve the formation of Cherokee Nation TERO.
During the banquet the tribe honored two standout TERO certified businesses, with a special designation of Large Business of the Year and Small Business of the Year.
Thompson Construction, Inc., of Tulsa, received the Large Certified Indian Business of the Year award, while Kenny Walker Masonry, of Salina, received the Small Certified Indian Business of the Year award.
A number of the tribe’s TERO-certified businesses received a special recognition of their outstanding performance over the last year.
Certified local Indian- owned businesses awarded for 2025 are as follows:
• Certified Indian Business Community Leadership Award: Gary Barker Construction Inc., of Muldrow.
• Certified Indian Business Construction Company of the Year: SFC & Construction, of Sallisaw.
