The Oneida Indian Nation - a local success story

The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. It is a member of the Haudenosaunee, known in English as the Six Nations of Iroquois Confederacy.

The Oneida Nation has stated it wants to use economic incentives available to it as a sovereign nation to inject new wealth and create jobs not only for the Oneida community but for the communities that surround it.

When the Oneida Nation's Men's Council and Clan Mothers decided to open Turning Stone Casino in 1993, they did so with the expectation that gaming would be an opportunity to reverse its cycle of poverty and dependence on other governments.

Over the years, Turning Stone has grown from a modest gaming floor into a casino resort with all the amenities ... including a 185-room luxury hotel; a conference center and state-of-the-art showroom; a variety of dining options and gift shops; and a pool, health spa and beauty salon.

In 1999, Turning Stone added the nine-hole, par three Sandstone Hollow Golf course. In fiscal 2000, the spectacular Shenendoah Golf Course opened to rave reviews for its 18 holes of PGA-quality golf and its strict adherence to Audubon International's principles of environmental protection and enhancement. Shenendoah became only the 17th golf course in the U.S. to earn Audubon's highest honor, certified Signature Sanctuary Status. It is the first Indian-owned golf complex to receive the designation.

From the beginning, we knew we had to diversify our businesses so that we could be more recession-proof, said Keller George, a Wolf Clan representative to the Men's Council and Clan Mothers. Gaming was an opportunity for us, but we had to make the most of it by branching out into other businesses.

Thus, other Oneida businesses now include the SavOn chain of gas stations and convenience stores; a media company, Standing Stone Media, which publishes the national weekly newspaper Indian Country's Today; Oneida Textile Designs, which designs and prints casual wear and other items for a variety of markets; and Standing Stone Gaming, which manufactures, markets and sells the Nation's patented cashless gaming system.

All of this is not only impacting the Oneida Nation but others as well.

For instance, the Nation's spending with outside vendors and suppliers was more than $123 million in fiscal 2000 for everything from bingo paper and retail gifts to medical supplies and travel services. More than 47 percent of the Nation's 4,000-plus vendors are located in New York State and about a quarter are in Madison, Oneida and Onondaga counties.

Further, about 3.5 million people visited Turning Stone Casino Resort in fiscal 2000, and another 10,000 people a day visited the Nation's chain of SavOn gas stations and convenience stores.

Roughly 85 percent of the Nation's employees are non-native, and this workforce resulted in more than $9.5 million being paid for federal and state income taxes in fiscal 2000.

For more information about the Oneida Indian Nation, call 315-829- 3090.

If you have a candidate for Going The Extra Mile, please contact Scott Perkins at 394-3343. His e-mail is sperkins@frontiernet.net. Perkins is CEO of Agility Advertising Agency, 80 North Union St., Rochester, NY 14607.

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