Siyo from the Rez

17: Cherokee Nation’s Opportunity Zones Program and How It Supports Entrepreneurs

Cherokee Nation Season 2 Episode 2

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 31:20

💬 Siyo! We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text! (Make sure you include your name and contact information.)

What does it take to create a thriving Cherokee-owned business? This month, we sit down with Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan and Cherokee entrepreneur Dillin Springwater, who went from push-mowing yards as a teenager to now running multiple businesses filled with Native employees. 

Together, they talk about the many ways Cherokee Nation lifts up small-business owners: from TERO vendor preference to $84 million in SSBCI funding, workforce pipeline programs, and our Opportunity Zones program for small-business owners on the reservation and at-large. 

Whether you're on the reservation or an at-large citizen with a dream, this episode's for you.

This is Cherokee Nation's official podcast.

This episode was hosted by KenLea Keys and Colton Branstetter.

Producer: Bryan Dugan

Executive Producers: Julie Hubbard and Jason McCarty

Editor: Samantha Robinson

Graphic Designer: Justyne Eden

Visual Effects: Ray Carey

Soundtrack by Chuj Mackey

This episode was filmed at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah on the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

💌 Email us at podcast@cherokee.org!