Program Manager, Nebraska Indian Community College APEX Accelerator

I worked as a Carpenter in Local 256, 400, and 444. Then I got the opportunity to open my own business while working on the Con Agra World Headquarters in Omaha NE. I identified a niche market in the industry to stabilize my annual volume and got into the SBA's 8a Business Development Program. I worked through the 9 year program, and saw the positives and the negatives. I then became a Private Consultant trying to help Business Owners maximize their journey through the Federal Development Market and worked with 9 Different Tribal For Profit Entities and several different individually owned Service providers until I retired.

A friend called me and said he was writing a grant for the Nebraska Indian Community College to form a native Procurement and Technical Assistance Center. He wanted to know if I would be interested in being a part of this new PTAC. I came out of retirement when I was given the job as the Program Manager. I am working very hard in trying to structure a client base that will support its membership through networking and identifying opportunity as a whole, not going after everything individually. I am working to create Real Change in Indian Country.