Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 30, 2007 8:46:14 GMT -5
Choctaw leader shares methods in Alamogordo
Alamogordo Daily News
By Jeff Stevens, Assistant Editor Article
There's probably not a lot of Choctaw Indians in Alamogordo. And if
there are, they weren't at the Alamogordo Rotary Club Wednesday. That
leads to the question as to why the leader of the third largest Native
American Tribe in America was there. Because he made a promise and,
like any good ol' Oklahoma boy, he kept his promise. "Mr. Garland asked
me to come down and I promised I would," said Chief Greg Pyle of the
Choctaw Nation. Mr. Garland is Alamogordo Rotarian Kenneth Garland.
Garland attended a Choctaw meeting in Albuquerque two years ago, and
when he met the chief, he asked him to address his Rotary Club. So,
on Wednesday morning, Pyle, along with his public relations
representative Judy Allen, flew the tribe's plane into Alamogordo-White
Sands Regional Airport and kept his promise by addressing the noon
Alamogordo Rotary Club. And even though Pyle may be a good ol' boy
who keeps his promises, he's by no means simple. In fact, he's the chief
executive of a very sophisticated government. Pyle has been chief of
the 200,000 member-strong nation, based in Durant, Okla., for the past
10 years. And as he explained, his job requires him to cover a lot of
ground. The Choctaw territory in Oklahoma encompasses 11,000 square
miles, but Choctaw members reside all over the country. "There's
Choctaws everywhere. We're kind of like beer cans. We're all up and down
the road," Pyle said. With that many members comes lots of
responsibility. The Choctaw Nation addresses those responsibilities by
creating its own wealth. According to Pyle, his nation owns 10
different companies, including defense contract companies, seven
casinos, 13 travel plazas, a newspaper and multiple other enterprises.
Those companies employ 7,500 to 9,000 tribal and non-tribal members.
Pyle said, however, that making money isn't the only factor in the
tribe's decision to start a business. "It has to provide a lot of jobs
and make a profit," Pyle said. Those profits aren't just going to
make a few people rich, either. Seven years ago, the Choctaw nation
built a new 150,000-square- foot hospital for its members at a cost of
$27 million, and without borrowing money to cover any of the cost. Pyle
said the nation doesn't borrow money for any of its projects. The
hospital replaced a 75-year-old clinic that had just four examination
rooms. Now the Choctaws have a state-of-the-art facility, and equipment
and specialists in every category working there. "We found out that
once you have the facility and the equipment, you can get the top
doctors," Pyle said, adding that the hospital employs between 300 to 400
people. The nation didn't stop there, however, going on to build two
more rural clinics, with two more still in the works. The tribe
currently provides funds for 5,000 college students to attend school and
even provides money to local businesses that employ students and teach
them a trade during the summer. "It's Choctaw money, and every
Choctaw should share in that," Pyle said. It's a philosophy that's
represented throughout the tribe's government. Pyle said employees of
the government are empowered to make decisions that are best for the
people. "The only rule they have when they spend money is to ask, RIs
it the best thing for the Choctaw people?'" Pyle said. That attitude,
he said, is beneficial when the area is covered in ice 9 as is the case
now 9 and people are without power. "If someone needs to take a
credit card and buy $5,000 worth of blankets, they don't have to have
anyone there to approve that," Pyle said. Of course, he added, the
tribe has its problems. He described coming home one day looking
downtrodden, and his wife asked him if he was OK. "I'm just glad to
know the tribe is behind me. Now can you help me get these arrows out of
my back," was Pyle's response.
Alamogordo Daily News
By Jeff Stevens, Assistant Editor Article
There's probably not a lot of Choctaw Indians in Alamogordo. And if
there are, they weren't at the Alamogordo Rotary Club Wednesday. That
leads to the question as to why the leader of the third largest Native
American Tribe in America was there. Because he made a promise and,
like any good ol' Oklahoma boy, he kept his promise. "Mr. Garland asked
me to come down and I promised I would," said Chief Greg Pyle of the
Choctaw Nation. Mr. Garland is Alamogordo Rotarian Kenneth Garland.
Garland attended a Choctaw meeting in Albuquerque two years ago, and
when he met the chief, he asked him to address his Rotary Club. So,
on Wednesday morning, Pyle, along with his public relations
representative Judy Allen, flew the tribe's plane into Alamogordo-White
Sands Regional Airport and kept his promise by addressing the noon
Alamogordo Rotary Club. And even though Pyle may be a good ol' boy
who keeps his promises, he's by no means simple. In fact, he's the chief
executive of a very sophisticated government. Pyle has been chief of
the 200,000 member-strong nation, based in Durant, Okla., for the past
10 years. And as he explained, his job requires him to cover a lot of
ground. The Choctaw territory in Oklahoma encompasses 11,000 square
miles, but Choctaw members reside all over the country. "There's
Choctaws everywhere. We're kind of like beer cans. We're all up and down
the road," Pyle said. With that many members comes lots of
responsibility. The Choctaw Nation addresses those responsibilities by
creating its own wealth. According to Pyle, his nation owns 10
different companies, including defense contract companies, seven
casinos, 13 travel plazas, a newspaper and multiple other enterprises.
Those companies employ 7,500 to 9,000 tribal and non-tribal members.
Pyle said, however, that making money isn't the only factor in the
tribe's decision to start a business. "It has to provide a lot of jobs
and make a profit," Pyle said. Those profits aren't just going to
make a few people rich, either. Seven years ago, the Choctaw nation
built a new 150,000-square- foot hospital for its members at a cost of
$27 million, and without borrowing money to cover any of the cost. Pyle
said the nation doesn't borrow money for any of its projects. The
hospital replaced a 75-year-old clinic that had just four examination
rooms. Now the Choctaws have a state-of-the-art facility, and equipment
and specialists in every category working there. "We found out that
once you have the facility and the equipment, you can get the top
doctors," Pyle said, adding that the hospital employs between 300 to 400
people. The nation didn't stop there, however, going on to build two
more rural clinics, with two more still in the works. The tribe
currently provides funds for 5,000 college students to attend school and
even provides money to local businesses that employ students and teach
them a trade during the summer. "It's Choctaw money, and every
Choctaw should share in that," Pyle said. It's a philosophy that's
represented throughout the tribe's government. Pyle said employees of
the government are empowered to make decisions that are best for the
people. "The only rule they have when they spend money is to ask, RIs
it the best thing for the Choctaw people?'" Pyle said. That attitude,
he said, is beneficial when the area is covered in ice 9 as is the case
now 9 and people are without power. "If someone needs to take a
credit card and buy $5,000 worth of blankets, they don't have to have
anyone there to approve that," Pyle said. Of course, he added, the
tribe has its problems. He described coming home one day looking
downtrodden, and his wife asked him if he was OK. "I'm just glad to
know the tribe is behind me. Now can you help me get these arrows out of
my back," was Pyle's response.