2005 Annual Report Executive Summary
Tri-County Indian Nations Enterprise Community
Tri-County established a Small Business Loan fund through the USDA Intermediary Relending Program. This program has generated much interest and has opened even more doors for collaborating with local bankers and economic development professionals. Tri-County is working on such varied projects as providing a working capital loan which will enable a local manufacturer to purchase much needed equipment. With expanded capabilities, this manufacturer plans to add at least 15 jobs over the next year. This is especially significant because these jobs will be created in a town of less than 1000 people. Other projects include working with the local artisans in Clarita to develop a destination around the September Amish Auction, providing technical assistance to a couple of young entrepreneurs who are opening a restaurant and service station in Stonewall, and partnering with a distributor of specialized trailers in Coal County. Additional projects have revolved around building capacity in affordable housing. One of the primary benchmarks is the development of more affordable housing within the three counties that constitute the Enterprise Community. In response to area needs for affordable housing, Tri-County initiated a Mutual Self-Help Housing program to assist with the construction of 18 new homes in Pontotoc, Coal, and Johnston counties over the two years. This program is an excellent cornerstone for our housing efforts; however, it has certain limitations. Primarily, these are the limited number of homes that can be constructed within the allotted period and the difficulty in recruiting qualifying families. Community capacity building is another of Tri-County’s areas of focus. Tri-County has been actively involved with many of the ECs chambers of commerce, community councils, and community development teams. We have served on numerous boards and been able to provide both funding and support for many area projects. Tri-County provided over $75,000 in direct financial support of projects like a new refrigerated truck to deliver meals to the county’s elderly residents, infrastructure improvements for the new CLEET facility which will provide quality jobs and stream students into the EC, and operations support for the new rural Oklahoma 211 system.
Tri County Indian Nations EC Summary Page Tri-County Indian Nations EC Funding Page