1999 Annual Report Executive Summary*
Four Corners Enterprise Community
The Navajo Nation as the nominating entity facilitated and coordinated input from the Utah Navajo Trust Fund, Four Corners Heritage Council, Navajo Utah Commission, Navajo governmental divisions, Navajo Chapters, Upper Village of Moenkopi Hopi, White Mesa Ute, and private businesses within the region and established the Four Corners Empowerment Zone (4CEZ) Task force. The Task force submitted an EZ application on October 8, 1998, which projected a total economic and community development impact of $220 million, leveraged by the proposed Empowerment Zone amount of $40 million. The application was not selected as an Empowerment Zone; however, Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye received a formal letter dated January 22, 1999, announcing the application was selected as one of the 20 new Enterprise Communities designated nationwide and the EC would be receiving $250,000 annually over a 10-year period.
Shortly after the announcement, the Navajo Nation Business Regulatory Department certified the Four Corners Enterprise Community (4CEC) as a non-profit Corporation. In August 1999, President Begaye appointed the fifteen-member Board of Directors to oversee the new initiative. The Board membership is comprised of representatives from various entities, some initially involved with bringing about the designation.
On September 9, 1999, the board of directors had its first meeting in Window Rock, Arizona. The Board set its agenda, reviewed the Strategic Plan, Tax Exempt status, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and received a report from Dennis Daniels, Rural Development Coordinator for the Arizona USDA. Since then, the Board has been meeting the second Thursday of each month to address issues related to the organization functions and structure. It also concentrated on re-strategizing and re-scaling the initial strategic plan, specifically identifying Benchmarks for the first two years. The Board worked with the Navajo Nation government in preparing for the Memorandum of Agreement with USDA.