Kudos to client Tule River Tribe and its Tule River Tribe Gaming Association for receiving a Leadership Award from the Native American Finance Officers Association at its 40th Annual NAFOA conference in Seattle, Washington. The tribe was recognized for closing a $175 million syndicated bank financing shepherded by Kerry Patterson with assistance from Gabriela Magee and John C. Lee for the construction of the new Eagle Mountain Casino.

To quote NAFOA’s press release:

After decades of hard work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, State of California, Tulare County, and the City of Porterville, the Tribe won federal and state approval to move the Eagle Mountain Casino to a new site with better access to major roads and highways located within the City of Porterville, California. The new location will provide significant economic benefits, public safety and community improvement, and relieve the existing drought concerns for residents of the reservation. The economic benefits of this move will provide the tribe with approximately 300 new full and part-time jobs all with fair compensation. Additionally, the construction of the project alone will add hundreds of temporary jobs and millions in annual wages.

NAFOA launched over four decades ago as the Native American Finance Officers Association to highlight the role of tribal finance in fostering economic opportunities. NAFOA has grown along with tribal economies over the last 30 years to be advocates of sound economic and fiscal policy and developers of innovative training programs in financial management to build the financial and economic skills of the next generation, and convenes tribal leadership, experienced professionals, and economic partners to meet the challenges of economic growth and change. Through its work in growing tribal economies and strengthening tribal finance NAFOA supports the advancement of independent and culturally vibrant American Indian and Alaska Native communities.