Oklahoma: A Story Through Her People

CHICKASAW
NATION
Above: Bill Anoatubby, governor of the
Chickasaw Nation.
Since Bill Anoatubby was elected governor
of the Chickasaw Nation in 1987, the tribe
has become a major force in a positive transformation
underway in southern Oklahoma.
In recent years that transforming power has
had an increasingly powerful effect on the
entire state.
Most have heard the phrase “a rising tide
lifts all boats.” While that metaphor has been
used effectively to illustrate the idea that a
growing economy benefits everyone, it could
be extended to just as effectively illustrate
the same principle with any indicator of the
quality of life.
A growing economy benefits everyone
concerned because more money circulating in
the economy means rewarding employment is
more readily available, people are more likely
to have access to disposable income and new
businesses are more likely to succeed.
There is a similar dynamic at work in regard
to other factors affecting the quality of life.
Better hospitals, staffed with more doctors,
nurses and other healthcare providers, naturally
lead to easier access to quality healthcare.
More highly qualified, motivated law
enforcement officers equipped with first-rate
tools of the trade improves public safety.
While a rising tide begins with a robust,
growing economy, that tide truly lifts all
boats when the money produced is reinvested
into the community, leading to more business
opportunities, pride in community, higher
quality healthcare, a more effective transportation
system and more confidence in the
level of public safety.
That is the reason the Chickasaw Nation,
under the visionary leadership of Governor
Anoatubby, takes a comprehensive view of a
variety of factors as it strives to achieve its
mission to enhance the overall quality of life
of the Chickasaw people.
A healthy, growing economy is the
foundation of that mission and the tribe has
focused a great deal of time and energy on
economic development.
Since the Chickasaw Nation began operating
its first tribal business in 1972, the tribe
has made a concerted effort to build a
sustainable source of revenue by diversifying
its business portfolio.
When the Chickasaw Nation opened its
first business, the Chickasaw Motor Inn in
Sulphur, Oklahoma, it developed a wide
range of other opportunities and now
operates more than 100 successful businesses.
Less than three decades ago, in 1987,
the Chickasaw Nation operated just over
thirty programs with more than ninety
percent of the funding coming from the
federal government. The budget for federal
programs was little more than $7 million.
Today, successful tribal economic development
efforts enable the Chickasaw Nation to
fund a majority of its programs and services.
The tribe offers more than 200 tribally
funded programs. The tribal budget has
grown exponentially, funding services from
education, healthcare and nutrition to
housing and family services.
Although the primary goals of economic
development are providing revenue for the
tribe’s government and funding for programs
and services, there is ample evidence the
Chickasaw Nation is making a significant
contribution to the overall health of the
economy in Oklahoma.
A study found that the Chickasaw Nation
had an economic impact of more than
$2.4 billion on the Oklahoma economy in
2011 and supported approximately 16,000
jobs in Oklahoma.
Chickasaw Nation businesses generated
$1.39 billion from tribal business activities,
which include manufacturing, banking,
tourism, energy, healthcare, hospitality
and entertainment.
At the time of the study, the Chickasaw
Nation employed more than 10,000 people
in Oklahoma with $318 million in direct
payroll contributions. That makes the tribe
the seventh largest employer in Oklahoma,
surpassing even the U.S. Postal Service.
Multiplier effects of Chickasaw Nation
operations helped create more than 5,900
additional jobs with a payroll of more than
$206 million. In total, tribal business and
governmental operations resulted in $525
million in income for Oklahoma workers.
While this contribution to the health of
the Oklahoma economy is meaningful in
itself, it is made even more significant
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