Milwaukee Portrait

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Collin Price, Co-founder of Indigenous Business Group, Brings Visibility to Native Businesses

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In the spring of 2022, a nonprofit organization called the Indigenous Business Group (IBG) was formed by three Native entrepreneurs in an effort to help Indigenous businesses prosper and support economic growth among the tribes in the region. The three founders are Collin Price of the Ho-Chunk Nation; Zoar Fulwilder, who is Salt River Pima-Maricopa; and Rob Pero of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Collin Price, owner of B-Team Strategy and based in the Milwaukee area, sat down for an interview to discuss the development of the group. But before talking about the organization itself, it’s important to understand the challenges tribes and Native businesses owners face – and the motivation to start IBG.

man smiling on street looking off camera with shirt that says "merciless indian savages"

There’s a growing interest among the tribes to have economic diversification, explains Price, but “one thing that hampers economic tribal development is the government structure.”

Wisconsin has 11 federally recognized tribes that are sovereign nations—all of which have their own governing bodies. Each tribe functions differently, but many tribes across the United States rely on casinos as their primary revenue source. This is because of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a 1988 law that protected gaming for the tribes and established a federal gaming structure.

Finding New Resources

Despite having gambling as a revenue source, many tribes struggle to diversify their earnings because of lack of resources and capacity, remote reservation locations, and other reasons that stem from years of oppression.

The Indigenous Business Group wants to be that solution by providing a network between tribes and Indigenous business owners. Price and his co-founders have extensive connections in the business community and want to connect funders with business owners to bring in investments and foster ideas.

Price’s expertise is in relationship building and connecting the right people across the state. His background in public relations and communications at the Ho-Chunk Nation introduced him to members of tribal governments around the state and helped him understand the importance of developing trusted relationships.

The other co-founders Zoar Fulwilder and Rob Pero bring different strengths to the table. Fulwilder, the managing partner of Mavid Construction, has years of experience in the construction industry. With this expertise, he advises tribes on construction practices and is able to connect Native people to job opportunities in the field.

Rob Pero, founder of Perodigm Media and Canndigenous, has expertise in media, communications, and public relations. According to Price, he takes an aggressive approach to knocking down barriers for budding business owners.

These three ambitious entrepreneurs are using their resources and connections to offer funding solutions, support, and most importantly bring visibility to Indigenous business owners.

What started as networking meet-ups, has since grown into a strong support system. In their first year as an organization, the Indigenous Business Group hosted a conference called the Indigenous Biz Con at Potawatomi Casino this past October. This brought together Indigenous businesses, high-level tribal administrators and elected tribal officials.

“We see Indian Country just getting started in terms of business,” says Price. The organization is young, but they have big aspirations to put Native business owners on the map.

Learn more about the Indigenous Business Group at indigenousbusinessgroup.org.

This article is part of the Hero of the Month column on the Shepherd Express.

Kai Gardner Mishlove Helps Communities Find their Similarities through Food

Food tells the story of migration, evokes memories, reminds us of where we came from and connects us to the land that produces the food we eat. As Kai Gardner Mishlove so beautifully explains, food unifies us and heals us. “When you prepare a dish, you’re putting your heart and soul into it and you’re evoking the memory of your ancestors in that work,” she says.

Dr. Samantha Majhor and Danielle Barrett are Working to Restore Ecosystems and Culture with Wild Rice

The students and faculty working on the Wild Rice Project in Marquette University’s Indigeneity Lab are trying to answer the question: Will wild rice grow in Milwaukee’s rivers? What may seem like a straight-forward science-based approach, requires relationship building with Indigenous communities and a deep understanding of the connection Native people have with the waters and wild rice.

Mariana Rodriguez Built a Space for Latinas to Thrive

“I think about my 20-plus years advocating for the safety and empowerment for women, and healthcare has always been core to everything we do,” says Mariana Rodriguez, director of the Latina Resource Center at United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS). “When women have resources and when they have options, they’re safer.”

Sheila Badwan Helps Refugees Seeking Freedom

On July 4, America celebrates its independence—our day of freedom. But many of us may never truly appreciate the freedom we have because we’ve always had it. For centuries, America has offered the promise of safety and a better life for those fleeing war, religious persecution, or other hardships. Unless we are Indigenous, our ancestors came to this country seeking that freedom we celebrate today.

Richard Diaz fights for families with lead poisoning

Three thousand, nine-hundred and twelve children up to the age of six were reported being poisoned by lead in Wisconsin in 2018—and that’s with a testing rate of only 10 percent of children. The fact is simple. There is not enough being done in Wisconsin to prevent lead poisoning and to help families who are being lead poisoned.

Ericka Sinclair is Redefining Healthcare

After working in the healthcare industry for over 15 years, Ericka Sinclair had a vision of redefining patient care by creating a community-based clinic. In traditional clinical care, she saw patterns that were not beneficial to the patients: physicians weren’t trained to have deep conversations with them, and people often didn’t know how to use their insurance.

Dontrell Corey Fells Shares the Value of Therapy

For Dontrell Corey Fells, co-founder of Black Space, therapy wasn’t always a pleasant experience. When he was a teenager in late high school, his mother passed away. “After that, there was just a young boy that wanted to be able to find somewhere to live and to figure out life for myself,” says Fells.

His family suggested he see a therapist to cope, but the man they found made Fells uncomfortable. As a young Black man, Fells couldn’t relate to his therapist who was an older white man. He felt the need to use coded language and give additional context to explain where he grew up and the challenges he faced. It wasn’t working.

Darrell Jack’s Fast Forward Fitness

Twelve years ago, Darrell Jack opened a small fitness facility called Fast Forward Fitness; driven by his love for athletics, he understood how fitness could help people take on the challenges of everyday life. According to him, getting fit requires a deep dive into one’s mindset and the day-to-day concerns that affect one’s psyche. “If we don’t have the mentality, the physicality doesn’t matter,” he says. Years later, that approach to fitness led him to his work with Parkinson’s clients. In addition to personal training and group classes, Jack now offers regular kickboxing classes for those with Parkinson’s disease that teach improved mobility, agility, and other functions.

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Jessica Sunier Redefines Fitness to be Inclusive

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Jessica Sunier Redefines Fitness to be Inclusive

The health and fitness industry has been built to serve a certain type of person. “Health looks white. Health looks like straight teeth. Health looks thin… So, health has a look and if you don’t match that look, people judge on outside appearances and they’re going to assume you’re not healthy,” explains Jessica Sunier, Owner and Founder of the gym FitPower LLC. Sunier studied health and worked in various gyms, but she was tired of being in an industry that was focused on appearances and making money. So, in 2011, she started her own gym.

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Thresa Stevens is an Advocate for Native Victims of Sexual Violence

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Thresa Stevens is an Advocate for Native Victims of Sexual Violence

If you look up the number of victims of sexual assault, sexual violence and sex trafficked victims in Milwaukee, the numbers are striking. Particularly among Native women, the rates of sexual violence and abduction are high and under reported.

Thresa Stevens, who is Menominee, works with Native women and men in Milwaukee who fall victim to this violence and suffer from trauma. As the Native American Advocate for Women and Children at Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, she helps people find resources, gets them to a safe space, and if they want, she connects them to counselors at HIR Wellness.

Val Lopez is a Healer and Mender of Hope

Val Lopez has always been one to take care of others and now as an occupational therapist at the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, she truly puts her heart into her work. Lopez helps people who have mental health problems, disabilities, and other impairments participate in their communities by teaching them rehabilitation exercises, job readiness and other everyday life skills. Building a trusted connection with her patients and making them feel safe is her first step in finding a path for healing.

Xavier Smart is Indigenizing Healing

A recent graduate from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Xavier Smart is a young counselor and community healer at the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, a nonprofit that offers free mental health services to Indigenous groups and communities of color. He describes himself as Afro-Caribbean with roots in the Bahamas and Florida. During his time in school learning psychology, he felt something was off about the lessons he was learning.

“Through my undergrad experience, I realized there was a lot of information out there, but a lot of it, I felt, didn’t apply to myself and my community,” says Smart. Most of what he learned was about how to heal the individual without involving the community they are a part of. “Our communities of color, we are very community based. We’re very for the people, together.”

Lisa Jones Builds Grassroot Power through Community Connections

When Jay Anderson was killed by a Wauwatosa police officer in 2016, it hit home for Lisa Jones, the Executive Director and Lead Organizer of Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH). At the time, she was living down the street from the park where Anderson was shot to death while sitting in his car. “It just disturbed me that I would be driving past this park,” she said. “One day I actually pulled into a parking spot, and I thought, ‘could this be the spot?’”

Jim Godsil, Integral to Our City

On a quiet overcast morning, I sat next to James Godsil on a bench overlooking Lake Michigan—this was his office, he told me. Full of life and humor, he had plenty to say, often looking off at the lake and speaking about philosophical ideas and future possibilities. Many know Godsil as a community connector, a co-founder of Sweet Water Organics, a civil rights advocate, or a long-time community roofer. One could say he is a part of this city – a man who has put his heart and soul into helping Milwaukee grow and flourish since he moved here in 1969.

Noor Jawad is a Healer, Influencer and Supporter for Many

Noor Jawad has been a healer and an integral part of the alternative medicine community in Milwaukee area for over 35 years. As a founding contributor to CORE El Centro, a current member of the Milwaukee-based Share Collaborative, and the owner of her own private practice offering life coaching, she has helped many people discover new methods of healing.

Jilly Gokalgandhi Works for Equity in Education

Newly elected to the Milwaukee Public School Board representing District 5, Jilly Gokalgandhi has big plans for her new role. Committed to following through on her campaign promises, she is determined to make policies centered around equity, which include funding for special education, multilingual education, and working on restorative justice practices. As an immigrant, she brings a unique lived experience to her role and cares deeply about creating an education system that is inclusive for all students.