Northern Arapaho Newsletter Issue 011
New Leadership at the Wind River Hotel and Casino
In early February 2020, the Northern Arapaho Business Council hired Christopher Vieceli and Patrick Leckrone as the Wind River Hotel and Casino's new CEOs. Both CEOs were recommended by a fellow tribe in the gaming industry.
Both Christopher and Patrick have 20-plus years of experience in the Indian and state gaming industry.
Since the NABC hired the team of Co-CEOs, they've been working to reopen the 789 Smokeshop. They are currently repairing and restoring the slot machines located at 789. Once they open the casino portion of the building, they also have plans to bring back bingo sessions.
"We are working to be established as the premier adult entertainment option in the state of Wyoming," said Vieceli.
The Northern Arapaho Tribe's economy took a hit when the Wind River Hotel and Casino closed during the pandemic. However, the Co-CEOs don't plan to take their position lightly. With a degree in education, Vieceli is drawn to opportunities to help improve the lives of others.
"We both have been a part of ventures that have allowed us to impact people positively. That's the intrinsic reward. That's the mindset I look through– how do we make life better for people? Better for the property? And how do we make life better for the tribe?" said Vieceli.
As a team of Co-CEOs, Leckrone and Vieceli have the opportunity to look at situations from different perspectives. Vieceli believes there will be a nice balance as everything gets looked at in totality.
"We have two different skill sets. I come from a hospitality background. I also have a marketing background. Chris comes from the gaming side," said Leckrone.
"It allows us to challenge each other. Then we make well-rounded decisions instead of one person's decisions," said Vieceli.
When asked how they plan to gain the trust of the tribal members after the firing of the previous casino CEO, Leckrone said, "We plan to use total transparency. We presented to the Business Council and went through all the financials and the bank accounts. We believe we have a fantastic relationship with the Business Council. We're trying to install, on the business side, a different culture. We have great managers on staff. I'm here to train my next replacement, and I can't leave for my next venture until this place is rock solid."
Arapaho Phrase
Apple— Bee’ice’ee’
Click the video below to hear a fluent elder pronounce this week's phrase.
The audio is from the Arapaho Language App, which is made possible by our fluent elder speakers and Arapaho School district #38
Economic Development Committee Seeks to Bring Revenue to Rez
The Northern Arapaho Economic Development Committee's mission is to seek out new economic opportunities and retain existing wealth for the tribe.
The current committee consists of chairman Michael Yellowplume, Co-chairwoman Cassie Underwood, April Goggles, Leonard Moss, and Sami Dresser.
The EDC is working to bring tourist revenue to the Wind River Reservation through a Travel Story Audio Tour. The tour will allow visitors to drive to historic sites on the reservation and, through the TravelStorys App, hear stories and information about the land and the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes.
The tour will include nine sites from Arapaho to Ethete, including the St.Stephens Mission, Arapaho powwow grounds, and the old railroad. The EDC is partnering with the Wyoming Visitors Council on the project.
EDC Chairman, who is in his second term, believes in building wealth for the tribe and keeping the dollars on the reservation.
"What I first envisioned when I came on to economic development was building businesses and building around our casino because that's our main attraction. I'd like to see our tribal members spend money on tribal businesses and keep the money circulating here. That will show what power our dollar has," said Yellowplume.
First Graduate From CWC’s Tribal Leadership Program
On May 6th, 2022, Anneshia Hill graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Tribal Leadership from Central Wyoming College, becoming the first graduate in the program. The BAS Tribal Leadership program was first offered in the 2020 fall semester.
The program teaches students to manage and lead successfully within public, private, government, and nonprofit organizations.
Hill said she pursued the degree because she believes it will allow her to make a change on the Wind River Reservation. "There's a lot of issues that go unnoticed. I was inspired to help our community and the younger generation, and my kids as well. I wanted to go back to school to help address those issues," said Hill.
As a single mother of two daughters, a three and five-year-old, Hill often took her daughters to campus, and they waited in the next room as she attended classes.
“My family and my kids were my support. I'm thankful for [my daughter's] patience while I went to class. They never complained once. It means everything to me [to get this degree] because I'm a part of something that's bigger than myself. My professors gave me a lot of guidance. Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter was a big help. She was one of my biggest supporters. I told her what I wanted to do and she said ‘you should go back to school or go to CWC because they’re opening a bachelor program and I think you can be successful at it,” said Hill.
Hill plans to continue her education at the University of Idaho, where she will pursue her master's degree in English. She was accepted into the Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program. The program prepares and certifies culturally responsive indigenous teachers to meet the unique needs of Native American students in K-12 schools.
Mathews Returns as Store Manager
On January 13th, Will Mathews returned as the store manager for Ethete C-Store and the 789 Smokeshop. He worked for the Northern Arapaho Tribe from 1988 to 2000 and was the store manager from 1990 to 2000.
In his return, Mathews looks forward to the challenge of improving the stores.
"Getting the chance to come back and build up the stores to where it's meeting the needs of our community is important. My goal is not to stay here forever. The goal is to get managers trained so they can run the stores," said Mathews.
Mathews plans to create an opportunity for the residents of the Ethete area to get their shopping needs met at the C-Store.
"For those that shop in town, I want to build up the store so that they can come over here and get what they need. That's my biggest goal to make sure our local community has adequate products," said Mathews.
He is also looking to hire more workers, which will create better shift hours for his current employees.
The 789 Smokeshop and Ethete C-Store are currently hiring clerks, cashiers, and stalkers. Applications can be picked up in both store locations.