America's Technology Innovators Join Tribal Leaders To Put Native Americans In The Driver's Seat On The Information Superhighway

For Immediate Release, Feb. 4, 2005

For Media Information, contact Liz Hill: (202) 744-7629 (cell)

For More Information about the National Center , contact Kenneth Robbins, President/CEO: (480) 545-1298, ext. 235

Washington , D.C. , Feb. 4 “Reservation Economic Summit (RES 2005)” -- which is taking place Feb. 7-10 at the Las Vegas ( Nev. ) Hilton -- is working to bridge the digital divide for Native peoples. Many Indian reservations are isolated and cut off from access to advanced communications and information technologies – tools needed by Native peoples to improve quality of life.

On Tuesday, Feb. 8 and Wednesday, Feb. 9, leaders from some of America's most innovative technology companies, such as Cisco, Redline Communications, Inc., Alvarion, Blue Moon Solutions, Inc., Tropos Networks and TAMSCO, are joining with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise (NCAIED) and Tribal leaders to bring reservations into the information age and onto the fast track to economic self-sufficiency. “Communications and IT systems can overcome the barriers of geographic isolation and connect remote Native American communities to the land of opportunity through e-business, e-government, telemedicine, distance learning and fast public safety response,” explains NCAIED's President and CEO, Ken Robbins.

RES 2005 marks NCAIED's biggest push to improve Indian Country's access to communications. From Feb. 7-10, RES participants at the Las Vegas Hilton will have unique opportunities to see into the future of advanced communications and learn what technology can do for them today. Building on last year's RES success of the Communications and Information Technology Track, NCAIED has lined up expert speakers from the ranks of premier communications and information technology and investment communities. Success stories will be discussed and tips on how to jump start and fund projects will be shared.

This year's Technology Track, Communications and Information Technology: Profitable Businesses and Paths to Success , will provide participants with the template for starting a communications business or bringing advanced technology to the Reservation. The four 90 minute interactive sessions promise to stand-out. The first session, Established & Emerging Technologies , leads both beginners and experts through the dizzying array of technology choices, to answer participants' basic question: What System is Right for You? Once fledgling entrepreneurs and community leaders have matched their projects with the right technology, the second session, Identifying Funding Sources & Building Revenue Streams , guides participants through the money maze to enable them to identify Corporate, Non-profit, & Governmental Partnering Opportunities . With seed money in hand, entrepreneurs and community leaders will see how to grow a successful business or community network. In Session Three, Moving from Start-up to Sustainable Business, participants will get pointers on Spotting the Hurdles & Finding the Solutions that will nurture a budding business so that it can reach full bloom. The last sessions will present actual case studies that will provide each participant with real-life Models for Success . Participants will learn about Communications & IT Business that Grew & Prospered and meet the men and women at the helm and behind the scenes of these thriving enterprises.

Tribal leaders will discuss how they are using advanced technologies to jump-start businesses in their Nations and gain community access to improved health care, educational opportunities, and life-lines to first responders and other essential public safety personnel. A. Brian Wallace, Chairman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California , will introduce the Communications and Information Technology Track. Chairman Wallace believes that Tribal leadership is key to progress: “If we want to see major improvements in the quality of life on our Reservations, we must embrace the opportunities that advanced communications offer to our People. Tribal leaders must be proactive in bringing broadband to the Reservation by partnering with big business and encouraging native entrepreneurs.”

Other Native American luminaries will introduce separate sessions. Tex Hall, President of the National Congress of American Indians, will introduce the final session, Models of Success: Communications and Information Technology Businesses that Grew and Prospered. President Hall has stressed the pivotal role of telecommunications in improving the “State of Indian Country .” President Hall calls on “Tribal leaders to commit their energy, their imagination, and their resources to building the bridge across the digital divide. These are the pathfinders of Indian Country. They are unanimous in seeing communications and information technology as the path to a brighter future for the Tribal Nations.

RES 2005 is organized by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), the only national non-profit organization solely dedicated to developing American Indian economic self-sufficiency through business ownership.

Visit www.ncaied.org for “RES 2005” registration and conference information or call the “RES 2005” Hotline at: (800) 462-2433, ext. 243. For more information about “RES 2005” sponsorship opportunities, contact Maryl Hamilton at (800) 462-2433, ext. 228.