Advertise:   ads@blueearthmarketing.com   712.224.5420

Business
Interview: Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc.


Ed. Note: Lance Morgan is the CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska's economic development corporation. Ho-Chunk Inc. owns Indianz.Com and its sister e-commerce site AllNative.Com.

"ndian Country Today: What do you think of as your greatest success, and how do you see it?

Lance Morgan: I think: building an organization that is lasting. I mean, on reservations with tribal environments, things kind of come and go. And the corporate entity we built has kind of evolved and learned and has laid down strong roots; and I think it will survive beyond me.

And when you have that kind of organization you can impact a lot of people's lives and impact a community in a broad way. So if I had to think about a greatest success, we are still here doing the same thing we started off doing - that's harder than you think in Indian country.

ICT: How did you manage to be so successful in Indian country: was the tribe a help or a hindrance?

Morgan: The tribe is ultimately responsible. They went along with Ho-Chunk Inc. because they believed in diversification. I'm not sure they had a complete understanding of how it was going to go and what we were going to do. I think that they trusted me at the time, and along the way the tribe has been incredibly helpful.

We've also had political issues that have been difficult and troubling; that comes from being in a tribal environment. We used the tribe's advantages to a great degree to help create our success. Tribal people offer a unique perspective, and also they can be tough employees.

So really you have kind of a mixed bag. On the whole, a tribal entity has positives, as long as they have a system that allows you to take advantage of positives. I think that's what makes us unique; we have a pretty clearly defined separation of business and politics. The tribe agreed to that and they are largely responsible for it, and they have maintained it to a large extent."

Get the Story:
A conversation with ... Lance Morgan (Indian Country Today 2/13)

Relevant Links:
Winnebago Tribe - http://www.winnebagotribe.com
Ho-Chunk Inc. - http://www.hochunkinc.com

Related Stories:
Winnebagos hold protest to demand $599 per cap (11/14)
Winnebago Tribe sees gains through diversification (08/11)
AllNative.Com opens new store, office building (07/28)
Winnebago Tribe's AllNative brand keeps growing (05/03)
Winnebago Tribe's company nets $38M contract (04/13)
Lance Morgan: Federal trust land policy hurts tribes (03/18)
Lance Morgan: Indian culture always about survival (02/18)
Winnebago tribal executive to consult for BIA (10/11)
Winnebago Tribe creating village for members (09/30)
Winnebago Tribe expects tax case to go to high court (02/18)
Morgan: The Haves, Never-Hads and Used-to-Have's (09/09)
Appeals court affirms Neb. tribe's tax victory (9/9)
Winnebago Tribe wins gasoline tax case (8/29)
Judge blocks state from interfering with tribe (08/08)
Kan. wins ruling in tribal gas tax dispute (01/29)
Appeals court to hear Winnebago tax case (1/27)
State appealing tribal gas ruling (09/02)
Winnebago Tribe welcomes gas tax decision (7/12)
State ordered to return tribal property (7/11)
Winnebago Tribe wants property back (5/21)
Court halts tax on tribe (5/18)
Winnebago leaders ordered arrested (4/12)
Fight expected over gas taxes (4/11)
Winnebago Tribe's gas trucks seized (4/10)
PEOPLE features 'Native Son' (3/29)
Winnebago Tribe lauded for tax pact (1/30)
Winnebago Tribe recognized for economic success (12/14)
Winnebago Tribe gets top honor (12/13)
Harvard 'impressed' by Winnebago Tribe (10/18)
Winnebago Tribe seeking top honor (10/17)
Ho-Chunk Inc. finalist in awards program (8/30)
Winnebago Tribe discusses gas tax (5/23)
Hackers hit Indianz.Com, government sites (4/30)
Winnebago Tribe may be headed for tax battle (2/6)
Neb. gaming amendment debated (2/6)
Neb. gaming amendment hearing today (2/5)
Ho-Chunk Inc. wins award (11/16)
Economic development discussed (11/16)