Margo Gray-Proctor, a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, delivered the keynote at the Indian Business Development Expo in Montana on Wednesday.

Gray-Proctor was a police officer for 17 years when she decided to start her own business. Her goal was to keep Indian money in Indian hands.

"My tribe spends $80 million a year on goods and services," Gray-Proctor said at the conference, sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, The Missoulian reported. "How come I can't get some of that?"

Horizon Cos had its best year in 2006, reporting $4.2 million in revenues. "But then, the economy tanked," Gray-Proctor said, and business dropped by 65 percent.

Gray-Proctor, who serves as chair of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, said she had to cut costs and suspend raises. "But I am proud to say I did not lay off one single person," she said, the paper reported.

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‘Indian Oprah’ says economic development key to creating better future on reservations (The Missoulian 12/3)