Tribal Enterprise Spotlight on MATI
Starting your own tribal telecom company There is probably no need to define what telecommunications is to the average IT Leader. The question may be, “is there a need to define it to tribal leadership”? Technology professionals in Native American organizations are often faced with the challenge of communicating a need for funding for resources that their decision makers often may not fully understand. It would be impossible for even the most informed tribal council to be able to have extensive knowledge in the many divisions of a tribe. That is especially true when speaking of technology. This is why IT leaders must have the best resources to present the need for technology in a way that the decision makers can understand and ultimately decide to sign on the dotted line. For some tribes, as in the case of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, there was little convincing needed for the call for improved telecommunications.
In the early 90’s the tribal leadership was setting their sights high on a diversified economy, but with poor infrastructure and a local phone company that didn’t exactly have the reservation on their priority list, there was a gaping hole that needed attention. They began recruiting leaders that had the skills to see their vision through, which is what brought Godfrey Enjady home to the Mescalero Apache Tribe. Unfamiliar with the inner-workings of a tribal organization, he looked to a few mentors within the tribe to guide him through the structure, especially Tribal President Wendell Chino. Now, in addition to starting the tribe’s first gas company in 1995, Godfrey is also the GM and Founder of Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc. - MATI. Godfrey states, “We faced some challenges in getting the company started, but it has made a significant impact on the tribe. We are now providing state-of the art technology to our own tribe, as well as communities in New Mexico and Texas. We have secured contracts with state level government, large corporations and we also provide consulting services to other tribes across the U.S.”
Some of the benefits the tribe now enjoys:
- Tribal members have local, long-distance phone and high speed Internet access.
- The tribe has the ability to offer training and distance learning programs.
- Provide teleconferencing opportunities for tribal enterprises, businesses, and several of the government divisions.
- The K-12 tribal school now has over 600 computers with Internet access.
- Diversifies their economy by generating an additional revenue stream.
- Ground-work set for growth for their government programs, health care facilities, casinos, hotels & businesses.
MATI has assisted Tribes in the following critical steps:
- Completing Feasibility Studies
- Designing Operation Layouts
- Network Design
- Obtaining Necessary Funding
- Equipment Selection & Purchasing
- FCC Guidelines and Procedures
- Training