A tribal entrepreneur program has brought in restaurants and gas stations. The band invested in a bottled-water company, and has purchased two banks in three years. The Mille Lacs Ojibwe are looking ahead at a future without gaming. Then in the early '90s, the Band opened two casinos. The stream of money has kept them building ever since.
Every business has a cycle.
Business is good, then it plateaus. Sometimes businesses change. When you're creating an economy, in order for it to be stable, you have to look at all those areas so that you're able to withstand a decline, maybe, in a certain industry or business. Creating an economy might seem like grandiose language, but that's Mimmack's job description. That means widening the employment base beyond the 2,000 jobs at the two casinos.