The Wolf River Development Company formally opened the doors Oct. 3 of its new building, Mahwakwikamek, which translates to Where There’s Wolves.
The company, which regulates all tribal businesses on the reservation, now has a 21,000 square-foot building at W2828 Go Around Road in Keshena with six commercial rental suites, which includes its new drive-thru coffee shop, Morning Star Coffee. There are also more than two dozen offices for WRDC employees, along with incubator offices that fledgling businesses can utilize short term.
Mahwakwikamek will provide infrastructure, entrepreneurial training, networking opporunities, and legal and technical assistance to the tribe’s business community. The goal is to make a more sustainable economic system for the tribe.
Mike Fish Jr., Menominee tribal vice chairman, told guests at a ribbon cutting ceremony the new building’s completion was a historical moment for the tribe.
“Today, we gather for a moment that will be remembered for generations, the grand opening of Wolf River Development Company’s new building,” Fish said. “It’s more than just a structure of brick and mortar. It’s a symbol of hope, opportunity and progress for the Menominee people. There will be a generation of our children and our grandchildren who will grow up only knowing this building as a part of their landscape and will never remember a time when it wasn’t here, when it was just gas pumps.”
Fish said the new headquarters for WRDC will be the starting point for future development on the reservation. It will make sure, he added, that Menominee voices, ideas and talent are infused in all the businesses that take root on Menominee land and give the tribal youths a chance to make their way in the world at home instead of having to leave the reservation.
“This building stands as a testament to that vision of determination, to that belief that we, as a nation, can and will build a sustainable economic future,” Fish said. “This isn’t just about today. It’s about what we leave behind for our youth. Economic development is not only about business, it’s about sovereignty, self-determination and assuring that our young people have opportunities here at home.”
It has only been a year since ground was broken for the building, according to WRDC Board Chairwoman Pamela Boivin, a step that took courage.
“It is an evolution of careful planning, bold choices and the confidence to invest in our future,” Boivin said. “We stepped into the unknown, knowing that progress requires courage, and those choices brought tremendous returns. They allowed us to grow strategically and arrive at this moment today.”
The building, described as a gathering place, also symbolizes a promise that the Menominee people will receive the help they need to make their businesses thrive in Keshena and the other communities that make up the reservation, according to Boivin. She noted that Morning Star Coffee will also give all gainfully employed Menominee a boost as they start their work days.
“This building is not just what stands here today,” Boivin said. “It represents sovereignty in action. It represents what happens when we carefully plan, work together, embrace the next steps in our evolution as people and as a community. It represents the confidence that, when we invest in ourselves, our people and our future, the benefits ripple far beyond these walls. This is only the beginning.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
