Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce
The Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce’s mission was to create, sustain, and enhance Native American business on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Supported by the Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates, the chamber focused on tribal tourism and bringing awareness of the reservations to out-of-state travelers.
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We partnered with the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce (PRACC) to develop and implement a five-year longitudinal research project on the state of the workforce and private business development on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Our role was to use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore changes over time and provide recommendations for future efforts focused on workforce, tourism, and overall business and economic sustainability.
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Survey roughly 105 businesses over the course of five years to get feedback on challenges, successes, and growth.
Assess PRACC's ability to meet the needs of local businesses.
Provide recommendations for enhancing and diversifying PRACC's programming in job readiness, workforce development, customer service, and business startups.
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Having served one of the most economically impoverished regions in America, PRACC made lasting, positive impacts in its community. By providing workforce development services and building infrastructure, PRACC helped stabilize the local economy by preparing young adults for new careers and supporting business owners in growth and expansion.
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2014–2018
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Michael Brydge — Project supervisor, tool design, client communication, data collection and analysis, and report writing
Mary Sienko — Data collection and analysis
Andrea Mader — Data collection and analysis
“I am a product of [PRACC's] trainings. I am very thankful.” —Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce employee
