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LDF Tribe Gets $3 Million U.S. Grant For Workforce Training and Business Development Ctr.

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa a $3 million grant to support construction of a Workforce Development and Business Training Center in Lac du Flambeau.

The Lac du Flambeau Business Development Corporation was a key player in getting the significant grant.

In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the grant will enable the access to opportunities to achieve greater success.

The 20,000 square-foot workforce training and business development center will broaden the communities access to trade, business, manufacturing and forestry. We have the full press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tribe Announces Grant for Workforce Training & Business Development Center $3 million from U.S. Commerce Dept. to construct facility, spark economic growth

LAC DU FLAMBEAU—September 28, 2018—President Joseph Wildcat, Sr., announced today the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians received a grant of $3 million from the U.S. Commerce Department.

The grant will support construction of a Workforce Development & Business Training Center in Lac du Flambeau. “This training and business development facility is another piece of our strategy to position future generations for success and to give them the tools they need to determine their own futures,” President Joseph Wildcat, Sr., said. “The project is expected to create 40 jobs and retain 30 jobs.”

The LDF Business Development Corporation, as part of its mission to create jobs and generate revenue outside of gaming, played a significant role in working to secure the $3 million grant.

“This grant secures another foundational building block to ultimately create a scalable, vibrant and sustainable economic development model,” LDF BDC CEO Darold Londo said. “This training and business development center is designed to become a skilled workforce hub, providing the resources, training and skills required for sustainable careers throughout the region.”

Many people and organizations worked to make this possible, President Wildcat said. These include Randy Soulier, BDC COO, Emerson Coy, Tribal Planning, and the team they pulled together back in January 2018.

According to a news release issued by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, the department of Economic Development Administration (EDA) granted the funds to the Tribe to construct a new center that will give access to the opportunities needed to achieve greater success and growth throughout the Lac du Flambeau community.

The 20,000 square-foot workforce training and business development center will broaden the community’s access to trade, entrepreneurship, innovation, and business development opportunities in the manufacturing and forestry sectors, according to Sec. Ross.

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council. EDA funds the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment, and create jobs.

“We appreciate the effort and collaboration of all the organizations involved in securing funding to build this facility and the associated economic progress it stands to create,” President Wildcat said.

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