News
MiBiz Deals and Dealmakers of the Year is awarded to two Tribes that leverage similar investment philosophies in the McKay Tower transaction.

The seeds for the joint purchase of the iconic McKay Tower building in downtown Grand Rapids took root years ago when the CEOs at Waséyabek Development Co. LLC and Gun Lake Investments started talking about doing deals together.
Construction set to begin on Meijer market on Jefferson in Detroit

Dennis Archer Jr., one of the partners in the Rivertown Market project, said in late July that construction for the 42,000-square-foot grocery store was expected to be completed by fall 2021.
Michigan tribes face ‘circular exclusion’ from key minority business certification

“As soon as we asked to access their database of other Michigan minority-owned companies, they kicked us out from being a corporate member. When I contacted them to just help through what I thought was an obvious misunderstanding, they had explained that it was not a misunderstanding: Minority-owned companies cannot be corporate members,” Trevan said. As such, Trevan said he is left wrestling with the “circular exclusion” on the part of the MMSDC. “We are not permitted to be a corporate sponsor because in MMSDC’s judgment, we are minority owned, but MMSDC will not certify us as minority owned,” he said, adding “there’s just artificial or arbitrary obstacles that are being created for us to continue to help us promote our own values and access other diverse companies.”
Study Shows Non-Gaming Tribal Businesses in Michigan Generate Economic Impact of $288M

Media Release-Grand Rapids, Mich. (July 8, 2020) – Non-gaming business entities from nine federally-recognized Michigan tribes presented Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation with an economic impact study this week demonstrating that 38 non-gaming business entities, owned and managed by tribes in Michigan, generated a statewide economic impact of $288,756,091 in 2019.
Michigan Non-Gaming Tribal Economic Impact Study

The overall economic activity of non-gaming tribal business entities (TBE) within the state has a significant economic impact on their local economies as well as that of the State of Michigan.
TRIBALLY OWNED FIRM SECURES $161M FEDERAL CONTRACT, EXPANDS GR HEADQUARTERS

A federal contracting firm owned by Waséyabek Development Co. LLC has begun work on a five-year, $161 million contract with the Department of Energy to provide site operations and support services at three National Energy Technology Laboratory locations.