“Buy local” is a simple concept that makes sense, especially in construction. Public procurement often carries prescriptive participation targets to engage underutilized or overlooked companies. Successful contractors demonstrate and document their “good faith effort” to do so.
For general contractor Flintco, LLC, buying local is more than a transaction. It’s personal.
“For more than 30 years, Flintco has worked with Indian Health Services (IHS), the Bureau of Indian Affairs and 77 Native American nations (out of 576 nationally) delivering more than $2.6 billion in construction, including projects in health, education , hospitality and gaming that benefit local tribal members and their families,” says Vernelle Chase, director of tribal relations for Flintco.
Flintco’s average utilization of tribal contractors and native labor since 2008 is more than 50 percent, Chase says. She herself is an enrolled member of the Gros-Ventre Tribe in Fort Belknap, Montana, of Assiniboine and Mandan descent. She joined Flintco in 1994 as a project engineer, holding many positions in addition to her current role.
In Oklahoma, Flintco’s work with Native communities and businesses is visible. One of the largest tribal projects, completed in 2019, was the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a $140 million, 470,000-square-foot full-service medical center with 200 exam rooms, 34 dental chairs and a ambulatory surgery. center
In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Flintco and its subcontractors built the public school district’s STEM Innovation Center. Completed in 2021, the building also functions as a vocational agricultural center. The 50,000 square meter modern design structure includes laboratories, maker space and a workshop. The Professional Agriculture Center includes corrals and exhibition barns.
Flintco was one of the largest Native American-owned contractors in the US, until 2013 when it was acquired by Alberici Corporation. Since the acquisition, the company has continued to collaborate with Native communities and businesses.
“Native tribes became more independent from the federal government starting with the Self-Determination Act of 1974, which gave them more autonomy,” says Chase. “Our internal growth opportunity initiative and utilization policy (GO-UP) not only helps Flintco meet our contractual obligations regarding tribal employment and recruitment, but also helps guide our involvement in local native communities”.
Chase said working in “Indian Country,” as she calls it, requires adding a fourth leg to what’s usually a three-legged stool when it comes to construction priorities: budget, schedule and quality/safety are often what owners think first. in the description of the successful build. While all are important, Flintco also adds a fourth part, recruitment and employment, which includes training the workforce for partners and educating the project team about the history, traditions/customs and the expectations of our Native American customers.
Flintco’s training programs give tribal workers the ability to develop skills in management and tradecraft, skills that last a lifetime and “contribute to the advancement of the local Native communities we serve,” says Chase. In addition, Flintco works closely with local employment preference programs that assist Native American-owned businesses and business partners with procurement and supply opportunities to help them grow and thrive, including rights offices (TERO) and the Navajo Employment Protection Act, Chase said.
“I have made it my mission to give Native Americans a seat at the table in business and infrastructure development in Indian Country,” he added.
