Pokagon Band Makes Nearly $44 Million in Additional Contributions in 2013

DOWAGIAC, MI--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2014) - The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is pleased to announce that it made nearly $44 million in additional contributions to the economy in 2013. These contributions do not include annual payments made directly to the State of Michigan as mandated by the Band's compact, job creation, and other ancillary benefits resulting from its Four Winds Casinos and other ventures. Combined with $35 million in 2012, the Pokagon Band has made approximately $79 million in additional contributions to the economy over the last two years. 

"These contributions are a direct result of our continued economic development and desire to support Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana, a region we have called home for hundreds of years," said John Warren, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. "Not only do these contributions help improve the overall business climate, they also have a direct impact on the individuals and families that rely on these businesses for their livelihoods."

In 2013, the Pokagon Band spent $26.5 million with 2,977 vendors nationwide, of which $17 million was spent with 934 vendors in Michigan and $1.8 million was spent with 323 vendors in Indiana. Additionally, the Pokagon Fund, which is supported by electronic gaming revenue from the Pokagon Band's Four Winds New Buffalo, provided $4.9 million in grants to various projects in the New Buffalo region. 

Through revenue generated from its casino locations, the Pokagon Band also made contributions of $6 million to the New Buffalo Local Revenue Sharing Board and $1.1 million to the Hartford Local Revenue Sharing Board. The Pokagon Band made a contribution of $183,014 to the Dowagiac Area Local Revenue Sharing Board. 

Through its sponsorship of the second annual Four Winds Invitational, the Pokagon Band also made a donation of $91,500 to Memorial Children's Hospital for a neonatal incubator transport unit for the MedFlight helicopter program. Additional donations of $5,000 each were made to WNIT and WVPE public broadcasting, the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and the Elkhart Chambers of Commerce, and $2,500 to the Elkhart Community Foundation. Through its Four Winds Casinos, the Pokagon Band also donated $126,600 in gift cards to various charitable causes and events, and reached an agreement with the South Bend Silver Hawks for naming rights to its field, which is now known as Four Winds Field.

Mno-Bmadsen, the non-gaming economic development charter for the Pokagon Band, also invested $4 million in 2013. Since forming in 2007, it has contributed $12 million in economic development. Mno-Bmadsen's subsidiaries include Seven Generations Architecture and Engineering, Accu-Mold, and the Bent Tree Market convenience store and gas station, located near Four Winds Dowagiac.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians' sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 4,800 citizens. The Pokagon Band's ten county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov.