Chi Ishobak, Inc. Partners with Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance to Assist Tribal Entrepreneurs

Chi Ishobak, Inc. Partners with Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance to Assist Tribal Entrepreneurs

by | Oct 20, 2022 | News

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., and Dowagiac, Mich. – The Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Cornerstone Alliance recently announced a partnership with Chi Ishobak, Inc.

The WBC is the leading regional provider of technical, business, and financial assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs. In partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the WBC emphasizes assisting women, people of color, veterans, and socially or economically disadvantaged individuals.

Chi Ishobak, Inc., promotes the improvement of the financial capacity of all Tribal members by equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence that they need to make informed judgments and to make effective decisions concerning their current and future personal and household circumstances.

“The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance is excited to announce the partnership with Chi Ishobak, Inc., in support of native entrepreneurs by providing technical assistance that will enable them to secure much-needed capital to start and grow their businesses,” said Kristen Patzer, Director of the WBC.

This partnership acts as a referral program, sending Tribal Citizens to the WBC to prepare them with necessary business materials before requesting a loan. The WBC will provide free one-on-one business counseling to assist aspiring entrepreneurs with business plan creation and more.

By building capacity for Tribal Citizens, Chi Ishobak, Inc., is helping rebuild the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi as well as Indian Country into supportive and nurturing communities, strong in language and culture.

“I cannot express how excited Chi Ishobak, Inc. is to partner with Cornerstone Alliance and the Women’s Business Center to provide Small Business Development assistance to tribal entrepreneurs,\” said Sean Winters, Chi Ishobak, Inc., Executive Director. \”The high level of expertise, experience, and resources the WBC brings to Chi Ishobak’s Commercial Loan Program contributes another layer of opportunity for both start-up and existing Native-owned businesses.”

For more information about Chi Ishobak, visit www.chiishobak.org

About Cornerstone Alliance

Cornerstone Alliance is a non-profit, investor-governed economic development organization. Our focus is to increase employment opportunities, private sector capital investments, and the local tax base in Michigan\’s Great Southwest. We offer specialized business services, particularly in economically distressed areas. For more information: https://cstonealliance.org/

About Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services We provide technical, business, and financial assistance to small businesses with an emphasis on income-disadvantaged and women-owned businesses. The Women\’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information: https://www.cornerstonewbc.com/

A Partner and a Client: Steve Rider

A Partner and a Client: Steve Rider

by | Oct 13, 2022 | Success Stories

One of our longtime partners at Chi Ishobak has been Steve Rider, Government Manager at Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. We started working with Steve when he lived in Seattle. Despite not growing up in the Michigan area, he began learning about his tribe as it started communicating with citizens afar.

He learned about Chi Ishobak from this connection at the perfect time. He and his wife were beginning a women’s self-defense training studio in Seattle and needed the capital to start the business. Not only were they able to get funding, but they received coaching from Sean and our team to build their business plan.

Later, Steve retired from his career as a law enforcement officer and relocated to Michigan to get to know the tribe better. He re-entered the workforce in our area and later became Government Manager with the tribal government, a role which he describes as “Ensuring that what the council sets forth is accomplished.”

Over the years, he’s also taken out auto loans with Chi on a few occasions. Steve praises Chi’s ability to deduct payments from stipends so that it’s easy to stay up-to-date on payments. Then over time, clients build up a credit history and a good credit score without ever having to think about it.

He also adds, “I’ve been impressed from the government perspective on how much effort goes into citizen services from Chi.”

To anyone that wants to improve their financial health, Steve recommends starting with a phone call to Chi. Because they are so focused on helping citizens, they will happily refer you to someone who can help if you aren’t a fit for the loans they offer. They want to be a true partner with tribal citizens and give them the tools they need to be successful. “To those on the fence about working with Chi, contact them and they’ll point you in the right direction.”

One of the most important things that Chi Ishobak offers is its budgeting tools and philosophies. Steve says for him it’s been life-changing and, “After just a few years of working with Chi and taking their advice and guiding my own personal finances, it has really paid dividends for me.”

We’re happy to work with Steve both as a client and as a partner in helping to empower tribal citizens.