13 Native Businesses Selected for Competitive Change Labs Incubator

The 13 Native-led small businesses and non-profit ventures selected from a pool of nearly 50 applications for the competitive Change Labs 2020 Business Incubator Cohort share a passion for their work, a hunger to learn, and a drive to make things better for their families, their communities, and their people. Representing a broad swath of the Native economy spanning the Navajo, Hopi, and White Mountain Apache reservations, these artists, photographers, pizza chefs, HVAC service providers, fitness trainers, and health and beauty gurus will spend the next year growing their operations through intensive training and mentorship, technical support in accounting, management, and branding and marketing, and, upon graduation, become eligible for micro loans of up to $10,000. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how dependent our communities are on outside forces and border towns to survive. We knew this before the pandemic because data shows just how much of our dollars are spent off the reservation, but now it’s even more acute,” says Jessica Stago, director of the Change Labs Business Incubator. “We are not just supporting these entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams and their mission, but we are working towards building a sustainable future on the reservation.”

“All of these incredible entrepreneurs are passionate about making a difference,” says Trish Rensink, senior business coach for the Change Labs Business Incubator. “They come to Change Labs so that they can develop the business skills and acumen that will make their dreams come alive. And in the process of building their dreams, they are also playing a critical role in the ongoing rebuilding effort on the Navajo Nation. We are excited to be a part of their journey for the next twelve months and see more inspired products and services come home to the reservation.”

MEET THE 2020 CHANGEMAKERS

Artists and creatives creating their path

Erwin Tso, Photographer
Tso spent seven years developing his photography skills and will launch a photo-tour business near Page, AZ. 

Crystal Dugi, Artist
Known for her colorful and playful prints depicting traditional Navajo woman in a modern world, Dugi will create and market her artwork and develop a curriculum to teach others the healing power of art. 

Kelsey Lee, Co-founder, Happy Accidents! Media Production
Based in Cameron, AZ, Kelsey will bring top-quality media services to businesses across the Navajo reservation. She founded the business with her husband and brother to create shareable content and art for other media artists. 

Uriah McCarthy, Founder, Aniidna
McCarthy will grow his branding and marketing business to serve and support the creative community and preserve and promote indigenous culture.

Social justice through entrepreneurship

Deborah Saliego, Saliego Consulting Services, LLC 
Saliego worked for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) for more than 20 years as an environmental engineer. With the closing of NGS, Deborah recognizes that environmental projects are critical to the Navajo Nation’s water, environment, and the health and well-being of her future grandchildren and is channeling her skills into a new environmental-engineering consulting business.

Marian Bitsui, IndigiCrew
Through IndigiCrew, Bitsui provide wellness programs for Native youth by engaging them in social media and web-marketing projects, teaching them skills, independence, and accountability. 

Shane Burnette and Erik Riley, High Altitude Boxing Training Camp
White Mountain Apache entrepreneurs Burnette and Riley have been in the boxing “arena” for years, and even coached a young Navajo woman who went on to win a National Junior Olympic Bronze medal. Now they bring that success to Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ to start high-altitude training camps through White Mountain Apex Combat Sports and teach Native kids how to approach bullying without fighting and help them to learn discipline. 

Carmirae Holquin,Navajo Sweat Equity Project
Holquin will launch the non-profit Navajo Sweat Equity Project to help Native American families obtain their own homes and help those who want a safe space for family gatherings. 

Goods and services

Stephanie Curtis, Little Ones 
While working in the Phoenix metro area, clients would travel more than four hours for Stephanie to cut their child’s hair, as she mastered the skill of adjusting to any type of child. She’s moving back home to the Navajo reservation to establish Little Ones, a hair salon service for fidgety children. 

Danny Chatter and Carol Baca, Duo Services
Chatter and Baca are bringing years of HVAC experience to the Navajo Nation and are working toward making homes across the reservation safer and healthier with a one-stop shop for inspection, prevention, and mediation. 

Sahmie Lomahquahu, Nrgi-1 Consulting
Will bring her strategic and community-planning skills to the Hopi reservation and help businesses and organizations work towards their big visions.  

Jennifer Himmel,Big Sky Soap
Himmel went in search of a way to supplement her income and discovered a love of and talent for making soap. Using locally sourced ingredients and being respectful of tribal identity, Jennifer will use her time in the incubator to get her products in the national market. 

Geoffrey Kie, Kie’s Pies 
Kie will channel his culinary skills and passion for food into a new venture, Kie’s Pies, a food truck bringing wood-fired pizza to the reservation.