Senator Milton Young of North Dakota and Robert Richmond, a Brunswick Corporation executive, will be honored for "outstanding contributions to economic development on American Indian reservations," Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Forrest Gerard announced today.
Bureau of Indian Affairs' Economic Development Award plaques will be presented to the honorees October 19 in a ceremony on the Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota.
Senator Young has helped the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe, the Turtle Mountain Tribe and the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation to establish and develop tribal business ventures. The three firms have more than 400 employees, most of them tribal members.
Richmond is a general manager of the Devils Lake Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, a joint venture of the tribe and the Brunswick Corporation. The company, started in 1973 under Richmond's direction, has been a very successful enterprise. It was recently awarded a $13 million contract for the manufacture of camouflage materials for the army. Richmond initiated a college work program for employee’s children and through incentive programs and other programs has made the plant a Brunswick production leader.
Assistant Secretary Gerard, who will make the presentation of the awards, said that "Senator Young and Bob Richmond have been true friends of the Indians of North Dakota. Senator Young has been a consistent supporter of Indian economic development; his guidance and encouragement have been most beneficial. Bob Richmond has given his technical expertise to the Devils Lake Sioux venture. But he has also brought a genuine sense of concern and human caring to help members of the tribe to learn and to perform -- so that the company is truly a tribal venture."
