NABA Canada Meets NABA United States

Native to native business! One of the key benefits of this year’s Canadian trade mission to the Native American Business Alliance (NABA) Conference 2004, (www.native-american-bus.org) which recently took place in Pueblo Ana, New Mexico. The largest Canadian mission to date since the Conference’s inception, with forty-eight Canadians registered to participate in the two-day conference. Key to this conference is the participation of Fortune 500 companies such as Toyota, Nike, and Disney, which buy hundreds of millions of dollars of goods and services from Minority certified companies. A series of well run informative seminars such as US minority certification and Canadian and American government Exporting services allowed delegates to explore thorny issues affecting native business.

The ExportUSA trade mission to NABA continues to be an exciting and successful venue for aboriginal companies to network with other Aboriginal companies, American and Canadian, as well as, do business with a number of the Fortune 500 companies. As pointed out by one successful company during the exporting seminar, exporting is essential to broadening your market and once you get through the paperwork it’s worth it.

NABA in Canada (www.nabacanada.com) is National Aboriginal Business Association, which is not for profit business association organized by Aboriginal entrepreneurs to serve the needs of Aboriginal businesses and Business Associations.  Dave Tuccaro, NABA president and CEO of Neegan Development Corporation LTD, amongst other businesses, is determined that next years mission to NABA will have even larger Canadian participation. Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida will be hosting NABA 2005 on April 17-19, 2005. For more information or to register your interest please contact Rosi Niedermayer, Aboriginal Portfolio, Export services ITCAN at 613-944-0634 or facsimile at 613-996-9265 or e-mail at rosi.niedermayer@dfait-maeci.gc.ca 

Brenda Chambers of Brenco Media Inc. comments:

The NABA conference was very useful. Brenco Media Inc. has developed some opportunities with the Native American Business Alliance organization and they have been extremely helpful in all my inquiries about operating in the US. We are just working on a USA distribution agreement for the Venturing Forth series targeting the Native American colleges, universities, tribal nations and others. I am also in discussion with a number of the Fortune 500 companies about future projects in the US.