TULALIP — The Tulalip Tribes economic strength continues to grow as it matures as a business entity, tribal chairman Mel Sheldon said in his annual State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber on Friday morning.
Tulalip Enterprises’ annual payroll is about $120 million, Sheldon said. The Tulalip Casino employs 2,577 people, with another 1,500 employed at the Seattle Premium Outlets and 170 at the stores around Quil Ceda Village.
An expansion of the outlet mall is planned this year, he said.
“I think it will be a very positive experience for our community,” he said.
Occupancy rates at the Tulalip Resort Hotel have exceeded Seattle-area occupancy rates on weekdays, and the hotel is usually fully booked on weekends, Sheldon said. On the casino side, business is doing well, with revenue exceeding projections for 2010, a trend that’s continuing so far this year.
He credited casino general manager Ken Kettler and his crew for keeping the casino ranked Nno. 1 with customers, thanks to a “fresh” floor and solid customer service.
When Sheldon gave his State of the Tribe speech one year ago, he was coy about the arrival of Olive Garden, which he said “appears now to be wildly successful.” Friday, he was equally coy about early negotiations for another commercial development that will occupy the vacant lot between Home Depot and the Tulalip Resort Hotel.
The tribes’ Hibulb Cultural Center will open this summer, Sheldon said. The tribes have invested $10 million into the project, which explores the history of the Tulalip people and will be a repository of tribal artifacts.
The first show will highlight the military contributions of tribal members through the years.
Sheldon said many outsiders see the Tulalip Tribes as rich, thanks to their successful gaming operations and location, but the tribes reinvest much of that income in tribal members to ensure jobs, health care and education.
Sheldon acknowledged a growing heroin problem on the reservation, with eight recent drug-related deaths.
“I’m adamant we get this out in the open,” he said.
The Tulalips are looking at what it would take to build their own drug and alcohol treatment center and safe transitional housing for tribal members.
“Even saving just one life would be worth the cost,” he said.
Last year, the Tulalips gave $3.5 million of their gaming revenue to community improvement projects. One of those donations — given without solicitation — was $1.26 million for the Marysville School District to ease the pain of budget cuts.
“We knew we had to step up and help,” Sheldon said. “The tribes knew the district had needs.”
Kurt Batdorf is editor of the Snohomish County Business Journal. Reach him at 425-339-3102 or kbatdorf@scbj.com.
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