Greenfire Attends RES 2024

Posted March 12, 2024 by Robert Boelter & filed under News, Tribal.

President Jeb Meier and Michael Moe, Business Development Manager, represented Greenfire this year at RES 2024 in Las Vegas. Greenfire was also proud to attend the unveiling of Potawatomi Ventures new brand launch to summit attendees.

RES (Reservation Economic Summit) 2024 provides high level networking, opportunities, business development sessions and one-on-one consulting, all centered around American Indian Enterprise.

The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) has embraced the theme of “Strength in Unity” for the 2024 Reservation Economic Summit. This event brings together a distinguished assembly of tribal leaders, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, influential state and local officials, and top CEOs onto a national stage.

RES 2024 not only serves as a hub for high-level discussions and collaborations but also as a catalyst for economic empowerment. It provides a unique platform for Native American artists to exhibit and market their products, making it the largest economic summit in Indian Country and a vital opportunity for economic advancement.

February 2024 Project Spotlight | Historic Tthigwe Gymnasium Nearing Completion

Posted January 31, 2024 by Robert Boelter & filed under News, Historic, Tribal.

The nearing completion of the Historic Tthigwe Gymnasium marks another milestone for the Forest County Potawatomi Community‘s ongoing efforts of the restoration and renovation of their Wgema Campus, the former campus of Concordia College on Milwaukee’s Near West Side. The Wgema Campus is home to many tribal entities and tenants, including Greenfire’s Milwaukee offices. The latest portion of the campus brought back to its former glory was the Tthigwe Gymnasium. Team Greenfire took great care and tactful progress on the historic building, abiding by all municipal and historic building codes. Although the project upgraded and modernized the mechanicals and facilities of the gym, great effort was put forth to preserve many original features of the gym, including restoring and repairing all the original brickwork. A portion of the project scope included the demolition of an unused pool wing that was removed to allow more campus parking space. Upgrades also include modern MEPF systems, windows and doors, lighting, security, upgrades to the theatrical stage and brand new fitness centers to be used by campus tenants. The gymnasium will now serve many Forest County Potawatomi Community activities and will also be used by students of the adjacent Woodlands School, another Greenfire renovation project completed on the Wgema Campus. Greenfire takes great pride in its efforts on the gym and knowing that it will host many opportunities to strengthen the fabric of the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

December 2023 Project Spotlight | Greeneway Infrastructure

Posted November 30, 2023 by Simmi Urbanek & filed under News, Commercial, Multi-Family, Tribal.

While the project spotlight is typically reserved for a project nearing completion with flashy photos, we are taking an alternative route this month to feature the Greeneway Infrastructure project in Kenosha, WI. This project may not be flashy, but it is impressive. The infrastructure project kicked off this month to help lay the groundwork for future development of the 240-acre site just off the freeway in Kenosha. The site is south of the Kenosha airport and is the former Dairyland Greyhound Park and was purchased by the Forest County Potawatomi Community in 2017.

Sagewind Development is the developer of the project, Greenfire is the construction manager and The Reesman Company is the excavation and grading subcontractor. Crews are actively hauling truckloads of dirt and debris to prep the site for sewer, roads and other infrastructure to get the site pad-ready for development. This site will be a mixed-use commercial and multi-family development that will bring jobs, housing and other amenities to Kenosha County. The infrastructure is expected to be completed late 2024.

Local officials spoke at the ground breaking ceremony on November 29, 2023 about how important this project is and how proud they are to work with the Forest County Potawatomi Community on this site. The Chairman of the FCPC, James Crawford, spoke about how the land used to be a Potawatomi village and how the Tribe intends to care for the land with respect and looks forward to providing the area with much needed resources.

Sagewind Development and Greenfire Management Services Break Ground on Potawatomi’s Greeneway Project in Kenosha

Posted November 29, 2023 by Simmi Urbanek & filed under News, Commercial, Multi-Family, Tribal.

The Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC), Sagewind Development, Potawatomi Business Development Corporation (PBDC) and Greenfire Management Services celebrated a groundbreaking today on the Greeneway project in Kenosha County, a community-oriented, mixed-use development with integrated design features across 240 acres. Located on the site formerly occupied by the Dairyland Greyhound Park, the development will include multi-family residential, light industrial and commercial space and is planned to maintain and establish natural sites including woodlands, wetlands and prairies.

The FCPC purchased the Greeneway property in 2017 as part of its commitment to invest in and support growth throughout southeastern Wisconsin. The groundbreaking took place following a blessing of the property by Tribal elders and representatives and included local business and political leaders.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our history,” said Forest County Potawatomi Chairman James Crawford. “We are breaking ground on land the Potawatomi called home for hundreds of years, improving our current footprint in southeastern Wisconsin through substantial investment, while also honoring our past. This is the next step in fulfilling our ongoing and long-term commitment to Kenosha.”

Sagewind Development and Greenfire Management Services are both subsidiary companies of PBDC, which was established in 2002 and works to diversify the Tribe’s business interests beyond gaming.

Sagewind and Greenfire’s work on the Greeneway begins with developing new public infrastructure to deliver pad ready sites for development of commercial and multi-family residential uses.

“This is a very exciting project for Sagewind Development,” said Andy Wiegman, Sagewind’s general manager. “The Greeneway site has tremendous highway access and is ideally located adjacent to I-94 along the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor. We see incredible potential here and look forward to collaborating with local leaders to continue to develop the sites within the project and bring its many amenities to Kenosha.”

Including the Greeneway property, FCPC have invested nearly $30 million to acquire and develop properties in their treaty homelands in Kenosha County. Earlier this year, the Tribe purchased 23 acres of land for future development on I-94 in Kenosha. In October, FCPC announced the acquisition of five parcels of vacant commercial real estate in the Lakeview Corporate Park in Pleasant Prairie for future development. The five parcels total 128 acres.

Greenfire and PBDC celebrate Native American Heritage Month

Posted November 16, 2023 by Simmi Urbanek & filed under News, Tribal.

We came for the food, but left nourished in so many ways. As Greenfire and other PBDC team members entered the Community Gathering Room they were greeted with the smell of warm food and custom lapel pins featuring elements of nature. The group gathered for an opening blessing by CEO, Kip Ritchie, followed by a presentation by Tina Baker featuring Chef Elena Terry of Wild Bearies. Chef Terry founded Wild Bearies to help expand the knowledge and power of food. The organization focuses on mentoring young people and teaching how to use food as medicine and how to eat for nourishment and to replenish the body. They have apprenticeships, mentorships and training opportunities to help spread the knowledge across generations of Native Americans through farming, gardening and cooking programs.

Chef Terry treated the crowd to freshly cooked vegetables, sweet potatoes, hand-harvested wild rice, salmon and meat from the local tribal farm. The group enjoyed a delicious meal, great company and good conversations. This program was part of several Tina Baker from PBDC organized to help educate employees throughout Native American Heritage Month. Other programs included corn husk doll making and beading.

November 2023 Project Spotlight | Potawatomi Casino | Hotel

Posted October 30, 2023 by Simmi Urbanek & filed under News, Hospitality, Tribal.

Dynamic light fixtures, video screens, dining options including a real food truck…these are just some of the upgrades the Potawatomi Casino | Hotel (PCH) are making to attract and retain visitors. The new upgrades to PCH include new finishes, additional gaming machines and tables and new amenity spaces. There is a new gift shop, coffee shop, VIP lounge – Club 1833, and additional bars. The new food venues includes a Rock N’ Brews – rock n’ roll themed restaurant and bar, Street Eatz – a food court complete with a food truck, and Cream City Coffee Co. These new spaces are on the second level of the casino and represent the conclusion of the first phase of the renovations. Still to come is the Potawatomi Sportsbook, which is slated to be open in 2024.

Through a joint venture with Gilbane, Greenfire Management Services provided construction management throughout the renovation. We coordinated the subcontractors, participated in OAC meetings and provided on-site solutions when challenges arose. Through open communication and collaboration, we successfully completed this complicated interior renovation while the casino and hotel were operational. One example of how we kept the disturbance low was to deliver all of the materials and supplies through a side area as to not disrupt the freight elevators that the staff uses. We also installed temporary walls to keep the dust and noise mitigated and away from the guest areas. Careful staging, phasing and planning all contributed to a minimally disruptive construction period.