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.