When we talk about economic development, growth and revenue are naturally part of the conversation.
As CEO of Wewinabi, I also have to think about what our businesses make possible for the people and communities around them.
Financial performance matters. Our businesses need to be well-run and sustainable. But financial return isn’t the only question we ask. We also look at whether a business provides a service people need, creates opportunities for Band Members, and contributes to the community it serves.
Those responsibilities don’t always fit neatly into one measure of success. Grand Market Grocery is a good example.
For more than 20 years, Grand Market has provided groceries and everyday necessities in District I, while also creating employment close to home. Like any business, it has to operate responsibly. At the same time, we understand what it means to have access to a grocery store within the community, and what would be lost if that access disappeared.
In 2025, Elected leadership made a significant decision to provide capital infusion funds to the Wewinabi portfolio — the first investment of its kind for Wewinabi. Grand Market was selected as the first location for improvements. The investment addressed safety and HVAC needs, the parking lot, and improvements inside the store, including an expanded deli, a new customer service area, and updated restrooms.
For me, that investment illustrates something important about Tribal enterprise.
Sometimes the right decision is to pursue a new opportunity. Sometimes, it is to look at a business that has served the community for decades and decide what it will take to keep that business viable, and useful for the future.
That doesn’t mean financial performance takes a back seat. In fact, Wewinabi’s ability to continue serving our communities depends on businesses that are operated responsibly and positioned for long-term sustainability.
But we have to understand the whole picture.
What service does the business provide? Who depends on it? What opportunities does it create? What will it take to keep it strong? And does investing in it advance the priorities of the Mille Lacs Band?
— Michele Palomaki | CEO, Wewinabi, Inc.
Grand Market also illustrates something I want more people to understand about Wewinabi businesses. They are proudly owned by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, but they are part of the broader communities in which we operate.
Grand Market is open to everyone — Band Members, neighbors, visitors and travelers alike.
When these businesses are strong, their impact extends beyond a single transaction. They employ people, work with vendors, maintain property and infrastructure, serve customers, and keep economic activity closer to home.
There is another part of this work that matters deeply to me as the CEO of Wewinabi: our people.
Success for Wewinabi isn’t simply measured by whether our businesses are operating successfully today. To me, success is also measured by whether Band Members have more opportunities tomorrow than they had yesterday. This is personal to me because this is my home. This is my community. This is something I’m proud to be a part of.
I want Wewinabi to create pathways for Band Members to see themselves as leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and successful professionals — without feeling that they have to leave home to build a meaningful career.
I want our businesses to be places where Band Members can gain experience, develop confidence, discover their strengths, and see what is possible for themselves, and their families.
I want us to create opportunities that stay within our community and build something bigger than one business. When a Band Member moves from an entry-level position into management, when someone discovers they have skills to lead a team, or when a person sees possibilities and growth — even if it is not with Wewinabi — that is impact.
There won’t always be one number that answers that question.
For Wewinabi, the work is to make thoughtful decisions about where we invest, operate our businesses responsibly, and continue creating value and equity close to home.
That is how we contribute to a stronger, more self-determined economic future for the Mille Lacs Band.
Explore career opportunities within MLCV, and across our portfolio, in retail, hospitality, food services, and much more.
MLB Tribal Member Jaeden King stepped into her Community Engagement Officer role in June 2025. It’s a new position — which means she’s had the rare, daunting, and somewhat exhilerating experience of building it herself. Learn more about Jaeden, and her work for the Mille Lacs Band at MLCV.
