|
By 'Editor, LDSCaNews'
Lethbridge Entrepreneur Overcomes Race Barriers
LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA -- Jake Loose, a member of the Lethbridge
Alberta West Stake, never knew how hard it would be start his own
business. Starting a business itself is difficult, but starting a
non-traditional business in Southern Alberta as an aboriginal and off
the reserve but with reserve money is even more difficult.
Under normal circumstances, band members living off the reserve don't
qualify for reserve funding unless they actually are living on the
reserve, but Loose was able to be the last off-reserve entrepreneur
to receive funding when he began his business in 1997.
Loose and his two partners noticed 40 paintball rifles for sale at a
local event and decided to start their own paintball range. Since
that time, the others have left, but the Lethbridge husband and
father has stayed behind.
Coulee Runners Paint Ball is operated out of Loose's home but the
range is on a local reserve, not his home reserve. Some fellow
reserve citizens have reservation toward Loose's business because
it's a non-traditional business and because of the mostly
non-aboriginal clientele it attracts. As well, some of his clients
"still think this is the wild west and call me chief."
Through all of this, Loose has not only learned good business
management skills, but he's also learned how to keep his head clear
in contentious situations, keep a positive attitude, and make sure
people know who's the boss.
Source:
Lethbridge Herald, 16 June 2001
LDSCaNews SUBSCRIPTION INFO
We are always looking for additional items, especially those outside of
Southern Alberta. If you know of any news items involving Canadian
Latter-day Saints, please forward them to:
mailto:ldscanews-owner@yahoogroups.com.
To subscribe to LDSCaNews, send a blank e-mail to:
mailto:ldscanews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mailto:ldscanews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
For other LDS Canada resources, visit the LDS Canada website at
http://ldscanada.byondf1.com
|
