By Staff
Special to The Advance
Muskogee Metalworks was awarded American Indian Tribal Enterprise of the Year at the 22nd Annual Reservation Economic Summit &American Indian Business Trade Fair (RES 2008) on March 6 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Muskogee Metalworks’ general manager Mal McGhee and Creek Indian Enterprises CEO Tim Martin accepted the prestigious award.
Muskogee Metalworks was selected based on its consistency in its profitability as well as being owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and having demonstrated a positive community impact.
The award was fashioned by Ute Mountain Indian Pottery. The company specializes in hand-crafted, high-quality Indian pottery of which no two pieces are alike.
In accepting the award, McGhee stated that Muskogee’s success is also due in part to the support of CIE and the Tribal Council. He also made note to encourage Tribal youth to pursue education and training in the technical field. In addition, Jefferson Davis Community College is currently looking at using the equipment at Muskogee for technical training classes.
Muskogee was also proud to announce that Muskogee Metalworks has already started the process to become AS9100 and ISO 9001 2000 certified. Once Muskogee receives this certification, the company will qualify for new contracts.
About Muskogee Metalworks
In 1988, as one of its first economic development ventures, Creek Indian Enterprises purchased Strader Manufacturing in Milton, Fla. At the time, Strader Manufacturing Company was a small metal stamping company. In the early 90s the company was relocated to the Tribe’s industrial park located just north of Atmore. on Hwy. 21. The move was the beginning of new growth for the company and created additional jobs for Tribal members.
The year 2000 brought many changes to Muskogee, bringing about growth and expansion. In 2001, the product line was expanded to include electronic assemblies and electro-mechanical production. Muskogee now offers a variety of services including medal fabrication, electronics, warehousing and engineering. Quality metal fabrication is accomplished with the latest CNC machining and water jet equipment and dies.
Mal McGhee, general manager since 1992, stated that 2007 was a very successful year for Muskogee. The company had several lucrative contracts that earned them revenue of more than $15.5 million.
In anticipation of that great future, Muskogee Metalworks has already started the process to become AS9100 and ISO 9001 2000 certified. These Quality standards with additions and interpretations specific to the aerospace industry with emphasis placed on areas deemed to have the greatest impact on safety, reliability and regulatory compliance for aerospace products. Once Muskogee receives this certification, they will qualify for contracts that they would not otherwise be able to receive.
The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development earlier this month selected Muskogee Metalworks as the recipient of the 2008 American Indian Tribal Enterprise of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to a profitable business owned and operated by a tribe, which demonstrates positive community impact both economically and socially. Muskogee Metalworks was also selected as the Minority Manufacturer of the Year at all levels (local, state and national) by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MDBA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2007. In 2005, Muskogee was awarded the Nunn Perry Award by the Department of Defense in recognition of superior program performance by Mentor-Prot/g/ teams.