Representatives of Naskila Casino and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas presented a program for the Business Connect Luncheon hosted by the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce Thursday at The Fredonia Hotel & Convention Center.
“One side of the road is Naskila Casino and the other side is government offices. It is a sovereign nation governed by two chiefs,” Alabama-Coushatta Communications Director Christi Sullivan said as she gave some updates on what’s going on.
“The design phase is underway now for the new casino resort facility that tribal members voted for in April 2024. There will be a hotel, restaurants and things for families to do, but a project of that magnitude takes time,” Sullivan said. “The other big thing is our convenience store, gas station, truck stop, etc. As of last year, it was turned over to Naskila Casino which did a complete renovation, and it is now a travel center with gaming machines.
“Regarding economic development, the tribe on the government side employs 282 people and has grown over the years. We now have 50-plus programs taking place. Our new 49,000-square foot education building called “House of Teachings” is near the veterans pavilion and ballfield and we will have a grand opening on March 20,” Sullivan said. “There is a 500-acre site for new homes. There are 13 new homes on the ground. Nine more will start in March.
“Lake Tombigbee Campground is under new management. There is a lodge, cabins, tent sites, fishing and swimming. Soon, you will be able to make reservations for the campground on the tribe’s website. The not so pretty side of things is keeping up with the infrastructure. We’re presently working on water lines and fiber optics,” Sullivan said.
Faith Thompson from the Naskila Casino Community Development Department, spoke more about the Ischoopa Travel Center, which she said is affectionately called the ITC. She said all the clans of the tribe are represented there and that there are 81 new gaming machines. She said everything’s been remodeled and this March, they are changing from steak nights to crawfish nights. To see the various promotional nights in March, go to naskila.com.
“I was elected as second chief of the tribe and inaugurated in a ceremony on Jan. 1 and I’m here to let you know about Naskila Casino,” Naskila Casino Community Development Coordinator and Second Chief Herbert Johnson Jr. said.
“We’ve been neighbors for many years. Nacogdoches is known for being the oldest town in Texas but before that, it was a trading area for the tribe. We hunted. We farmed. We made tools. And these would all be traded. We made friends with a lot of people before Texas was a state,” Johnson said.
He shared a little of the history of the Runaway Scrape, Goliad, Gonzalez and the Alamo, as well as General Sam Houston’s help with negotiating a treaty with tribal representatives to ensure neutrality during the Texas Revolution.
“We have trails from Nacogdoches all the way down to San Antonio. Our tribe was a friendly tribe. We guided them across the Trinity River and eventually won our independence from Mexico. Texas Independence Day and Sam Houston’s birthday are this weekend. We’ll be in Huntsville, participating in the celebrations. We’re trying to make sure that Texas history and Alabama-Coushatta tribal history are never forgotten,” Johnson said.
“We have approximately 10,200 acres and are an economic driver in the region, the second largest employer in Polk County. All these surrounding counties are feeling the effects. Of course, we’re called the luckiest spot in Texas. There are a lot of jackpots and those people spend money. We’re not trying to cultivate gamblers. We’re trying to be an entertainment destination,” Johnson said.
“We’ve invested over $212 million in East Texas and pay out over $22 million in employee pay annually to our team members. The new resort will add 1,000 more jobs and we’re hoping to have a groundbreaking later this year. We’re hoping to put in a movie theater. We’re still in that phase of trying to get it together,” Johnson said.
“We help out our neighbors. We recently helped Polk County Cares with their annual crawfish and shrimp boil and that event raised over $150,000. We still continue to help our neighbors, to help our state. Everything that we have helps with housing, education and healthcare. Nothing is going in anyone’s pockets,” Johnson said.
Tribal Princess Aaliyah Johnson invited everyone to attend the annual pow wow slated for the first weekend in June.
Additional comments on the economic impact for the East Texas region were provided by Mary Ann Rojas, executive director of the Stephen F. Austin State University Center for Applied Research & Rural Innovation (SFA CARRI), which is designed to provide resources to rural counties.
Rojas said CARRI’s role in rural economic development is to engage, educate, leverage and impact. They engage through outreach, partnership and industry; educate through scholarships and internships; leverage through financial commitment, faculty and research; and impact through measurable outcomes and rural economic development capacity.
“There’s lots of good things going on in our region. This work in economic development and bringing that growth to the region is partners working together. It’s all of these things that we’re doing together that’s making such an impact. It’s been amazing to see some of these projects take flight,” Rojas said.
