The Office of Economic Develpoment
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
PO Box 455
Cherokee, NC 28719

The EBCI welcomes and is actively seeking new businesses to locate on the Boundary. For more information, please contact either of the following:

Dr. Michael Duvall
Economic Development Director, EBCI
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
PO Box 455
Cherokee , NC 28719
(828) 497-1679 Fax (828) 497-1665
mickduva@nc-cherokee.com

Sharon Blankenship
Business Development Director
(828) 497-1668 Fax (828) 497-1665
sharblan@nc-cherokee.com

The EBCI’s Commitment to the Business Community

The introduction of Gaming during the 1990’s has propelled the Tribe into a major economic role in the Southeast. As the largest employer in North Carolina west of Asheville , the Tribe is taking positive steps to become an excellent place to do business as well as to visit.

Commitment to be “Business Friendly”
Doing business on the Qualla Boundary does not have to be a daunting process, and at the Cherokee Business Development Center , we are committed to being by your side through the process of starting a business on the Boundary every step of the way.

EBCI Tribal Government
The Eastern Band is a sovereign nation not subject to:

A three-branch government:

Tax Advantages of the Qualla Boundary
Key provisions of the IRS Code provide incentives for locating business on Indian Lands

EBCI Resident Market

• 8,092 population on the Qualla Boundary (2000 census)
• 26,000 within 10-mile radius
• 350,000 population within 50-mile radius (the distance to Asheville )
• Two largest employers: EBCI Tribal Government and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel
• Combined payroll of $79.9 million annually (FY 2004)
• 1,152 Tribal Government Employees
• 1,772 Casino Employees
• Additional discretionary income among Tribal members in form of per capita gaming distributions
• Nearly $100 million in gaming distributions in FY 2004, two-thirds of which went adult enrolled members in semi-annual payments

Market Profile  

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
 

Brief Historical Overview of the EBCI
What is now Western North Carolina has been part of the homeland of the Cherokee people for untold centuries. Originally, the Cherokee tribal lands encompassed what would now be part of eight states.

Today’s Eastern Band members are direct descendents of those who avoided the Cherokees’ forced removal to Oklahoma in the 1830’s, the “Trail of Tears.” Their home today is the 56,000-acre Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . Today there are over 13,000 enrolled members of the Tribe, over 60% of whom live on the Boundary.

Nearly 350,000 people live with a 40 mile radius of the Qualla Boundary (approximate distance to Sheville)

NC’s #1 Tourist Attraction!

Over 3.5 million people visit Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel annually, making it the largest tourist attraction in North Carolina .

The median annual household income of casino gamblers is $53,204 – 16% higher than non-gamblers. The casino participation rate by income is high, making them ideal potential customers for many businesses:

• Under $35,000 20%
• $35 - $55,000 26%
• $55 - $75,000 29%
• $75 - $95,000 30%
• Over $95,000 32%

Harrah’s Cherokee visitors come from all over the southeast to enjoy our gaming experience:

• North Carolina 35%
• Georgia 24%
• Tennessee 18%
• South Carolina 10%
• All other 13%
• A Major Tourist Destination
  Millions of visitors visit the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains yearly.
• Cherokee is a major destination for millions each year. It is a gateway to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park , two of the top three most visited recreation areas in the United States .
• 18,244,051 visited the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2003
• 9,366,845 visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2003
• Visitors to the area spent almost $922.78 million in 2003 according to the National Park Service