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Starting on the Nez Perce Reservation, Jo Ann Kauffman built a national consulting firm [Seattle Times]

 

When Jo Ann Kauffman applied for one of her first business loans, a lender told her, “You have zero net worth.”

She was living on trust land on the Nez Perce Reservation, which she couldn’t use for collateral. Her vehicle had 300,000 miles, so she couldn’t pledge it against a loan, either.

“I felt about this big,” said the president and founder of Kauffman & Associates in Spokane.

Despite early challenges with financing, Kauffman went on to build an American Indian- and woman-owned management consulting firm with a national reputation.

Spokane-based Kauffman & Associates works with tribal and underserved communities, foundations and nonprofits. It provides an array services, including research, training and technical assistance, communication, management and grant support.

Federal contracts are a big part of Kauffman & Associates’ work.

Kauffman is a visionary, who “puts no restrictions” on thinking about what can be done to help people transform their lives, said Iris PrettyPaint, the company’s vice president of project management.

Read the complete article written by Becky Kramer, click HERE

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