Jon D. Colvin, President & CEO

PO Box 2060
Chinle, AZ 86503

Photo by Kirk Kobert

HISTORY

Dineh Cooperatives, Incorporated’s (DCI) mission is to develop and operate profitable businesses and create employment opportunities within the Navaho Nation.  DCI was organized in 1971 by residents of several Navaho Nation communities.  Following the establishment of the Pinon Co-op in 1971, other Navaho communities wanted to start their own local businesses to replace Anglo trading posts.

DCI has a 29-year history of significant accomplishments in developing and managing thriving Navaho economic ventures.  In 1975, DCI received a $150,000 planning grant from the Community Services Administration (CSA) to become a CDC.  In 1976, it received a $1,500,000 operational grant from CSA to operate as a CDC and invest in businesses.  DCI primarily focused on large scale projects that would produce greater community benefits.  DCI’s first business, the Tséyi' Shopping Center began in 1977 at the request of the Chinle Chapter and has been so successful that over 30,000 consumers shop there regularly.  The center has been profitable since the day it opened and has expanded four times.  Other major reservations and tribes have used Tséyi' as a model for shopping center development.  DCI also established the $32,000,000+ Chinle Hospital/Housing Complex and started the Chinle Community Fire Department.

DCI serves approximately 170,000 people residing in the 25,000 square mile Navaho Nation, which extends into the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.  The 1998 HUD area median income was $23,000 for Apache County, $27,800 for Navaho County and $43,800 for Coconino County.  The 1990 Navaho Nation median family income was $11,885.   Most of the Navaho people who live in remote areas still have no electricity, 54.1 percent lack complete plumbing facilities and 48.9 percent have no telephone.  Many reservation roads are unpaved, which is a major hardship during the winter time.  The current Navaho Nation unemployment rate is 45.8 percent and the percentage of occupied distressed housing is 53 percent.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

Since its founding, DCI has planned and financed, and now owns and operates two of the most successful Navaho businesses located on the reservation:

Tséyi' Shopping Center’s current tenants, which occupy a total of 65,000 square feet of developed space include Bashas’ Market, General Store, U.S. Postal Service, Rent-A-Flick, Elite Laundromat & Dry Cleaning, Diné Dollar Store, Pizza Edge, Taco Bell, Wells Fargo Bank, Allied Medical Supply, Social Security Administration, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Probation, Department of Child Support Enforcement and a chiropractor’s office.  Additional retail and office space will be constructed over the next eight years until the 15 acre site is fully occupied. The center provides employment for over 170 people and generates sales surpassing $16 million a year.

Tooh Dineh Industries, Incorporated (TDII), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DCI, has become the largest electronics manufacturing firm in northern Arizona.  Electronic Business currently ranks TDII as the world’s 85^th largest contract manufacturer.  Its highly trained work force of over 100 employees manufactures high-quality electronics for the information, communications and transportation industries.  The company’s 1997 payroll was $1.8 million and its worldwide sales exceeded $20 million.  TDII is a sole supplier to such corporations as Apple Computer, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola.  Tooh Dineh Industries has expanded over the years, now occupying 55,000 square feet devoted to turnkey and consignment contract manufacturing.

In 1987, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development presented these enterprises with the Award for National Excellence and the Certificate of National Recognition, respectively, following a nationwide competition to identify and honor public/private partnerships.

DCI’s most ambitious community development project has been the $32,000,000+ Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility and associated housing.  The project began in 1977 with the formulation of the Chinle Hospital Steering Committee, which utilized DCI staff to prioritize the funds and assure community input.  The hospital was dedicated in August 1982 and 161 staff homes were completed by 1984.

DCI is currently completing development of a 50-bed Navaho Youth Corrections Center in Chinle.  The facility expects to transfer Navaho youth incarcerated in federal penitentiaries across the country back to the reservation for culturally-appropriate rehabilitation and training.