By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
ONE FEATHER STAFF
Parrish Pipestem, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is one of 10 people to receive a 2019-20 Dreamstarter grant from the Running Strong for American Indian Youth program. His dream of opening Pipestem Reselling and Investments is now one step closer.
For the past few months, he has bought and resold shoes and clothing making a $3,000 profit. “I found out the best ways to manually purchase items at a faster speed and higher quantity and what and where to sell different items,” Pipestem, who resides in Tulsa, Okla., said in a statement. “This took a lot of research and knowing the market, as well as just experience and picking up things as I went along. My idea to truly turn this into a sustainable business stems from being able to purchase Cybersole. This is a bot that can run many tasks doing what I learned how to do manually. The bot would be able to do this much more successfully and completely streamline the process of reselling.”
Pipestem has large dreams for the future. “My investments will help others build a company just like I have, and the venture investment aspect will actually make money back for my company by taking a share of the company and being able to make the money back from successful businesses. This influences me to use all of my own experiences to build the other businesses to be the best they can while improving my business as well.”
Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota who won an Olympic gold medal at the 1960 Tokyo games, is the co-founder of Running Strong. “Each year, our Dreamstarters inspire me with their talent and limitless passion. The development of our young entrepreneurs must stay abreast of our communities’ economic development plans. I am proud of these young entrepreneurs and their commitment to build up their communities.”
The other 2019-20 Dreamstarters are:
- Aukea Ka’aekuahiwi, Native Hawaiian, from Kapaau, Hawaii
- Taylor Eddie, Navajo, from Spanish Fork, Utah
- Kevin Belin, Navajo, from Crownpiont, NM
- David Fraser, Oglala Lakota, from Kyle, SD
- Hope Gamble, Navajo, from Nazlini, Ariz.
- Jacob Crane, Tsuut’ina Nation, from Provo, Utah
- Carl Petersen, Cheyenne River Sioux, from Parade, SD
- Joshua Smith, Osage, from Portsmouth, Va.
- Freddy Gipp, Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, from Lawrence, Kan.
