Gary – Heritage alumnus Gary Pierce, Jr.—a member of the Yakama Nation—is helping to make the world a better place for his people and his community. A 2006 graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Gary is today using his education to create a more robust local economy that benefits everyone.
Gary heads up marketing for Yakama Nation Land Enterprises (YNLE), a company charged with rebuilding the Yakama Nation landscape. The company purchases lost tribal lands and develops ways to make a profit from those lands so that more property can eventually be purchased.
Prior to taking the job, Gary turned down several job offers from Fortune 500 companies because he felt it was more important to remain in the community where he grew up. He says he saw many unmet needs here and knew that his degree would empower him to help.
And so it has.
Under Gary’s direction, YNLE has become more profitable and is creating jobs and bringing much needed outside wealth to the community. Currently, Gary oversees a number of YNLE projects, including Toppenish Lockers (a frozen-food rental storage), Real Yakama Fruit & Produce (a thriving local fruit stand) and, most notably, the Yakama Nation RV Park, which has been in business now for over 17 years.
When Gary first joined YNLE, he began by concentrating on marketing efforts for the RV park. He found that much of its existing advertising was not as effective as it could be since little customer research was available. With this insight, Gary began digging for the demographics himself and, once armed with new information, he revamped the marketing strategy. Business quickly increased by 20 percent.
“There was a time when this would have been an overwhelming challenge,” laughs Gary. “But I was ready for it thanks to Heritage. They really helped me harness my fire to do great things.”
According to Gary, if it weren’t for Heritage, he wouldn’t have even considered marketing as a career. He was so shy when he enrolled that he didn’t ask for help and so majored in math—for no other reason than it was his toughest subject.
Fortunately for Gary, however, he ended up taking an entry level business class and the professor saw something special in him. He pulled Gary aside one day and asked him to join a special project for the school’s business club. Gary says he was forced out of his comfort zone. He not only learned a lot about business, he quickly overcame his shyness and experienced a new level of confidence.
“Heritage knew how to unleash my talents because they understand people from different cultural backgrounds learn differently,” says Gary.“When teaching, they would start from my perspective in life and build upon that.”
Now that Gary has proven himself as a successful business professional, he says he encourages local young people to get more education, too. As the first student from the Yakama Nation Tribal School to graduate college, Gary likes that he is now setting a strong example of what the future can hold for anybody.
“Where we come from does not define where we go,” Gary says. “Heritage knew that about me and challenged me to reach higher. I want to make sure others like me know they can achieve a higher level of success, too.”
Gary truly is helping to rebuild the Yakama Nation.