IRVING — Businessman J.C. Seneca, a member of the Seneca Nation, has spent the previous yr celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of his Native Delight Journey Plaza with a deal with his Tallchief heritage and ancestry.
This November, nevertheless, his consideration was refocused on nationwide recognition of his personal accomplishments as he acquired the Native Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Yr Award.
The dignity was introduced to Seneca on the Native Enterprise Digital Summit on Nov. 20. In accordance with Carmen Davis, founder, writer and govt editor of Native Enterprise Journal, the award acknowledges Native companies and people who’re rising above challenges and circumstances to advance enterprise and defend sovereignty. It additionally celebrates Natives who reveal braveness, innovation and dedication to financial self-sufficiency and prosperity.
“J.C. Seneca has mastered the vertical integration of companies,” Davis stated. “His operations are fully self-sufficient, and income from one is funneled to capitalize the subsequent.”
Davis stated Seneca’s companies skilled an uptick amid the pandemic, and he elevated pay for his staff at Native Delight Journey Plaza, who’ve labored diligently and longer hours to guard the well being of shoppers whereas adhering to social distancing measures.
“Mr. Seneca’s profitable execution of his entrepreneurial imaginative and prescient and strategic management make him the proper candidate to obtain our Entrepreneur of the Yr Award,” Davis added.
Seneca is a member of the Seneca Nation and proprietor of Native Delight Journey Plaza, situated on the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation in Irving.
Beginning out in 1987 as a younger entrepreneur with large desires, by 1995 Seneca had developed his personal truck cease enterprise and spent the subsequent 25 years constructing a extremely profitable 22-pump gasoline and diesel service space complimented by a diner, a 24/7 comfort retailer and bathe and lounge providers for skilled truck drivers.
In 2019, Native Enterprise honored Seneca as an inaugural member of their class of High 50 Entrepreneurs, recognizing Native leaders making an affect throughout 13 enterprise sectors.
At the moment, the journal famous Seneca’s achievements because the Founding father of Six Nations Manufacturing, Native Delight Journey Plaza and BUFFALO Cigarettes, in addition to the JC Seneca Basis, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing wholesome residing in physique, thoughts and spirit for the individuals of the Seneca Nation and surrounding communities.
Since then, the Western New York businessman has celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of his enterprise by rebranding it with the Tallchief title of his ancestors, endeavor a full renovation of the Tallchief Diner.
He developed the Tallchief Outside Occasion Heart, securing a $114,000 Nationwide Gas Grant that may prolong pure gasoline traces to his enterprise operations and starting set up of a compressed pure gasoline (CNG) gas station to complement the journey plaza’s gasoline, diesel and propane gas providers. Seneca famous his marketing strategy is predicated on a long-held imaginative and prescient.
“Twenty-five years in the past, I started promoting cigarettes from a small development trailer on the land the place Native Delight now stands,” he stated. “Since then I’ve continued to develop and evolve my marketing strategy to supply elevated employment alternatives to our individuals, serving vacationers {and professional} truck drivers from Western New York, throughout the USA and all through Canada and giving again to the neighborhood.”
Whereas targeted on enterprise growth, Seneca has additionally broadened his neighborhood attain as a personal citizen, stepping ahead repeatedly in negotiations throughout contentious gross sales tax disputes between the Seneca Nation and the New York state, and as a public servant in his function as an elected consultant to the Seneca Nation Tribal Council and elected Treasurer of the Seneca Nation.
Seneca’s civic management is additional mirrored within the creation of the J C Seneca Basis, a nonprofit company with a mission to advance wholesome residing in physique, thoughts and spirit for the individuals of the Seneca Nation and surrounding communities.
Backed by 1 / 4 century of targets and achievement, in 2020 Seneca made the choice to reformat his Native Delight Model by incorporating it along with his household’s Seneca Nation Heritage. It’s a heritage tied to his nice, nice, great-grandfather, Tallchief, who claimed the land the place Seneca started his entrepreneurial journey and at present continues to develop his enterprise, now referred to as Tallchief Territory, House of Native Delight.
Seneca thanked Native Enterprise Journal Founders, Publishers and Government Editors Carmen and Gary Davis for the glory and recognition in being chosen and introduced with the 2020 Native Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Yr Award.
“It’s such a significant solution to conclude Native Delight’s twenty fifth anniversary yr and to have a good time November as Nationwide Native Heritage Month,” he added.
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