What Cherokee Nation Businesses does

Cherokee Nation Businesses is a tribally owned holding company under Cherokee Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States with more than 480,000 citizens. Founded in June 1969 as a single manufacturing plant in Stilwell, Oklahoma, the company has grown to more than 11,000 employees generating over $2.2 billion in annual revenue across four core business units: Cherokee Nation Entertainment (gaming and hospitality), Cherokee Federal (federal contracting), Cherokee Investment Management (strategic investments), and Cherokee Nation Cultural & Economic Development (tourism, film, food production, and commercial real estate).

Cherokee Nation Entertainment operates 11 casino properties across Oklahoma, Mississippi, and an upcoming $300 million Legends Resort and Casino in Arkansas, anchored by the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa — a 1.4-million-square-foot resort featuring 2,000+ electronic and table games, 450 hotel rooms, and entertainment venues that have hosted 10 million+ visitors. Cherokee Federal is a top-100 federal contractor operating 34-35 subsidiary companies that deliver defense, technology, health, and intelligence solutions to 60+ federal clients in 20+ countries through 5,000+ employees. The federal contracting division holds CMMC Level 2 C3PAO certification aligned with NIST SP 800-171, has accumulated $8 billion in federal contract awards over the past decade, and was recognized on the Washington Technology Top 100 for eight consecutive years. Cherokee Nation Businesses returns 37% of its profits to Cherokee Nation to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

The company generates revenue through a combination of transaction-fee gaming and hospitality operations, professional services fees from federal contracts, and returns on strategic investments in industrial, government contracting, financial services, healthcare, and energy sectors. NMSDC-certified as a minority business enterprise and characterized as the only Native American entity of comparable scale and scope on the US mainland, Cherokee Nation Businesses benefits from regulatory and procurement advantages — including the newly achieved CMMC Level 2 C3PAO certification — that position it among a limited group of contractors prepared for the U.S. Department of War's November 2026 cybersecurity mandate. Recent acquisitions of Advanced Technology Applications (September 2024), Management Science & Innovation (September 2025), the HigherEchelon Salesforce practice (November 2025), and a minority stake in Front Line Power Construction (February 2026) reflect continued diversification into digital modernization, federal data solutions, and utility infrastructure.

Name

Cherokee Nation Businesses

Legal name

Cherokee Nation Businesses, LLC

Website

https://cherokeenationbusinesses.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cherokee Nation Businesses is a tribally owned holding company operating gaming and hospitality properties, a top-100 federal contracting division serving 60+ agencies in 20+ countries, strategic investments, and cultural tourism and food production businesses, employing 11,000+ people and generating $2.2 billion in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversified Holding Company — Gaming/Hospitality, Federal Contracting, Strategic Investments, and Cultural/Economic Development

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/First Nations Casino Operations (MPAEAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tribal/Indigenous Casino Hotels (THAGAJAE), Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

Keywords

• Federal contracting services
• Gaming hospitality operations
• Cultural tourism services
• Strategic investment management
• Meat processing manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Catoosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Gaming and Hospitality: Revenue from 11 casino properties, hotel resorts, horse racing, restaurants, and entertainment venues across Oklahoma, Mississippi, and upcoming Arkansas location
2. Federal Contracting: Revenue from federal government contracts for defense, technology, health and intelligence solutions across 20+ countries serving 60+ federal clients
3. Strategic Investments: Returns from strategic investments in utilities, financial services, healthcare and energy sectors through Cherokee Investment Management
4. Cultural Tourism and Film: Revenue from cultural sites, museums, gift shops, film production and Osiyo TV streaming content
5. 1839 Cherokee Meat Co: USDA and state-certified meat processing plant providing sustainable, locally sourced meat

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cherokee Nation Businesses is a tribally owned holding company that operates gaming and hospitality properties (11 casinos, hotels, golf courses, restaurants across Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Arkansas), federal contracting solutions (defense, technology, health, and intelligence services for 60+ federal clients in 20+ countries), strategic investments (utilities, financial services, healthcare, energy through Cherokee Investment Management), and cultural/economic development (cultural tourism sites, film production, USDA-certified meat processing, and commercial retail).

Product overview

Cherokee Nation Businesses is a tribally owned holding company with four main business units: Cherokee Nation Entertainment (hospitality/gaming with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, Cherokee Casinos, Gold Strike, and upcoming Legends Resort), Cherokee Federal (federal contracting with 35+ subsidiary companies serving defense, technology, health, and intelligence agencies), Cherokee Investment Management (strategic investments in industrial and government sectors), and Cherokee Nation Cultural & Economic Development (tourism, film, food production, and commercial real estate). The company employs 11,000+ people across 45+ companies generating $2.2 billion in annual revenue, with 100% of Cherokee Federal's profits dedicated to Cherokee Nation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino: Flagship casino resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma, voted Best in the World 11 times by Tulsa World readers
• Cherokee Casino
• Gold Strike
• Legends Resort and Casino
• Cherokee Film
• Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People
• Visit Cherokee Nation
• 1839 Cherokee Meat Co.
• Cherokee Springs Plaza
• 1839 Cherokee Maat co
• Skasdicon
• Cherokee Nation Foundation
• Cherokee Federal

Products and services

• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa A 1.4-million-square-foot casino resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma featuring 2,000+ electronic and table games, a poker room, 450 hotel rooms, multiple dining options, the Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, and the Cherokee Hills Golf Club. Voted Best Casino 11 times by Tulsa World readers.
• Cherokee Casinos Nine casino properties across northeastern Oklahoma, including two resorts and a horse racing track, offering state-of-the-art gaming, live entertainment, and two award-winning steakhouses (Flint Creek and White Wolf).
• Gold Strike Casino Resort A casino resort in Tunica, Mississippi offering upscale hotel amenities and gaming, representing Cherokee Nation Entertainment's first commercial gaming venture outside the reservation, drawing guests from across the country.
• Legends Resort and Casino An upcoming $300 million upscale resort and casino in Russellville, Arkansas featuring world-class gaming, a sportsbook, luxury resort amenities, and an outdoor music venue. Projected to draw 1.1 million annual visitors and employ 1,000+ people.
• Cherokee Federal (Federal Contracting Division) A top-100 federal contractor providing innovative solutions in defense, technology, health, and intelligence across 20+ countries and all 50 states. Operates 35+ subsidiary companies serving 60+ federal clients with 5,000+ employees, and is CMMC Level 2 C3PAO certified.
• Sovereign Capital (Growth Capital Division) Cherokee Federal's Growth Capital division focused on acquiring and building federal contracting companies; the division was created when Sovereign Capital acquired a majority stake in Advanced Technology Applications (ATA) to support its growth and expand its government sector customer base.
• Cherokee Investment Management Strategic investment and acquisitions division focused on long-term growth through investments in industrial, government contracting, utilities, financial services, healthcare, and energy sectors. Operates as an NMSDC-certified minority business enterprise seeking $100M+ revenue target companies.
• Visit Cherokee Nation (Cultural Tourism) A cultural tourism initiative managing a portfolio of 15 cultural sites including museums, welcome centers, gift shops, and the Cherokee National Research Center, showcasing Cherokee culture and history to tourists and educational visitors.
• Cherokee Film A film production ecosystem with four branches—Cherokee Film Productions, Cherokee Film Studios, Cherokee Film Commission, and Cherokee Film Institute—focused on narrative sovereignty and increasing Cherokee and Native American representation in film and media industries.
• Osiyo TV Emmy-award-winning television show streaming Cherokee cultural content, showcasing Cherokee people and culture to viewers via Osiyo TV.
• 1839 Cherokee Meat Co. USDA and state-certified meat processing plant providing sustainable, locally sourced meat to Cherokee citizens and surrounding communities.
• Cherokee Springs Plaza A retail and commercial center in Tahlequah anchored by Cherokee Casino, home to the Cherokee National Research Center, Cherokee Springs Gallery, and various retail tenants, drawing 700,000+ annual visitors.
• Cherokee Federal Salesforce Public Sector Practice A digital modernization practice within Cherokee Federal formed from the acquisition of HigherEchelon—a Summit-level Salesforce partner specializing in public sector solutions—to deliver Salesforce-based transformation, citizen experience, and digital operations support to U.S. government agencies.
• Cherokee Federal Missile Defense / SHIELD Mission Support Cherokee Federal's mission support capabilities supporting the Missile Defense Agency under SHIELD contracts, delivering cyber operations, intelligence analysis, logistics, advanced engineering, and mission support for layered homeland defense.
• Front Line Power Construction (Utility / Power Infrastructure) Electrical construction and power infrastructure services provider serving utilities and industrial customers across Texas, addressing grid modernization opportunities driven by aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and population growth. Acquired with Ariel Alternatives as majority owner and CNB as strategic minority co-investor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% of profits invested back into Cherokee Nation for education, healthcare, infrastructure
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Front Line Power ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026Cherokee Nation Businesses partnered with Ariel Alternatives to acquire Front Line Power Construction, a Texas-based electrical construction and power infrastructure services provider. This marks CNB's first material direct investment in the utility and infrastructure sector, targeting grid modernization opportunities in Texas and the Southwest driven by aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and population growth.
• Utilities and Industrial Customers (Texas)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Front Line Power Construction serves utilities and industrial customers across Texas following the acquisition, addressing growing demand for electrical grid improvements driven by aging infrastructure, weather-related events, and industry-wide talent shortages.
• Advanced Technology Applications (ATA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2024Cherokee Federal's new Growth Capital division, Sovereign Capital, acquired a majority stake in Virginia-based Advanced Technology Applications (ATA). ATA provides full lifecycle data solutions to U.S. federal agencies including Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense. The investment aims to support ATA's growth and expand its government sector customer base.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CACI International: Mid-tier federal contractor providing enterprise IT, cyber and intelligence solutions to DoD, DHS and intelligence community. Cherokee Federal competes directly with CACI for similar contract vehicles and uses comparable federal services delivery model.
• ManTech International: Pure-play federal contractor specializing in cyber, intelligence and defense analytics for DoD, DHS and intelligence customers. Cherokee Federal competes with ManTech across cyber operations and intelligence analysis programs.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Top-tier US federal contractor serving defense, intelligence and civilian agencies. Cherokee Federal mirrors Booz Allen's federal services model with CMMC-certified cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, and mission support capabilities across 60+ federal clients.
• Foxwoods Resort Casino: Connecticut-based tribal gaming and hospitality enterprise owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Multi-property casino resort model parallels Cherokee Nation Entertainment's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa and Cherokee Casinos portfolio.
• Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment: Tribally owned casino and resort operator across the northeastern US and internationally. Closest pure gaming peer for Cherokee Nation Entertainment, sharing tribal governance, hospitality scale and multi-property operations.
• Seminole Tribe of Florida (Hard Rock International partnership): The Seminole Tribe operates Hard Rock-branded casino resorts including Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa (the same brand as CNB's flagship) and Hollywood locations. Tribal sovereign gaming operator with shared brand relationship and structurally analogous business model.
• SAIC: Federal services integrator focused on digital modernization, cyber and mission IT for DoD and civilian agencies. Cherokee Federal's recent HigherEchelon Salesforce practice acquisition puts it in direct competition with SAIC's public-sector digital transformation work.
• Leidos: Large diversified federal contractor with deep defense, intelligence and health portfolios including the former SAIC national security business. Cherokee Federal's defense and health contracting lines directly overlap with Leidos's federal services.

Others

• Maxar Technologies: Space and defense intelligence contractor serving national security customers. Adjacent to Cherokee Federal's intelligence analysis offering; relevant comparator for the geospatial/analytical side of defense contracting.

Emerging players

• ICF International: Mid-sized federal services and commercial consulting firm with significant presence in energy, environment and digital modernization. Comparable in scale and federal customer overlap to Cherokee Federal's ATA and HigherEchelon additions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cnb_media
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGf9reEDuRz43pG7C6RAYiw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cnbusinesses
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cherokee-nation-businesses

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cherokee Nation Businesses