Gun Lake Investments

What Gun Lake Investments does

Gun Lake Investments (GLI), legally MBPI, LLC, is the non-gaming economic development corporation of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe). Incorporated under Tribal law and 100% Tribe-owned, GLI was established in 2015 to diversify the tribe's economic base beyond gaming and create employment, investment, and self-sufficiency opportunities for tribal citizens. The firm is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and operates pursuant to Tribal law, with a board composed entirely of individuals holding advanced degrees and tribal economic development experience.

Rather than operating as a single-product business, GLI functions as a diversified holding and operating company managing a portfolio of equity and debt investments across real estate and operating companies. Its portfolio spans facilities management (NAWA Professional Services, ~300 employees, serving Michigan and northern Indiana), professional audio/visual technology hardware (Hall Technologies, Dallas-based, acquired 2022), commercial real estate (McKay Tower in Grand Rapids acquired 2020 with Waséyabek Development, Rivertown Market in Detroit, Front Street Properties), and consumer brands (Noonday Market convenience store/gas station, Sweetgrass Moon Café, and the Hot 'n Now fast-food revival announced in January 2025 via HNN Holdings LLC with developer Jeff Konczak, using modular "plug and play" buildings by B Cubed Manufacturing).

GLI's revenue mechanics blend rental income (commercial real estate), operating company profits (subsidiaries), investment returns (equity and debt in stabilized companies with $1M-$3M EBITDA targets), and a 15% revenue share between the Gun Lake Tribe and the State of Michigan channeled through GLIMI for non-gaming economic development. The go-to-market is direct ownership of portfolio companies and real estate partnerships with experienced operators, serving both enterprise customers (e.g., Meijer at Rivertown Market, Clark Construction at McKay Tower, Grow Generation at Front Street) and end consumers through retail and food service. Since 2017, GLI has scaled from a single employee to over 500 employees across portfolio companies, with active expansion underway including a 1,900-acre mixed-use development in Wayland and US 131 corridor buildout.

Name

Gun Lake Investments

Legal name

MBPI, LLC

Website

https://gunlakeinvestments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gun Lake Investments is the 100% Tribe-owned non-gaming economic development arm of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, managing a diversified portfolio of operating companies and real estate across Michigan to create employment and investment opportunities for tribal citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tribal Private Equity & Investment Holding

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Investment Management (Acquisitions & Dispositions) (BPAJAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Real Assets / Niche Strategies (Marinas, Student Housing, Self-Storage, Life Science RE) (FSANAEAO)

Keywords

• Tribal economic development
• Private equity investments
• Commercial real estate
• Facilities management services
• Portfolio investment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: GLI generates returns through equity and debt investments in operating companies and real estate. The firm targets established companies with consistent cash flow and real estate with credit tenant leases.
2. Rental Income: Revenue from real estate holdings including McKay Tower, Front Street Properties, and other commercial properties occupied by tenants.
3. Operating Company Profits: Profits from wholly-owned subsidiaries such as NAWA Professional Services, Noonday Market, and Hot 'n Now operations.
4. GLIMI Revenue Share: GLIMI (Gun Lake Investments Michigan, Inc.) receives 15% of the revenue share between the Gun Lake Tribe and the State of Michigan to invest in non-gaming economic development projects within Michigan.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gun Lake Investments (MBPI, LLC) is the non-gaming Tribal Economic Development Corporation and investment arm of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians. The firm acquires, owns, and manages a diversified portfolio of equity and debt investments spanning commercial real estate (McKay Tower, Front Street Properties, Rivertown Market), facilities management (NAWA Professional Services), professional audio/visual technology (Hall Technologies), and consumer-facing brands (Noonday Market, Hot 'n Now, Sweetgrass Moon Café). Investments target established operating companies with EBITDA between $1M and $3M and real estate with credit tenant leases.

Product overview

Gun Lake Investments (GLI) is a Tribal Economic Development Corporation and non-gaming investment arm of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi. Rather than offering a unified technology product or platform, GLI manages a diversified portfolio of equity and debt investments across real estate and operating companies, including: Noonday Market (convenience store and Mobil-branded gas station), Hot 'n Now (fast food restaurant brand revival), Sweetgrass Moon Café (Native-inspired coffee concept), McKay Tower (commercial real estate in Grand Rapids), Hall Technologies (professional audio/visual technology hardware), NAWA Professional Services (facilities management), Front Street Properties (light industrial buildings), and Rivertown Market (grocery store development). GLI's investment strategy focuses on established companies with consistent cash flow and strategic real estate partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Noonday Market: Convenience store and Mobil-branded gas station, the first investment for GLI and first non-gaming retail business in the Gun Lake Tribal economy.
• Hot 'n Now
• Sweetgrass Moon Café
• NAWA Professional Services
• Hall Technologies

Products and services

• McKay Tower (Commercial Real Estate) Class A commercial office property in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, leased to business tenants including Clark Construction. Acquired through a co-investment between GLI and Waseyabek Development Company.
• Hot 'n Now (Fast Food Brand) Revived fast-food restaurant brand offering wallet-friendly menu items including the signature Olive Burger and Cheesy Taters, deployed through modular 'plug and play' 737-square-foot buildings built off-site by B Cubed Manufacturing.
• Sweetgrass Moon Café Community-centered coffee and food service concept rooted in Native American heritage, featuring Native-inspired menu items and farm-direct sustainable coffee sourcing. Operates a location adjacent to the Hot 'n Now flagship near Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, Michigan.
• Rivertown Market (Grocery Real Estate) GLI-owned grocery store property development in downtown Detroit, with Meijer occupying the space as sole tenant.
• Front Street Properties (Light Industrial Real Estate) Light industrial rental properties including 1250 Front Street (occupied by Grow Generation, the largest U.S. supplier of hydroponic products) and 1300 Front Street (occupied by Renaissance Solutions).
• NAWA Professional Services (Facilities Management) Facilities management services including custodial housekeeping, commercial sanitation, and cleaning services for commercial properties, educational institutions, financial sector clients, and industrial operations throughout Michigan and northern Indiana. Workforce of nearly 300 employees.
• Hall Technologies (Professional A/V Hardware) Professional audio/visual technology hardware components including products like HIVE Control and EMCEE200, serving commercial installations worldwide. Dallas, Texas-based, founded in 1984.
• Noonday Market (Convenience Store & Gas Station) Convenience store and Mobil-branded gas station representing GLI's first non-gaming investment within the Gun Lake Tribal economy. Operated with management services from J&H Family Stores, a local family-owned operator of over 50 convenience stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• $288,756,091 statewide economic impact in 2019 from Michigan tribal non-gaming businesses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jeff KonczakcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2025Northern Michigan developer and owner of B Cubed Manufacturing. Partnered with GLI through HNN Holdings LLC to revive the Hot 'n Now brand with plans for multiple locations in Michigan.
• Aki Construction LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2022Joint venture construction and property management company formed by three Michigan tribal economic development entities: Gun Lake Investments, Odawa Holdings, and Mno-Bmadsen. Described as a 'historic' partnership.
• J&H Family StorescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal family-owned operator of over 50 convenience stores that brought three generations of experience to the Noonday Market project. J&H continues to provide management services for the $4.4 million convenience store and Mobil-branded gas station investment.
• Seven Generations A&EminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOwned by Mno-Bmadsen, the economic development corporation of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. Played a meaningful role in the Noonday Market project development.
• Rockford ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGrand Rapids-based construction manager that works throughout the U.S., including Indian Country. Provided construction management services for Noonday Market.
• B Cubed ManufacturingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwned by Jeff Konczak, B Cubed Manufacturing builds 'plug and play' modular drive-thru buildings, including structures for Biggby Coffee's B Cubed drive-thru locations. Partnered with GLI for Hot 'n Now modular restaurant construction, assembling the 737 square-foot buildings off-site for quick installation.
• One Big Island In SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm-direct partnership for Sweetgrass Moon Cafe supporting sustainable sourcing and creating greater economic opportunity for disadvantaged coffee farmers worldwide.
• Clark ConstructionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLansing-based construction company that opened an office in McKay Tower, becoming a tenant in GLI's property. The office serves as main work environment for over 30 employees.
• Chi IshobakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership begun in 2019 to empower tribal citizens with financial assistance. Chi Ishobak offers tribal citizens professional and individual financial services including commercial loans, small business development loans, financial wellness classes, and consumer loans.
• Hall TechnologiescoreOthersDallas, Texas-based professional audio/visual technology firm acquired by GLI in 2022, giving GLI full operating control. Founded in 1984, Hall Technologies provides end-to-end commercial A/V technology hardware components trusted in thousands of installations worldwide.
• Custodial Housekeeping Staffing Inc.minorOthersCleaning services company acquired by GLI-owned CSM Services (now NAWA Professional Services) on February 2. Provides cleaning services to schools and businesses, expanding GLI's facilities management capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Waséyabek Development Company: Economic development arm of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (NHBP), directly comparable as another Michigan tribal EDC pursuing diversified non-gaming investments. Co-invested with GLI on McKay Tower and Zip Xpress, demonstrating identical operating model and asset class focus.
• Mno-Bmadsen: Economic development corporation of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, one of GLI's joint-venture partners in Aki Construction LLC. Operates in real estate development, professional services, and investments — directly parallel to GLI's mandate of tribal economic diversification away from gaming.
• Odawa Holdings: Economic development entity of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and Aki Construction co-founder with GLI. Mirrors GLI's structure as a tribal-owned holding company pursuing non-gaming business investments across diverse sectors.
• Blackford Capital: Grand Rapids-based lower-middle-market PE firm that sold its portfolio company Hall Technologies to GLI in 2022. Directly comparable on lower-middle-market deal size, Great Lakes/Midwest geographic focus, and operating-company acquisition strategy.
• Huron Capital: Detroit-based private equity firm focused on control investments in lower-middle-market operating companies, often partnering with management. Similar deal-size profile, sector-agnostic thesis, and Michigan operating-company focus to GLI's acquisition activity.
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC): Minnesota-based tribal community operating a large diversified enterprise portfolio including gaming, hospitality, and commercial development. Comparable in scale and mission of tribal-driven economic diversification away from single-segment dependence.
• Oneida Nation Enterprises: Business arm of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin operating a diversified portfolio including gaming, hospitality, retail, and real estate development. Comparable to GLI as a sovereign tribal entity managing a broad non-gaming investment portfolio for community benefit.
• Poarch Band of Creek Indians Economic Development: Economic development arm of the Poarch Band operating gaming, hospitality, and commercial ventures across Alabama. Functions as a tribal holding/investment company analogous to GLI's mandate of diversified economic development.
• Mill Point Capital: Lower-middle-market private equity firm focused on control investments in business services, industrial, and consumer-services companies. Directly comparable to GLI on EBITDA size profile, operating-company focus, and active ownership playbook.

Broad incumbents

• Peninsula Capital Partners: Detroit-based private investment firm with control and non-control investments in lower-middle-market operating companies. Comparable on regional Midwestern footprint and operating-company investment focus, though broader in scale and institutional LP base than GLI's tribal-owned model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gun-lake-investments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Gun Lake Investments