Tribal leaders gather for Reservation Economic Summit in Milwaukee

Tribal leaders and Native American business owners are spending much of the week in Milwaukee networking and sharing information on pushing the tribal economy forward.

They call it RES or the \"Reservation Economic Summit.\"

The idea is let small business owners as well as leaders in the larger industries like gaming meet in one place to get the very latest information on what each other is doing and how they can possibly network and cross promote each other's business.

This is also an opportunity for Potawatomi Hotel and Casino to show off its newly expanded facility to Tribal Leaders from throughout the region.

Ernie Stevens, Jr. of Oneida, Wisconsin says he's very optimistic about Native American business emerging from the recession.

\"We've grown up for generations trying to make ends meet with very little,\" Stevens, Jr. told CBS 58 News. \"The Indian gaming market, the tribal market is surviving mostly through hard work and experience.\"

Stevens thinks the key to sustainability will be networking to non Native American owned companies.