During
World War II, more than 340,000 acres of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
southwestern South Dakota were used as a practice bombing range. Thousands of pounds of ordnance were dropped by
aircraft from nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.
In 1998, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, with funding from the Department of
Defense (DoD) Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program, formed
the Badlands Bombing Range Program (BBRP) to identify and map remaining
ordnance. Under the BBRP, employees were
trained and certified as unexploded ordnance technicians (UXO Technician I) and
UXO Sweep Technicians. This unique
civilian training opportunity provided BBRP employees with training and invaluable
work experience within the UXO cleanup market.
In 2002, the DoD contracted for UXO
services rather than employ directly via the BBRP. Thus, several former
employees of the BBRP(all enrolled members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe living on
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation) initiated the formation of a private
company. Once established, the new entity
could subcontract to clean up the former Badlands Range and other active and
formerly used defense sites, leveraging Tribe member's training and work
experience in providing UXO, de-mining, and environmental cleanup and
restoration services. This new company
would directly impact revenue and employment, thus increasing the economic
viability on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
With a clear vision of ownership and
organizational structure and mission, Native American Environmental, LLC (NAE)
was formed on July 22, 2002. Soon
thereafter, NAE owners sought a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with extensive experience in federal contracting and business operations who could fully
develop the company's strategy.
Following a search and interviews, on October 2002, Steve Shassetz, a
non-Indian, non-disadvantaged individual was hired to help the NAE seek
financing, establish contracts, and develop relationships with large businesses.
