By Staff
March 21, 2001
The economic progress made by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in the last decade is nothing short of remarkable. Much of the credit must go to Chief Phillip Martin, under whose visionary leadership members of the Tribe have prospered.
The average annual income for members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians rose 346 percent during the 1990s  to about $23,000.
The Silver Star hotel and casino attracts visitors from a multi-state region. Ground was broken in November for a second hotel casino, the Golden Moon, which will be a destination for many more millions of tourists.
All told, 2,000 new employees will be needed when the Golden Moon opens. The Tribe is developing its own training center on the reservation to begin in-house training.
Like most visionaries, Martin thinks big and long term. The red clay hills of rural Neshoba County will never be the same.