Our Shareholder, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), understand what it means to overcome challenges. Diseases like smallpox, influenza, and measles killed hundreds of our members and separated families. Changes in climate have altered the fish, wildlife, and plant food sources essential to survival. Campaigns like “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man” could all have forever crippled a proud people. Yet our CSKT ancestors used those hard times to build the resolve that characterizes the Salish and Kootenai people today. They used the lessons learned from those challenges to grow stronger and achieve success, and did this by ensuring that the people come first.
S&K Technologies, Inc. (SKT) was formed and operates today with that same resolve, and like the Tribes, SKT has overcome numerous challenges. Government shutdowns, competitor protests, regulatory changes, changes in leadership, loss of contracts, rapid growth, and Covid-19 have all played a role in who and what SKT has become. The Covid-19 story has yet to play out completely, but we adapted quickly and already gained information that will provide SKT with direction and capabilities moving forward. During this unprecedented time, SKT won multiple new contracts and ensured over 500 employees successfully continued working via telecommuting. In addition, a single SKT employee organized the manufacture and delivery of protective masks to over 1000 employees (while supporting a local tribal business) to help during this global pandemic.
Like our Shareholder, SKT continues to define who we are and who we want to be by ensuring that people come first. SKT continues to learn, grow, and overcome because of our people, and so I ask that you keep your heads held high, value your teammates as the incredible people they are, and know that you have the appreciation of an entire Tribal Nation for all you do.
Stay safe,
Chad Cottet
CEO, S&K Technologies, Inc.
