Southern Ute Growth Fund

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund operates and manages the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s businesses and business investments. In this role, the Growth Fund oversees a significant portfolio of companies and investments in energy, real estate, construction, and private equity. The Growth Fund’s headquarters are located in the heart of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Ignacio, Colorado. Since the Tribe created the Growth Fund in 2000, it has committed substantial capital to a broadening range of businesses and investments. The value of the Growth Fund’s holdings has grown substantially. Operations and assets are spread out over fourteen states and the Gulf of Mexico. The Tribe’s business portfolio originated with the formation of Red Willow Production Company in 1992 and the purchase of Red Cedar Gathering Company in 1994. Red Willow was originally formed to buy back natural gas leases and to upgrade the performance of gas wells on the Reservation. However, Red Willow could not convince local gathering companies to increase their capacity to transport the Tribe’s new volumes of gas to the interstate pipelines. To solve this problem, the Tribe partnered with the Stephens Group in 1994 and purchased Red Cedar to gather, process, and transport natural gas from the Reservation. The Growth Fund selects and manages its investments with the help of an outstanding investment research and finance team, although each of the operating subsidiaries also pursues investment opportunities within their respective industries. The investment and finance team evaluates strategic growth opportunities and also provides support for mergers, acquisitions, and other types of investment and business transactions. Today, the Tribe’s Growth Fund investments have increased significantly in value, measured apart from the value of the Tribe’s land base, water, mineral and timber resources.