Stories from the Field: Charlie Gay

Tell us about CK Sign Services and the work your company does.

CK Sign Services is a Native-owned business that designs and produces signage for businesses, organizations, and communities. At first glance, that might sound straightforward. But the work carries a deeper meaning: Good signage helps businesses be seen, helps communities express identity, and helps create a sense of pride in place.

As noted in coverage from Red Lake Nation News, CK Sign Services reflects a broader story unfolding across Indian Country: Indigenous entrepreneurs are building businesses close to home, creating opportunity where it is needed most, and investing in the long-term strength of their communities.

What inspired you to grow your business?

The drive to grow the business came from more than a market need. It came from a belief that high-quality services, local job creation, and community investment can go hand in hand. CK Sign Services, like other Native entrepreneurs, seized an opportunity to meet local demand and create lasting value.

For CK Sign Services, growth is not only about increasing revenue; it is about creating jobs, helping Tribal businesses become more visible, and contributing to the kind of economic self-determination that allows communities to shape their own future.

What challenges did you face in accessing capital?

Like many Indigenous entrepreneurs, CK Sign Services faced a challenge all too common: finding capital that aligns with the realities of the business and the community it serves. Native-owned businesses frequently face limited, inflexible, or economically unrealistic financing options.

That is why the right financing partners mattered. For CK Sign Services, support was not just about capital—it was about working with organizations that understood both the business opportunity and the broader community impact. That understanding helped turn a growth challenge into a real path forward.

How did the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship help support your business?

The Milken Institute’s Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE) is a national platform that helps capital reach entrepreneurs and businesses that traditional systems have too often missed, despite their potential and their importance to the communities around them. Through IIE implementation partner Mission Driven Finance (MDF), IIE helped CK Sign Services access the financing and partnerships needed to continue growing and serving its community.

IIE identified an opportunity to support one of CK Sign Services’ projects through its Indigenous Futures Fund, then worked with the Alliance CDFI through the Yurok Tribe’s loan participation program to help make the financing possible.

The result was a partnership built around possibility. With support from MDF’s Indigenous Futures Fund and The Alliance Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), through the Yurok Tribe’s loan participation program, CK Sign Services gained access to the kind of capital that can help a business move from possibility to momentum.

Why are partnerships like Milken Institute important for Native-owned businesses?

Partnerships like Milken Institute matter because growth rarely happens in isolation. For many Indigenous entrepreneurs, the need is not just for a single loan, but for trusted relationships, flexible financing, and support systems that recognize the unique context of Tribal communities. IIE helps connect underserved businesses to the capital, expertise, and relationships they need to build stronger futures.