For the last two decades, the Navajo Nation’s Diné Development Corporation (DDC) has developed companies that provide information technology, engineering, environmental and professional solutions. Revenues and dividends generated in part go to the Navajo Nation’s social impact initiatives that help support the tribe based in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. The DDC, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, has 10 such companies that deliver services to federal, state and tribal governments.
This unique model generates revenue off of the reservation and channels it back into the Navajo economy, creating a cycle of reinvestment and growth for the Native Americans, said Vikkilynn Watchman, a tribal spokeswoman and team lead for Social Impact and Tribal Relations.
“Diné Development Corporation, founded in 2004 under a charter from the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development, stands as a testament to the resilience and vision of the Navajo people,” explained Watchman. “By diversifying the nation’s economic portfolio and competing in the global economy, DDC serves not only as a driver of economic growth but also as a beacon of hope, empowering the Navajo community to embrace opportunities that honor their heritage while building a prosperous future.”
The DDC’s contributions to the Navajo Nation’s general fund resulted in $4.8 million in dividends as of 2024. The dividends support the tribe’s economic growth and long-term sustainability, she said.
In addition, the DDC’s $15.5 million in contributions (as of third-quarter 2024) have supported Navajo small businesses, sponsorships, agency events and programs—which benefit U.S. military veterans and the broader community, Watchman noted. Tribal leaders work to make sure the Nation allocates these resources to efforts that address its community’s needs and foster development, she stated.
To present modern-day information technology, environmental and professional solutions to its clients, the DDC has to innovate, said Harold Brown, the company’s growth and strategy business development director and a former U.S. Air Force pilot, during an interview at the company’s new offices in San Antonio.
“Something that has changed significantly, especially over the last three years, is innovation,” Brown stated. “When you think about technology and the pace of change in the acquisition of technological advancements, especially over the last three to five years, you have to be with it, and you have to be able to anticipate what’s next.”
As such, the tribal-owned company developed an in-house innovation capability team that consists of solutions architects across various areas, Brown stated.
“Whether it is cloud, artificial intelligence, zero trust, data science, we have invested internal resources in acquiring that kind of expertise so that we are better prepared to meet the client’s needs as they’ve identified them,” he clarified.
The move to open the satellite office in San Antonio reflects that drive for innovation.
“This is the first significant step in gaining a presence in San Antonio,” Brown shared. “Why was that important to the company? Because it is Military City, USA. The company is heavily invested in wanting to contribute to the defense of the nation. A lot of people associate San Antonio with just Air Force training, but when you think about it, with the cyber community, the presence of the Army, the presence of military health, there’s a wide cross-section of Department of Defense and other military entities that are here in the area.”
The new office is located within the Capital Factory’s offices at Port San Antonio. The city’s Tech Port campus is home to aerospace, defense, global logistics, manufacturing and cybersecurity companies, as well as education and art and culture centers. The Tech Port, meant to foster an innovation ecosystem, has broad plans to grow and is constructing its 295,000-square-foot Innovation Tower.
“To work with an organization like Port San Antonio, who’s heavily invested in the success of the people that want to grow here and create jobs here, it is mutually beneficial,” Brown noted.
The company’s leaders, Austin Tsosie, CEO, and Dan Riggs, chief growth and strategy officer, have set a course for its future growth. Brown estimates that they are 70% to 80% through implementing the five-year plan.
“They came up with a comprehensive growth strategy that we’ve implemented over the last three-plus years,” Brown continued. “And what we have seen over the last four years is a major change in our approach to business, how we go about doing it and the subsidiaries that we have stood up. That is another reason why we are in San Antonio. We have to look at locations that are strategic, that allow us to be able to contribute to the betterment of our clients.”
That means working not only to support Air Force clients but also Army Medical Center, Defense Health Agency, Indian Health Services and other programs.
In addition, the company is expanding its operational headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. Here, the DDC is pulling inspiration from the tribe’s famous Navajo Code Talkers.
In World War II, about 400 Navajos joined the Marines in the war against Japan to transmit messages by telephone and radio in the Navajo language. They were part of every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific between 1942 and 1945, and the Japanese were not able to break the code, according to the tribe and the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps WWII Commemorative Committee.
The new building in Dayton is named after and is dedicated to the Navajo Code Talker’s legacy. To highlight their achievements, the new facility houses the largest exhibit of Navajo Code Talker artifacts and memorabilia in the world. It is important for the company to continue to tell the history.
“The Code Talker legacy is very important to us,” Brown stated. “Getting the word out about the contributions that the Navajo People have made to the defense of the country is something that is very near and dear to the people in the company.”
Honoring that legacy also allows the company to serve as an option for future Navajo generations.
“For example, about a month or so ago, I had college students from the Navajo Nation come in,” Brown shared. “I got a chance to spend the day with them and show them what it is like to be a consultant in DDC and have them ask me whatever kind of questions they wanted to. And I hope that it encouraged them to come in. Our CEO and the board’s intent is to increase their presence by attracting the talent when they’re young enough to put them on the track so that they want to come work with us.”
The DDC will continue to advance its strategic partnerships that grow enterprise initiatives and “uplift the nation,” Watchman shared.
And leveraging technology, the company’s goal is centered on delivering best-in-class services while empowering the Navajo Nation for future generations, according to a statement from Tsosie.
