A Profile on Dana Bumgarner

Dana Bumgarner, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian reservation in Oregon and owner of Cayuse Country Flowers & Gifts, has loved flowers all of her life. It has been her dream to work with them and share her passion for this art right in her own community. She started her floral gift shop in 2006 on the Umatilla reservation to provide fresh cut flowers, floral arrangements, plants, gift baskets, and other gift items to individuals and businesses. She originally began working out of her home, but with her success over the past few years, she has expanded to additional space on the reservation. Dana is a self-taught florist, and she designs her floral arrangements and gifts by listening to the needs of her clients.

In 2010, Dana decided to enter the ONABEN business plan competition titled “Innovations in Indianpreneurship”, which is a business development process, competition, and showcase for Native entrepreneurs. After the rigorous competition, Dana was awarded first place and received a monetary award sponsored by First Nations Development Institute to help support the growth and expansion of her business. She plans to open a new shop on the Umatilla reservation soon with the expansion of tribal enterprises. It is Native business owners like Dana who give us hope for the continued growth of economic sovereignty in Indian Country.

Watch this short video on the ONABEN competition and see Dana win her award.