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| Volume XXV, Number 6 | April 30, 2004 |
By Susan Etxebarria
BRIGHTON — The flashing “Open” sign was signaling drivers passing by on Highway 721 that the new gas station at the Brighton Trading Post was ready for business. Moses Osceola, President of Seminole Tribe, Inc., arrived from Hollywood to observe the first day of operation. Brighton’s tribal Representative, Johnny Jones, administrative staff and the gas station and convenience store workers were all very pleased to see vehicles pulling in one after another.
It was 10 a.m. Thursday April 1. The pumps had been turned on since 6 a.m. That day, a new Seminole business was born.
A Brighton worker, Rennie Berry, drove up to one of the eight pumps and declared his excitement about the new Brighton convenience store.
“ It’s about time,” he said. “Now we don’t have to go all the way to Lakeport to get gas.”
Tribal citizen Charlene Baker echoed Berry’s sentiment.
“ I am glad we have a gas station now,” said Baker. “It is much more convenient for us; we've been waiting a while.”
The new gas station at Brighton increased the economic independence of the residents who, up to now, have had to drive to nearby Lakeport or farther to Okeechobee to fill up their tanks. Instead of putting the profits in other’s pockets the money will go back to the tribe.
Gas prices will stay competitive with Okeechobee and the Circle K in Lakeport. The savings in buying gas for those who need only to fill their tank can be significant. If your vehicle averages 20-miles per gallon and you drive from Brighton to Okeechobee, a 60-mile round-trip, it will take three gallons of gas. At $1.79 a gallon that is $5.37 just to go and return.
“ The price of gas is very important to most people,” said Don Waiknsnis who had noticed $1.85 gas prices in Clewiston on his way to Brighton from Hollywood.
Waikinsis came to observe the operation of the completed gas station at Brighton since he will be managing the new gas station set to open soon in Big Cypress.
A feasibility study to determine if a gas station would be profitable was conducted in December of 2002 by President Osceola.
“ The tribe authorized me to do a feasibility study,” he said. “At that time I was a representative for the tribe and in charge of Employment and Training. I completed the study, but [the plan] was not developed.”
The study derived customer-based projections utilizing a Florida Department of Transportation traffic analysis for Highway 721, the U.S. Census Bureau statistics for Glades County, as well as statistics from the tribe. The population count is approximately 540 residents in Brighton, and approximately 500 employees.
“ Once I became president on May 12 last year, I saw it through,” Osceola said. “It has to make money and it has to make profits.”
“ In the early days we were just in agriculture; in citrus, cattle and catfish farming. It was hard to make profits. The key to our success is to diversify into different business ventures. This is a necessary service for the community. If our people support this, they are investing in their own project. They are keeping the money within the community,” Osceola continued.
This is the first major project that tribal Representative Johnny Jones has been involved with since being elected to the board. He said he heard people say the gas station can’t make money, but he is confident it will be a success.
“ We will find out,” he said. “We have had a campground here for many years but if we can get people to come here to buy gas they will also come into the convenience store and buy sodas and chips and other things.”
He said the store was once very small and had little to offer, but now they have expanded and will continue to expand even more as the building is refurbished.
“ This is tribal-owned and our tribal funds are coming through here.” Jones said. “The money will be coming back to us.”
The Trading Post and Campground employs five full-time employees and is open Monday–Thursday from 6 a.m.–10 p.m. and Friday–Sunday from 6 a.m. – midnight. It will sometimes stay open later for the nights when Brighton hosts basketball tournaments.
Seminole-owned Trading Posts are expected to become a chain in the future, according to President Osceola.
“ We plan to open a chain of convenience stores and gas stations all named Trading Post at Big Cypress, Immokalee, Ft Pierce, and they are looking for a site in Hollywood,” Osceola said. “At some point we hope to become a fuel distributor.”
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