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Member:  Special Trustee's Advisory Board

Loren Pourier

Mr. Loren “Bat” Pourier owns and operates a ranch, two convenience stores, a newspaper, and a bulk fuel business. This is what keeps him busy since selling other components of his business enterprise in the years 2006 and 2007. 

An enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Mr. Pourier started his career in the 1970s as a rancher on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He became one of the largest land owners on the reservation. In the 1980s, he engaged in developing several other entrepreneurial ventures: four convenience stores, a propane heating fuel business, a wholesale fuel and trucking business, and a weekly newspaper. He built these sound businesses in an area experiencing 80% unemployment rates.

Active in his community, Mr. Pourier was instrumental in establishing the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce and organizing the Shannon County South Dakota Democratic Party. Some of his awards include the BIA Entrepreneur Award for South Dakota and the South Dakota Minority Small Business Award. He has been featured in articles in the New York Times and Entrepreneur magazine.

Mr. Pourier’s wife, Patty, has been his partner in life and business since 1983. They have two children and eight grandchildren.