Dan Boren, left, president of corporate development for the Chickasaw Nation, visits with University of Oklahoma architecture Professor David Boeck, conference chairman, before Boren's talk Thursday on "Economic Diversification: What It Means for Indian Country" at the Environmental Design Research Association annual conference at Cox Convention Center. [PHOTO By JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN]

One rising tribe can't lift all, but the Chickasaw Nation can elevate some, and Golden Mesa Casino's groundbreaking last week in Guymon is a good example of American Indian tribes working together.

Dan Boren, president of corporate development for the Chickasaw Nation, said the $25 million project, developed by the Shawnee Tribe in cooperation with the Chickasaws, exemplifies the kind of economic diversity that leads to social equity in Indian Country.

Boren, the former U.S. representative, was a speaker Thursday at "Social Equity by Design: Designing Connections through Community," the 49th annual conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.

The 42,000-square-foot Panhandle casino, set to open in summer 2019, fits Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby's 30-year push for the Chickasaws to enjoy returns from a range of investments, Boren said at the conference at Cox Convention Center.