Braving the freezing weather to break ground on the new Growth Fund office building on Friday, Dec. 6 were (left to right) Gary Whalen, senior vice president of the Growth Fund’s Real Estate Group Regional Division; Elizabeth Santistevan, Growth Fund Management Committee tribal member at large; Bruce Valdez, executive director of the Growth Fund; Jimmy R. Newton Jr., Southern Ute chairman; Alex S. Cloud, Tribal Council member; Mike Foutz, representative of Tierra-FCI; and Howard D. Richards Sr., Tribal council member.

Bruce Valdez, executive director of the Southern Ute Growth Fund, thanks Matthew J. Box for his blessing at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Growth Fund on Friday, Dec. 6.