Our Heritage

Founded by Cherokee entrepreneurs C.W. Flint and Pauline Kelley Flint, the company remained Native-owned and rooted in Native values for more than a century. Four generations of Flint family leadership go on to build a legacy of trust and partnership within Indian Country.

The Self-Determination Act expands tribal sovereignty. The Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) establishes Native employment priorities on reservation projects.

Flintco completes its first Native project, the Redbird Smith Health Center, honoring the company’s Cherokee roots. The Fort Belknap Health Center in Montana quickly followed, marking the beginning of what would become partnerships with 78 Native nations across the country. These healthcare facilities, under the Indian Health Service (IHS), will serve tribal communities for generations.

As tribal nations expand into gaming and hospitality, Flintco grows alongside its partners. Major casino and hotel projects with the Cherokee Nation, Muscogee Creek Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Chickasaw Nation mark a new chapter in economic development across Indian Country.

Flintco delivers the Fort Defiance Comprehensive Health Center in Arizona for the Navajo Nation, the largest construction management project in IHS history.

The Cherokee Nation Tahlequah Outpatient Health Facility in Oklahoma is the largest joint venture between IHS and a tribal nation. Flintco serves as the construction manager.

Flintco refreshes its logo while preserving the distinctive arrowhead. This enduring Native symbol anchors a cleaner, modern design that honors the company’s legacy.

The Buy Indian Opportunity Act, through the U.S. Department of the Interior, opens new pathways for tribal economic empowerment. Flintco will successfully partner with tribal business on every Native American project we build moving forward.

Flintco completes the 84,000 SF Cherokee Nation Osteopathic Medicine Building with Oklahoma State University. That same year, the company broke ground on the Oyate Health Center in South Dakota, marking a historic moment: the largest urban healthcare facility in IHS history, which unites care for the Cheyenne River, Oglala, and Rosebud nations under one expansive roof. The 200,000 SF facility reflects Flintco’s unwavering commitment to building infrastructure that strengthens tribal communities for generations to come.

Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, is the first woman and Native American to serve in the U.S. Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior. Flintco celebrates the opening of the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, where Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations can share their stories. The Dilkon Health Center in Arizona reached completion as the largest P.L. 638 project in Navajo Nation history, another example of tribal sovereignty in healthcare delivery. Flintco serves as the construction manager on both projects.

Flintco’s longtime Tribal Relations Director, Vernelle Chase, expands her leadership across Indian Country, serving as the inaugural Board Chairwoman for Native Women Lead and the American Indian Chamber of Commerce, while building partnerships that span water settlements to renewable energy. As tribal nations reopen after the pandemic, IHS awards Oyate Health Center’s medical equipment procurement to the Flintco design-build team, another first for the agency.