The Oneida Indian Nation is today a major employer in Central New York. With almost 5,000 jobs, the Nation is the largest employer in Oneida and Madison counties and the fourth largest employer in the 16 counties located in the middle of the Empire State. The Nation’s areas of business include hospitality and gaming, retail, agriculture and media. The Nation has about 80 high tech positions in its government and business enterprise operations—in areas such as information technology, telecommunications, surveillance, 3D animation, HD cinematography and communications/marketing.

The bulk of the Nation’s high tech positions are in the area of information technology. From systems administrators and operations specialists to gaming technicians and web developers, this group keeps all the various Nation and enterprise departments connected and functioning. With many employees who rely on computers as well as the Turning Stone Resort and Casino, which has about 2,300 computer-driven gaming machines and attracts more than 4.5 million people a year, the technical expertise of this group is always in demand.

The Four Directions Media group is helping the Nation communicate about its history and culture and that of the country’s other Indian nations in the 21st century. Its Four Directions Productions is involved with both 3D animation and HD cinematography. Last year, the team of animators created “Raccoon & Crawfish”, an ancient Oneida legend brought to life through 3D animation. Over the past 17 months, that eight-minute animated short has taken first place honors at 14 film festivals around the world. The videographers in the cinematography unit use high- end computer editing suites to put together documentaries, commercials and other video-related products. From lead modeler to technical animators to videographers, these high tech positions are revolutionizing how news about, and for, Indian people is communicated.

Other high tech positions include those in telecommunications who keep the Nation wired; those who work in surveillance and keep the gaming at the resort honest and safe; and those who provide the high end graphics found in our communications and marketing materials. “In today’s world, state-of-the-art computers and other aspects of modern technology are everywhere,” stated Dr. Peter Golia, senior vice president for communications for the Oneida Nation. “To run Oneida government and business operations requires skilled high tech employees who provide the expertise for us to operate effectively, efficiently and creatively.”