Joel Ogren, the CEO and founder of Assured Communications, says building partnerships with tribal communities is about listening and understanding history from different perspectives.

With a lengthy career that includes years spent working with the Pacific Islander community in Hawaii, Ogren has now applied his relationship-building skills to build lasting partnerships in Washington State.

Namely, Assured Communications has a partnership with Toptana Technologies, which is owned by the Quinault Indian Nation.

In his approach to building partnerships with tribal communities, Ogren said he signifies up front that he wants to earn the right to be considered a trusted partner.

"It's important to me," he said. "We're going to do it with integrity and an open approach to the work that we do."

Credentials and experience also matter, he said, adding that demonstrating the ability to deliver on a project is key.

He also said Assured's success would not be possible without the company's highly qualified team of professionals.

"They understand this, they have those same values that help drive me," Ogren said. "The ability to address the digital divide, they see the value of what we can do for these economies."