Mark Morrison, more commonly known in the community by his nickname, “Gore”, was born in Kansas City, Kansas.  Gore’s family moved to Oklahoma when he was 3 years old, settling in the Wyandotte area where he grew up and attended high school. Since that time, he has spent his adult life living in the community of Grove, Oklahoma. where he lives and works today.  Gore is a proud member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation who has served the tribe for more than 20 years of loyal service. Today, he is the Assistant General Manager at the Seneca-Cayuga Tobacco Company. .

His history goes back to his early childhood, Morrison shared: “When I was 8 years old, this building that is now the Tobacco factory was a daycare facility where my mom would take me while she worked at the bingo hall down the street. Little did I know, this building would be the launching pad for my own career.”

Morrison was just 18 years old when he started work at the SCN tobacco factory: “My first job here was working as a line assistant,  I basically caught trays of cigarettes and loaded them on the cart for the packer to pack them…”

Since that time, he has grown and developed into a senior leader for the organization.  The company has started more than a dozen tobacco brands over the years, and Morrison is now specifically exploring the feasibility of Hemp product offerings. Morrison stated: “Anything we can do to continue to grow our company, creating jobs and greater opportunity for the nation while keeping up with our industries changing premium offerings.” 

The most significant recent development at the tobacco factory is the rollout of CBD, sought after for its therapeutic value.  “An expansion into CBD grows our product offering, lays a foundation for our future capabilities and provides immediate revenue opportunities for Seneca-Cayuga Tobacco,” Gore explains.  The Seneca-Cayuga Tobacco Company sells 5-6 different brands of CBD and is most commonly used by people with chronic illness, pain and sleep interruption. It was the ability to deliver a product that helped manage these conditions that made expansion into CBD a focus for management.  CBD products are a health management and non-prescription treatment option that can now be found on the shelves of our smoke shops. Carrying CBD at our retail locations is an intentional and strategic decision, as it provides a valuable resource to the customers of our retail stores.  

Morrison has been a key part in the expansion of SCN tobacco products and has grown their reach outside the market of Oklahoma.  The company is currently generating sales in the states of Florida, Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Texas, Idaho, New Mexico, and very soon, Arkansas. Ultimately, the goal of the Seneca-Cayuga Tobacco Company is to expand the reach of our company across the country and provide meaningful employment and personal development opportunities to as many tribal members as possible.  

When asked about which of his career accomplishments he is most proud of Gore answered: “I am most proud that we have an incredibly high percentage of tribal members employed here.  Currently, we employ 13 tribal members, 3 spouses married to tribal members, and 4 other tribal members. A total of 25 tribal members on staff at this company.” Morrison emphasized: “I’d like to be running additional shifts, creating additional access to opportunity and more jobs within our community. Whenever I am hiring, there is a clear order by which we evaluate applicants.  I seek first to hire qualified Seneca-Cayuga tribal members, then will reach out to other Native American applicants, and if not candidates are available in those groups, we will look at-large with the general public.” 

Before even opening hiring opportunities, Morrison communicated his first desire is to see greater unity amongst members of the tribal nation. “I see a world where we can work together as a tribe. Together we could create even more opportunities, launching businesses, and streams of income that would create even more Native Americans leaders and having an event greater impact on our local community.” 

Morrison’s humility sets him apart.  As he reminisced on his beginnings dating back to daycare, he hasn’t forgotten that moment of destiny. His desire is to leverage his current platform to reach his community, offering them a fresh start. “Anything I do here, is not just for me, but for the tribe. I love meeting young leaders similar to myself and being able to offer them a job. I have given them a shot to lead, like someone gave me a shot when I was young, naïve, and ready to work.”