GREAT FALLS (AP) -- American Indian tribes are over 50 years behind the times when it comes to private business development, the president of a tribal asset-building group said Wednesday.

The problem stems from a lack of modern business codes, credit resources and business training, said Mike Roberts of the Fredericksburg, Va.- based First Nations Development Institute.

Tribal leaders need to make changes -- ones that aren't always popular with voters.

"These steps that we are asking tribal councils to take are very risky," said Roberts, one of about a dozen speakers to address the two-day Montana Indian Business Conference here. "The change is risky because it's not always understood."

More than 200 reservation leaders, bankers, lawyers, judges and tribal members attended the event Wednesday.

The aim is to help forge solutions to the stumbling blocks facing reservation businesses.

Despite the struggles, the number of Indian-owned businesses in the United States increased from about 13,000 in 1982 to around 200,000 today, with annual combined revenue of $35 billion, Roberts said.

"One has to ask, if we had the infrastructure for businesses in place, how much bigger would that $35 billion be?" he said.

Roberts, a Tlingit Indian from Ketchikan, Alaska, said modern business codes are essential to helping private investors feel comfortable investing on sovereign Indian land.

Tribal councils also need to improve access to credit, he said.

Local, privately owned lending institutions seem to work best, he said.

Reservation leaders also need to emphasize basic business training for tribal members, and elevate entrepreneurs to a place of respect and honor.

"When you are true to your values and culture, you can do well," Roberts said.

Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com