Keep growing.
A simple goal, but a poignant one.
Dustin Klatush, now in his fourth year as the chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, has turned that goal into a promise during his tenure leading the tribe.
The Chehalis Tribe was as active as ever in the community under Klatush’s leadership in 2025, which is why Klatush has been named The Chronicle’s 2025 Person of the Year. The Chronicle chooses a Person of the Year honoree annually, with the honor going to an individual who has used their position in the community to improve the lives of others.
But Klatush doesn’t want credit for the tribe’s accomplishments alone.
“We’re a team. It’s not just me. It’s us,” he said. “We’re stronger together.”
Headlining the Chehalis Tribe’s accomplishments last year was the purchase of the 3.5-acre property hosting the Uncle Sam billboard off Interstate 5 in June. The tribe bought the property for $2.5 million and took down the right-wing messages from the sign.
“We want to be positive. We want to put positive energy out there not just for our tribe but for everybody that’s driving by,” Klatush said. “We just want to see positive messages on that. There’s too much hatred out there in this world right now. We’re all small communities. If we all work together, we’re stronger. I hate when people fight. Let’s weave together instead of fighting against each other.”
The message of weaving together is evident by the Chehalis tribal basket logo featured around the tribal headquarters in Oakville. Klatush and his team have implemented that message through its collaborations with neighboring jurisdictions, such as the Thurston County Board of Commissioners and the cities of Tumwater and Napavine.
Those jurisdictions honored their collaboration with the tribe through proclamations in 2025, and Klatush said he is working with the cities of Centralia and Chehalis for a proclamation, as well.
“That’s big for us because they’re flying our flag, either in the city hall or in their chambers,” Klatush said of the partnering cities and counties. “I think our relationships are getting better daily. When I first got elected, it was tough. I didn’t know who I was supposed to talk to. I learned that by “day one.”
The Chehalis Tribe also strengthened several of its other partnerships in the community in 2025. Rochester Middle School received a $15,000 donation from the tribe to construct a fenced play area with a picnic table and accessible swing set for children of all ability levels. Members of the tribe formally blessed the playground during a ceremony in May.
Klatush said the tribe also supported Onalaska High School’s fish hatchery program with donations.
To kick off the new year, the tribe supplied Gov. Bob Ferguson’s inauguration with its award-winning Kayak Gin distilled at its Talking Cedar facility, the nation’s first tribal-owned brewery and distillery, located in Grand Mound. The Chehalis Tribe also hosted multiple former Seattle Seahawks players, including Kam Chancellor, Walter Jones and Lofa Tatupu, at its distillery. Talking Cedar is partnered with Savage Brewing Co., which is also partnered with the three football legends, to launch three new beers, some of which are featured at Lumen Field in Seattle.
“We have a pretty good relationship with the Seahawks players right now,” Klatush said. “They love the community. They love kids. That’s why I wanted to get involved with these guys.”
Klatush also starred in the fourth annual Seattle All-Star Classic celebrity charity softball game at Cheney Stadium on July 12 alongside Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and former Seahawks Tatupu, Marcus Trufant, and other local stars.
The tribe was a sponsor for the event. Klatush competed in the home run derby before suiting up for the winning team, and he even made the game ending double play several feet from the tribe’s sponsorship sign in center field.
“It was a once in a lifetime thing. I’m so glad that our tribe sponsored that. It’s awesome seeing our tribal basket out there with our name out there in center field,” Klatush said. “My kids got to go down there and talk with all the athletes. That’s all they talk about.”
The tribe has long been at the forefront of advancements for tribes around the state. In 2024, the Chehalis Tribe was the first in the state to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Washington state Department of Commerce establishing government-to-government relations between the tribe and the department.
“That’s one thing that we work our butts off sitting at that table for is to make sure that we’re one of the first ones to get anything done through the whole state,” Klatush said, adding that this desire started long before his tenure as chairman began. “We want to lead the way.”
Klatush got to participate in his first tribal canoe journey hosted by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe last summer. This summer, the event will be hosted by the Nisqually Indian Tribe and is scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 6. On top of its partnerships with local cities, counties and other organizations, Klatush aims to help strengthen the Chehalis Tribe’s connections with other tribes, as well.
“We’re collaborating with other local tribes. We were asked by Nisqually what we can do to help them with this canoe journey,” he said. “We have our fish cooks that are going to be going up there. We’re going to be supplying salmon to help them with the first meal.”
In 2026, Klatush said the tribe is working on a development off Exit 99 with a groundbreaking scheduled for June. He is also involved with talks centered around a potential In-N-Out restaurant and a Topgolf facility in Grand Mound.
“I’m hoping to just expand our businesses through our enterprises. We just want to keep growing our businesses and have them available and supplying jobs, not just for tribal members but for community members also,” he said.
Everything Klatush does is to support his tribal community and boost its message of positivity and growth. He understands that it’s difficult, borderline impossible, to satisfy everyone everywhere, but that won’t stop him from trying.
“I love my council. I love my community. I love my elders, and I love our kids. It’s hard to make everybody happy. You’re always going to have this group of people that are going to be against you no matter what,” Klatush said. “It’s a tough thing to do to make everybody happy, but that’s my goal. I don’t care if you don’t like me or not. I love you. I’ll always be there for you. I’ll always help you. I don’t care what day it is or what time it is.”
Klatush wants his legacy as the leader of the tribe to be one that highlights the efforts of his team collectively, not just him. Through its thriving business community, steadily improving relationships with local entities and groundbreaking accomplishments, the Chehalis Tribe under his team’s leadership is delivering on its promise to keep growing.
“Remember our team, not just me. Remember us. We’re continuing to get work done. That’s my goal every day. I’m gonna bust my ass no matter what,” he said. “I’m gonna treat every day like it’s my last day in this chair.”
