Strategy Elevation Alliance
Executive Preview · Pre-Operational Readiness · April 28, 2026

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

Sovereign Nation · Rancho Mirage, California · Multi-Property Renovation Through 2026
Built for Saverio R. Scheri III, COO, and the Agua Caliente Casinos leadership team.
The Onliness
Strategy Elevation Alliance is the only strategic operating partnership where three enterprise practitioners run the full ILLUMINATE → FOCUS → PERFORM arc as one continuous discipline alongside the leadership team driving the enterprise. The same practitioners read the conditions, shape the priorities with leadership, and install the operating cadence inside the work. The methodology is SEA's to run. The enterprise is leadership's to operate. The operating rhythm is built together.
Climb Higher. See Further. Execute Intentionally.
Strategic Context · May 2026

The Phased Renovation Operating Window

Agua Caliente Casinos is executing a $60M multi-phase hotel renovation at Rancho Mirage on top of a 2025 casino-floor expansion, with the property running live through every phase. The window to install the operating discipline that carries the phased build across three properties is open right now, and narrows as each phase lands.

$60M
Hotel Renovation Through 2026
340
Guest Rooms and Suites Redesigned
12,000
2025 Casino Floor Expansion (sq ft)
3
Properties Under Coordinated Operating Model
What Just Happened

The renovation runs live through 2026.

A multi-phase build executed inside a running enterprise creates a continuous pre-operational moment for each phase, layered on a portfolio that already operates at Forbes Travel Guide Star Award level.

  • Through 2026. Multi-phase hotel renovation at Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage: complete redesign of all 340 guest rooms and suites, hotel remains open during renovation, phases continue through 2026.
  • 2025. Casino floor expanded by 12,000 sq ft with 250 new slot machines added. Rancho Mirage casino now 89,000 sq ft, 1,550 slots, 42 table games.
  • Forbes 4-star triple winner. Restaurant, spa, and resort hotel each carry Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards. Operational excellence is the existing baseline.

Why Now

Every decision made before opening is cheaper than every decision made after. Governance, leadership bench, operating cadence, guest-experience standards, member accountability structures. All of these are easier to install on a pre-operational enterprise than to retrofit on a running one.

The phased renovation through 2026, the 2025 casino-floor expansion, and the three-property coordinated operating model raise the visibility of every operating decision through the renovation arc. The operating system installed during the phased build is what carries that visibility cleanly across each ribbon cut.

Why SEA, Why READY™

The READY™ diagnostic was built for exactly this profile: an enterprise in transition with a committed leadership team, a funded plan, and a defined window to act. It reads the five conditions that shape how strategy lands inside an operating enterprise: Reason for Change, Executive Sponsorship, Alignment, Decision Authority, and Yield.

SEA's three partners have personally carried multi-property tribal and hospitality enterprises through phased build transitions at Pinnacle, Chumash, and Choctaw Nation. The Agua Caliente profile, with sophisticated existing operating discipline, a multi-phase renovation arc, and a Forbes 4-star operating baseline, is the profile READY was designed for, with leadership teams we recognize.

Sources: Agua Caliente Casinos public communications · Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards record · gaming-industry trade press · Tribal Business News. All figures sourced from public record as of May 2, 2026. Any figure cited in a subsequent engagement proposal will be confirmed directly with the COO.
The Partnership

Three Practitioners. One Accountability.

SEA is not a firm that deploys associates. The three partners below own the work end to end, together. What you see below is what shows up in the room.

John Elliott
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Economic Development · Transformation Leader · Executive Coach
Innovative Venturer · Analytical Machine · Entrepreneurial Builder · Inspiring Storyteller · Future-Oriented
35+ years leading organizations through transformation as CEO, COO, CFO, and consulting practice leader. Career spans Big 5 consulting across Asia, Native American Tribal economic development, and corporate leadership in manufacturing, defense, and utilities. Known for navigating complex, regulated environments and delivering measurable growth. Established strategic partnerships and completed $1B of economic development transactions alongside Native Nations.
Core Expertise
  • Organizational Transformation & Strategy Execution
  • Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Integration & Growth
  • Economic Development Initiatives
  • Operations, Supply Chain & Outsourcing
  • Shared Services & Enterprise Performance Systems
  • Change Management & Cultural Transformation
elliottjohn32@gmail.com 508.272.4710
Teri Hill
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Strategic Advisor · Journey Architect · Executive Coach
Strategic Persuader · Vision Translator · People Optimizer · Alignment Builder · Outcome-Focused
Trusted business advisor with 35+ years helping executives grow and transform. Former Accenture Managing Director brings enterprise-grade expertise typically reserved for Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized organizations. Architected Chumash Enterprises' shift from functional silos to self-directed teams. Grew Accenture practice team 5x and Fortune client base across healthcare and energy. Predictive Index® Consultant, The Leadership Challenge® Advanced Facilitator, and licensed Line-of-Sight℠ practitioner.
Core Expertise
  • Enterprise Transformation & Strategy Execution
  • Leadership Development & Executive Coaching
  • M&A: Integration, Growth, Divestiture
  • Organizational Design & Operating Models
  • Talent Optimization & Behavioral Analytics
  • Strategic Planning & Expert Facilitation
  • Change Management & Cultural Transformation
trhill@hill-summit.com 602.831.0051
Tommy Rhoads
Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Transformation Leader · Master Black Belt · Performance Integrator
Natural Persuader · Energetic Innovator · Change Catalyst · Visionary Trailblazer · Equality-Focused
Proven leader in hospitality, tribal enterprises, and corporate transformation. Built enterprise-wide transformation roadmap at Chumash Enterprises delivering $3M+ recurring value. Transformed customer and employee experience at Choctaw Nation: CSAT +39.5%, ESAT +31 points; launched Hoshin Kanri strategy system. Progressive leadership at Pinnacle Entertainment from F&B to Regional Ops with multiple Leader of the Year awards. Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner.
Core Expertise
  • Enterprise Transformation (people, process, digital, cultural)
  • Organizational Change & Leadership Activation
  • Hoshin Kanri & Strategy Deployment
  • Customer & Team Experience Strategy
  • Tribal Gaming & Hospitality Performance
  • Operational Excellence (Lean Six Sigma® Master Black Belt)
  • M&A Value Realization
tommy.rhoads@rtienterprises.com 469.475.4277
Next Step

A Thirty-Minute Conversation About the Next Twelve Months.

No slide deck. No pitch. A direct working conversation about your twelve-month priorities, the operating system the tribe needs to lock them down, and whether a partnership with SEA belongs in that room.

Email the Partners to Set Up a Conversation Email John Elliott Directly