Strategy Elevation Alliance
Executive Preview · Pre-Operational Readiness · July 1, 2026

Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians

Sovereign Nation · 330 Members · Lakeport, California · Pre-Operational Vallejo Enterprise
Built for Chairman Shawn Davis and the Scotts Valley Tribal Council.
Thirty Minutes
This is the moment to set the enterprise up right, and it will not come again. Every decision made now, while it is still a clean sheet, costs less than the same one made after the doors are open. Set it now and you carry it cleanly instead of fixing it later. We are asking for thirty minutes of your time, and it will not be wasted. The three of us have carried tribal and hospitality enterprises through this same moment at Chumash Enterprises, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Chickasaw Nation, and Pinnacle Entertainment. With our multiple-property and startup experience, we can help your team eliminate future costly issues through one approach, Illuminate, Focus, Perform, to accelerate the results that matter.
Climb Higher. See Further. Execute Intentionally.
Strategic Context · July 2026

The Preview Casino Is Open, and Interior Is Due

The Scotts Valley Band opened its Class II preview facility on the Highway 37 trust land last week, days before Interior's committed date to complete its reconsideration of gaming eligibility for the full project. The operating system that will carry the preview facility and the $700 million resort behind it is best built now, before the permanent doors open.

Last week
Class II Preview Casino Opened
Jul 31, 2026
Interior Decision Date
160.33
Acres in Federal Trust
$700M
Planned Vallejo Resort
What Just Happened

A facility open, a federal decision pending, and litigation live.

Three fronts are moving at once, which puts every operating decision in public view through the first year. Setting them now is what carries that visibility cleanly.

  • Last week. The Tribe opened a roughly 5,400-square-foot Class II gaming facility in two modular buildings, with up to 100 electronic bingo machines, by appointment at launch.
  • July 31, 2026. Interior's committed date to complete its reconsideration of gaming eligibility. No ruling has issued as of this writing.
  • May 28, 2026. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation filed suit in Solano County Superior Court over the agreements tied to the preview casino. The matter is pending.
  • April 14, 2026. The Vallejo City Council approved the memorandum of understanding covering police, fire and water on a 4 to 2 vote.
Sources

Press Democrat and Daily Republic, July 24 to 27, 2026. Tribal Business News, June 2026. Verified against public record July 28, 2026.

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
Chief Executive Officer, MacKinnon Enterprises LLC · Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Economic Development · Adjunct Instructor, The Mana College
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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
Teri Hill
Owner, Hill-Summit Consulting · Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Strategic Advisor · Executive Coach
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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
Founder & CEO, RTI Enterprises · Principal, Strategy Elevation Alliance · Chief Reinvention Officer, Brave Business AI · Adjunct Instructor, The Mana College
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Full-Stack Operator · Systems Builder · Execution Catalyst · AI-Native Reinventor · Relentless Finisher
Tommy Rhoads is the Founder and CEO of RTI Enterprises, a Principal of Strategy Elevation Alliance, and Chief Reinvention Officer of Brave Business AI. He is a practitioner who has owned every function of an enterprise transformation at once, strategy, operations, and the customer and employee experience, and built one integrated system to run them as a whole. That range is the product. He has worked at every altitude, from the floor of live operations to the boardroom, across hospitality, tribal enterprise, and corporate transformation, and today builds the AI execution layer that turns proven methodology into operating software.
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
Next Step

A Thirty-Minute Conversation About the Next Twelve Months.

A direct working conversation about your twelve-month priorities, the operating system the tribe needs to lock them down, and whether a relationship with SEA belongs in that room.