START IN INDIAN COUNTRY:HBG has been in the entertain-ment and hospitality design businessfor 35 years. It’s our passion, it’swhat we specialize in and the Indiangaming segment of the industrycontinues to be our primary focus.For the last 20 years, we have foundworking with tribes to be an incred-ibly fulfilling experience for us

professionally and personally. We’ve also found a tremendoussatisfaction giving back to the Indian gaming industry througha wide variety of initiatives and advocacies. One of the mostimportant recognitions we’ve received in the history of ourfirm was being awarded the NIGA 2012-2013 Associate Member of the Year. We are still very proud of that.

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT: Our first Native American project was Harrah’s Prairie Band in Kansas in 1995. We con-verted an old bingo hall into a casino. We were subsequentlyhired to design numerous additions and improvements to thatfacility. Today, the Prairie Band Casino and Resort is one of themost successful and most recognized gaming operations in thatregion of the country.

MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: For us, one of the mostimportant measures of success is that many of our Indianclients become repeat clients. In many instances, they alsobecome very close friends. We develop strong bonds of trustand become invested in each other's success. We really loveworking with our Native American clients and we find that thoseclients continue to hire us for projects as they grow their operations. It may be a little cliché’ but virtually every projectthat we’ve been involved with in Indian gaming has beenmemorable in some way or another. As designers and planners,Indian gaming offers compelling and professionally rewardingexperiences. Every tribe, every culture, and every market hasunique challenges and opportunities. Indian gaming can oftenbe very complex and we embrace and celebrate the opportu-nity to constantly think differently and creatively about eachproject that we undertake.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: Great design should be memorable,exciting and should get people talking. A well-designed spacebecomes an experience that you can’t typically get anywhereelse. It’s what keeps the gaming customer coming back. Greatdesign sets a facility apart in a competitive marketplace. It shouldbe timeless and should successfully express the vision of theclient. It's our design philosophy to celebrate the opportuni-ties that Indian gaming presents to respectfully and creatively

express the cultural uniqueness of each tribe. That expressionmust be authentic and connect heritage, culture and story ina way that is meaningful, not thematic or fake. We are veryproud of the variety of design solutions we have created withour clients that highlight important tribal icons and incorporatethem in respectful and often abstract ways. Gaming customerssee and appreciate the art while tribal members see and appreciate their history and legacy.

BALANCING DESIGN WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:Our primary philosophy is that we’re in business to make ourclients successful. Our formula is to achieve optimum high-impact design solutions that are uniquely market-focused andcost-effective. This approach generates the highest return onour client’s business goals and their design investment. We havevery specific drivers that we use to define success at the startof a project, not the end. These drivers inform the entire decision making process through the life of a project. At theend of the day, a great design solution is fundamentally flawedif it doesn’t perform in the marketplace.

TRENDS: The industry is changing of course but we think it’shealthier than many observers believe. Spending is still slowlyrecovering post-recession but visitation in many markets continues to strengthen. Many Indian gaming facilities across thecountry are starting to show their age, which is just natural. Theyare wearing out and becoming dated. Facility improvements arebecoming a necessity not a luxury. Competition in many marketshas dramatically increased, so that elevates the importance of repositioning of amenities to maintain competitiveness. In some instances, entire properties have to be considered for repositioning and renovation. The strongest markets are seeingsubstantial new investments, which is very encouraging.

THE FUTURE:The opportunity to change is a great oppor-tunity to think differently and act differently. A number of yearsago, we proactively started planning a leadership and owner-ship transition. Following the fundamental approach we use withour clients, we first articulated a vision and a 'definition of success' necessary to inform our decision-making. We thenestablished a guiding coalition of senior leaders to articulate thevision to the firm at large, and then lead the implementation.One of the most compelling aspects of this evolution of ourcompany is a renewed and strengthened effort to empower manyothers in the organization to act on the vision in ways that are unique to them individually and professionally. Our philosophy is that we’re all stakeholders in the future successof our enterprise and we can’t afford not to take full advantageof the unique talents and contributions virtually every employeecan make.

30 Indian Gaming August 2015

Design/Build: Spotlight on Leading Architects and Builders in Indian CountryIndian Gaming Magazine interviewed six of the leading architects and builders to learn more abouttheir work in Indian Country. Here is what they had to say...

HNEDAK BOBO GROUPDike Bacon, Principal

August 2015 Indian Gaming 31

Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino – Buffalo, NY

The Point Hotel - Kingston, WA

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Ho-Chunk Gaming - Wittenburg, WI

START IN INDIAN COUNTRY:I designed my first tribal Indian project prior to the forming of TBE in 1963, “TheCherokee Heritage Center,” adesign based upon my architecturaldesign thesis at the University ofColorado.

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT: Thefirm’s first tribal project constructed was the “Trail of Tears”Amphitheater near Tahlequah, OK in 1968, as part of theCherokee Heritage Center project. Our first significant tribalgaming project was the Ho Chunk Casino & Hotel located inBaraboo, WI in 1998.

MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: After working with 109different Native American tribes and First Nations to date,it is obviously a difficult question to answer – as they haveeach been memorable in their own unique way. Satisfying thetribe’s individual needs is of upmost importance, therebyrequiring different design solutions for each project. However, certain significant projects do come to mind as helping to define our firm’s project history: Cherokee Casino,which is now the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa; BuffaloThunder Resort & Casino in Santa Fe, NM; Morongo CasinoResort & Spa near Palm Springs, CA; the Eastern Shawnee’sIndigo Sky Casino & Hotel in Wyandotte, OK; and Tunica-Biloxi’s Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, LA.

One of my favorite projects was Buffalo Thunder with thePojoaque Pueblo. The governor at the time was George Rivera,and he was heavily involved. He’s just an unbelievable artist and he came to our St. Louis office and sat down with ourdesigners. They’d sketch and he’d sketch. A lot of that project’s success I relate to his input.

For the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe’s Paragon Casino Resort inMarksville, LA, they needed people to come to their facility from Houston, TX and surrounding areas if they weregoing to have any great success. So they were looking forsomething they could do that would be a big draw. We did this really great atrium there and we put live alligatorsin it. A lot of work went into making the environment suit-able for alligators at the casino. They kid the players and say,“Now, if we catch you cheating in the casino, we’ll feed youto the alligators!” They have a really good time with that –it’s really a fun property.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: Getting into the “mind” of the tribeand helping them fulfill their vision for their children andgrandchildren – thus creating their own unique project.Taking the culture and vision of the tribe and incorporatingthose aspects into their own unique brand identity is impor-tant to the project’s success. My experience has been that visitors to the facility really enjoy when the NativeAmerican culture is expressed in the project. But when tribal

members see their culture being incorporated, they takeownership. All of the sudden, it’s not just a project – it’s theirproject.

Differentiating the tribal casino facility from the compe-tition’s and raising the guest experience is a critical part ofthe project’s approach. When you do that, you end up withsomething that is not only a good facility for gaming, but goodfor the tribe and its members.

BALANCING DESIGN WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:Most of our team has been together for between fifteen tothirty years. Basically, they have become very, very skilled atworking with budgets. Anyone can do great design withlarge budgets, but those who do great design on tight budgets are the really skilled designers. We strive for that.We believe spending money where it makes the greatestimpact and has the most value as an income generator is critical. Each venue needs to be studied for the greatestreturn-on-investment. Each of the spaces in the propertyneeds to stay current in market trend uses, asking the question, “can this space be used in multiple ways?” The facility’s flexibility, opportunities for multi-purpose uses,and ROI factors need to be addressed, without losing sightof attractive and affordable design.

TRENDS: As the Indian gaming market matures, tribes arelooking at ways to expand and capitalize on new economicgrowth opportunities – but without losing sight of gaming astheir main revenue source. Gaming is the catalyst for tribaldiversification. Thus, due to increased competition and market saturation, the tribal gaming operators are looking forways to refresh their properties.

Even the very profitable casinos in the larger market areasare in need of adapting to the changing demographic environ-ments; i.e., the younger generation of gaming patrons view gaming in combination with social media forms. We as architects need to have those design discussions with ourclients.

Finding ways to maintain and attract new gaming customers for the tribe’s property is on everyone’s minds. Howto bring an element of crispness, but keep stagnation at bay iswhat we are focusing on with clients.

THE FUTURE: We remain totally committed to servingIndian Country over the long haul. We desire to help tribesto grow into all they can be – economically, culturally andindividually. Therefore, our future is tied to Indian Country and to the future of the tribes – when they succeed,we feel we have succeeded as well. This requires us to be innovators in how we deliver our services to the tribes,bringing expertise and value to all we do. It requires us tostay focused on their evolving needs and challenges, withoutlosing sight of their unique histories and cultures. We believethat if we take care of the tribes - the Great Spirit will takecare of us. Our future is bright.

32 Indian Gaming August 2015

TBE ARCHITECTSChief Boyd, CEO

August 2015 Indian Gaming 33

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa, OK

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Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino - Santa Fe, NM

Paragon Casino Resort - Marksville, LA

Indigo Sky Casino - Wyandotte, OK

START IN INDIAN COUNTRY:We got our start in Indian Country in 1990 when we firstworked with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in north centralMinnesota.

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT:Cuningham Group worked withthe Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to

master plan their future developments and assist in ongoingbuilding projects. Cuningham Group subsequently designedfor the tribe: Grand Casino Hinckley; Grand Casino MilleLacs; Mille Lacs Ceremonial Building; Lake Lena Ceremo-nial Building; Mille Lacs Lower School; Mille Lacs UpperSchool; and the Mille Lacs Tribal Health Clinic.

MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: We have a long-standingrelationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians which began in 1995 with the tribe’s original casino andhas included multiple entertainment projects – the most memorable being the award-winning $650 million expansionand renovation of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, NC. A second casino for the tribe and CaesarsEntertainment, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino &Hotel, is finishing construction and will open in the fall of 2015in Murphy, NC. Isleta Casino & Resort Hotel/Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM is another successful project forus completed in 2008, with 293,000 total sq. ft. and a construc-tion cost of $97 million. Also, the new hotel tower atPotawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, WI opened inAugust 2014, with a construction cost of $150 million, 381rooms and 19 stories.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: Cuningham takes the approach that“Every Building Tells a Story.” We collaborate with our clientsto understand their vision and the story they want to tell.Sam Olbekson in Minneapolis is our Director of Native American Design & Planning and brings great passion to eachproject we work on in Indian Country.

For us, mindfully listening and asking the right questionsis critical to coming up with the right design solutions. Ourdesigners then extract metaphors from the story to find inspi-ration for all aspects of a project from basic forms and shapesto materials and colors. Metaphors are found in stories ofcontext, site, history and/or culture, and our challenge asdesigners is to translate those into distinctive and timelessforms. Since no two clients or stories are the same, no two buildings are the same. This storytelling approach benefits ourclients by providing unique designs that cannot be replicatedelsewhere.

BALANCING DESIGN WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:As we’re all aware of, budgets are still very tight and owners are still looking for great competitive solutions.

Out of the gate, one of the most important things is under-standing the budget from day one. Our best approach to that is establishing that budget, and if the owner is willing,bringing on a contractor early in the design to help definethe project so that you don’t design something that’s totallyout of bounds and then retract and go backwards. We haveseveral Indian Country projects underway right now, andwe’re really watching every move along the way. That, to me,is the most successful way to accomplish a balance betweendesign and budget.

TRENDS: Now that Indian gaming has matured, we cometo a property that may have been in existence for ten or fifteen years, and they have new competition, so we look at thewhole property. We help redefine it and create some new,competitive edges against their market to attract more customersand make their circle of influence a little bigger. If they've lostsome customers over time, because their property's getting oldand tired, it's a refresh.

We're doing a renovation-expansion that's under construc-tion right now for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indiansat Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, MI. We lookedat the entire property and spent about a year with manage-ment and the tribe identifying very specific changes to make to the property. It's under construction now and it'sgoing to be a great solution, in the end, for them. They'respending about $18 million over all for renovations, so it'svery strategic.

The next project is for the Chitimacha Tribe in Charenton,LA. We're in the midst of a casino remodel at their site forCypress Bayou Casino. We went in and identified, with owner-ship, very strategic changes. A lot of it centered on food andbeverage, again, to take care of their customers. One of the elements we're doing is a new, high-limit lounge, which they'venever had before, with both slots and table games.

Then there is Angel of the Winds in Arlington, WA, wherewe've been master planning with that team for eight monthsnow. One of the first things we're doing is putting a brew pubinside, right off of the entry when you walk in. It's one of thoseamenities that they've talked about for a long time, and nowthey're implementing it. This could be a real game-changer inaddressing the younger demographic.

THE FUTURE: We've been doing research and design concepts to take care of the millennials and younger clientsthat are up and coming and are more technology driven, reactive and flexible. These spaces will get away from the rowsof slot machines – one of our design focuses for the future.Amenities, food and beverage, entertainment and the resortelements are gaining ground on the revenue stream. We'regoing to continue to approach existing properties and comein and develop strategies with them to take them to the nextlevel.

34 Indian Gaming August 2015

CUNINGHAM GROUPBrett Ewing, Associate Principal

August 2015 Indian Gaming 35

Potawatomi Hotel Tower - Milwaukee, WI

Sports Bar at Little River Casino Resort - Manistee, MI

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Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort - Cherokee, NC

High Limit Lounge at Cypress Bayou Casino - Charenton, LA