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

Poarch Band of Creek Indians

Sovereign Nation · Atmore, Alabama · Pre-Operational Birmingham Destination Resort
Built for Tribal Chair and CEO Stephanie A. Bryan and the Poarch Creek 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 Birmingham Pre-Opening Window

Wind Creek Hospitality is converting Birmingham Racecourse into a world-class destination resort, with planning running through 2025 and 2026 and an Alabama gaming compact ongoing. The window to install the operating system that will carry the destination resort and the compact framework together is open right now, and narrows once the doors open.

Apr 2025
Birmingham Racecourse Deal Closed
World-Class
Destination Resort Planning
Multi-Billion
Alabama Compact Potential
$3.5M
PCI PAC Formed for 2026
What Just Happened

A racecourse becomes a destination resort.

The Birmingham conversion is the same pre-operational profile as Scotts Valley at a different scale: a federally-recognized tribe pre-operational on a major hospitality build that needs the operating system installed before opening.

  • April 2025. Wind Creek Hospitality, the Tribe's gaming and hotel business, completed the acquisition of Birmingham Racecourse.
  • 2025 to 2026. World-class destination resort planning is in active development, finalizing transfer of operations, surveying regional customer demand, and solidifying expansion plans.
  • Compact pursuit. The Tribe is pursuing an Alabama gaming compact that could pay multi-billion dollars to the State of Alabama, with the $3.5M PCI PAC formed ahead of the 2026 elections.

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 Birmingham conversion, the Alabama compact pursuit, and the 2026 election cycle raise the visibility of every operating decision in the next 12 months. The operating system installed before the destination resort opens is what carries that visibility cleanly across the resort and the compact framework.

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 pre-operational tribal and hospitality enterprises through transitions of this scale at Choctaw Nation, Chumash, and Pinnacle. The Poarch Creek profile, with singular Chair-and-CEO decision authority and a destination resort pre-operational, is the profile READY was designed for, with leadership teams we recognize.

Sources: Wind Creek Hospitality public communications · Poarch Band of Creek Indians releases · Alabama 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 Tribal Chair.
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
[email protected] 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
[email protected] 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
[email protected] 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