At their September board meeting, the Tribal Casino Gaming Commission (TCGE) voted to outsource their development management services to Sneed, Robertson & Associates, Inc. Led by co-founders Erik Sneed and Scott Robertson, Sneed, Robertson & Associates, Inc. will take over not only the completion of the $633 million Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel master plan, but also the recently announced $110 million Cherokee County Casino project to be built in Murphy.
This decision by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Tribal Casino Gaming Commission highlights a new strategic direction to provide services to the expanding casino and resort enterprise.
“Outsourcing this vital management and oversight function was a natural next step as we look to gain efficiencies in our operations”, said John Houser, TCGE chairman. “Since the founding of the casino and hotel in 1997, the design and construction services have been provided under a management agreement with Harrahs (now Caesars Entertainment). “For the past sixteen years Erik Sneed has developed a comprehensive understanding of our business, our infrastructure and the approach to achieving our growth objectives.”
Scott Roberston, co-founder with Sneed, has served the last five years as the Area Director for all regional casino design and construction operations of Caesar’s Entertainment. Over his 25-year career, Robertson worked for three of the nation’s top construction management firms and oversaw such major projects as the Tel Aviv International Airport, multiple venues for the 1996 Olympic Games and the construction management program for one the nation’s largest school systems.
Sneed, Robertson & Associates, Inc. (SRA), will initially employ a staff of four, which it expects to grow significantly once the new Cherokee County Casino moves fully into design. To date, SRA has achieved designations as a Cherokee TERO Certified enterprise, qualifying them as a Minority Business Enterprise. Such designations will allow SRA to scale its operations by partnering with strategic vendors and joint-venture entities. SRA looks to expand its development, program and project management services into the following sectors: government, military, technology and energy.
– SRA
