The story of the Gila River Indian Community dates back as far as 6,000 years, featuring tales of how the reservation eventually established and maintained its economic independence in Arizona. Much of its history – similar to fellow Tribes across the US – was built upon overcoming obstacles, all while attempting to safeguard the values that had been passed down for generations. Such narratives helped inspire numerous Tribal members. One of them was Gila River Resorts & Casinos CEO Kenneth Manuel, a native of the reservation’s District Four community – Stotonic.

Even as a lifelong member of the Tribe, though Manuel’s passion for gaming and hospitality was more of a “right place, right time” scenario, having begun his career on the slot floor of the original Lone Butte Casino property in 1994. And he’s far from the first executive to tell us similar. While the future CEO had “no aspirations for anything larger than what I was doing at the time,” his commitment to hard work and leadership agreed to disagree.