Santa Ynez Casino Expansion
Under his leadership as Chairman, the tribe completed its casino expansion project and Camp 4 was placed into federal trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The property opened in 2004 as a 190,000-square-foot casino and hotel. A $165 million expansion was completed in 2016, adding 60,000 square feet to the gaming floor and a 12-story hotel tower, bringing its total accommodations to 320 rooms and 55 suites. The Chumash Casino Resort is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Details
- By Joe Boomgaard
Santa Ynez Casino Expansion Map
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. — The non-gaming economic development and investment arm of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is further diversifying its portfolio of companies with the acquisition of a Florida-based specialty firearms components manufacturer.
Santa Ynez Casino Expansion 2020
Chumash Capital Investments LLC acquired Azimuth Technology LLC from New Orleans, La.-based LongueVue Capital Partners and Dallas-based Clavis Capital Partners, two private equity firms that invested in the company five years ago.
With the deal, the tribe’s wholly-owned Chumash Capital seeks to continue building out its investment portfolio of “sophisticated enterprises” for the benefit and economic security of future generations of tribal members.
“This acquisition allows the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to diversify its portfolio and adds a successful company to Chumash Capital Investments, which is focused on the tribe’s economic development and long-term stability,” John Elliott, CEO of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, said in a statement to Native News Online.
Naples, Fla.-based Azimuth Technology LLC, acquired by Chumash Capital Investments, is a manufacturer of specialty firearms components, including handgun slides and barrels.
Terms of the deal, which closed Aug. 31, were not disclosed.
For Naples, Fla.-based Azimuth Technology, which was founded in 2011, the tribal ownership structure will position the company to further capitalize on federal government contracting opportunities. Drawing on a bench of experience in the medical device sector, the company manufactures tight-tolerance firearms components, including handgun slides and barrels, as well as bolt carrier groups for original equipment and aftermarket customers selling to the law enforcement and commercial markets.
Azimuth Technology also manufactures various products for the defense industry, including probes and protection systems for detecting improvised explosive devices, destructive systems for explosive ordnance disposal, and guidance and missile systems.
Santa Ynez Casino Expansion Plan
Azimuth CEO Len Zaiser IV, who along with other management is staying on with the company, said the Chumash Capital Investment deal “provides a major opportunity to target government and foreign military opportunities while continuing to serve our customers with leading quality, speed and precision.”
With the tribe’s backing, the company looks to “embark on our next phase of growth in the firearms and defense industry,” Zaiser said in a statement.
According to a midyear industry outlook from global audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services firm Deloitte, the defense industry remains strong despite temporary supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts at Deloitte expect U.S. defense spending to flatten over the next year after a five-year growth spurt.
As well, the firm said the 2020 presidential election is “unlikely to have a major impact on defense budgets prior to 2022,” signalling continued growth opportunities in that sector for companies like Azimuth Technology.
“We believe Azimuth is primed for continued rapid growth, and we look forward to partnering with the Company’s outstanding management team to help Azimuth reach its full potential,” Elliott stated, adding that the investment offers “an attractive counterbalance” to Chumash Capital’s other investments in the hospitality and leisure industry.
Other economic development ventures for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians include Chumash Casino Resort; the boutique 122-room Hotel Corque, 71-room European-inspired Hadsten House Inn, and the Root 246 restaurant in Solvang; and Kitá Wines, a small vineyard and winery that produces 2,000 cases annually in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Chumash Capital Investments was advised on the deal by Texas-based merchant banking firm Horizon Business Advisors LLC and the Florida-based law firm of Holland & Knight LLP. Texas-based law firm Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP advised Chumash Capital Investments on transaction financing.
It's December 2020, can you help...
We’re asking our readers for a little help as 2020 draws to a close. If you can afford it, we hope you’ll consider a one-time donation of $5 or more to help fund our Indigenous-led coverage of important news throughout Indian Country. Covering the news hasn’t been easy this year, but we believe it’s been critically important given the changes and upheaval we’ve experienced — from COVID-19 and the 2020 Census, to issues of racial equity, efforts to suppress the Native vote, and far too many stories of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.
Because we believe everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities, the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. But we hope it inspires you to make a gift to Native News Online so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount, big or small, gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
Chumash Casino Resort Hotel Corque Root 246 Kitá Wines Hadsten House Inn
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians continues to build economic security for its tribal members and future generations by maintaining and expanding a portfolio of sophisticated enterprises.
From gaming to hospitality to winemaking, the diverse businesses all share acclaim as standards in their industries and follow the long-standing philosophies of the area’s first people when it comes to environmental sustainability, generosity, and hospitality.
Located on the Central Coast of California in the Santa Ynez Valley, the Chumash Casino Resort has become one of the hottest destinations between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The property opened in 2004 as a 190,000-square-foot casino and hotel. A $165 million expansion was completed in 2016, adding 60,000 square feet to the gaming floor and a 12-story hotel tower, bringing its total accommodations to 320 rooms and 55 suites.
The Chumash Casino Resort is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It boasts a 94,000-square-foot gaming floor with more than 2,400 slots and 50 table games, as well as dedicated facilities for poker, bingo, and higher-limit gaming.
Honored with the AAA Four Diamond Award for 16 consecutive years, the Chumash Casino Resort Hotel features a 15,000-square-foot rooftop pool and a full-service spa. Willows restaurant, another perennial AAA Four Diamond Award winner, is the crown jewel of the resort’s dining options, which include The Café, The Buffet, Grains & Grounds and a food court.
This luxury boutique hotel located in the major tourist destination of Solvang features 122 rooms with distinctive decor and first-class hospitality. The tribe purchased the property in 2007 and re-opened it in 2009 after a multimillion-dollar renovation made it the standard among Solvang’s expansive collection of hotels.
Hotel Corque has been awarded both the AAA Four Diamond and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence more than five years in a row, as it continues to offer the ultimate in relaxation and comfort in the heart of wine country.
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the nearby Route 246 — a state highway traveling through the Santa Ynez Valley — and the growing movement toward farm-fresh food that is healthy for both consumers and the environment.
Nestled adjacent to the tribe’s Hotel Corque in Solvang, the property was known for years as the Meadows Restaurant. After purchasing the Meadows in 2007, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians transformed the old restaurant into a contemporary and elegant destination for Solvang tourists.
Root 246 features two dining rooms, an outdoor dining area, and a chic lounge while offering craft-based cuisine, an extensive selection of local wines and beers, and a revolving menu of signature cocktails.
Founded by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in 2010, Kitá Wines is a small, premium winery located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. With a total production of around 2,000 cases annually, the wines are crafted using sustainable methods and a blend of old-world and new-world winemaking techniques.
When the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians purchased the 1,400-acre Santa Ynez ranch land known as Camp 4 in 2003, it included the vineyards that would become home to Kitá Wines and 19 varietals focusing on Rhone and Bordeaux grapes.
The word 'Kitá' means 'Our Valley Oak' in the Santa Ynez Chumash native language of Samala. The vineyard’s name, Camp 4, refers to the land being the fourth stop on a passage from San Francisco to Yuma, Arizona, during the stagecoach days.
Hadsten House was purchased by the Santa Ynez Band of Indians in 2012 after an extensive remodel had transformed it into a charming, French-country-style inn. Boasting a refined, romantic European style, the 71-room hotel is located in Solvang and offers a distinctive choice for accommodations when visiting the Santa Ynez Valley.