O.B. Osceola Jr.

O.B. Osceola Jr.

Born and raised in Naples, Florida, O.B. Osceola Jr. began his entrepreneurial pursuits at an early age when he began building Seminole chickees with his father. He later earned a business degree, and his passion for Native-owned business development began. O.B. was appointed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida to the Tribal Council and Corporate Board as liaison to the Naples community.

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He has supported the community in many ways, from education and housing to health, senior and family services. His years on the council are marked by tribal milestones such as the design, construction and opening of the Hard Rock Tampa and Hollywood Hotel casinos; the purchase of Hard Rock International, the first Native acquisition of a global brand; the 50th anniversary of the tribal constitution; and amazing growth of tribal gaming revenue from $300 million to more than $1 billion.

O.B. formed The Osceola Group of companies in 2011. Combining diverse business ventures, The Osceola Group portfolio is wide-ranging but shares one fundamental characteristic: commitment to bringing opportunity and success to Native people and businesses. The Osceola Group has four primary components: development, construction, operations management and marketing. Among other projects, a primary mission of the development and construction companies is to build Hard Rock Casinos and Hotels around the world. Osceola Group Marketing provides the much-needed creativity, media experience and market strategy to make the businesses profitable from day one.

Christian Goode

Before founding Ivory Gaming Group, Christian Goode was responsible for all aspects of development, construction and operations for Genting Group-Resorts World in the Americas. In this role he was directly responsible for an investment/operations portfolio of over $2 billion. He brings substantial casino and hospitality industry experience, having held various executive positions in operations and development over the past several decades. Christian was named to the Crain’s New York “40 under 40” in 2013.

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Christian was responsible for the development of the $880 million Resorts World New York City project, which has become the largest grossing slot facility in the world in less than two years of operations. That project created thousands of construction and permanent jobs. He successfully navigated the regulatory environment, managed the design and construction of the facility and directly oversaw all finance-related operations as well as the human resources, information technology and legal departments.

Before joining the Genting Group, he served as a gaming specialist consultant with G. Michael Brown & Associates, providing various clients with strategic counsel around proposed gaming opportunities, development and construction, staffing and personnel. He also advised on various operational and financial evaluations designed to increase economic returns, improve internal efficiencies, and develop processes and internal controls to ensure his clients were in compliance with all applicable regulations.

To date, Christian has assisted organizations in raising over $2 billion in financing for various gaming and hospitality-related projects. He also has served as Controller and Director of Legal Compliance for a number of casinos, including Seneca Gaming Corporation and Penn National Gaming Inc., where he played an important role in the opening of the Bangor Raceway in Maine. In these previous roles, he managed compliance staff, and prepared, monitored and oversaw compliance measures with various regulatory entities, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Indian Gaming Commission Regulations. Christian is graduate of the University at Buffalo where he received his MBA and Law degrees.

Bradley Tusk

Prior to founding Ivory Gaming, Bradley Tusk founded Tusk Strategies in 2010. Tusk Strategies is the nation’s leading political strategic consulting firm, running campaigns in 44 states across the nation. Its client roster boasts many major corporations and institutions, including Walmart, Google, AT&T, Bloomberg, Blackstone, Uber, Expedia, Genting, NBC News, Discovery, Cablevision, The Weather Channel, AMC Networks, Taubman, Standard Chartered Bank, Camelot, the Rockefeller Foundation, Laureate, the College Board, Stanford University and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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In 2009, Bradley served as the campaign manager for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s successful re-election bid. The Bloomberg campaign was described by the New York Times as a “juggernaut.” Bradley was named one of the “Top 20 most influential people in New York City” by City Hall News and was ranked 24th on City & State’s “New York City Power 100.”

Prior to serving as campaign manager for Bloomberg, Bradley served as Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois from 2003-2006, where he oversaw the $60 billion state budget, policy, legislation, communications and operations covering over 57,000 employees.

After serving as Deputy Governor, Bradley served as Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers, where he created the lottery monetization group and headed all of its efforts regarding U.S.-based lotteries. Combining his backgrounds in finance and politics, he developed a successful framework to help states monetize their lotteries.

Before his appointment as Deputy Governor, Bradley served as Special Assistant to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and prior to that served as Communications Director for New York Senator Charles Schumer. Bradley also served as Senior Advisor to New York City Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, and was an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University. Bradley is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago Law School.

Jason Brave Heart

Jason Brave Heart is a management executive with diverse experience in all aspects of marketing and business/casino operations. He is widely recognized for changing the paradigm for Indian businesses, focusing on empowering tribes with improved business knowledge, rather than simply obtaining long-term contracts for his own company. He is a first-generation Indian entrepreneur and is a nationally recognized speaker on empowering young Native entrepreneurs.

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Jason was raised in the small rural village of Porcupine on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Born to a 14-year old Lakota girl, too young to raise a child herself, Jason was adopted and raised by his maternal aunt. His adopted parents provided him with travel opportunities that opened his eyes to possibilities beyond the poverty within the reservation borders.

After graduating from Little Wound High School on Pine Ridge, Jason joined the United States Marine Corps where he traveled the globe, strengthened his character and determination, and opened his world. Since proudly serving his country, he has been engaged in all aspects of business and entrepreneurism. For four years he owned his own successful medical services company. He then took the knowledge and experience he acquired running his own company back home to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where he served his tribal nation as small business success coach. Eventually he was recruited to join one of his most successful clients, Native American Natural Foods.

At Native American Natural Foods, Jason became one of the most prominent faces and voices behind the marketing success of the traditional Native food the “Tanka Bar.” Known nationwide in Indian Country as the “Tanka Bar guy,” he mastered marketing Indian Country businesses. Recognized for his excellence in business and marketing, Jason was recruited to run the marketing department for the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribe’s casinos.

Brave Heart is Oglala and Mnicoujou Lakota. He is actively involved in his tribe and deeply committed to his traditional Lakota ceremonies and practices. He travels widely to service his clients throughout Indian Country and for public speaking engagements.

Mark Caspers

With three decades in the industry, Mark Caspers brings over $20 billion worth of construction expertise. Known for having the DNA of a builder, he aligned with Osceola Group to ensure challenging projects are completed with the expertise that all major construction projects and clients require. Mark began his career in 1981 at Perini Building Company. As his skills grew, so did his role in the company. While he worked in multiple positions in the field and in the office, he was instrumental in developing and overseeing the company’s self-perform concrete operations. He is adept at managing large project logistics while fulfilling the client’s vision.

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Mark began his career as a  General Foreman and was promoted to General Superintendent, Vice President, Senior Vice President of Operations and President. In the last 10 years with the Perini Building, he was in charge of five different building groups across the United States, serving as Executive Vice President and CEO. During his career, he has spearheaded major developments with expertise in gaming, hospitality, entertainment, multi-family residential, sports facilities, convention and exhibition spaces, and retail.

Mark’s experience includes a wide variety of gaming work, including projects at the following venues. In Florida: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. In Connecticut: an expansion at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville and MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Ledyard. In California: Morongo Casino in Cabazon, Pechanga Casino in Temecula (Phase I & II), San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, Red Hawk Casino in Placerville, and Pala Casino Resort and Spa in Pala.

Charlie Tetrick

Charlie Tetrick’s keen business instincts sharpen every Osceola Group Marketing decision, from his everyday direction of the agency to his leadership on specific accounts. Charlie knows the key to successful marketing is firmly rooted in planning, research and strategy. He perceives each project from the client’s point of view, with an understanding of how marketing integrates into (and is accountable to) the total corporate structure. And he looks at each project as a consumer, exploring the underlying psychology of what prompts people to react and respond to your message.

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Charlie is an entrepreneur by heart and started his first agency two decades ago, in 1990. Three years later he merged with, and ultimately purchased, one of the Midwest’s oldest and finest advertising agencies. He has grown Walz Tetrick Advertising to become a real force in the national advertising scene, representing a blue chip list of clients. Charlie’s early experience as the internal marketing director for a restaurant and hotel chain has shaped his core understanding of how marketing works within the corporate structure. Bottom line: Charlie stewards every client account as he would his own.

Charlie is the past Chairman for both the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Training Program. He is Executive Committee Director and Vice President of Marketing for the Boy Scouts of America-Heart of America Council. He is Vice President and Executive Committee Member for the American Royal. He has also been involved with the Advertising Federation of Kansas City and was on the Board of Governors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies. He was appointed by the Kansas governor to the the Kansas Works State Board and the Governor’s Economic Council.