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Casino Drags Exec into Spotlight

COLORADO – As reported by the Denver Post: "Council Tree Communications, a multimillion-dollar investment firm, has its headquarters in a relatively bare unmarked office in an isolated business park in Golden.

"This low-key setting exemplifies the private company's founder and chief executive, Steve Hillard.

"…But Hillard's latest venture, leading a controversial proposal to build the Front Range's first Indian casino, has ended any hope he may have had of remaining inconspicuous.

"As part the so-called 'Homecoming Project,' the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma are seeking to trade a claim to 27 million acres in Colorado for 500 acres where they would build a $150 million casino.

"The project created a firestorm of controversy when reports surfaced in January that the tribes considered putting the casino near Denver International Airport, where such gambling is illegal.

"…'We thrive in a low-profile environment and would not have willingly wanted to be involved with the profile that the Homecoming Project has created,' Hillard, 56, said in a recent interview.

"…But Hillard's latest venture, the casino project, has drawn criticism from some of the tribal members that it is supposed to benefit. Some members say they don't support the project because the tribes haven't received any money from two existing casinos in Oklahoma.

"Hillard counters by saying that the company spent five weeks detailing the project to tribal council members. He also notes that the tribal council voted 224 to 4 in favor of the project…"

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