BUFFALO THUNDER RECEIVES PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

BUFFALO THUNDER RECEIVES PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Santa Fe, NM - Buffalo Thunder Resort received the Project of the Year Award from the American Subcontractors Association of New Mexico (ASA-NM), Friday, July 24, 2009. Seven other major New Mexico projects were nominated for the award including the Thornburg Campus, Schott Solar, UNM Centennial Engineering Center, Volcano Vista High School - Phase 1 and Mesa del Sol/Forest City Building built For Fidelity Investments.

"Great projects like Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino require great subcontractors such as ours," says Allen Mosely, Chief Executive Officer of the Pueblo of Pojoaque. "We proudly accept this American Subcontractors Association Project of the Year Award and tip our hat to all of our subcontractors who operated with skill and integrity on this project."

The subcontractors were ABC Door Company, AccuStripe, American Fence, American Wireless, AmFab Inc., ASCG, Baker Construction, Brandt Engineering, CEI Roofing, Chatham Worth Chavez Grieves, Cummings Electrical, Dependable Masonry, Durray, EMCO, Enterprise Electrical, FSA, Hudson Building Systems, Integrated Controls, ISEC Inc., Johnson Controls,KHS&S, LH Land Painting, Lasco Acoustics and Drywall, LCR, Lexington, Martin Ray, MetalAir, Nature's Creations, Northstar Fire Protection, Performance Door, Premier Concrete, Rodman Excavation, Roybal Enterprises, Seal-Co, Sierra Pacific Windows, Sigma Marble, Southwest Surveillance, Southwest Firebird, Sound & Signal, ThyssenKrupp Elevators, Western Glass and Yearout Mechanical.

"Buffalo Thunder is a landmark resort for Northern New Mexico and ASA-NM is proud to recognize this great facility and all that it will offer the community in the years to come," says Kevin Conboy of Southwest Lath & Plaster, ASA-NM President.

Criteria for the ASA-NM Project of the Year award included the impact of the project on community, innovative design and construction techniques and the teamwork exemplified among general contractor, owner, subcontractors and architect/engineers. The ASA-NM Nominating Committee comprises various ASA members, including subcontractors and suppliers. The ballot created by the nominating committee is distributed to the ASA-NM membership for voting.

"We accept this award in recognition of the incredible team that was instrumental in getting the project done top-notch, three months early and on budget," says Rick Dumiak, Executive Director of Facilities for the Pueblo of Pojoaque. Dumiak, who started in March 2007 at Buffalo Thunder, was Project Manager. He has worked on major construction projects all over the country including the Florida Keys, Northern CA and Phoenix.

"There was an incredible amount of cooperation evident in this project," says Tim Booth, General Manager Hilton Santa Fe Golf Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder. "This amazing facility came together smoothly due to the clear communication among our architectural firm Thalden Boyd, our builders Balfour Beatty Construction, the ownership and management of Buffalo Thunder Resort and all of our great subcontractors."

The Buffalo Thunder project team held weekly meetings where decisions were reached quickly and the direction was clear, thanks to Pueblo of Pojoaque CEO Allen Mosely and Pojoaque Governor George Rivera. The property was originally scheduled to open in November 2008, but opened on August 12, 2008. Rivera, a world-renowned artist, helped design Buffalo Thunder's official logo as well as the interior design and furnishings of the property.

The sheer size of the Buffalo Thunder project, which is a Hilton property, is a huge accomplishment in itself, making it the largest resort in the state of New Mexico at 700,000 square feet. The Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino used between 600 and 800 local laborers on the project, and has hired hundreds of New Mexicans for quality jobs in the entertainment, hospitality and service industries.

The architectural firm was Thalden Boyd, a Native American firm that specializes in hotel design and architecture. Balfour Beatty Construction, a leader in large hospitality resort construction projects, was the construction manager.

Situated on sovereign Native American land owned by the Pueblo of Pojoaque, the $280 million resort showcases stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Mountains, a championship golf course, spa, convention facilities, restaurants, entertainment venues and a new casino. The Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino is one of the premier destination resorts in New Mexico. The 395-room luxury resort features the renowned amenities of Hilton Hotels coupled with the traditional design elements of pueblo décor, bringing an entirely new level of hospitality to the Santa Fe region.

"Buffalo Thunder" was chosen as the name of the new resort because it is a symbol of strength for Native Americans, according to Governor Rivera. ‘The white buffalo is seen by Native Americans as a symbol of hope and renewal for humanity and for harmony between all peoples, all races, in our world today," Rivera said.

INTERVIEWS AND IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

http://www.buffalothunderresort.com/

Contact:
Jennifer Marshall
505-231-1776
jennifer@jmarshallplan.com
www.jmarshallplan.com