Business
San Manuel Band Of Mission Indians Establishes Executive Leadership Cabinet

New CEO, Loren Gill, establishes core leadership team to lead organization into the future
September 26, 2019 (Highland, CA) San Manuel Band of Mission Indians CEO, Loren Gill, announced today the formation of an Executive Leadership Cabinet (ELC) which will support the Tribe in its governmental and commercial endeavors.
“It is an exciting time at San Manuel,” says Loren Gill. “I am truly honored to work with so many outstanding leaders who have been critical to our success. Ensuring we have the right people in the right places is a major priority for us and this is the first step in setting a strong foundation that allows for future growth and development. I’m excited for each of them in this next step in their career as they’re all deserving of this recognition and promotion. ”
This ELC will consist of six executive positions that will report directly to the CEO.
- Peter Arceo – Casino General Manager
- Erin Copeland – Chief Legal & Compliance Officer
- Dan Little – Chief Intergovernmental & Tribal Affairs Officer
- Brigitte Saria – Chief People & Infrastructure Officer
- Rikki Tanenbaum – Chief Marketing Officer
- Laurens Vosloo – Chief Financial Officer
Casino General Manager, Peter Arceo, will oversee all operations for San Manuel Casino, the primary economic venture of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. A casino and hospitality executive with more than 24 years of experience, Peter assumed his current role in March 2019. He first joined the management team at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, California, in August 2015, as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Under his leadership, San Manuel launched its player development program, established a database marketing department, and took the property’s ‘All Thrill’ campaign to the next level. “It’s been an honor and privilege to watch Peter’s career growth over the past four years, from CMO to COO to GM. He is no doubt one of the best in the business and we couldn’t have picked a better person to lead San Manuel Casino’s ongoing expansion and future development,” said Gill.
Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Erin Copeland, will oversee Legal, Physical Safety (Public Safety and Fire), Information Security, Risk Management, Compliance, and Environmental Services.
Erin is responsible for a broad array of legal services for the Tribe and its affiliates, including San Manuel Casino, in areas including judicial, legislative, administrative rule-making and political developments, formulation of governmental and business strategic planning, risk management, and evaluation of new ventures, acquisitions, and major investment proposals. “Erin’s working relationship with San Manuel has covered nearly 30 years and her dedication to the Tribal Nation is unparalleled,” said Gill. “Her expertise, wealth of knowledge, and drive for excellence are top-notch. I’d like to recognize Erin for her continued service to San Manuel.”
Chief Intergovernmental & Tribal Affairs Officer, Dan Little, will oversee Intergovernmental Affairs, Cultural Resources Management, Tribal Family Services and will provide administrative support to the Education Department and Tribal Court. As a key policy and governmental advocacy expert, Dan serves as the primary representative of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. He is responsible for developing the overall strategy concerning policy issues that affect San Manuel, its governmental and economic development interests, and its Tribal Citizens and their families. “In his first few months, Dan has already made a significant impact and no doubt will be a key part of our growth and development plan moving forward. We are extremely excited to have him on the team,” said Gill.
Chief People & Infrastructure Officer, Brigitte Saria, will oversee Human Resources, Information Technology, and Support Services. She is a Global Professional Human Resources (GPHR) executive with more than 25 years in private and public companies ranging from start-ups to multi-national corporations. “Brigitte’s leadership and talent development initiatives have transformed San Manuel over the past five years and she has played a critical role in setting us up for future success. She has been a trusted partner and forward-thinking leader from day one and I look forward to continuing this journey with her,” said Gill.
Chief Marketing Officer, Rikki Tanenbaum, will oversee Marketing and the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) across the organization. For the past year, Tanenbaum has led revenue generation functions including strategic marketing, casino marketing, brand marketing and entertainment as CMO of San Manuel Casino. Prior to joining San Manuel Casino, she held leadership roles at some of the largest commercial and Tribal gaming organizations in the country. “Rikki has made her presence felt in her first year here. She has revolutionized our marketing strategies and will be working diligently on telling the story of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The expertise she brings is second to none and we know she’s the right person to guide us into the future,” said Gill.
Chief Financial Officer, Laurens Vosloo, will oversee Finance, Accounting, Investments, Procurement, Enterprise Program Management, and Planning, Real Estate and Development. Laurens has over a decade of casino financial experience and uses that expertise to provide financial oversight and direction for all of the Tribe’s economic endeavors. “Laurens has been my confidant and right hand for the past five years, and it’s because of his unwavering support and passion that we’ve been able to accomplish all we have. I know that with his continued leadership, the future is very bright for San Manuel,” said Gill.
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About San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally-recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California. San Manuel exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services, and promoting social, economic and cultural development. As descendants of the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains and high deserts, the Serrano people of San Manuel have called this area home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region.
Business
Fire Helmet Manufacturer Helps Disabled Community find Employment

Riverside’s Phenix Technology Leads with Inclusion, Empowering the Disabled Community Through Workforce Training and Employer Education
Written by Logan Rosselli, IEBJ Content Contributor
In the heart of Riverside, off of Chicago Avenue, a small, but mighty team has been quietly manufacturing life-saving equipment for firefighters across the world for over 50 years. Phenix Technology Inc. is an internationally recognized fire helmet manufacturer who builds their products from start to finish right here in the Inland Empire. For their great products, they’ve received numerous awards such as the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Innovator of the Year, a 2016 “E” for Exports award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, a finalist position in the “Coolest Thing Made in California” competition and more. However, their most recent accolade doesn’t involve their products at all.
In 2024, Phenix founded the ground breaking “Opportunity for All” program to provide disabled community members with the opportunity to access career education, hands-on experience and employment opportunities through an 11 week training cohort. In this program, neurodivergent individuals wanting to find stable employment learn about standard hiring practices, writing a resume, effective interviewing and professional attire while getting on-the-job training with a partnered employer in the community. It has helped dozens of disabled community members to find a new sense of independence and achieve their full potential while helping local employers find dependable employees who bring a unique perspective to the workplace.
It’s for this program that the National Association of Workforce Development Boards (NAWB), a representative of over 570 workforce development boards across the United States, honored Phenix with the prestigious W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award in late March.
“While we take tremendous pride in the products we make, we also believe we have a mission to create a better world through developing opportunities,” said Angel Sanchez, CEO of Phenix Technology in a statement released in early April. “Opportunity for All has helped prove that individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce don’t just contribute — they elevate organizations. We are honored to receive this national award and grateful to the partners who have helped us make this vision a reality.”
CEO Angel Sanchez Jr. accepts the NAWB Award
Though “Opportunity for All” is certainly the cornerstone program for the company, Phenix’s leadership team was not satisfied to leave their mission there. Thus, in 2024, the company founded its nonprofit arm, Phenix Gateway to offer more programs and advocacy to the community. Through Phenix Gateway, the company offers workforce development workshops for individuals who don’t need the full scale of the “Opportunity for All” program, but want to improve a specific skill like resume writing or workplace social skills.
However, Phenix knows that preparing disabled people for the workforce is only one end of the equation; the workforce also has to be prepared to accept the unique skills, perspectives and challenges of the disabled community. For this reason, Phenix Gateway offers employer training workshops as well as educational materials available to businesses and the community. Training programs cover a lot of ground, ranging from assistance with optimizing interviews for people with neurodevelopmental disorders to creating sensory-friendly environments in the workplace.
In Riverside, these programs have had a huge impact on the local community. As of March 2025, Phenix’s Opportunity for All program has had over two dozen participants and 44% found stable employment through or after the program. Their one-off workforce development workshops have seen over 200 participants learn new skills and help them find employment and the nonprofit currently partners with close to 90 businesses to assist them in their endeavor to create a more inclusive workforce.
Phenix Gateway staff helps a program participant with his skills
For businesses or community members interested in learning how they can support or participate in these programs, Phenix encourages them to reach out by email to info@phenixgateway.org and to attend their First Annual Gala: Rising Together, A Phenix Gateway Celebration, on Thursday, May 15th. Tickets for this event are available at phenixgateway.org.
Business
Supported by Local Leaders, CALED’s Annual Conference will be in Ontario this May

Empowering Economic Growth: CALED Conference Set to Unite Industry Leaders in Ontario
CALED’s ‘Growing Local Economies from the Ground Up’ Conference is being held in Ontario at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport on May 7-9. This event is co-hosted by the City of Ontario and San Bernardino County, with Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, CALED’s Chair of the Board and Derek Armstrong respectively representing their city and county as Co-Chairs of the event.
With over 950 members and 45 years of empowering economic developers, CALED is the largest economic development association in the country and the annual conference is the number one place to meet and connect with the boots-on-the -ground, decision makers in our communities.
The conference will include a pre-conference teaching tour, ‘Building & Paying for Development Projects’ on May 6th and then begin in full on May 7th, with a welcome session and breakouts. Overall, there will be four general assembly sessions and 18 breakout sessions, which will delve into local economic development practices and innovative tools.
In addition to compelling content, the conference will have numerous opportunities to connect with community leaders and valued peers through networking receptions, the culinary crawl, and new this year, the Tournament of Champions, where conference attendees will navigate a gauntlet of games to win the grand prize on the evening of Thursday, May 8th.
To learn more about the conference and register, visit the CALED website at www.caled.org.
Business
Strengthening Community Connections: Our Exciting New Partnership with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL

Contributed Content | By Chris Venhoff, Senior Vice President and Inland Empire Market Leader for Consumer and Business Banking at U.S. Bank
As the Inland Empire market leader for U.S. Bank, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: we are proud to be the Official Bank Partner of Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center. This partnership represents a reflection of our deep commitment to the Inland Empire and our dedication to fostering a vibrant, thriving community.
At U.S. Bank, we believe that strong partnerships drive meaningful progress. Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center are at the heart of the region’s culture and economy, bringing people together for world-class entertainment, business conventions, and community events. By joining forces, we’re not only expanding our presence but also creating opportunities to engage with residents, businesses, and organizations in ways that make a lasting impact.
Through our sponsorship, we’ll support concerts, sporting events, and conventions that showcase the diversity and energy of the Inland Empire. But this is only the beginning. As our partnership evolves, we’ll work closely with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL to introduce community-focused programs, including financial literacy workshops and charitable giving initiatives.
This partnership is designed to bring added value to the people we serve. For our customers, we’re introducing the U.S. Bank Fast Pass Lanes, providing priority access at Toyota Arena events. Special offers, exclusive event experiences, and tailored financial solutions for businesses operating in the region are just a few of the many perks we’re excited to roll out.
Our employees are at the core of our success, and this partnership allows us to recognize their dedication. Through exclusive access to events, corporate hospitality opportunities, and community volunteer programs, our team will have new ways to engage with and celebrate the community they serve.
The Inland Empire is a dynamic, fast-growing region, and we’re committed to supporting its continued success. By investing in Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center, we’re helping to create and sustain jobs while driving local business growth. These venues bring in visitors, revenue, and visibility, strengthening the region’s economy.
This collaboration is about more than just sponsorship—it’s about making a difference. By working together, we can elevate not just these venues but the entire Inland Empire. At U.S. Bank, we’re committed to being a partner in progress, supporting our customers, businesses, and communities every step of the way.
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