News

The Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council has announced Travis Garlick as the new assistant general manager of Sky Ute Casino Resort near Ignacio.

Sky Ute Casino Resort is one of the biggest employers in La Plata County, and Garlick, an employee of the tribe for 23 years and former director of operations, will take on the assistant manager position Monday.

“I am honored to take on this new role and responsibility,” he said in a news release from the council.

The tribe owns and operates the casino, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The casino opened in 1993, a year after the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe opened the first Native American gaming establishment in Colorado in 1992 south of Cortez, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.

In 2008, Sky Ute Casino moved to its current establishment, and as of 2018, the casino and resort was La Plata County’s eighth-largest employer, with 400 employees, according to a 2019 Region 9 economic snapshot.

Garlick joined the staff three years after the casino opened in 1996. Since then, he has been the guest services manager, sales manager and director of operations, the news release said.

Garlick earned a bachelor of science in business administration and a certificate of hospitality administration/management from the University of Phoenix in 2016. He earned the certified rooms division executive certificate from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Education Institute. He also held the vice president position at Rail Events Inc. in Durango, a railway tourism and heritage company, for three months in 2018.

“On behalf of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council, I look forward to working with Mr. Garlick in his new role as the assistant general manager of the Sky Ute Casino Resort,” said Christine Sage, tribal council chairman.

Originally from California, Garlick moved to Bayfield in 1982 and was raised in the area. He is married with five children and enjoys outdoor activities, including skiing, boating, rafting and travel.

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