Casino Journal

Lisa Robertson

September 1, 2008

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Who’s going where and doing what in the gaming industry

ELLIS GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT

Jack Parkinson has been named president and Gregg Carlson has been appointed CFO of Las Vegas-based Ellis Gaming & Entertainment, which focuses on tribal gaming and economic development in the U.S and holds both consulting and management agreements with a number of tribal organizations. Parkinson is returning to Ellis Gaming from a stint in Muckleshoot Indian Casino of Auburn, Washington, where he served as general manager. Previously he was the general manager of the Kickapoo Casino owned by the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. He also spent six years with Penn National Corp. where he successfully opened new properties and enhanced existing casino properties by first working on the company’s Hollywood Casino in Shreveport and then Casino Rouge in Baton Rouge. Prior to joining Ellis Gaming, Carlson was a consultant to two international gaming companies with business dealings in Jamaica, Guatemala and Taiwan, and spent a period of time before then managing the gaming related hedge fund AS Capital. While at Arthur Anderson, Carlson led the team that crafted the U.S. minimum internal control standards for the National Indian Gaming Commission. He served as the head of gaming internal audit for Hilton Hotels’ Corp. and also held a number of finance positions for the Four Queens Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas. A CPA and member of the National Financial Analyst Society, Carlson specializes in the industries of gaming, real estate and hospitality and early in his career was the assistant treasurer for Clark County (NV).

CADILLAC JACK

Cadillac Jack, a Georgia-based supplier of products and technology for the global gaming market, has appointed Gene Chayevsky as chairman and chief executive officer of the company.  Mike Macke, founder and outgoing chairman, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Chayevsky has been a director of Cadillac Jack since 2004, when Finstar Financial Group, for which Chayevsky is a managing partner of U.S. and Latin American operations, acquired a controlling interest in the company.

“I see a tremendous future for Cadillac Jack and look forward to collaborating with our dedicated, talented management team and staff to build upon the success and momentum of the company,” Chayevsky said. “My objective will be to position Cadillac Jack for profitable growth by focusing on operational execution, product innovation, and further expansion into Class III gaming.”

Cadillac Jack also named Ronnie Ferreira the new general manager of the company’s Mexico operations. In this role, Ferreira will oversee Cadillac Jack’s business strategy, market development, operations, and sales and marketing efforts in Mexico. Ferreira brings to the company more than 20 years of experience in business development, customer service and self-sustained business growth in retail and gaming industries in Latin America.  Prior to joining Cadillac Jack, he served as a senior executive in the Latin American gaming operations of Finstar Financial Group, a global private equity firm, where he managed the growth and operations of several of Finstar’s gaming portfolio companies.

ARIZONA CHARLIE’S

Arizona Charlie’s Boulder and Arizona Charlie’s Decatur have named Shirley King player development manager, announced American Casino & Entertainment Properties officials.

King oversees all aspects of player development at both Arizona Charlie’s properties including the new host program. The new host program consists of a team of hosts at both Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and Arizona Charlie’s Boulder providing a personalized level of service to players. The hosts cater to players in all facets of gaming- slots and video poker, table games, bingo and race & sportsbook.

Prior to the Arizona Charlie’s properties, King was the director of marketing and sales for Xavier & Lords, an innovative apparel company with apparel lines targeting the culinary and hospitality industries. King also developed and served as a principal in King Home Health Care.

King served as director of player development for Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where she recruited, hired and trained a team of 18 hosts. In addition, she has served as assistant hotel manager for the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

BALLY TECHNOLOGIES

Michael J. Carlotti has joined Bally as vice president of investor relations and capital markets. Carlotti brings 10 years of experience as an investment banker and three years as an equity research analyst in which his primary focus was on the gaming industry.

Bally also announced Vivian H. Piskovitz has been promoted to general manager of Bally Technologies’ Rainbow Hotel Casino in Vicksburg, Miss. With more than 25 years of experience in financial management, Piskovitz joined Rainbow Hotel Casino in 1994 as controller. She was one of the facility’s original team members. Piskovitz was subsequently promoted to director of finance and then assistant general manager and VP of finance at the riverfront property.

BLANK ROME

Stephen D. Schrier and Eric G. Fikry have joined Blank Rome law firm’s Commercial Litigation Group. Schrier joins as a partner and Fikry as an associate. They will work in firm’s the Philadelphia and New Jersey offices. Schrier brings almost 30 years of experience in commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels, with a special emphasis on gaming law and regulatory matters for casino licensees and vendors. He served as a deputy attorney general for the State of New Jersey’s Gaming Enforcement Division and for more than 18 years has been an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law-Camden, where he teaches casino law. Fikry concentrates his practice in gaming law, employment law and commercial litigation. He counsels corporate clients, key employees and principals in connection with investigations by gaming regulators and has handled complex commercial litigation matters for a wide array of clients.

BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO

Matt Flemming has been appointed vice president of customer care at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss. For the past year, Flemming has worked as a consultant by leading a large-scale call center consolidation and improvement effort at Beau Rivage. In his new role, he is responsible for all inbound call center operations, customer service improvement and measurement initiatives as well as hotel revenue and distribution management for Beau Rivage and Gold Strike properties.

Flemming has served the gaming industry for more than 18 years in various operational, IT and consulting roles, including most recently as director of customer care at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.v

CANNERY CASINO RESORTS

Ron McAllister has been named the security director for Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. McAllister joined Cannery Casino Resorts in 2007 as security director for Nevada Palace, now known as Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel. Prior he served as director of regulatory compliance for Shuffle Master, Inc. in Las Vegas and compliance manager for River Rock Casino in Geyserville, Calif. In addition, McAllister served as executive director of the tribal gaming agency for Smith River Rancheria (dba Lucky 7 Casino) in Smith River, Calif., vice president of security, surveillance, compliance, risk management for Siena Hotel Spa Casino in Reno, Nev., and director of security and surveillance for The Resort at Summerlin, now known as Rampart Casino in Las Vegas.

Other recent appointments at the Eastside Cannery were Ruben Warren to financial controller and Charles Wortman as director of facilities. Warren will also continue serving as financial controller at the Cannery Casino & Hotel. He joined Cannery in 2003 as financial assistant controller for Rampart Casino. Prior to his career at Cannery, he served as financial controller for Santa Fe Station Casino and Hotel and financial assistant controller for the Fitz Casino and Hotel, formerly known as Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel. Wortman joined Nevada Place, now Eastside Cannery, in 1997 as facilities and marketing director. Prior to joining Nevada Palace, Wortman served as construction project coordinator for Tropicana Resort and Casino. Before that, he served as project coordinator/quality control for Caesars Palace.

FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO

Nelson Hau has been appointed director of Asian marketing in the player development department at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Prior to joining Fantasy Springs, Hau worked in the Asian marketing department at Pala Casino in San Diego. His industry career spans 16 years including positions in several well-known casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Hau will report directly to Vice President of Player Development Robert “Bobby” Smith and joins a player development staff that has more than 100 years of combined experience.

MOHEGAN SUN

Lisa Robertson has been promoted director of hotel operations of the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. In her new role, Robertson will be responsible for approximately 1,200 guest rooms and suites, pool and staff operations, a staff of more than 120 employees, guest services, front office operations, Sagamore and Aquai VIP reception and the concierge department. The greatest responsibilities she will face will be to plan, open and hire employees for the new 920-room Earth Tower set to open in 2010. Robertson's career at Mohegan Sun began as an assistant hotel manager in 2002, and in July 2006, she was promoted to hotel manager. This February she was promoted to director of housekeeping where she was responsible for a staff of 300 housekeeping employees. She brings more than 14 years of experience to her new position and is a member of Mohegan Sun's Core Leadership Program and Freeman Train, a trainer/service management program at the property.

The company also introduced Bruce Dixon as its new director of poker. Dixon brings more than a decade of experience in the Atlantic City gaming industry to his new position. As the director of poker, he is responsible for training and evaluating more than 300 poker personnel, ensuring proper table security, strategic planning and budget analysis, and implementing Mohegan Sun poker policies and procedures. Prior to joining Mohegan Sun, Dixon served as poker room shift manager of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City and has held the positions of shift manager at the Tropicana Resort & Casino and floor supervisor at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

RAVING CONSULTING

Former Casino Journal editor Andy Holtmann has joined Reno-based Raving Consulting Company. As the company’s new vice president of communications, Holtmann is responsible for handling the company’s day-to-day communications and public relations operations. He also will take a lead role in developing new business initiatives and company growth strategies. Holtmann spent more than eight years in editorial roles with Casino Journal, serving as the magazine’s editor since January 2006 and played an instrumental role in other facets of business for parent company BNP Media’s gaming group division. He also has served as a reporter and managing editor of the Pahrump Valley Gazette and as a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun.        

TREASURE ISLAND (Red Wing)

Treasure Island Resort & Casino of Minnesota announced the promotion of Mike Heavner as the new director of finance. Beginning his career at Treasure Island as the gaming controller more than seven years ago, Heavner brings extensive gaming and finance experience to the position. In his new role, Heavner will oversee the company’s accounting, cash services, purchasing, receiving and warehouse departments with the goals to successfully work with other departments to enhance the property and assist the Prairie Island Indian Community in achieving their overall goals for their business. Before joining Treasure Island, Heavner worked in a number of finance capacities for Primm Valley Resorts and MGM Mirage in Las Vegas. 

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