It’s Happening at Chinook Winds in June
Chinook Winds Casino and Employees Have Positive Effect
on Lincoln City and County
Chinook Winds Casino & Con
vention Center shares a win-win
relationship with Lincoln City and
Lincoln County. The release of the
casino’s latest financial quarterly
statement shows that over the years, the
local community and the casino have
developed a relationship that has had a
profound impact on both.
Chinook Winds General Manager
Jim Kikumoto realizes the importance
of being active in the community. “We
place a high emphasis on the role
Chinook Winds plays in our area. Our
goal is to not only be a business leader
but a civic leader as well,’’ he said.
Those employed by Chinook
Winds Casino have a direct and long-
lasting positive effect on the area in
which they live. Of the 765 folks
currently employed by Chinook Winds,
384 reside in Lincoln City, 94 in Otis,
52 in Newport, 11 in Gleneden Beach,
24 in Depoe Bay, and 45 in Neotsu.
As of the end of the first quarter of
2004, Chinook Winds employees
contributed $525,210 in payroll taxes.
To date, their gross wages for the first
quarter of this year total $5,529,067. In
the last economic impact study, half of
these employees would not live in the
area, and therefore would not be active
in the local market, if not for their
employment with Chinook Winds.
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preferred by the Children’s Advocacy
Center. For contributions to the North
Lincoln Eagles and Elks Lodges
Christmas Basket Program, the Bingo
Department and generous Bingo players
collected food and stocking stuffers.
Non-Profits Benefit
Buying Power
Purchasing goods and services from
local vendors is decidedly important to
Chinook Winds Casino. As of the end
of the first quarter of 2004, the casino
has purchased $784,485 in goods and
services from Lincoln City and
Newport vendors. For 2003, the amount
totaled $2,681,007.
The casino’s buying power extends
throughout the state, with $6,463,405
of goods and services purchased from
vendors statewide in the first three
months of this year. Chinook Winds
values these business relationships.
Oregon’s economic plight makes every
vendor/client relationship imperative to
the success of the city, county, and state.
Money from Chinook Winds Casino
also goes to local city services and area
Express Menus Continue with
New Entrées
The Express menus at the Rogue
River Room inside Chinook Winds
Casino have brought great meals on
board for the entire month of June.
Once again, fantastic prices on
breakfast, lunch, and dinner make every
day in the month of May delicious.
The five new Express Lunch
specials for June might cause all area
business meetings to be rescheduled for
the lunch hours. Mondays will feature
a turkey melt with mushrooms and
Swiss cheese. It’s a chicken club with
bacon and avocado on Tuesdays.
On Wednesdays, diners can enjoy
a delicious tuna salad sandwich with
seasoned fries and on Thursdays, it’s
an Oregon bay shrimp salad. The work
week finishes on a tasty note with a
grilled halibut sandwich with cheddar
cheese and grilled onions.
The Lunch Express specials are
available Monday through Friday from
non-profits. City services have received
$42,500 this last quarter and $170,000
for 2003. North Lincoln Fire and Rescue
has received $12,501 as of the end of
the first quarter and $47,500 last year.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a new low price
of just $4.95
By popular request, the Rogue
River Room Early Bird menu will
continue through May. This specially
priced entrée of succulent prime rib will
be available Monday through Friday
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for $10.95. This
includes choice of soup or salad.
The Breakfast Express Special gets
the workday started off right. It includes
two eggs any style, two sausage, two
strips of bacon, hash browns, and a
choice of biscuit or toast for $2.95. This
amazing deal is available Monday
through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
in the Rogue River Room. Sorry, no
substitutions.
For more information regarding the
new Breakfast Express, Lunch Express,
or Early Bird menus, call the Rogue
River Room at 541 -996-5962. *
June 2004
In the first three months of 2004,
regional non-profits and community
events have benefited greatly from the
more than $32,002 in cash and fund
raiser items donated by the casino.
Some of the first quarter’s local
recipients include Cub Scouts Pack 347,
Depoe Bay Ducky Derby and Fleet of
Flowers, Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot and
Fish Fry, American Cancer Society -
Lincoln Unit, Lincoln City Chamber of
Commerce, Lincoln County Sheriff’s
Department, Lincoln County 4-H, Taft
High Key Club, Lincoln City Food
Pantry, Nestucca Golf Club, Oregon
Red Cross - Pacific Chapter, Pacific
City Pathways, Taft High School
Boosters, and the list continues
including church, school, charitable,
and community fund-raisers.
The numbers reported here do not
include the community benefits
distributed by the Confederated Tribes
of Siletz Indians of Oregon.
Chinook Winds employees are
involved in their community too. Last
Christmas, they rolled up their sleeves
and opened their hearts to the commu
nity. When the call was sent out for food
and gifts for those in need, employees
came through in a really big way.
To help ensure that every foster
child in Lincoln County had something
special for Christmas, a giving tree was
set up for the Department of Human
Services - Child Welfare. Among the
tree’s decorations were tags marked
with the gender and age of local foster
children. Employees did not leave one
tag unclaimed. In fact, more tags were
requested to accommodate those
wishing to participate. In all, at least 75
gifts were collected.
At the Winner’s Circle booth, toys
and stuffed animals were collected for
both the Children’s Advocacy Center
and My Sisters’ Place. In total, 134 toys
were gathered. The stuffed animals were
Staff Volunteers
Six teams of volunteer staff members
trimmed trees for Angels Anonymous’
annual fund-raiser, “Fantasy of Trees.”
At the employee entrance and Play
Palace child care center, food collection
barrels were set up. It’s estimated that
500 to 600 pounds of non-perishable
food was collected for the Lincoln City
Food Pantry.
Even though the weather was less
than perfect for the SOLV Beach
Cleanup, the Chinook Winds team had
a large turnout. Warmly dressed staff
members and families, with bags in
hand, took to the beach. This year, the
employees will once again gather to
help make their beloved coast a more
beautiful place.
The casino’s events and concerts
have continued to draw more and more
visitors to Lincoln City and surrounding
areas. As the staff plans and prepares
for upcoming events, those that can be
attended by all ages, are family-friendly,
and require no entrance to the casino
are given special care and consideration.
For the rest of the year, the casino will
continue to provide top-notch enter
tainers and events.
With each classic car show, nationally
sanctioned rib-eating contest, boxing
match, Robbie Knievel motorcycle
jump or other stellar event, Chinook
Winds Casino will support, advertise,
and publicize the event with the
intention of bringing new and returning
visitors to the area.
“Chinook Winds is in the entertain
ment industry, not just gaming,” said
Kikumoto. “Our effort is to be as
diversified as possible, offering a little
something for everyone. Reaching out
to and attracting a wide tourism base to
Chinook Winds and the Central Oregon
Coast is our goal.”