Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1995)
SpilyayTymoo .WArm Springs, Oregon August 17, 1995 3 Gaming center preparing for October opening . , V " V , ,J . .' '- . - . - m . -, . ' ...... ." . ."; . ",'r - .---.-.'.. " . , 1 '.-J- - . . 1 ... i' ''4 - Keno, the newest game for center customers, began recently. Road from Highway 8 to gaming center is currently under construction. ..,.;.,., The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, as the largest ' January through August. By May, the consultant was no Indian tribe in Oregon with the largest land base, will have the ldnger needed. "We saved $50,000 in fees from that one contract state's smallest gaming center. Indian Head Gaming Center alone." The savings allowed the Gaming Center to install a General Manager Aurolyn Watlamet explains. badly needed air conditioning system and upgrade the roof m "This project is the first time a tribe actually started from the temporary facility at Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge. "All realized scratch without the help of an outside management consulting .- savings are immediately converted to other areas in need." firm to help develop a gaming facility." The Tribe chose a : Employment at the Gaming Center was recognized, from conservative approach, making for a financially manageable the beginning, as a challenge. The industry requires weekend enterprise. The Tribe wanted controllable expenditures and and holiday, work, with three, shifts working seven days a controllable human resources, says Watlamet. ' week. This a new, complex industry. The employees, for the "We saved 20 percent to 45 percent of the start-up costs by most part, are being introduced to a whole new system of not utilizing an outside consulting firm." Watlamet says, too, working. And, when the permanent facility opens in October, that these savings go to the bottom line of the construction more than 150 employees will be needed. The labor needs will ; costs. This equates to "literally, millions of dollars in savings, ' continue to expand as the industry grows. Planning for this in the long run," she added. doubled expansion has been an on-going process since the After a visit with Watlamet at the Mystic Lake Casino, Tribal temporary facility open in May. . Council members invited her home to consult on the "Internally, this translates to giving people training and development of the Tribe's newest venture. She was later chances that other managers or. companies might not do, hired as General Manager. Initially, there was an outside especially within this industry," says Watlamet. She has five consultant for a portion of the project who was contracted from Native Americans hired as part of the management team of jiiuimi 1 icau vjaiiung. 1 vw unuvi wuv wmw w. v. People are hired and placed in positions within the organizationbased on their talent, skill, training and education. With the phased development approach taken to open the Gaming Center, there is a continuous opportunity to train staff in the.temporary. facility. The small.and simpler operation, coupled with adequate cash flow, allows for special training when needed. "There will be considerable advancement opportunities for employees into supervisory positions as we move into the permanent facility and grow accordingly. This concept will continue to be our focus in personnel," says Watlamet. Housing deficiencies, lack of adequate day-care facilities and transportation remain reasons for not getting sufficient employees and keeping them. Parking at the Gaming Center and Kah-Nee-Ta, in general, is also a challenge for Watlamet and her staff, Shuttle buses are utilized to cut down on the need for additional employee and guest parking lots. This service is substantially more expensive than was originally planned. . In the gaming industry, Indian Head Gaming can only be . described as "rapid pace development." After the referendum was passed by tribal members in December 1994, the gaming Compact was signed with the State of Oregon in January 1995. The temporary facility was opened in May, using remodeled banquet rooms at the Lodge. ,,The tribal referendum approved $6 million to finance the start-up and construction of the new enterprise. The Tribe will provide $3 million to $3.5 million and borrow the remaining - r r Indian Head Gaming Center Employee of the month for July ReubenHenry, Shuttle Bus Driver balance. The Center's management team and consultant Ken Smith are negotiating with a few financial institutions to leverage the best loan package available to complete the financing of the project. If the success of the gaming facility could be measured in lucky players, Indian Head Gaming is proud to proclaim they have paid out over $1.2 million from May 1 to June 26. Weekends and holidays, predictably, are the highest volume times in the facility. ' Initially, there were to be 150 machines in the temporary facility. However, the weight capacity for the floor limited the Center to only 130 machines. This change impacted revenue projections for the temporary facility. The actual financial impact of the enterprise will be presented to the Tribal Council in a quarterly report in November. A "soft advertising" approach has been taken until the move into the new facility. Word-of-mouth, some local media advertising and a recent car give-away on July 4 have been the main emphasis for advertising dollars by the gaming facility to date. "But watch for major 'hype' as the opening approaches," says Watlamet. "We expect to be at capacity for many days prior to and following the grand opening event." The Center has scheduled many winter tournaments and give-aways to attract customers. Stress is certainly a major part of Watlamet's position. The job requires an extensive working relationship with the Tribe, the State and the federal government. The close proximity to the staff and organization of Kah-Nee-Ta Resort, the Gaming Commission, the Gaming Board of Directors, the Tribal Council and the members of the community leave plenty of room for conflict due to mixed and varied values and with the industry regulations themselves. "I have a great compassion for this community," stresses Watlamet. "I am not lost in the pursuit of profit. I have a knowledge of the culture and a special sensitivity to the needs and concerns of the membership." She takes pride in keeping a balance between business needs and the desires of the members of the Confederated Tribes. "I signed a three-year contract to serve as General Manager of Indian Head Gaming," says Watlamet. She makes no apology for the fact that she has pending job offers with other tribes, some at considerably higher salaries. "But I made a commitment to this tribe, my tribe," she says proudly. Watlamet is resolute about not renewing her contract at the end of her three years. Her family obligations will come first. She and her husband, Rick, are expecting a child soon. As a family, they have agreed that Watlamet will retire her career as General Manager and pursue other business interests. Her family has been given top consideration of her time. Would you like to start an exciting and interesting new career in the gaming industry? Talk to one of our representatives during our JOB FAIR We have positions in the following areas: 0 Accounting 0 Slots (Technicians and Keypersons) 0 0 Administration Maintenance 0 Janitorial 0 Valet Parking 0 Keno 0 Dealers 0 0 Gift Shop 0 Cage Cashiers and Count Team 0 Join us at Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge 3rd Floor Warm Springs and Confederated Rooms Sunday, August 2710 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, August 287 am. to 6 p.m. For additional information, please call 553-1108 or call 553-1142 and ask for Human Resources Jilts. . f --"1 K'-' .- Win big and you may win a boat! Slot players cashing out $1 00 or more are entered into a drawing for a Seaswirl Squirt, motor and trailer. Drawings for an additional $8,000 in prizes will be held between 1 and 8 p.m. the days of the drawing, September 4. Contestants must be present to win.