July 15, 1996
SMOKE SIGNALS
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Casino unveils plan for increasing tribal member employment
Spirit Mountain has announced a plan
to enhance tribal member employ
ment at the Casino. The plan features
new personnel dedicated to tribal em
ployment issues, better communications
and targeted training programs. The
Casino will implement its plan in close
cooperation with the Tribal Administra
tion. "Our missions are to benefit the entire
Tribe by developing a professional, high
quality work force which maximizes Ca
sino revenues and to provide as many jobs
as possible for qualified tribal members,"
said Kit Devine, Human Resources Direc
tor. "Our new approach increases our abil
ity to do both."
The new tribal employment plan focuses
on matching interested tribal members with
Casino openings, providing personal atten
tion to each tribal member applicant, refer
ring tribal member applicants, where
needed, to job training provided by the
Tribal Administration to enable them to
qualify for the type of job they want, and
ensuring clear communication throughout
the process.
Adam Henny, the Casino's new Tribal
Liaison in Public Relations, is the first point
of contact for all tribal members who have
concerns or complaints about Spirit
Mountain's policy or procedures. He will
personally work with tribal members to re
solve their issues and improve the commu
nication between the Casino and the Tribe.
Henny will meet with both the Spirit Moun
tain Development Board and the Tribal
Council on a regular basis to address hiring
progress and any other concerns.
"The new policy changes will improve
communications among the Casino, the
Tribal Council and tribal member applicants
and employees," notes Henny. "I myself
will be available to anyone who has a ques
tion, a complaint or any concerns. Together,
we can resolve a lot of the questions tribal
members have about the Casino or our hir
ing policies."
To further help tribal members, the HR
priate supervisor or manager and then
schedule an interview with them and the
tribal member applicant. At least two Ca-
New plan addresses items such as
hiring procedures and communication
Department is also making other personnel
changes. In addition to Hcnny's position,
a new Human Resources Assistant will be
added, whose time will be devoted only to
working with tribal member applicants. In
addition to adding the new position, cur
rent employee Matthew Kirkland will now
become the Casino's Career Development
Specialist, coordinating the Casino's Tribal
Member Career Development Program. He
will make sure tribal members currently
employed at the Casino have every oppor
tunity to increase their job skills and knowl
edge to achieve their full career potentials.
If there is a tribal member employee who is
interested in expanding his or her jobs skills
or learning leadership skills, Kirkland will
work with them to enroll in the program and
offer on-going individual guidance and ca
reer counseling.
The revised tribal member employment
policy is as follows:
Hiring: The Casino's Human Resources
(HR) Department tries to place tribal mem
bers into meaningful employment that ben
efits both the Casino and the tribal mem
ber., To do this, the HR Assistant position
is being added, which will be devoted only
to tribal member applicants. All tribal mem
ber applicants will receive a personal inter
view with the HR Assistant, who will as
sess the best position for them based on their
experience and qualifications.
If there is a current job opening in the
position they desire, the HR Assistant will
discuss the job opportunity with the appro-
sino individuals will be present during the
interview.
If no opening is currently available in the
position the tribal member is interested in,
every effort will be made to place the tribal
member in another position where an open
ing exists and can be met by thai tribal mem
ber. Devine adds that Spirit Mountain will
be both flexible and aggressive in attract
ing, hiring and keeping qualified tribal
member applicants in jobs.
If the scheduled job interview is success
ful, the tribal member must then success
fully go through the licensing process with
the Grand Ronde Gaming Commission and
pass a dnig screen.
They can also enroll in the Tribal Mem
ber Career Development process, designed
to help them gain additional on-the-job
training for advancement.
If a job interview is not successful, the
HR Assistant and the Staffing Team Leader
will review the decision to ensure the fair
ness and the proper use of the Casino's
policy in the hiring process. The HR As
sistant will contact the applicant to tell him
or her why he or she are not being selected
for the position and refer him or her to the
appropriate step, either to another position
or to a training program.
The HR Assistant will also review the
hiring process with the tribal member and
discuss any potential roadblocks which
could occur in obtaining a position, such as
the licensing process and security back
ground checks.
If there is no other job opening for which
this tribal member is qualified, the HR As
sistant will counsel the tribal member ap
plicant on the best resources available
for them to gain the experience, train
ing, education or social assistance, avail
able through tribal Administration pro
grams, which he or she will need to
qualify for a position. They will also be
referred to a specific person at tribal of
fices for further training assistance.
Every tribal member applicant who is not
hired for a specific position will also receive
a follow-up letter explaining again the rea
sons why the referral to tribal offices is be
ing made. The HR Assistant will follow up
with that tribal member within one to six
months to check on their progress and their
interest in future Casino positions.
Training as Follow-up: Every effort will
be made, through the combined efforts of
the Casino HR Department and the tribal
offices and Education Division, to make
sure that any tribal member applicant who
docs not receive a job at Spirit Mountain
due to a lack of skills or experience, will
receive, through Tribal Administration pro
grams, the opportunity to gain the experi
ence, training, education or social assistance
needed.
For current tribal member employees who
wish to progress within the organization, the
Casino HR Department has created the
Tribal Member Career Development Pro
gram to help them gain further career and
leadership skills.
Report on Follow-Up: The HR Assis
tant will also keep the Tribal Council, other
tribal officials and the Tribal PR Liaison in
formed of hiring progress at Spirit Moun
tain. For further information on the revised
Spirit Mountain Casino Hiring Plan for
Tribal Member Employment, please call
Adam Henny, 503879-2350, extension
3146, or 1-800-760-7977.
Tribal Member Employee Profile: Ed Hansen
Ed Hansen was looking for a career position in sales and marketing, one which would
allow him to both interact with a broad spectrum of people and to work independently. He
found what he was looking for as a Group Sales Representative at Spirit Mountain Casino.
As one of two Group Sales Representatives in the Casino's Marketing Department, Ed
uses his sales and marketing skills, his considerable creativity and his strong sense of self
motivation to "sell" free group bus trips to Spirit Mountain to people who live in Eugene,
Salem, Albany, Corvallis, east Portland and elsewhere east of Interstate 5 in Oregon. Any
one who has seen the buses lined up outside the Casino can see for themselves how suc
cessful Ed is at selling Spirit Mountain!
Ed grew up locally in the WillaminaSheridan area, where his sales experience began as
a night supervisor for the Corner Store in Willamina. He says he was a shy child growing
up, but few of those who know his colorful, exuberant personality these days can believe
that. In fact, the shy boy has become quite a "people person"!
Interested in a career in writing, Ed left the West Valley area to attend the University of
Washington in Seattle. He graduated with a degree in psychology, training which comes in
quite handy now in his sales position. "It's amazing how nearly everything you do in life
can help you somehow in the future," Ed notes. He says his psychology training in how
people think and what motivates them has really helped in his sales efforts.
A desire to be closer to his family and to become more active in the Tribe drew Ed back
to the area a couple of years ago. Although he had a good job as a manager of a camera
store, he wanted to work with Tribe. Initially he pursued a position at the Tribal Offices,
but was naturally drawn to the Group Sales
position at the Casino. "The position
seemed a perfect fit," he admits. He at
tended the Casino's Job Fair last summer,
applied, and got the job.
How does he like working at Spirit Moun
tain? "I love it here," he says. "I couldn't
have designed a better job, one which fits
everything I'm looking for in a career." He
hopes his position with the Marketing De
partment at Spirit Mountain will also allow
for even more opportunities to work closer
with the Tribe, meet more tribal members
and spread the word on Spirit Mountain
throughout Oregon.
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