October 15, 1996
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Employee Spotlight
Friends old and new are a
favorite part of Jerry George's job
By Tracy Dugan
Jerry George was
raised in Grand
Ronde, but only re
cently returned
home. His work and
military experience
has taken him all
over the world
from the Southwest
to Washington State,
Asia, and back
again. Most recently
he moved back to
Willamina after sixteen years and got hired
on at H.R. Jones Lumber Company. He
also enrolled in Linfield College, where he
is a Senior majoring in History and Educa
tion. Last year Jerry was the recipient of the
Eula Petite Memorial Scholarship for Edu
cation majors.
Hired on at the Casino as a Uniform Ser
vices Attendant prior to Grand Opening,
Jerry was promoted to Uniform Services
Supervisor in June. He is responsible for
ordering all the uniforms for every depart
ment, shipping and receiving, keeping in
contact with all the Casino's suppliers, in
ventory, and getting every new employee
fitted with a uniform for his or her particu
lar position. He supervises a crew of ten. .
iThis is a new type of position for Jerry, '
who has held a wide variety of jobs. He '
began his career in
the Air Force, where
he was a firefighter,
and stationed all over
the world.
"After the military,
I worked as a secu
rity officer in Kent,
Washington, and
graduated from the
Security Guard class
offered through the
Tribe," he said. I
thought security was
the field I wanted, but being a full-time stu
dent, I couldn't make the hours work."
Jerry said he really enjoys the job he has
now, and he's going to school part time, so
it all worked out for the best.
"I really enjoy the people I work with," he
said. "We all get along well, it's a fun envi
ronment, and every staff member tries really
hard to live up to the Casino's mission. We
just have a great work atmosphere here."
Jerry said he also likes the fact that he
works with so many family members and
old friends he grew up with, now that the
Casino has opened so many employment
avenues for people in the community. Af
ter being out of Oregon and away from
Grand Ronde for so long, Jerry is busy re
acquainting himself with everyone he used
to know.
HR focuses on jobs for tribal members
By Tracy Dugan
The Casino's Human Resources (HR)
Department has launched a plan of action
for providing tribal member job applicants
with the best employment services possible.
An assistant for the department has been
hired Camille Mcrcier who works with
a team of HR staff to help tribal members
who wish to become Casino employees.
She works with the Human Resources staff
to recruit tribal members for positions, meet
with them about openings and their inter
ests, and refer them
to other areas for ad
ditional training or
education if needed.
"Our goal is to
meet with every
tribal member who
comes through the
door," Camille said.
Tribal members with
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Camille Mercier
applications on file receive job posting no
tices in the mail, and if they are interested
in a position, they can call or stop by the
office to let HR know. Currently, Camille
and Sarah Harvey are setting up meetings
with tribal members aflcr they express their
interest in a job opening. The meeting is
designed to discuss qualifications, and what
type of career they see for their future. If
the tribal member has the qualifications for
the job, they will be called for an interview;
and if they don't possess the necessary quali
fications, Human Resources will refer them
to another area for further training such as
the Education Division or Vocational Re
habilitation. "We want to make every effort to find
out where an interested tribal member might
best fit in the organization," said Camille.
"If a tribal member
is interviewed and
isn't offered the job, we communicate with
them about why they weren't selected, and
what they need to do to become qualified
for the position."
Recently, the Human Resources Depart
ment began working on a data base of tribal
member applicants which will allow for a
more speedy process of notifying applicants
when jobs become available, and will al
low HR to have member files right at their
fingertips.
Camille says the best part about her job
is working with tribal members, as well as
meeting those members who are new to the
area.
"It is nice to be able to get to know other
tribal members whom I haven't met before,"
she said. "I am proud that this community
is benefitting from a good employer."
MOUNTAIN CAJINO
Tribal Member
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