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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1999)
SEPTEMBER 1, 1999 7 CasDim airad Tribe m6Sws)d to improve tb Doves ff memmbeirs The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Spirit Mountain Casino are working together to do good things. The Tribe has grown and flourished in recent years. The growth that the Tribe has experi enced has presented many opportu nities and challenges. Current chal lenges include handling revenue above the amount that the Tribe has ever seen before. As the Tribe continues to grow, new challenges will also present themselves of how to handle the rev enue generated by the Tribe's eco nomic ventures, presenting new challenges in the areas of allocating revenues, creating employment op portunities and providing services to the tribal membership. There are 541 tribal members who are between the ages of 18-65 liv ing in the three closest counties near Grand Ronde. The tribal offices and the reservation lands are located on the borders of Polk and Yamhill counties. Lincoln County is located 20 miles from Grand Ronde. Nearly half of the tribal member ship of working age who live closest to Grand Ronde work either at the tribal offices or Spirit Mountain Ca sino. (Excluding tribal members who commute to work from further away.) The Tribe employs 116 tribal mem bers of the 278 positions with the Tribe. Another way to look at it is that 42 of the tribal staff are Grand Ronde tribal members. The casino employs 157 tribal members out of the 1488 positions at the casino. While this is only 10.5 of the casino work force, it is an outstanding number when one compares the statistical numbers of tribal members employed at the ca sino and Tribe to the number of tribal members who live in the sur rounding area. Furthermore, many spouses or head of households of tribal members are employed at the tribal offices or casino and earn in come for their families that contrib utes to the households of tribal mem ber families. The casino is geared towards a flat organizational structure. This means that teamwork is an essen tial part of the business operations. There are only 30 management positions out of the 1488 positions possible at Spirit Mountain Casino, meaning that management repre sents 2 of the possible positions. Grand Ronde tribal members occupy 36 of those 30 positions. 30 of the 157 tribal members employed at the casino are employed in supervi sory staff positions. 52 of all tribal members working at the casino earn over $12.00 hour. 26 of tribal members employed at the casino work as table game dealers. While the base wage of a table games dealer is $6.50 and av erage wage for a dealer is $17.00 hour due the tips being included. Another interesting aspect of tribal member employment with Spirit Mountain Casino is that 70 of the original tribal members hired at the casino are still employed with the ca sino. The casino and Tribe succeed in offering opportunities for tribal mem ber employment as well as excellent benefit packages for employees. Training, educational opportunities and professional growth are strongly encouraged and implemented at both organizations. Spirit Mountain Casino's Human Resources department is one of the most progressive in Polk County. Employees are encouraged to seek opportunities for advancement within the casino and utilize em ployee programs for leadership op portunities. Some of the services the casino provides to staff include: Spirit Mountain University Leadership program, Spirit Got It program, Communication Cafes, Communica tion Celebrations, Policy Focus Group meetings, Employee Assis tance programs, tuition reimburse ment programs and cash benefits for perfect attendance. If you are a tribal member inter ested in working at Spirit Mountain Casino, call Carol Larsen toll free at 1-800-760-7977 or (503) 879-3730 ext. 3836 to set up an appointment to explore career opportunities. If you are interested in working for the Tribe, call 1-800-422-O232 or 879-2257. Many of the employment opportunities are posted in Smoke Signals. R6ADY sex, PULL Enter Spirit Mountain's Slot Tournament on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. and try for your share of S2(),5(X), including a guaranteed $15,000 for first place. All participants receive a free dinner at Coyote's Buffet. $125 buy-in through 92, $150 after 92. Must be 21 or older. Spirit Mountain Casjno. Hwy. 18, Grand Ronde. 1-800-760-7977. MJN www.spirit-mountain.com CASINO $20,500 SLOT TOURNAMENT WELCOME HOME. Come visit the Confederated Trihes oj Grand Ronde s newest development in Portland, OR. Russellville Commons invites you to an open house on September 1 8th from I lam to 4pm. 102nd & E. BurnsiJe, Portland, OR (503) 408-1 III inlfSJllw Sponsored by Spirit Mountain Casino RUSSE LLVI LLE commons Attention: New Tribal Members Roll 's 47444930, 4276 & 4277 The Tribe sponsors a health plan through ODS Health Plans for MedicalVision and Standard Insurance for Dental. The Risk Management Department is holding open enrollment for new tribal members. We have already mailed out applications and plan summaries. If you have not received your packet please call us. If we do not receive your application by 091 799, you will be unable to enroll in the plan until 01012000. If you need more information please contact our office at 1 -800-442-0346, ask for Val Sheker or Amy Justen.
