Smoke signals., February 15, 2000, Page 2, Image 2

Smoke Signals
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The Board of Directors of Spirit
Mountain Gaming Inc. have formed
a new tribal corporation, Spirit Moun
tain Management and Consulting
Inc., to carry out its contract to man
age the Kalispel Tribe's new casino
in eastern Washington.
The Kalispel contract is an impor
tant business opportunity for the
Grand Ronde Tribe because it can
generate $20 million in new revenue
for the Tribe over the next five years.
"It's an exciting opportunity for our
Tribe to be able to help another tribe
in this way, and is consistent with
our tradition of giving something
back to others," said Tribal Council
Chair Kathryn Harrison. "We un
derstand firsthand how a successful
casino can help a Tribe work toward
self-sufficiency and provide needed
social programs."
"This move will allow us to provide
top-quality management services to
help the Kalispel Tribe develop an
attractive and successful casino,"
said Mike Larsen, chair of the Spirit
Mountain Board of Directors.
Bruce Thomas, Terry Contreras,
Chuck Galford and Jeff Realander
are handling the Kalispel contract as
employees of Spirit Mountain Man
agement and Consulting, having
transferred to the company from
their positions at Spirit Mountain
Casino.
Robert J. Watson was named as
interim president and CEO of Spirit
Mountain Casino while the board
conducts a national search. Watson
will take a leave of absence from his
post as chair of the Gaming Com
mission. Watson, an enrolled tribal mem
ber, was head of the State of Oregon
Department of Corrections from 1976
to 1986. He held a similar post for
the State of Delaware from 1987
until he retired in 1994. He also
chairs the Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority.
Watson is a graduate of Willamette
University and has a bachelor of arts
degree in sociology. He and his wife,
Patricia Lois Watson, live in Lincoln
City.
Larsen said the board will rely on
the expertise of current casino em
ployees to fulfill management re
sponsibilities within their depart
ments. "We are fortunate to have a
wealth of management talent in
house," Larsen said.
Spirit Mountain recently signed a
management agreement with the
Kalispel Tribe that included approxi
mately $6 million in financing to be
gin construction of the Northern
Quest Casino, to be built in Airway
Heights, a suburb just north of Spokane.
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Tribal member Bob Watson will act
as interim president and CEO of
Spirit Mountain Casino.
Photos by Tracy Dugan
In celebration of a new partnership, Tribal Council Chair Kathryn Harrison presented the Kalispel Council with
a Pendleton after the contract signing. Grand Ronde will oversee the development of Kalispel's new casino.
IMPORTANT NEWS: Plans to put a proposal on the November ballot that would ban
video poker in Oregon have been delayed by the group organizing the initiative,
citing tribal opposition as one of the factors. The group will try again in 2002.
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Suggestion Coupon
Tribal Council is holding a series of Community Meetings in March.
Council is interested in learning what issues the tribal membership would like to discuss at these meetings.
Please take a few minutes to write down the top concerns you would like Tribal Council to discuss with you.
M 2
Clip this ad and mail it to:
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Attention: Jackie Whisler
9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
Or, if you prefer, call Jackie Whisler at 1-800-422-0232., ext. 2320.
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