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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
Smoke Signals 11 APRIL 1, 2004 Spirit Mountain Casino's Entertainment Broker Has His "Hands Full" Lee Cline works through the ups and downs on dealing with celebrities. Story and photo by Toby McCIary Lee Cline, Marketing Assistant for Spirit Mountain Casino, is in charge of scheduling the entertainment on a weekly basis. He may be better known as the tall guy lurking in the background of concerts, promotions, and most recently the filming of Spirit Mountain's new commercial. "I have my hands full," said Cline. "This is not an easy job." On paper, Cline's work schedule is 10 a.m. 6:30 p.m., but that is a shift that he rarely sees. Knowing that his schedule coincides with business needs, he gives up a lot of free time to do what he loves to do. Cline handled the scheduling de mands of many entertainers includ ing Wayne Newton and B.B. King. "After conversation with these two gentlemen I found them to be very interesting and classy guys. "I was impressed with their de meanor as well as their perfor mance," said Cline. "It's not always good though," said Cline. "I've had my fair share of problems." He explained that Hootie and the Blowfish were one of his not-so-pleasant times. "They continued to give us prob lems, and acted like a stereo-typical rock band," said Cline. Lee enjoys his work and says that he learns on the job everyday. Kris Givens, Special Events Coordina tor, and Jenny Moore, Pro motions Coordinator, who also work for the casino, teach him tricks of the trade all the time. Cline works about 25 percent of his time assisting Givens and Moore in decorating for promotions and events such as Cinco de Mayo, Asian New Year and Mardi Gras. "I would ultimately like to see boxing come to Spirit Mountain," said Cline. He tried to book a $30 million fight last year but the plans fell through. But Cline will not give up there. He now has a new pro posal that will bring boxing to the Rose Garden. He is hoping for two fights, one in June and then one in November or December. In the ft Lee Cline contract of booking the fight it will allow the fighter of choice to be on sight at the casino for their 21 day pre-fight training. The $20 million fight would bring in an estimated $26-$29 million in revenues. Cline, who wanted to chase a ca reer in electronics, has now found a happy home in the world of mar keting. He is now going to school pursuing a marketing degree and is hoping to open a business as a Talent Broker sometime around Spring. Cline also has been setting up gigs on the side for local taverns as a courtesy but is hoping to soon get paid for the extra work that he is doing. He was bom and raised in Keizer, Oregon and now lives a single lifestyle in Salem. He previously worked at In Focus Systems, (the leading manufacturer of projectors in the world), in assembly and then moved to customer service. I Ie also spent a year-and-a half at Chemeketa Com munity College in architectural de sign but found the marketing field was more interesting. "I feel this property of Spirit Mountain Casino has huge poten tial to be, not only the number one tourist attraction in the Northwest, but also the number one entertain ment destination," said Cline. "Some changes would have to be made, but through the lead of new General Manager Richard Kline, I think we are headed in the right direction." Pattie Tom Martin Honored By DePaul Industries DePaul Industries, an organization that opens doors and opportunities for disabled people to find work, presented Tribal mem ber Pattie Tom Martin with the Annual Comerford Award in Portland, Oregon. The Comerford Award is given to people that have made outstanding contributions in assisting the disabled. Martin has helped many dis abled Tribal members find work. S D D l: PAUL INUU S T R I li S Martin worked for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as manager of the Voca tional Rehabilitation Program for eight years but also worked in the department since its inception. She also has received a bachelor of science degree from Portland State Uni versity and is a member of both the Health Committee for the Tribe and the State Re habilitation Council. Tribal Member On The Fast Track To R Successful Career James Buxman appreciates being chosen by casino general manager. By Peta Tinda Tribal member James Buxman, Management Mentee at Spirit Mountain Casino, was chosen by Casino General Manager Richard Kline to finish the last 6 months of his mentorship as his personal as sistant. Buxman is the son of Dave and Rita Buxman and the grandson of Samuel and Vera Buxman. Kline said that Buxman's person ality is what made him the right choice for the job. "He's doing great," said Kline. "He's a very aggressive, go-getting type of person. He doesn't have to be supervised, he's very inquisitive and eager, and so far all of the work he's done has been outstanding." Buxman said he considers it an honor to be chosen to work with Kline. "I feel obligated to the Tribe for giving me the chance to get an edu cation," he said. Buxman received a Tribal Education scholarship that helped him in getting his degree from the University of Oregon. "I really feel that it's the right thing to do, to come back and give to the community and also to learn where I'm from," said Buxman, who was raised in Portland. Buxman helps Kline with any projects he might have, keeps him updated on the progress of those projects and checks the facts that need checking. He is given an in siders look into the internal work ings of Spirit Mountain that few have. "w. -Mil Of Q Buxman said at he understands the connection between his work ing to make the casino bigger and better and the positive effects that the revenue it generates has on the local Tribal community. "This way we can provide more and better programs. It's a huge James Buxman key to making the community stron ger than it already is," he said. In choosing Buxman, Kline said he thought it would be a good op portunity for him to get a broader perspective of how the casino oper ates, "...so that he'll be able to de termine how he will best fit in on the property," said Kline. Kline said that the mentorship was an excellent op portunity for Buxman to be exposed to how the manage ment end of Spirit Mountain Casino operates. "The other side of that is having an addi tional person to help me with transferring to the General Manager position makes things more efficient, more cost ef fective, and ultimately more profit able for the Tribe." Previously Kline served in the military and the Central Intelli gence Agency for 26 years. After retiring as a full colonel from the military, he worked as head of op erations for the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, before being hired at Spirit Mountain Casino. Buxman said his experience working with Kline has been very positive. "Richard is great. He's very driven and focused and he knows exactly what he wants done. And he's very open to suggestions." Buxman thinks that the Manage ment Mentorship program has been very effective in it's goal of train ing Tribal members for manage ment positions. "I'm definitely more knowledge able. I have more tools in my toolbox. It's also sharpened a lot of the tools I had coming out of col lege." If Kline has anything to say about it, then Buxman's future at Spirit Mountain Casino looks good. "Ultimately, the goal is to create or find a position for James after the internship is over," said Kline. "It's my intent for him to work in either the Casino or hotel in a posi tion that will best suit his skills. His personal and professional capabili ties will definitely be an asset to us."