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."