4 JANUARY 1, 2009
Smoke Signals
Food Bank seeks help
The Grand Ronde Community Resource Center is seeking additional
part-time volunteer help at the Food Bank in Grand Ronde.
Help is needed in various activities, such as unloading freight, stocking
and labeling shelves, food distribution activities and clerical work.
Duties will be assigned based on volunteers' skills and abilities.
If you have the time and would like to volunteer a few hours per week,
call the Resource Center on Monday or Friday at 503-879-5731 for more
details or to obtain an application. B
Unmarked grave sites in Grand Ronde
We need your help If anyone knows the location of an unmarked grave or
knows the name of someone who was buried at the Grand Ronde Cemetery and
their grave has not been marked, contact Mike Larsen, Facilities Manager, at
503-879-2407.
Census job opportunities
The Census Bureau is recruiting now for the 2010 Census and you can be a
part of it. Data gathered during the census is essential to determining how
federal monies are spent on the things that matter most to you. The Census
Bureau offers great pay, flexible hours, paid training and an amazing oppor
tunity for you to further your career and improve your community.
Wednesday, Jan. 7 Noon
Adult Education Room 126
Field positions: ListerAddress Canvasser $15.25hr, Crew Leader
$16.75hr, Crew Leader Assistant $15.25hr, Recruiting Assistant
$16.75hr, Field Operations Supervisor $18.25hr
Office positions: Office Clerk $11.50hr, Office Operations Supervisor
$15.75hr
The U.S. Census Bureau is an equal opportunity employer. Bilingual ap
plicants are encouraged to apply at www.census.govroseawwwemply.html.
Call 1-866-861-2010 for more information. For applications and more informa
tion about testing, call Denise Harvey at 503-879-2112.
DDOIk
FERGUSON continued
from front page
in Accounting from Virginia State
University. In college, his goals
were to either become a partner in
a large certified public accounting
firm or chief financial officer for a
privately owned company.
He started his career working
as a certified public accountant
for Coopers & Lybrand, an inter
national public accounting firm,
with no thoughts of working in the
gaming industry.
After five years, he was hired by
Harrah's, the largest gaming com
pany in the world, in its Atlantic
City properties.
"An executive recruiter, a head
hunter as we called them back in
the day, basically contacted me in
the office out of the blue and said
they have an opening for a financial
accounting and reporting manager
at Harrah's," Ferguson says.
He took the job, working at
Harrah's for a few years in what
would be the beginning of a gypsy
like career. I le then went to work at
the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City
under Wynn Las Vegas Chairman
Steve Wynn as the financial report
ing manager.
"I learned a lot from (Wynn) in
terms of how to treat employees
and guests, as well as what to ex
pect from guests," Ferguson snys.
"I learned from Harrah's the actual
reporting and accounting structure
that is being used by a lot of casinos
around the country today."
From there, Ferguson started
working for The Donald" at Trump
Plaza as financial controller, rising
in the ranks to director of finance.
After five years, he decided to
open a certified public accounting
firm in his Atlantic City home that
"went well."
"I decided I wanted to be my own
boss," he snys.
Hut a phone call from a former
Trump PIn.a president who had
moved to Denver to work for a
company that was opening a river
boat casino in New Orleans enticed
Ferguson back into the gaming
industry. He joined the effort as
chief financial officer.
Name: Rodney E. Ferguson
Age: 52
Residence: McMinnville
Education: Bachelor of
science in Accounting from
Virginia State University
Family: Married to wife,
Doreen; one adult child who
is 27.
Professional experience:
Worked for, among others,
Trump Casino Resorts, Hyatt
Gaming, Harrah's and Isleta
Pueblo in New Mexico.
Contact: Rodney.ferguson
spiritmtn.com or 503-879-3067
Quote: "I like a stable com
pany. I like a company that
treats its employees well. And
so far they have treated me
extremely well here."
"That was one of my goals in
college," he says. "I went down to
open the property. It took about
a year to open the property, and
about nine weeks to close it. It was
a good learning experience because
I had my hands in a lot of different
things, particularly opening a prop
erty and building two $30 million
riverboats from scratch."
He returned to New Jersey to
work for Trump as chief financial
officer for his new riverboat casino
project in Gary, Ind. Subsequently,
he became vice president of corpo
rate finance for Trump and then
moved to a 1 lyatt casino property as
chief financial officer in Rising Sun,
Ind., outside of Cincinnati.
In July 2003, he became chief
financial officer for the Isleta Tribe
outside of Albuquerque.
"The general manager, marketing
director and I started on the same
day," Ferguson says. "They left in
nine and seven months, respec
tively. I was the last man standing.
So I kind of filled in as the acting
general manager until I was ap
pointed GM in April 2005."
At Isleta Pueblo, Ferguson took a
standalone onc-dimcnsionnl cnsino
and supervised changing it into
a full-service resort. The Isleta
Casino & Resort now features the
Isleta Eagle Golf Course, which is
a 27-hole championship golf course;
the Isleta Lakes Recreational Com
plex, which features year-round
fishing, picnicking and RV camp
sites; and Isleta Fun Connection,
which features a state-of-the-art
bowling alley, laser tag, billiards
and arcade.
He also oversaw the building and
opening of a 300,000-square-foot,
201-room hotel and convention
center that includes a spa and
pool. That effort won Isleta Pueblo
a 2008 Hospy Award for best bou
tique hotel and hotel lobby.
"During his interim here, he
impressed the council," says Isleta
Pueblo Gov. Robert Benavides. "His
job performance here was really
good. You can't find a smarter man
or a more honest person. I hated to
see him go."
So why did Ferguson leave for
Spirit Mountain?
"I'm always hungry," Ferguson
says. "I always challenge myself
with different goals and always
look for new opportunities. Once
you do so much for so long and it
comes to an end, you're like, 'OK,
I'm kind of bored.' "
Ferguson says he was attracted
to Spirit Mountain because he had
previously visited the casino while
checking out the childcare facility
for Isleta Pueblo.
Ferguson also likes that Spirit
Mountain is close to the Portland
metro area, with a population of
about 2 million, as opposed to only
about 800,000 residents in and
around Albuquerque.
"This is like a gold mine," Fergu
son says, "but never really hns had
the opportunity to push the limit
with more amenities, which is pnrt
of what I discussed with the Hoard,
that if we further enhance (the
property) we can further capitalize
on the market."
That is where a spa, pool and golf
course come into picture.
Ferguson said the casino is trying
to acquire property for an 18-hole
golf course and other amenities to
lure conventioneers and attract n
younger clientele.
"Uy adding a spa and a pool, you
have other draws to get people in
the door," he says.
In addition, Ferguson likes the
idea of installing a sports bar and
nightclub to attract younger gam
ers to Spirit Mountain.
"Many gamers around the county
are in their mid-40s," he says. "We
can capture more of those folks
and have another revenue source
coming in the door than we do cur
rently." He also supports the new Spirit
Mountain Casino sign built along
Highway 18.
"It's to capture drivers," he says.
"About 7 million individuals drive by
Spirit Mountain every year. If you can
give a message and have images on
the screen that can tell those riders
what is going on inside, the likelihood
of them coming here is enhanced.
With the graphics and technology
today, we feel that sign will help drive
those people in here and stop them
from going to the coast."
Ferguson says he also favors
serving alcohol on the casino floor,
which will add value to visiting
Spirit Mountain.
"It has to be something that is
done right," Ferguson says. "One
thing I told the team was that we
will not roll it out until we're pre
pared. Servers will be re-trained to
make sure they understand what to
look for and how to properly serve.
All employees will get an overview
in terms of service training that
the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control
Commission) provides.
"If we can't ensure the safety of
the guests, we won't do it. ... I've
worked at places that have served
alcohol on the floor and it has been
done responsibly."
Considering his previously peri
patetic lifestyle, Ferguson says
he plans on remaining at Spirit
Mountain.
"I always keep my options open,"
he says. "I like a stable company. I
like a company that treats its em
ployees well. And so far they have
treated me extremely well here.
And the older you get, the more you
don't want to move."
Ultimately, another possible
move might not be his decision.
"My wife doesn't want to move
either," he snys.