Smoke Signals 5
NOVEMBER 1,2012
Dogger ttakes over att Spirit Mountain Casino
Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Longtime employe Randy Dugger was appointed general manager of Spirit
Mountain Casino in August.
Tribal government opts for general
manager style of operations, too
Tribal Chairman Reyn Leno announced on Thursday, Oct. 1 1, that
the Tribal government also is adopting a general manager structure,
eliminating the titles of executive officer and director of Development
and director of Operations in the Executive Office.
'The primary objective of this re-organization is to provide a more
effective means of achieving the Tribe's strategic goals," Leno said
in an e-mail sent to Tribal staff.
Mark Johnston, who has been the Tribe's Health Services execu
tive director for more than five years, was named Interim General
Manager and Chris Leno accepted the post of Assistant General
Manager.
"Chris Leno has served the Tribe well in the Executive Officer
position and we are grateful to him for agreeing to stay on with our
management team," Johnston said. 'The Tribal organization and
Tribal Council wants to commend Chris for his efforts on behalf of
the Tribe and thank him for sharing our vision for reorganizing our
management structure."
Under the new structure, Tribal department heads will report
directly to the general manager.
Chairman Reyn Leno said the Tribe will post the general manager's
position while Tribal Council works with Human Resources on an
appropriate job description. H
New general manager-style
of management ushered in
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Almost three years after return
ing to Spirit Mountain Casino as
its chief operations officer, Randy
Dugger was appointed general
manager of the Tribe's main busi
ness enterprise in August.
Dugger succeeds Rodney Fergu
son, who worked for the casino for
almost four years as its chief execu
tive officer before resigning.
"I believe that the title 'general
manager' suggests a more hands
on style than the CEO title, which
suggests a more formal 'corpo
rate' style," Dugger says about the
change in management style at the
casino.
"Spirit Mountain is a large busi
ness ... in fact the largest in Polk
County. We are a Tribal business
enterprise so we retain some of the
characteristics of a small business
in the sense that we are very con
nected to the communities in the
area where we operate and where
our Tribal members and employees
live and raise their families.
"In my mind, the general man
ager title is a better fit to our busi
ness model. It suggests not only
a more hands-on approach, but a
more collaborative, involved and
engaging style."
Dugger, 63, started working
for Spirit Mountain Casino three
months before it opened in October
1995. He started as the Food and
Beverage manager and supervised
the department's rapid growth from
1995 to 1999.
He was promoted to director of
Guest Services, overseeing the
casino's FacilitiesMaintenance
Department and Spirit Mountain
Lodge. In 2004, he served as in
terim Gaming Director.
From 2007 to 2009, Dugger
worked for the Tuolumne Band
of Me-Wuk Indians in California
and returned in October 2009 to
Spirit Mountain Casino as chief
operations officer, the position he
held until being appointed general
manager.
"In every position I've held, I've
had the opportunity to work with
some great people who helped me
learn and grow," he says. "The
Tribe also has been very supportive
in helping me with specific post
graduate studies in the gaming and
nongaming areas to supplement my
work experiences."
Dugger says that a change in title
atop the casino's organizational
chart does not necessarily mean a
new style in leadership.
"In truth," he says, "it's not the
job title . . . it's the person in the job.
When I'm out on the casino floor,
answering questions, giving direc
tions, pushing in chairs and picking
up trash, our guests have no idea
what my job title is and they could
care less. If they want something to
drink, they see that I have a badge,
assume I work here and ask me if
I can get them a cup of coffee or a
cold drink."
Dugger recalls a recent Monday
when an elderly woman asked him
for directions to the Cedar Plank
Buffet.
"I was headed that way so I of
fered to walk her there," he says.
"Along the way, she asked me all
kinds of questions. When we ar
rived at the buffet, she asked my
name and what I did. I told her
that I was the general manager.
She smiled at me and said, 'That
sounds like fun' and she thanked
me for walking her to the buffet.
"I see our employees do these
same things every day and, frankly,
some of them are better at it than
I am. Hopefully, I can continue to
support them and they can con
tinue to do the great work they do
and together we can make this a
better place to work and a better
business."
Dugger says he has short- and
long-term goals to accomplish as
general manager. Immediately,
he says, his main goal is helping
to defeat Measures 82 and 83 on
the Nov. 6 ballot. The two comple
mentary measures would amend
the state Constitution to allow
privately run casinos and also spe
cifically permit one in the Portland
suburb of Wood Village.
"These measures don't just
threaten to impact our revenues,
they threaten local jobs with great
benefits," Dugger says. "The impact
extends to many local businesses
that depend on our employees for
their livelihoods and those that
provide goods and services to the
casino.
"The casino is the primary source
of revenue for the Tribe, so my
top priorities are to sustain and
enhance those revenues. We also
have a number of initiatives under
way to improve how we operate our
business. We are focused on the
work environment, enhancing the
guest experience and finding more
ways to attract people to come and
visit us."
Dugger cites the casino's remod
eled foot outlets and improved
menus as one way Spirit Mountain
is working to keep guest coming
through the doors. In addition, the
casino is using more locally grown
foods according to the season as
part of its "Local and Fresh" ini
tiative. The casino also has added new slot
machines and improved technology
to streamline day-to-day things
like picking up drawing tickets.
Electronic kiosks have been added
to make it easier to participate in
casino promotions and events, as
well as eliminate lines.
Dugger says the casino is revamp
ing its entertainment mix to book
different types of entertainment.
"We will continue to bring in
name entertainment, but we will
mix it up with unique acts that
you might not find outside of Las
Vegas or Atlantic City," he says.
"Our goal is to have quality, but
affordable entertainment. We are
also developing other large-scale
events for next year."
As the national and state econo
mies continue their sluggish, but
consistent recovery from the eco
nomic recession of 2008, Dugger
says the casino will continue to
control its expenses and keep its
margins "in order."
"Business has been up and down,
but we are holding our own," he
says. "What happens and where
we go in 2013 depends on how well
we can continue to manage our
business and what happens with
the economy.
"We are not forecasting a big
improvement in the local or state
economy in 2013, but hopeful that
following the elections in November
that things will begin to improve.
There are so many things we can't
control so we continue to work on
the things we can."
He says the casino is working to
attract more trade shows, convention-type
activities and, during the
summer, more outdoor events that
will include well-known celebrities
making guest appearances. Acts
already booked in 2013 include
comedian Bob Newhart, rock bands
Air Supply and America and an
"America's Got Talent" traveling
show.
Dugger was born in raised in
Washington state and moved to
Oregon to work at Spirit Mountain.
His father's family is originally
from Oregon. His grandfather was
born and raised in the SandyBor
ing area while his mother's family
is Grand Ronde for as far back as
the Tribe has records.
"I think the best answer to how
a general manager style of man
agement works is to say it's about
being present, listening, being
open-minded and collaborative,
supportive and encouraging and
understanding," Dugger says. "How
well it works is a question that the
staff can answer. I've been in the
position for about 10 weeks. Hope
fully over the next 10 months I can
back up my statement with some
results."
Event to celebrate cancer survivors
A Cancer Survivor Celebration and Cancer Awareness luncheon
will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the Elders' Activity
Center. The free event will include lunch, prizes, guest speaker from
the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure organization, informational
materials and recognition of cancer survivors.
RSVP to candi.buswellgrandronde.org if you plan on attending
to ensure adequate seating and food. B