Fred Buro Casino
Buro has been named general manager of Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pa., parent company MTR Gaming Group Inc. Announced in a first-quarter conference call with gaming analysts. “The Pala Band of Mission Indians and the entire leadership team at Pala Casino Spa & Resort maintain an unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our guests and our employees as we navigate these challenging circumstances together,” said Fred Buro, CEO of Pala Casino Spa & Resort.
e said the termination occurred late Wednesday. Columbia-Sussex announced Buro’s replacement yesterday. 'I was asked to leave,' Buro, the Tropicana’s President and Chief Operating Officer, said yesterday. He declined to go into the specifics, saying only that he was in the process of getting an attorney.
Buro, a casino businessman, will replace former CEO Bill Bembeneck, according to a Pala Casino spokesperson. 6, Buro sent a letter to his Pala employees, in which he introduced himself but also acknowledged what he has observed his first week on the job. “This property is absolutely beautiful,” he stated in the note. Buro is the chief marketing officer for Ft. Mitchell, Ky.-based Columbia Sussex Corp, where he is responsible for the performance of the company's 10 casinos. He has extensive gaming experience and has held top positions at Trump Entertainment Resorts and Penn National Gaming.
Columbia-Sussex, of Fort Mitchell, took over the Tropicana in January. Yesterday, it named Mark Giannantonio president and general manager of the hotel and casino. Giannantonio, most recently its executive vice president of operations, assumed his new position immediately.
People familiar with the situation say Buro complained to his superiors about the extent of the layoffs and deteriorating conditions at the casino. They included filthy bathrooms and hallways, unmade hotel beds, and violations of the health code, according to leaders of UniteHere Local 54 - the union representing 17,000 hospitality and casino workers - which has been monitoring the casino.
'I think Fred Buro is the latest victim of Columbia-Sussex’s takeover of Tropicana,' said Local 54 president Bob McDevitt. 'He’s a gentleman, and I knew in my heart he could not operate under the conditions that Columbia-Sussex was asking him to operate under.'
McDevitt said his union was preparing to oppose Columbia-Sussex’s permanent license application that goes before the state’s gaming commission in January. 'Columbia-Sussex doesn’t operate casino properties,' he said.
Yung said in an interview earlier this year that the massive layoffs at the Tropicana were part of management’s attempt to lower costs and bring the Tropicana’s employment level in line with the other casinos in Atlantic City. New slots competition has cut into Tropicana’s total revenue. It was down 7 percent year-to-date in June 2007 from a year earlier.
'In order to compete in the Atlantic City market, Tropicana cannot solely focus on cost-reduction measures,' said Andrew Zarnett, gambling analyst with Deutsche Bank AG in New York. 'They need to undertake and implement a complimentary program, in addition to enhancing customer service. Without doing that, they will be prone to declining market share.'
Tropicana was recently targeted by the United Auto Workers, which is trying to unionize the city’s 8,000 dealers. The UAW secured an August 25 union vote for its 1,000 dealers from the National Labor Relations Board.
Fred Buro Casino
e said the termination occurred late Wednesday. Columbia-Sussex announced Buro’s replacement yesterday. 'I was asked to leave,' Buro, the Tropicana’s President and Chief Operating Officer, said yesterday. He declined to go into the specifics, saying only that he was in the process of getting an attorney.
Columbia-Sussex, of Fort Mitchell, took over the Tropicana in January. Yesterday, it named Mark Giannantonio president and general manager of the hotel and casino. Giannantonio, most recently its executive vice president of operations, assumed his new position immediately.
People familiar with the situation say Buro complained to his superiors about the extent of the layoffs and deteriorating conditions at the casino. They included filthy bathrooms and hallways, unmade hotel beds, and violations of the health code, according to leaders of UniteHere Local 54 - the union representing 17,000 hospitality and casino workers - which has been monitoring the casino.
'I think Fred Buro is the latest victim of Columbia-Sussex’s takeover of Tropicana,' said Local 54 president Bob McDevitt. 'He’s a gentleman, and I knew in my heart he could not operate under the conditions that Columbia-Sussex was asking him to operate under.'
McDevitt said his union was preparing to oppose Columbia-Sussex’s permanent license application that goes before the state’s gaming commission in January. 'Columbia-Sussex doesn’t operate casino properties,' he said.
Yung said in an interview earlier this year that the massive layoffs at the Tropicana were part of management’s attempt to lower costs and bring the Tropicana’s employment level in line with the other casinos in Atlantic City. New slots competition has cut into Tropicana’s total revenue. It was down 7 percent year-to-date in June 2007 from a year earlier.
'In order to compete in the Atlantic City market, Tropicana cannot solely focus on cost-reduction measures,' said Andrew Zarnett, gambling analyst with Deutsche Bank AG in New York. 'They need to undertake and implement a complimentary program, in addition to enhancing customer service. Without doing that, they will be prone to declining market share.'
Fred Buro Ceo Pala Casino
Fred Buro Pala Casino
Tropicana was recently targeted by the United Auto Workers, which is trying to unionize the city’s 8,000 dealers. The UAW secured an August 25 union vote for its 1,000 dealers from the National Labor Relations Board.