Vol. 3, No. 12, December 2007
RSS Feeds
Battle Born
Las Vegas experience propelled Townsend to A.C. success
Maybe it’s both.
Kim Townsend, Pinnacle Atlantic City’s CEO and a Las Vegas gaming veteran, owns nearly a dozen decorations. They have occurred in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, the Midwest and the South. Each signified months, or years, of perpetual labor.
Townsend became so proficient that Pinnacle awarded her both ends of its massive Atlantic City development—implosion and reconstruction. The process began late last year and won’t conclude until a multi-billion dollar, state-of-the-art casino inhabits mid-town Atlantic City in 2011.
Pinnacle selected Townsend, who spent 16 years in Las Vegas, to direct the mother of all pre-openings.
“Some people have said that only a lunatic could enjoy this,” Townsend says with a smile. “Maybe I should have listened to that advice. Some people say “Kim, just make a DVD and give it to people, so you can stop doing this over and over again.’ Most of the stuff is embedded in your mind anyway and regardless of the size, the process is the same, but I keep doing these openings.
“I guess I did not realize how much I loved this. You would like to think the best part of it is wearing jeans to work and not getting dressed up,” she adds, laughing, “but there really is a fascination with the coordination of efforts. It happens from a construction standpoint, from a legal one and from a regulatory standpoint. You are also molding that in part with the entire branding process and watching it, hopefully, come out right. It’s wonderful to experience all the different things that happen during a pre-opening phase.”
In Las Vegas, Towsend helped spearhead the opening of the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Venetian. In Atlantic City, she directs a marathon. It encompassed the first-ever implosion of a local casino, the Sands. The process includes demolition of nearby properties owned by Pinnacle, and the process of rebuilding.
It’s a multi-layered process—permits, lobbying, zoning, architectural and construction elements, all of which run in symmetry. Between 200 and 300 people will contribute to the effort, which Townsend keeps moving in one direction.
Townsend compares Atlantic City’s rebirth with the Vegas renaissance she experienced between 1991 and 2006.
“Not a day goes by here when I don’t think about that great period,” Townsend says. “Atlantic City is going through now what Las Vegas did. If you took a snapshot from the
Strip in 1987, you would see it was falling apart, it was not even safe to walk down. You had chain-link fences up and down the empty land. If people wanted to go from Desert Inn to Caesars Palace, they often took a cab, they were afraid to walk.
“The Mirage played into the entire concept of what the Strip wanted to be. It gave everybody the vote of confidence that they too could do this. Not only did it start a wave of change with the buildings, but people weren’t building casinos anymore. They were building resorts. They were building the hospitably industry. Your whole vocabulary changed. The environment changed out there.”
It was a marvel. Luxor, Excalibur and New York-New York cornered one area. The Venetian replaced the Sands. Treasure Island cropped up, and, with the Mirage, helped fill in the center of the Strip. Bridges, elevators, walkways and a monorail system addressed expansion’s inherent congestion. Mammoth growth continues for a city enjoying boom time.
“When I close my eyes, it feels like it happened overnight,” Townsend says. “But it really did take a long time. People in different industries worked together. Roadways were developed, housing was built and you have a wonderful airport. “Voila”, here’s the new Las Vegas. I can remember a time when entertainers would up in Vegas at the end of their run. Now it’s the place they all want to work.”
Townsend experienced a whirlwind of Vegas change. The education became invaluable.
“I was blessed with the opportunity of going to Las Vegas in its launch of a heyday,” Townsend indicates. “My tools in Atlantic City, in whatever capacity, have been with what I have learned in Las Vegas. One thing I discovered is that you treat your staff like you would your customers.
“If your mantra is to be all that you can in a hospitality business, why would you exclude employees? Perhaps that means putting a concierge in the back of the house, or making sure our uniforms are crisp, so our employees are proud to wear them. Consider the look of a name badge, or the services you are providing. Every time something is on the table about an employee, treat that person the same way you would a guest.”
Specific Contributions
Townsend’s drive forged her reputation for reliability. Two significant initiatives bore her signature. One involved centralizing guest information. Townsend launched a program with Mirage that linked customer play to sister properties at Treasure Island and Golden Nugget.
“At that point, in 1992, it was a pretty cool thing to do,” Townsend says. “You could look up a customer’s play and isolate the activity, say at Treasure Island, or you could aggregate it. You could extend the appropriate comps and offers to see the total worth of a customer.”
Where Are They Now? RSS 2.0 Feed
Where Are They Now? Podcast Feed
