‘Native son’ returns to Atlantic City

Don Marrandino didn’t look back when he left Harrah’s Atlantic City in 1989 to join the Rio in Las Vegas, where he was responsible for setting up the nightclub scene in that seminal property. And when he moved on to Station Casinos to take charge of one of its properties and later one of its divisions, it seemed that his past was a distant memory. And later, when he was COO of the Hard Rock Hotel and then president of the under-construction Wynn Las Vegas for a short time, Marrandino’s pedigree seemed to be built for the desert. But he really started to shine when taking several down-and-out properties and reviving them into hip (at least semi-hip) mid-Strip properties, leading the Flamingo, Harrah’s Las Vegas, O’Shea’s, the Imperial Palace and Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall into the 21st century.

But Marrandino’s Las Vegas days are over. Last month, he was named president of Harrah’s eastern division, which includes the company’s all-important Atlantic City casinos and its Chester racino, following the announcement of the retirement of Carlos Tolosa, who had been with the company since its days as the Holiday Inns.

Marrandino was born in Atlantic City and grew up in Brigantine. His family still calls the island home and Marrandino admits he always had “sand in my shoes”—but not desert sand.

The shakeup brings Rick Mazer, a longtime Harrah’s executive, to Las Vegas to take Marrandino’s former position. Dan Nita, previously in charge of Harrah’s AC properties, will assume Mazer’s old job as general manager of Harrah’s Hammond in northern Indiana, and will presumably also oversee the company’s Midwest riverboats in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.

 Tolosa will stay on until the end of the year, assisting Marrandino with the transition and working with Harrah’s Chairman Gary Loveman on “strategic initiatives.”

Known for his unique feel for entertainment, Marrandino was doubted last year when he brought in Donny and Marie Osmond to headline at the Flamingo, a move that has paid huge dividends for the property.

Loveman announced the changes in an email to employees and executives in which he called Marrandino an “engaging and creative leader.”

“Don is probably most well-known for his innovative entertainment strategies, but he is more than Mr. Entertainment,” Loveman wrote in the email. “Throughout his career, he has shown an unwavering dedication to service and a knack for cultivating innovation.”