CASINO COMMUNICATIONS
Q &
A
Mark Birtha
President & CEO , Hard Rock Sacramento
It seems like Mark Birtha was always destined to work for Hard Rock International . That company ’ s corporate culture fits Birtha ’ s experience and philosophy toward operations like a glove . His previous experience with companies like Mirage Resorts , Las Vegas Sands , Marriott International , Starwood and Station Casinos was prologue to his hiring to run the Hard Rock property in Northfield , Ohio , just outside Cleveland . He quickly made that racino the most successful property in the state . Birtha then went on to develop Hard Rock Sacramento for the Enterprise Rancheria tribe in California . He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros in June .
GGB : It took many years for the Enterprise Rancheria casino to get approved and built at that location . Why do you think they picked Hard Rock as the casino operator ?
Birtha : It took literally 20-plus years for the tribe to bring this vision to life , and they went through a number of developers . At the end of the day , Northern California is a great marketplace . It ’ s a competitive marketplace . I think the things that really made the Hard Rock decision — a smart decision on both sides — was clearly the power of the brand . It ’ s an international brand that everyone knows and really enjoys , and automatically you think of Hard Rock . You know what kind of experience you ’ re going to have . So that really stands out as a draw for people here in the marketplace .
Did the fact that Hard Rock is owned by another Indian tribe — the Seminoles of Florida — make a difference to the Enterprise Rancheria tribe ?
Yes . It makes it very special . And it makes it very special for me to have the opportunity to be a steward of that relationship and watch it grow and continue to perform and excel . And so it ’ s very fulfilling for me , and very redeeming for the tribe in that sense , in the knowledge that they made a great decision . Now we ’ re coming up on the fourth anniversary this fall , and we ’ ve done a lot of great things in a short time , so that really , really resonates .
Your operation in Sacramento has inspired a tribe in Southern California to sign with Hard Rock as well . Tell us about that .
I just had dinner with the chairman from the Tejon Indian Tribe , Octavio Escobedo . There ’ s a great group of people down there . It ’ s another opportunity for Hard Rock to continue to grow now in Southern California , in the Bakersfield area . That project will hopefully be starting up sometime soon and will really be a game-changer down there . It ’ s another exciting opportunity for a tribe to work with a tribe and for Hard Rock to continue to do what we do best .
The Enterprise tribe actually seems to understand the value of the casino goes far beyond revenue , and allows tribal leaders to plan for the future — as they always say , for seven generations . What have they done to establish that principle for their tribe at this point ?
The Enterprise Rancheria has made a very strong commitment to their people and to the community . I think it stands to say that they ’ ve really raised the bar on that expectation . Clearly the casino is the economic engine . It really sets the foundation for everything that they need to do from an infrastructural perspective , whether it ’ s in investing in their health care , or providing housing , providing jobs and economic development , a tribal development program and training . All of those amenities and tools are out there , including employment for tribal members here at the property . But most importantly , it allows them to begin their business diversification process , and look at additional opportunities to expand the casino to add other ancillary businesses to continue to have their tribal members involved in the business that we ’ re building , whether they ’ re learning it or involved in the management or the operation of it .
As important as the great facility you ’ ve opened in Sacramento is a superior staff that provides excellent customer service . Are there any common threads that go through all the employees that you ’ ve hired ?
One of the key ways is to really hire people for their personality . Clearly having experience is critical , but we can train people for these roles as well . And it doesn ’ t matter whether you ’ re at executive level or you ’ re coming in at an hourly or mid-level management role . And it really sets a very firm foundation for them to continue to build and reinvest in the property , reinvest in themselves , and really share the wealth of all the hard work and the vision . This will provide for at least seven generations . This property will be here and will continue to provide that relief and support and great experiences that will continue to make them successful . So they ’ ve done a great job in laying down that framework , working with the Seminole tribe , and using their experience for decades of how to do these things correctly over time .
What ’ s next for Hard Rock Sacramento ?
We ’ re looking to add more gaming space and programmatic things . We don ’ t have bingo or poker right now . Those are things we ’ re considering for the future . Obviously , if California gets it right one of these days and passes sports betting and online gaming , we ’ ll be adding those amenities to the property . Then there are other things like spas and more meeting space . We ’ ve got 10,000 square feet . I think we need more of that in the future . So there ’ s clearly a lot of opportunity to continue to expand as the demographics continue to increase here and more and more homes are being built in the area , and more people come to the area . The other unique thing about where we are here in Sacramento at this property , there is a 900-acre sports and entertainment zone that exists , and we sit right in the middle .
54 Global Gaming Business AUGUST 2023