Jennifer Fleming
CALENDAR
5 QUESTIONS
Jennifer Fleming
Owner, Principal, Interior Designer, Rice Fergus Miller Hospitality Design
At this year’ s Northwest Indian Gaming Conference & Expo staged by the Washington Indian Gaming
Association, one design professional was interviewed by another, as Allison Lampo, vice president of gaming for Encore Hospitality Carpet, caught up with Jennifer Fleming, a distinguished interior designer who is owner and principal of Rice Fergus Miller Hospitality Design. The interview, originally published in Lampo’ s From the Ground Up newsletter, covers the shared vision that exists in gaming and hospitality interior design for tribal properties. Rice Fergus Miller, Inc., a Bremerton-based architecture and interiors firm, is known for its thoughtful work across tribal hospitality, health care and senior living environments.
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GGB / Lampo: Your work spans hospitality, health care and senior living. These are all spaces that hold deep emotional and cultural significance. How do you begin the process of designing for that kind of human connection?
Fleming: We start by listening. The notion there is a one-size-fits-all solution for any project is missing an opportunity to tailor how they work to fit the client or organization. By listening first, we connect to the community we are working with and develop the“ big idea” or story for our projects together. These projects aren’ t about checking boxes— they’ re about honoring identity and building community.
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When you’ re working on a tribal project, how do you ensure the design reflects the community it serves, not just aesthetically but with authenticity? Authenticity comes from relationships. We don’ t show up with a predetermined aesthetic or impose a style— we show up to learn. We spend time listening to stories, understanding the landscape, and meeting with elders, leaders and staff. From there, we begin to design environments that are shaped by those lived experiences and cultural priorities.
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What does a strong partnership between designer and manufacturer look like, especially when you’ re trying to execute a shared vision under tight timelines? The strongest partnerships are built on trust along with shared vision and goals. When we collaborate with manufacturers like Encore, we’ re looking for more than just product— we’ re looking for partners who understand the vision and bring creative, timely solutions to support it. That’ s especially critical on so many of our projects, where timelines are often tied to funding cycles or economic opportunity windows.
4
So many hospitality spaces lean into sameness. How do you and your team keep pushing for originality and meaning in environments that are often under pressure to play it safe? There’ s a difference between designing something familiar and designing something forgettable. Too often, hospitality plays it safe by repeating what’ s already been done— but in doing so, it loses the opportunity to foster real connection. We approach every project— whether it’ s a casino, luxury RV resort or an urban boutique hotel— with the belief that it should reflect the identity of its place and the people behind it. True originality is rooted in authenticity. It comes from listening closely and understanding what matters most to the client— its values, its stories, its land.
5
Looking back on your work with tribal communities, is there a project or partnership that stands out as especially meaningful? 2025 marks 20 years of serving the Jamestown S’ Klallam Tribe under the leadership of Chairman Ron Allen and CEO Jerry Allen. Our work with them was the catalyst to the development of our hospitality market at RFM, and now our work has expanded to include housing and health care as well. The trust and partnership we have is deeply rooted in this journey we have been on as a company to grow our reach and impact with Indigenous communities.
“ They Said It”
“ I’ m not going to argue that iGaming is a great job generator. It’ s a great revenue generator. And I can tell you what it’ s not: it’ s not a job killer. It is not taking jobs out of casinos, it is allowing them to grow together.”
— John Pappas, state advocacy director for iDEA Growth, in a debate regarding online-retail cannibalization at the NCLGS Summer Meeting in Louisville
CALENDAR
August 12-14: Australasian Gaming Expo, ICC Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Produced by the Gaming Technologies Association. For more information, visit austgamingexpo. com.
August 27-28: GAT Expo Mexico, EXPO Santa Fe Convention Center, Mexico City, Mexico. Produced by GAT Events. For more information, visit gatevents. net / cdmx.
September 8-10: Indian Gaming Association Mid-Year Conference & Expo, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake, Minnesota. Produced by the Indian Gaming Association. For more information, visit indiangamingtradeshow. com / mid-year.
September 16-18: SBC Summit 2025, Feira Internacional De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal. Produced by SBC Events. For more information, visit sbcevents. com.
October 6-9: Global Gaming Expo( G2E), The Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada. Produced by RX. For more information, visit globalgamingexpo. com.
October 30-31: European Gaming Congress, InterContinental Warsaw by IHG, Warsaw, Poland. Produced by HIPther. For more information, visit www. hipther. com / events / egc
December 10-13: NCLGS Winter Meeting, Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Produced by Spectrum Gaming Group. For more information, visit nclgs. org.
8 Global Gaming Business AUGUST 2025