NUTSHELL
5 Questions
Nathan Peak
Practice Leader , President & CEO , HBG Design
HBG Design is a recognized leader in the design and construction of new casinos and renovations across the spectrum . Nathan Peak was recently named the practice leader for the firm , and he explains why the company has been successful in the gaming industry , particularly tribal gaming . He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros from his office in Memphis in July . To hear and view a full version of the interview , visit GGBMagazine . com .
1
GGB : HBG has established a great reputation in the gaming industry over the years . What ’ s it going take to maintain that leadership in your new role ? Nathan Peak : I think we have a different way of thinking . In the new role , I want to have a greater focus on integrated design . And what I mean by that is we really like to work with our clients and our operators to understand what they do best and really make design an extension of the gaming experience . For example , I love to get to know our operators . I love to get to know how the slots work and how they put their games together . I like to work with the food and beverage director , understand what their menus are and how our experience can really enhance the experience of the entire property . So I think of that as an extension to architecture and not just building pretty buildings , but really designing experience around what we do that enhances our clients ’ properties .
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You ’ ve developed some really great properties , one of them being the Oaklawn Racetrack Casino in Hot Springs , Arkansas . It ’ s got such a colorful history , and you made the hotel and casino blend into the track . You treated the history with respect and the final design recognizes that . The Oaklawn casino is a great project . We ’ re very proud of it . Having the hotel right there at that first turn and having rooms look right down the horse track is a pretty amazing experience . There are lots of great themes throughout that space . We used a lot of the different stripes , and decorations that they put on the horses and used that pattern throughout the casino and the guest rooms — I think it ’ s really well done .
A recent job you ’ ve gotten is the Gun Lake project in Michigan , run by Sal Semola . Tell us about that project . Sal is a great person to work with and we do it very collaboratively . And they did something very bold . They approached us with a program that I think is very unique . It ’ s something more of a hybrid where we have a typical hotel that ’ s going to be a four-diamond hotel that attaches to their existing gaming floor . But the unique thing about that project is what they ’ re calling the Aquadome , an enclosed atrium space that houses several pools that can also turn into a nightclub or a concert venue in the evening . So it has dual purposes , but having that right in the middle of a cold Michigan winter . It ’ s going to be something great for their customers every year , year-round .
Let ’ s talk about the design and construction industry post-pandemic . My contacts in the architectural and construction field told me things were going great getting back to normal — actually even better than normal . But with the supply chain issues and rising interest rates , what ’ s the reality right now ? The reality is that it ’ s always been challenging post-pandemic . But a really great thing for the industry of design and construction is that it ’ s really brought design and construction closer together . Design and construction used to be two different silos where we would design something and then have a contractor help us out . But now it ’ s really about working from the end forward . I ’ m on daily calls with contractors and subcontractors to find how to make things work . We have to commit to promises for our clients , and working with contractors and design-assist contractors helps us find ways to make things happen .
5
Following the pandemic , most took slot machines out for social distancing . Today , there are many more carousels rather than long lines of slot machines . How do you work with your clients when you consider a renovation of the casino floor ? To my point I made earlier , I really like to work with all departments , and I get a lot of information back when I talk with the slot directors . To me , they want to energize the gaming floor . We ’ ve worked with a lot of operators , and a lot of them have reduced their quantities of machines . For example , we work with the Four Winds group in Michigan , the Pokagon Band , and they ’ ve actually done a pretty significant reduction , but they ’ ve also seen higher play , a higher win or a higher coin-in for most of the machines just by reducing it . So I think it ’ s a balance that each property needs to find on its own .
“ They Said It ”
“ I don ’ t know one constituent who wants a casino .”
— Brad Hoylman , New York state senator who represents parts of Manhattan where developers want to locate a casino
CALENDAR
September 6-9 : 13th European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues , Thon Ullevaal Stadion Hotel , Oslo , Norway . Produced by the European Association for the Study of Gambling . For more information , visit easg2022 . org .
September 20-22 : SBC Summit Barcelona , Fira Barcelona Montjuïc , Barcelona , Spain . Produced by SBC . For more information , visit SBCEvents . com .
September 21-23 : East Coast Gaming Congress and NexGen Gaming Forum , Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City , New Jersey . Produced by Spectrum Gaming and Cooper Levenson . For more information , visit eastcoastgamingcongress . com .
October 10-13 : Global Gaming Expo ( G2E ) 2022 , Venetian Expo Center , Las Vegas , Nevada . Produced by Reed Exhibitions and the American Gaming Association . For more information , visit GlobalGaming- Expo . com .
October 16-20 : World Lottery Summit 2022 , Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . Produced by the World Lottery Association . For more information , visit WorldLotterySummit . org .
November 1-3 : SBC Summit Latinoamerica 2022 , Seminole Hard Rock Casino Hotel , Hollywood , Florida . Produced by SBC Events . For more information , visit SBCEvents . com .
November 2-3 : The Scandinavian Gaming Show , Copenhagen , Denmark . Produced by Eventus International . For more information , visit eventusinternational . com / sgs .
December 5-7 : Global Symposium on Racing , Loews Ventana Canyon Resort , Tucson , Arizona . Produced by the Race Track Industry Program , University of Arizona . For more information , visit rtip . arizona . edu / symposium .
February 7-9 : ICE London , ExCeL , London , U . K . Produced by Clarion Gaming . For more information , visit ICELondon . UK . com .
February 28-March 1 : Casino & Esports Conference , Alexis Park Hotel , Las Vegas . Produced by Gameacon Events . For more information , visit casinoesportconf . com .
8 Global Gaming Business SEPTEMBER 2022