As the countdown to the opening of Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels dwindled down to the last hours, there was a buzz of activity throughout the entertainment district.
As the bright lights of slot machines and gaming tables flashed, and final touches were being put on lounges and restaurants, it was obvious that Mac Carheel had helped Pinnacle meet its pledge to have a diverse staff.
“It’s not hard to see, and you’ll see it in every area,” said Carheel, Lumiere Place director of talent sourcing and staffing.
“It’s in our best interest to have a diverse staff. We want all customers to feel comfortable. There is inclusion across the board.”
That includes at the senior management level. Carheel was among a number of black executives who helped Lumiere build its staff and direct major purchases.
Charles Felton Jr., purchasing director for Lumiere Place, donned a black tie last Wednesday night for Lumiere’s VIP reception, but earlier in the day he was in blue jeans and moving briskly.
Felton oversees all purchases and procurement goals for the project and is an example of the opportunity that Lumiere is offering new employees.
Felton worked at a casino in the New York area before moving to entry-level position in 2000 at Belterra Casino Resort and Spa in Indiana. He was promoted to a position at Boomtown in Louisiana and is now in St. Louis.
Carheel had never left Louisiana’s Bossier City property before Pinnacle sent him to Lumiere Place.
“I had never really been in snow until last year (when I moved to St. Louis). But I’m here to stay. I love it,” he said.
Lumiere is also now employer for many longtime black St. Louisans, including Lawrence Stevens, security coordinator.
“This place is fantastic,” he said while leading a tour of the casino and hotels.
“It’s just like in Las Vegas.”
Stevens served as a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer for 21 years before taking a position with the Circuit Attorney’s office and was there 12 years.
He said, “They tried to get me to come to the U.S. Marshall’s office. But I like this, I like the gaming industry.”
Ebony Burnes, human resources representative, and Riesa Raiford, employment relations counselor, are on Carheel’s staff.
But on Wednesday, they were unpacking the posts that would hold velvet ropes for the VIP reception.
“We’re doing what we can to help out,” said Burnes.
Many entry-level workers tell Carheel that they now hold the best job they have ever had.
“For example, let’s take a retail cashier with a high school education, who has now been provided with the opportunity to be a dealer,” he said.
“They have customer service and cash-handling skills and they almost double their salary. Plus, there are great benefits and health insurance.”
Lumiere Place employees are also offered tuition reimbursement, day car assistance and other added benefits for children.
“If you’re looking for a great job, we’re still hiring for the Four Seasons and Hotel Lumiere,” Carheel said.
Employment issues
When both hotels and all operations are open, Lumiere Place will have created more than 1,500 permanent jobs.
There was friction between Pinnacle, the City of St. Louis and the Rosa Parks Minority Inclusion Initiative last summer in regard to creating more jobs for minority construction and craft workers building the entertainment district.
There were several protests at the Lumiere Place work site, but they were suspended after parties received commitments from McCarthy and subcontractors to try to increase minority participation.
A goal of 25 percent minority participation was set, which would have been 200 black workers.
Rosa Parks Initiative spokesperson Eric E. Vickers said, “It took a lot to get (McCarthy) to do more, but ultimately it was hard to put all the blame on Pinnacle. The City didn’t do a good job (of enforcing the 25 percent MBE and 5 percent WBE mayoral mandate).”
As hundreds of orange T-shirt-clad construction workers continued work on the hotels, there were some black workers involved.
Something for everyone
Carheel and company will have hired more than 1,500 people to staff the following components of Lumiere Place when it is complete
? A gaming floor of about 75,000 square feet with 2,000 slot machines, more than 45 table games and a 13-table poker room.
? A 200-room Four Seasons Hotel of St. Louis, which is under construction.
? HoteLumiere, the former Embassy Suites Hotel, which is undergoing a $16-million renovation.
? The MensRoom male fashion boutique.
? Blush of Lumiere Place, women’s elite fashions.
Lumiere also features several restaurant and nightspots including:
? The Kitchen Buffet and Bistro, a contemporary buffet.
? SleeK – a chic and stylish restaurant featuring premium cuts of beef.
? Burger Bar of Saint Louis, where the all-American burger is styled with French flair.
? Asia, which will offer authentic Asian cuisine.
? The Globar, which is nestled in the heart of the casino gaming floor and offers a panoramic view of the entire gaming area.
? Aqua, a posh piano bar in the middle of the gaming floor
? Peet’s Coffee and Tea
“There really is something for everybody here,” Carheel said, and that includes employment opportunities for minority workers.
“The great thing now is that we talked about all the things we were going to (to insure a diverse staff), and people can see that we’ve done them all and then some,” he said.
“It’s a lively staff, and they are excited.”
Gaming industry going strong
Pinnacle is making a $507 million investment in Downtown through Lumiere Place. Other area gaming sites are also expanding.
Ameristar Casino St. Charles, with revenues of $304 million and 1,899 employees in 2006, will open HOME, a state-of-the-art nightclub on Thursday, December 27. Lixx, a new circle bar on the gaming floor is now open. Ameristar’s current $265 million expansion project also includes a hotel and spa, a conference and meeting center and a 2,300 space garage.
Harrah’s St. Louis Casino & Hotel, with revenues of $314 million and more than 2,100 employees in 2006, opened its Eat Up! buffet on December 19. The $17.2 million Las Vegas style buffet stretches the length of a football field and offers six contemporary areas plus a dessert bar.
The Casino Queen opened its new $92-million gaming facility in East St. Louis in August.
