Grand Opening Interviews for Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg, Michigan
Today's Host: John Bentley
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Turtle Creek Grand Opening Expert PageANNOUNCER: Welcome to the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino's Radio Spotlight brought to you by Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino's. Visit them on the web at www.turtlecreekcasino.com. Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino's - always a good time! We now join host, John Bentley, with this year's introductory of the grand opening of the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino.
JOHN: This is John Bentley, at the new Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino Grand Opening. We're here with Shawn Carlson. Welcome to the program, Shawn. Can you tell us what your title is here, and what you're up to here at the casino.
SHAWN: Sure John. I'm the Director of Marketing here at the casino. Obviously, we're responsible for all the entertainment and promotions and advertising and everything that comes along with it. A lot of the content pieces and everything that were developed here for the new Turtle Creek Casino.
JOHN: Well this is quite a stunning facility. How long did it take for you to get all this together to present this to the public?
SHAWN: You know, this projects been going on for a little over 2 - 2 1/2 years roughly. From the conceptual stages all the way right through to the actual breaking of the ground in October of 06 so it's quite the undertaking. We've had over about 1000 different contractors have worked on this project. We really made a big concentration of about 80% of the work that was done was by Michigan workers, and we really feel that that's really important and several of the local community was really involved, and we really feel that's really important to us to put the money back in the community and support the community not only by that and then by employing people and moving forward as we kind of go through our operation and open our doors.
JOHN: Well this is an area that can use the jobs, that's for sure. Now you also have implemented some green things to this building. Are you pushing that as a marketing director also?
SHAWN: You know, we're really proud of that. We actually are probably, from what I understand, and I haven't done all the research yet, but my understanding is we're the only casino in the United States that has a green roof, you know, system which is very cool. We actually have in the very front entry way of this building is some champion trees. We have champion maples. I don't know if you know what that means, but we introduced old growth genetics back into the area and so we are really proud of those trees and as the tribe moves forward and everything else, we're going to continue to re-introduce that kind of genetic lines back into the area that's kind of been lost.
JOHN: Well I want to thank you for taking a moment out of your busy schedule to talk to with us on VTalk Radio, Shawn. Shawn Carlson, Director of Marketing, here at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. Thanks for joining us today.
SHAWN: You're welcome. Thanks, John.
JOHN: This is John Bentley. We are here at the Grand Opening of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Williamsburg, and I have Rich Bailey here. Rich thank you for joining us. Can you tell us what your title is here and what you're up to.
RICH: Yes, sir. I'm the VP of Operations. Thanks for joining us on our Grand Opening. I'm kind of responsible for the layout of the gaming floor, all of the in house operations, the restaurant activities. We oversee all of that portion.
JOHN: Well, Rich, this is a pretty expansive building and very beautiful on the inside. You guys put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?
RICH: We did. Actually our guests are telling us they absolutely love the property. They love the energy level, the multiple levels of entertainment. It certainly is a business property. High energy. It doesn't necessarily wear you out. You can spend a long time in the property and that's one of the pieces we're most proud of.
JOHN: Now you have a number of restaurant facilities and different aspects of this that are really easily visible. How many different facilities do you have here?
RICH: In this facility we have 3 restaurants. We have the Deli, The Seasons Buffet, and the Bourbon's B72 Restaurant. All of them are located on the main gaming floor. We have a total of six bars, one including the Eleven Three Lounge. Part of our process and our focus was putting all of the amenities as close to the gaming floor as possible to make it easier on our guests to walk around the facility.
JOHN: Well, Rich, how long have you been with the casino?
RICH: I've been with the Grand Traverse Band and the Turtle Creek property for almost 12 years now.
JOHN: Well we really appreciate you joining us today and taking a little bit of time out of your busy schedule.
RICH: Thank you. Thank you for joining us.
JOHN: We've been with Rich Bailey, and we are here at the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Williamsburg. This is John Bentley signing off.
ANNOUNCER: You're going to feel good tonight at Traverse City's new place to play. Introducing the all new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. You'll always find the hottest slots and heart pounding table games straight out of Vegas. And our new expansive casino has more of the games you love like the ultimate excitement of our new poker room. Let the good times roll at Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. You can stay and play at our new hotel that gives you easy access to all the action like at the Level 3 Lounge where the night life never stops. It's all new and always exciting. From Traverse City it's an easy drive east on M-72. Call (800) 922-2WIN or go to www.turtlecreekcasino.com. Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel always a good time. Must be 18 or older to enter. Owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians.
JOHN: This is John Bentley. We are here with Randy DeBoer. Randy what is your title and what do you do here at the casino?
RANDY: I'm president of Interphase Interiors, and we were the supplier for all of the internal furnishings from the hotel products in the hotel room, beds, dressers, to gift shop racks to all the furnishings in the offices. It was a really exciting project for us.
JOHN: This is a very large project. How many square feet are you talking about here Randy?
RANDY: Boy, I couldn't tell you a number.
JOHN: Yeah.
RANDY: Quite large. This certainly was one of the largest projects we've done up in northern Michigan, and the exciting thing for us is the fact that it encompassed so many different areas that we cover including not only office furnishings, but the hospitality including the hotel rooms and so from that standpoint it was a very broad, very exciting project for us.
JOHN: Yeah, there's everything here. This is a very stunning facility, and they just moved everything from the old casino into the new one here and the hotel included, right?
RANDY: Yeah, well it's hard to imagine. This place is just absolutely fabulous, just fabulous, and I think it's state of the art technology. I mean even if you look at the floors, you know, with the raised floors and the way it moves air through the facility. The floors are all from Haworth which is our number one main supplier for the offices today, and I mean, this is really state of the art. You walk into this place and you really don't have a smell of smoke, you know, it keeps the air moving and it's the latest way that casinos and other facilities in general should be built.
JOHN: And we're standing right beside an extremely beautiful waterfall in the facility also. Were you guys involved with that too?
RANDY: Not with the waterfall.
JOHN: Yeah, ok, alright.
RANDY: But we'll take credit for it.
JOHN: Well sure, why not. How long have you been with Interphase, Randy?
RANDY: I've owned the company for 8 years now. We've been in business for 28 years and most of that time up in Traverse City as well as down through western Michigan.
JOHN: Well I want to thank you for joining us today on VTalk Radio. We are here with Randy DeBoer. He is president of Interphase, and we are here at the new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. Thanks for joining us today, Randy.
RANDY: Thank you.
JOHN: This is John Bentley and we are at the new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. I'm here speaking with Penny Lautner of Penny's Cleaning Service. Why are we talking to Penny Lautner? Well, Penny tell us what you've been up to here at the new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel.
PENNY: Well I had the wonderful opportunity of cleaning 137 hotel rooms plus 40 office spaces. Detailing it all and getting it all ready for this fabulous day.
JOHN: So are you suggesting that the people that installed all of this were messy?
PENNY: No. Now that wasn't fair. They just needed an extra loving care.
JOHN: There you go, and that's where Penny's Cleaning Service comes in handy, huh?
PENNY: You bet.
JOHN: How long have you been in business, Penny?
PENNY: All my life.
JOHN: All my life. Here in the Traverse City area then?
PENNY: Most of it. 56 years in it.
JOHN: And how did you manage to get this particular job?
PENNY: Keely, my boss, went to a floor covering service in town and came in and finished up after they left, and he gave her my name, and I fell into this wonderful opportunity.
JOHN: Well what do you know, it helps to to know somebody.
PENNY: You bet; it does.
JOHN: Well we appreciate you joining us today on VTalk Radio.
PENNY: Thank you.
JOHN: We've been speaking with Penny Lautner of Penny's Cleaning Service.
PENNY: This is John Bentley signing off.
JOHN: This is John Bentley at the grand opening of the new Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Williamsburg. Today we have Wayne Wahr, and what is your title and who do you work for, Wayne?
WAYNE: I'm the sales manager at Morse Moving and Storage. We're a local moving and installation company here in the area. We service northern Michigan.
JOHN: And what have you been up to here at the grand opening of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel?
WAYNE: Well we're to help celebrate the opening of this fabulous facility. We've been lucky enough to do a portion of the work here by doing a lot of the warehousing and installation along with some of the other vendors here to get the hotel specifically set up for clients.
JOHN: This is a big time operation, isn't it?
Wayne: This is. It's a tremendous operation for our community. We're very glad, and we're very lucky that it's here as there is nothing like this in our area. This is wonderful.
JOHN: Now how long has Morse Moving and Storage been in the Traverse City area?
WAYNE: Morse Moving and Storage is a family run company. They've been in business over 50 years. They're all over the state of Michigan. They've been up in northern Michigan for about 12 years now. It merged with a company that was Hannenburg Moving that was here over 50 years so our ties are really strong in the community as well.
JOHN: Certainly. Well we certainly appreciate you joining us today at the Grand Opening of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel.
WAYNE: Thank you.
JOHN: We've been speaking with Wayne Wahr of Morse Moving and Storage. This is John Bentley signing off.
ANNOUNCER: Every town's got a place where friends meet up with friends and folks call you by your name. A place to check your cares and share a laugh, maybe even fill your pockets up. That's what Leelanau Sands is all about. The food is hot, the service is warm, and the games are down right friendly. So just come as you are, we'll save a spot for you. Leelanau Sands Casino.
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