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Taking Care of the Customer

An Interview with James A. Rigot, General Manager, Trump Plaza and

EDITORS’ NOTE James Rigot has there’s no question in my mind that earn benefi ts with the trump one card system been General Manager of Trump we’re in a recession. i’d like to be- and use them at any of the three properties. we Plaza Hotel and Casino since lieve that we’re near the bottom, and have also coordinated our rates and promotional September 2005. Prior to this ap- i’m confi dent that the new measures offers at the three properties. customers who pointment, Rigot served as Vice coming out of washington will have are trump one card members can now enjoy President of Table Games at the a positive impact on the economy, the benefi ts and amenities of each of the trump Hotel Casino & Spa. In ad- although it’s going to take time. it’s atlantic city . dition to his table games leadership important that we understand our im- Atlantic City is much different today positions with Harrah’s properties, mediate and long-term challenges and than it was not so long ago. Is there an un- he opened Trump Plaza as Casino opportunities, and right now we are derstanding in the market of what Atlantic Shift Manager in 1984, and after in survival mode. City offers? service as Vice President of Table Are there areas where you can i think people are becoming more aware. Games for Tropicana Casino and James A. Rigot be proactive to keep occupancy all of the atlantic city operators have recog- Resort, he returned to Trump Plaza up? How have you adjusted the nized that we need to transform ourselves into a as Executive Vice President of Casino Operations way you operate the business? destination resort, much like Las vegas. atlantic from 1994 to 1999. In addition, he has held se- For the longest time, we’ve been mindful of city is now ranked fourth in the as nior management positions at other premier ca- our rate, and we have attempted to maintain our a destination resort. within 350 miles, we have a sino properties, including the Foxwoods Resort rate integrity. we are doing our best to attract population of almost 50 million people who can Casino in Connecticut. patrons to the hotel. an unoccupied room that travel here on a tank of gas. we have things in could net out at least $1 of profi t is a lost op- atlantic city that no one can duplicate. we have PROPERTY BRIEF Towering 39 stories above the portunity. we’re prepared now to forgo margin the beautiful atlantic ocean and four miles of world-famous Boardwalk, Trump Plaza Hotel to get people here. we’re trying to control the exciting boardwalk. a lot of people, especially and Casino (www. trumpplaza.com) in Atlantic things we can. as far as capital spending, we’re in the summertime, think about atlantic city. it City, , delivers a fi rst-class experience. going to hold off for the time being until we has a lot more to offer than just slot machines. The property offers irresistible restaurants, great get more clarity on the future How has the role of gen- entertainment, exhilarating nightlife, a spa, a economic turnaround. our eral manager changed or beach bar, and an extensive casino fl oor. Trump focus is on cash preservation evolved, and do you need Plaza Hotel and Casino is owned and operated and our balance sheet. to be more of a generalist by Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc., a leading The Trump name is today? gaming company that owns and operates two linked with several prop- i do have to be a general- additional properties: Trump Taj Mahal Casino erties. Is there coordi- ist. my job is to get everybody Hotel, also located on the Boardwalk in Atlantic nation between those on the same page, working to- City, and Trump Marina Hotel and Casino, lo- properties? gether to accomplish goals and cated in Atlantic City’s Marina District. there is. about three produce positive results. i am years ago, we developed a responsible for the overall stra- How much of an impact has the economic number of business strategies tegic planning and direction of environment had on the business, and how and initiatives. the focus was the property. i consider myself challenging is it to fi nd growth? to improve customer service an optimist, but i’m also a re- From 1978, when the fi rst casino appeared and to further train our em- alist. it is critical to be a good on the scene, we’ve had growth in atlantic city ployees to engage in taking communicator, especially in year over year with the exception of 2007, when care of the customer. another these times, because within the the challenges began. but it wasn’t all economy initiative was to upgrade the employee population, there’s a related. atlantic city has competition. recently, properties and our facilities. lot of anxiety. part of my job is pennsylvania, new york, and delaware legal- our fi nal initiative was using to be visible, approachable, and ized slots, which have been atlantic city’s main technology to improve ef- willing to listen to the employ- revenue source as far as it relates to casino fi ciency and the overall cus- ees’ issues. i try my best to con- gaming. in addition, atlantic city is feeling the tomer experience, with the vey pertinent information and impact of the housing slump. we saw a major trump one card system. For project a positive attitude in the decrease because of the september stock crash. instance, prior to this market- hope of alleviating employee consumer confi dence has dwindled, and peo- ing undertaking, customers concerns. employees can’t work ple are concerned. september 2008 is the worst were only rewarded at the enthusiastically in a vacuum.• month on record since the inception of gaming property at which they played: trump plaza, taj in atlantic city. this is the second year we’re mahal, or trump marina. now customers who The Trump Plaza Casino (top, right); The sign that welcomes you to going to realize a decrease since our inception. patronize any of our atlantic city casinos can the Trump experience (above, left) 108 Leaders posted with permission. copyright © 2009 leaders magazine, inc. volume 32, number 1