Page 5 - BusinessWest March 18, 2024

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As Louie Theros takes the helm at MGM, he senses growing momentum, both at the casino complex and in Springfield’s South End.
(Photo by Jose Figueroa)
learned all aspects of the casino business, and especially what he called the “human-resources side,” a natural byproduct of working in employment law for 25 years before joining the casino giant and then continuing that type of work.
“I’ve told people here during my first few weeks that I’m sort
of a ‘culture person,’” he said. “I’ve been on the human-resources side my entire career, working with a variety of companies, span- ning Fortune 10 corporations to single-person entities, and I’ve learned a lot about the human element. So one of my goals here is to drive culture among employees and between our hourlies and our managers.”
That’s one of many goals he brings with him to MGM Springfield, where he becomes the third president and COO of that facil-
ity. He acknowledged that his predecessors, Mike Mathis and then Kelley, had specific assignments.
Mathis’s was to open the facility — a four- year process that ended in August 2018 — and then put it on solid ground. Kelley was then charged with ramping up, he said, adding that this process was complicated by COVID and then dominated by the introduction of sports gambling.
Generalizing, Theros said his assignment is to build on the foundation that’s been laid and simply try to improve on every aspect of the operation, a long list that includes the gross gambling revenue (GGR) generated at the facil- ity, the entertainment shows at various venues, and the broad impact MGM Springfield has on the surrounding South End area and the region in general.
“When we designed this ... we didn’t design a glass, Vegas- like place; this fits into the community. Corporate-wise, we really felt the vibe
There are already some items on his to-do
list — reactivating the former church that was
home to a Kringle Candle outlet but has been vacant for several years, energizing the hotel’s spa, and adding to the entertainment calendar, for example — but mostly, at this early stage, he’s still watching, learning, getting to know the region, and, overall, setting the bar higher for the casino complex.
“This should be the best that Springfield has to offer — we have the resources to have the best steakhouse, the best Italian restau- rant, the best food court, the best experience for someone who’s looking for something exciting to do on any night of the week,” he said, adding that, in most respects, the casino is already there, and with the others, it’s his job to get it there.
For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Theros about BusinessWest
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MARCH 18, 2024 5
of Springfield, and we really paid a lot of attention to this fitting into the community.”