Downstream Casino Resort
Executive Team Summary
JohnCirrincione, General Manager – Cirrincionehas 22 years of casino resort experience, most recently serving as general manager of Gila River Gaming Enterprises, Inc. in Chandler, Arizona.Prior positions include serving as a member of the initial start-up team for Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, as a casino manager from January 2003 through July 2004, and as director of operations for the Sands Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada. Additionally, Cirrincione was employed by Mystic Lake Hotel Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota, as director of table games operations, and as assistant director of table games for the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada. He graduated with a BSin communications from the State University of New York College at Fredonia in 1984, and became certified in gaming management at the University of Nevada in 1994.
AnnKennedy, Chief Financial Officer – Kennedy brings more than 12 years of gaming resort experience, including three successful property openings. She began her career in the gaming industry in 1996, when she joined the opening team of Casino Niagara, where she became the manager of finance at the largest commercial casino in Canada, a property with 3,000 slot machines and 90 table games that generates over $490 million of gaming revenue annually.In 2002, Kennedyjoined the Seneca Gaming Corporation where she became an integral part of the team that opened their first premiere casino in Niagara Falls, NY (with 2,900 slot machines and 70 table games) in less than 100 days.She directed all operational finance departments and initiatives as the casino grew into a full service resort with 4,200 slot machines, 100 table games and a 604-room 4-star hotel.Kennedy was a key member of the management team that opened the Tribe’s second resort facility in Allegany,N.Y.She is a 1995 graduate of NiagaraCollege with a degree in Accounting. She obtained her Accounting Designation (C.G.A.) in 2001 from the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario, Canada.
StevenDrewes, Senior Vice President of Finance – Originally from Northern Minnesota, Drewes has over 10 years experience in finance related to the gaming industry. Most recently he held the position of Sr. Director of Finance at Lumiere Place Casino & Hotels located in St. Louis, Mo. Drewes was part of the executive team that opened the Lumiere property in December 2007. Drewes was responsible for overseeing all of the financial operations of the property. Prior to working with Lumiere, Drewes was the Vice President of Finance for the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Mo. He has also worked as the senior finance person at tribal casinos located in Minnesota and Michigan. Drewes has an accounting degree from the University of Minnesota at Moorhead, and an MBA from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
TimothyBrown, Senior Vice President of Resort Operations – Brown, originally from Michigan, started his gaming career in hotel operations at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, N.J. He later became a hotel manager at Merv Griffin’s Resorts International in Atlantic City, and in 1993 joined the team that opened Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, where he was director of hotel operations overseeing three hotels, 1,400 rooms and suites, and 1,200 employees. Brown later became vice president of resort operations at the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel. He will be responsible for all non-gaming related departments and operations at Downstream.
Chad Mostats, Vice President of Information Technology – Mostats is a specialist in building computer information systems in new casinos. “I’m sort of an I.T. Gypsy, always moving to the next project,” he said. He previously worked for BoydGaming of Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest casino operators. Prior to joining Downstream, Mostats held the same position in opening French Lick Springs Resort and Casino in French Lick, Indiana, where he spent 15 months during the casino’s construction, opening, and initial period of operation. Mostats also worked previously for Trump, Inc., on its Chicagoland casino in Chicago, Illinois. He holds numerous computer certifications, including Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer training in Window NT, Windows 2000 and Active Directory.
TaraGregson, Vice President of Marketing– Originally from Western New York, Gregson has 13 years experience in marketingcommunications. Most recently she held the position of Executive Director of Advertising at Seneca Gaming Corporation, responsible for all internal and external communications for two full-service casino resorts – Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel and Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel – as well as Buffalo Creek Casino, all in New York. Gregson joined the Seneca Gaming Corporation Team just after its first opening in 2003, and was an integralmember in thecorporation's future development and expansion of all properties through 2008. Gregson had a high level of involvement in all three casino floor openings, and two hotel and spa openings.Prior to entering the gaming industry, Gregson worked in the advertising industry in Western New York, managing marketing communications for local, regional and national business-to-business and business-to-consumerclients. Gregson was alsoa key memberin astart-up marketing agency in Buffalo.
MikeTusken, Director of Table Games – Tusken is a native Missourian, and has worked 26 years in the casino business, 12 years as a dealer, 14 years in management. He started at the Lady Luck Casino in 1979 in Las Vegas, where he learned to deal Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, and Mini Bac. He later joined the Las Vegas Hilton where he dealt for 10 years, all games. After stints as a dealer, pit manager and assistant shift manager at other casinos, Tusken joined the Station Casino in Kansas City as a shift manager. He then moved to Native American casinos – including Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he was the Director of Table Games; and Prairie Band Casino & Resortat Mayetta, Kan. He has been on the opening team of four casinos and assisted in the transition to the owners of another casino.
PeggyHouston, Director of Human Resources – Houston has more than 10 years of professional experience in casino human resources and guest relations management. She started her casino career in 1997 with the opening management team for Harrah’s Prairie Band Casino inTopeka, Kan., and was promoted to Director of Human Resources in 1999. She continued her career at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community atPrior Lake, Minn., as the Director of Guest Relations and more recently led the successful transition of Harrah’s Prairie Band Casino to Prairie Band Casino Resort for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas. She has a masters of science in management from FriendsUniversity in Wichita, Kan., and served on the State of Kansas Society for Human Resource Management Board of Directors for two years.
JimmyJohnson, Director of Surveillance – Originally from California, Johnsonstarted his gaming career in the surveillance department at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif. After nine years as the Surveillance Director he left to start his own consulting business, Coastal Surveillance Associates. In 2007 he returned to the gaming industry to help open the Red Earth Casino at Salton City, Calif.
Charles Chrisman, Director of Food and Beverage – Chrisman brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to Downstream, having risen through the ranks from Food and Beverage Director of exclusive private country clubs to Director of Operations of multiple country clubs, managing food and beverage outlets in casino resorts and restaurants in world-class Hawaiian resorts. Downstream is putting a strong emphasis on its restaurant services, and Chrisman looks forward to delivering exciting and unforgettable dining experiences.
RobertMoritz, Director of Slots – Moritz, with roots in Bloomington , Minn., and Long Beach , Calif., has worked in Arizona Indian gaming for almost 20 years. Most recently he was slot director at Vee Quiva Casino in Laveen, Ariz. He also served as slot manager, acting casino manager and casino shift manager at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson.
BillGoodwin, Director of Security – Goodwin has 22 years of law enforcement experience with the City of Joplin, Mo., Police Department. His last position before joining Downstream was Police Captain & Assistant Chief of the Joplin Police. He has held supervisory duties in all aspects of law enforcement including executive level duties as well as commander of the department’s S.W.A.T. unit, covering all areas of critical incident management. He has completed 600 hours of police academy training, and is currently working on a bachelor’s in criminal justice at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.
ErnieCaruthers, Director of Construction – Caruthers has 25 years of experience in construction management and facilities maintenance. After a college football career at the University of Arkansas, Caruthers worked 9 years as a union cement mason finisher and supervisor before going into construction management. He operated his own cabinet and countertop business for 19 years, then joined Capital Homes as superintendent responsible for contractors and all activities on site for single-family and townhome projects.
GaryChristensen, Director of Facilities– Christensen has 31 years of experience in manufacturing and facilities maintenance. He was a production foreman and shift foreman for the B.F.Goodrich tire manufacturer in Miami, Okla., where he worked for over 10 years. He became the director of manufacturing for Rawlins Manufacturing (inner tubes) in Miami, then joined Day and Zimmerman (munitions manufacturing) in Parsons, Kan., where he worked three years as a general foreman then 18 yearsas superintendent of maintenance. Christensen holds an associates degree in electronic engineering technology from NortheastOklahomaA&MCollege, and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Tulsa.
10/15/2018