After months of searching, Pechanga Resort and Casino has a new General Manager, Craig Clark. With the support of the Pechanga Development Corporation, Craig intends to hold leadership and Team Members to high standards of respect, integrity and accountability.
Only a handful of individuals can boast of leadership positions at a property comparable to Pechanga. Craig Clark brings 14 years of experience from Turning Stone Resort and Casino. Turning Stone recently celebrated 16 years of operation and is currently one of the top 5 tourist destinations in the state of New York. After a brief stint as the internal auditing manager for the Oneida Indian Gaming Commission, he spent 6 years as Turning Stone’s Director of Finance. Craig’s professional career culminates with spending the last 8 years as the General Manager at Turning Stone.
Among his first impressions of Pechanga, Craig states, “This is an amazing property with lots of opportunity, clearly unmatched by any of our competitors. We need to get Team Members aware of how valuable they are to our success. This will result in guest satisfaction and continued loyalty to Pechanga, for Team Members and guests alike.” Through improved communication and cooperation, the new General Manager plans to leverage his considerable experience and leadership skills to promote a culture of passion, pride, and professionalism.
Q: What words best describe you?
A: Business leader
Q: What’s your biggest challenge?
A: The challenge is coming into an organization like Pechanga, where leadership has experienced fantastic growth and success in the previous economy, and I hope to improve internal processes.
Q: What sparked your interest in casino resort leadership?
A: There’s an energy and excitement in our business. It’s dynamic, always changing, always challenging. I’m drawn to the combination of excitement and the challenge to maximize profitability and success.
Q: What was your first job?
A: Selling bait (1 cent per worm, 2 cents per night crawler) probably doesn’t qualify, so let’s go with working on a dairy farm.
Q: How did you wind up here?
A: I answered an online advertisement for the position, but of course I knew of Pechanga because of its size. I’ve always looked to Pechanga as an excellent resource for information through its web site and especially Native American gaming issues.
Q: What has been the most significant moment in your career?
A: We had 5 championship golf courses at the other property. Once, a Professional Golfing Association event at Binghamton, New York, had to be relocated due to flooding. Through teamwork, we relocated the event in just 12 days to Atunyote (eagle), a Tom Fazio designed golf course on the property. The event exceeded expectations of fans and the event coordinators from the PGA.
Q: If you couldn’t do what you’re doing now, what would you do?
A: Something along the lines of finance, probably associated with the stock market. While the downturn is causing widespread change and challenges, from an economist’s viewpoint, it’s a tremendous period for analysis of business opportunities.
Q: Best childhood memory:
A: My first Major League Baseball game with my family, at Yankee Stadium.
Q: How do you manage stress?
A: I enjoy exercising, going on long bike rides or using a stationary bike.
Q: Who has been your inspiration/mentor?
A: A former Chief Operations Officer at the Oneida Turning Stone Resort and Casino, named Frank Riolo. He provided my introduction to gaming. A gambler at heart, he worked in Vegas for Steve Wynn, the Golden Nugget, among other places.
Q: What makes you happiest?
A: Success and winning.
Q: Tell us something that most people don’t know about you:
A: From the time I was 16 years old, I worked side by side with my dad, as a carpenter. I actually put myself through college working with my dad. As a result, I became very close to him, and remain so today. Hopefully, he gets a chance to visit Pechanga soon.
Q: Best advice you ever received?
A: My parents were always very supportive and encouraging. They always challenged me to pursue any dream or aspiration; they made me believe anything was possible.
Q: What difference would you like to make?
A: I look forward to improving communication and cooperation in all areas of the resort and casino.
Craig looks forward to relocating his family here to the Temecula area. He is also excited about joining the family at Pechanga Resort and Casino.
Q & A with Craig Clark, General Manager
Q & A with Dennis Khanh, VP, Food and Beverage
Dennis Khanh, our new Vice President of Food and Beverage, brings extensive F&B leadership experience to Pechanga. Dennis helped open Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas more than 10 years ago, owned his own business and spent the last 3 years at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, the largest resort casino in the United States. His passion for excellence continues here at Pechanga. The VP’s goal is to make Pechanga “simply the best” dining experience in Southern California, and to spread his enthusiasm and dedication to the rest of the F&B team.
To be successful, Dennis truly believes you must take to heart one of Pechanga’s core values – passion. He wants his team to be successful not only at work, but in everyday life: work, home and family.
Dennis and his wife, Tessa, recently celebrated 35 years of marriage. They have two sons, Nicholas, age 29, a CPA for KPMG International, and Jonathan, age 26, who works at the Wynn, Las Vegas in hotel operations.
Q: What words best describes you?
A: Friendly.
Q: What’s your biggest challenge?
A: Learning to balance work life and family life.
Q: What sparked your interest in Food & Beverage?
A: It started in college while I was a food server. I loved the creative aspect and the opportunity to serve new things, meet and interact with lots of people.
Q: What was your first job?
A: I was a gas station attendant back when that meant checking the oil, tire pressure, radiator water level and cleaning the windshield for every customer.
Q: How did you wind up here?
A: Foxwoods in Connecticut is nice, but a very cold place. I really enjoy the warmer climate, the openness and diversity in California. More importantly, my family is here on the West coast.
Q: What has been the most significant moment in your career?
A: I was serving guests at a table at the Mark Hopkins Hotel/San Francisco, when a director of F & B passed by me without saying a word. I thought to myself that if I ever have the opportunity to lead, I will always ask for input and feedback from the front line – those who are the closest to the customer. I realized that you need to care in F & B. Our department requires passion.
Q: If you couldn’t do what you’re doing now, what would you do?
A: I would love a job on a golf course.
Q: Best Childhood memory:
A: Having dinner with just my grandfather, a wine connoisseur, and my father, who doesn’t drink alcohol. I had my first glass of wine with just the three of us when I was ten.
Q: Favorite Quote:
A: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the number of moments that take your breath away.”
Q: Favorite Book:
A: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It’s about values that children learn from wealthy parents vs. from not so well-to-do families.
Q: How do you manage stress?
A: What stress? Stress is something we create for ourselves. Every situation has a solution. Take control, solve the challenge. I see stress as fuel that gets you going faster; it helps you become efficient. Don’t let it control you, or it will destroy you.
Q: Who has been your inspiration/mentor?
A: Peter Kleiser, regional VP of the western division, Hilton. Although he’s retired, we still keep in touch. He taught me how to focus in dealing with people and situations. He was very hyper at work. Now he’s a painter!
Q: What makes you happiest?
A: Personally – seeing both of my sons succeed in life. Professionally – I enjoy promoting people from within; developing leaders.
Q: Tell us something that most people don’t know about you:
A: I was ranked as one of the top 3 tennis players in Northern California. Back then, tennis didn’t pay that well and the physical toll on the body was not appealing. So, I decided to pursue a career.
Q: Best advice you ever received?
A: Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Q: What excites you about Pechanga?
A: The friendliness of the Team Members. You can’t teach that to a team. To cook and serve others requires special people. Friendly, outgoing people are hard to find, yet they’re here in every department, better than most organizations.
Pechangas Newest Recipients of Team Member Family Scholarships
Michael Randazzo, a former Valet Team Member from 2006 to 2007, has become Pechanga’s latest recipient of the $1,000 scholarship award. Michael is the son of Ron Randazzo, Director of Risk Management. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to ten students who are sons or daughters of current Team Members. To be eligible, students may be entering college, or already enrolled. Michael is currently in his fourth year at the University of California, San Diego, majoring in bio-chemistry. He intends to use the scholarship money to help pay for tuition as a graduate student, “After UCSD, I will attend medical school, where I can study to become a surgeon.”
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