The gaming and entertainment facility has an average staff of 400 to 450, Decker said. Its associates make an average of $10 to $15 an hour, depending upon the position, he said.
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Miami Valley Gaming is a joint venture of two gaming, racing and hospitality leaders: Louisville, Ky.-based Churchill Downs Incorporated and Delaware North Companies. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Churchill Downs, which is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, employs around 4,500 associates. Delaware North, which operates lodging, sporting, gaming and entertainment businesses worldwide, employs approximately 55,000 people.
We asked Decker about the hiring challenges the MVG faces and how it plans to grow in the next five years. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing the company and others in the industry and how is the company uniquely positioned to address that challenge? -
A: “MVG faces various challenges but the biggest is attracting enough qualified employees. A common misconception is you must be 21 to work at MVG, which is not true. Associates must be at least 18 years old to work at MVG and we have many associates who are 18 to 20 years old working in various departments and positions. MVG incurs a lot of the costs associated with new employment. We provide uniforms, pay for licensing fees, and provide on the job training specific to the gaming industry.
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“MVG also offers a great benefits package to attract and retain associates, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance for full-time associates; four weeks of paid time off for full-time associates and 1 week of paid time off for part-time associates, (plus) 1.5-times pay for designated holidays and peak business days.”
Q: Some job seekers are concerned about the limits of advancement within a company. To what degree can your employees advance from entry-level roles to be promoted to greater positions within the company?
A: “We focus on developing our associates and promoting from within. Many departments have developed career paths to give associates an opportunity to grow and advance to the next level. For example, our security officers start as Officer 1s and are able to advance through several levels within the department through on the job training. We have had about 20 player service representatives start on the frontline and have since been promoted to various other positions within the company such as marketing specialists, event specialists, human resources and gaming supervisors. Another way we help advance our associates is through deferred tuition. We will pay for eligible associates to go to college while employed with Miami Valley Gaming.”
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Q: What’s the most prevalent roadblock you encounter when it comes to hiring and what can jobseekers do to remedy that situation?
A: “The biggest roadblock for us as an employer is the need for public transportation to service our area of Warren County. Our associates who don’t have their own transportation currently use companies such as Uber or UTS to get to work. We have recently partnered with LifeSpan on a pilot project to offer our associates a program called Steering for Success. This program aims to help our associates save money towards purchasing a vehicle of their own. Once the associate completes the program we will match that associate up to $1,000 towards the purchase of a vehicle. We also continue to work with area community leaders to try to expand public transportation offering in our area.”
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