PLAINS TWP. - Mike Bean has big shoes to fill in running Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Mr. Bean will officially become president and general manager of the casino on Monday, replacing Bobby Soper, who will leave the job of president and CEO of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Friday to become president of Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Monday.
"Bobby has done a tremendous job in the community and he has done an equally tremendous job here," Mr. Bean said, during an interview Wednesday at the casino. "Filling his shoes is clearly something that is a challenge."
Mr. Bean, 47, originally from Norwich, Conn., has been the assistant general manager of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs since May 2010. In his former position, he oversaw slots, table games and racing operations. In his new position, he will lead the Plains Twp. casino, which now employs about 1,700 people and is about to embark on more growth with a $50 million hotel and convention center scheduled to open on the property by the end of 2013.
Mr. Bean expects the hotel will boost tourism, and when they stay longer, they will spend more. He anticipates the convention center will attract a combination of local and out-of-the-area groups. The hotel is expected to create more than 500 jobs, including hotel positions and construction jobs.
Mr. Bean already faces some controversy concerning the hotel construction.
The general contractor, Killian Construction, is based in Missouri. Some local union members recently received letters from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Building and Trades Council asking them to stop going to the casino to protest Mohegan Sun's contracting out-of-state companies for work at the hotel under construction.
Mike Rozitski, president of the Building and Trades Council, would not provide the letter and said it was too premature to talk about it because negotiations between unions and Mohegan Sun are ongoing.
Mr. Bean said the majority of work building the hotel is going to union workers and unions have the opportunity to bid on contracts.
"This facility (the casino) was built by union workers and we are proud it was built by union workers. We have a great relationship with the unions," Mr. Bean said.
While Mohegan Sun in Connecticut recently announced more than 300 layoffs, Mr. Bean does not expect layoffs at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. He doesn't believe New York casinos will impact Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
"Our competitive environment is different than Connecticut's competitive environment. Here, we don't have any substantial change that we foresee," Mr. Bean said. "I believe there is the right number of casinos in Northeastern Pennsylvania right now. I don't believe there is room in the market for more."
Mr. Bean has been with Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs since its opening in 2005 and played a significant role in the development, opening and operation of the property. In his new position, he will report to Mitchell Etess, CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.
Mr. Etess said Mr. Bean was chosen for the position because he "has been an outstanding executive who has been at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs since its opening."
"He is extremely talented and we felt he would do a great job in maintaining the employee culture, the service culture and the attentiveness to the overall guest experience that Bobby has been so successful in implementing," Mr. Etess said Wednesday. "I worked a lot with Mike personally on various company projects over the years and he's great to work with and I know he'll be successful."
Mr. Bean has been living temporarily in the area for the last seven years and traveling back and forth to Connecticut. His wife, Julie and his two children, Matthew and Emma, still live in Connecticut and they are looking for a home here. Unlike Mr. Soper, he is not a member of the Mohegan Tribe.
Prior to joining Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Mr. Bean served in executive positions at Harrah's Casino and Hotel, Harrah's Louisiana Downs and Foxwood Resort Casino in Connecticut. He received a juris doctorate from Vermont Law School and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bryant College in Rhode Island.
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com