Topeka Capital-Journal, The: Gambling for trusted customers

BEST WAIT STAFF, BEST BUSINESS TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY and BEST CASINO

HARRAH'S CASINO

Address: 12305 150th Road, Mayetta

Owner: Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Senior vice president and general manager: Patrick Browne

Hours: 24/7

Telephone: (785) 966-7777

Specialty: Casino and hotel

Recent changes: In the middle of a massive expansion project

Anticipated changes: Completion of additional hotel rooms, convention center and steak house

Years in northeast Kansas: 6

Philosophy: Be a good citizen, and honor the trust that employees and customers place in the business.

CHRIS LANDSBERGER/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Harrah's Casino captures not one but three awards in 2004's contest.

By Morgan Chilson

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Harrah's Prairie Band Casino & Hotel took three awards in this year's Best of Topeka. Cathy Byers, external communications manager, talks about why she thinks her organization is a sure bet.

To what do you attribute your wins?

I think as far as the wait staff goes, Harrah's has a philosophy of recruiting good employees who enjoy working for Harrah's. I think that shows in our entire staff. Everybody on staff is outgoing and friendly and likes to be here. I think that also answers why we won in best casino. We are service-oriented, customer-oriented, throughout the casino. As for our philosophy around supporting the community, over the years, we have given to several different charities and we have tried in the past couple of years to target our resources.

What changes have you made to your business during the past year?

I think the big challenge for this past year has been construction, because we have had to reroute our players, and our employees have had to deal with a lot of change from where they park to where their lockers are.

What can customers expect from you in the coming year?

This summer, Aug. 15, everything officially opens. Our grand opening is Sept. 9 --- 196 additional hotel rooms, to bring us close to 300 hotel rooms. We'll have a new steak house (Three Fires); and we have a 12,000-square-foot convention center. The expansion allows us to bring real star power entertainment as well as handle convention and customer parties. We also have an RV park we're finishing up, which offers 67 fully paved, drive-through spaces.

Who is your business targeting?

I don't think of it as targeting a group of people so much as targeting their entertainment dollars. We're competing with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the movie theaters.

Why do you like doing business in northeast Kansas?

I am always surprised at how people will bend over backwards to help.

You find good vendors, you find good people to work with, and the day to day stuff goes on. It's when you're in a crunch and your vendor comes through and says, "Yeah, we can do it."