Truck-driving grandma is ready to deal for new casino
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BRISTOL, Va. — Amy LaPrade said Monday she could do any job Hard Rock International offered but was excited to learn more about becoming a table game dealer.
LaPrade, of Kingsport, will get that opportunity after being offered a dealer’s job Monday during the Florida-based company’s first hiring event for its Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol. The event, which concludes today, attracted hundreds of job seekers Monday to the Delta Hotels Marriott convention center on Linden Drive.
“Currently I drive an 18-wheeler. I miss my grandbabies, and I miss being at home, and I want to see our community grow,” LaPrade said in response to a question about why she wanted to work for Hard Rock. “I like the card games and the board games. … I can do everything here. I can drive the limo, bartend, manage the hotel — I can do everything here but the card games — so I want to learn something new.”
LaPrade has been driving a big rig for three years but said her favorite job before this was driving a cement mixer and pouring concrete.
The first casino in Virginia will be the Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock — a temporary facility in the Bristol Mall. It is expected to have about 22 table games, 875 slot machines, a high-limit area, a sports book, a nonsmoking area, a retail shop and a restaurant and bar.
The company plans to hire about 700 people for the temporary casino, which is expected to open in late spring. They will then shift over to the Hard Rock casino, which is expected to open in 2024.
“This area needs this so much. Our economy needs this so much. People need jobs,” LaPrade said.
Hard Rock took over the convention center Monday with its purple, gold and black balloons and colorful signage around virtually every corner as team members from the corporate offices and many Hard Rock properties busily put candidates through the hiring process. Applicants underwent an introductory session to learn about Hard Rock’s culture, one-on-one interviews and — for those selected — began the process of licensing and starting their background check by the Virginia Lottery, which will oversee casino gaming in Virginia.
Meaghan Ryan, Hard Rock’s corporate vice president of talent, said the global company is searching for specific traits.
“Our primary goal is to provide the best guest service, so we are looking for team members who are able to provide great guest service, have a great attitude, great personality, people who want to have fun,” Ryan said. “Gaming is not for everybody. There are a lot of rules and regulations, but we want to have fun while we’re doing our jobs. So we’re looking for people who can bring that excitement, bring that personality to support our guests.”
Everyone hired during this event will be enrolled in dealer’s school, where they learn the mechanics of gaming. Hiring included entry-level and supervisory positions.
“With table games, you have to know the game. You have to know what you’re looking for. But for dealers, we have a dealer’s school, so we will teach you how to deal every game that we’ll have on the floor,” Ryan said, adding classes are typically six to eight weeks for blackjack and up to 12 weeks for craps and roulette.
Applicants appeared to range in age from their 20s up to 50s and 60s. Many were from Bristol and the immediate area, while others came from as far away as Boston and Pittsburgh, company officials said.
“We had about 300 people RSVP. Hiring is a challenge in a lot of our markets, but we’re very happy with the turnout we’ve had, and hopefully that will continue for the rest of our hiring events,” Ryan said. “Dealers have a lead time because we have to get people trained, so that’s why this is the first one. We’ll have one more large event that we’ll separate by positions, so we’ll do other gaming, marketing, then we’ll do food and beverage a few days after that. That will be in about a month or so.”
The permanent facility is expected to have 1,000 or more employees.
The company employs about 22,000 people in the U.S. and operates more than 250 locations worldwide.
“The Hard Rock brand really resonates in all the markets we’ve been in. From a guest perspective and a team member perspective, people want to work for Hard Rock right now,” Mark DeLeo, vice president of marketing for Hard Rock Bristol, said.
Hard Rock Bristol President Allie Evangelista said the industry is fun, exciting and challenging.
“We’re 24/7, 365, so nights, weekends and holidays are our busiest times. So a lot of people don’t want to work New Year’s Eve, but you’ll never come to a more fun New Year’s Eve party,” Evangelista said. “We have introductory periods and provide as much training as we can so people are prepared for those jobs because, regulatory-wise, it is a lot.”
Last month Forbes magazine named Hard Rock International one of America’s Best Large Employers in the travel and leisure industry, marking the sixth time in the past seven years the Florida-based company received that recognition.
