Yesterday, the Minority Outreach and Hiring Plan for the Norfolk Resort and Casino was officially unveiled by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe along with the Pamunkey Indian Tribal Gaming Authority.
The plan is specially designed to guarantee that potential workers and vendors, who are part of groups that are usually disadvantaged, will get equal opportunities while the Norfolk Resort and Casino is developing its workforce in a way that would reflect the Norfolk community’s diversity. As revealed by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the plan will be implemented by the Authority with community recruitment, outreach, training, etc.
Casino officials shared that if the referendum passes in November 2020, the hiring schedule would have some of the open positions filled as early as December.
According to the recently-unveiled plan, the Pamunkey Indian tribe plans to hire 90% of the casino’s workforce from Norfolk. Another goal set by the owners of the casino and resort is to have 50% of the establishment’s employees who originate from minority groups.
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe has revealed that they started to look nationwide for top minority casino and resort executives. One of the members of the Pamunkey Indian Tribal Gaming Authority, Kevin Krigsvol, confirmed that the venue’s workforce will be primarily hired from the local community.
About 4,500 Jobs Set to Be Created by the Norfolk Resort and Casino
The Pamunkey Gaming Authority further shared that its officials have held meetings with some universities and local organizations. The Tribe is also looking to hire contractors and suppliers originating from minority groups for the construction and design of its Norfolk Resort and Casino.
So far, a website aimed specifically at minority-owned businesses has been created, to give them the chance to connect with the development team of the casino and resort project. The project, which does not require to be funded by local taxpayers or does not include any tax breaks for the developer, is set to establish a total of 4,500 jobs in the construction phase and once the project is completed. Apart from that, the casino project is expected to generate fresh revenue of more than $30 million on an annual basis for the city and about $50 million for public schools in the state of Virginia.
At the end of May, the Norfolk City Council had a vote and chose the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to operate the proposed resort and casino that is to be situated in the waterfront area of the city. As CasinoGamesPro reported at the time, the vote took place after the two parties made an agreement in September 2019, as it was part of the required process for the preferred casino operator’s selection under the rules unveiled by the Virginia General Assembly.
Earlier this month, the Pamunkey Tribe revealed that it started a campaign to promote its Norfolk Casino Project to earn the support of the locals. The new campaign is set to highlight all the advantages for Norfolk residents in case they give their approval to the casino and resort project.
