What initially drew you to the casino and hospitality sector and what have been the most transformative experiences that helped shape your understanding of a well-run operation? 

I first started in hotels from the ground up and became a young GM at 24. After a period of time, a friend of mine was starting his own company and said, ‘why don’t you come work with us? Make a commitment because otherwise you’re just wasting your time.’ I said alright and made a commitment for a year to see how it works. After one year, I decided to go out on my own.

I said, ‘Tony, I have a different way of approaching it. We’re friends and someday you’ll come work for me.’ He did... I started in a room with a rotary phone. Try dialing 50 numbers per day with a rotary phone. There wasn’t any hotel travel index, no computers and I started off with the Yellow Pages. But I also started to develop the techniques I use today that got me close to the client and the right candidate. 

Was there a pivotal moment from your operational days that still influences how you view leadership today? 

It was all about experience, but chemistry took over where the experience left off. That’s what it boiled down to. You put 3-5 qualified candidates in front of someone; they all have similar backgrounds and track records, so it’s about the person who clicks with that individual. I would start to learn the culture of the organization and get to know the individual more personally, as much as you could over the phone at least – but you had to trust your instincts.

Subsequently, I got very deep into references. Everyone provides a reference. I would cross-reference through industry leaders… ‘Do you know this individual? Have you heard of them before?’... to get feedback before I present to a client. I asked about character, ability and personality because, at the bottom line, what really matters at the end is chemistry. 

With Bentley Price Associates celebrating over 50 years working in gaming and hospitality, what first inspired you to establish the firm? 

I went to work for a friend of mine for the first year. I learned the business and developed a technique that, at that time, he didn’t agree with. I stayed the course and continued to develop but, as I moved along, of course the industry started to move along as well. My first break into gaming was in Las Vegas. It was an old boys’ network. You couldn’t get into that town. But there was one individual who was the VP of Human Resources at a major casino property. That gave me the opportunity.

I called him and said, ‘I understand you’re looking for a VP of Operations.’ That was a key position for a major casino, with a pretty good fee as well. So that certainly enticed me to continue to push – and I’ve never looked back.

What practices have allowed Bentley Price Associates to stay relevant across gaming and hospitality over the years? 

I’m very transparent. I don’t hold back and tell it like it is, whether they’d like to hear it or not. I’m not here to talk someone in or out of an opportunity or a client the same way. If it doesn’t make sense to me and if the compensation isn’t enough to attract the right person, I wouldn’t take the search. ‘I understand your balance sheet, but this is what your neighbor’s paying, how am I supposed to recruit them away?’

At one point, I was calling the operator when I found an opening and offered my services. That’s how it basically started but, as things started to move forward, I earned a reputation for delivering the right candidates quickly.

What are the biggest talent gaps or leadership challenges facing casino operators today?

That applies to all levels, whether it’s a President, a slot technician or someone that’s in the kitchen. Covid-19 impacted our industry dramatically, because a lot of people got used to not having to go to work. They still expect to work remotely. Well, how does a bartender work remotely? That’s not going to happen.

You have to be in the trenches alongside your employees. Otherwise, you’re not going to know what’s going on. You can do things remotely, sure, but I won’t know much about you unless we go out and party a little bit, right? 

When new platforms such as LinkedIn arrived, were those able to ease the applicant search process – or were there additional challenges and competition? 

Well, the challenges along the way were when I first started. It took several years before the company put together what they call a hotel travel index, and those indexes never carried casinos, just hotels. For many years, all I did was hotels, and it was extremely difficult because they paid low salaries and balked at paying the fees, so I never made deals. I was always much higher than everyone else and still am. But, as they say, if you want quality you have to pay for it. That’s been the way I’ve dealt with my clients, period.

Until LinkedIn came online, there was no other way to source people other than through the hotel travel index. Like any industry, there’s competition obviously, but my estimation is the majority of them can’t compete. They don’t have the ability for some reason to stay focused, concentrate or make sure that when you’re giving a candidate to a company, you spend the time to vet that individual.

I’m from operations. A lot of these people have never been in a hotel or a casino except to dine, gamble or spend a night. I’ve actually worked in them, and the majority of my team have either worked in the casino or a hotel. I have to imagine that on-hand experience is incredibly valuable, especially compared to people who started a website or started an agency and are just going off of no experience outside of gambling on a slot machine. If you do something long enough, one of two things happen: either you fall on your face or you rise. 

Finally, in the years ahead, which trends will most impact gaming leadership? 

Even if you’re the President of a company or a property in gaming and feel that you’ve learned everything, there’s still a lot to be learned. The one who is in the trenches out there with the executives is going to continue to succeed and advance versus the guy who just operates from the ivory tower. He’s learned so much, he knows so much, he doesn’t need to get out into the trenches anymore. That doesn’t work.

A five-star hotel is developed based on personality. The big achievers in the field are those who develop the executives that are reporting to them and manage to elevate them, while also developing revenue and advancing it without interfering with the quality and consistency they all strive for. Before a guest steps foot on a property, they sometimes know a lot more about the casino or hotel than its general management, because they may not even bother to pay attention to Yelp. It’s the operators really in tune and on top of the day-to-day business that have the most success. They think beyond just two weeks from now, but months or years, because it’s a very competitive space.