Little River Casino Resort (LRCR) and Muskegon Community College (MCC) are proud to announce their partnership of Seven Directions, a new management development program. The two-year program, which begins in January 2021, combines experiential learning onsite at the Resort with academic studies at MCC leading to a related associate degree or certificate.
The Seven Directions program is designed as the next level to the SEVENS program that was previously created at LRCR. The Seven Directions Program allows students to explore pursuing MCC academic certificates and degrees in a number of areas related to operations at LRCR, such as Customer Service Certificate, Business Management, Marketing, Graphic Design, Web Design, and Industrial Maintenance, among others. Successful completion of the program has graduates earning an associate’s degree and ready to advance into management positions. LRCR General Manager, Andrew Gentile says “Many students never consider the gaming industry when attending college because they are unaware of the many opportunities that exist, we are hopeful that this will help us identify future talent for the possible expansion to Muskegon County.”
“The Resort has a culture of increasing the value of our team members. This is one more way we can deliver on that commitment,” Organizational Development Director, Israel Stone says. Additionally, Stone adds, “MCC is the right partner for us based upon the diverse program and degree offerings they offer which align with our business. We are creating a perfect blend of knowledge, experience, tribal and organizational culture that will support our thriving leadership.”
“MCC has many critical employer partnerships to help organizations develop their talent, so we are excited that the Little River Casino Resort is looking to invest in their employees,” explained MCC President Dale K. Nesbary. “We stand ready to help their employees and their organization reach their goals.” Chief of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Larry Romanelli shared, “We are appreciative of the enthusiasm and sincerity in which the college approached this project even going as far as to modify some courses to better suit the needs of the resort and our tribe.”
“We are hopeful that this program will also increase enrollment at Muskegon Community College for individuals that may have an interest in the gaming industry. Additionally, this partnership provides an avenue for current MCC students to potentially complete internships at Little River Casino Resort.”
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians opened Little River Casino in 1999 as a standalone casino until the completion of their resort in 2001. When Little River Casino opened they had 600 slot machines and one dining option. Today, Little River Casino Resort features 292 luxurious hotel rooms, a 95 space RV park, two indoor pools, one outdoor pool, an indoor winter garden, a courtyard with three fire pits, a gift shop boutique, a spa & salon, three restaurants, three bars, a 1600 seat event center, 4 conference rooms, an off-site gas station/c-store, an off-site golf course, roughly 1,350 slot machines, 26 table games featuring various card games, craps and interactive stadium roulette as well as a retail sportsbook. Little River Casino Resort is conveniently located at the corner of M-22 and US-31 in Manistee, MI.
Contact for Muskegon Community College:
Daniel Rinsema-Sybenga
Dean of Academic Affairs
231-777-0569
Daniel.Rinsema-Sybenga@muskegoncc.edu
Seven Directions Contact for Little River Casino Resort:
Israel Stone
Director of Organizational Development
Phone 231-398-3843
israels@lrcr.com