Casino leader describes COVID crash course

The Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort was the first casino to reopen nationally.

It wasn't easy.

Laura Penney, the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort chief executive director, her team, the Tribal Council, and community leaders took a hands-on approach to open their doors safely and quickly.

Penney has been the CEO of the casino resort since October 2019. Before she was CEO, Penney wore several hats, including director of marketing, public relations director, and acting director of the casino. Today, she serves as the fourth CEO of the casino resort and the first woman to hold the title.

“It’s been challenging as a business. Perseverance was needed. Honing in on what’s important and understanding our value system was everything,” Penney said during Tuesday's Post Falls Chamber of Commerce Connect 4 Luncheon.

Penney — formerly Stensgar — had worked at the casino resort since its inception 27 years ago. After applying for the position multiple times, receiving her master’s degree from the University of Idaho, and countless hours of dedication, she finally achieved her goal to become CEO. Since starting with the company, Penney became directly involved with bringing gaming attractions to the casino resort.

“It’s gone by fast, and it’s been amazing to watch. There is a lot that opening a business entails as well,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know that story, and it’s important that we share it with you. How we got into gaming, what it means, and what we are doing with it today.”

Before COVID-19, the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort reported strong numbers even when heading to the slow season around the holidays, Penney said. She entered the five-month pre-COVID period with goals for developing her team, producing significant dollars, contributing to the community, and providing for the next generations.

“We were doing great, then boom, March came,” Penney said. “It hit us all like a freight train. We didn’t know it was coming.”

Immediately, Penney said she was concerned about customers, employees and the community at large.

“I spoke with our Tribal Council. As a leader I thought that it was important we addressed this,” she said. “I thought it was important that we closed, for our employees, our customers and the community.”

It was a difficult decision. Besides a few one-day closures, the casino resort had never closed its doors in 27 years.

“I knew what it meant. I knew it was a halt to our revenue, but it was so important,” she said.

The Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort closed its doors a week before the state-mandated quarantine. Seeing an empty parking lot, bare casino, and vacant hotel was devastating for Penney and her team. As soon as they closed, Penney knew they needed to reopen.

Immediately she began working with the Tribal Council, looking at data from Panhandle Health District, Spokane Health District, and their local Marimn Health Center to create a COVID taskforce.

“Our highest priority was how can we be safe for our customers, safe for our employees, and safe for our community,” Penney said.

By looking at the Opening America document, CDC guidelines, and a form from the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, the task force created a plan to reopen the casino resort on April 27. Decision-makers established strict protocols for mask-wearing, social distancing, deep cleaning, limiting entrances, capacity on machines and temperature checks.

“We didn’t realize that we were the very first casino to open our doors. Someone asked me if that was our priority,” Penney said. “No, it wasn’t. It was essential that we open our doors because there are people's livelihoods at stake — their jobs, and our community needs assistance.”

In addition to safety protocols, the facility paid its employees and kept their benefits during the five-week closure. They're still adjusting as a business. Their seafood buffet is closed and will remain closed, and off-track betting is gone. Their numbers are down but still strong, Penney said. Despite the challenges, Penney is hopeful for the future and is optimistic they will continue to provide for their tribal members and community.

“We’re all striving for some normalcy, and we’re hoping that it will be a better tomorrow,” she said. “I truly believe there will be. If we all keep our hands on and help each other, we’ll get through it.”