Joe Billhimer of Cordish Gaming Group – from Katrina restoration to enjoying the lengthy sport — CDC Gaming

Joe Billhimer—identified to colleagues and associates all through the gaming trade merely as “Joe B”— has constructed a profession with a concentrate on folks and long-term imaginative and prescient.

With a status for humility, resilience and placing folks first, Joe B has fairly a narrative to inform.

As Chief Operating & Development Officer of Cordish Gaming Group, Joe B’s journey has taken him from the on line casino flooring of Atlantic City to main the resurgence of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, MS, after the destruction by hurricane Katrina actually days earlier than opening.

Atlantic City
Growing up in New Jersey, Joe B imagined following his father into actual property, however discovered himself drawn to the vitality of Atlantic City, working as a supplier on the Playboy Casino Hotel and working valet to pay for supplier faculty whereas going to school.

“Working valet and dealing in AC taught me a lot about people. I was fortunate to have Bobby Jones as my craps instructor—he was the best. Those early days gave me a real appreciation for the hard work and camaraderie that make this industry special,” Billhimer stated.

Pioneered the barge idea
His profession rapidly accelerated. In 1992, Joe B turned on line casino supervisor—and later basic supervisor—at Casino Magic in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. The property pioneered the barge on line casino idea, drawing crowds and offering invaluable expertise in improvement.

“We were the first to conceive of a barge concept, and I was lucky to have many mentors. Marlin Torguson had the vision to say, ‘Let’s do something that floats and feels more like a real casino.’ We had lines of 500 to 1,000 guests every day for months, it was unbelievable. Casino Magic gave me a background in development, and I’m grateful for the opportunities and guidance I received.”

He later served as President and COO for Park Place Entertainment/Grand Casinos in Gulfport, Mississippi, main main expansions and studying from trade veterans.

“Park Place Entertainment was the largest gaming company in the world, and being recruited by Tom Brosig and Wally Barr was truly humbling. It was another great experience, and I learned a lot. Moving from a homegrown company to Park Place broadened my perspective in ways I couldn’t have imagined,” Billhimer associated.

Defining check
But it was the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that turned a defining check of management and neighborhood for Joe B.

Just days earlier than the scheduled opening of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, the storm struck as essentially the most damaging and one of many deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States. Landfall for Hurricane Katrina was a number of miles from Biloxi and utterly destroyed the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was this previous August.

“I learned so much about resilience from the people around me. In moments like that, you just put your head down and do what needs to be done. I hope I never see anything as challenging as Katrina again, but it taught me a lot about the strength and character of the Gulf Coast community. The support we received from Hard Rock, Jim Allen, and their team was invaluable. I got to meet Joe Weinberg with Cordish as they were leading the projects with Jim on building out Tampa and Hollywood Hard Rocks.”

The restoration was not nearly rebuilding a on line casino property, it was about restoring hope and supporting colleagues by loss and uncertainty.

“Our first priority was to find our team members. We were lucky, no one died, though many faced personal loss. The way everyone came together was inspiring, and I’ll never forget the gratitude I felt for the support we received,” Billhimer stated.

When Katrina hit, the staff was compelled to evacuate simply days earlier than opening. Joe B recollects the surreal expertise of returning to the Gulf Coast, seeing the devastation, and instantly organising an auxiliary workplace to reconnect with employees.

“We went into crisis mode, not knowing how bad it was. When we made our way back, we were in awe of the damage. Our first priority was always our people,” Billhimer recalled.

The monetary restoration was equally daunting. The staff had secured a complete insurance coverage coverage simply weeks earlier than the storm, not out of cleverness however out of warning.

“We didn’t do that because we were especially smart, we just wanted to avoid getting shut down and running into financial trouble. Sometimes, you get lucky by doing what seems practical at the time,” Billhimer acknowledged.

The 90-year-old pilot
A turning level got here when a 90-year-old pilot’s eyewitness account helped show the injury to the property was structural, enabling the staff to gather insurance coverage proceeds and rebuild.

“It was one of those moments where the community came together in unexpected ways. I’m grateful for everyone who played a part,” Billhimer recounted.

The reopening, two years later, was marked by a particular second:

“A group of our executives, Karl Bulot, Shannon Wall, and Scott King,  kept a room called ‘the attic’ a secret from me. They took memorabilia that had been destroyed and created a space where all of our team members signed the wall with thank you notes. A couple days before reopening, they took me up there—it was really special,” Billhimer remembered.

Historically important
After Hard Rock, Joe B co-founded Foundation Gaming with Jeff Dahl and Greg Guida, managing belongings in Mississippi and executing a profitable sale to Churchill Downs.

He then joined MTR Gaming as Chief Development Officer, serving to develop and construct Scioto Downs Casino in Columbus, Ohio. Joe B ended up serving as the corporate’s president, main the corporate by a merger with Eldorado Resorts after working a course of with Dave Berman and Macquarie.

“Our recommendation to the board was based on the belief that Eldorado offered our shareholders the strongest long-term runway to create value. That confidence came from the exceptional culture and expertise of the Carano family and Tom Reeg. While I haven’t always made perfect decisions, this one stands out as one of the best—and in hindsight, a historically significant one,” Billhimer stated.

An extended-term view
Today, Joe B is without doubt one of the leaders at Cordish Gaming Group, chargeable for a portfolio that features Live! Casinos & Hotels in Maryland, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and PlayLive.com in Pennsylvania. The latest additions—Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana and Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia—replicate Cordish’s dedication to high quality and long-term imaginative and prescient.

“Having worked for private equity and publicly traded companies, I’ve seen a lot of different approaches. What stands out about working for the Cordish family is the ability to take a longer-term view. Of course, we want to be successful and profitable, but there’s a real commitment to building something lasting, and I truly appreciate that,” Billhimer stated.

Developer mindset first
With 4 casinos working and extra on the best way, Joe B is happy with the alternatives created for staff members.

“What I enjoy most is watching the creation of what we’re doing, because we’re always developing and looking at new projects. Seeing the opportunities for our team members and watching them grow has been amazing. Working with the Cordish family, David, Jon, Reed, Blake, and Joe Weinberg has shown me that a developer mindset first makes casino development more impactful, and each project is special in its own way,” Billhimer stated.

Success secrets and techniques
After a profession that spans publicly traded firms, non-public fairness,  and family-operated on line casino companies, Joe B displays on the key to his success.

“I all the time encourage folks to be persistent and never surrender, even when issues get robust. You’re not all the time going to get every part you need, and that’s more durable immediately. I’ve been lucky to have a powerful household, particularly my spouse Terri, who helps me by all of the journey and lengthy hours. I couldn’t do it with out her.

“I’ve also been very lucky, and I don’t think anyone at our level isn’t lucky somewhere along the way. It’s about making the most of the opportunities you’re given and learning from the great people around you. I feel incredibly grateful for those I have worked with and love that I continue to learn new things every day,” Billhimer stated.

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Entries within the Faces of Gaming sequence:

• Joe Billhimer of Cordish Gaming Group – from Katrina restoration to enjoying the lengthy sport (now studying)
• Erica Kosemund, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – The oracle of branding and partnerships
• Bill Miller, CEO American Gaming Association – From a household of attorneys comes a political optimist
• Steve Neely – Casino profession classes constructed on a body of life
• Circa proprietor Derek Stevens – A sports-specific model with a downtown Vegas vibe
• Phil Satre – Chairman of the Boards
• Michael Kaplan – Writing the e-book on benefit gamers, for playing and for all times
• Andrew Cardno — Data Scientist, Dyslexic, Taekwondo Master, Author, Futurist, A Modern Renaissance Man Who Really Should be Dead
• Dr. Katherine Spilde – There’s no place like dwelling
• Mattress Mack – Furniture mogul, advertising genius, sports activities betting champ
• Jeff Connor, proprietor of Lockdogs – A greater mousetrap
• Antonio Perez – An optimistic realist
• Kara Napolitano – Human rights advocate and trafficking professional
• Next Gaming CEO and skill-based slots evangelist Mike Darley
• Dennis Conrad – Executive, founder, creator, speaker, writer, columnist, and innovator
• Adam Wiesberg – A journey from signal salesman to supplier to El Cortez GM
• Gary Ellis – Las Vegas entrepreneur
• Alan Feldman – From Mirage and MGM to accountable gaming professional
• John Acres – the Thomas Edison of gaming
• Alex Alvarado — Vice President, Casino Operations at MGM National Harbor and Casino Aficionado
• Lauren Bates — A profitable VP at Konami and Chair of Global Gaming Women, all earlier than her fortieth birthday
• TJ Tejeda and EZ Baccarat – Reimagining a centuries-old sport
• Chris Andrews — Don’t cry for the bookmaker
• Wes Ehrecke — From gasohol and pork chops to president of the Iowa Gaming Association
• Steve Browne – Casino thinker, grasp gaming teacher and father of a rocket scientist
• Noah Acres – Shaking up the trade one participant file at a time
• Kate Chambers – ICE queen, on line casino exhibition maven and keeper of fairy mud
• Joe Asher — From the newsstand and racetrack to sports-betting icon
• Paul Speirs-Hernandez — Randomness, probability, reward, and luck
• Ainsworth’s Deron Hunsberger — From finance and gross sales to president
• Roger Gros — Chronicler of the gaming trade for 4 many years and counting
• Debi Nutton — Everi board member, gaming trailblazer
• Cache Creek’s Kari Stout-Smith — Dancing backwards in excessive heels
• Andrew Economon — Making downtown Las Vegas cool once more
• Richard Marcus — From the fallacious aspect of the on line casino tables to the appropriate
• Willy Allison — From New Zealand bloke to world game-protection chief
• Tom Jingoli — From gaming enforcement agent to COO of Konami Gaming
• Tino Magnatta — Interviewing the interviewer, 3,000 and counting since COVID
• Deana and Brady Scott — Still speaking store with the homeowners of Raving Consulting
• Kevin Parker — “Putting everything into everything I do”
• Laura Penney — Putting within the Work as CEO of Coeur d’Alene Casino
• Andre Carrier — Paying it ahead
• Jean Scott — The authentic on line casino influencer, nonetheless frugal playing in any case these years
• Anika Howard — From Harrah’s First Interactive Employee to CEO of Wondr Nation
• Anthony Curtis — Gambling Guru, Las Vegas Expert, Customer Advocate with Street Cred
• Mark Wayman — An government recruiter with a model and one thing to say
• Melonie Johnson — From rural Louisiana to resort-casino management
• Brian Christopher — From actor, Uber driver, and cater waiter to fit celeb
• Allan Solomon — From accountant and tax lawyer to pioneering on line casino proprietor
• Kenny Epstein — A Niche from Nostalgia

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Tom Osiecki is a on line casino advisor who writes an occasional column for CDC Gaming referred to as Faces of Gaming, about attention-grabbing and fascinating folks within the gaming trade.

Tom Osiecki is a advertising and administration advisor for Raving Consulting and might be reached for consulting engagements at 775-329-7864.

If you understand of an interesting persona within the gaming trade you wish to see profiled, please ship Tom Osiecki an e mail at tosiecki@cdcgaming.com