The Chehalis Tribe decided last week to keep its interim CEO of the Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel on as the permanent leader.
Lisa Miles has been serving as the interim CEO since February after former CEO John Setterstrom left. Prior to her appointment, Miles was the chief financial officer for the casino since 2002.
“I am honored and humbled to accept this new role and look forward to ensuring continued success for the Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel and the Chehalis Tribe in this increasingly competitive market,” Miles said in a press release.
The Chehalis Tribe is confident in her ability to lead the casino and make it successful.
“Miles was the obvious choice for CEO. Her experience, talents and relationships are suited to lead the Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel,” Chehalis Business Committee Chairman Harry Pickernell Sr. said. “We are confident that she will take the casino in a new direction while maintaining a superior guest experience.”
With the new Cowlitz casino Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield and the established Red Wind Casino on the Nisqually Reservation near Yelm, Lucky Eagle has competition to the north and south.
“We are just going to make sure we are true to ourselves and provide our guests with an excellent experience,” Miles told The Chronicle. “Our goal is to be as successful as possible.”
To achieve that goal, Miles and the Lucky Eagle Casino are doing a number of things. For example, the casino is offering free concerts at the event center throughout the summer. Miles also meets with a few VIP customers over dinner to talk about what they believe the casino is doing well and areas where the casino can improve.
Miles said they will also be starting their three-year strategic plan to outline what goals they have and how to accomplish them.
But above all, the level of service is one of the priorities of the casino, Miles said. Every member of the team is treated with respect and no one’s job is considered to be more important than any other, she said. Miles attributes this to the quality of service.
“That culture stays true to our organization,” she added.
Miles first started to work at the Lucky Eagle Casino in 1995 as the CFO, but left after a couple years to work at the Tulalip Casino and a Six Flags park in Northern California. She was the CFO for both. Then in 2002, she returned to the Lucky Eagle because she missed the people she worked with.
“When the opportunity arose it was an easy decision to return,” Miles said.
Originally from Illinois, Miles entered college with the intent of becoming a math teacher at the high school level. However, during her junior year she figured it wasn’t for her and changed her major to accounting.
“I love numbers and working with people,” she said.
Even though she does not teach full time, part of her job is to mentor others about numbers, Miles said. She is also an adjunct professor with Tacoma Community College, where she teaches finance to non-finance majors. She has also taught at seminars at both the Lucky Eagle and at the Red Wind in Nisqually about finance.
After college, Miles began working for a public accounting firm as a CPA. One of their clients was Bally Entertainment Corp., which operates casinos in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City. She started working for them, which led her to the Chehalis Tribe.
When her career started she never pictured herself as a CEO, Miles said. However as her career progressed and her leadership skills grew, she started to she herself at the helm.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” she said.
The casino recently completed a $40 million expansion.
