Employees say goodbye to Gold Spike as it closes its doors
Ask any of the Gold Spike’s former employees and they will all say the same thing : Time spent at the now-shuttered casino was like being a part of one big, happy family.
The casino, which opened in 1976, was sold by the Siegel Group Nevada Inc. for an undisclosed amount to an entity of Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project, a privately funded venture working to revive downtown Las Vegas, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Siegel Group vice president Michael Crandall said the company plans to retain 60 percent of the employees, offering them jobs at the company’s other properties, and it will try to place the remaining employees in jobs, possibly with the Downtown Project.
“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, proud to say we were a part of what’s been happening downtown,” Crandall said. “Downtown Project has a similar vision of what downtown should be. They’ll take the baton and keep running.”
The casino held what management referred to as a “Thank You” celebration during its final day of operation, April 14. The celebration was for its “loyal customers,” Crandall said, but also for the employees.
Melinda Manato worked at the Gold Spike for seven years as a cashier. She was there long before the Siegel Group took ownership and orchestrated a major renovation of the property in 2008.
“I’m crying, not because I lost my job but because I will miss my co-workers,” a tearful Manato said, hours before the casino closed its doors . “It was a small casino. We knew each other; we helped each other.”
One reason for the family atmosphere, employees said, was management’s care for its employees.
General manager Michael Swain agreed and said he has never worked at a property with a better employee retention rate.
“We are a big family that will do whatever it takes to help each other out,” he said. “We all felt like a part of growing the business.
“I’m going to miss everything about the Gold Spike. It’s sad to see it go.”
Brianna Lopez started working at the casino in 2009 as a part-time front desk clerk. She quickly worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming the property’s food and beverage manager, Swain said.
“They gave me an opportunity and rewarded me for my hard work,” Lopez said. “I will absolutely miss this place. It was my baby.”
Lopez said she was not sure where she would go next.
“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “Wherever the wind takes me, I guess. I have a good feeling about this, though.”
Swain said with Lopez’s work experience and “impressive résumé,” she will be highly sought after by larger properties.
“We’re about promoting from within,” he said. “People don’t get lost here; they’re remembered.”
Employees such as Ki Henry, a server at the casino’s restaurant for the past year, have had a positive experience working at the property, even in a short time.
“I absolutely loved it,” he said. “It’ll be sad to not work with these folks, but change is good.”
Henry said the company has given him a chance to work at two of the other Siegel Group properties : Artisan and Rumor.
“I’ll do whatever is best for my family,” he said.
The Downtown Project hasn’t said what it plans to do with the Gold Spike property, which is near the future headquarters of Zappos, the online shoe and apparel retailer set to occupy the former Las Vegas City Hall building at Stewart Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.
