TULALIP – Dual Cooper, general manager of the Tulalip Casino and Quil Ceda Creek Casino, has resigned.
Marci Fryberg, general manager of Quil Ceda Creek Casino, will serve as acting general manager of the larger Tulalip Casino, Tulalip Tribes board member Glen Gobin said Friday.
Theresa Jira, the Tulalip Casino’s marketing director, will be acting general manager of Quil Ceda Creek Casino.
The tribes hired Cooper as a consultant in December 2003 to review casino operations and make recommendations on ways to improve gaming there.
In October 2003, the tribal board ousted Chuck James as the Tulalip Casino general manager, citing “philosophical differences.” Fryberg served as interim general manager until June 2004, when the board appointed Cooper to head both casinos.
Fryberg then took over management of the smaller Quil Ceda Creek Casino.
Some casino workers recently petitioned for a vote of no confidence in Cooper’s leadership. The board, however, chose to extend his contract for two months while negotiating a new one, Gobin said.
“Anyone in that position, you always have employment issues,” he said. “Some people questioned his ability and his management style. But the bottom line is, profits increased under Dual. The casino is making money.”
The smaller casino also is doing well, Gobin said.
“We had some pretty good profit projections for 2005, with a substantial amount of growth included, and we’ve come pretty close to that.”
The Tulalips do not release annual revenue figures for their casinos.
Cooper is skilled not only in running gaming operations but also in operating hotels connected with gaming, and the Tulalips had planned for him to guide them through construction of a 400-room hotel expected to break ground in 2006, Gobin said.
Cooper had been traveling between Tulalip and his home in California. He resigned to be with his wife, who is suffering health problems, Gobin said.
“For the last year, he was traveling back and forth. It was getting to be too much for him,” Gobin said.
Cooper’s contract expired this month.
The board will determine whether to hire a new casino general manager and a separate person to guide construction and opening of the hotel, or someone such as Cooper who could do both, Gobin said.
“We need to get somebody on board quickly. But in no way is this going to slow down our hotel project. We’re still moving forward with it,” he said.
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
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