Courtesy of: http://www.commercialappeal.com
By Pamela Perkins
Southland Park Gaming & Racing officials expected about 2,000 applicants at its job fair this week. But almost that many showed up Tuesday, the first day of the two-day event.
Reminiscent of its life before Tunica's casinos lured most of its patrons away, the parking lot at the facility formerly known ad Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis was full. But instead of placing bets on racing hounds, people placed applications for about 250 new positions in Southland's food and beverage, gaming floor, marketing, security and facilities departments. The jobs pay an average of $30,000 a year.
"We expected a lot of people," said Dan Bamrick, Southland's general manager.
But that expectation didn't lessen the impact as hundreds of applicants lined up.
"Wow!" thought Southland's human resources manager, Debbie Scharfetter, after seeing the line of five or so people at 8 Tuesday morning grow to several hundred by 9:30 a.m., when staffers began processing applicants. "They just mushroomed."
Varshun Washington, 30, of West Memphis, wasn't surprised. She works at a Memphis fast food restaurant and wants a job closer to home -- particularly because of high gas prices.
"West Memphis needs more jobs. You just can't find anything. And it's hard to get to Memphis to work," Washington said.
Judging from the parking lot packed with vehicles from Tennessee and Mississippi as well as Arkansas, that need seemed to apply to the entire metro area.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area's unemployment rate was 6.7 in June, when the national rate was 4.8.
Scharfetter said Southland has had "hundreds of calls a day" about jobs since last November, when local voters approved a measure to let Southland greatly expand its electronic gaming.
A state law enacted in March 2005 set up the election on expansions at Southland and at the thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs. That law also required that the gambling machines feature "games of skill" or games in which players make decisions affecting the outcomes.
The new jobs come with nearly $40 million in improvements already under way at Southland that include a new facade and landscaping, a casino-style buffet, cafe, nightclub and a flashy 30,000-square-foot electronic gaming floor.
Southland on Tuesday applied to the Arkansas Racing Commission for permission to install about 900 electronic gaming machines with video poker, blackjack and "re-spin" slots. The commission, which by law will set the type and number of gaming machines, may vote on the matter next month.
Southland plans a grand opening on Nov. 1.
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