PAUL RYAN - FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO HAS A NEW LEADER!

Atlantic City Mover and Shaker Takes On California Gaming in the Desert

We first met Paul Ryan back in 1999 when we staged the 1st Annual Trump Style International Model Search Finals at the Trump Plaza on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

We had the opportunity to watch Ryan's success over the years, and know that Fantasy Springs has secured a top rate professional to run their Resort Casino and Special Events Center.

We saw Ryan play a key role, as Vice President of Hotel Operations, in turning the under-performing 728-room Trump Marina Hotel Casino into a lively, rock-and-roll-styled property for a new, "hip'' crowd and nearly doubled earnings. They used the tag line 'The Wild Side' to transform it. Ryan recalled. "It was a magic moment that broke the mold of casino entertainment,'' Ryan said of booking Van Halen to help "Rock the Dock" at the Trump Marina.

Ryan said he feels he's arrived at the right place, at the right time to develop a brand to grow Fantasy Springs' revenues, capitalize on the special events center and carve out a niche as a destination resort.

Ryan (pictured on the right beside Mark Brown, former President & CEO of Trump Resort Hotels & Casinos and Vittorio Gai, International General Manager 5 Star Diamond Award and his guest at the 11th Annual International Star Diamond Award Ceremony at Hotel Adlon, Berlin, Germany) also served as President of Atlantic City’s Hotel and Lodging Association.

Ryan, 49, the new General Manager for Fantasy Springs was hired by East Valley Development Tourist Authority, a subsidiary of the resort owners, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. "He's a top-grade man,'' said John James, the chairman of the Cabazon Band.

Ryan fills a post vacated with the departure in November 2005 of James E. McKennon, a former Las Vegas executive who headed operations during the construction and opening phase of Fantasy Springs. Richard Post, chairman of East Valley Development Tourist Authority, said he was confident Ryan will bring his extensive knowledge and experience to bear in his new position, along with a "strong commitment to the future success" of the resort casino.

While a Trump executive vice president in New Jersey, Ryan was part of a team that led Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2005. "There is great growth potential here,'' he said, and the business committee of the tribe has a tremendous commitment to the property. "They're very involved, and displayed a high level of integrity,'' Ryan said.

Ryan's been given "carte blanche" authority over operations, James said, under a two-year, salary-based contract with a renewable option on the second year. If renewed, Ryan would be eligible for a raise and bonuses, James said.

Before Ryan arrived at Fantasy, he was executive vice president of hotel and food and beverage operations for the entire Trump organization. He was part of a team that worked on Trump's reorganization. The company, strapped by $1.8 billion in debt, emerged under restructuring with a lighter debt load and $80 million to $110million in freed cash to remodel existing hotel rooms at Trump Taj Mahal, Plaza and Marina casinos.

Ryan said he plans to develop a long-range plan to capitalize on Fantasy Springs' assets - hotel tower, restaurants and special events center - and get these assets to contribute at a higher level. "The truth is, we are starting at the beginning with blocking and tackling,'' he said. "The first order of business is to put the procedures and policies in place to set up cost control, labor controls and expenses."

"We really want to contribute to the valley and become a preferred employer,'' he said. "We want to go out into the population and establish Fantasy Springs as great place to work and relax."

Ryan said he is aware that the tribe has had its share of financial challenges in the past year. But he said the situation is not as critical as it was at Trump. "The company went through some bumps, but that's not the situation here,'' he said.

"What we're faced with is accepting the property for what it is today, and developing a long-range plan. We need to look at where we want it to go, and how we can effectively grow into what we want it to become. It's more a question of deciding what our brand is, and nurturing it."

"Fantasy Springs is really a great resort that is changing from a Palm Springs-area locals market to a destination resort."

Paul Ryan can still rattle off the names of 10 gamblers in America who bet enough in the 1990s to spend a night in the Superstar Suite in Atlantic City's Trump Plaza. But he won't. They're still active players. "Hopefully, we can lure them to the California desert real soon," he concluded.

Ryan at left plays host to 5th Annual Trump Style Model Finalists in Mark Anthony Restaurant at the Trump Taj Mahal.