Three Stations Casinos employees climb the corporate ladder — in heels

Three of Station Casinos’ property general managers are women: Carol Thompson at Green Valley Ranch, Lydia Mason at Texas Station and Stacy Stagg at Fiesta Rancho. They are pictured here at Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis at Green Valley Ranch.

When Stacy Stagg began working at Station Casinos in 1995 as a food server in the former San Lorenzo Italian restaurant at the then-newly opened Texas Station, the 15-year food-service veteran was at a professional crossroads.

“I was 32 at the time, and I didn’t want to be in my 50s lifting trays,” said Stagg, who moved from South Jordan, Utah, to Southern Nevada in 1990. “I wanted to be more of a contributor. So when the food and beverage director approached me about getting into management, it was the right time.”

Looking back 20 years later, it was a move that proved rewarding, as serendipity — coupled with Stagg’s own drive and determination — helped Stagg carve a professional path that included multiple promotions and transfers across various Station properties. She now is vice president and general manager of Fiesta Rancho.

In most gaming companies, executive positions are overwhelmingly occupied by men. But for Station Casinos — whose first female general manager, Cookie Dreschler, attained the title in 1999 — having Stagg at the reins is par for the course. In an industry where women in upper management historically have been few and far between, Station Casinos is bucking the trend. Women comprise one-third of general managers at the company’s nine local properties.

Words to the wise

Station Casinos’ top women executives offer advice for up-and-comers:

“Find a mentor, and be a mentor. Everybody needs someone whom she or he can go to for help, guidance or just to talk something through. Pass that on by helping someone else develop their skills and reach their goals.”

— Lydia Mason, vice president and general manager of Texas Station

The trio includes Carol Thompson, vice president and general manager of Green Valley Ranch Resort, and Lydia Mason, vice president and general manager of Texas Station.

“I’ve never thought in terms of gender, and hiring and promoting women just happens organically,” Stagg said. “(Carol Thompson) and I were both raised in Station Casinos, where the policy has always been to hire the best person for the job.”

Thompson started in 2000 with Station as director of training at Sunset Station and, like Stagg, worked in marketing and management at multiple Station properties. A New Yorker with a degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, Thompson moved to Southern Nevada in 1988 and began her career in the gaming industry as an executive assistant. She also served on active duty in the Air Force.

“I don’t really think that much about gender — it’s more about putting the right people in the right spot — although I have had the occasion where maybe a guest will relate better to me or to my assistant general manager, who is male. Or I might bond with someone who might find it curious that there’s a female in my job, given that this has historically been a male-dominated industry,” Thompson said.

Virginia Valentine, president of the 50-year-old Nevada Resort Association, which advocates and lobbies for the state’s gaming and tourism industries, said gaming companies increasingly are recognizing the value of having female executives and are investing in leadership and mentoring programs to develop women leaders.

“Historically, there have always been women in gaming,” said Valentine, who assumed her post in 2010. “Verlie Doing in Searchlight, Jeanne Hood and Claudine Williams were pioneers, (and former) Gov. Richard Bryan’s appointment of Patty Becker to the Gaming Commission in 1983 put a woman in a very important and very visible position on a previously all-male board.

Words to the wise

“Be results-driven, a problem-solver and professional. No one can argue whether you deserve any position if you continually deliver improvements, solve problems and create a great work environment where you are employed.”

— Stacy Stagg, vice president and general manager of Fiesta Rancho

“From the time when there were no women dealers to now, there are women in every conceivable corporate position all the way to the boardroom. They’re not where are they are because they’re women. They’re where they are because they are very, very good at what they do.”

Case in point is Lydia Mason, who rounds out Station’s trifecta.

A native of Nebraska who earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, Mason began her career as a cocktail server on a riverboat in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and worked in various departments at the Caesars Entertainment-owned Horseshoe Casino — at table games, in food and beverage and eventually as vice president of operations.

“I had been in Iowa for a long time, and I felt there wasn’t much left to learn there, so when I got a call from a (Station Casinos) recruiter, it seemed as though the stars had aligned,” Mason said.

Mason relocated to Southern Nevada in 2012 and joined Station as vice president and assistant general manager of Boulder Station . She took over Texas Station in October 2014. She describes herself as a motivator who thrives on helping employees and promoting her property.

“Texas Station has a great heritage and such a unique identity, from the theme and décor to the long-term team members, and we’re just finalizing our plans for capital expenditures in 2016, which will include significant improvements,” Mason said.

Valerie Murzl, Station Casinos’ senior vice president of human resources, estimated that women comprise about 50 percent of the company. Affording them the same opportunities as men keeps with the company’s culture of treating people fairly with dignity and respect, she said.

Words to the wise

“Always remember what motivated you to want to be successful. Be genuine and sincere and establish trust among those around you.”

— Carol Thompson, vice president and general manager of Green Valley Ranch Resort

“When I joined the company 18 years ago as a corporate executive woman from outside the industry and the state, I was met with open arms,” Murzl said. “We care about the whole person, regardless of their gender … . As a leader in our industry, we must model the diversity in our community, and women play an important role in our state.”

Thompson said she hoped her and her colleagues’ contributions helped future female executives.

“We’re maybe making it easier for future generations of women to realize their career potential,” she said.

Business

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly identify the general managers in the photo and the property where Carol Thompson served as director of training. | (November 30, 2015)

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