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June 13, 2003GT Band executive Livingston resignsRead more:• Background in gaming from day in Las Vegas • Leaders say executive was a visionary • Economic Development operations Tribal leaders not available for commentByRecord-Eagle staff writer ACME - The top gaming and economic development executive for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians has resigned, effective July 15, less than three months after the band bought one of the largest resorts in the Midwest. Jeff Livingston, chief executive officer of the band's Economic Development Corp. and its Traverse Bay Entertainment casino business, said he is resigning for personal reasons. He said he wants to "scale some things back, step back and give the band my strengths in another way. "Because of the nature of this industry," Livingston said, "we don't always get to stay as long as we'd like, but we stay exactly as long as we need to." John Concannon, a tribal council member and chairman of the Economic Development Corp. board, said in a statement that Livingston will continue to work with the band as a consultant. A search for his successor has begun. "Jeff has been an exceptional leader and it is with regret that we accept his resignation," Concannon said. A spokesman for the band said tribal leaders were in meetings Thursday and none would be available for further comment. Livingston, 43, said that when he was hired he knew he would eventually be replaced by tribal members training for the job. Training them was part of his job. He thought then his tenure would last four years. It lasted less than two. He started on Sept. 10, 2001. Assuming his duties now are tribal members Chris Bussey, assistant executive officer, and Richard Bailey, president and chief operating officer for Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg and Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown. A host of developments for the band have occurred under Livingston's guidance. He was a key player in the band's long pursuit and March 31 purchase of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, the largest full service, year-round resort in the Midwest. The purchase price is estimated at $66 million. "A casino at the resort is not a sure thing," Livingston said Thursday. "It's something that has to be discussed by the tribal council, the Economic Development Corp., and state and local community leaders. It will be for all those entities to get together and figure out what's right." Livingston reorganized the band's $100-million-a-year gaming and entertainment operations, renaming the two-casino venture as Traverse Bay Entertainment. He also changed gaming operations, a move that put off some of the hourly workers at the casinos. He put all hourly staff on a 28-hour work week while giving them the same pay as a 40-hour week. Staff had to be flexible, working those 28 hours only when the casinos needed them most. The result was the elimination of most overtime while having full staffing at peak times. It was also expected that everyone worked hard during their hours on duty, he said. "They were efficiencies which were well accepted by people who agreed that people should be held accountable," he said. "That's the hard part of management, doing things that need to be done. The next leadership will be taking that with them." After July 15, Livingston said he will leave Traverse City. He has family in the South and in Las Vegas. "I've shoveled my last driveway," he said.
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