Penn National Names GM for Austintown Racino
WYOMISSING, Pa. -- Penn National Gaming Inc. today announced it has named Michael Galle as general manager of the new Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course scheduled to open in the second half of 2014. Galle, a 21-year veteran of the gaming industry, has served as the assistant general manager of Hollywood Casino Toledo since June 2011.
Galle will report directly to John Finamore, Penn National Gaming senior vice president of regional operations. His appointment is effective in January, subject to regulatory approvals.
As general manager of the Austintown track, Galle will be responsible for the start-up, opening and management of the planned $136 million racino, including the recruitment and training of employees. The track, under construction at Austintown’s CentrePointe Business Park off state Route 46, will feature a video lottery terminal facility with approximately 1,000 VLTs at opening, a 1-mile thoroughbred racetrack, more than 1,000 enclosed, climate-controlled seats with racetrack views, a year-round simulcast wagering facility and additional food and beverage options.
The appointment “represents a key milestone in the evolution of this project,” Finamore remarked. “We believe Mike’s experience at several of our facilities, including his most recent role as assistant general manager of our growing Hollywood Casino Toledo, makes him an ideal candidate to oversee the continued construction of our newest facility in Austintown, the extensive hiring process, and both the facility’s pre-opening activities and eventual ramp of operations,” he said.
“Since joining the team in Toledo in mid-2011, Michael has been an instrumental part of the property’s growing success, having built close ties among the local community in Toledo and across the state,” Finamore continued. “We expect him to leverage those ties and that experience as he moves to the Austintown area and believe he will help Penn National create a close relationship with the community, state officials and the Ohio thoroughbred horsemen to ensure that Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course is a key, valued member of the local community.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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