EMERGING LEADERS

You Are What You Buy

Susan Quach, Senior Director, Customer Experience, OpenBet

For some, entry into the sprawling world of gaming comes quite by chance. Take Aussie Susan Quach. She graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and IT. She worked as an accountant for a few years, but in 2011, Quach did what so many young Australians do. She took time off and backpacked through Europe.

“I quickly found out the Australian dollar did not stretch that far during that time, so I started job hunting,” she says.

She interviewed at OpenBet as a business analyst.

“I was offered the job the same day and have not looked back since,” she explains. “It helped that I was a consumer of sports betting in Australia.”

After 11 years, Quach is still committed to OpenBet, a B2B firm serving the sports betting industry. Working in London, Singapore and now Chicago offered her an opportunity to see how different jurisdictions deal with sports betting, how culture impacts the dynamics. It also meant a sole focus on the IT side of her degree, working on software development and delivery.

Will Ellis, director of engineering who hired her at OpenBet, has been a helpful mentor to Quach.

“He instilled the drive in me to continuously improve processes as things evolve, whether it be the company or product, and always see the opportunity in change,” she says.

Quach has seen her role evolve quite a bit in her time with OpenBet. She started off working on major projects, rolling out sports betting software solutions to major U.K. customers.

“I pivoted to the commercial side after seven years, and worked in the presales team where I provided technical and product sales support to business development to close new deals. My responsibilities included responding to RFPs, pitches (in-person and remote) and lead creation,” she says.

She moved to Chicago with a focus on growth in the still-young U.S. market in the wake of the repeal of the federal sports betting ban. Quach built a team to include local talent support for customer rollouts.

“As senior director, customer experience at OpenBet, I lead the global presales and customer success functions,” says Quach, who enjoys squash, hiking and snowboarding in the winter.

The Covid-19 pandemic shook up the industry. Before Covid, no one would expect all major sports to be put on hold, forcing suppliers to get creative with content during those months. Content continues to be a focus today, Quach says.

In five years, Quach hopes to have an established customer success function in OpenBet to deliver creative and engaging sports betting solutions around the world.

“The industry is too exciting to leave with new markets opening up, regulations changing,” she says. “It keeps you on your feet. I would highly recommend it to those interested in a fast-paced and complex working environment. It helps to be a consumer of the product, because there is a steep learning curve to get up to speed on all things sports betting.”

—Bill Sokolic

Coming Full Circle

Joseph Byrd, Chairman, Quapaw Nation

In 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) set the stage for tribally owned governments to operate legal gaming facilities. This began to create a level of economic and financial independence for tribes that had not been realized to that point.

In fact, about 20 years later, Joseph Byrd is a proud beneficiary of his tribe’s highly successful gaming operations. Revenue generated from Quapaw Nation’s gaming properties ultimately provided the funds for his education, and that in turn has allowed him to lead the tribe as its chairman some 15 years later.

Though he has earned the title of chairman, his rise to that position was not always the dream. Early on, he was simply Joseph, a Quapaw, Cherokee, and Osage tribal member with a draw to help fellow tribes by working in tribal law. He understood that was going to be no small endeavor, but it was a calling for him.

Fresh out of undergrad, Byrd began his professional career not by going to law school, but by joining the Quapaw Nation’s Downstream Casino Resort. After a few years, he left to pursue his calling to help tribes by working in tribal law. However, it did not go as planned. Unable to get into law school, Byrd was dejected and down, but not out. Instead, he doubled down and made it his primary mission, which ultimately led him to the position he is in today.

After graduating from law school, Byrd was approached by a number of tribal elders to run for chairman of the tribe. Not only was this unexpected, but it was also going to be an incredibly tough undertaking, as his opponent was a 20-year incumbent and still had lots of support. Additionally, and to make matters worse, the election was to be held during the height of the recent Covid- 19 pandemic. Against all odds, Byrd pulled out a victory and immediately went to work changing the culture of his tribe and the organizations that exist under it.

His first and possibly most difficult task was to create a new culture that allows leaders to lead. When things have been done one way for so long, it is very difficult to have any impact, but Byrd understood that if the Quapaw Nation was to progress and move forward, it was vital to create a space that allowed leaders to better focus on their responsibilities and duties.

“By eliminating micro-management on the part of executive leadership, it in turn allows leadership to focus on long-term strategic decisions,” Byrd says.

Even during his short time as chairman, the Quapaw Nation was the first to implement a modern cashless system at their casinos, and played a vital role in the current Oklahoma sports betting environment that has worked tirelessly to maintain independence and keep the big-box operators out of the state. Neither of these accomplishments would have occurred without understanding the task at hand.

Byrd is a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, and believes that “education is the great equalizer.” He has made this the mission for his tribal members, not only by passing legislation creating a monetary graduation incentive program, but by using himself as a great example of what gaming funds can do for tribal members.

In a way, everything has come full circle. Casinos created the funds to help with his education, his education allowed him to lead the Quapaw Nation, and as leader of the nation, he is able to effectively implement measures to hopefully impact the lives of other young tribal members as was done for him years ago.

—Chris Irwin is senior vice president, Native American services for The Innovation Group.

Home is Nevada

Phylicia Middleton, Director of Marketing, Galaxy Gaming

Phylicia Middleton has carved out a career in the marketing world in Las Vegas. And she couldn’t be happier being in one place, particularly since she spent her childhood traveling the world as her father served in the U.S. Air Force.

“I’ve lived in Las Vegas now for over 18 years, so it’s home to me,” Middleton says.

While a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Middleton majored in marketing. “I find it’s the perfect blend of creativity and problem-solving,” she says.

Middleton doesn’t mind being a small cog in a larger powerhouse machine, either. That machine was MGM Grand in 2009 while she was still a student.

“I’ve been in the hospitality and gaming industry for much of my career, and I’m consistently inspired by this ever-changing business,” Middleton says.

She worked in various marketing capacities and locations for the MGM empire in Las Vegas. From advertising for MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, she moved to marketing manager and senior marketing manager for leisure sales and marketing for MGM Resorts International. MGM promoted Middleton to senior marketing manager. Then, in 2016, she served as director of brand activation at Park MGM and NoMad.

In July 2019, Middleton joined Grand Canyon Resort Corporation as director of marketing. Located in the Western rim just outside Las Vegas, the resort features the famous skywalk bridge partially extending over the canyon.

“I learned a lot from that experience and loved working with the Hualapai Tribe and marketing a true wonder, but found that I missed the hospitality and gaming industry, so I joined the wonderful Galaxy Gaming team to lead their marketing efforts,” she says.

That was in September 2020.

“At Galaxy Gaming, my team and I manage the marketing, public relations, and event activations for the brand. This encompasses everything from building new brands for game and technology launches to planning ICE London and G2E, to building assets to support our iGaming and land-based sales teams,” says Middleton, who enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband and dog.

She joined Galaxy while the pandemic was just easing up enough for properties to reopen with changes to minimize the chance of infection.

“Covid-19 was a challenging time for all of us,” she says, “but I was thrilled to see how adaptable people and our industry could be.”

In November, Middleton attended the Executive Development Program-Strategic Leadership in the Gaming Industry, a symposium hosted by UNLV and the University of Nevada, Reno. “It’s a remarkable learning experience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a personal and professional growth experience,” she says.

Which brings up Middleton’s words of wisdom for others mulling over a career in the casino world. “My advice is to find ways to stay inspired and maintain an ‘always learning’ attitude,” she says.

—Bill Sokolic