Wanted: "Executive director/lobbyist for year-around, full-time position representing gaming operations across Montana to the Legislature, Gambling Control Division and other government agencies, and to our communities.
"Successful candidate must present a professional, honest and outgoing demeanor as well as being an organized self-starter. Thorough knowledge of the history and evolution of gaming in Montana and the Montana Legislature is a plus.
"Tasks also include new membership and running the business of the association."
The Gaming Industry Association's recent advertisement specified a pretty tall order, but elicited 11 formal responses, according to Steve Arntzen who chaired the GIA selection committee tasked with hiring a new executive director.
"Rich (Miller, immediate past GIA executive director) gave us 60 days notice but, you know, that's really not much time to find the right individual with the right qualifications," Arntzen said in affirming the association's choice of Neil Peterson as the new executive director.
Arntzen said Peterson was offered the job March 13 after a series of interviews and accepted March 14. He will officially take the executive helm upon Miller's departure
April 1.
Peterson is well known in licensed business circles, having spent almost three decades in the Department of Revenue (DOR), a good share of that time directly involved in the liquor licensing process, which is a precursor to gaining a gaming license.
Arntzen said several applicants were interested in providing lobbying services only, "but we wanted a full-time, dedicated executive and one who would continue to develop our membership. Our group feels strongly that we need to develop a new tier of members for the long-term good of the organization and industry.
"We had a number of applicants that had different strengths, but Neil had the most and he came to the top.
"It is interesting when you get someone from the public sector applying for the private sector; you wonder how good a fit it might be," Arntzen said. "But Neil has been in the private sector a couple of years and he's very focused (on our objectives), very positive about what he can contribute."
GIA President Marc Wass was also upbeat. "We're really excited about Neil coming on board. His experience with DOR and government is a tremendous asset to the organization and members. He's got a lot of experience with legislation and the Legislature. There's no question that out of the field of candidates, he rose to the top. It's nice to find someone of his caliber and experience."
Wass continued, "His administrative skills should be outstanding. He has a lot of experience with setting up functions, meetings and events. And he's very positive about getting out to meet our members and to talk to prospective members. He's a great fit for what we need. GIA welcomes Neil aboard."
Arntzen said GIA is also fortunate that Miller, who served as GIA executive director for eight years and served a two-year term under previous executive Dennis Casey, will be available to "mentor" Peterson.
"Neil is anxious to get started; he wants to learn," Arntzen said. "He's already started meeting with Rich and boning up on issues on his own time."
Despite the tight time frame, Arntzen assured the Montana Tavern Times that the annual GIA convention will proceed as originally scheduled, May 20-21 at Chico Hot Springs.
And Arntzen acknowledged that the GIA's usual commitment to meeting candidates prior to the primary election, may be scaled back a little this time around, "but we'll be up to speed by the general election" in November, he predicted.
"Neil will continue the past tradition of GIA," Arntzen said. "He's already widely respected and will earn the respect of those he will be working with who don't know him yet. We've had high quality in the character of past executives and he will continue that. We have a lot at stake here; the reputation of our association, our industry and our businesses."
As an executive steeped in the workings of government bureaucracies, "Neil will bring us some new perspectives, some new insights," Arntzen predicted. Peterson also helped develop a cooperative working relationship between the Department of Revenue and the Gambling Control Division when a joint liquor/gaming license process was engineered a few years back, Arntzen noted.
Finally, Arntzen said, Peterson has "stayed on the periphery of politics; maintained a non-partisan stance. He can talk to either side; a real strength."
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, April, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.