One of the borough’s largest “Now Hiring” signs just went up at Aqueduct.
Resorts World New York, developers of the Aqueduct Racino in South Ozone Park, has officially launched its hiring process for permanent positions at the facility – with the majority of those jobs likely going to the local community.
In an announcement on Tuesday, May 10, Mike Speller, president of Resorts World Casino New York, said that the search for employees will focus on southern Queens. And according to Speller, they’re not just hiring for short-lived jobs, but for long-term careers.
“We are very excited to officially start staffing Resorts World,” said Speller. “This project is not just about bringing jobs to Queens; it’s about creating careers and forming relationships with the local community. Our goal is to build a local, diverse and hardworking family of Resorts World employees that will move up within our company. With this announcement, I am very excited to start the process of building that family.”
Job applications and vendor proposals may be submitted through the “careers” and “vendor forums” sections of Resorts World’s web site, www.rwnewyork.com.
Speller’s announcement marks the official beginning phase of hiring more than 900 workers expected to staff the casino in such fields as entertainment, hospitality, security and food services.
Resorts World recently announced that minority and/or female workers now compose over half of the project’s construction workforce. Harry Wells, director of York College’s Small Business Development Center, said that this announcement furthers proves Resorts World’s commitment to Queens.
“With so many Queens neighborhoods plagued by high levels of unemployment, Resorts World’s permanent staffing outreach could not be more timely,” he said. “There are some terrific opportunities at Resorts World out there for Queens residents and local businesses looking for work. Few employees offer so many job and vendor possibilities in such a wide range of fields.”
The decision to offer the lion’s share of jobs to local residents is a strategic one. Kevin Bogle, vice president of human resources at Resorts World, said that the new casino will have the flair and flavor of the diverse neighborhood where it stands – this will add to the uniqueness of the facility.
“For four months we have been working with employment service centers to prepare for today,” he said. “We are a company that is committed to empowering the local community and hiring from within a local area. That’s what we have been doing in the construction phase of this project, and that’s what we will continue to do as we take this critical step in preparing Resorts World to open for business.”
