MASHANTUCKET, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation announces its plans for the development and operation of a Foxwoods-branded, casino resort, to be located at Biloxi Pointe in historic Biloxi Mississippi. Through a new strategic partnership —the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise will partner with Biloxi Boardwalk Ventures, LLC, Chris Ferrara-Sponsor, and with The Hartmann Group, LLC; the resort’s project management company.
“This is an exciting opportunity to not only expand geographic diversification for the Foxwoods brand, but also leverage our management expertise well beyond New England,” says Rodney Butler, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council.
“Biloxi Mississippi is a proven destination tourism market, with its near-perfect, year round climate, casual coastal vibe and exciting nightlife—all of which provides a perfect location to feature our world-class entertainment offerings,” says Felix Rappaport, President & CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The new Foxwoods Resort Casino at Biloxi Pointe will be a $265 million premier, service-centric destination resort and casino located on a 23-acre site in the Back Bay area of Biloxi Mississippi. Easily accessible from the metropolitan regions of New Orleans, Birmingham, and Atlanta, the casino resort will deliver an unparalleled gaming, leisure and meetings experience to the 9 million people living within the 300-mile radius market spanning Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Biloxi Boardwalk Ventures, LLC, Managing Member Chris Ferrara said, “The agreement with Foxwoods and The Hartmann Group fulfils a dream to develop this site and stimulate economic development by creating thousands of new construction and service jobs for the residents in the East Biloxi and regional communities”.
Spanning 23 acres of Biloxi Bay’s pristine shoreline, Foxwoods Resort Casino at Biloxi Pointe will employ several thousand regional and local residents in construction, resort and gaming operations. When completed, the 781,000 square foot full-service complex will feature both gaming and non-gaming amenities, including approximately 50,000 square feet of casino space, a 500-room hotel and 71,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space, along with a variety of authentic, regional dining options, retail, spa and outdoor entertainment attractions.
“We’re encouraged by today’s announcement of preliminary plans for a new resort development in east Biloxi,” said Biloxi Mayor Andrew ‘FoFo’ Gilich, “ Chris has been working on this for many years and the partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe will certainly energize this project. This development has an opportunity to strengthen the Biloxi gaming market by adding a dynamic new resort that will help attract new visitors to the area. I’m eager to see their final design plans they are considering to help grow the market.” Gilich added that the Biloxi Pointe development will enable the 5th Street extension to U.S. 90 and complete the “Casino Loop” to Back Bay that has been envisioned for years. “This investment confirms what we have always felt,” added Gilich. “That Biloxi is the ‘right spot’”.
Detailed programming and design plans are currently in development, with a grand opening tentatively planned for the Spring of 2019. For more information and project development images, visit http://biloxipointecasino.com.
Foxwoods Resort Casino at Biloxi Pointe Sponsor Chris Ferrara and his Senior Management Team of Bill Kilduff, Stephen Turpin, Jr. and Keating Consulting, LLC, were advised by El Segundo, California, based TFA Capital Partners in its initial selection of The Hartmann Group, LLC as manager and subsequently advised Mr. Ferrara on the addition of the Mashantucket Pequot’s as co-manager with The Hartmann Group, LLC and as a strategic equity investor. Going forward, TFA Capital Partners will principally focus on the raising of additional equity and junior debt capital to complete the financing package (http://TFACP.com).
About the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
The Mashantucket
Pequots are a native Algonquin people, located in southeastern
Connecticut, who endured centuries of conflict, survival, and continuity
on and around one of North America’s oldest Indian reservations (Est.
1666). In 1637, the Pequots became the first native people to survive a
genocidal massacre at the hands of European colonists, in what would
become the continental United States. Pequot history is an unprecedented
story of redemption and restoration, which today, is showcased at the
Tribe’s world-class Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (www.pequotmuseum.org).
Today, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation owns and operates one of
the largest and most successful resort casinos in North America—Foxwoods
Resort Casino (www.foxwoods.com)—along
with a variety of other enterprises, including the Lake of Isles Golf
Course (www.lakeofisles.com);
Pequot Pharmaceutical Network (www.prxn.com),
and the Spa at Norwich Inn (www.thespaatnorwichinn.com).
All together, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation remains one of the
State of Connecticut’s highest tax payers and largest employers, and has
contributed more than $3 billion to Connecticut through a
first-of-its-kind, tribal gaming revenue-sharing agreement, enacted in
1993. Likewise, the Tribe provides generous contributions to nonprofit
organizations that support its local communities. For more information,
visit www.mashantucket.com.
About Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is one
of the premier hotel, gaming, shopping and entertainment destinations in
the Northeast. As the largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods
offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels,
restaurants from gourmet to express, world-renowned spas,
awarding-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive
retailers. Perfect for both recreation and business, Foxwoods provides
modern and versatile convention and meeting space to infuse new life
into any meeting or event. At Foxwoods, you can be anyone and do
everything with endless possibilities of experiences that are Anything
but Ordinary. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. www.Foxwoods.com.
Chris Ferrara
The $265 million resort casino is being
developed by the Biloxi Boardwalk Ventures, LLC, headed by prominent
gulf coast businessman Chris Ferrara (the “Sponsor”), on a 23 acre owned
site adjacent to the Back Bay in Biloxi. The Sponsor owns several
successful businesses along the Gulf Coast.
The Hartmann Group, LLC
Jeff Hartmann is a well-known and
successful casino executive whose career spans 31 years. He started his
career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia in 1984, managing
casino audits for the firm in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Jeff
transitioned out of public accounting into the casino industry in 1991,
and he was selected to join Foxwoods Resort Casino as part of the
startup management team that opened Foxwoods in February 1992. Over the
years, Jeff was intimately involved in all financial aspects of the
development and growth at the property. During his five-year tenure,
Foxwoods was the most profitable casino in North America. Since that
time Jeff served as CFO and CEO for various gaming properties throughout
the United States, responsible for overseeing corporate financial
accountability, diversifying investments, and elevating resort service
and development to achieve the highly coveted AAA four-Diamond status.
Most recently, Jeff served as the interim CEO of Revel Entertainment,
LLC in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After the troubled opening of the
$2.4-billion-dollar resort, he led the company through a pre-packaged
bankruptcy and a $40-million-dollar cost reduction. www.thehartmanngroup.net
