Station Casinos holds job fair for Hurricane Katrina victims

Alana Roberts

Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 | 11:11 a.m.

Station Casinos Inc. has offered 35 people jobs in a variety of positions following an all-day job fair for Hurricane Katrina victims at Texas Station.

The company had some applicants who were not victims of the hurricane's fury, but most of the new hires were, Valerie Murzl, vice president of human resources for Station Casinos, said Tuesday. The 35 jobseekers must wait the results of drug and background tests before officially being hired.

She said the company has 491 positions in a variety of areas to fill, and the job offers ranged from entry-level to management positions. The company is set to hold another all-day job fair Thursday with shuttle service at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. from the Fertitta Community Assistance Center at Catholic Charities to take applicants to the center.

During the job fair the company worked to make the job application process as easy as possible, Murzl said. Besides the shuttle service, each applicant received a suitcase, a duffel bag, two T-shirts and the company donated toys and stuffed animals to those with children.

Murzl said the company doesn't normally have its own job fairs. She said if the company participates in a job fair the applicants must apply online or over the phone. She said the company wanted to eliminate those hurdles for applicants who happen to be victims.

"Some companies are inviting evacuees to apply, but if you don't have a phone and you don't have a computer. how are you able to apply?" Murzl said.

Scott Soljan, 35, and his wife, Tiffany, 33, from Biloxi, Miss., said they were thankful for the opportunity to apply at Station Casinos. Both were craps and blackjack dealers at the Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi before the hurricane hit. They said they most likely plan to stay in Las Vegas at least for a couple of years.

The couple, along with their 12-year-old daughter, drove two vehicles here and are now renting an apartment in the Las Vegas Valley. Scott Soljan said he is anxious to get working again.

"I'm ready to go to work; I need a paycheck," he said.

The Soljans said they considered moving to other areas, but that the booming job market drew them here.

"We first considered the cruise ships in Florida, but there weren't that many jobs," he said. "The whole economy in the Gulf Coast was really dependent on gaming."