Penn National appoints Bob Sheldon as president; Aristocrat Names Brooks Pierce as MD

Penn National appoints Bob Sheldon as president; Aristocrat Names Brooks Pierce as MD

Penn National appoints Bob Sheldon as president; Aristocrat Names Brooks Pierce as MDPenn National Gaming, Inc. has appointed Bob Sheldon as President of Las Vegas Operations effective July 6.

Sheldon will oversee the operations of Tropicana Las Vegas following the completion of the company’s acquisition of the property, which is expected to occur later this year. Sheldon will report directly to Penn National CEO Jay Snowden.

Sheldon currently serves as the General Manager of Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, which opened in February 2012.

Snowden said that Sheldon has been a key member of Penn National’s integration planning team for a smooth transition at the Tropicana Las Vegas.

“[Sheldon’s] excited to be returning to his professional roots in Las Vegas where he began his career at the Las Vegas Hilton and later spent many years with the Mirage Resorts organization, including serving as President of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino,” added Snowden. “He has a deep knowledge of not only the Las Vegas market but how to successfully run large resort operations, including Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, as well as the Waldorf=Astoria and the Beverly Hills Hilton. Bob is ideally suited to drive our Las Vegas strategy forward and lead the Tropicana Las Vegas in its next phase of growth and long-term success.”

M Resort President and General Manager Anthony Marnell will transition to a new strategic consulting role for Penn National focused on community and political relations in Nevada as well as Penn National’s long-term property development plans in Las Vegas.

“Every inch of the M Resort bears the Marnell family signature for high quality design and exquisite attention to detail,” said Snowden. “We are proud to retain the M Resort name and carry on the Marnell family legacy there.”

Aristocrat Names Brooks Pierce MD of the Americas

Meanwhile, Aristocrat Gaming has appointed Brooks Pierce as its Managing Director of the Americas.

“I am thrilled to welcome Brooks to the Aristocrat leadership team. His unique skill set and insights will be valuable to our Americas and global strategy of delivering a broad portfolio of great performing games and cabinets as well as exceptional service to our customers,” said Aristocrat Chief Commercial Officer Maureen Sweeny.

Pierce held the position of CEO of BHP Consulting Group, LLC, a marketing and leadership development consulting company based in Delaware. Prior to BHP, Brooks was with Scientific Games Corporation in various executive roles, such as Chief Revenue Officer for the gaming division, SVP of Marketing and President of Scientific Games Racing.

“This is an incredibly exciting era at Aristocrat, and I am privileged to be joining the company at such a time,” said Pierce.

Pierce’s appointment is still subject to Nevada Gaming Control Board approval.