Working together works for Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg

Teamwork. That one word, in a nutshell, sums up what makes Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg a success. Located just north of Wittenberg at N7198 U.S. Highway 45, the entertainment complex that includes a casino, hotel, restaurant and convenience store has 163 full-time and 17 part-time employees. On Jan. 18, it received a Business of the Year award from the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce. Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg opened its doors in July 2008 and is one of six casinos owned and operated by the Ho-Chunk Nation. Other casinos are located in Black River Falls, Madison, Nekoosa, Tomah and Wisconsin Dells. A seventh casino is currently under construction in Beloit and is scheduled to open later this year. “Simply put, teamwork makes Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg successful,” executive manager Fletcher Collins said. “In order to make this possible, it takes the entire team’s contributions, extra efforts and commitment to make us succeed. The team is committed to see our facility thrive and be an enjoyable place to game, dine and stay.” The casino has experienced growth in many areas while recovering from the COVID pandemic, according to Collins. “We have seen growth in our tourism numbers,” he said. “Our guests’ visits have increased nearly 25% this past year. These guests visit from all four corners of the Midwest. This drives up the local economy, as they visit local businesses while they stay with us. “Our employee numbers have also experienced a boost. With the local community returning to work, we have been able to provide quality customer service through a near-10% increase in our staffing. This has been a positive experience with our local community serving our visiting guests, providing that local welcome and warmth this region is known for.” Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg saw substantial growth and profitability in 2023. “This is attributed to the attraction and visitation of our guests that come to our facility and our wonderful community of Wittenberg,” Collins said. “This past year, Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg exceeded net profit by 14% over projects. This is a 3% increase over the past year and a major improvement of 41% in comparison to pre-COVID revenue generations.” A commitment to its nearly 200 full- and part-time employees is paying dividends for the operation, Collins said. “Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg has made valiant efforts to improve employee morale and loyalty,” he said. “Investing in our employees through incentives has been a positive step to improve employee satisfaction. Our employee incentive investments increased nearly 100% this past year in order to provide more appreciation and recognition to our valued employees. “Employment figures have improved. and 30% of our employees have been a part of our organization for 11 years and longer. Through on-the-job training, customer service training and meeting the needs of our valued employees, we have achieved a high retention rate and have reduced turnover in many areas. Keeping our employees informed, providing training and mentoring has been a great tool to achieving customer and employee satisfaction. “The management team is constantly working to meet the goals and needs of all of our team members. Investing more time and attention, improving employee work areas and creating team builders behind the scenes creates a more fun and entertaining work environment.” On the other hand, attracting quality workers is a significant issue for the company. “Like many businesses, attracting employees is the most challenging issue in our industry,” Collins said. “Attracting the talent that is needed in the hospitality environment in a smaller community has been difficult. The management team has worked to develop interactive recruitment, interviews and further enticements that reward the applicant’s skill base, providing a more competitive wage along with our benefits.” Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg has made many improvements to make the gaming experience more enjoyable for its guests. “In the gaming industry, attractions are aimed at providing the most up-to-date games for our guests, providing fun and exciting promotions and providing services tools that make the gaming experience more enjoyable,” Collins said. “We have invested in gaming products that speed up jackpot payouts, reducing the ‘wait time’ and getting the player back to enjoying the game. We have invested in new ATM kiosks that have improved service, functionality and reliability. We have maintained a fresh and exciting gaming floor with the games our customers ask for and enjoy. This is where we have benefited the most. Customer satisfaction keeps our guests coming back to the Wittenberg community.” The casino is also a popular destination for wedding parties. “We have become a place for local weddings to stay and enjoy,” Collins said. “We have increased our wedding package sales and have included a shuttle service to and from the hotel where their wedding and receptions are held. This is a great way to improve safety on the highways by allowing us to be your designated driver. Our bride and groom receive many benefits from having their wedding party be our guests, and we have seen significant increases in the stays.” Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg supports the community in several ways, according to Collins. “Through our donations and sponsorships program, we were able to give over $150,000 to nonprofit community organizations and charitable fundraisers within our community and surrounding areas,” he said. “We have been able to gain new relationships and invest in established, standing relationships with event organizers and personnel. “This has allowed us to understand the visions and goals each organization has and to see how we can better help them succeed. In order to help invest in a thriving community, we continuously work to purchase items through local businesses, and we work to hire local entertainment.” The casino also promotes environmental awareness. “We put in place a policy to remove stand-alone office printers in order to consolidate printers and reduce paper usage, and we have an area to recycle cans in order to donate the proceeds to our local Head Start preschool,” Collins said. “We work on letting our community get to know us personally through volunteer work such as our twice-a-year Adopt-A-Highway roadside cleanups. We also provide ready assistance to a local community center when needed, and we recycle used towels and rugs from our hotel by donating them to a local animal humane society. “We also have a great relationship with our local Head Start preschool, where we have the students come to our veterans events along with having them come to visit offices on Halloween to do some fun trick-or-treating. We routinely provide space within our facility free of charge for local vendors to set up and sell items and do the same for medical assistance pop-ups to provide free COVID testing, along with COVID and flu vaccine shots.”