Contractors Don’t Place your Bets Just Yet!
Contractors Don’t Place your Bets Just Yet!
AGC staff attended a morning NAIOP breakfast session “Casinos Coming to Massachusetts, Spinning the Wheel – What this New Industry Means for the Commonwealth.” As we all know, associated construction jobs will not happened overnight even though the bill is now law. Stephen Crosby has been chosen to head the MA Gaming Commission but more appointments for staff, office space and the like are still pending. So from AGC’s perspective, it is likely that any bids for construction and new jobs will not happen until late 2013 or early 2014.
Featured breakfast speaker Stephen Crosby assured the assembled NAIOP crowd that he will guide an open and fair process. His mission is to lead the operator selection and site designation process with integrity, while not rushing ahead without thoughtful discourse and community input. Speaker Stephen Tocco, President/CEO of ML Strategies told the audience that depending on which gaming operator is selected and the venue for these developments, construction employment could range from 2,000 to 5,000 jobs. Casinos and gaming in Massachusetts are not yet “shovel ready” projects, but there are reasons to be optimistic when the process begins for construction jobs and employment growth connected to their operation and maintenance.
In 2012, contractors and subcontractors will need to wait for the “cards to be dealt” for these multi-million dollar development projects, but the impacts are clear. Casinos will mean jobs for AGC members!
A copy of the presentation will soon be available at www.naiopma.org and it details the who, the what and the where of casinos and slot parlors in the Commonwealth. Stay tuned for more information from AGC as “the players” take their seat at the table and their cards are revealed.