MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Following 19 years in the gaming industry, the newly-appointed director of operations and complex general manager at the Garden Route Casino, Ryan Nicholas, brings a wealth of experience with him.
But more than that, he is a refreshingly nice guy with solid values.
Hailing from the Eastern Cape, his love for all things culinary, initially sparked his interest in becoming a chef, but his back-up plan led him towards becoming an auditor.
During his articles at Price Waterhouse, East London, in the 1990s, "the days before casinos were common in South Africa", the firm audited casinos in the former homelands. In dealing with these casino clients, Ryan realised where he wanted to apply himself.
Upon being offered a coveted job at Tsogo Sun, six months prior to completion of his articles, he made the sensible choice to turn the offer down.
Still very much interested in having him part of the Tsogo team, the casino group made Ryan an offer again upon his completing his articles and finally he joined the ranks as compliance manager at the then Sundome Casino in Northriding, Johannesburg.
This was the forerunner of Montecasino, then still under construction.
Once Montecasino opened, Ryan found himself deeply involved at management level, until he was appointed cash desk manager at Montecasino.
Here, he finally got a true taste of the operational side of what running casinos is all about.
With business booming at Montecasino the way it did, Ryan soon moved into a position created in support of the general manager.
Working closely with his general manager in strategic planning, he soon became the operations manager, overseeing multiple aspects of the business, including tenants, food and beverage management, security and information technology management, as well as Montecasino's flagship entertainment venue, the Teatro.
Having got to this point in his career, Ryan says, he wanted to experience something else.
When specific management shifts came about this year, he reckons, with his love for fishing and golf, he proved to be the most natural choice of manager to move down to Mossel Bay.
As for his family - his wife who is an advertising executive and two daughters aged eight and 12 - they are "gutted" at not being able to live in Mossel Bay already.
They will join him later this year.
"We love the coast. Actually we are coastal people." Ryan explains that his wife, Tara, was his childhood sweetheart and that the couple have been dreaming of moving out of the city and back to the coast.
"This opportunity was truly a gift from above, offering us the lifestyle we want."
Ryan says that in the short period of time he has been in Mossel Bay, he has really felt at home.
As for his new journey at the Garden Route Casino, he believes that given the state of the economy, he and his staff have a responsibility to offer clients a truly memorable experience, an experience that surpasses their expectations and challenges the casino's competition in the entertainment arena.
ARTICLE: CORNELLE CARSTENS, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
