Kurt W. Schmidt has been named chief financial officer at Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana, owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. A 35-year Certified Public Accountant with 25 years of chief financial officer experience, Schmidt will be responsible for the accounting and financial functions at Paragon.
Schmidt has served as the chief financial officer or chief executive officer at six Native American tribal gaming organizations in the Midwest and Southwest. Before joining Paragon, Schmidt served as interim chief executive officer for the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona, where he oversaw operations and served as project manager during construction of a new casino. Before that he served three years as gaming chief executive officer for the Omaha Tribe of Iowa and Nebraska, where he also oversaw new casino construction.
Schmidt holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Paragon General Manager Michael Hamilton stated, “We are proud to have Mr. Schmidt join and lead the finance efforts at Paragon Casino Resort. Kurt’s experience working in all aspects of tribal gaming along with his extensive background in improving both operational and financial efficiencies will be of great value to the resort, our team members and ultimately our guests as well.”
Schmidt added, “This is an exciting time to join Paragon Casino Resort. The refresh of our gaming floor along with a new marketing and branding campaign will plant the seed to grow the business and better serve our valued guests. I have been very impressed with both the friendliness and work ethic displayed by the staff here at Paragon. This is a team I’m really looking forward to working with.”
