Sources said the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Michigan recently dismissed Wendy Reeve as chief executive officer in charge of all gaming and hospitality functions for the tribe’s Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant and Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish. However, Frank Coutier, public relations director for the tribe, would not confirm Reeve’s dismissal. “As you are aware, we do not comment on employment issues,” Cloutier said.
Born and raised in London, England, Reeve was hired by the tribe in 2013. She had more than 30 years of gaming industry experience and most recently had been director of casino operations at Sycuan Casino in San Diego, California. When she was hired by the Saginaw Chippewa tribe, Reeve was tasked with increasing market share and profitability as the number of competitors grew in the state. As a result of falling revenue at the Soaring Eagle, payments to the tribe’s approximately 3,700 members dropped from a high of more than $100,000 a year with bonuses a decade ago to around $58,000 a year today.
Reeve also fought employee efforts to unionize and authorized changes in the casino’s loyalty program that were not well received by many customers
