Delaware North’s Global Visual and Store Design team, led by Senior Director of Visual Design and Store Merchandising Wes Trump under the leadership of Senior Vice President of Retail Michael Levy, earlier this month met at corporate headquarters in Buffalo for 2026 planning.
Conversations focused on the customer journey, and the group took a trip to the company’s retail stores at Niagara Falls State Park to truly put themselves in guests’ shoes, review floor plans and refresh the retail spaces. The team also enjoyed dinner at Patina 250, operated by Patina Group at corporate headquarters, and all received recognition for their hard work throughout the year. Casey Nichols, regional visual manager, and David Helms, visual director of creative development, received visual achievement awards from Trump.
Pictured above during the outing to Niagara Falls (left to right) are Nick DeJoy, coordinator; Nichols; Amanda Wise, manager; Will Tripp, manager; Trump; Helms; and Samantha Davis, manager.
Veterans Network, a Delaware North Team Member Resource Group, in September hosted a donation drive at corporate headquarters in Buffalo for local nonprofit organization Western New York (WNY) Heroes and the Pawsitive for Heroes program, which provides trained service dogs to local veterans. Thank you to all who donated supplies, toys and food – and to our coleaders, Rachelle Cizdziel (far right), partnership marketing specialist, and Nicole LeBuff (second from right), finance analyst, for delivering the donations with a warm welcome from Katie Stanley (second from left), WNY Heroes trainer; Smokey, service dog; and Shadasia Rogers (far left), WNY Heroes outreach coordinator.
Team members from Miami Valley Gaming, Delaware North’s joint venture with Churchill Downs Inc. in Lebanon, Ohio, in early October volunteered with Shoes 4 the Shoeless, a local nonprofit organization that provides new, correctly fitting gym shoes and socks to children in need.
Pictured at the event, which provided shoes to over 215 children in Southwest Ohio, from left to right are Kasey Hill, cleaning attendant; Cara Smith, food and beverage attendant; Mitch Lawson, advertising manager; Laura Lobar, community outreach manager; James Hill, surveillance manager; Pat Shaw, marketing director; Amanda Kohl, gaming shift manager; Kris Horlacher, founder of Shoes 4 the Shoeless; and Brian Guntle, executive sous chef.
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where Delaware North serves as hospitality and retail provider, hosted country music star Lainey Wilson on Oct. 2 for a concert. The Sportservice team worked with Lainey Wilson’s new bar in Nashville, Bell Bottoms Up, to source special drinkware for the performance to make the fan experience even more memorable.
Amid an unprecedented wave of over 15 flight diversions at Tucson International Airport last month, Concourse A and B overflowed with distressed travelers, and the Delaware North team, led by General Manager Tyler Kuhn, delivered under pressure.
Kathleen Stalter, manager of concessions and ground transportation for Tucson Airport Authority, wrote in an email: “Every team member I could observe was focused, efficient, and composed under pressure. And for those working behind the scenes – in the warehouse, kitchens and support areas – please know your efforts did not go unnoticed. It takes a full team to deliver the kind of service I witnessed that day.
“The entire Delaware North team should be incredibly proud of how you handled this situation. Your professionalism, teamwork, and dedication made a real difference, and TAA sincerely appreciates everything you did to support our passengers during such a challenging time.”
Kuhn (fourth from left) is pictured with his team who helped deliver the exceptional guest service last month.