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| Jeff Maier (left) works with a student in SCC’s table gaming school in Cherokee. He recently was named the winner of the 2017 Caesar’s Award for Excellence for Leadership. |
Whether he’s supervising an employee at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino or breaking in a brand-new table-gaming student for Southwestern Community College, Jeff Maier has the same fundamental approach.
“It’s a matter of trust,” Maier said recently. “In order to have a successful team, you’ve got to have an environment of trust. That means you’ve got to trust the people you supervise. In turn, you’ll earn their trust as well.
“When it comes to students in our table gaming school, you’ve got to trust them to make their own mistakes – and learn from them,” added Maier, who started out in the table gaming industry in 1983 in Atlantic City, N.J. “You can help a student understand and learn more by making mistakes in a safe environment than by correcting them too quickly. I’m not going to be standing next to them on the casino floor, so they’ve got to be able to recognize how to make adjustments themselves,”
That philosophy has worked well for Maier over the years, and it recently netted him a huge honor: the 2017 Caesar’s Award for Excellence for Leadership.
The recognition came as no surprise to Scott Sutton, SCC’s director of occupational training. He’s worked with Maier since SCC and Harrah’s first partnered in 2012 to offer a table games training school – the only such training in North Carolina.
“Jeff was one of the first instructors SCC hired, and he plays a critical role for us,” Sutton said. “His devotion to providing outstanding instruction to the students, and his ability to mentor other instructors has greatly contributed to the success of this training partnership. Jeff truly changes lives on a daily basis by unselfishly sharing his knowledge, experience, and leadership ability with others so they may also become successful team members at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort.”
Maier was nominated for the award by supervisor Jason Sechrist, and he’s revered by current students as well as his colleagues at Harrah’s.
“As long as I’ve known Jeff, he’s been an important member of the Harrah’s Cherokee team,” said Adam West Vice President of Casino Operations. “His presence at Harrah’s Cherokee has been a key part of our success, and we’re proud that he’s an ambassador for the company and for his craft.”
Katie Wiggins, who lives in Bryson City, learned the trade from Maier and counts herself fortunate to now work under his direction as a table games service supervisor at Harrah’s.
“He’s one of the best teachers and bosses I’ve ever had,” Wiggins said. “He can be so funny when there’s time for a laugh, but he also knows when to be serious. I feel like I can go to him with anything, and I know he’ll help me figure out how to take care of it. He’s an awesome guy.”
Sunny Graham, a student in Maier’s current blackjack class at the table gaming school, said Maier’s teaching style is ideal for preparing students to enter the high-pressure profession.
“What I like about Jeff is that he shows you how to do something, then he gives you time and room to grow,” Graham said. “He offers constructive criticism, and you know he wants you to succeed. I’m glad to come in to class every day because I know it’s going to be a good day.”
To learn more about SCC’s table gaming school, contact Sutton at 828.339.4296 or scotts@southwesterncc.edu.
