By By Chris Whitaker / staff writer
May 22, 2002
Christina Chatham went to the Howard Johnson Inn on Tuesday with a mission: Find a job at the Golden Moon Hotel &Casino, set to open this summer near Philadelphia.
Chatham, 25, a single mother with an 18-month-old baby, wants to be a clerk, cashier or hostess.
Chatham attended a job fair sponsored by the Pearl River Resort which will include the Golden Moon and the existing Silver Star Hotel &Casino.
Both hotels and casinos are on Highway 16, just west of Philadelphia. And both, the only land-based casinos in Mississippi, are owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Gary Green, executive director of human relations operations at Pearl River Resort, estimated 200 people attended the job fair. Screeners who talked with applicants said 50 to 75 people applied for jobs.
The Golden Moon, under construction for about a year, is expected to open in late August. The hotel and casino also is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs from food services to management.
Green said the resort is looking for people who have a good attitude, initiative and desire to do a good job.
Employees will receive a number of benefits, including insurance, a 401k plan, professional training, employee discounts and one complimentary meal per shift.
Green said the resort is a good place to work "because there are opportunities for a career and because of the pay."
Barry Madison of Laurel hopes to land a management position. Madison, 28 and unemployed, previously worked as a manager of a rental business.
Mike Jackson, 44, recently moved to Meridian from Detroit and wants to land a job in receiving. He has worked for Mid South Lumber.