Atlantic City Weekly

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Rosalind Krause seems like someone who'd make a great next door neighbor -- caring, smart, fun. Someone who accentuates the positive, even as she's addressing substantial tasks and analysis. General manager of the Trump Taj Mahal since April 2006, Krause recently was honored as the Greater Atlantic City Chamber's Business Woman of the Year. She spoke with us last week, after returning from lunch with a customer in Wayne, Pa.

You're a "Jersey gem" -- grew up here, and chose to stay.

I was born in Vineland, grew up in Brigantine, and moved to Linwood with my own family. So, yes, I have that kind of sand-between-my-toes love for South Jersey; it's my home. We did venture out to Las Vegas for a few years, but we missed our families, and it was a little challenging raising children without family and support around. So we moved back, and I joined the Trump organization four years ago.

What led you to choose the gaming industry for a career?

When the casinos started opening in 1978, I was just graduating high school. I had to help put myself through college, so I got into the industry at 18. I just loved it, and never looked back. Actually, I loved the business of looking forward -- trying to shape what the properties were going to offer. Ultimately I was promoted into management. I worked for Caesars for 16 years. Unfortunately I never formally finished college, which I intend to do when I retire. I joke that I may end up going to school with my kids!

You're a great role model for young locals.

We juggle so many different things. Right now, we're working on the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Walk that starts at the Trump Taj Mahal on Saturday, May 9, and we're really trying to push that for local families. I'm co-chairing the United Way this year, and I've also had the opportunity to do a lot of work with CASA in Atlantic County. And we take a lot of college interns at the Taj. These are very bright, educated kids who are a great help, and the experience gives them a different perspective on the industry. I have two kids -- they're 14 and 15 -- and, you know, I end up treating all these kids who come in like my own. Hopefully, when my children are older someone will offer programs like that, because it's really great for the local children.

During your career, you successfully transitioned from dealer, to marketing, to management.

They're each different, and important, facets of our industry, and I spent time getting well-rounded. I felt that would be beneficial. It's never about just one particular area, but about getting an in-depth understanding of how various areas are operated.

This economy undoubtedly affects your mission.

Obviously everyone's challenged right now, but when we look at the last couple months, we've actually done well -- and we're attributing that to our new Chairman Tower. The visitation is still there, it's just the spend-per-customer that's down a bit. Plus we're challenged with casinos opening in other jurisdictions; convenience gaming in Pennsylvania is hurting. But we're staying focused, principally on the customer experience and customer service.

At the Chairman Tower ribbon-cutting, you said the Tower was key to changing your business model.

It allowed us to offer rooms to more customers on weekends, and to open up our cash, or transient segment, to more customers. Before, we were limited in how we could offer our 1,250 rooms. With the Tower, this is our first summer with 2,000 rooms, and we're able now to expand our marketing reach and offer, say, larger conventions, and more cash rooms.

How do you spend spare time?

I spend Sundays with my family and my children, we have dinner together every night, and an hour together every morning. That's really a priority of mine. My husband made the choice; in 1998 we decided that one parent had to be there when the children came home from school. So he changed careers, from the casino industry into being a builder, where he sets his own hours. That really works great.