Oct 20, 2017 4 min read

MEADOW LANDS – The new general manager of The Meadows Casino said Friday she hopes to be at the North Strabane Township gaming and entertainment venue “for a long time” and presented a number of upcoming initiatives – from additional slot machines to a multimillion-dollar outlay for food and beverage upgrades – she plans on implementing in the coming year.

Allie Evangelista, 39, joined the local casino, which has been owned by Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment since September 2016, in November as vice president of gaming operations. She was named GM in August.

She was the keynote speaker Friday at t Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast meeting, attended by about 200 members.

A native of Brazil, Evangelista came to the United States to work as an intern at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., while earning a degree in tourism. It was there she met her husband, Fabio.

She joined Pinnacle in 2006 as an assistant slot manager at its Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in St. Charles, Mo.

While acknowledging she represents an example of an employee who worked her way up thorough the Pinnacle organization, Evangelista was candid about her beginnings.

“When I joined the company, I had never seen a slot machine in my life,” she said, praising Pinnacle’s ability to train employees for the positions for which they’re hired.

Prior to taking the top role at The Meadows, she worked at Pinnacle’s Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A resident of Southpointe, where she lives with her husband and two children, Evangelista is responsible for the daily operations of one of the East Coast’s largest casinos, which employs about 1,300 people.

She is one of three women who are general managers among Pinnacle’s 16 casinos that employ 17,000 in 10 states, with a focus on Midwest and Southeast properties.

She said she works at “making this a great place for people to work” and to incorporate the company’s initiatives that have an impact on guests, employees and shareholders.

In addition to managing employees at The Meadows, Evangelista is responsible for putting out a product that attracts 5 million guests to the property each year.

In introducing her Friday, chamber President Jeff Kotula noted that the venue is the county’s largest tourist attraction, one of its largest employers and contributes about $10 million annually to the Local Share Account from its gaming proceeds to help municipalities and nonprofits with a variety of community, tourism and economic development projects.

Evangelista said that in the past year, Pinnacle has spent more than $4 million on new slot machines, as well as another $1.2 million on relocating table games to improve the guest experience.

By year’s end, the casino will add a dozen “stadium gaming” terminals – a result of state legislation passed earlier this year – that enable guests to wager with dealer assistance. The hybrid electronic machines are popular in Macau and Singapore, but are just now finding their way into the United States

For 2018, she said, the casino is looking to spend another $1.1 million on 50 additional slot machines, and has a goal of spending between $5 million and $9 million to upgrade its food and beverage service.

Concepts being considered for the upgrade include the possibility of adding a sports bar and a new players lounge.

Evangelista said the casino will implement a new player loyalty program in January that will tie in all of Pinnacle’s properties.

“The company has been investing a lot of time into (promoting) cross-property trips” for its guests, she said.

Kevin Brogan, who directs The Meadows’ marketing programs and attended Friday’s breakfast, said the casino also is looking to bring 16 musical acts to its summer concert program in 2018, an increase of 10 acts over last year.

Evangelista said the casino continues to look at adding an events center at the property in a space that already serves as a temporary area, but said it will not occur next year.

But with all of the other initiatives planned for next year, Evangelista said she plans on being here awhile.

“I will pack up and go wherever they want me to, but I hope to be living here a very long time,” she said.