A True Believer Plot Twist: Francesca's First GM Gave Her Her First GM Role
Francesca Hocker has spent 14 years in gaming, straight out of college and never anywhere else, and she's now the Vice President and General Manager of Bally's Black Hawk.
She started out helping open a casino in Columbus, Ohio, as a marketing coordinator, then moved to Tunica, Mississippi, as a database manager, and on to Colorado as Director of Marketing, the role she held when Bally's took over the property.
Moving markets helped her grow faster: "When you see different markets and how different companies run, it broadens your experience faster." When her GM offer came, it was handed to her by her very first general manager, with her first HR director right beside him. "It was almost a full circle moment, because I started my career with both of them. It was very cool and bittersweet to think, my first GM just handed me my first GM role."
Francesca Said Nothing for a Month. Here's Why
When she became a director, her marketing team was a little spooked because she barely spoke for the first month, but she was just taking it all in. "I like to assess the full situation and not just jump in, because I don't want to create changes that are unnecessary."
That listening-first style carried into the GM role. Three weeks in, she launched "Donuts with the GM," open to team members at any level. "This is not my property. This is our property. I want the feedback from everyone, and I want everyone invested."
Her mission for Black Hawk is accountability and fun: "We work in an industry of entertainment. If our team members are not having fun on the job, then our guests are not having fun." She calls herself a true believer in the property, and she knows it can do more in a competitive market where casinos sit steps apart.
Coffee Machines in the Boardroom? Say No More
Off the clock, Francesca is a planner, a coffee devotee ("all day, every day," with machines in the executive offices and the boardroom), and a former night owl turned early bird thanks to her 15-month-old daughter. She grew up as a dancer, prefers the mountains over the beach, and listens to a little bit of everything.
Her advice for anyone who wants to grow at Bally's is to be a sponge: "Watch, listen, and ask questions about everything. If you're open to learning everything you can, the growth will happen automatically."
If you want to see how exciting a career at Bally's can be, take a look at our available roles near you.
