It's been five months since Dominic Ortiz took the helm of
Potawatomi Hotel & Casio, and the CEO and general manager already has big plans in mind.
Ortiz teased those plans Tuesday night, speaking in front of nearly 1,000 Milwaukee-area business leaders and professionals at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce's All Member Meeting. Without elaborating, Ortiz said Potawatomi intends to invest $150 million in the city of Milwaukee.
An enthusiastic Ortiz also made mention of "competition coming from Chicago" that Potawatomi had to prepare for, along with sports betting as a future opportunity for the casino. Hard Rock International is building a casino in Rockford, Illinois and
opened a temporary location in November. A casino is also planned in Waukegan, Illinois.
Potawatomi sued the city in 2019 after it was eliminated from the casino developer selection process. In addition, the Ho-Chunk Nation is going to build a casino in Beloit and
construction could begin by the end of the year.
Potawatomi was among several presenting sponsors of MMAC's biennial event, which was held at the Bradley Symphony Center in downtown Milwaukee. The leaders of each sponsor company briefly took the stage to recognize accomplishments, share project updates, and discuss industry challenges.
Ortiz was not available for comment to elaborate on his plans for the $150 million investment.
When asked about the investment that Ortiz was referring to, MMAC president Tim Sheehy said he heard improvements were planned for Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, but said he was not aware of the details.
BizTimes approached Potawatomi representatives directly after the program for additional details, but officials declined to share specifics on Ortiz's vision.
"I can tell you that Dominic is committed to bringing our property to the next level of entertainment, on par with the best tribal properties in the country, and has the tribe's blessing. More to come," wrote public relations manager Ryan Amundson in a text message.
As of Monday, betting on professional and college sports
is now legal at Oneida Casino in Green Bay - a first for Wisconsin - thanks to Oneida Nation's new gaming compact amendment with the state. Following the amendment signing in July, the
Forest County Potawatomi Community said it "looks forward to bringing sports betting to Milwaukee in the future."
In an
interview with BizTimes in September, Ortiz hinted at what could become of the 9.2 acres of vacant land surrounding Potawatomi's Menomonee Valley site. The Forest County Potawatomi Community purchased the former Cargill Inc. properties in 2015 and
demolished the buildings within the past couple of years.
"I would say that I’m definitely progressive about experiential-type of entertainment and that zone is open for full discussion. ...You’re going to see some exciting developments at the property here that are going to lift some eyebrows and draw the right kind of attention that we need to really show this championship town that we’re first class and we intend to do that and invest capital in this community and create jobs and build something that this city is really proud of," he said.
Today's Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is a far cry from its origins as a small bingo hall. Since it opened in 1991, the venue has undergone three major expansions, including most recently, the 2019 addition of a 19-story, $80 million
second hotel tower.
