Hospitality | Entertainment
Chairman
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin | Keshena
Ronald Corn is chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, a federally recognized tribe based in the village of Keshena with about 8,720 members. It is the largest employer in Menominee County, employing about 700 people. Its chartered businesses include Menominee Casino, Bingo & Hotel in Keshena, forest management business Menominee Tribal Enterprises in Neopit, Menominee Indian Economic Development Authority and Kenosha Gaming Authority.
In July, the MITW and Hard Rock International announced plans to build a casino and entertainment center on a 60-acre site in Kenosha, located southwest of I-94 and 60th Street. The proposal includes a casino, hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, live music venue and other amenities.
The tribe and Hard Rock previously tried to develop a massive, $800 million entertainment complex and casino at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park site in Kenosha. Then-Gov. Scott Walker rejected those plans in 2015. The newest proposal reflects a scaling back of the earlier plans. The tribe recently commissioned a poll of Kenosha-are residents to gauge their support for the proposal, finding 60% of respondents were in favor of the project and 16% were opposed.
Corn has said the new casino development effort would help provide resources for the ongoing and growing needs of the tribe, which is both one of the largest and poorest in the state.