THE CORDISH COMPANIES CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIVE! CASINO & HOTEL MARYLAND
HANOVER, MD – The Cordish Companies and Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland closed out their month-long 10th anniversary celebration, reflecting on a decade of impact on the state of Maryland. Since opening on June 6, 2012, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland has made significant impacts on the state, Anne Arundel County, local community organizations, Team Members and more.
10-YEAR ECONOMIC IMPACT
In the past 10 years, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland has made one of the largest, and most significant economic impacts and has consistently been named the top tourist destination in the state. What began with an inpouring of over $900 million just to construct the property has resulted in a multi-billion-dollar impact across Maryland’s education, development, employment, and community organizations.
“Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland has not only been an economic asset to the state of Maryland but has also brought a commitment to bettering our local communities through philanthropic and volunteer efforts over this last decade,” said David Cordish, Chairman and CEO, The Cordish Companies. “To build such a successful property that has cultivated meaningful relationships with our guests and the local communities it serves has truly brought our initial vision for the property to life. Though we are already 10 years in, this is just the beginning.”
Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland’s impact on the local and state economy over the last decade includes:
- More than $2.6 billion in tax revenues
- $1.8 billion to the Maryland Education Trust Fund
- $185 million in community grants to Anne Arundel County
- $37 million in grants to local MWBE businesses
- Creation of over 19,000 jobs
- $3.6 million in donations for the Baltimore/DC region
- Thousands of hours of community service
A DECADE OF GIVING
Equally as important as the economic impact of the property is the commitment to community giving and supporting the communities who have been an integral part of the success of Live! Casino & Hotel. To date, Live! has provided over $185 million in Anne Arundel County Community Grants to improve its home county, as well as $3.6+ million in donations to the greater Baltimore/DC region. However, it is not just a financial impact that Live! has made. In addition, its Team Members have committed thousands of volunteer hours to boots-on-the-ground work aimed at improving the communities in which its guests reside.
On June 13, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland kickstarted the day with a media event to celebrate the anniversary, during which Rob Norton, President of Cordish Gaming Group, announced a $1 MILLION gift to Anne Arundel Community College’sHospitality Scholarship Program. This donation will provide $100,000 to students each year for the next decade and will provide them with an educational foundation to pursue a career in the casino and hospitality industries.
“This scholarship means everything to our students at Anne Arundel Community College,” said Dr. Dawn Lindsay, President of Anne Arundel Community College. “One of the biggest obstacles students have with education is getting their foot in the door due to financial expectations. We have many people in need of financial assistance, so this scholarship opens the doors to life sustaining wages for these students. It has been a great partnership with Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and I just want to say thank you!”
The following Friday, June 17, Live! Team Members took to the surrounding communities in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard Counties, to lead a 24-hours in the community event, through a partnership with United Way of Central Maryland. Over the course of the 24-hours, the volunteers impacted over 10,000 lives, by providing much needed services and donations to community organizations, including a Community Revitalization Project, Kingdom Kare, Bain 50+ Center, Ft. Meade, and Episcopal Housing.
Other organizations that the property has supported over the years include Anne Arundel County Food Bank; Marine Corps Toys for Tots; Md. Washington Minority Companies Association; The Y of Central Maryland; Maryland Veterans Trust Fund; Sarah’s House; Anne Arundel County CASA; The Korean Society of Maryland; USO; Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival; Washington, D.C. Pride; and many more.
“Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland has been a wonderful asset to our community,” said Senator Pamela Beidle. “We’ve seen so many contributions to our schools, from steel drums and the new field at Meade High School, to chrome books for Anne Arundel County Public School students, and even the Resiliency Center at Ft. Meade for our veterans. There have been so many great projects that have developed because of this casino and the money they contribute to the community.”
COMMITMENT TO TEAM MEMBERS
The backbone of Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland’s successes can be attributed to its dedicated and hardworking Team Members. Live! has an established history of thanking their Team Members in big ways, from giving away cars and cruises, to offering a free van pickup and drop-off service for any employees in need of transportation to and from work, from the morning shift through the graveyard shift.
In honor of the 10th anniversary, Team Members were celebrated in The HALL, where the day-one employees received special “Day-One” ribbons, personalized jackets, watches, and a personalized letter from David Cordish. Other Live! Team Members left the event with a check for $10K, Norwegian Cruise Line cruise vacations, $1,500 cash, Dave Chappelle tickets, and $500 cash. Live! executives ran throughout the event with money guns full of golden tickets. Each Team Member that got a golden ticket from the gun was able to turn it in for a $100 gift card.
To further emphasize Live! Casino & Hotel’s commitment to its Team Members, 100 were selected for a “Supermarket Sweep” style shopping spree at Costco in Hanover. Shoppers had 15 minutes to fill their carts with anything they wanted. At the end, Live! paid for every shopper’s cart, from groceries, to housewares, clothes, appliances, and more, totaling over $336K.
Throughout the entire month, Live! Casino & Hotel gave nearly $450K to its Team Members, who have been the reason behind the property’s incredible successes to date.
A DECADE OF WINS
Without the unwavering support and loyalty of its guests, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland would not be as acclaimed as it is, welcoming over 10 million visitors to the property each year. In fact, this incredible patronage is what earned Live! the largest tourist destination in the state from the Baltimore Business Journal as well as 14 Best of Dining & Nightlife awards from Casino Player Magazine. This high praise is likely attributed to the over $2 billion in guest payouts Live! has distributed to date.
Though community support is a deeply rooted aspect of the Live! brand, so too is the commitment to its Team Members and guests. Throughout the month of June, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland celebrated the past decade of wins with activations, giveaways and activities every day. To thank its loyal guests, Live! hosted $10K-a-day giveaways; Money Machine drawings; cash giveaways with David Cordish; a James Bond themed VIP party; and a surprise visit from celebrity slot player BC Slots.
SUPPORTING LOCAL, MINORITY, WOMEN AND VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES
A truly fundamental aspect of the Live! brand is its commitment to supporting local, minority, women, and veteran owned businesses across the state of Maryland. From hosting the Black History Hero Awards with the MWMCA, to elevating minority businesses through minority job fairs, Live!’s commitment to lifting these small businesses remains second to none. Over the last decade, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland has given HALF A BILLION DOLLARS in MBE/WBE spend, as well as $37 million in grants to MBE/WBE businesses.
“Supporting minority- and women-owned local businesses is a top priority for The Cordish Companies and Live! Casino has truly made this an integral aspect of its brand values and mission,” added Zed Smith, Chief Operating Officer at The Cordish Companies. “To put this into perspective, over half a billion dollars has been spent with MBE and WBE over the last ten years, in addition to the $37 million in grants given to MBE/WBE businesses.”
To continue this commitment into the 10th anniversary celebrations, Live! concluded its media event with the announcement of a winner of the special contest for minority-owned bakeries in the region. Five bakeries were invited to bake 2,000 cupcakes each, to celebrate the 10th anniversary. A team of Live! judges, including Chef Bill Gideon, CFO Yvonne Mrha, and Director of DEI Ed Evans taste-tested cupcakes from Midnite Confections Cupcakery, Sweet Eden Bake Shop, Blue Crab Cupcakes, Kora Lee’s - A Gourmet Dessert Café, and La Boulangerie. Together, the judges selected Midnite Confections Cupcakery as the big winner and awarded bakery owner Sandra McNeil a gift of $10K to support her business.
For more information on the next 10 years and beyond, visit maryland.livecasinohotel.com.
###
About Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
The four-time AAA Four Diamond rated Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland is one of the largest and most luxurious commercial casinos in the country. Offering guests a range of activities including gaming, entertainment, world-class dining and hotel accommodations, Live! Casino & Hotel is consistently ranked the top tourist attraction in the state. Located between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and adjacent to the popular Arundel Mills Mall, the property features one of the area’s biggest entertainment venues, The HALL at Live!, along with Maryland’s #1 Sportsbook with partner FanDuel at Sports & Social Maryland. Other amenities include 183 live action table games, a large Poker Room, approximately 4,000 slot machines, two High Limit Rooms, and the Orchid Gaming & Smoking Patio. The award-winning hotel features 310 luxury guest rooms and The Cordish Art Collection complete with more than 40o pieces of contemporary art from world-renowned artists including Andy Warhol. Multiple dining options and guest services round out the experience at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland. Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland is owned and operated by a company that is affiliated with The Cordish Companies. More information can be found at LiveCasinoHotel.com.
About The Cordish Companies
The Cordish Companies’ origins date back to 1910 and encompass four generations of privately held, family ownership. During the past ten decades, The Cordish Companies has grown into a global leader in Commercial Real Estate; Entertainment Districts; Sports-Anchored Developments; Gaming; Hotels; Residential Properties; Restaurants; International Development; Coworking Spaces; and Private Equity. One of the largest and most respected developers in the world, The Cordish Companies has been awarded an unprecedented seven Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence for public-private developments that are of unique significance to the cities in which they are located. The Cordish Companies has developed and operates highly acclaimed dining, entertainment, and hospitality destinations throughout the United States, many falling under The Cordish Companies’ Live! Brand highly regarded as one of the premier entertainment brands in the country. Welcoming over 55 million visitors per year, these developments are among the highest profile dining, entertainment, gaming, hotel, and sports-anchored destinations in the country. Over the generations, The Cordish Companies has remained true to the family’s core values of quality, entrepreneurial spirit, long-term personal relationships, and integrity. As a testimony to the long-term vision of its family leadership, The Cordish Companies still owns and manages virtually every business it has created. For more information visit www.cordish.com or follow us on Twitter.
“The Cordish Companies,” “The Cordish Company” and “Cordish” are trademarks used under license by independent corporations, legal liability companies and partnerships (“Cordish Entities”). Each Cordish Entity is a separate, single-purpose legal entity that is solely responsible for its obligations and liabilities. No common operations or financial interdependency, and no intermingling of assets or liabilities of the Cordish Entities exists, or should be deemed to exist, as a result of the potential common reference to multiple independent entities operating under the names “Cordish,” “The Cordish Companies” or “The Cordish Company” here or elsewhere.
For Further Information:
Renee Mutchnik
Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland
Renee.Mutchnik@LiveCH.com
(410) 979-9035
Sarah Orzach
Stanton Communications
Sorzach@stantoncomm.com
(410) 707-2466