Veteran casino/resort executive John Groom has been named Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: PPE) senior vice president, effective immediately. In that capacity, Groom, 56, will oversee several company initiatives, beginning with oversight of brand development for the Company’s Caesars properties in Nevada. The announcement was made by Park Place Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Wallace R. Barr, to whom Groom reports.
“John Groom is an excellent addition to our management team,” said Barr. “We are pleased to welcome an executive with his broad experience in all our major markets. His first project will be to oversee the development of our Caesars brand in our two Nevada properties - Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, and Caesars in Lake Tahoe.”

Commenting on his new position, Groom said, “I am delighted to join Park Place. Having worked extensively in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and middle America, I look forward to assisting Wally and his operating team in all of these areas. I’m excited about my first assignment to facilitate the Company’s plans to leverage the Caesars brand.”

Park Place also announced that Groom will serve as interim president of Caesars Palace, following the resignation of John Shigley. Shigley had been president since March 6, 2001, after serving the previous year as Caesars Palace executive vice president.

Commenting on Shigley’s departure, Barr said, “We thank him for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Barr announced that the Company will conduct an internal and external search for a successor as president of Caesars Palace.

“During the interim, John Groom’s long tenure with Caesars resorts and his extensive industry experience will help ensure a seamless transition,” Barr said.

From May 1979 to January 1995, Groom held various executive positions with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and Caesars in Atlantic City. During the last 18 months of that tenure he was executive vice president of operations for Caesars Palace and, later, executive vice president of development for Caesars World.

Most recently, from January 1996 until April 2000, Groom was chief operating officer of Players International, a publicly traded company with casinos in Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana and Nevada. During his final year with Players, he also served as chief executive officer, overseeing the company’s acquisition by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., at full value to shareholders.

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