Kitsap Business and Economy

By Rachel Pritchett
rpritchett@kitsapsun.com
SUQUAMISH
Port Madison Enterprises, the business arm of the Suquamish Tribe, continues to expand its retail interests even in this recession.
Some of the activity is on Highway 305, where PME is on the verge of moving into its new Masi Shop convenience store.
That store will feature 6,000 square feet of space — about 2½ times bigger than the current Masi Shop next door. It will open in mid-January and have an in-store coffee stand.
A carwash is tentatively planned for where the old Masi Shop is now, according to PME Chief Executive Officer Russell Steele, who sat down with the Kitsap Sun on Tuesday. He had just gotten PME’s annual strategic plan update OK’d by the PME board and tribal council.
Studies on a carwash are being conducted now, and if they go forward, construction could start at the end of 2010.
It would feature one drive-through bay. PME board members believe it would fulfill unmet need in North Kitsap, Steele said.
“This is something they’ve desired for a long time, Steele said.
Across Highway 305 from the Masi Shop, work that has started at PME’s second of three minimarts, the Longhouse Texaco, will continue in 2010.
Six gas pumps will replace four. They will be spread out for more room. A bigger canopy will cover it all, and additional parking is planned.
Work at the Longhouse Texaco could be completed by spring, according to Steele.
The tribe’s third minimart, the Suquamish Village Shell, now in very cramped quarters, could be moved across Suquamish Way to a spot near Division Avenue.
If tribal leaders approve plans that yet have to be drawn up, the work on the new minimart could start in 2011. It could be even bigger than the new Masi Shop, Steele said.
PME’s potential investment in it signals its confidence that drivers will continue to use Suquamish Way as an alternative route to get to North Kitsap.
“I think you get a lot of traffic going into Kingston,” Steele said.
It also signals confidence in its convenience stores as strong vehicles to bring new diversification to the tribe’s economy.
The three PME minimarts sold more gas by the end of September than they had in all of 2008, he said.
Improvements are planned at PME’s Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, where 600 new gaming machines have been brought in to replace smaller ones. That has stretched electrical capacity at the casino, so in 2010, leaders plan to increase it with a new transformer and other electrical upgrades.
Also at the casino, there are plans to remodel the large Longhouse Buffet, possibly by next summer.
“We’re going to make it look like a longhouse,” Steele said.
That means lowering the ceiling, adding new decor, and adding movable walls to create more intimate dining groups. The buffet will get bigger.
Steele said that despite the recession, the casino and resort have benefited as gamblers choose to play at home rather than fly to Nevada. While PME does not release sales numbers, Steele said current revenues are up this year over last year.
An aggressive marketing campaign for the casino and resort is expected to continue in 2010, with added emphasis on rewards for frequent players, Steele said.
And, ongoing work to upgrade PME’s 1920s-era Kiana Lodge conference facility is expected to continue.
PME is one of Kitsap’s biggest private employers. About 760 people get a paycheck there.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 11:19 am by Rachel Pritchett and is filed under Uncatagorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.