Ten years after Katrina recovery, casino executives reunite in South Mississippi

By MARY PEREZ meperez@sunherald.com Twitter: MaryPerezSH

January 21, 2016 11:00 PM

TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD
The Mississippi Gaming Commission meeting at the Scarlet Pearl in D'Iberville was a reunion for Marcus Glover, LuAnn Pappas and Jonathan Jones, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2016. The three, along with Jim Hoskins, now chief operations officer at Golden Nugget Casinos, worked together after Hurricane Katrina to reopen Grand Biloxi Casino, now Harrah's Gulf Coast. They returned to South Mississippi, where Glover is general manager at Beau Rivage, Pappas is CEO at the Scarlet Pearl and Jones is general manager at Harrah's Gulf Coast. — TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD The Mississippi Gaming Commission meeting at the Scarlet Pearl in D'Iberville was a reunion for Marcus Glover, LuAnn Pappas and Jonathan Jones, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2016. The three, along with Jim Hoskins, now chief operations officer at Golden Nugget Casinos, worked together after Hurricane Katrina to reopen Grand Biloxi Casino, now Harrah's Gulf Coast. They returned to South Mississippi, where Glover is general manager at Beau Rivage, Pappas is CEO at the Scarlet Pearl and Jones is general manager at Harrah's Gulf Coast.

D'IBERVILLE -- Four casino executives who reopened Grand Casino Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina are reunited as friends -- and competitors -- in South Mississippi.

The four attended the Mississippi Gaming Commission meeting Thursday at Scarlet Pearl Casino in D'Iberville as managers of four different casinos.

Jim Hoskins was general manager of Golden Nugget Casino Biloxi and oversaw the total transformation of the resort before being promoted to chief operating officer for Golden Nugget Casinos.

He attributes the success of the group after Katrina to "good people around us."

"And of course we all had one another," said LuAnn Pappas, CEO of Scarlet Pearl Casino, which opened Dec. 9.

Marcus Glover returned to Biloxi last year as general manager of Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and Jonathan Jones is general manager of what was the Grand Biloxi and now is Harrah's Gulf Coast. It reopened a little less than a year after Katrina and is undergoing a total guest room renovation.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Ten years after Katrina recovery, casino executives reunite in South Mississippi ."

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