POWERGRAMS

32 Ride Like the Wind Creek The surroundings scream Vegas: Bright lights flash, loud music intermingles with the sounds of 2,500 gaming machines and a like number of patrons pulling levers and pushing buttons, as waitresses serve drinks while winners and losers shout for varied reasons. In the center of this dazzling scene, hundreds of tropical fish swim around re- created coral and plants in a 16,000-gallon saltwater world. Steps away are a luxurious hotel and high-end restaurant. Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka welcomes 660,000 guests each year into the middle of rural Alabama, small-town America, to experience the high life once reserved for visitors to the internationally known Nevada town nearly 2,000 miles away. The 20-story hotel with the signature swooping roof stands starkly separated from its Coosa River surroundings. It is one of 11 AAA-rated four- diamond resorts in Alabama, considered in the top 5.9 percent of all hotels in the world. There is no typical customer. They are of every adult age and income. Last year they came from 47 states and 14 nations to the 490,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2013. They arrive in cars and buses to a five-story garage with more than 2,500 spaces. On weekends and holidays, customers will fill the 80,000-square-foot gaming floor, spilling over into the five restaurants, gift shop and manicured grounds. On a recent Senior Day, the biggest single payout was $146,000. Owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Wind Creek Wetumpka employs 900 people, mostly from the Wetumpka area, paying them nearly $26 million and taxes and benefits totaling another $7.6 million in 2016. Last year, Wind Creek spent nearly $10 million on food for its restaurants, another $2.7 million for utilities and provided community sponsorships of about $250,000. The buffet is free to active military and veterans Monday through Wednesday. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians of about 3,000 people also has casino-hotels in Atmore and Montgomery. Tribal member Kay Simmons is the first female property manager at Wetumpka, having moved from Wind Creek Atmore a year ago. She said it's a common misconception that all employees at Wind Creek are Creek Indians but the actual number is less than 6 percent, most of them at Atmore. "The number of employees at our three casinos is greater than the tribe," Simmons says. "But we do business with a lot of tribal vendors. These properties were built by tribal vendors. We purchase many of our products from them. It has really benefited our tribe tremendously." Simmons has no reservation about comparing Wind Creek casino to any other. Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson and LeAnn Rimes recently performed in the 1,500-seat theater at Wetumpka. The hotel has seven meeting rooms to accommodate groups from 25 to 1,200 people. And nothing says Vegas like the $5,000-per-night penthouse that fills two stories beneath the curved roof. Twelve-times larger than each of the 240 large standard rooms, Wind Creek's top accommodation includes 2,000 feet of deck overlooking the Coosa River bend to impress 200 of your closest friends. The glass-walled decks have hanging widescreen TVs, a fountain Jacuzzi, sofas and fireplaces. An elevator takes guests to the two bedrooms, three baths, full kitchen, wet bar, living, dining, exercise and pool table rooms. The penthouse is frequently a perk for high-rollers, but will be provided free for a local fundraiser in June. "It's pretty spectacular," Simmons says as she walks beneath one of many chandeliers suspended above walls lined with original artwork. "We're trying to stay ahead of the industry. We're doing everything we can to make this the best possible experience for our guests." APC Office Knows When to Hold Them Since Wind Creek Casino is within walking distance, it's probably a good thing the Alabama Power Office staff includes no gamblers. With more than a century of combined service to their customers, the Wetumpka employees are dedicated to the needs of the many people who each day pay their bills, seek account assistance or ask advice about appliances. Business Office Manager Paul Blake took his position a year ago, after two decades with the company. The Montgomery native said that while he doesn't gamble at Wind Creek, "we do appreciate their business," which totals over 3 megawatts of power each month to the huge facility next door. Customer Service Representative (CSR) Jan Guy has been with Alabama Power 37 years, 18 of them in the Wetumpka Office. CSR Gail Armstrong has been in the Wetumpka Office six years and with the company a total of 16 years. CSR Wendy Barnes worked for 10 years in several Montgomery Division offices before moving four years ago to the Wetumpka Office. CSR Kormeshia Peake has worked for Alabama Power five years, all of that time in Wetumpka. Field Service Representative Roosevelt Shannon has been with the company for 33 years. Market Specialist Kent Lisle has worked for APC for 18 years. Line Clearing Specialist Ladon Glover has been with the company for 38 years, working out of the Wetumpka Office the past decade. "I have not ever stepped a foot in the casino, but it has increased foot traffic in our office," Armstrong says. "We even get Birmingham customers who will stop and pay their bills on the way to the casino." Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka on the banks of the Coosa River. Armstrong, Barnes, Guy and Blake 32

• Cover