On Nov 29th Ron was laid off from his job as a Data Base Administrator. He was in shock since he was told earlier in the year that his job was secure. We both understand why the company had to let him and the others go. We wish them success.

It weighed heavy on both of us because of the uncertainty of what the future might hold. Here it was right before the birth of a grandchild and just before Christmas.

We were lucky. After taking a week off Ron put in a few applications and was lucky to land another great job outside of the casino industry.

Many ask me what Ron does. He has been a network director and done a variety of technical jobs that I don’t understand. For those of you who are interested or that will ask, here is the job description of what he is doing now. I have no clue what most of it means since scrubbing to me means cleaning a toilet or a floor.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
• Manage and successful execution of list management campaigns from concept to completion including list selection and segmentation, data scrubbing, and campaign fulfillment for Call Center and Direct Mail orders.
• Utilize customer database system using SQL for campaign set-up and execution, list strategy and segmentation, data mining and reports, etc.
• Track and analyze competitive programs, trends, market opportunities, products, and activities in the marketplace.
• Manage relationships with clients, and 3rd party vendors
Skills and Qualifications:
• 3+ Years experience in Database Marketing/Direct Marketing/Data Processing including list segmentation and data scrubbing.
• Excellent SQL Development including extensive queries, data scrubbing, and campaign documentation.
• 1-3 Years experience using Crystal Reports
• Advanced MS Excel including advanced pivot table
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy with ability to recognize anomalies.
• Exceptional analytical skills
• Ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously and manage time efficiently
• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent communication and editorial skills
• Bachelors Degree
• Experience using SAS, List Hygiene Software, Dataflux a plus
• Advanced experience MS Access

My grandson was born Dec 9th and we will have a “Merry Christmas”.

I pray for others who find themselves unemployed and in a tougher situation. Not all will be so fortunate to find work as fast as Ron did. They will be faced with no job or medical insurance.

The 85, 000 person work force that Harrah’s will be forced to reduce once the buy out is complete is going to hit many hard. I pray for those people who will struggle to find other jobs. (They are an example)

I don’t have time to read the board as much as I would like to and miss seeing you all on the board and miss reading the daily threads.

Merry Christmas to all,

Julie