Rio President to Step Down, No Drama Detected
The president of Rio, Trevor Scherrer, is stepping down.
This comes as a swift kick to the seminal spheres as Scherrer has been a key driver of the impressive overhaul of Rio since its purchase by Dreamscape from Caesars Entertainment.
We probed our usual sources for any dirt related to the departure, but in a Las Vegas casino first, it seems Scherrer is leaving due to the stated impetus: Medical reasons. Otherwise known among our fellow youths as “When the snark stops.”
Now, we feel guilty for suspecting something else was afoot, but that’s sort of our job.
According to a statement from Dreamscape, “Scherrer has been directly responsible for Rio’s operational transition from Caesars Entertainment, the recruitment of Rio’s leadership team and the overall redevelopment of the resort.”
In another casino first, this quote from Eric Birnbaum, founder of Dreamscape, actually rings true, “What Trevor has been able to accomplish to date has been truly remarkable…”
We got to meet Trevor Scherrer during a media tour a month or two ago, and Scherrer answered every question in a way that gave us supreme confidence Rio could very well be a player in Las Vegas again, after years of neglect and a flagging reputation.
Trevor Scherrer is an old-school operations guy, and his eye for details is impressive. While touring one of the rooms at Rio, we complimented the team about one of the tables in the room. Scherrer said there had been a number of discussions about the table because he was concerned housekeepers would struggle to move them back into place when turning the room. He and his team came up with a solution (involving furniture sliders). That story stuck with us, because it was clear Scherrer got into the granular details of hospitality, rather than just delegating and enjoying the perks of being a resort president.
Those perks are many, and Scherrer has been around long enough to have enjoyed many of them.
Trevor Scherrer has swum with sharks, and emerged unbitten. During his 35 years in the industry, he’s worked with or for pretty much every casino scoundrel in town, including Steve Wynn, Scott Sibella, Bill McBeath and Bobby Baldwin, the real Las Vegas Rat Pack.
Trevor Scherrer knows things, and one of those things is the casino resort business. Dreamscape was the beneficiary of that vast experience.
What will happen at Rio now? A good portion of the resort’s refresh is done, so we don’t expect any disruption to the process moving forward.
Dreamscape says, “Scherrer will remain with the company until a successor is named and will continue to assist with the transition of his responsibilities.”
Rio already feels like a new resort, inside and out. While Scherrer is stepping away from his day-to-day duties, we trust Dreamscape will have him on speed dial.
We hope Trevor Scherrer’s focus on health and family could mean he’ll be back in the game again soon.
Then again, work is overrated, even when it’s a cool gig like casino president. Take some time to chill and get better, Mr. Scherrer. Rio’s comeback is in good hands.
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