Keeping stepping down as Southland president, GM
Keeping stepping down as Southland president, GM
Delaware North announces departure
Southland Park Gaming & Racing Delaware North today announced that Troy Keeping, president and general manager of Southland Park Gaming & Racing in West Memphis, Ark., and a regional vice president of the company's gaming business, has left Delaware North to pursue other opportunities in Arkansas.
“After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to leave the helm of Southland Park Gaming & Racing after almost 10 years to pursue other opportunities within the great state of Arkansas,” Keeping said.
“It has been an honor to lead an amazing team in the rebuilding of Southland Park with the addition of gaming. I am grateful to Delaware North for allowing me to have an impact within the community in support of the company's philanthropic philosophy. It is with great pride that I leave a legacy of hard work and winning results on Southland Park, the city of West Memphis, Crittenden County and the state.'
Keeping joined Delaware North as Southland Park's general manager in 2007, helping the operation successfully transition from its sole focus on greyhound racing to operating 800 new electronic games that Delaware North added in late 2006 as part of a $40 million expansion.
In recent years Keeping helped guide Southland Park's development into a leading gaming destination in the Mid-South as Delaware North invested another $60 million for a series of expansions, including a $38 million addition in 2014 to bring the number of games to more than 1,900 and add Sammy Hagar's Red Rocker Bar & Grill, a joint venture with the famous rock singer.
With Southland Park's success, Delaware North has been able to make substantial contributions to worthwhile charities and government initiatives in the region, including millions of dollars to Arkansas State University Mid-South in establishing the Jeremy Jacobs Hospitality Management Center in honor of the Delaware North chairman and his contributions.
Keeping has represented Delaware North on the boards of many organizations in the region.
“Troy's accomplishments with Southland Park and Delaware North will be felt long after his departure,” said Brian Hansberry, president of Delaware North's gaming business. “We all wish Troy and his family nothing but the best in the future.”
Hansberry said that Delaware North will maintain Southland Park's successful operations and its important role in the community and region, with David Frankhouser, chief operating officer of Delaware North's gaming business, overseeing Southland Park's operations while the company conducts a search for a new
general manager.
From Bobbi Jones
