May 14, 2006 — The person who has been the public face of Divi Carina Bay Casino since its completion in 2000 is leaving. Treasure Bay V.I. Corp., the St. Croix resort's parent company, announced that casino general manager Barbara Shattles had resigned on Thursday. The resignation was effective Friday.
There was no comment from Shattles in the press release concerning the reasons for the resignation. "I wish the casino, its employees and customers the very best. I have been with the company for 13 years, beginning in Biloxi, Miss. I have made many friends and have enjoyed being part of the growth of this company," said Shattles.
Susan Varnes, president of Treasure Bay V.I. Corp., stated, "Barbara has committed many years to the Treasure Bay companies. We wish her the best in her future endeavors."
Shattles had recently been involved in a drawn-out battle with the V.I. Senate to get slot machines located in the Randall "Doc" James Race Track. That effort failed (See "TRAXCO and Senators Go Another Round").
Shattles' most recent project concerned the announcement of a hospitality school to be located on St. Croix (See "Casino Profits to Create Hospitality School").
The press release said that Anton Kuipers has been named general manager. He will assume operational control immediately. Kuipers previously was the casino's assistant general manager.
Kuipers began his career with Sun International in 1989 as a dealer. He joined Carnival Cruise Lines in 1992, where he worked as casino manager for several years. One of his ports of call was St. Croix.
He said in the press release, "Once I spent a little time on the island, I knew this was the place I wanted to live. My wife and I quickly decided we wanted to raise our family here."
He and his wife, Kelly, have two children, both born on St. Croix. They owned and operated the Frederiksted Hotel prior to him joining the opening team at the casino.
Varnes stated, "I am so excited for Anton. He has worked very hard over the years, not only at Divi Carina Bay, but he has also continuously looked for other areas in which to grow the company. It was an easy decision to name Anton as general manager."
Phone calls to the resort and to Shattles for more information were not returned .
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
