Name: Laura Olson-Reyes
Company: Bally Technologies, Inc.
Title: Senior director of corporate marketing and communications
Describe your company.
Bally Technologies is a global company headquartered in Las Vegas. We manufacture, market and design slot machines, casino-management systems, custom mobile apps and iGaming solutions. Our customers are the hundreds of legal, regulated casinos around the world.
You recently earned a “Great Women of Gaming ‘Proven Leader’ ” award. What does that mean to you?
I’m honored that my company nominated me for such prestigious recognition and appreciate their confidence in me. There are so many outstanding women in the gaming industry who are deserving of this award. I’m very humbled to have been selected.
What is the best business advice you have received? Whom did it come from?
When I started working in the gaming industry in 1992 for a small, Montana-based pari-mutuel wagering systems supplier (United Tote Company), my boss, the company’s general counsel Dave Kinnard, told me I needed to work on making better eye contact with people.
There is no doubt that increased eye contact improves the quality of your interactions, making you seem warmer, more confident, more trustworthy, more competent and much more approachable. It’s amazing how something so small can make such a big difference in your professional relationships.
What challenges do you face doing business here?
Las Vegas is a terrific place to do business. It is the heart of the gaming industry, and we have many great customer-partners living and working in the Las Vegas Valley.
The biggest challenge we face is recruiting. There is great demand for top technology talent in the region, and exceptional people have many options.
What’s the best part about living in Las Vegas?
The sunshine! I love waking up every morning to a bright, sunny day. It does wonders for the spirit.
The Las Vegas lifestyle as a whole has so much to offer: outstanding outdoor recreation, great nightlife, first-class entertainment and exceptional shopping and spas.
If you could change one thing about Las Vegas, what would it be?
Even after living here for 13 years, the summer heat still gets to me. I love exercising outdoors, and that can be a bit challenging when it is 110 degrees. I really miss Montana’s cool summer nights and being able to sleep with the window open.
What are you reading right now?
I have two official “mentees” at Bally Technologies, and together we are reading Ken Blanchard’s “Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager.”
I am an avid reader for pleasure, too, and I’m reading Robert B. Parker’s new mystery novel “Wonderland.”
What do you do after work?
I go to the gym or take a long walk. On the weekends, my husband and I enjoy taking advantage of the valley’s many amenities, and there’s always a new restaurant to try.
Blackberry, iPhone or Android?
I still use a Blackberry for my mobile phone, but I love my iPad mini. I have the one with cellular service, so I have Internet access pretty much anywhere. It also comes in handy for checking and responding to work emails when I’m traveling. And it fits into my purse!
Describe your management style.
Once I’ve built trust with my employees, I’m pretty hands-off but always available to answer questions and help. I like to be very involved in everything my team is doing but give them opportunities to lead big projects.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself continuing to grow in the casino entertainment or gaming-technology industry.
I truly love what I do and still have plenty to learn. I would be thrilled to manage a larger team and continue taking on more responsibilities. After more than 20 years in the industry and in my field, I still find challenges every day and am getting a great deal of fulfillment from mentoring and helping younger team members grow.
What is your dream job, outside of your current field?
This probably sounds odd, but I love cosmetics, and I’m a makeup and skin care products junkie. My dream job would be putting my marketing and communication skills to work for a major cosmetics line such as Chanel or La Mer.
Whom do you admire and why?
I will always have the greatest admiration for my mom, who passed away when she was only 63 from ovarian cancer. She was a wonderful mother and wife who also was very focused on her career.
I don’t know how she was able to be such a great cook, keep a clean home, give so much to her family and be so beloved at work. She was more than my best friend; she was a superwoman.
I have so much respect for women who work and raise children. They are both tough jobs.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
It really bothers me when people throw garbage or cigarette butts out of their vehicles, especially when the vehicle is moving and their cigarette lands on my car. I want to keep Las Vegas clean and free of litter.
What is something people might not know about you?
I have a 9-year-old nephew who I love to spoil, and I’m a huge country-music fan, especially ’80s country. And I love to keep our swimming pool water at 90 degrees. My husband Robert and I are always bickering about it.