>Navigate through the neon islands of brightly blinking slot machines in the Choctaw Hotel and Casino’s new towering expansion in Durant, Oklahoma and you’ll see sudden dramatic lighting hitting panels of shimmering copper. The bold design by Worth Group out of Denver, Colorado dazzles with modernity while maintaining a strong connection to Choctaw heritage. Often unencumbered by brand obligations, casino designs can be individualistic and unique. With this freedom comes responsibility and opportunity. When product standards are not imposed by a flag, the owner must find other ways of ensuring that the quality of FF&E purchased for new builds and renovations is of a level that meets and exceeds expectations for hospitality use. High quality does not have to mean high cost-in fact, while many casinos are individually owned and without the benefit of set program pricing, there is an extraordinary amount of room to work with key dependable suppliers to bring costs down through value engineering and a competitive bid process.

The purchasing teams at Benjamin West apply their experience and expertise to assure that success is realized. By providing in-depth bid analysis and engaging suppliers in creative cost solutions, we aggressively go after the best price available from manufacturers that are trusted to stand behind their product. For the Choctaw Hotel and Casino expansion, the Benjamin West Chicago team saved tens of thousands of dollars on case goods alone, with substantial savings in the project as a whole. While cost savings are important, they never come at the expense of quality. On the contrary, we work with suppliers at the top of the industry to verify that goods meet both design intent and contract hospitality standards.

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Written by:
Bridget Fallen, Project Coordinator

What are manufacturers doing to provide eco-friendly (and GUEST-friendly) FF&E and OS&E?

Bath Amenities:

• Packaging using containers which are either recyclable or biodegradable
• Biodegradable products

Carpet:

• Recycling programs for nylon 6,6 carpet (carpet is estimated to be #2 in landfill space)
• Use of recycled product for nylon carpet fiber

Equipment/Appliances and Televisions:

• Energy Star rated equipment/appliances, such as dishwashers, minibars, refrigerators, stoves
• Recycling programs

Fabric, Vinyl and Leather:

• Recyclable products
• Low VOC finishes on leather

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Written by:
Diane Cudworth, Project Director

• You should avoid high rayon content in upholstery and drapery fabrics because rayon stretches?
• If a fabric has a Teflon treatment, you have to re-apply the Teflon after flame treating, as it is a topical treatment which is not permanent? The Teflon goes on the “top”.
• Throw pillows can be simplified or eliminated to reduce budget costs? Although throw pillows can be a nice accent, removing them from scope or simplifying their design may be a good consideration.
• Using Turnkey (“fabric” included) seating, shower curtains, bed and window treatments, instead of ordering COM, might improve the overall budget? This might decrease freight costs, overages, and help streamline fabrication. Some fabricators have extra-deep discounts with their in-line “fabric” suppliers, too.

Written by:
Diane Cudworth, Project Director

We live in an age of multi-tasking. Our phones are also our cameras and our planners and our web browsers. Our personal computers have processors that allow us to simultaneously input into spreadsheets, send e-mails, create presentation materials, and host meetings over video conference with people all over the world. The technologies that have allowed us to become more productive than ever before were created by specialists dedicating all of their creativity and attention to detail toward specialized tasks. It is important that while embracing efficiency and productivity we don’t lose sight of the critical benefits of specialization.

Benjamin West specializes in purchasing. It involves far more than plugging numbers into budgets and processing purchase orders. Purchasing is negotiating terms on behalf of clients to protect capital and retain leverage once the product has shipped. Purchasing is combining the experience of project teams with the expertise of established manufacturers to facilitate creative solutions for design and installation issues and creative ways to value manage costs. Purchasing is finding the best possible value, whether through the strength of our purchasing power due to the volume of projects we handle, or through competitive bid analysis, or by arranging goods to deliver at ports local to a project to save on overland freight costs. Purchasing is getting the goods to the warehouse on time, coordinating field measures, staying on top of approvals, invoices, treatments, and payments. Purchasing is holding suppliers accountable for errors and protecting the client’s interests.

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Written by:
Bridget Fallen, Project Coordinator