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For the second time in three months, Allegiant’s Sunseeker Resorts division — planning a 25-acre riverfront project expected to include a hotel, up to nine condo towers and restaurants in Charlotte County —has poached a key team member from MGM Resorts International.
First it was Micah Richins, a 26-year MGM veteran named executive vice president and COO of Sunseeker in June.
More recently, Sunseeker named Jason Shkorupa vice president of food and beverage. Shkorupa most recently was vice president of food and beverage for MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Las Vegas. In that gig, he led one of the largest such operations in the nation, with 3,000 employees and more than $300 million in annual food and beverage revenue.
Richins says the allure of Sunseeker is easy to explain: The chance to help build a new brand from the ground up is difficult to pass up.
“Having the opportunity to be part of a project like Sunseeker — a resort concept intertwined with a unique airline in a way that has never been done before — is very compelling to those who know travel and tourism best,” Richins tells Coffee Talk. “Industry veterans like Jason have the vision to recognize its incredible potential for success.”
Like Richins, Shkorupa was with MGM for 26 years. He filled leadership roles in four marquee properties: MGM Grand, Monte Carlo, Luxor and Excalibur. He headed food and beverage operations at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for four years before taking the reins in 2013 at MGM Grand, where his portfolio included 33 food, bar/lounge outlets and entertainment theaters; multiple nightclubs; the MGM Grand Garden Arena; and a 900,000-square-foot convention center. He opened more than 80 venues at MGM properties between 2005 and 2018.
“I’m honored and excited to be part of the team to develop and launch Sunseeker, an ingenious concept in concert with Allegiant Air that has truly never been done before,” says Shkorupa in a statement. “To have the opportunity to develop this blank canvas from the start is an incredibly rewarding process.”
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