NO LOVE AT KAH-NEE-TA RESORT AND SPA (OREGON)

The Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa in Central Oregon has announced the closure of their popular facility after 50 years due to financial difficulties and will lay off its entire staff of 146 employees.  

Am I Next? Kah-Nee-Ta Resort & Spa Closing - 146 Layoffs -- Central Oregon

It appears that an investment firm, known as AV Northwest, partnered with the tribe but was unable to secure additional financing for the resort. The facility is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The tribal council will continue to search for additional funding that would allow the facility to remain open on a self-sustaining basis. The facility hosts lodges, a hotel, a full-service RV center, swimming facilities, and a golf course.

The resort complex suffered from a loss in traffic and revenue since 2012 following the tribe’s relocation of the Indian Head Casino from the Kah-Nee-Ta property to a location on Highway 26 to capture more interstate customers. 

It appears that the Native American tribe acquired the resort along with the surrounding property from a non-native doctor in 1961 with funds said to originate with a settlement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the loss of their traditional fishing grounds by the construction of the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River.  

There appears to be something wrong here. Possibly a failure in leadership, marketing, or financial controls. The facility appears to be presentable and a great location for company retreats. 

Are you wondering, Am I Next?  

NO LOVE AT SYKES (01/29/21)

Am I Next? No love at Sykes Enterprises - 640 layoffs at Boise, Idaho call center.

JANUARY 29, 2021 — BOISE, IDAHO CALL CENTER CLOSING WIH 380 LAYOFFS

The company has announced that it will close its Boise, Idaho call center by the end of March and layoff 380 employees as the company transitions to a virtual (work-at-home) business model.

JULY 2, 2019 — 179 CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES IN KENTUCKY TO BE LAID OFF.

The company has announced the permanent layoff of 179 employees at its Chavies, Kentucky call center following the loss of a major client.

It also appears that the company is moving toward a virtual call center environment which means that brick-and-mortar structures will be downsized,

JULY 11, 2018 — 640 EMPLOYEES LAID OFF AT BOISE, IDAHO CALL CENTER

Tampa, Florida-based Sykes Enterprises, a multinational provider of business process outsourcing has announced the layoff of 640 employees, mostly customer service representatives, and their supervisors, at its Boise, Idaho call center.

As with most providers of contracted services, it should come as no surprise that the company will periodically adjust its staffing to meet the customer’s contractual requirements. It is believed that the layoff can be linked to the company’s contract to supply call services to Capital One Bank. And, in an unusual move, the company requested the presence of local police officers at the time of the announcement. 

According to the company’s spokesperson, “SYKES had some ‘client changes with their specific business needs’ that prompted the layoffs. SYKES will remain open with business on other accounts and are doing everything we can to help employees impacted by this decision. Those affected were provided 60 days’ pay and benefits to provide them time to adjust and seek other employment. We are actively looking to bring new business to our center in Boise and continue to provide new career opportunities for residents of the Boise metro area." 

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

FAKE NEWS AND THE BROKEN BUSINESS MODEL OF THE MEDIA

Am I Next? Fake news and the broken business model of the media

For those who wondered what happened to the mainstream media, it is not so much its engagement in toxic left versus right battles, but the failure of its original business model.

The old model was based on delivering information and analysis to individuals who had little or no access to contemporaneous news other than radio, the newspapers, and the longer form magazines. People had favorite sources and were pretty much loyal to their choices. Editorial content was divided into reportage and commentary and the commercial aspect of selling advertising rarely impacted editorial content. The sales ads for the various goods and services were numerous and repetitive. Classified advertising was a major moneymaker.

Enter the internet with its multiplicity of free information sources, many contemporaneous and many with accompanying audiovisual content.

Enter the internet with its ability to disintermediate, search and sort, classified advertising offers as well as offer long-form sales pitches that cost little or nothing to access.

Enter the corporate ownership of media outlets by companies that had other commercial interests regulated or dependent on government contracts. The pressure no longer came from advertising sponsors but from corporate executives fearful of jeopardizing government-derived income streams from grants, contracts, subsidies, tax relief, special interest legislation, and waiver relief from regulations and/or legislation.

With advertising income shifting towards online free classified advertising or the use of social media influences, reduced revenues impacted the bottom line. The content creators went hat-in-hand to the business side of the enterprise to plead for support. Unfortunately on a quid-pro-quo basis that changed the nature of the editorial content.

And, the last straw was the need to boost audience and ratings in this new environment. No longer could one claim immediacy, the excellency of analysis, or a unique selling proposition. There were too many sources freely available and one needed to rise above the noise to be noticed.

Hence, we are now presented with a business model that is dependent on outrageous assertions and the cult of personality to deliver an audience. The more outrageous the assertion, the more it is passed from person-to-person. And, hopefully, it will reach the holy grail of "going viral."

So unless the media can develop a new business model with fresh and valuable content, they will simply be disintermediated into nothingness. Meanwhile, the mainstream media will be filled with the bizarre and exploited news -- much of which is synthetically derived and can be legitimately described as fake news.

Are you wondering, Am I next?