September 23, 2014
San Francisco Chronicle
John Currant, Associated Press

Golden Entertainment, a small-town theater company that has grown into a national giant, made two major announcements yesterday at their headquarters in San Francisco.

President and CEO Michael Topham met with the press and divulged the details of a plan that was no secret, having been rumored for nearly four years. “Today we are pleased to announce the breaking of ground this December of our great new entertainment venture: the Gold Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.” Behind Topham, an illuminated image appeared depicting an artist’s rendition of a majestic, curved tower of gold-tinted glass. “We’ve formally been granted the okay from the Vegas board to begin work on what will be one of Las Vegas’ greatest attractions.”

Topham went on to provide details for the project, which included a 30-floor tower rising above the strip very near the Wynn hotel. Based on the artistic renditions that complemented Topham’s announcement, the casino will host a Barbary Coast theme to reflect the company’s heritage, dating back to the days of the Gold Rush in San Francisco.

The project will host three high-end restaurants that will reflect The City’s culinary history. The first is an Italian eatery tentatively named “Enrico’s”. When asked why that name, Topham replied, “My wife and I had our first date at Enrico’s in North Beach and it has always been a favorite of ours. It’s a small token to honor her.”

Another will serve Chinese cuisine. Some have already suggested that a deal has been struck with San Francisco restaurateur Tommy Toy to bring his famous downtown San Francisco restaurant to Vegas. The third restaurant is still to be named.

Of course, what Golden Entertainment project would be complete without a movie screen? The Gold Casino and Hotel will boost three screens, but in keeping with the company’s philosophy of the “one-screen movie house”, they will be independent entities within the property.

The announcement of the casino/hotel project was not the only news emanating out of Golden. Michael Topham’s second topic of discussion may have more wide-reaching implications for the company and one of their holdings in particular.

“With this undertaking, we will also see a hierarchical change in Golden’s structure. It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will be stepping down from my position as the leading face of Golden Entertainment. I will retain the title of President, but I will be passing the day-to-day reins over to our COO, Christian Topham, who has been the point man on the entire Gold Casino project. Christian will take over as CEO, and we shall fill in his spot from within. I will, in turn, spend more time in Colorado and take on a more active role in running our PEBA franchise, the Aurora Borealis. We all are disappointed in the direction of the team over this past year and it’s time for me to turn my focus from the hobby to the business of baseball.”

Topham took over control of Golden Entertainment in 2005 and the company took over the Borealis franchise in 2011 after the death of family friend John Rodriguez Sr., the former owner of the team and commissioner of the PEBA.

Questions about the feasibility of the casino project have been prominent ever since the failure to meet its launch date of early 2012. Many suggest that this delay has more to do with Topham’s stepping down than a simple interest in baseball. Others believe that Topham has some concerns about how his son, Aurora GM William Topham, has been running the team over the past year. Normally very close-vested, the elder Topham publically lashed out at his son following his “calling out” of former Tempe GM Sascha Tesch after Aurora’s failure to land Markus Hancock. The hotly contested trade negotiations landed PEBA’s top pitcher with rival Bakersfield.

“I’ve enjoyed my time atop Golden, but I look forward to scaling down, as it were, and focusing on a somewhat smaller project. Although I will not be at corporate headquarters in San Francisco on a daily basis, I will still have an eye on the bottom line. Golden is family for all of us, and I’m fully confident that Christian will sail her into continued prosperity.”

With that, the one-time CEO of Golden Entertainment stepped away from the podium to allow his cousin, the new CEO, a chance to speak. As he walked away, many of the reporters began shouting questions. “Does this mean you are dissatisfied with your son’s work?” “Does this have anything to do with Mark Richardson’s comments yesterday?” “Will Rosado be on a shorter leash now?” Topham ignored them all, but then, from far back in the room, came a comment that caused the usually unflappable man a stop in his tracks and pause for a moment: “Does this have anything to do with Chris Rodriguez?” Topham turned towards the voice and gave a curt, one-word reply, “No.”