By Scott Cronick
If you were – or are – involved in the business of Atlantic City, you knew Phil Juliano.
A local legend by every account, Juliano was the kid from Ducktown that made it.
An icon in the gaming industry – not just here but around the country – Juliano will be best remembered for his contagious energy, awesome sense of humor, role as a mentor and leader, marketing whiz, family man and fanatical Philadelphia sports follower.
Juliano, the former Executive Vice President of Casino Operations and Chief Marketing Officer at Bally’s Corporation, was the guy you wanted to have a drink with – in his case a Belvedere vodka straight up – no vermouth – and blue cheese olives – talk the Eagles, chat about the casino biz and always have a laugh.
Unfortunately, the Julianos and his extended family in the gaming community lost Phil earlier this year, but Bally’s is making sure his legacy lives on.
Bally’s, led by his son Paul, who is Bally’s Corporation’s Senior Vice President of Operations, and Bally’s President George Papanier, recently renamed Bally’s lobby bar Phil’s Carousel Bar along with the aforementioned drink, simply named The Phil.
“George and my dad were best friends and really helped each other lead Bally’s to where it is now,” Juliano said. “Their visions and the things they did for the company are often unsung – as they would prefer them to be – but when we were able to celebrate my dad’s life by dedicating the Carousel Bar to him, that was a special day. It’s a culmination of the acknowledgment of a kid from Ducktown who dedicated his life to the gaming industry – and an industry he loved, by the way .. to have something that he was incredibly proud of in his hometown dedicated to him is just a huge deal.”
Juliano was part of the master plan to not only purchase Bally’s in Atlantic City – and its name that would eventually become the name of the whole company – but Juliano was the man with the idea to bring the city’s only 360-degree rotating bar to Bally’s Atlantic City’s lobby.
“My dad, George, me and the whole leadership team knew we needed an experiential moment in Bally’s Atlantic City that would highlight the more than $100 million we spent at the property – a sense of arrival,” Juliano said. “We knew we had nice new rooms, Jerry Longo’s Meatballs & Martinis, other new restaurant options, a brand-new high-limit lounge and other gaming floor amenities, but we also needed that ‘Wow’ moment when customers came to the main lobby. We knew we didn’t have a middle casino floor bar, which is pretty central to the experience at any vibrant casino. The muted lobby bar we had didn’t receive any love or investment from prior leadership. So, when the idea came to create a revolving bar with lights and sounds and activate all five senses, it was perfect. It wasn’t the most expensive thing we did in the grand scheme of things, but it probably had the most impact. We took a stale and quiet hotel lobby and transformed it into an experience that starts as soon as you walk onto the property. It’s a place where you meet friends for pre- and post-activities. It’s the anchor of Bally’s and sets the tone for the experience you are going to have here, and to name that after my dad is just such a tribute.”
Remembering Phil …
Anyone who knows Phil Juliano knows he has always been a competitor.
As a young athlete growing up in the Ducktown section of Atlantic City, his determination to win was contagious. He would later pass that on to students he taught, athletes he coached, and his desire to prove himself and make a difference for his family and the community was not only inspiring but a trait that would be used every day in the business he eventually embraced.
When Atlantic City introduced gambling in 1978, it was made for guys like Phil Juliano. And guys like Phil Juliano helped lay the foundation to what Atlantic City – and gaming jurisdictions around the country – are today.
Phil Juliano was destined to be a casino executive. He just didn’t know it until 1982.
Early Years in Atlantic City
Born and raised by Italian and Irish Catholic parents, Juliano attended Our Lady Star of The Sea Catholic School in Atlantic City and grew up loving and playing baseball, basketball, football and whatever competitive game happened to be available at the moment. A baseball fanatic first and foremost, Juliano played Little League, the Atlantic City Summer League and was proud to become a catcher at 13 years old.
One of his fondest memories is playing football for Holy Spirit against Atlantic City High School in front of more than 12,000 fans watching the Thanksgiving Eve game at Boardwalk Hall.
Collegiate Years and First Career
Always proving his spirit to be a leader, Juliano was the first family member to enter college, entering Lasalle University in 1975, graduating in seven semesters and becoming a 1-A recruit for the war.
Loving Atlantic City, he worked there during summers driving a truck for Pabst Blue Ribbon and selling baseball team uniforms by day and enjoying Atlantic City famous nightlife, attending Jerry Blavat dances at the Lyric and Jefferson Ballroom. He would often reminisce seeing Stevie Wonder before Wonder hit it big.
When Juliano graduated, he became a teacher and varsity baseball coach for Atlantic City High School, here he helped develop five players become successful college recruits, using that Juliano determination to drive their careers.
Missing the competitive side of sports, Juliano became an accomplished racquetball player and was sponsored by Ekelton en route to winning 25 tournaments around the country over a 13-year racquetball career, playing on the 1st Team All-American National Class-A Industrial Tournament.
His love for baseball continued, too, as he created a slow-pitch softball league, becoming the commissioner for all local counties before winning the 1st America Team Conference in Kansas City.
“My dad was proud of where he came from; he came from nothing as a poor kid in Atlantic City,” Juliano said. “I think in the end, he wanted the notoriety, but I think he also deserved it. He was more than just a dad to me. He was my buddy, my mentor, and I think that coach part of him was something he took very seriously. He loved mentoring others, whether it was baseball players or other casino executives like me. I am lucky I was in that fold. He always took pride in being a coach and mentor, and he had a team of individuals across the company who were part of his succession plan, whether he called it that or not. That leader he was let people trust him, and he loved developing young talent to make this and the other companies he worked for be successful. He took great pride in those people he mentored, and he loved watching me and others rise and succeed. His two loves in life were his family and his career. How we carry those lessons he taught us into our everyday life – personally and professionally – is another way to honor his legacy. I can never be better prepared to handle what comes my way, and that’s because of my dad.”
Casino Career Begins
Three years after Resorts Casino Hotel opened, Juliano found the career he was built for when he began working as casino host at Tropicana and quickly moving to the original Golden Nugget owned by Steve Wynn.
Those first two jobs catapulted a career that spanned more than four decades in the casino industry, including marketing roles for Golden Nugget Atlantic City, Trump Marina, Trump Taj Mahal, Showboat and Resorts in Atlantic City, along with Horseshoe and Twin River outside of Atlantic City.
He was eventually drawn to Chicago – his kind of town! – and moved his family to join Jack Binion and Roger Wagner’s team to rebrand the Emperor’s Horseshoe Casino, but Atlantic City was in his blood, and he returned to his hometown to oversee Resorts and the former Atlantic Club with CFO Tony Rodio. Juliano revamped the marketing and entertainment strategies at both properties, creating many firsts at both casinos, including hosting a Beach Boys concert for 25,000 fans on Atlantic City’s beach.
Juliano then moved to the New England area with friend and peer Papanier to work for a company – Twin Rivers Worldwide Holdings – that would be he his final casino home. Juliano was hired to first oversee one property that became three properties and now 14 properties under the now-named Bally’s umbrella, including Bally’s Atlantic City.
He made a particular impression in his home city, perhaps his greatest career accomplishment, as he helped bring Bally’s Atlantic City back to its original glory, convincing the company to spend more than $100 million in renovations for a property that was neglected by its previous owner for over a decade.
“I know my dad endorsed the idea of Bally’s Atlantic City, but he was cautious about jumping in,” Juliano explained. “He wanted to make sure that we backed a plan that could be successful in an extremely competitive marketplace with a lot of great properties that have done reinvestment and are formidable competitors. He and the company looked at it knowing we wouldn’t be the pack leader, but as a place where we could achieve market share and along the way rebrand the company, which really needed a well-known brand that we applied to most of our properties around the country at this point. He was careful and cautious, but his love for Atlantic City really shines in that project. It was something he wanted to be his second home right in his back yard, but he didn’t let that cloud his judgment. He took that investment very seriously and only endorsed it after he knew it would be successful.”
A great example of Juliano’s keen eye and instincts was to address the glass-encased tower that once was the hottest and most successful casino in the seaside gambling resort. Juliano was annoyed that the once all rose-colored glass tower now had occasional blue glass windows that were used to replace broken rose ones by the former owner. This was not a good look for the property or Atlantic City. So, every one of the windows in the grand, iconic hotel tower was replaced so they are all rose now.
Since the renovation, the property has added more than 500 new slots, completed a stunning renovation of the Bally Tower, added a plethora of new restaurant options including Jerry Longo’s Meatballs and Martini, Casino Café & Grille and the mind-blowing The Yard in its courtyard, debuted a new sportsbook, installed the Carousel Car and finally brought entertainment back to the resort after an eight-year absence.
Friends and family
Juliano’s love for friends and family was obvious the moment you met him. He surrounded himself with people he enjoyed to be with, particularly his family and those co-workers that he loved to mentor.
But what’s it like working alongside a father who was known for being unspoken and candid?
“You always knew what you were getting with my dad,” Juliano said. “Just like his drink, he was straight up with no sweet talking, maybe just some olives for garnish. His sense of humor was a big part of his life, but he wasn’t afraid to say what he was thinking. And that would be with me, too. He didn’t separate family and his job. They were intertwined. So, some days we would sit on the porch or sit by the pool and debate the business. We would butt heads all of the time. But that friction was awesome. He lived and breathed the business, and that was contagious.”
Under that sometimes tough exterior was a gentle soul.
“One day he asked me if I was proud of him,” Juliano said as he held back tears. “Of course, I was incredibly proud of him and how he handled himself and how he got stuff done and never let minutiae get in the way of anything. To work alongside him because I knew him so well and to be able to accomplish things together with my friend and coach and mentor was out of control. The prides of his life were his wife, his three sons, his daughter, his grandchildren and his colleagues. There is no question in my mind that his proudest accomplishment was to help people realize their full potential, whether it was a family member or someone who worked with him. He loved nurturing success.”
While having a martini, Juliano always shared fond memories, like when he wowed his peers and won a player development sales contest at Trump Castle, where he was one of “Bucky’s Boys,” the name attached to the late Bucky Howard, the famous gaming executive who helped launch Atlantic City gaming and inspired a generation of casino executives like Juliano. He also recalled working with Matt Cole – a “work son” – to create Performance Marketing, a program used by casinos around the nation.
Juliano leaves behind a legacy that will not be forgotten … and one that visitors to Atlantic City and other gaming properties will enjoy and cherish for many years to come, and his son believes his father would be proud of those who paid homage to him after his death, particularly the Phil’s Carousel Bar dedication.
“I think he would really appreciate it,” Juliano said. “At the dedication I mentioned his personal philosophy was to work hard and celebrate. And, in his sense of humor, he would probably say he deserved it. He loved to celebrate victories and success. He was completely laser focused on those successes, but he would celebrate those successes, too. I even got some pats on the back along the way, like when I helped administer the capital for the Atlantic City project, and that felt really good to have that come from my father. He was so proud of changing the rose-colored glass on the building, the Carousel Bar, the opening of The Yard … but he never overdid the celebration part. He always went back and worked hard the next day. Celebrate, but then get right back to work. That was my dad.”
Not bad for a kid from Ducktown.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
