LaBarron Burton attended a vendor fair at Hard Rock Northern Indiana Casino on Thursday, hoping his gourmet popcorn would make its way to one of the casino’s guests, perhaps as a gift for a high roller or for purchase in its retail store.
“I’m trying to see where I could fit in,” said Burton, who said he’s been the owner of Popcorn World in Gary since 2018.
He said he sells more than 250 flavors of popcorn, from crab leg and hot dog and ketchup, and is trying to take his company national.
Justin Armstrong, vice president of procurement and administration, Seminole Hard Rock Support Services, said Hard Rock tries to have some local products in its retail stores, especially those that are specific to and popular in the city or region in which the casino is located.
What Armstrong was especially looking for at the vendor fair, however, were local companies that sell hardgoods like computer equipment, laptops and LED lights, along with contractors who could put in curbs and build a workshop in the back of the casino.
“We have many IT vendors because it’s so hard to get products in the tech world. There’s a big supply shortage,” Armstrong said, citing ongoing supply chain problems.
“We don’t need the Hewlett-Packards to come here. We want the smaller vendors,” he said.
He said vendors aren’t just needed for the casino itself, but for community services projects the casino is involved with, such as installing LED lighting at Lake Etta and putting in bathroom partitions for the YMCA.
Matthew Schuffert, president of Hard Rock Northern Indiana, said the casino is always looking for local vendors in the hospitality and food and beverage sectors. He said supply chain troubles that are hurting businesses across the U.S. are negatively impacting the casino as well.
He said this is where local companies would be beneficial.
Josh Huddlestun, business development representative for Americlean, said he read about the vendor fair and wanted to reach out to see if the casino needed anyone for a variety of needs, such as carpet and upholstery cleaning, air duct cleaning, water or mold issues.
“They (Hard Rock) have the same mission as Americlean, to give back to the community,” Huddlestun said.
Rich Pietrzak, of Lithographic Communications in Munster, has been providing Hard Rock Northern Indiana with commercial print and direct mail products, a partnership that Pietrzak said has been “extremely positive” for the printing company, especially through the pandemic.
” (The partnership) allowed us to get through the pandemic and allowed us to become more efficient than before. Hard Rock’s a well-run company,” Pietrak said.
Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
