The casino and resort provides the total guest experience, with 454 rooms, a gaming floor, entertainment venue, convention center, spa, pool, nightclub, multiple golf courses and various bars and restaurants.

The casino will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this Sunday at the Island Convention Center with hors d’oeuvres, music and karaoke, as well as games and prizes.

What initially started as bingo fundraisers for the Hannahville Indian Community grew to one of the largest casino, golf and entertainment resort destinations in the Midwest.

In 1985, the Hannahville Casino opened and was later renamed Chip-In Casino. A major expansion in 1991 moved operations to the current site off U.S. 2 in Harris.

Guests have been visiting the Island Resort & Casino in Harris for four decades.(Courtesy photo)

Hannahville Indian Community’s Tribal Chairperson Kenneth Meshigaud emphasized their desire to become more marketable.

“One of the things we decided that – early on – was that we needed to be unique; hence, the Island Resort & Casino. We wanted something that would draw (guests),” said Meshigaud. “What’s more draw than a paradise island to come and gamble?”

Since the late 1990s, the resort has expanded well beyond gaming. A rebuilt casino and the Island Showroom opened in 1998, followed by a convention center, hotel towers, restaurants, entertainment venues, an RV park and a full-service spa. The addition of Sweetgrass and Sage Run golf courses attracted attention from all over the nation.

After Meshigaud worked in various positions in the resort, like as a waiter and cashier, he eventually worked his way up to a management position, where he worked in human resources and processed payroll for the 15 employees at the time.

“It’s quite an adventure. Learning how to staff the operation, all of the internal controls, it’s been quite the adventure,” said Meshigaud.

Meshigaud credits several members of their tribe for turning the casino’s potential into reality, but he especially credits the current general manager, Tony Mancilla, for the casino’s success.

“The best person that we found over the years to run the operation, of course, is Tony Mancilla,” said Meshigaud. “The committees looked at him and said, ‘We think he’s a good fit so let’s try him out.’ Oh man, that’s the best move that this casino had ever made.”

Mancilla started working as a tribal attorney for the Hannahville Indian Community in 1997. After 17 years, the Island Resort’s general manager, Tom McChesney, passed, and Mancilla was appointed general manager.

“(The community) is the direct beneficiary of everything we do. I’m a tribal member. I want them to prosper. I want them to have as much money as possible to spend on the programs, health, education — all that good stuff. So, I have a vested interest in making this place as good as it can be,” said Mancilla.

Mancilla has overseen multiple development projects at the resort & casino, one of the most noteworthy being their golf courses.

The resort will be adding a third course to their current courses, Sweetgrass and Sage Run. The addition of the new course, Cedar Course, will provide guests with 15,000 more early tee-times yearly. Cedar Course is set to open in mid-July.

“Our people now have the opportunities to work as hard as they can, attain leadership positions — executive positions — but they gotta work for it. And they know that, and they are. We’ve got some great people now that are department heads and running different areas. I think that’s one of the biggest benefits that the casino has offered the Hannahville Indian community, is the opportunity for jobs and self-reliance,” said Meshigaud.

The Island Resort & Casino currently employs more than 900 people, providing generations with the chance to grow in their careers. The casino’s commitment to their staff is evident in photos of the large management team.

“Hannahville Indian Community wants to thank the Central U.P., northeast Wisconsin, in fact, the entire U.P. — the entire Midwest, actually, because that’s where our draw has always been,” said Meshigaud. “We want to thank all those people for visiting us over the years and helping us grow.”