Midwest Partnership’s Annual Dinner is coming up tomorrow and the keynote speaker is going to be president and chief operating officer Tom Timmons of Wild Rose Entertainment.

Timmons says he was contacted by owner Gary Kirke if he would speak at the Thursday event and when he found out that the organization not only included Greene County but also Guthrie, Adair and Audubon counties, that helped him decide what he was going to talk about.

The Iowa native will speak about the history of gaming in the state and the effects of each of the casino projects that he’s been apart of.  He’s hoping that with their current project in Jefferson that the effects are the same which is more economic growth.

“When the activity starts happening, you’ll start to see some other things spring up around there (at the casino).  Some in particular are probably are onto the west and then across the road, you’ll probably see some other things spring up whether it be an additional hotel or whether it be some eateries, maybe even a convenience store, who knows; because as you know when you bring in more people, it creates more activity.”

Timmons started his gaming career in 1989 when he was the chief financial officer, COO and general manager of Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Des Moines.  He went on to be an assistant general manager at Lakeside Casino in Osceola and was promoted to general manager before joining with Wild Rose.  He currently serves as the secretary of the Iowa Gaming Association Board of Directors and is the former executive director of the Iowa Greyhound Association.

The Midwest Partnership Annual Dinner is tomorrow night at Lake Panorama National Conference Center in Panora.