Tom Celani became President of Action Distributing Company, Inc. at the age of 26. He proceeded to grow Action into one of the largest Miller distributorships in the country with an annual growth rate of more than seven percent. Tom sold Action in 1999 in connection with his Michigan Gaming Control Board licensing for his ownership of Motor City Casino, as state law prohibits an individual from holding a beer distribution license and a retail liquor license concurrently.
Tom’s entry into the gaming industry came in 1988 when he co-founded Sodak Gaming, Inc along with two other individuals. Tom grew Sodak from a small company distributing gaming devices to Indian tribes in South Dakota to a public company with over $150 million in annual revenues. Tom served as a member of the Sodak Board of Directors through the summer of 1998, when IGT purchased all outstanding shares of Sodak.
In 1995 Tom commenced the development of the Little River Casino Resort for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. Tom assisted the Little River Band in the entire development and financing process and managed the facility through September, 2004. Today, Little River Casino consists of a 300,000 square foot facility with over 1,300 slot machines, 35 table games, 300 hotel rooms and three dining experiences and generates over $130 million in revenue.
Tom spearheaded the 1996 Michigan state-wide voter referendum which led to casino gaming in Detroit. Tom’s group was selected as one of the three companies to receive a casino license and Motor City Casino opened to the public in December of 1999. Tom was licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, and from 1999 to 2005 was an owner of Motor City Casino which generated over $400 million in revenue annually and employed more than 2,400 people, 50% of which were Detroit residents. Tom sold his interest in Motor City in April of 2005 in connection with the MGM Mandalay Bay merger.
In April, 2001 Tom commenced development of the Rolling Hills Casino for the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Corning, California. Once construction began, over the next 12 months Tom assisted the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in the development and financing of their $40 million casino project. In July of 2002, Rolling Hills Casino opened to the public with a 60,000 square foot facility, 650 slot machines, 12 table games, a steakhouse, and a 300-person buffet. Since that time, the Tribe has expanded the casino and added two hotels and a hunting lodge.
In December of 2005, Tom acquired, through his company, Luna Gaming – Red Dolly, 100% of the shares of Red Dolly, Inc. which operates the Red Dolly Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. Tom is licensed in Colorado by the Colorado Division of Gaming. Red Dolly is the oldest operating casino in Colorado and has many of the newest slot machines as well as the best family style food in Black Hawk. In addition to Colorado, Tom is also licensed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board as an owner of the Cal-Neva Casino.
Tom is also working with the Upper Lake Band of Pomo Indians in Northern California. Tom will assist the Upper Lake Band of Pomo Indians in financing, and constructing their casino to be located in Lake County, California. The Upper Lake casino will have 350 slot machines and two dining experiences.
Working with the Kiowa Tribe, Tom recently opened the $70 million dollar Kiowa Casino just north of the Texas/Oklahoma boarder. Kiowa Casino is a state of the art casino which operates over 1000 ticket-in and ticket-out slot machines and over 20 table games. Kiowa Casino is also equipped with high-end exclusive steak house, a cutting edge sports bar and a top notch buffet. Kiowa Casino is approximately 20 miles from Wichita Falls, Texas.
In addition to his gaming projects, Tom has been integral in the development of a variety of other real estate development projects including the Timbers at Snowmass, a $100 million resort project. The Timbers is located along the slopes of Snowmass, Colorado and provides various recreational and cultural experiences among breath-taking surroundings. All phases of the Resort have been completed including townhouses and the main lodge, employee housing and two additional residential buildings.
Tom owns and operates the Luna Building, an 80,000 square foot retail development in the Main Street District of Novi, Michigan. The Luna Building houses Luna Entertainment's corporate offices. Other tenants include The Post Bar and Gus O'Connor's, an authentic Irish pub, opened in the fall of 2003. The building also houses The Better Health Store, a premier health food store chain and Lifestyles, a high end hot tub and patio furniture store.
Tom also operates two retail motorcycle dealerships. The first is Motor City Harley-Davidson, the number one Harley dealership in Michigan and a multiple winner of Harley’s prestige BAR and SHEILD award. Motor City Harley is one of Harley’s most exciting facilities with over 65,000 square feet located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Motor City Harley-Davidson HOG Chapter has over 1,200 members and is one of the largest Chapters in Michigan.
The second dealership is Motor City Power Sports. In 2006 Tom acquired Anderson Sales and Service which was at that time one of the largest power sports dealerships in Michigan, and one of the top branded dealerships in the United States. Tom renamed the dealership Motor City Power Sports and has improved upon the long history of success the dealership enjoyed. Motor City Power Sports sells motorcycles, jet skis, dirt bikes and snowmobiles from seven of the top manufacturers, including Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Bombardier.
With Tom’s rich Italian family traditions and keen interest in wine and winemaking, it is no surprise that in 2005 he fell in love with a Napa Valley Tuscan-style estate now called Celani Family Vineyards. Celani Family Vineyards includes 14 acres of grapes and 120 olive trees. In 2005 Tom also began producing wine. As the proprietor of the Celani Family Vineyards, Tom’s goal is to make the best wine in the world….period. “This is about quality, not quantity.” Tom hired all star winemaker Mark Herold, Wine Spectator’s Rising Star of Napa Valley. Ardore, which means passion in Italian, is a fitting name for his high-end Cabernet (rated at 92 points) which reflects his approach to business and life. Celani Family Vineyards has also released a cabernet, a chardonnay, and Tenacious, a Napa Valley red, which received 93 points from Wine Spectator magazine.
