Meet Dean Thompson, Security Officer at SKYCITY Auckland. If you've ever visited our corporate office on Federal Street, it's likely Dean was the first person to greet you. He plays an important part in our team, making sure visitors feel welcome while also ensuring the security of our people and the building.
Having been part of the SKYCITY team since 2002, Dean took up the permanent post on our security desk in July last year because, in his own words: "I felt like I had something to offer".
That something was a working life spent in hospitality and providing high-levels of customer service. Before joining SKYCITY, Dean ran golf club bars in Sydney back in the 80s and pubs in Auckland - including the iconic music venue the King's Arms, where he met great musicians like the Finn Brothers, Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) and Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors).
Dean says he's always loved hospitality and SKYCITY "is where I'll finish". He loves it here because "there are no egos and it's always vibrant, busy and humming".
One thing our corporate office team can attest to is Dean's friendly, genuine nature and the pride he takes in learning peoples names so he can greet everyone individually.
Away from work Dean loves watching sports; he used to play a lot in his youth but injuries and knocks means he's now happier watching cricket, league and rugby on TV. However, he's recently ditched the car and now walks home every night - 6.6 kilometres - and loves seeing the sights on his way home.
In all his time at SKYCITY, one moment definitely sticks out in Dean's mind and that was Tiger Woods and caddy Steve Williams' visit in 2006. They had come for Steve Williams' charity event, raising funds for talented kids who otherwise couldn't afford sports coaching. They were both taking part in a stock car race against other celebrities including Tana Umaga, and Dean was the officer assigned to look after them.
"I said 'Gidday' to Tiger and Steve and had a brief conversation about Steve driving the wrong way into Federal Street. I told him that I hoped he'd do better in his stock car race! They both laughed."
