CIO Bracing for MGM-Mandalay Merger

LAS VEGAS – As reported by the Information Week: "Glenn Bonner, who oversaw the integration of MGM and Mirage in 2000, is bracing for the pending acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group, which is expected to be completed next year.

"…If approved, the deal--which faces scrutiny from federal and state regulators before its expected completion next spring--will come about five years after Bonner oversaw a similarly large-scale merger when MGM Grand Inc. acquired Mirage Resorts Inc. in May 2000.

"At the time, Bonner was CIO of Mirage, and his IT organization was selected to absorb MGM's technology operations. Mirage had opened a couple of resorts in the 18 months prior to the acquisition, and those openings allowed him to refresh the company's IT infrastructure with centralized E-mail, Gigabit Ethernet connecting the company's portfolio of resorts, and standardized finance, human-resources, and payroll systems. In fact, Bonner had centralized the operation in part to prepare for more expansion. Those preparations put him in a good position to take the integration lead once MGM came calling.

"…In the meantime, Bonner is continuing to modernize MGM Mirage's back-end systems…"