“We’ve developed something here, a real urban renewal project,” Murren said on CNBC. MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren also said he believes the new location will help resuscitate a city that is “down on its luck” by tapping into the wealth of the “very affluent area” that surrounds it in New York, Connecticut, and the rest of Massachusetts. You’re going to have a clean, a safe and a fun time.” “A phoenix has risen, and that phoenix is MGM,” he said, according to the State House News Service. In the lead-up to its grand opening, Sarno said he was enthusiastic about the economic impact the new destination would have on the area. And Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is taking a victory lap. The Blue Man Group and the Jabbawockeez showed up to do their thing. Last night at an opening bonanza, Mark Wahlberg was on hand to announce that his family’s burger chain, Wahlburgers, would be setting up shop.
