C.J. Graham is a master multitasker. With less than a week to go before the Thursday grand opening of Thunder Valley Casino's new hotel, spa and expanded gaming area, there is no time for otherwise.

He and the tribal owners have high hopes for Thunder Valley. The United Auburn Indian Community – with Graham as general manager – wants to transform the casino and surrounding amenities from a regional draw to a luxury resort that can compete with Lake Tahoe, Reno and even Las Vegas.

"I could drop this in the middle of the Las Vegas strip and compete with anyone," Graham said.

Graham and casino owners want to persuade Bay Area gamblers to forgo a plane flight to Las Vegas or the drive to Reno or Lake Tahoe and spend their time and money at Thunder Valley.

"It's definitely a good move for Thunder Valley," said Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine. But it's also risky.

"There is a lot of competition, obviously," Gros said. "It's not going to be an easy sale because Vegas is Vegas."

In the final days before the hotel's Monday ribbon-cutting, activity at the tribal-owned complex in Lincoln has reached a fever pitch. Graham – a 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry – shared a few hours of a recent workday.

10:30 a.m. – "Is this logo big enough?" Graham asked a team of senior managers gathered with their marketing partner MeringCarson to review print, radio, billboard and other advertisements.

In meetings like this one, Graham is forceful and demanding; he told the group he wants "more bang for the buck." Then his attention drifted to his Blackberry, prompting him to dispatch staff members from the room to solve issues elsewhere.

12:30 p.m. – Susan Kuchlenz seemed to glow as she floated past Graham and across the lobby of the elegant new 17-story hotel after finishing a spa treatment. Kuchlenz is among Thunder Valley staff who have been staying at the hotel to test everything from the mundane (light fixtures) to the luxurious (free massages).

12:45 p.m. – Graham settled in by the new pool to be interviewed by a local television station.

1 p.m. – Inside one of the property's 14 restaurants, local hip-hop artist Israel pitched Graham and the casino's communications consultant, Doug Elmets, an idea for a reality television show that would be based at Thunder Valley's hotel. Israel, DJ Menace and local model Illustrated Ink hope to sell the show to VH1.

"I like what I hear," Graham told them. "But we need more fine-tuning."

Before coming to Lincoln, Graham worked for the Maloofs' Palms Casino in Las Vegas, and during his time there, the reality show "The Girls Next Door" occasionally used the property. He also has appeared on the big screen – as the killer Jason Vorhees on the sixth installment of "Friday the 13th."

He told the aspiring reality stars at this meeting that he needs to be sure his audience and their audience are in sync. Elmets was less encouraging and offered to show them the pool.

1:20 p.m. – Graham bumped into Lincoln City Councilman Kent Nakata and his wife on the casino floor. Nakata lives just a few miles away and represents another potential audience for the expanded casino and hotel: couples wanting to get away, without going away.

While Graham hurries, he never rushes. He's the one who holds doors open for others, modeling behavior he expects from staff.

Staff should never point, he said, they should gesture with an open hand. Staff should solve guests' problems, not shuffle them off to someone else.

Graham admits he's running on fumes with the opening so near.

"I stopped sleeping three days ago," he said. "So its adrenaline, coffee and Red Bull."

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