In the lobby of Newport Grand, there is an oil portrait dating from the 1970s of a handsome man, with a strong face, white hair and blue eyes that almost twinkle on the canvas. Shown from the shoulders up, he wears a black tuxedo with a black tie, giving him an extra air of sophistication.
For frequent patrons of the casino in Newport, there’s something about the man’s smile that is familiar. He has the same smile as his only daughter, Diane Hurley, the CEO of Newport Grand LLC. He is the late Arthur Silvester, who as owner and general contractor built what was then Newport Jai Alai, which opened in June 1976.
Thirty-two years later, one of the premier gaming venues in southeastern New England remains a family-run operation, led by Hurley. Jai alai is gone. In its place are more than 1,000 video slot machines, along with simulcast races.
Hurley is certain her father would be “thrilled” to see the exciting changes happening at Newport Grand, and he’d be just as delighted to know his daughter remains in charge. She did entertain offers a few years ago from potential buyers. “We never had to sell, unless an offer came along that was really attractive,” she explains. “We are not entertaining offers now. We’re getting the job done ourselves, and who knows what the future will hold?”
Born in Boston, Hurley grew up in Weston, Mass., and later moved with her family to West Palm Beach, Fla., where her father had built and owned a second jai alai fronton.
Hurley wasn’t exactly sure what to do with her life after she graduated from Wellesley College. She did economic research for a while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Radcliffe Institute in Boston and the Wellesley Centers for Women. She married, gave birth to two children and lived for a time in Belmont, Mass., before moving to Rhode Island in 1978 where she has stayed ever since, now living in Jamestown.
Her father offered her a golden opportunity when she was 27 years old. He started Dinart Vending Corp., named for Diane and her brother Arthur Jr., that supplied food and beverages to Newport Jai Alai, and she was made president. “I didn’t have the good sense to be worried,” she says with a laugh. “I had a lot of work to do, I had a whole new business to learn.” Her brother has since retired and Hurley is the only family member active in Newport Grand today.
Hurley seems most comfortable talking about Newport Grand rather than herself, and she clearly enjoyed escorting a visitor through the casino during recent renovations.
Oddly enough, she is not a gambler. “I’ve been gambling all my life on running a business,” she quipped.
Hurley is active in the Newport community, serving now or in the past as: a member of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce; the first female president of the Newport Music Festival; a member of the Truro Synagogue board; the first female president of the board of the Newport County YMCA; and she is a member of the capital campaign committee for Child and Family Services in Newport. “She has contributed greatly to our community,” said Keith W. Stokes, executive director of the Chamber. The fact that she is in charge of a family-owned business means she gives local residents preference for jobs and always is ready to “reinvest in the community,” he says.
“She has a very high sense of community spirit,” he adds of Hurley, “and she runs a great business.” Surely, her father would be proud. •
