Prior to Sacramento he was the President of the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, the #1 performing gaming property in Ohio, and led the property up to its acquisition by MGM Growth Properties for $1 Billion in 2018.

Before joining Hard Rock International, Birtha spent 20 years in Las Vegas as a Vice President and General Manager with Station Casinos, in corporate development working on the Sands Macau with LVS, and as part of the opening Bellagio team. He was introduced to Tribal gaming in 2010 as President of Casino Del Sol where he oversaw the design, construction and operations of their $130M hotel resort expansion.

Birtha’s 28-year career has spanned both operations and development as well as commercial and Tribal gaming at the leading casino and hotel companies including Mirage Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Hard Rock, Marriott International and Starwood. Birtha graduated from The Hotel School at Cornell University as a Merrill Presidential Scholar and in 2011 was appointed President of the national executive board of The Cornell Hotel Society, the 90-year-old alumni association. He has been a featured speaker at various Universities and conferences and has participated on the advisory boards of Cornell University, G2E, and Global Gaming Business Magazine. In 2006, Birtha was recognized as one of the “Top 40 under 40” business executives in Las Vegas and more recently as one of the “Faces of Cleveland 2016” and the “Sacramento 100” most notable business leaders in 2021. Birtha loves being in hospitality and is most honored to mentor upcoming executives and to give back to his community in multiple philanthropic roles.

When not at work, Birtha enjoys spending time in Napa Valley and Paso Robles “doing research” as well as traveling, golfing and cooking with his wife and 2 sons. And of course, perfecting Virta Estates for all to enjoy! Birtha started his wine journey early when he developed a minor concentration in wine studies at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. His studies evolved into becoming the head teaching assistant for the renowned Wines 101 class that thousands of Cornellians take yearly, as well as extended coursework into what was then call the “Turbo Wines” program. Birtha and the handful of others in the program competed in wine knowledge and tasting competitions and traveled the region working with winery owners and restaurateurs.