Rick Kirby, now part of the Amusement Industry Hall of Fame, started his industry career in 1978 as a salesman at Bally Northeast, a distributor covering the New England states and upstate New York. In 1986, Betson opened an office in a suburb of Boston called New England Coin-Op and appointed him its general manager. Later, it was changed to Betson New England.
Kirby continued to rise through the ranks and earned the position of vice president. He was also active with AAMA – on its board of directors for 27 years and serving as president from 1995-97. Additionally, he was chairman of AAMA’s government relations committee and brought about a greater level of engagement with members of Congress during his tenure.
In 2014, his recommendation led to the transformation of AAMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award program, an award he won. Since then, that program has raised $1.5 million for AAMCF’s charity partners. Other honors include NY-AMOA’s Man of the Year Award in 2004 and the CMIA Massachusetts Man of the Year Award in 1987.
