Venco: “We’ve Got You Covered!” Leadership Says Employees Are to Thank for Continual Growth In October 1968, just a couple years out of high school, John Newberry bought his first pool table. That quickly grew into a route operation that supplied not only billiards but jukeboxes, pinball machines and eventually video games, cranes and other arcade and FEC equipment. Over the years, his Bland, Virginia-based Venco Business Solutions also expanded into services like background music and drive-thru systems for fast food restaurants. (They’re even licensed in Virginia for commercial CCTV camera systems.) “We continued to grow our routes and…
Author: RePlay Editor
Walking the Tightrope Maximizing Customer Spending While Driving Repeat Visits By Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group There is a fine line between getting the most out of a guest visit and having them come back again. When a family or group of friends go out for a night out, you want them going home feeling good about their experience. That’s not likely to happen if you set up pricing that coerces or tricks them into overspending. While the customer may spend the money that night anyway, perhaps to avoid embarrassment, they might not come back. On the other hand,…
Two Paths to Play Lessons from FatCats and Blazer Tag by Barry Zelickson Family entertainment centers come in all shapes and sizes across this great country – but every now and then, you walk into a place that makes you stop and say, “This is something special.” On our latest swing through the Southwest and South-Central United States, we found exactly that. Twice. FatCats in Mesa, Arizona, proved that an entertainment center can be an all-day destination rather than a quick stop, while Blazer Tag in Austin, Texas, showed us what 25 years of passion, community and relentless love for…
A Mid-Year Review A Look at Operations, Celebrating a Milestone & Writing a New Book by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com 2026 has been a ride so far, although not one that has me jumping for joy. I know that it is beginning to sound like a broken record given how things have gone over the past few years, and I have to admit that there are times when it gets a little discouraging (especially when the cash flow keeps finding a way to go down instead of up, year-on-year). But while I draw breath, it’s important to find ways…
The Hunt for the Elusive Game Tech Stop Looking for Experience and Start Hiring for Aptitude Owner of Planet Novak & The Novak Network As I travel the country for the Novak Roadshow and talk to family entertainment center owners, there is one question that comes up more than any other: “How do I find a great game technician?” You can put an ad out for a general manager, attractions supervisor or an event coordinator, and get dozens of resumes from people with transferable skills. But where do you go to find a great game tech? There is no “Arcade…
Do Clothes Still Make the Man or Woman? by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com As I was packing for the License Expo in Las Vegas in May, I put a suit and a sports jacket into my luggage. The first day, Monday, was pick-up-your-badge day along with a showcase by a film studio, so I went casual. Everyone had the same idea. It’s Vegas in May so it’s warm … you don’t need many clothes. The show floor opened on Tuesday so I wore my suit and dress shirt though I did skip the tie. It turns out…
Medalist Darts Is Back Liberty Dartboard System Ready for Operators & Players Network Sports LLC’s CEO Pat Rhodes, along with former dart champion Dave Whitney, purchased the old Medalist Darts brand about six years ago and have been busy bringing the new Medalist Liberty soft-tipped dartboard to market. As a financial advisor to the former CEO of Medalist, Rhodes learned about the business and the potential that it held, while Whitney was a former dartboard operator with decades of experience in coin-op. The biggest difference about Medalist Darts now is it’s “sourced, based, supported, managed and owned in the United…
100-Plus FunZones! Arcades Now a Cornerstone for Pizza Ranch Chain By Matt Harding Back in 2010, franchisee Todd Pharis brought an exciting new idea to Pizza Ranch – an arcade concept he was eager to launch at his Sioux Falls West location. What started as a bold, local experiment quickly proved to be a game-changer. The arcade’s overwhelming success transformed the guest experience and sparked something bigger. Soon, the brand that had been serving its signature pizza since 1981 leveled up, rolling out the FunZone Arcades concept to locations across the country. Another influential group that helped take the FunZone…
I’ve been covering this business for over 60 years, from the days we called it the “coin machine business” up to today’s abbreviated “coin-op.” During all that time, I’ve interviewed more than a few people, and a frequent response to the basic interviewer’s question “What accounts most for the success of your company?” has been praise of key employees. Witness Terry Moss’s recent RePlay Podcast interview when he complimented his staff for a far longer portion of the interview than he did anything else. That may sound trite, but I believe that every person who said something of that nature…
Be the Life of Your Own Party Four Ways to Reframe Slow Traffic into Strategic Growth By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment When foot traffic slows and customers hold tight to their wallets, family entertainment center operators face a critical choice: wait and hope things improve or take control of things you can do something about. As I wrote in my April column, the difference between holding a “potential party” versus a “pity party” determines whether you thrive or merely survive. The most resilient businesses don’t just weather economic uncertainty, they reframe challenging circumstances as an opportunity to try something new.…