The new RePlay Podcast is up to Episode 4 now, with host Randy Chilton talking to industry veterans, long-timers and – dare we say – legends. While the latest guest, Stern Pinball founder Gary Stern, balked at the suggestion, there’s no doubt he’s left an unmistakable mark on the coin-op world.
(CLICK HERE to watch the episode on YouTube or click the player below.)
Stern turned 80 on June 12 and celebrated at Stern Pinball’s Elk Grove Village, Illinois, factory with the company’s prominent game designer George Gomez, who turned 70 on June 1, and nearly 500 employees and guests.
He started the podcast detailing a bit about his personal life and the history of his company, before delving into his father Sam Stern and their time working together at Williams.
Gary lives part-time in Chicago and has also lived in Vail, Colorado, since 1978. He has two daughters who aren’t in the business – one in Illinois and another in California.
He explained a bit about the ups and downs of the company, which dates to 1986, when Data East was an investor. They sold to Sega in 1993 and then bought the company back in 1999, he said. Dave Peterson, who’s part of a private equity firm, helped the business weather the Great Recession in 2009. And in recent years, of course, pinball has been going buck wild with a global resurgence in the game.
Seth Davis was hired as the company’s president in 2021 and onboarded as CEO in 2022, when Stern stepped down. (He remains active as its chairman of the board and controlling shareholder.)
Speaking of Davis, Stern said, “He’s smarter than I am and more attuned to the world today,” and lauded his executive experience working for The Walt Disney Company and GE. (Davis also has an MBA from The Wharton School.)
Calling in from his office at the factory, Stern gestured at his nice view of the floor. “This building is fantastic,” he said. “We’ve been in here a couple years. It’s the most modern manufacturing building in this industry that I’ve ever been in.” At 230,000 sq. ft. of total space, he added, “We have a lot of room to grow in it.”
Growth has been at the forefront for Stern Pinball lately. Their Insider Connected platform continues to grow – now at some 300,000 players. “Pinball has changed, and the player has changed,” Stern explained. “The player is a gamer today.” The company updates games every week with new achievements, features and bug fixes to keep players engaged. If you don’t have connectivity, you don’t have a future in the product.”
His father, the iconic Sam Stern, ran Williams from 1947-1964. “I started there in the stockroom when I was 16,” Gary recalled. “I thought I was very lucky to work with my father. Now at my age, I realize how lucky he was.”
The elder Stern was a smart, self-made man and kept at it despite things not always going in his favor. A difference between the two? “He was Mr. Stern, whereas I’m Gary.”