My nearly career-long association with AMOA all started when I picked up a brochure at 22 years old and enrolled in AMOA's first Notre Dame Executive Development Program in 1984 - even though I didn't know exactly what the program was about.
My father has always been my professional mentor and role model. His business lessons have more to do with the person I am today than anything else. Stan Chilton's support of my AMOA involvement (he covered my job while I was frequently away), 16 years in all beginning in 1985, was key to my introduction to the very best operators in the industry. Many of them became mentors and lifelong friends.
This list is long, and I will miss key people, but I start with John Estridge Sr. (1985) asking me in 1984 if I wanted to be on the AMOA board. I had to first ask what that was. Then there was the late Dock Ringo (1984) who taught us all that fewer words often achieve more than verbosity. The late Fred Collins (1975) challenged that precept. He always went with more, and we listened to every word. Don Hesch (1998) shows us what pure class looks like just by walking in the room, his lovely bride Sue by his side always. Don is a true elder statesman of this industry. Fellow Sigma Chi fraternity member Jim Stansfield (1999) always simplified the most complicated problem. I presented him with a few tough ones over the years.
Past president Clyde Knupp (1989) showed that a small operator can be a great association leader. Jack Kerner's (1990) wit and persistence made for a very successful and entertaining AMOA president. No one could move a room to action like a very persuasive Craig Johnson (1993). He also holds a Master's in practical jokes as well. I was unfortunately the focus of a few them. Tami Norberg-Paulsen (1995) told a bunch of men what to do, and they did it. Another Minnesotan, soft-spoken Norm Pink (1981), first taught me about FECs with a personal tour of his Minneapolis operations. I was so impressed he took the time as I was quite young then. Al Marsh (1986) and his late wife Lee took me under their wings early on in my AMOA days. I think they felt sorry for me. Wes Lawson (1983) was all class, all the time.
R.A. Green (1994) taught me about the gaming business. A highlight of every meeting was getting the latest update from the South Carolina legislature from R.A. Dick Hawkins (1987) is the E.F. Hutton of the AMOA. When he shows up you had better listen. Russ Mawdsley (1974), just by his continued attendance, demonstrates commitment to the association. Is he still showing up at meetings? Frank Seninsky (2000) opened the door for me and others to do this: write for a magazine. He was first. Director Glen Anderson from Hawaii taught us that hospitality knows no limits in his household. Bill Stone was the guy I could get to show up two days early to an AMOA meeting and play golf.
Gene Urso's (1992) small operator perspective made him one of the most effective AMOA presidents of our day. The late Jerry Sequin, professor at Notre Dame and the father of today's AMOA Notre Dame education program, is still the smartest person I've ever had a conversation with, and we had a few. President Jim Trucano (1991) worked closely with Jerry as his father started the AMOA program.
Wally Bohrer (1988) was a passionate and driven leader who worked with the energy of ten people. I'm sure he still does to this day. For the category of nicest AMOA board member I ever met, well, that's easy: Bill Beckham. I'm missing the new guys running the show now, who are all a bunch of great leaders. My apologies. This is a throwback article.
The AMOA, with assistance from a local counselor, literally helped me get through an ugly first marriage, and over the years helped me with the vetting process of other potential Mrs. Chiltons.
I'm just one guy. Other AMOA board members share this sentiment. The number of AMOA board members run well into the thousands over the years. These names I'm dropping are of people who were key AMOA board members (and most are past presidents) in my development as an operator and impacted the person I am today, for better or worse. Every board member over the years has had their own experiences and stories.
Regardless of where you are in your operator evolution, there's never been a better time to get involved in this business, and there's not even a close second place to the AMOA as a vehicle to help you network, learn and make lifelong friends in this industry. It's what sets the AMOA apart from all other associations I've been exposed to. It crosses my mind more than occasionally that I would like to go back and do it all over again. Without the AMOA, it's entirely possible that I wouldn't know any of the wonderful people I've mentioned above. That would be a tragedy.
Randy Chilton is a third-generation operator from Kansas, currently living in Westminster, Colo., with his wife Deanna and two children, Ben and Kate. Upon graduation from the University of Kansas in 1982, he went to work in his family business, Chilton Vending, with his father, Stan Chilton. He served on the AMOA Board of Directors beginning in 1985 and served as AMOA president from 1995-96. In June 1998, Chilton Vending was sold to American Coin Merchandisers, dba Sugarloaf Creations, which was acquired by Coinstar in 2004. Today Chilton is a VP of sales at Coinstar. He has been an industry author of articles on a wide variety of topics since 1992. He can be reached at 800/735-2559 or by email via randy.chilton@coinstar.com.
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