of promotions and to encourage play-ers to participate. His philosophy is toget everyone in the location involved,and be present to motivate and guide.It works.

“It’s the little things that we do forour customers that make the differ-

ence,” said Larry.

GETTINGESTABLISHED

Larry transitioned fromthe legal profession (he grad-uated from law school in1993) by way of purchasingThe East Side Maid Rite baras a side business. There hemet Richard Raymon, alsoan attorney, and owner ofCamden Amusement, whichserved the location.Richard’s desire to concen-trate on the law coincidedwith Larry’s father, Von,looking for a new businessproject . In four months,father and son were at thehelm of Camden Amuse-ment, a company with a 45-year history.

Play Meter interviewedLarry for a “Coinman” fea-ture in March 2005. At thattime, it was clear that Larrywas forward thinking, fromhis quick action to join thedigital jukebox revolutionearly on, to his interest inpromotions as the path tolong-term success.

In 2005, Larry operatedover 125 TouchTunes digitaljukeboxes; today that num-

ber has risen to 180. He readilyembraces new technology, and recog-nizes that players are not only moreknowledgeable about technology, butalso expect the latest technology inentertainment products.

committee.”Larry is often asked to speak at

meetings such as the Incredible Tech-nologies (IT) Operator Summit, wherehe freely shares his experiences in pro-motions. He is known for his hands-onapproach of literally pulling players out

of a crowd and showing them how toplay a game. In this way, he activelycultivates—and hopefully enlarges—hisplayer base.

Larry also works with bar ownersand their staff to emphasize the value

II n 13 short years, Iowa operatorLarry Elbert of Camden Amuse-ment has established himself as a

progressive member of the coin machinecommunity.

Larry is well-known, due to hisinvolvement in industry organizationsand associations. He currentlyserves as the President of theIowa Operators of Music andAmusement (IOMA), and asSecretary of the Club LuckyGroup of operators. He gradu-ated from the Amusementand Music Operators Associa-tion (AMOA) Notre DameManagement Program—ClassXII and Masters Class I—andserved on the Board of Direc-tors of the AMOA (his termended in 2007).

In addition, he is a strongbeliever in the power of con-tes t s , tournaments , andleagues to attract and keepcustomers. He is aware ofthe commitment necessaryto see these organized eventsgrow into major contributorsto a company’s bottom line.When contacted about hisselection as Play Meter Oper-ator of the Year 2008, Larrywas about to travel to theIowa State Dart Tournament,of which he is a s taunchsupporter.

He had nothing but praisefor the event. “It was fantastic,with excellent attendance,” hesaid, adding, “The playerswere enthusiastic, and every-one had a good time. It’s thetype of event that culminates a greatleague season. Operators in Iowa havestrong league systems, and that’s thebackbone of our industry. The tourna-ment’s success is a testament to ouroperators and to the tournament

PLAY METER 39 MAY 2009

perator of the Year

Larry ElbertCamden Amusement

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

0509OpYear 04/15/09 12:12 PM Page 1

Camden has also expanded opera-tions into western Illinois. When anemployee moved to that region, Larryturned a disadvantage into an advan-tage. What started with one locationhas developed into a solid route.

As the company has grown geo-graphically, so has its league systemsand tournaments. “We try to have atournament once a week to keep play-ers more active,” said Larry.

In the past two years, Camden hasexpanded its automated teller machine(ATM) business. Larry explained, “Weentered the ATM business because wecould see that taverns were underserved.The only ATM providers at that timewere banks, which did not typically servethat market. There are still locations that

need to be served, and we will continueto grow our ATM business.”

Also added to the equipment mix:cranes and bulk racks. “As we grew, itbecame a full-time job to keep track ofthe different kinds of inventory,” saidLarry. Camden has two employeesdevoted to organizing merchandise, fill-ing machines, cleaning machines, andmaking sure that items are placedcorrectly.

BOUNCING BACKLarry is no stranger to adversity.

In June 2008, Midwestern floodsclaimed a considerable amount ofCamden’s equipment , which washoused in the company’s basementand warehouse. While Camden suf-

fered initially, the problems contin-ued when locations closed down andsome customers moved away.

Larry and his staff have workeddiligently to restore former locations.In eight months they managed toreplace 22 of 36 customers. Larrypredicted, “We wil l probably getanother five or six back in the nextsix months. The rest will be gone for-ever.”

On a positive note, because of fed-eral aid that came after the flood, thearea did not see the downturn in theeconomy as quickly as the rest of thecountry.

Does Larry have any advice forfellow operators regarding naturaldisasters? He offered, “Be prepared.

PLAY METER 40 MAY 2009

From left:Lee Timm,Drew McLaughlin,Ron Bryson,and Von Elbert.

From left:Tom Wallander, Mike Jurisic,Matthew Frit, and Larry Elbert.

From left: Larry Elbert, Von Elbert, Jeff Fisher, and Mike Jurisic.

perator of the Year

A considerable amount of equipment was destroyedwhen the basement and warehouse of CamdenAmusement was damaged during the Midwestern floodin June 2008.

0509OpYear 04/15/09 12:15 PM Page 2

0509Larry_IT 04/15/09 1:01 PM Page 1

PLAY METER 42 MAY 2009

gram. “I miss the experience,” he said.“It keeps you sharp. Every operatorshould look at pursuing this program.”

What most impressed him about theprogram? He responded: “I took awaytwo things. First, the classes representeda good base line of knowledge for oper-ating in this industry. And second,spending five weekends with the sameclass provides you with friends and com-patriots in the industry who will alwaysbe with you.”

“We are forever learning from allaspects of this industry,” said Larry. Hementioned trade shows: “Going to tradeshows is another way to gather knowl-edge from other segments of the industry.I was not able to attend the Nightclub &Bar Show this year, but that’s a good

show to attendbecause you getthe perspective ofthe location. Asoperators, we haveto pay attention tolocation ownersand employeesbecause these arethe people whohelp us promoteour equipmentand drive playersto the games.”

Larry i s acharter member

of the Club Lucky Group,which was founded in 2006.“It started as a promotionsgroup and expanded intoother areas,” he explained.“Promotions remain the mainfocus of the group. As it hasgrown, each new operatormember has provided inputand perspective on the indus-try. It is a group of like-mind-ed operators who have cometogether to fill that part of theindustry that isn’t served byother organizations.”

He continued, “Member-sh ip in C lub Lucky hashelped us all to develop pro-

We’ve changed our computer systemto handle back-up procedures. Equip-ment aside, our biggest losses wereour locations. There is no way to pre-pare to lose your customer base; youcan’t insure against it. But you canget al l of your equipment out ofharm’s way.”

Despite that setback, and the cur-rent economy, Larry is optimisticabout the future of the industry. “Theindustry is forever changing,” saidLarry. “We are not in the business ofplacing machines and collecting them.We are in the entertainment industry.It ’s our job to help bring peoplethrough the door. It’s our job to getthe guy off the bar s tool and toengage him in our equipment.”

He continued, “We have plenty ofproducts right now that allow us todo that. They have become tradition-al pieces—darts , pool , video golfgames—all promoted through con-tests, leagues, and tournaments. Asthe jukebox segment has developed,there is more interaction between theplayer and the jukebox, and there ismore encouragement to spend thatextra dollar. It’s our job to promote itall. Promotions have to stay constantin our industry. In addition, routeshave to stay fresh.”

EDUCATIONEducation is a priority for Larry,

and he values his experience in theAMOA Notre Dame Management Pro-

ABOVE: Carrie Elbertwith Emma,Cayden, andDylan.

LEFT: In April2008, Larryand his wifeCarrie enjoy acarriage ridethrough theFrench Quarterin New Orleansafter a meetingof theTouchTunesOperatorAdvisoryBoard.

RIGHT: At aGolden Tee

promotion atthe Double

Inn in CedarRapids, (l-r):Ken Kintzie,Larry Elbert,

and BrianBernhardt.

perator of the Year

0509OpYear 04/15/09 12:36 PM Page 3

PLAY METER 43 MAY 2009

Congratulations toLarry ElbertOperator of the Year...Well Deserved Honor!

Congratulations toLarry ElbertOperator of the Year...Well Deserved Honor!

Larry,Congratulations!Larry,Congratulations!

From your friends at

he Iowa Operators of Music &Amusements would like to congratulateLarry Elbert, of Camden, Inc. in CedarRapids. Larry is President of the IOMA.

Larry works very hard for his State Asso-ciation and the AMOA, along with

managing his very successful business.Last year with the flood in Cedar Rapids,

IA and the smoking ban, Larry facedsome difficult times and kept on smiling.

All of his friends and associates arevery happy to see him receive the

Play Meter Operator of the Year Award.

All your friends at theWay to Go, Larry!

0509OpYear 04/15/09 2:42 PM Page 4

PLAY METER 44 MAY 2009

motional programs, and to combineour experiences and ideas into cre-ative promotions that have provensuccessful.”

HOME AND FAMILYLarry stays grounded in family. He

and his wife, Carrie, celebrated theirninth anniversary on March 11, theday he received the Play Meter 2008Operator of the Year Award. They havethree children: Emma, age 8; Dylan,age 3; and Cayden, age 2. Larry andCarrie are active in their church, and intheir children’s school.

His dad continues to work at hisside, and his mother, Darlene, is theOffice Manager. Larry considers the 25employees of Camden as extendedfamily. “It’s a family business,” he said.“We have a great group of employeeswho have pulled together, especially inthe last year.”

IMPORTANT ISSUEWhen asked what he considers to

be one of the most important issuesfacing the industry in 2009, heresponded, “On an industry level, weneed better communication. Keepingthe channels of communication openpromotes sharing ideas, developingnew promotions, finding ways to getcustomers to play the games, andbringing the next person through thedoor.”

He added, “For many customers, weget only one opportunity to entertainthem. We need to provide an experiencethat makes them want to come backagain.”

Larry noted, “There are five levels inour industry: manufacturer, distributor,operator, location, and the ultimate cus-tomer who puts his or her dollar in themachine. We need to know why cus-tomers put their money in, or why theychoose not to put their money in ourmachines.” �

Larry Elbert (l)joins Mary

Lavine ofBullseye Inc.

and DanClarton of

TouchTunes atthe AMOACouncil of

AffiliatedStates Meeting

in February2008.

At the Incredi-ble Technolo-

gies (IT) Oper-ator Summit

VII in May2008, (l-r):

Don Pesceoneand ScottAllie of IT,

Larry Elbert,and Brian

Jandula of IT.

Seated: LarryElbert (l) andDoug Diltz ofDiltz & Sons

with DanMcAllister of

TouchTunes atthe April 2008meeting of the

TouchTunesAdvisory

Board.

perator of the Year

0509OpYear 04/15/09 12:24 PM Page 5

PLAY METER 45 MAY 2009

from all of us at

Larry Elbert

Congratulations to the “Operator of the Year”

Larry Elbert

Sometimes luck isall you need and

then other times...

CongratulationsLarry

CongratulationsLarry

from your friendsat the AMOA!

0509OpYear 04/15/09 12:30 PM Page 6