Travels With Bob

AMOA President Burnham Details Summer Association Trips & Goals

AMOA presidents rack up frequent flyer miles each summer while travel to as many state association meetings and other events as possible. RePlay checked in with Bob Burnham to see where he’s been and what’s on his to-do list as he gets into the second half of his term in office.

Where has association business taken you this summer? I’ve Been Everywhere, the Hank Snow song made popular by Johnny Cash, leaps to mind.

The first state meeting to kick things off wasn’t actually travel – it was a Zoom call with the Indiana operator group. In April, I traveled to the AMOA-NY’s event and then Team Dart at the Westgate in Las Vegas. In May, I went to North Carolina and Oregon; June was Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado; and July was Dart Smart, a program held every other year that teaches people how to become league coordinators, then Montana and Texas. In August, I traveled to Michigan and to Atlanta for the Southern Amuse­ment & Entertainment Expo and in Septem­ber, I went on the AMOA lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., and our Mid-Year Board Meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

I went to the Iowa meeting Oct. 2-3, and as we’re talking, I just arrived in Las Vegas for G2E, the global gaming show. I’ll go to Pinball Expo in Chicago, then West Virginia and back to Chicago for AMOA’s On the Road Oct. 24-26. It slows down a bit in November and especially after Thanks­giving through the holidays. I have two hunts planned for November that I’m looking forward to.

What’s a key takeaway from your travels around the country so far?

I’ve been impressed with a lot of the state associations and their events. Oregon was a big one, so was Texas and Atlanta was huge. Then, there’s Ohio, Minnesota, North Carolina – there seems to be a lot of interest right now in being involved in the industry and it’s been really great. I’m seeing a lot of younger blood, you know?

It’s been really interesting to just be out there rubbing shoulders across the country and seeing these different state associations and how they’re engaging and working. It’s been wonderful to see how a lot of the manufacturers are supporting these associations by donating jukeboxes and other products. The distributors and suppliers have been very supportive too.

It’s just neat to see the industry as a whole seeming to grow a little bit. Newer and smaller state associations like North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa are trying to grow and get some traction. And it’s great to see the older groups have consistently active involvement from their membership.

How is the mood among operators?

It’s upbeat for the most part. When I’ve gone to these association get togethers, people are in good spirits, excited about the industry and where it is right now. Business has definitely slowed down some, there’s no doubt about it, but it’s doing well as a whole. Gaming, of course, is either on the radar of many states or they’re already doing it and that has helped drive interest and membership in some of the associations.

I was impressed with the turnout at the events I attended. For example, I think Texas had about 250 people at their convention and the Southern Amusement & Entertainment Expo was a monster. I think Minnesota had about 50 operators, distributors and manufacturers in attendance and North Carolina was about the same. It was great to see these associations and the strength is starting to come from them.

Obviously, the AMOA is so important from the national level, overseeing and watching over everything, but we need these associations in each state, watching their own particular problems. They’re the ones who can reach the state lawmakers most effectively, as well as those who serve in Washington.

How was the D.C. lobbying trip?

It was good and productive. We’re still watching ATM account closures, trying to work with different senators and trying to get a roundtable discussion formed about problems with cash and issues like that. That’s important from a national level, but again, the work the state associations do is ultra important.

Have you been able to encourage membership in those groups as well as AMOA?

Absolutely! I think what’s been especially cool for me is that I’ve been given the chance to get up there and tell my story, how I started in this industry and how important AMOA has been to me. And I know we’ve gained some new members from that, as well as some applications to be on the AMOA board, which is huge.

I mean, this is really why I’m here. I like to tell people that AMOA has given me the keys to the castle, and I mean it. The number of doors it’s opened for me is unreal. And it’s such an honor to be able to give back to the AMOA, traveling around, seeing all these people, meeting new operators – it’s just been incredible. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.

Tell us about the Mid-Year Meeting in Wyoming.

I loved it. It was a lot of fun in one of the most beautiful parts of the country and we had a lot of productive meetings. Business included discussion of the slate of executive leaders and board members, who will start their terms in the spring at Amusement Expo. We also raised money for Coin-Op Cares.

When I got on the board about nine years ago, I had the thought that if I ever was lucky enough to become president, I’d want to have the meeting in Jackson Hole. I grew up in the mountains of Colorado, but Jackson Hole is where my heart is. It’s simply beautiful and we had a wonderful time. There we were having our meetings in the Tetons. We got the group together to float down the Snake River and spent time just sightseeing and enjoying the changing colors that fall brings.

It was also wonderful to have many past presidents with us like Marion Paul, Emily Dunn, Gaines Butler and Jerry Johnston, as well as the immediate past presidents Greg Trent, Sam Westgate, Tim Zahn and Luke Adams.

What do you want to accomplish in the second half of your term in office?

One of my goals when I came into office was to help unify the industry and it’s happening. I’ll continue to work on that especially when it comes to our associations. I want the state association leaders and their members to understand how important they are, and that AMOA is looking out for them on the national level. And key to that is how important it is to be involved.

I get this point across just by telling my story. I had about 35 locations and was running arcade games and pinball machines. That was it. When I joined the board, I immediately learned that it’s all about the people and the lifelong friendships you make. I look at how much my business has grown in the nine years since then. Now I have about 150 locations, I have my own arcade, an ATM route and now a full-line distributorship. This wouldn’t have ever come to me if I hadn’t joined the board, especially as a first-generation operator. I simply didn’t have these tools. The AMOA opened every single door that made this possible.

I’m just saying this to show how important this association can be for your business. One thing that I encourage out on the road is to get involved, on a state level and on a national level with the board. It’s so important.

So, as I finish out my term in office, that’s my goal – to let people know how important this association is to me and what it’s done for me. The people I’ve met in AMOA have become friends and in many cases, family, to me. Some are as close to me as a brother would be or a sister would be. I just can’t encourage people enough to get involved.