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RePlay Magazine Podcast - Jim Stansfield
Episode 5 of the RePlay Podcast features Jim Stansfield Jr. of Stansfield Vending of LaCrosse, Wisc., the man who host Randy Chilton calls “the consummate amusement operator.” Jim began working for his father back in the days of nickel bingo machines and over time, built a very sizable business. Upon his retirement, Stansfield Vending was initially sold to his daughters Janet and Julie; today, it’s an employee-owned business (ESOP) run by Janet. Through three generations the busi...
Kineticist’s take
Legendary operator Jim Stansfield recalls family legacy and AMOA turnaround.
Synopsis
Jim Stansfield Jr., legendary amusement operator and former AMOA president, discusses his 50+ year career building Stansfield Vending from a single cigarette machine route into a multi-state operation, his family's transition of the business to his daughters Janet and Julie, and the critical period in the late 1990s when he and Don Hesch stabilized the AMOA during a financial crisis by cutting costs, reorganizing management, and hiring Jack Kelleher.
Highlights
- Jim Stansfield Jr. has been in the amusement business for 50-60 years, starting at age 14 with his father's bingo machines
- Stansfield Vending moved to a 71,000-square-foot facility in 2001 from their previous Muddy Flats location
- The AMOA was on the verge of bankruptcy in the late 1990s with high overhead costs including a 20th-floor Michigan Avenue office and expensive warehouse
- Don Hesch took out a personal bank loan to pay AMOA bills when the organization couldn't make payroll
- Janet and Julie Stansfield purchased the family business on a land contract and paid their father for 16 years before assuming full ownership
- Julie Stansfield left the business to become a stay-at-home mom after adopting two Korean boys, selling her interest to Janet
- Stansfield Vending is now employee-owned through Janet's restructuring, which Jim had no role in planning
- Jim Stansfield served as AMOA president in 1999; Randy Shilton was president in 1996
Entities
- Canteen· company
- Kittleton Genda· company
- National Entertainment Network· company
- Stansfield Vending· company
- AMOA (American Amusement Machine Operators Association)· organization
- Don Hesch· person
- Frank Sinensky· person
- Gary Stern Nelson· person
- Jack Kelleher· person
- Janet Stansfield· person
- Jerry Derrick· person
- Jim Stansfield Jr.· person
- Jim Stansfield Sr.· person
- Julie Stansfield· person
- Lori· person
- Randy Shilton· person