Atari Coin Connection

1980 Atari Distributor Meeting
(continued)
Additional meetings centered
around Engineering&. Manufactur-
ing, Finance, and Marketing, at
which distributors were given a bet-
ter understanding of the creative
processes and methods used to br-
ing the very best products to mar-
ket, and to create the best profit op-
portunities for all. Interspersed
with the meetings were various ac-
tivities such as golf, tennis, trap
shooting, and a western steak fry.
''The Roundup at the Wigwam
was by far the most successt:ul of all
Atari meetings,'' reported Don
Osborne, National Sales Manager.
''This has been substantiated by
numerous letters from our dis-
tributors indicating that it was
highly productive, and offered an
excellent opportunity to share ideas
and information with Atari and
with each other.''
-
.
Joseph Robbins joins Atari
as Co-President of Coin-Op Division
Joseph Robbins, most recently
President of Empire Distributing
Company, a division of Bally, Inc.,
has been named co-president of
Atari's Coin-Op Division, it was an-
nounced today, June 4, by Eugene
Lipkin, President.
In making the announcement,
'
' J
I
Mr. Lipkin said, ''Atari's Coin-Op
Di vision has experienced ac-
celerated growth and expansion
both domestically and interna-
tionally during the past 18
months.''
''I am particularly pleased that
Joe has joined me to manage the ex-
panding administrative and mar-
keting plans for Atari's Coin-Op
Division. His assistance will enable
Atari to keep up with the demands
of the industry, and to devote the
creative and business efforts needed
to continue our leadership in the
marketplace.''
The outstanding successes of
such Atari coin-op games as Aste-
roids™, Sprint II™, and Football'™
have been instrumental in bringing
Atari into the forefront of the coin-
op industry worldwide.
Raymond E. Kassar, Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of Atari,
Inc., said, ''The coin-op business is
growing at a rapid rate. Our engi-
neers have exciting new product in
the pipeline and are already blue-
printing games for 1982 and 1983."
''The team of Messrs. Lipkin and
Robbins provides us with outstand-
ing management leadership in a
highly competitive business,'' he
added.
Mr. Robbins has contributed
significantly to the growth of the
coin-operated amusement industry
over the past 34 years and is well
known to distributors and oper-
ators throughout the world.
He was educated at Yale Univer-
sity in the School of Engineering.
After service in World War II, he
began his career in the industry in
1946 with a Seeburg distributor in
New England and with London
Music Company in Wisconsin. In
1955, he joined Empire Distributing
Co., Chicago, where he became a
partner in 1962, later directing the
sale of the company in 1972 to the
Bally Company.
He continued as Chief Executive
Officer at Empire and was elected to
Baily's Board of Directors, serving
as Chairman of the Executive Com-
mittee. Mr. Robbins held these posi-
tions until he resigned in 1978.