Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

COIH
MACHIHE
REVIEW
12
Henry (Heine) Roberts, phono head for
Mills Novelty Co. has resigned! Heine has
had a long career in the music business,
and is a very valuable man. He is an ex·
ecutive of the highest calibre. Just what
his plans are for the future are not known
at this writing, but it is rumored that he
has a partnership in a large operation in
view. No announcement of a successor to
Roberts has been made by the Mills or·
ganization.
Joe Hart, one of the biggest operators in
the Northwest, whose headquarters are in
Everett, Washington, came to Chicago with
his lieutenant Bud Kinney. They are mak.
ing the rounds of the manufacturers to
ha,·e a looksee.
Wi1liams Mfg. Co. it is rumored very
strongly will enter the phono manufactur-
ing business. They are to make an out·
standing juke· box, far superior to anything
yet devised.
Major Mohr, Los Angeles distributor,
came to Chicago to have a talk with the
executives of the bigger manufacturing
companies. They are doing their best to
see that he makes this a profitable trip.
Ben Robinson and Jonas Bessler, mem-
bers of the prominent firm of Hy-G Games
of Minneapolis, came to the Windy City
also. They are doing the town in their us-
ual fashion.
Gil Kitt, the Empire Coin Man, seems
to be very, very lonely since his wife left
town for a brief rest.
Carroll Vetterick, formerly the editor of
Automatic Age when it was owned by the
Lightner organization, and more recently
employed by O. D. Jennings and Co., has
just resigned his position with that firm.
Just what his plans are now, I can't tell,
but we will give you the facts in the near
future.
Eddie Reinman, formerly with Rock-Ola's
purchasing department, is now doing the
same thing for Bally Mfg. Co. He is a
mighty good man at the job, and I'm sure
he wi1l like his new connections very much.
Marge Bonning, who used to work in the
sales department for Rock-Ola, is now
working for Harry Williams, of Williams
Manufacturing Co. Marge is well liked in
the new organization.
Benny Coven is a name very few people
knew in the coin machine biz six months
ago ... but the operators and distributors
are learning fast that here is a kid with a
real job to perform, and one who is mak-
ing good at it. Benny is the new exclusive
distributor for Bally Products in the Chi-
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804 South Ada Street
COMPANY
Chicago 7, Illinois
cago area. I can give you the honest low-
down on how Benny go t that way, becau e
I started him in the coin biz about six
years ago. This new distributorship makes
Benny a big shot right away. He was sell-
ing candy in his father's wholesale candy
company in this town ever since he was old
enough to talk. The family has been in the
candy business for many, many years. Benny
went to law school, and graduated, but evi-
dently he wasn't cut out to be a lawyer be-
cause he went right back to the wholesale
candy business. When I met him, he
wanted to buy candy vendors, to extend
the usefulness of his wholesale candy busi-
ness. With his brother-in-law, Eddie Kro-
mer, they formed a subsidiary company that
operated a lot of these machines. I sold
them the vendors. They made good, and
built up quite a business. They operated in
several big war plants during the hostilities,
one of them being the Jacksonville Ord-
nance Plant in Arkansas. Eddie was drafted
and went to the Seabees. Benny remained
behind, and got a notion he wanted to ex·
pand his operations to include drink vend·
ing machines in the same factories in Chi·
cago where he had so many candy rna·
chines. So he took himself another partner,
an old friend from law school days, and
they bought a lot of Bally Drink Machines.
They had quite a time with these machines,
but the boys made good. In the meantime,
Benny got to know Ray Moloney quite well,
and the two of them hatched some plans
for Benny's future. Ray, it is needless to
mention, is the impresario of the Bally
Manufacturing Co. So last summer, Benny
sold his operations of both candy and
drinks, and went to work at Bally. Just r€-
cently it was announced that Benny is the
aforementioned distributor, and on the way
to being a big factor in the coin biz.
Sol Swartz, chief radio mate in Uncle
Sam's Navy, has j.ust been discharged. Sol
has been connected with the coin biz for
many years putting his own patented bur-
glar alarms on the trucks used by coin
men. He got married while he was in serv-
ice last year, and he just phoned to tell me
that he is the proud papa of a baby boy
weighing nine pounds. Congratulations Sol,
and may he grow up to be a good alarm-in-
staller.
Hymie Rosenberg, the well known New
York Distributor, came to town also dur-
ing the week. He is being welcomed by all
the boys.
Jack Nelson, the salesmanager for Su-
perior Products, is on an extended tour of
the great west and northwestern states. At
this writing he is in Oregon, and headed
down toward 'Frisco and Los Angeles. I
got a card from him written in Denver, and
one from Utah. Another postcard marked
Seattle reports that there has been consid·
erable rain enroute. Evidently business is
good, because he seems to be in high spir-
its. These extended trips are all right for
business but what about your bowling aver·
ages, Jack ? You can't practice on the pins
while you're on the road. If you don't hap·
pen to know, boys, Jack is a top· notch keg-
ler.
Sam Yaras, Dallas, Texas Distributor, is
another visitor to our fair city.
Bill Frey of Miami is in town, as has
been mentioned in another article, and at·
tended the manufacturers' meeting. Also
B ill has been visiting with the best people
to get the lowdown on how fast new equip-
ment will be coming off the lines. He prob·
ably has also been shopping for materials
to use in his own manufacturing business.
J. A. R. Davidson, representing the Kiwi
Novelty Co. of Sidney, Australia and Jo-
hannesburg, South Africa, is in Chicago on
a buying trip. If there have been any
(See CHICAGO SCENE, Page 16)