# MARC MANDELTORT DIES

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2021-12-22  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/12/22/marc-mandeltort-dies

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## Analysis

Marc Mandeltort, founder and CEO of Marco Specialties, passed away on December 22, 2021. He was a legendary figure in the pinball industry who built Marco Specialties into a global parts supplier serving 250,000+ customers across 50+ countries since incorporating in 1985. Mandeltort is remembered for his critical role in sustaining pinball through industry downturns, including supplying parts after Williams/Bally ceased production in 1999, and for his extensive support of pinball shows and manufacturers worldwide.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Marco Specialties was incorporated in 1985 and grew to serve more than 250,000 customers around the world — _Direct statement in article from Gary Flower's tribute_
- [HIGH] Marc Mandeltort was working as a store manager for Bally's Aladdin's Castle arcade chain in South Carolina before founding Marco Specialties — _Gary Flower's biographical account of Marc's career path_
- [HIGH] Marc founded Marco Specialties by buying up pinball parts stock from companies closing their doors during a coin-op industry downturn in the early 1980s — _Gary Flower's description of the company's origin_
- [HIGH] After Williams/Bally ceased production in 1999, Marc ensured operators and home users continued to have access to parts through Marco Specialties and other distributors — _Gary Flower's tribute describing Marc's role post-1999_
- [HIGH] Marc attended pinball shows across the USA and was known for being 'suited and booted' and serving as 'the voice of reason' — _Gary Flower's personal recollection of Marc at industry events_

### Notable Quotes

> "He was a hero in so many ways; coming to the salvation of the pinball repairers seeking out that hard to find, if not obsolete, part; often fabricated by Marc's company Marco Specialties even when demand was never going to return a significant profit."
> — **Gary Flower, pinball historian**
> _Encapsulates Marc's legacy of prioritizing community support over profit margins_

> "Marc held a range of positions as, one after another, distributorships and other coin-op companies shuttered."
> — **Gary Flower**
> _Illustrates the industry context that inspired Marc to identify the parts supply opportunity_

> "Most people that bought parts from Marc, directly or indirectly, will not know what a debt of gratitude they owe the quietly spoken President of Marco Specialties, nor understand his impact on the pinball landscape across the world."
> — **Gary Flower**
> _Emphasizes Marc's understated but profound influence on the global pinball industry_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Marc Mandeltort | person | Founder and CEO of Marco Specialties; deceased December 22, 2021; legendary pinball industry figure |
| Marco Specialties | company | Global pinball parts supplier founded 1985 by Marc Mandeltort; serves 250,000+ customers; major distributor and industry supporter |
| Gary Flower | person | Pinball historian who provided tribute and biographical account of Marc Mandeltort |
| Stern Pinball | company | Partnered with Marco Specialties for product displays and parts supply for modern pinball machines |
| Williams/Bally | company | Historical pinball manufacturer; ceased production in 1999; relied on Marco Specialties for parts supply afterwards |
| Bally's Aladdin's Castle | company | Arcade chain where Marc Mandeltort worked as store manager in South Carolina |
| James Loflin | person | Of Pinball Inc.; referenced by Marc as a 'saviour of pinball' for manufacturing replacement ramps |
| Pinball Inc. | company | Company manufacturing replacement ramps; described as important supplier for pinball parts |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Industry history and legacy, Parts supply and restoration support, Marco Specialties business operations
- **Secondary:** Pinball industry survival through downturns, Community and event support

### Sentiment

**Negative** (-0.8) — Obituary with deeply respectful and celebratory tone honoring Marc's contributions; negative only in the context of death announcement itself. Overwhelming emphasis on his positive impact, legacy, and heroic service to the pinball community.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Marco Specialties supplies parts to current generation of pinball manufacturers, maintaining supply chain integration across industry eras (confidence: high) — Article: 'His company also supplies the current generation of pinball manufacturers with multiple parts for their new games.'
- **[business_signal]** Marco Specialties maintained critical parts availability for Williams/Bally machines after manufacturer ceased production in 1999, preventing industry collapse (confidence: high) — Gary Flower: 'shortly after Williams/Bally ceased production in 1999 it was Marc who kept operators and home users supplied with parts'
- **[business_signal]** Marco Specialties grew to serve 250,000+ customers globally since 1985 incorporation, becoming the foundational parts supplier for the entire pinball industry (confidence: high) — Gary Flower's tribute: 'Since incorporating the business in 1985, Marco Specialties rose to prominence in the supply of all-things-pinball to its more-than 250,000 customers around the world.'
- **[community_signal]** Marc Mandeltort actively sponsored and attended pinball shows across the USA, serving as visible community advocate and industry stabilizer (confidence: high) — Gary Flower: 'he would often sponsor events as well. Whenever in attendance he would generally stand out as being the only person in the room "suited and booted" always affable and the voice of reason'
- **[industry_signal]** Marc Mandeltort's strategic decision to specialize in pinball parts during 1980s coin-op downturn proved successful, filling critical supply gap left by closing distributorships (confidence: high) — Gary Flower: 'He realised how many outlets that supplied parts as a facet of their operations were going out of business, but that there was still a strong demand for pinball parts'

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## Transcript

Date: 22nd December, 2021 Pinball lost one of its greatest supporters at the weekend when the founder and CEO of Marco Specialties, Marc Mandeltort, passed away at home. ![The tribute to Marc from Marco Specialties](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/marc-mandeltort-dies/01-marc-mandeltort-dies.jpg) The tribute to Marc from Marco Specialties Marc’s passion for the game extended far beyond his parts and machine sales business, partnering with Stern Pinball to mount lavish and imposing display of their latest titles while also working with parts suppliers to ensure spares continue to be available for games from all eras and providing support to pinball shows around the globe. Pinball News asked pinball historian, Gary Flower, to share his memories of Marc and describe his role in shaping pinball’s history. --- It was with great sadness I learnt of the passing of Marc, there are many words to describe the man. He was a hero in so many ways; coming to the salvation of the pinball repairers seeking out that hard to find, if not obsolete, part; often fabricated by Marc’s company Marco Specialties even when demand was never going to return a significant profit. The company was born in the early ’80s when Marc saw an opportunity during one of coin-op’s cyclical downturns. He’d been working as a store manager, running several locations in South Carolina for the Bally’s Aladdin’s Castle arcade chain. Marc held a range of positions as, one after another, distributorships and other coin-op companies shuttered. He realised how many outlets that supplied parts as a facet of their operations were going out of business, but that there was still a strong demand for pinball parts to keep old (and new) games running. Marc considered that maybe a company that specialised in that could be successful, seized the opportunity and started buying up the pinball parts stock from companies closing their doors. Since incorporating the business in 1985, Marco Specialties rose to prominence in the supply of all-things-pinball to its more-than 250,000 customers around the world. He was also a hero to many manufacturers and machine owners as he would come to their rescue when other suppliers had let them down. As an example, shortly after Williams/Bally ceased production in 1999 it was Marc who kept operators and home users supplied with parts, often through other parts distributors, to ensure their pinball machines continued to operate. His company also supplies the current generation of pinball manufacturers with multiple parts for their new games. ![Marc in the Marco Specialties warehouse with James Loflin of Pinball Inc. who Marc referred to as one of the saviours of pinball for manufacturing numerous replacement ramps to keep games playing](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/marc-mandeltort-dies/02-marc-mandeltort-dies-797x1024.jpg) Marc playing Marc was a legend; not only did he attend pinball shows all over the USA, he would often sponsor events as well. Whenever in attendance he would generally stand out as being the only person in the room ‘suited and booted’ always affable and the voice of reason in any discussion. Most people that bought parts from Marc, directly or indirectly, will not know what a debt of gratitude they owe the quietly spoken President of Marco Specialties, nor understand his impact on the pinball landscape across the world. --- Marc’s family have set up an e-mail address where his friends, family, customers and well-wishers can share their memories and stories about him. You can e-mail them to the family at: [[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f8959d95978a919d8bb895998a9b978891969a999494d69b9795).

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 68da838f-489e-4330-9bdb-2f310bed6c10*